In a Wedding

I had the luxury of being asked to be in my Assistant's wedding. Boy was it a fun day. Allie was a coworker at Technology Partners up until a few months ago.  I was blessed to have her be my Assistant for a year or two and boy did we have fun. She married an amazing guy named Kenny and I am so excited for them.  Cheers to an amazing couple!

Vandalism

Ever say - that will never happen to me?  Well, it did. We went to a rehearsal dinner for a wedding that I am in and afterwards, we went to The Famous Bar. This is a place I've gone for years and have never had any sort of trouble. Unfortunately, this night, we came out to find Chris's car with the windshield busted out. Boy was he mad and for the right reason. My Associate had her car's window out and another bar go-er too.  Of course the person was smart. They targeted cars where the surveillance camera weren't in view, they used a crow bar to take the entire window out, and crawled in to find items.  This is the way to do it so the alarm does not go off.  What did they take?  Nothing!

Thanksgiving at the Merli's

This is what happens after a meal that was super filling and yummy!  Not to mention all of the yummy drinks as well. The house was packed at Aunt Jenny's and a great time by everyone!

Thanksgiving at the Norris's

We had a great time down in Ste Genevieve for Thanksgiving.  Getting to spend time with Grandma Marsha, Grandpa Mike, Great Grandma Ruie, and Great Grandpa James.  We had some great food, watched some movies and enjoyed the day.

Fast Eddies - 6 Years of Memories

Attending the Fast Eddies Bus Trip is a momentous day for us. It was 5 years ago that Chris and I got engaged. If you remember, we met on the Fast Eddies Bus Trip in 2006 (6 years ago). Then, Chris proposed to me on the Fast Eddies Bus Trip in 2007 (5 years ago), by asking me when they passed out jello shots and he called me up to the front of the bus to get mine and he gave me a purple one. Inside the jello shot was my beautiful ring! It was a great and perfect way to propose, if you know me well! One of these pictures if from the night we met in October 2006. We were awfully cozy that first night and we always laugh about how Chris was holding onto me for dear life. But we actually didn't go on our first date until 5 months later. The second picture is us in 2007, the night we got engaged. How happy we look and amazingly enough we are still just as happy today, if not more! So we attended the Fast Eddies Bus trip for probably the 10th or 11th time yesterday and of course, had another memorable time!

Teaching for JA in a Day

For the 2nd year in a row, Chris and I taught for Junior Achievement at Jefferson Elementary school. It was another rewarding experience and was very exhausting!  The kids were so great and we even had a girl in our 2nd grade class named Tia. Of course, I gave her extra special attention, which made Chris laugh!  Afterwards, we went to Crown Candy - yummy!

Mommy's Sick

It started off with a coughing fit while I was interviewing a candidate over the phone for my work. I didn't think much of it, but then it started to happen daily. Especially when I'd laugh, I just could not catch my breath. This cough is a dry cough, but it sounds like I'm an old man. Others were telling me that they've heard that people were getting this cough and it would last for months. I really hope I'm not getting sick!

Mommy Turns 35

I really can't believe that I'm 35.  Where has the time gone in my life!  I mean, I remember when I thought 35 was old. I don't feel old and I have never minded getting older either. I have a lot to be proud of and I wouldn't change a thing, but wow 35! My friends took me out and celebrated my birthday! So much fun, as always!

Fall Picture Day

Wow! I am so blessed to have such beautiful children! They are so stinker adorable and I'm so proud to be their mommy!  They had fall picture day and the girls did great.  Tia looks so grown up in this picture and Lexi looks like a little person. So cute!

Halloween 2012

Look at these little sweethearts!  Aren't they adorable in their halloween costumes.  Lexi fit into Tia's old Ladybug costume and I found this cute Superwoman costume at Goodwill.  They had a blast going around the neighborhood with Aunt Jenny!

Tia and Lexi Sharing A Room

My mom and her husband are in town for a few days so we decided to put the pack-n-play in Tia's room and see how the girls would do sharing a room. Now, we know that Lexi is hit and miss on sleeping through the night and especially with her sickness last week, she hasn't been sleeping all that well.  When she cries it sounds like she is hurt, but she is just a passionate little girl and when she wants something, she lets you know!  She hadn't slept most of the day and with no naps, it was hard telling if Lexi would go down easily. Finally after 8:00pm, she decided she had had enough and went to sleep. Tia was really great and was super quiet and watched TV quietly. She always puts up a fight when it is time to go to bed, but she did pretty good considering.  We forgot to move the baby monitor into our room and with our turbo fans and door closed, I didn't hear a thing. But I noticed this morning that Lexi had a blanket and two tissues in her crib.  Not sure if the tissues were for her nose or what, but I thought it was funny. My mom woke up right when I was leaving with the girls this morning and said Lexi was crying for a while and so she rocked her back to bed. This morning, Lexi drank an entire bottle, so I bet she was hungry. I asked Tia if Lexi cried much and she said yes. It was super cute.  I am happy they are getting a flavor of sharing a room, because in the long run, they will be. They have bunk beds, although Tia won't be able to sleep on the top bunk until she is 6 or so. But what is great is the bunk beds are stacked so we can use them independently as beds.  Lexi will be in her crib for a while though. I guess we'll see how they do the rest of the week while my mom is visiting.  Hope they both can get some sleep!

Back Seat Driver

Most people who know me know I have a few talents. One of them is my sense of navigation. I'm horrible at geography, but I can give directions including short cuts and have an amazing sense of direction. I have several friends who call me for directions. Chris relies on my to tell him which turns to take and which way to go when driving. We were driving away from the hospital the other night and I was telling Chris which way to go. All of a sudden, from the back seat, we hear 'go that way Daddy', 'yep, that's the way' and pretty much repeated everything I said to Chris, but in a convincingly cute way as if it was her really telling him how to get places. Then when we pulled to a road close to home, Tia took over again and started telling Chris directions. It was super cute. Chris said 'that is definitely your daughter!' So I think Tia is definitely going to be a back seat driver! Hopefully, she inherited my sense of direction!

