My gift

Apparently for 5 years, the anniversary gift is supposed to be something wood. Rod spent the past month(s?) over at Scott's building this rolling island for me... from scratch, complete with marble tile top. Guess I can cross one thing off my Christmas wish list!

0 to 60 in no time flat

Or more like 10 to 60 in a week. Victoria pretty much got the hang of the crawling thing this week (Tuesday she really started to take off). Now, four days later, not only is she crawling everywhere, she's also seemed to master the art of climbing up, pulling up, and overall getting into everything! I guess I'm back to sitting in the living room making sure she's not getting into anything she shouldn't for a while. Here's what I found when I walked into the room this evening (and don't worry, there's no fire in the woodstove) - Miss V trying her hardest to ignore all the baby toys and get into the dog toys!

On a side note, Rod and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary yesterday. We headed to Traverse City for a couple of days to take in the sights/smells/tastes of the local vineyards. We came home a few dollars poorer, but a few bottles of wine richer! Happy Anniversary, my love. Here's hoping the next 5 hold fewer life-threatening situations.

The downside

The downside to having a great piece of property with lots of mature trees is the gathering of the leaves. Rod and I spent a good 4-5 hours out there raking leaves onto a tarp and hauling them off into the field. I think he made 10 or 11 trips. We're both going to be sore the next few days. And it started out 34 degrees and sunny. By the time we were done, it was 29 and snowing! Victoria hung out with us, all bundled up, and loved it!

Posting catch-up

A few other photos from the past few days:

Faith and Victoria in their matching Dora outfits Grandma Penny bought.

The girls with Great-Grandma Mavis.

Oops.

Ugh. Mommy brain struck again the other day! I had bought the cutest costume for Miss V to wear for Halloween. So what do I do but forget it when we went up north for 3 days!?! Luckily Uncle Steven and Aunt Pam had cousin Faith's costume from last year (a pink leopard). It was way too cold (for me, anyway) to go trick-or-treating, but the girls got dressed up and went to visit their great grandma.

What should have been the cutest halloween costume EVER: This ain't my first rodeo, cowboy!

Hail to the Victors!

GO BLUE!!!

Cousins

Victoria finally got to meet her two new cousins yesterday. Rod even managed to get some video!

Future career?

I think our little one might have a future as a jockey racing horses. For starters, we know she's not going to be very tall. Then there's this video: practicing already! (there's a little bonus halfway through the video, too!)

Finally

After being gone almost a month (and missing the twins' births), Busha finally got to meet Kasia and Moira this past weekend. Here's a photo I stole from their blog to share. I'm pretty sure the hats they're wearing are two of the many Busha made while caretaking for Aunt Kathy.

Spoiled Fan

Been a Tiger's fan for less than a year and already getting to see them in the World Series!

Big girl belly laughs

We had a fun game of peek-a-boo today. It went on for so long I was actually able to get up, get the camera and come back for more! It had been going on for at least 5 minutes before I started taping.


Click here to enjoy belly laughs!

Our two "foxy" ladies

Victoria: the not-so-stealthy bone stealer. She's got it down, though - roll in, take what you want and roll away! Foxy didn't seem to mind too much.

Playing is such tiring work!

Almost here!

For those not in Michigan to experience it...

I wasn't lying!!

Again, we survived

Rod and I spent our first night away from Victoria Friday night. Since he's often gone at night for work, it was a bigger deal for me. He had some meetings in Novi and wanted me to tag along. So Charee and the gang got to play with Victoria for a whole two days! There was no question we'd all survive just fine, and we did. Rod and I had a good time, but of course the one day I could really just sleep in all morning I was up and wide awake before 8am.

Nothing much more to report. The snow hasn't stuck around, thankfully. All I've got to say to Mother Nature is yuck!

Some photos from last week:

Someone was just exhausted

Having "spaghetti" for the first time (with spaghetti squash instead of noodles). Lesson here: somehow italian baby food is okay, but real spaghetti sauce with all that tomato makes for a nasty diaper rash :(

Read My Shirt.

Impossible not to smile when you see this photo!

They're here!!!

