Count down to Christmas

Kaleigh 15 weeks, Maeve 21 months...ready for Christmas Me, Paige and Annika, Rockefeller Center, NYC

The cousins, during Brian and Tiffany's visit

These past few weeks have probably been the most hectic ones for me in a long time! They have been great too with lots of visiting with family and friends. After spending a week in Wisconsin over thanksgiving, I had one last week to try to finish all the items on my list I wanted to do before my maternity leave was up. (I did pretty well, especially since I also wanted to savor every last minute with my girls before I started back at work.)

The weekend after we got back from Wisconsin, I went to NYC to have girls weekend (including Kaleigh!). After a stressful, very crowded bus ride up to NYC with Kaleigh on my lap, in which she had a huge poopy blowout (and let me remind you that there is no changing diapers on a bus), I spent a great Saturday seeing the Christmas decorations with some of my best friends, Paige and Annika. Kaleigh was a great sport, traveling around in the Ergo all day. She got to experience Union Square, the subway, Rockefeller Center and the upper west side. The bus ride home was much more comfortable since we had the two seats to ourselves.

I started work that next Wednesday. What a miserable day; it was pouring down rain and half way to work Maeve threw up all over. I survived that day and then the very next day my sister-in-law, Tiffany flew into town with her 3 kids. She is amazing flying with a 4 1/2 year old, 2 year old and 6 weeks old. After we finally got them all loaded into the car (try fitting 3 car seats into a Ford Escape backseat while it is still pouring down rain), the cousins stayed up until almost 10 pm playing together. My brother joined us on Friday and they stayed until Sunday. It was a great visit which included an early Christmas exchange and birthday party for Nicholas who turned two. Unfortunately, it also included a sleepless night with the oldest, Madelyn, complaining of an earache and an ER visit for the youngest, Jack, for RSV. The cousins had such a great time playing together. It is unfortunate that we live so far apart.

My parents arrived into town on the next Tuesday to pick up babysitting duty since Kaleigh doesn't start Kindercare until January. They must be exhausted after three days of babysitting. Maeve is a crazy toddler and with so much going on, a cold, and many late nights, she has had frequent temper tantrums. I think tonight was the worst I have ever seen. I only hope she feels better soon.

So now we only have 4 days until Christmas.....

I hope that I have time to bake some cookies, finish Christmas shopping and wrap some presents before this Thursday. As hectic as it's been, I wouldn't change any of it (except maybe Maeve's meltdowns......we are so lucky to have family and friends that make the effort to visit.)

Some of my thankfuls.......

1. family that comes to visit, even if it means flying with three young children

2. watching cousins play together and the oldest Madelyn making Kaleigh belly laugh

3. grandparents that are VERY hands-on...changing diapers, walking the dog, cooking meals, feeding bottles...etc, etc.!

4. A husband that helps out with things like watering the xmas tree, finding a van to move furniture (and moving the furniture), and walking the dog every night.

5. Great friends that make me want to be a better person, mom and woman!

6. watching Kaleigh turn 16 weeks old and starting to reach and hold toys.

7. watching Maeve love on her grandparents to the point that she cries if they leave the room and insisting on Gma holding her before me.

A fun week in Wisconsin with the cousins

Maeve going in for a hug from Tommy. They were quick to share a hug but also quick to take each other's toys. Maeve master "mine" and "no" this week! Nadia stopping for a brief moment to share a love with Kaleigh.

Tommy was much more willing to sit for pictures than Nadia. Maeve loved holding her sister.

Maeve, Papa, Nadia, Kaleigh, Lolo and Tommy

Maeve after her trip to visit Santa. Our santa picture is a classic...her screaming and crying while trying her best to get off his lap.

Bathtime! Always a great photo op.

Kaleigh is 3 months old!

I can't believe she is already 12 weeks old. She has changed so much. I look back at her first pictures and she looks so little and scrawny. Now she has chubby little arms and legs. Some of the things she does now....