Emergency Room for Lexi

Lexi experienced her first and hopefully last Emergency Room visit. She woke up about 2am the night prior to yesterday with a 104 fever. She was irritable and not happy. I decided there wasn't any way she would make it at daycare because she had already proved that she wanted all the attention she could get. She didn't want to be put down and she just wanted to feel secure. Chris was out of town for work and so I kept Tia home with me too. It was raining pretty hard and I didn't want to take Lexi out in her condition. I called the pediatrician and they said it wasn't the flu but it could be a virus they've been seeing where the baby had a fever for a few days, then a rash. Throughout the day, I gave Lexi as much attention as she needed and it was great because Tia was an absolute angel with Lexi. She really helped keep Lexi in a better mood than if Tia had gone to daycare. It is like Lexi lights up with Tia is around. Even though Lexi wasn't her true self with no smiles, lethargic mannerisms, and lots of whimpering, it seemed that Tia's presence made Lexi just feel better some how. Throughout the day, I noticed her soft spot was super bulged out. When Chris came home, we decided we should call the doctor and ask about the soft spot. A lot of her symptoms were similar symptoms to meningitis and so the doctor was pretty adamant about us taking Lexi into the Emergency Room for some tests. The earlier meningitis is detected, the less fatal it can be, so we did not want to take any chances. We packed up the family and went to Mercy. Tia did great for the four hours we were there and Lexi was really out of it at that point. They gave her some motrin and did a bunch of tests. While waiting, it seemed like forever, Lexi started to come back to life and started smiling and playing. Her fever went down a couple degrees and her bulged soft spot went down slightly. The doctor said she did not have the flu, no RSV, no ear infection, and did not think she had meningitis but if her fever continues after a few days, then bring her back. We were relieved and although super tired, we were happy to have good news. We just know as parents, comes worry, and in cases where there could be anything life threatening, we will jump at whatever we need to do to remedy the situation. Luckily, we have amazingly great doctors! So Lexi is all better and is 90% better. She just has to get back into her routine and she'll be 100% again.

Baby Prison

The baby gate is up! With Lexi crawling all over, we decided to put the baby gate up for Lexi. Tia loves hanging out in there too and she is wonderful with Lexi. There is an electronic toy where Lexi can stand and play. She would stand there and push all the buttons. Her face would light up when she knew she was standing.

Mom & Dad

When we say Tia is growing up fast, there are some areas where we are not exaggerating.  She is approaching three, sleeping in a big girl bed with no rail, decides on many things like what she wants to eat, and just acts like a little lady from time to time.  One thing though that cracks me up is that she calls us Mom and Dad.  Not Mommy and Daddy any longer.  Well, only when she isn't feeling good or is in trouble.  But on a regular basis, she has been calling us Mom and Dad for several months now.  If you ask her what our names are, she knows Daddy's name is Chris. She has no idea my name is Angie yet.  It actually drives Chris crazy when Tia is trying to get his attention and she yells to him 'Dad...Dad....Dad...Daddy....' and when no answer 'Chris!'  It definitely gets him to turn and look at her in amazement.  It always cracks me up.  She has been calling me Mom for so long now that it is almost as if Mommy wasn't around for long.  It just makes me think she is growing up so fast by already calling me Mom.  This morning we walked into daycare and there was a huge poster on the front wall that had a ton of pairs of hands with the name above it. I was checking the girls into the computer system and she chanted 'Hey Mom, look'....'Hey Mom, look' until I finally looked and she showed me her pair of hands and name. I was actually quite impressed she knew where her name/hands were on this gigantic poster and then I laughed out loud when I realized she was saying 'Hey Mom' - it just cracks me up every time.  It doesn't bother me at all. I think she knows it makes her sound older. Tia is quite amazing with Lexi too.  She has not shown much animosity or jealousy with Lexi. I think she realizes she is young and a baby.  She is crankier in the morning, but most of the time Tia is very protective of Lexi.  She tells everyone not to touch her. She shares her toys with her and instead of snatching out a toy from Lexi's hands, she replaces it first with another toy. Playing soccer every Monday now, closing her door when we are home so she gets privacy, going on the potty all by herself, and calling us Mom/Dad - she is growing up!

Potty Training & Bribery

So Tia has been potty training for awhile now and was doing really good for some time, then all of a sudden she started saying no, when we'd ask her.  She has a report at daycare so we can see her progress there and from the beginning, she has done okay.  Probably about half the time, she'll go on the potty.  What is amazing is that when she was around 24 months, she went on the potty for the first time and went 'poopie'.  So we thought she was going to just automatically get potty training.  We do have to admit, we haven't pressured her much into it. Since we really only get to see her for a couple to a few hours at night and a very short time in the morning, we decided to let daycare do the core hours and we'd follow suit.  The other challenge is that many people say to start potty training when her diaper is dry through the night. Unfortunately, Tia has always had wet diapers through the night. I think, there was 1 time and I was pretty amazed. We realized that if Tia gets potty trained, then she has the potential to move up to the next class which means cheaper daycare fees for her.  So we've been on a mission for a few weeks now and we are using bribery to do it. Talk about magic!  Before, she would just say 'no thanks' when we'd ask her to go.  Now that she knows there is candy involved, she goes every chance she gets. At home, she goes 5 or 6 times in one day on the weekend, which is such an amazing improvement. During the week, she goes in the morning and before bed time. She just loves her candy. We are desperate and we know how we feel about food, so why not.  We are so proud of our little girl!  She's getting so big.

