Watch Out First Grade, Here comes KATIE

Katie completed Kindergarten on Thursday, June 7th.  She had a great year! We met with her teacher a week before and she told us that Katie is excellent at math, has a lot of friends and has grown so much during the year. She is ready for first grade!  

At the start of the year Katie was much more timid.  It was a struggle for her to get out of the car at drop off.  By the end of the year, she kissed me/Ned, bounced out of the car and off she went!  

At the start of the year, Katie was reading, but at the end of the year she was ready chapter books!

Katie learned to add, subtract and tell time this year!

Katie loves science and learned a lot at her after school activity - Coyote Club. She learned about animal habitats, plants and roots that are safe to eat, identifying bugs and plants, building fires and so forth. She also learned about the life cycle of ladybugs and bug parts. 

At the start of the year, Katie was 37 lbs and 41 inches.  At the end of the year, she was 39.5 lbs ad 43 inches. She literally grew!

Kindergarten Graduation (called End of Year celebration) was very nice.  The children wore their "Sunday best" and went on stage to receive an individual award. Katie got the Award for her Hardworking and Self Disciplined Attitude.  She also received a Bible.  They children sang a song and recited a poem called "Growing" (below).

 Katie sitting next to Dillon and Aidan

 Katie on stage

 One of the three kindergarten classes

 Katie accepting her award from the Dean of Academics

 Katie getting her Bible from her teacher, Mrs James

 Flowers for the graduate!

 Grammy and Grumps at Graduation. They were so proud!

 Family minus Lucas who was napping in the stroller

      Katie June 7, 2012 - graduation                    Katie August 31, 2011-  first day of school              

(hit full screen to view better, Katie is on the right in green gingham dress)

"Growing"

When I started kindergarten

I couldn't have felt smaller

But I've been growing, growing - 

And not just growing taller!

I've learned to read and learned to write

I've learned my numbers too

And there are many other things

That I have learned to do

Kindergarten's over now

But I am not afraid

Because I know I'm ready

To enter the first grade!

Chunck

Seven Months pictures to come soon.... 

Been a little hectic. 

Lucas has his 3rd ear infection 5 months.  

While at the pediatrician, had Lucas weighed....

18 lbs 15 oz.

Katie was 18 lbs 5 oz at 15 months!

Andrew was 18 lbs 12 oz at 9 months!

Lucas is in the LEAD!

Mother's Day at Rye Beach

I love the beach, most likely due to all my wonderful Ocean City memories as a kid, so it has become a tradition of going to the beach for Mother's Day.  It is, to me, the best place to spend the day with our family!  Katie and Andrew love to run free, play in the sand, jump the frigid waves and collect treasures. And, the dog gets to go too! (until memorial day weekend and then NO DOGS ALLOWED)

Lucas taking checking out the waves

Katie strike a pose

Andrew collecting treasures

It was warm enough to go for a dip in a little tide pool

Treasures!  Sails, rocks and shells

All tuckered out from a busy day at the beach. Time to go home...

Veggies...

Before

First bite of green beans...followed by tears

Try again after some comforting and a change of bibs...

Gag and yep...vomit!

(not for the queasy...yes we captured the puking on video...)

Six Months Old. Happy Half Birthday Lucas!

Lucas turned Six Months on May 10th.  

He weighs almost 18 lbs (17 lbs 13 oz) and is 26 1/2 inches long. He is our Big Boy!

This month proved to be more difficult taking his picture. He kept crumpling and eating the sign!