-loves the TV and will strain her head to look over her shoulder to see it

-belly laughs at peek a boo

-already distracted when nursing...if I am talking she will pull off, look at me and start cooing away with a big smile

-she is reaching and batting at toys

-she loves her bouncy seat and activates is by kicking

-she smiles and coos at Maeve

-doesn't love tummy time and cries after about a minute

-is a mama's girl from 4-8pm

-goes to sleep around 8pm, I wake her up to nurse at 10 pm and then she sleeps until about 6 am

-is very content laying on her back looking around

-will fuss but hardly ever cries and stops as soon as someone talks to her

-is bright eyed, especially in the morning

Gobble Gobble, Happy Turkey day!

Kisses for Papa since he shared his frozen custard, a true Wisconsin treat Kaleigh all bundled up for traveling around in the cold weather of Wisconsin

Maeve's first snowman

It's the week of Thanksgiving and we are lucky enough to be able to spend it with family and friends. I am taking advantage of the last few weeks of my maternity leave and Jonny is able to work remotely so we flew up to Milwaukee on Saturday. We have been staying with Lolo and Papa, entertaining them with a rambunctious toddler and a lovable but needy baby. Maeve just adores Papa. Every time we leave and come back to the house, the first person she asks for is Papa.

I've been lucky enough to see some friends I haven't seen in quite awhile. On Sunday I saw my friends, Katie and Bridget, from my first job at Penfield Children's Center. Then on Monday, I met my roommate from grad school, Kelly, who lives in Chicago. She has two adorable little boys 19 months apart and just a little bit older than Kaleigh and Maeve. Her oldest, Jack, and Maeve had fun playing together.

We have also been over to the Fox's to visit and meet the new Fox addition, Louie. Pete and Mel are doing great and really enjoying him. Louie is just beautiful and seems like a good baby. Today we are visiting Jonny's high school friend Nikki and her husband. (she sang at our wedding).

Monday morning we woke up to snow. It is so pretty and Maeve got to make her first snowman with Lolo and Papa. Jonny and I have even found time to go running together, which is nice and not something we get to do at home.

Tonight Uncle Al, Aunt Teener, and the twins, Nadia and Tommy, come over from Minnesota. I can't wait to see the twins and Maeve play together. Last time they saw each other was over Memorial day and they were still a little young. The week is going by fast. It will be a busy and crazy Thanksgiving day with all the grandkids!

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

10 weeks

Kaleigh has discovered her hands. She loves mouthing them and is reaching out and batting at toys. She really likes the lights on her bouncy seat and she is all smiles for her big sis. She is still sleeping great, from about 10 pm to 6:30 am. I hope she continues to spoil me this week. Jonny is out of town until Friday. It's a girls week!

Some more of my thankfuls

1. Morning time when we can all cuddle in bed

2. A fun neighborhood where great kids and moms come out to play in the afternoon

3. A great playgroup

4. A bouncy seat...to keep Kaleigh entertained while I feed Maeve

5. The little whimpering noises Kaleigh makes while she sleeps

A 20 month old's prerogative

Maeve is getting more and more opinionated. She is already deciding what she wants to wear or not wear (such as the sweater when she really needed a winter coat). She loves lollipops, cheese, and her little sister. Some of her new words this week are running, march, quiet and noisey (she is a screamer lately so we are talking A LOT about quiet). I must say "cute" a lot too, because whenever she puts on an outfit she say "cuuuuuttteee". Another fun thing she does when she is getting ready to go down the stairs, which she is trying to do forward lately, I tend to tell her "turn around first". So she will stand up turn around in a circle and again attempt to go forward (instead of on her belly like I want her too). Kids are so literal! She also keeps talking about a turtle we saw on a walk last week. I encouraged her to touch it but she was kind of nervous about it. Now she keeps saying "turtle"......."touch"...... The other topic she keeps bring up is Emmie and our visit to Atlanta. Emmie is a feisty little girl who likes to push every once in a while. She never even pushed hard but obviously Maeve had an issue with it. Two weeks later she still keeps saying "Emmie"......."push".......while she pushes her own stomach. O' the drama!

Thankful for....