Lexi is Sleeping Through the Night

Lexi is almost 9 months old and I thought I'd never see the say when she was sleeping all through the night without requiring a feeding or diaper change or just a binkie insertion.  Last Friday, Lexi slept straight through for the first time, with no peep that I heard.  The night before that she woke up for her feeding at 3, but when I went in there, she found a binkie was and quickly back to sleep.  I knew it was getting close.  I didn't mind doing feedings in the middle of the night only because I know in time they figure it out and don't require it anymore.  Lexi had been sleeping from 7:30ish until 3:00am almost every night for months now.  I knew it wouldn't be long until that 3:00am moved ever so slightly until 5:30am or 6:00am when I get myself and the girls up for our day.  I've also been training myself to not listen to every peep from the monitor and not to respond to every need.  I know each cry and what it means, so I respond differently each time.  Lexi use to have the hurt cry when she was hungry and I always respond to the hurt cry. But what I've come to find out is that she has a little fiery temper and she is not afraid to use it when she wants it.  The other factor is that up until she was 6 months, the girl did not know how to roll from her front to her back, so she would sleep face into the mattress and for peace of mind purposes, we would have her sleep in her carseat.  It wasn't until the doctor let us know that she'd be find sleeping face down now that she was 6 months+ that we started integrating her sleeping all by herself in her crib.  Over the past couple months, she's slowly learned how to fall asleep in her crib which has been really nice.  I put a ton of binkies in the crib with her so she can find one when she needs.  I guess I love teaching independence at an early age with my kids. I try not to enable them if I can help it.  All in all, Lexi is now sleeping through the night - I just love it.  If she cries a bit, I can hear her figure it out and fall back asleep.  So mommy is getting more sleep these days too! Yay!

Lexi is Officially Crawling

Lexi has been crawling for a few weeks but she was only able to manage going backwards. She finally figured out how to get herself going forward over the weekend. She gets excited and gets her hands going and moves forward and backward, but until this weekend she just could not figure or how to go forward. Now we are thinking about putting up the baby gate. She is mobile and within minutes she is in the next room. She is just getting so big!!!

Baby Dedication

We were so excited to dedicate Tia and Lexi at church a couple weeks ago. We want them to grow up knowing God and hoping they except him as their Lord and Savior when they are old enough to make that decision on their own. God is good!

Tia's First Day of Soccer

Finally! The day has come when Tia got to learn some soccer skills from a professional organization. We signed her up this summer, but not enough kids signed up. There was plenty of interest this fall and I'm so excited for Tia.

Chris went up to see how her first soccer lesson at daycare. SoccerShots is the organization giving the lessons for the next 8 weeks.

She did great. She proved to be super fast and able to follow the commands. They did drills that had them listening like "dribble, then put your elbow on the ball" "put your head on the ball" "put your belly on the ball".

They said she even scored a goal. I'm excited for Tia and later Lexi to be involved in soccer! Tia came home talking all night about soccer.

Lexi is Moving Up

Lexi is getting so big. She is moving up today at school. She is going from the infant 1 room to the infant 2 room. Wow, I can't believe it. She is such a happy baby. Of course she has her moments but overall, I've never seen a baby smile more than she does. She is totally a morning person too. She smiles for everyone and it is infectious. I just am so happy for my cutie pie!

Tia at the Zoo

Tia went to the Zoo today with her 'Aunt' Leslie. She loves animals and I am sure she had a blast!!! I am sure she named them all and made all the animal imitations too. This was her first time ever going to the Zoo, so I'm happy she was able to do this on Labor Day weekend.

Lexi Sleeping in Her Crib

It has been a long time in the running waiting for Lexi to sleep in her crib. For months, she sleeps in her carseat. The reason being that the girl can't roll from her belly to her back. She'd stick her face into the mattress and try to sleep. We tried turning her head, seeing if she'd eventually turn it, or roll over...but nothing. So we could sleep in peace, we just strapped her into the carseat. I know that ever since her 6 month appt and the doc saying she'd be fine with her head down, now that she is 6 mos plus, we've been trying. I know daycare has been trying too. She would do good at nap time but sleeping in her crib at night just wasn't happening. She would always roll over and get mad because she was stuck. Last night she slept in her own crib all night. She still woke up for night feedings but she was still doing fine without her carseat at 5:30am! So I'm hoping she's going to continue this trend!!!!

Big Sis

Tia is super protective of her little sister Lexi. At church this week, the Music Director picked up Lexi and was holding her. Tia yells at her 'put my sister down, now' while pointing to the car seat. Everyone had a good laugh and it just goes to show how she is very protective of Lexi. At daycare, Tia is the same way. I saw her push a another kid down who was touching Lexi's head. She yells at me, if I ever leave Lexi at home to stay with Chris. She is constantly kissing on Lexi and loving on her. She makes her laugh and Lexi's eyes light up every time she sees Tia. I really hope they are close throughout their lives and Tia will always have Lexi's back, and vice versa. Tia is definitely a lover and I hope after all the hair pulling/pinching younger years - they'll be close once they hit Jr High and beyond.

A&W Club Next Generation

As most of you know, I have some really close friends who call ourselves the A&W Club. Lisa, Cassandra, Mary, Holly, and Alyssa are the 'white' girls in our group. Leslie, Kim, and I are the 'asian' girls in the group. It wasn't that we had planned to call ourselves the Asians and Whites Club, but over the past 8 or 9 years, it morphed into the name because we would find ourselves all hanging out and lots of pictures would be taken and there'd be 1 token 'white' girl with the three 'asian' girls - we would just laugh. Leslie coined us as the A&W Club when she saw some A&W root beer shirts and purchased them for us all. Over the years, we've just stuck with the name and we love it. Now some of us are starting to have kids. Of course, Kyle, Leslie's son will be our first next generation-'er' of the A&W Club, but now we are getting lots more babies to the mix. Evan is from one of our token 'white' guy friends named Timmay, etc. Holly has twins, I have my girls, Cassandra has Dillon, and the list is staring to grow! Love it. I wish all of them a lifetime of great memories with their future friends like I've had with mine.