After a very long night, and an even longer day, the twins have arrived. J&M headed into the hospital at 2:30am this morning where the doc checked Marie and found she was dilated to 7cm. They immediately put in the epidural and got ready to go. Long story short, 13 hours later with a pitocin drip that had been going since late morning, she was still 7cm. So at 3:31/3:33pm today, they did a c-section and delivered Kasia Marie (6lb12oz and 19 1/4") and Moira Grace (6lb 7oz and 19 1/2"). For those of you with poor math skills, that was over 13 lbs of BABY in there!!! Everyone is doing well, though they're all very tired. So far, I think Kasia looks like Jeff and Moira looks like Marie.

Twins....

This is th closest we will get...however we are waiting for Uncle Jeff and Aunt Marie to have theirs any day now.

Stealing the Show

Today, Victoria and I (Rod) attended the FOP Steak Fry at our lodge. Victoria totally stole the show. She was able to meet many current and former Bay City Police Officers. We had a great time. The picture is a bit out of focus, but it captures the evening.

Toofahs

Beware Sharp Objects

In the mouth, that is. Yep, that's right, folks! The first two teeth finally poked through this morning! Not far enough to have pics yet, but we could see them just below the surface yesterday, and today they made their grand entrance. For the most part, it was uneventful. No more screaming than usual. However today has been full of very short cat naps and an overtired Miss V. Hopefully that means tonight she'll sleep restfully.

Standing Tall

Not much to say...just wanted to share the latest pics.

Where Have The Dog Days Gone?

With summer fading into fall the first round of sickness is hitting our household. First Victoria, now me (Rod) and I'm sure Kristin is soon to follow. Unlike just a few months ago, the common cold is not very scary for this family anymore. For that, I am thankful.

On Saturday night, Jeff was able to ride with me at work. We had about a dozen calls of various seriousness and Uncle Jeff was able to get a sneak peek on my child rearing philosophy. We were sent to a "family trouble" at a house I have been to several times recently for the same problem. The 15 year old granddaughter was intoxicated and not going along with the program. At first I wondered how a young lady could get like this...then I asked about mom and dad. "Ed is in rehab, and I have no idea where Shannon lives." This was the 15 year old talking about her mother and father. It seems that the temporary fix for her attitude was a set of handcuffs, an MIP violation, and a stern lecture from myself and Officer Atkins. I'm sure it lasted a whole 15 minutes after we left the residence....a place we now refer to as "Bizzarro World". Thanks Jeff for keeping me awake...and sorry we couldn't get into something more fun. Maybe next time it won't rain all night.

Busy weekend and other stuff

We've got a busy weekend ahead of us. Saturday is the annual scavenger hunt/road rally around here, and also Mandy's baby shower. So we'll be all over the place (V and I, that is). Uncle Jeff is coming up Saturday night to do a ride along with Rod. Hopefully they're busy (but not too busy!).

In the midst of the chaos is this... the joy of learning to self-feed.

And this... just plain joy. This was one of the first outfits I bought back in October when we found out we were having a girl. I remember how small the outfit seemed at the time. Then when V was born, and so tiny, I thought the outfit seemed huge, and it an impossible thing to fathom she would ever be big enough to wear it. Now it fits!!! And for those of you we'll be seeing Saturday, don't tell anyone she's already worn it!

Soooo Big!

She's such a big girl! Though those are still 0-3 month size pants, and they're too long. Hopefully that doesn't mean she's destined to be short like her mommy.

Pluggin' Along

Not much new to report around here. We're still fussy (not just V...) and no teeth have arrived yet. She might have a little cough, but there's not much we can do but let it run its course. We bought some fun new finger foods today, and Victoria wanted to share with you all!

Also, I forgot to share the pics I got from Jen of Ayden and Miss V (and Nat-Nat!) from Labor Day weekend:

9 month well-baby visit

We had our 9-month well-baby visit this morning, and everything went great.

Updated stats:
16 pounds, 3 ounces
26 inches
Head circ: 43.7 cm

Height and weight are in the 50th percentile for her adjusted age, and head is in the 75th... a little more in line than before. Overall developmentally, V seems to be somewhere between her adjusted and actual ages... doing everything a 7 month old should be doing, and most things a 9 month old should be doing.

No Synagis (RSV vaccination) this winter, as she doesn't fit the parameters for it anymore.

The nurse practitioner said she thinks she sees V's 2 lower front teeth below the surface, so hopefully they'll make an appearance soon.

And now for today's pics...

Like the Sesame Street song, "one of these things is not like the others..."

Where's the baby???

Click here for the new video!!! I think her new nickname should be Little Drummer Girl!