After reading a friend who did this on her blog, I got inspired. Today I had many things to be thankful for....
1. a husband who comes home for lunch so I could go on a run by myself
2. belly laughs from Maeve when I kiss her neck
3. bubbly smiles from Kaleigh
4. slobbery kisses from Finnegan
5. freecycle so I can get rid of our junk and feel like I am saving the earth for my kids
6. Craigslist so I can buy fun toys for my kids and again feel like I am making a difference (and saving money)
7. keurig coffee maker...for the much needed cup of coffee in the morning FAST
8. Tivo so I can always keep up with my favorite shows
9. Facebook so I can keep track of friends and acquaintances
10. 7 pm, the most relaxing time of the night after the kids go to bed
11. Elliot in the morning (when Maeve isn't around)-it's where I get all my "hard news"
12. dark chocolate M&M's in the freezer. Mmmmmmmm
13. Fridays, Trader Joe's $2 buck chuck and my breast pump

It's been a good week. Kaleigh is 10 weeks old. She slept for 10 hours last night and didn't get up until 6 am. It's amazing how you learn to survive on such little sleep and have so much fun during the day with two babies. I really do love my life.

Kaleigh's 2 month check up

Kaleigh had her two month check up yesterday. She is doing great and growing like a weed. She weighs 13 lb. 12 oz (90 %ile) and is 25 1/4 inches long (95% ile). Her head is "average". (They must not have measured her double chins =).) She was not happy about the 6 shots in her legs. However, her pain was my gain . She slept all day and I actually got to take a nap for the first time in a month. At least she didn't get a fever and when she woke up last night, she was smiling and happy.

Kaleigh's got acne!

Poor Kaleigh. As adorable as she is, and wow is she getting cuter by the day, she got a bad case of baby acne and cradle cap (no breaks for the girl) that was pretty rough looking. Luckily, it is already clearing up, thanks to the stuff Annika shared with us. Kaleigh is all smiles and she can really get vocal. Today I am worried she has torticollis. We go for her 2 mo next week, so I'll be able to get the doctor's opinion. But I already have plans to see one of my PT friends check her out too.

Halloween 2008

Maeve was a rather pathetic bunny. At one house, someone actually asked if her costume was homemade. But anyway, we went trick or treating in Annika's neighborhood and Maeve enjoyed going up to the door, picking out the candy and dropping it into the bag. She got a lollipop at the first house and ate it the whole time we were out. Talk about a mess. She definitely added "candy" to her vocabulary with this trip. Kaleigh, our pea in a pod, was happy to sleep in daddy's arms.

Our trip to Atlanta

What an adventure. Our family piled into our Escape (too small with 2 car seats, luggage, and a dog!....I think it might have convinced me and Jonny of the value of a minivan) for a 10 hr + drive down to Atlanta to visit Annika and her kids. The girls did great (we broke it up into 2 days each way) but I am a true believer in a DVD player for car trips. Emmie, Hayden and Maeve had so much fun playing together; I wish we lived closer. Even our dogs, Svea and Finn, got along great. Too bad Finn, in his typical fashion, couldn't be left alone without being destructive. But that's another story.

-One of Maeve's favorite activites at Annika's.....playing in the minivan

- daddy and Kaleigh getting in a quick nap (poor Jonny had to travel to Dallas and back while we were there)

- Maeve in the packed car with an Elmo video to entertain her (Jonny was ready to burn the DVD of Elmo....one can only take some much of la la la la....Elmo's world)

-Playing in the backyard; Hayden found a snail, which intrigued everyone. It was a nice break from the girls fighting over the swing. We had lots of screaming over that activity.




-Kaleigh content in one of her favorite places....the baby bjorn

-Emmie and Maeve in pigtails.....so cute (although Maeve's stayed in for approximately 30 sec.)

Kaleigh is 2 months old

Kaleigh is getting bigger and bigger. I think she's probably close to 12 lbs. She is beginning to hold her head up, but does it best on someone's shoulder. She likes her tummy and actually sleeps better on it (too bad about "back to sleep"). I kind of captured one of her smiles. And when she gets going she says "agoo". She loves the baby bjorn and I finally broke down and bought an Ergo after many recommendations from friends. I have a feeling with running after Maeve and how much Kaleigh loves to be held, I will use it alot.

Pumpkin carving

Daddy had time this week to fire up the chimania and carve a pumpkin with Maeve. It was nice to sit outside by the fire and watch while holding Kaleigh. Maeve wasn't so sure about the insides of the pumpkin. She loves going on walks and labeling all the holiday decoration. And as a speech therapist, I have to point out that she started adding the "s" to her favorite past time and word "SNAP!". Watch out....any buckle around will be closed with her around!