Lexi and Solids

We have been giving Lexi solids and she actually has been doing great. I am actually impressed that she doesn't fit it. Some things, like bananas, she opens her mouth like a little bird. However, other solids, like green beans and apples, she mades faces and her mouth will open but ever so slightly. Either way, she's been doing great and I hope she keeps it up!

No More Bed Rail

Tia is growing up! We took of her bed rail this week to let Tia discover sleeping in her twin bunk beds all by herself with learning the self control of not falling off the bed. We put pillows on the ground and we are happy we did, because she did fall out the 2nd night of this new trend. She seems to love it though. I have asked her a few times if she wants the bed rail put on and she said no every time. I just love that these types of transitions work great for her and she embraces them. I'm sure once she discovers that there are two beds in a bunk bed, she'll ask how she can sleep up on the top. But since we've hidden the ladder, we hope we can keep her in the dark on the top bunk until she is a least old enough to climb up and down the ladder all by herself. Guess time will tell.

Instant Friends

A week or so ago, my long lasting friend Angela and I drove down to see an old/dear friend Nikki who lives in Springfield, IL. Nikki, Angela, and I all worked together at A.G. Edwards back in the early 2000s. We had a blast together and have remained close over the years. Distance and life have caused us not to see each other as often as we would have liked, but we always pick up where we left off. So Nikki moved to Texas for several years and is back in the midwest. We've been meaning to get together, but just have not been able to set plans, so we just decided to do it! We loved their house and Tia loved getting to know Nikki's children, Chloe and Dominick. They all seemed to be instant friends! Can't wait to get them together again soon.

Tia's Dark Legs

When Tia was born, I made the comment, she was my 'white white' baby. I said this because I was hoping Tia would get a little bit of my color, but she wasn't very dark when she was born. Of course, I love her all the same, and then I just prayed she'd tan as easy as I do. Well, it is safe to say that she definitely tans as easy as I do. She goes outside everyday at daycare and her legs are very dark. I am happy she has the opportunity to have a good complexion. I've really never had to worry about burning, etc. I hope she doesn't either. She is so adorable!

Lexi's Toe

Lexi has a bad callous on her middle toe. It started out like a small bump, but keeps growing larger and larger. It is a very tough, hard mass. The doctor says it is a callous, but I'm just not quite sure. I get why it could definitely be a callous, but it just seems weird that it is growing bigger and bigger. It is right near her toe nail and it seems to be moving down her toe so that her toe nail is getting smaller and smaller over time. She does not act like it hurts her, but it hurts me to see it on her. Of course, we don't want to see our children in pain or have deformities. The doctor said that she may have to have it removed one day if it starts to bother her, but for the time being, I think we'll just have to let it run it's course. My poor baby!

Talking Tia

Tia is constantly talking. We love that she can form complete sentences and have full conversations with us, as well as her being a little show boat, BUT wow, she is non-stop energy to the fullest. From the minute we pick her up at school to the minute she goes to bed, it is 'look at this', 'come on let's go play', 'hey mommy, hey daddy', 'why', 'what's that', singing - singing - and more - singing, etc. etc. etc. It is so entertaining and she is sooo sweet, but wow - she can really talk. I love that she is social!

The Norris's Future Lock

I know that Chris loves having girls, however the thought of how he needs to protect them over their lives I know scares him. Should he invest in baseball bats, or sledge hammers to scare of the boys? Or the joke right now is the average cost of weddings in 2012. In 2012, the average cost of a U.S. wedding is between $26K-$27K, not including the honeymoon. I think he heard it was much lower and when I told him what it really ways, his eye balls popped out and he asked me if the girls could go back in my belly! ha. But I suggested that we give the girls an alternative wedding option similar to how we got married in Cabo. Our wedding in Cabo including the flight/accommodations/wedding/photographer/videographer/reception in Cabo was less than $5k. Our reception back in St. Louis was a DIY party at a hall where we brought in our own food and liquor. We had pasta/pizza from Racanelli's for Chris being half Italian. We had my mom's thai food for me being half Thai, and we had mexican food from Hacienda for getting married in Mexico. We had a friend DJ, friends bartend, and we did everything ourselves from the slideshow to the decor to the food. Yes, I have wonderful friends who helped me make this happen. We encouraged everyone to wear beach attire and boy did we have fun. We spent less than $3k on the reception. So knowing that wedding prices may go up over the next 20 years, if we offer the girls a package similar to what we had in Cabo/reception back in STL OR the equivalent money, they could pitch in if they wanted to do something that costs more than what this will be....but we'll see how it goes over the years. Maybe we'll win the lottery, lol Regardless, I saw this picture and laughed because it reminds me of a lock Chris would get to keep those boys away. I pray he doesn't use the same tactic my dad did which was make sure I had coke bottle glasses that were too large for my face along with my fro/boy hair cut. Thank you to my Grandma and Aunts for helping me 'bloom' with contacts and a new hair-do when I was in 6th grade. Regardless, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I think my girls are beautiful and it will be nice for them to have the problem of catching the eye of some boys along the years. Guess we'll see how it goes!