Here is what is happening in Lucas' World:

• He is a bad sleeper. In the last few weeks he wakes about 6 times per night and does not know how to put himself back to sleep! He used to wake 3 times per night.   Getting worse...
• He is still very smiley.  He lovesto play peek-a-boo  &  "this little piggy" game. 
• He found his toes this month and loves to lie on his back and play and "talk" to them.
• He nurses every three hours.  He cannot tolerate formula.  We have tried 5 kinds now and he vomits them up. Fun, fun! :(
• He rolled tummy to back at 5 months, 9 days and rolled back to tummy at exactly six months
• He went on his third road trip to Mystic Conneticut April 26 for two nights where he went in a swimming pool for the first time. He loved it.  He discovered how fun it is to splash and now splashes in the tub all the time!
• He does not like the heat.  The few 70-something days we have he was very fussy with bright red cheeks.
• He tried his first veggies. First green beans and then sweet potatoes both came back to bite us!  He threw them up....Sensitive tummy?
• He tried a few sippy cups of water and just chews on them
• We stopped swaddling him at 5 months, 5 days.  He broke out way too often. He does not like blankets on his feet when he sleeps. He kicks them off.
• In his spare time he likes to watch Katie and Andrew's baseball games, watch the kids play in the  yard from his exersaucer, and sneak in some TV time when Mom and Dad arent noticing...
 
 
 
•  
 
 

Five Months (very late)

No Babies Were Injured While Filming this Video

Milestone: "Real" Food

Every night, and I mean every night, for the last month Lucas fusses at dinner time. If he is asleep, he wakes as soon as the food hits the table and then the crying begins.  We have succumbed to holding his while we eat. Either Ned or I have him on our lap as week eat one handed.  The non-holding parent cuts the other parents meat!

In the last three or four weeks Lucas has become very curious about what is on our plates.  He has catapulted salad, eaten napkins, grabbed forks, put his fingers in potatoes...and so forth.  One night he helped himself to my applesauce. He swung his hand in it and sucked it off his fingers.

Pediatricians now recommend waiting until six months to introduce solids, but we he was ready... 

Easter Sunday, April 8th 2012, just two days shy of turning five months old...

Rice Cereal:   Take one.

And, it was a success.  Smiles, coos, talking and lots of lip smacking!

Lucas: Four Months Old

Lucas is growing and changing so much.  His weight is 15 lbs 15 oz. and his height is  24 1/2  inches That is a 1 lb 11 oz gain and you grew1 1/2 inches.  In just one month!

Things that happened in your fourth month:

• grabbing toys and holding on to them at the start of month and 
• by end of the month grabbing toys, clothes, necklaces and putting them in his mouth
• first belly laugh with mommy nuzzling her chin in his chest/neck
• slept 7 hours straight (once!)
• blowing bubbles with mouth
• rolled to his side wearing a sleepsack
• both hands in mouth all the time!
• Smiles and eyes widen when mom says "I'm gonna get you" (in silly voice)
• Grabs moms arms when changes him and thinks it is funny
• no more oh, ah, hi sounds now long stings of sounds with mouth open (no babbles yet)
• will talk to anyone who talks to him. loves to have long conversations with lots of expression
• loves being outside watching the trees, sky and most of all his brother and sister playing
• goes to bed all month between 8:00-9:00pm and generally sleeps for 4-5 hrs.  After this long stretch, he is up every hour or two and then gets up for good between 6:00-7:00am.
• Mom has started bringing Lucas into bed at the 4-5am wake up call.

smiley boy

ready for a NH winter walk

Master Manipulator?

Katie, oh Katie....Over the last few months she has been learning the power of words and her verbal tone.  She has learned that just by changing the tone in which she says something she can really get under her brother's skin.  She has learned that if she uses a sweet tone she can get what she wants from mom and dad. She has also learned that words can get you somewhere...

Here is an example...

Ned planned to go skiing with some friends Sunday morning.  There was talk - between Ned and I only (or so I thought) of me taking the kid to Chuck E Cheese with some friends.  Evidently, Katie has excellent hearing when it is something she is not supposed to hear.

We wake up Saturday morning. Katie is diligently writing at her desk.  She presents me with this construction paper bound "book":

 Gotta love it!

Lucas Months: Three Months Old

Things that happened in this third month:

• was baptized on January 21st at nearly 10 weeks old
• slept 6 hours straight and then...
• got an ear infection February 1 and had first antibiotic
• mastered getting hands in his mouth
• first laugh at mommy tickling cheeks and chin
• hitting toys consistently (as apposed to randomly) on bouncey chair
• lots of cooing: hi, ah, oo. Loves to "talk" to you and be talked to 

weight 14 lb 4 oz 

height 25 inches long

Beautiful pictures we had taken at Sears...