The Buddy Walk

It was a beautiful Saturday to join in the fundraising walk for the Northern Virginia Down Syndrome Association. It was the second year that Lolo and Papa have joined us. I got to see a lot of my old clients who I miss a ton. Maeve absolutely loved the petting zoo. She danced away to the live music and was anxious to ride the train but it broke down before we had a chance. We all slept in until 9 am today because we had such an exciting weekend with Lolo and Papa. That is unheard of!

Fun filled weekend with Lolo and Papa

Lolo and Papa were back in town for a long weekend. We stayed busy with several activities including a fun trip to an awesome local playground. Maeve didn't know what her favorite activity was at the playground. Between the bridges, cars, slides and swings, she wanted to try out everything. It's great to see her climbing so well and excited to try out the equipment without being fearful. She surprised me and Lolo by correctly labeling the yellow swing "yellow" and then later that day labeling the yellow lines on the road "yellow". Even Kaleigh relaxed in my arms on the swing. We will definately go back to that playground. Kaleigh continues to be our cuddler as she fell asleep in Papa's arms when we went out to dinner.

Fun trip to Columbus

Maeve enjoying her juice Jill with Kaleigh, Carrie and AngieAva Lynn (7 weeks) and Jenifer Kaleigh (5 weeks) Liam and Seth (3 yrs), Finnegan, Maeve

We went back to Columbus Ohio for a long weekend for a Nina and Paul Roots wedding and for Kaleigh's baptism. It was a busy, fun weekend. On Sunday we got together with my long time friends; Jill, Angie and Carrie and their families. Everyone got to try out Jon's beer (called Queen Maeve's Irish Ale), which was a big hit. It was the first time I met Ava, Angie's 2 month old daughter. She is a beautiful baby. Kaleigh who is two weeks younger is already bigger than her. My cousin Eric, his wife Tiffany, and their daughter Taylor stopped by too. Maeve finally learned how to climb up on chairs. She was so proud of herself. Her new words are noisy and heavy.Since Jon had to travel out of town this week, I had to drive home alone with the girls. They were amazing on the 8 hr trip. I discovered lollipops can keep a 6 week old happy until I can get to an exit (Kaleigh still wont take a paci).

Visiting Gma and Gpa

While in Columbus, Gma and Gpa Leiter had plenty of time to adore their two granddaughters. Gpa had the touch at getting Kaleigh to sleep. Gma liked to do stretches with Kaleigh. Maeve had a great time taking over their house. Maeve is especially into snaps on the car seat right now (when she isn't trying to sit in it).

Kaleigh's baptism

Kaleigh got baptized at my dad's church in Worthington, Ohio on Sunday October 12th. She wore the baptism dress that my grandmother, aunt, Maeve and several other relatives wore. She did great and didn't cry. Maeve on the other hand, didn't want anything to do with daddy holding her for the ceremony. She was happy once he let her down. She took off down the aisle, socializing and saying hi to everyone. The minister took it all in stride and it gave the congregation a good laugh.

Maeve as a flower girl

Maeve was a flower girl in Hilary and Chay's wedding this weekend. She acted like a typical 19 month old but did make it down the aisle after one diversion down a pew. Unfortunately, she wasn't really up for posing for pictures either. She looked so cute in her dress. The wedding was amazing and Hilary was a beautiful bride. It was good to get out without the kids to the reception, but I have to admit I was tired. Plus, I was lazy about pumping and dumping and ended up with mastitis (or at least I think that is what caused it). Kudos to Lolo and Papa for taking care of Kaleigh at only 5 weeks old. Luckily Maeve is the easiest toddler ever.

Kaleigh-our cuddler

Kaleigh is really beginning to wake up, look around and check out the world. She is beginning to smile. She loves to be held and has had her grandparents, Lolo and Papa Calkins, here to spoil her. She can't get enough kisses from daddy as you can tell. Plus, Lolo and Papa took her and Maeve to a pumpkin patch this weekend to pick out pumpkins. The last picture is her attempt to smile.