Lexi's Sick

Lexi has been sick the past several days. Not sure what she has, but a stomach flu has it our family over the past couple weeks. Chris was in his cousin Jeremy's wedding and the entire wedding party had the flu the week prior to the wedding. Then after the rehearsal dinner, Chris came down with it and even was sick during the wedding. It seems to be a 48 hour stomach flu. Major headache, stomach cramps, no appetite, can't move/can't eat/can't do anything but lay there in the fetal position. Oh and you are either vomiting or have major runny diarrhea every time you go. My Aunt Kina watched the girls during the wedding and she got it. Then I had it (boy was I miserable), then Meamaw Kathi got it, and I heard Chris's sister had it. Well not sure if this is what Lexi has, but over the past three days, she has had a mustard, seedy, runny BM pretty much every hour or two. Her poor bottom is so red and raw that she was screaming out in pain. Sunday night, she cried all night and Tia nor myself got much sleep. Then Monday night, I had Lexi all to myself and she did not sleep a wink. I think I got a 45 minute sleep here or there throughout the night. Last night, Lexi surprised me and slept 10 hours straight from 6pm to 4am. This is the longest she's slept and no BM during this time so I was hopeful that she was over this bug. However, this morning at 7, she had a BM. It wasn't runny and it wasn't mustardy, but it was still seedy. So I am hoping it is starting to turn a corner. We've been letting her air out as much as possible and using so many ointments to protect and create a barrier. I pray this is over soon. My vacation from me being sick last week and now Lexi is depleting quickly! lol

Sisters

Lexi and Tia are so great right now with each other. I know over the years, they will have their moments and ups and downs, but right now things are great. Tia may have a bit of jealousy, but she is really sweet about not showing it. She is creative in getting me and daddy's attention when the time is opportune. She loves helping with Lexi and loves trying to make Lexi laugh and smile. I love seeing them interact. I was worried when I first got pregnant with Lexi that Tia would be super jealous or possessive, but on the contrary, she has been quite adaptable to having a baby sister. Right now things are great between them and I hope it stays that way. The thing that just makes me smile is when Lexi cries out, Tia will jump in and say the exact same thing I would normally say 'It's okay Lexi...I'll be right there...It's gonna be alright...hold on baby girl' and it is just so darn cute. I can tell she has a generous and kind heart. She loves sharing her toys (right now) with Lexi and I hope that throughout their life, they can be close sisters!

Tia's Ears are Great

Tia went to the ear doctor this week. I have been eager to know how she is doing. I know some times with kids who get tubes in their ears, they can develop some level of hearing loss. I was so afraid of this. Tia had her hearing test first. She did phenomenal. She passed everything. Of course, she was a ham too. She was entertaining the two specialists and was jumping for joy when they gave her a sticker. We went to see Doctor Forsen, her ENT. Ironically, Meamaw Kathi had started working for Doctor Forsen's office shortly after she graduated with her Medical Assistant degree. Of course when Tia saw Meamaw, she went running and jumped into her arms. Once we got into the doctor's room and it was just me and Tia, Tia froze up realizing that this was not a place she wanted to be. Doctor Forsen came in and with his soft voice spoke to Tia. She had not to do with him until he said the word 'sucker'. Then her face lit up and basically was willing to do whatever he asked. She turned her head so he could look in 1 ear and then the other. She opened her mouth, looked up at the ceiling, and said 'ahhhhh'. She was just so excited about the sucker. Dr. Forsen said her ears look great. She lost one of her tubes but her ear looks great. The other still has the tube halfway falling out, but we decided to let it fall out on its own. He said that he was very pleased about Tia's ears. Yay!

Family Wedding

When I was pregnant with Tia, Chris's cousin Jeremy still lived with us. I remember being 7 months pregnant and walking up the driveway when Jeremy was living with us. He and Chris lived together for over 5 years before I moved in. Jeremy moved out two months before Tia was born. He is now a father himself and married Leslie last Saturday. Even though the wedding was an outdoor wedding outside with 108 degree weather, I have to say it was one of the funnest weddings I've been to. I actually was pretty comfortable but being a girl, I was able to wear a strapless dress that was quite comfy. Chris was the best man and was in a tux and was quite hot for a while. He wasn't feeling the greatest, but prevailed giving a great toast and doing his best to enjoy himself. I was having a blast, but I always do with Chris's family. Congrats Jeremy, Leslie, and Elliot.

5 More Mimutes

Tia is so cute. When she is playing something she loves, but won't give it up so she can go to bed, we'll say '5 more minutes', '4 more minutes', etc. Well, it has come back on us lately. Now she is using that same line of thinking with us. Chris was on the iPad and Tia ran over and said 'My Turn' and Chris said 'Tia, can you share with daddy' and Tia said 'okay daddy, 5 more mimutes'. We were cracking up. She has been using that lately - and negotiates too. I'll give Tia one cookie and she'll say 'two' before she even eats the first. That girl is so cute and smart!

New Mommy Mobile

Our family has a new vehicle. I love my BMW X5, but we couldn't pass up buying this new Nissan Murano. One of our dear friend's lease was up and she was getting ready to get a new car instead of buying the lease out. Therefore, we were able to snatch it up and buy it. Knowing that the Murano has 100,000 less miles, is a safe vehicle, and is exactly the type of car I like - we just couldn't pass it up. My BMW has 162,000 miles on it, has it's aches and pains, and has been a great vehicle for 5 and a half years. Honestly, I'd keep it if I didn't have the girls. However, knowing that I have some precious cargo now with Tia and Lexi - I want to make sure our vehicles are safe. For the past two weeks, I've been driving both cars here and there. Tia would say 'Mommy's car' then point to the Murano and say 'My Car' - so cute. I'm loving my new ride!!!!!

No Ear Infections

I took Lexi to the doctor last week because she finished her ear infection medicine on Tuesday and still sounded awful. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. The good news is that she has no ear infections! Yay! She has a small bug that only needs some nebulizer treatments. She weighed almost 16 pounds.