Please...

Please let this be the storm that brings the calm... soon!!! The past few days have brought Miss V to a runny nose, and waking up every 2-3 hours at night. I'm hoping, since she doesn't have any fever or other illness symptom, that this might finally be the indication that a tooth or two might be just around the corner. Meanwhile, less sleep for all of us is the norm.

Thankful

As you all know, I have so much to be thankful for. Starting with an amazing husband, and beautiful daughter. Thanks to all of you for your birthday well-wishes. I do love the dishwasher... though I'm still trying to get the hang of having it! Rod and I went to dinner and a movie last night (I wouldn't recommend paying to see Miami Vice in the theater, tho), and V celebrated her 9-month birthday hanging out with the neighbor kids.

For a few years, it seemed we were at the Renaissance Festival on my birthday weekend, and it was always very hot and dusty. We haven't made the trip to the Ren Fest the past two years. This year on my b-day, I think the temp here got up to a whole 65 degrees!!! V's nap was a little more bundled this morning than she's been in a while.

Then, while I was making chili this morning, I heard a funny "banging" and looked over to find this!

How I Remember

Being that it is Kristin's birthday is on Saturday, I am reminded of the events that have changed our lives so recently. Obviously the biggest impact on our lives came on December 9th when Kristin gave me the gift of a beautiful daughter. It is supposed to be the happiest day of your life, but for us it was bittersweet. Looking back, we couldn't have asked for much more given the circumstances. We rolled with the punches and kept our spirits up with help from family and friends. On December 27th my world was flipped upside down and I nearly lost my anchor. "WTF" is right!

Today, we are living and growing together as a family. Everyday that we are together, I am grateful. Every week she is able to raise my daughter, I am confident. Every month my life becomes enriched. Every birthday, I will remember.

On Saturday, Kristin will turn 28 years old. I am a lucky man. Kristin is a picture-perfect wife and mother. Happy Birthday Beautiful!

I See Cute People

It seems that Victoria is becoming more animated every day. Now if we could just poke those pesky little teeth out maybe the screaming fits would end.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!

Victoria decided that her dirty dishes were getting a bit much and wanted to get Mommy the new dishwasher she had been asking for. Much thanks to Scott for showing me the ropes and helping me take the 39 inches of cabinets and turning them into a 15 inch cabinet with a 24 inch dishwasher. This project actually went smooth and was completely finished in two days. Doesn't hurt that Scott is a plumber with an electrical license. Please join Victoria and I, in wishing Mommy a Happy 28th Birthday on Saturday.

The best EVER!!!

Okay. Those of you who know me know I love elephants. When Aunt Bo and I went shopping in Birch Run a few months back, I found this onesie at OshKosh. It finally fits, and in my opinion, it's just the best thing ever!

Sooo big!

And in other news... the kitchen is a little messy right now, due to some minor renovations. Mainly, making room for the dishwasher Rod bought me for my birthday!!! I'm pretty sure if you had told me when I was younger that I would be so excited over such a gift, I wouldn't have believed it. On the other hand, I probably would have liked it as a gift when I was living with mom and dad, too! We've been blessed again at this house with the gift of great neighbors. Before we had Scott & Colleen, now we've got Scott & Charee. Rod's been helping them build their pole barn, and in return Scott's helping Rod build a cabinet for the new kitchen space.

Fun-filled weekend

Rod had to work all weekend, and additionally got to go to the MSU/Idaho game Saturday (woohoo, it's football season!!!). So instead of sitting around the house, Victoria and I headed to Lexington. V tried out some new toys at Jaj & Busha's house, caught a performance by Great-Uncle Jimmy in town Saturday, and even practiced her horn-playing skillz Sunday at Uncle Jeff's last J-Cats performance. Monday morning found us at Joe-Nat's place having a short play date with Jen and Ayden (hopefully I'll be able to get some pics from Jen). Saturday night, I also got to visit with some former classmates for a little while, which was nice to do. Hadn't seen many of them in 10 years (though I would have seen a few if I had gone to our reunion!) All in all, we were a busy family this weekend. Last night brought rest and even a good nights' sleep.

The new (old) toy... can't be more than a foot away, though. Those old toys don't have any way to keep a kid in place!

Enjoying the soothing music during ThumbFestNeed I explain this one?!?

And girls' night out at the Caddy!