Lexi's Face into the Mattress

Nothing scares me more than seeing Lexi's face directly into the mattress. I try to move her and she puts it right back. We try to see if she is able to get air and we can only see that her nose is pressed so that she can't breath. Oh how scary! I just fear for her when she does that and with SIDS or Carbon Monoxide poisoning. The first night she did this, if she rolled on her right side, she'd bury her head into the mattress. But if she went to the left she sleep on her side and on her cheek. So I was able to check on her and see that she was okay. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep. Then the next night she was adamant about putting her head into the pillow. Going on lack of sleep, I threw the towel in and told Chris I was just going to have her sleep in her car seat all buckled in, so I knew she was okay. I think once she figures out how to easily roll from her belly to her back, then she'll be fine. She has no problem rolling from back to belly, but has a harder time rolling from belly to back. I know most kids are the opposite. She'll get there, but until I know I can sleep without worrying, she gets to sleep in her car seat!

Tia's Cute Hat

This picture is the cutest, she is just so adorable!

Lexi's Ear Infection

School called and said Lexi has had many diarrheas yesterday, so Chris stayed home from work today and took Lexi to the doctor. Yep, yet another ear infection. Poor baby - meds it is. I got home around 3, because Chris had to leave. They pretty much said she is becoming even more of a candidate for tubes. My poor girls and their ears.

Happy Father's Day

This is Chris's first father's day with two daughters! Oh and how proud he is!

Lexi's Rolling Over

We had Lexi on her belly and instantly she rolled over onto her back. It must have triggered her knowledge of rolling because then we had her on her back and she started to roll to her belly. Then she just kept rolling from back to belly and vise versa. So proud of my little girl. She is starting to grow up! Love it.

Lexi's 4 Month Appt

Last week was Lexi's 4 month appt. She weighs 14 lbs 3.5 ozs which is the 75th percentile. She is 24 inches long which is the 50th percentile. Her head measures 41.5 cm which is in the 60th percentile.

She is doing great but she has an ear infection so she got some meds. Her skill level is at a 4.5 month level.

She got her shots which I hate seeing her cry!!!

She did great though and she was smiley around the nurse and doctor!!!

Tia is a Chatter Box

So Tia is cracking me up. She is constantly talking...and I mean constantly. From the minute she gets up until the minute she goes to bed. We can't watch TV anymore because Tia just talks the whole time. It's "Daddy/Mommy, look at this" to "Come on Mommy/Daddy let's go" to singing songs to just anything cute. She is just such a ham and I love it. I think she is going to be a talker when she goes up. She definitely loves the spotlight! My little cutie.

Yard Sale Find!

My mom has a knack for finding deals. She loves Goodwill and every now and then she finds great deals, but I am so excited about her latest find at a yard sale in Ohio. These soccer shoes for Tia are awesome! They are literally brand new and I'm sure were at least $25 or more. My mom paid $1. Whoot whoot. Tia is such the soccer player and I love it. We can't wait to see her in action when she turns 3.

Like Mommy Like Daughter

Well you can certainly see in this picture that I was a pretty chubby baby too. I remember my Aunts always telling me how much they loved my fat cheeks. Now I get that saw feeling when I see Lexi. I love kissing on her fat cheeks and loving on her fat rolls. Honestly, I think I look fatter than Lexi. I do think she is a happier baby because she has some meat on her bones. I think they said I was too. Love it!

Busy Busy

Well it looks like I have been slacking on my entries. I've been back to work about a month and have still not gotten used to finding daily time to write in my blog. I'm going to start making it a priority to write at least three times per week. You know how it is with the work life balance! I'll get there!!

Chunky Monkey

I just love my chunky monkey Lexi. I love every fat roll and her big fat cheeks. I was also a chunky baby and so I just love that she is too. Plus I do believe that she is a happy baby because she has some extra weight on her. I can't stop kissing her cheeks! I love them.

So Proud of Tia on the Potty

Tia has been doing great with going on the potty. She has been doing great at school and the past week, she has let us know when she wants to go and she has done great. We are so proud of our little girl!

Mother's Day

Another great Mother's Day. We had dinner over at GiGi's (Grandma Stella's). She cooked the best lasagna for us. She had been wanting to cook for us namely for Chris's birthday, but we just hadn't made it over so we decided to combine it with Mother's Day. Katma was there and Lexi and Tia had a great time. Happy Mother's Day to everyone who is a mother or cares for little ones!

No Whooping Cough for Lexi

Doctor finally called last night to let us know that Lexi does not have whooping cough. She would let us know what her final results show, but the preliminary results say that she does not have whooping cough. Yay! However, she still has a nasty cough here and there. I hope it goes away soon.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Let's just sat that from a very early age, Tia has been majorly exposed to electronics. The iPad that you see was taken over by Tia early in. The girl wasn't even 9 months old and yet she could navigate from screen to screen. At 2, she can enter our pin, scroll to the ABC player app, go and find her favorite show wipeout, and watch the latest episode. She makes it look like a piece of cake! I'm glad though, because this generation will have nothing but electronics in their lifetime. Might as well master it early on! Live this picture. Mommy and Daddy are nerds and it looks like Tia is following suit.

Lexi Update

Honestly, I have only heard Lexi's cough sound like the whooping cough 'seal' once and it was in the middle of the night. She does still have her coughing fits, but I don't think it is whooping cough. We have yet to hear the results of the test she took on Thursday, but if I had to diagnose her, I'd say no. I think she just has a terrible cough and I'm hoping it gets better soon...I guess we'll see.

6 Month Clothes for Lexi

Lexi may only be 3 months old, but she the girl is wearing 6 month clothes. I love my little chunker. She is so happy all the time, even when she is sick. I love her fat cheeks and her fat rolls on her legs. I love how there is more to love!!!

Whooping Cough

Lexi has had a terrible cough all week. It first appeared last weekend when she was at her grandma's. Kathi called to tell us about her terrible cough. One where she was having a hard time catching her breath and her face would turn a bit red. I just figured it was her normal morning congestion. Daycare let us know that tuesday she didn't sound that great and on Wednesday they called because they described the very same cough that Kathi had. We hadn't witnessed it yet, but later Wednesday night, Chris heard it and then during the night I did. I heard it again in the morning. I didn't want to take any chances since she has had RSV, so I decided to take her into the doc. They got her in that afternoon and I picked her up and took her in. First thing, the girl weighs 13 lbs 3 ozs. The doctor said her right ear was cleared up, but her left ear still has an ear infection. She asked why we were there and I explained the coughing throughout the week. She said that Whooping Cough has been reported heavily in the area and she wanted to take a test to make sure. They put these long wires down Lexi's nose to test it. I hate when my babies cry! They said they will send it off to the State Lab and will wait for the results. The doc said that if she does have it, it becomes a big issue with the State Health Dept. Just to be safe, the doc gave her some Whooping Cough medication that will also help with the ear infection. So now, we just wait and see how she does. My poor little girls have both had their share of ailments in their first year of life. I am sure it will make them stronger!

Fat Tia

I love that at daycare, nicknames surface quickly. I remember when Tia had just started there, many called her Tee Tee and still to this day, many of the kids and teachers still call her that. I was talking to one of Lexi's teachers and they said, 'yeah, we call Lexi Fat Tia' and I just laughed. She really does look like a Fat version of Baby Tia. I thought it was cute. Now, I'm sure Lexi won't want to be called that after she gets older, but for now - it fits!

Going to MeeMaw's

Chris and I had a wedding to attend today and so the girls went to MeeMaw Kathi's today. They always have fun over there and it is nice to that we have an option for them to stay the night so we can enjoy our friends' celebrations from time to time. On the way to the reception, a tornado came through and golfball and softball sized hail came through with lots of wind. We barely missed getting hit by the storm. As we were driving to the reception, we could see a dark sky ahead and wondered what we were going to hit. We knew about it but were hoping we'd miss it. Luckily for us, we did. However, as we drove by the 15+ people who had moments before were plummeted with hail and strong winds. All of the cars had at least one window busted out, some had more. There were piles and piles of white hail on the side of the road and you could see damaged trees all around. It was definitely a site and we were blessed that we left when we did, dropped of Lexi's medicine, and two red box movies. Had we not done these last minute to-dos, we would have definitely been right in the middle of the storm. So scary!

Home with Daddy

Although Lexi has two ear infections and lost her voice, she is still her happy, smiley self. Here is a picture of her smiling at daddy while getting her nebulizer treatment. She is such a doll! Daddy stayed home from school to take care of baby Lexi. He said she was good all day for daddy.

Double Ear Infections for Lexi

We went to the doctor today. They were happy I brought her in because she has an ear infection in both ears. She has a slight case of brochiolitis from when she previously had RSV and so she has lost her voice. I took off work to be with my baby. I just feel so bad for her. She sound horrible and her voice is just so sad. She screams out, but nothing comes out - it breaks my heart. We have some amoxicillin for her and we are doing some albutorol nebulizer treatments for the next 10 days. I hope my baby girl gets better. Doctor was just happy she didn't have any signs of RSV. They put something on her foot to test her and said that she is 100% oxygenating which is supposed to be great. So just some nasty ear infections. My poor baby! Lots of TLC from mommy today.

Lexi's Sick

Daycare called earlier today saying that Tia was teething and needed some tylenol. They mentioned that Lexi didn't seem like her normal self and wasn't eating as much. When Chris got home with Lexi, we were both in a panic mainly because her eyes were sealed shut with this green goop. She lost her voice and couldn't even cry, and her no appetite. She sounded horrible. It was after hours and so I planned on taking her tomorrow morning so we would just watch her intently while she slept to make sure she remained okay. My poor baby! I know daycare brings on lots of sickness...I guess here we go!

Movie Time

Now that we have two little girls, it is pretty hard for us to have any uninteruppted movie time at home. We do watch movies a lot, but usually Tia watches them with us and we are constantly getting up to get this or do that, put them to bed, feed Lexi, change one of them, etc. We manage though. Me, well, because of Lexi's night feedings, I go to bed as soon as I can which is 9 at best. Last night after going out to dinner with family, we decided to watch a movie. It was after 11 and I figured, why not! What was nice is I had a glass of wine and, you guessed it, Chris had a glass of milk with some chocolate. Those are our indulgances, mmmmm. I didn't make the whole movie but it was still nice to cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie together while the girls were both fast asleep.

Night Out - Birthday Celebrations

We had a great time tonight! My mom came in from Thailand and my sister came home from school so we could go to Frazer's (our normal birthday gathering place) to celebrate Sam's birthday. We had dinner reservations at 7:30pm, so after dropping off the girls to Aunt Leslie's, I decided we'd celebrate Chris's birthday by hitting a place that is named for choco-holics - The Chocolate Bar. I hadn't been there in over 10 years, but I remembered where it was and have always wanted to take Chris there. So we went and it was super yummy. We shared a Tiramisu Martini and a to die for Chocolate Brownie with ice cream. wow! Yep, we had dessert before dinner, but that's okay. The cutest part is that Chris got a glass of milk and the waitress said 'wow that is the first time anyone has requested a glass of milk who wasn't a kid', lol. It was really nice! We had a great time at Frazers too. Frazer has been a personal friend of our family for years. Sam's dad and Frazer were best friends and worked at Talayna's Pizza place together back in the 80's before Frazer's restaurant ever opened. Since Sams' dad passed away in 1998, Frazer has always given Sam the royal treatment when we go. He prepares the best cakes and always gives her the sweetest presents. He also gave us a free round of wine, which I was happy about. Most of us either had seafood or the filet and boy was it yummy!

Hakuna Matata

When you have children, you often spend many days watching kids cartoons, shows, and movies. Tia loves Disney movies because they do a great job of adding singing to their movies so you can hum or sing along. The three movies Tia has are the Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Tangled. I can't wait for her collection to grow! She goes back and forth between Lion King and Beaty and the Beast being her favorite. One thing is for sure, we have watched these movies probably close to a hundred times collectively. On Saturday mornings, I'll pop in a movie while Tia is eating breakfast. Daddy is usually asleep and it works out because Tia gets to watch some movies on the big screen. I'll get to tidy up the house while she eats. What ends up happening is the movie will cycle through at least 3 times, maybe more depending on how busy I get. I often don't pay attention, but will notice that it started over from time to time. Tia acts like it is the first time every time. I love it when she sings. Well, of course, being parents, we tend to get songs caught in our head and of course sing them from time to time. I know I do. Chris definitely does. Chris told me a funny story about work one day and how he was in a meeting with some colleagues and they were worried about some projects and he blurted out 'Hakuna Matata', which means no worries. Of course the Lion King would be so proud and of course we laughed. I love how we pick things up, but sometimes we don't even realize we are signing or saying things. All in all, I'm glad that Tia gets to watch a variety of movies and DVDs. She loves Elmo, Barney, Baby Mozart, and of course her Disney Movies.

Pretty Nails

Tia gets special treatment when she goes to Aunt Jenny's house because AJ paints Tia's nails. Tia LOVES it and expects it now every time she goes. AJ even bought her some of her very own nail polish colors for Easter so now she can have pretty nails all of the time. This picture is so cute because she doesn't want to mess up her nails so she is holding the sippy cup with her palms and no fingers. She will walk around for hours with her hands out so they don't get messed up and she will blow on them so they get dry. I love it. Even days afterwards, she'll say 'pretty!' and of course I always agree, even when they are messed up here or there. The concept is the cutest because next to shoes, Tia is loving having her nails done. The other thing is lipstick. I don't wear lipstick and haven't for over 10 years mainly because I had my lips breakout in some weird peeling frenzy and it wouldn't stop. They looked horrible and hurt. It was caused because lipstick dries out my lips. So I wear Blistex Medex every day and have for years. I love it and it keeps my lips moist. Tia screams how much she wants some for her lips too and gets so excited when I put a tiny dab on her. I know she'll be a tomboy at some point, but at this point she is a super girly girl at it's best. I love it though!

Potty Training for Tia

At daycare, they do a great job of putting Tia on the potty several times per day to get her going on potty training. She has had many stars over the past months where she has gone. However, there is still much work in front of us. Someone told me that when your child goes all night without a dirty or wet diaper, it means they are ready for potty training. Well, Tia has always had a wet diaper. I am happy to report that this morning, her diaper was wet as can be and so it is a sure sign that she is getting closer to being better potty trained. I hope it is an easy transition....guess time will tell!

Back to Work for Mommy

I went back to work today. I was actually excited to get back into it and see everyone. It wasn't bad getting up and although I was pretty tired, I seemed to do well on my first day back to work. I kept energized and the day zoomed by. All of my coworkers were so sweet to welcome me back. My alarm went off at 5:00am. I snoozed a couple times and work up at 5:30am, took a shower, got myself ready, and packed all of our bags for the day. I went in and fed Lexi, changed her, and got her ready. Then I went and got Tia ready. I loaded the girls up and we were on our way about 6:30am. Traffic was busier than normal, but I made it to daycare by 7:00am. I got to work about 7:45am. The timing seemed to work. I actually don't technically have to be at work until 8:30am, but I have always been there by 8:00am and after I had Tia, I have been there around 7:30am. It isn't that I'm an early riser or a morning person, but rather, I like to make sure I get plenty of time at work. We received flex time this past year which has also made it very nice. I can also work from home four times a month, if I'd like. However, I would rather be in the office. With the flex time, I'm able to work a few long days per week and then take off early, if need be. The icing on the cake for my first day back to work from maternity leave is that I got a raise and a promotion - yay! I am now the Director of Integrated Marketing & Communications. This is something I have been working towards for some time. June 5th, I will have been with my company for 6 years and I have been striving for a Director title. I'm excited to bring so much to the table this year and 'earn my keep' there. So being back to work is just fine. I could have taken 12 weeks, but decided to go ahead and go back this week instead. I am meant to be in the office. As much as I'd like to think I could be a stay at home mom, I don't think I'm programmed that way unless I had to be. So being back is nice!

Fun Day

I had a crazy busy weekend with the Cardinal's Home Opener with some girl friends on Friday, a bridal shower during the day on Saturday, a bachelorette party Saturday night, and a Thirty-One meeting I was running on Sunday. I wanted to give Chris some relief, but also let the girls spend some time with MeeMaw and Aunt Jenny. So I dropped off the girls to MeeMaw Kathi's house around 6:00pm on Saturday. They got to stay the night and MeeMaw even let them take a bath together which is the first time for them. They did great and had a blast. I picked the girls up Sunday around noon and dropped them off at Aunt Jenny's. Of course, AJ painted Tia's nails and Tia ran around having a blast. She didn't nap all day, so I knew that crankiness or crashing were in her future. This picture is of her as soon as we left Aunt Jenny's house after my meeting was over. When I got the girls home, it was crazy for me and Chris because both of them were crying. Tia was cranky and wouldn't go to bed, but staying up she just was a pill (but it was still early). Lexi was crying harder than I had really ever seen her and I was thinking she was frustrated she couldn't fall asleep. After about 20 minutes, we were able to get them both calmed down and to sleep. But I think it was because they had a fun weekend with family!

Tia and Lexi's School Pics

Tia and Lexi's school pics came out. I am sooo excited because their sister picture is adorable. Tia is a ham in all of her pictures. It was Lexi's first day of school, so she was probably wondering what was going on, lol. For anyone who wants to purchase, go to www.images4kids.com. You can order by 04/18/12 Access Code: NKW5-15 Password (Tia): 60691 Password (Lexi): 20620