Lucas is such a love. He is quick to smile and loves to be held over your shoulder so he can see everything going on. It is also the easiest position in which he can get his hands in his mouth.

He likes to be sung to especially Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  It helps to calm him. He gets fussy every night around 9:00 and goes to bed at 9:30 pretty consistently.  Pre-ear infection he was sleeping 5 hours straight every night and then waking every hour or so after that.  So, sleeping for example 9:30-2:30 and then waking often between 3:30-6:30.  He is still swaddled for bedtime but lately has been breaking out of the swaddle every night!  We think it is because he is long. He kicks to get his feet freed and loosens his arms.  And, then of course wakes up!

Original Story

Katie loves to draw. Most of her artwork says Mom, Dad, Katie and sometimes Andrew and Lucas' names are on them. Lots of drawings of houses, animals, hearts and so forth.  She also likes to write but mostly copy text from things.  This is the first original story she has written all on her own.

Let me translate: 

Katie G.

Once upon a time there was a red boy with a red cap and a green coat with hearts on it.  

But its not ready yet, is it?

No, it does not exactly make any sense, but she was very proud of it.  And, we are proud of her.

Our "Little" Linebacker

Lucas will be THREE months old on Friday.  

He weighed 14 lbs 4 oz and was 25 inches long this past Monday.

Andrew was 14 lbs 3 oz. and 24 3/4 inches long at FOUR months!

Katie was 14 lbs 5 oz and 25 inches long at SIX Months!

Our "Tank" has a three month lead on Katie and a month lead on Andrew.  

Gonna be a big boy...Check out that budha belly!

"He's Just Not Into You"

I had to "write" this down...

Katie likes a boy in her class. Aidan.  She told me this a couple weeks ago.

This morning driving her to school she tells me that she invited Aidan over for a playdate the previous day and he said he doesn't want to come over. He also said he doesn't want to marry her.  I ask her how that makes her feel.  In the rear view mirror I see her shrug her shoulders and say, "it's OK, he still loves me."  I think, tough skin.  Good for her.

Five hours later I pick her up from school.  Standing in our kitchen she tells me.  Aidan said he will marry her but only if he doesn't  have someone else to marry.  Again, I again ask her how she feels.   She says, "that's OK, he still loves me. "  I tell her she should want to marry someone who wants to marry her.   She should marry someone who loves her for who she is and only wants to be with her.  Then I stopped myself.  She is six afterall....this was starting to sound like a lecture about love.  I kind of sigh and hope boys don't hurt but know it is inevitable. Some boy will break her heart... Just didn't think it would be this soon.

Ten minutes later, Katie comes in and says "I will not let Aidan marry another girl.  I will push her away if he tries to marry her."  A little on the aggressive side, yes, but Way to go Katie! Get your Man!

Andrew turns FOUR

Andrew turned four years old on Tuesday, January 24th.  He had a fantastic birthday weekend (s).

The weekend before his birthday we celebrated Lucas' baptism on Saturday January 21st so his Grammy, Grumps, Grandma, Pop, Uncle Rich, Aunt Jeanne, Uncle Dino, Aunt Marie, Auntie Megan and cousins Audrey and Charlie came into town.  That made 10 out of town family members!  Aunt Carolyn and cousin James had to stay back in Philadelphia last minute because James was sick.  Sunday we kicked off Andrew's birthday celebrations with a pool party at the hotel everyone was staying at.  Andrew was very excited to go swimming with his cousins.  Then everyone came over to our house for lunch and birthday cake. This years theme was dinosaur and we had a super yummy chocolate with fudge filling T-Rex cake.  Of course when I ordered the cake it was a Stegasouras, but luckily mid week they were able to change it to a T-Rex.

Monday, school party - Spider Man pull apart cupcakes.  That, like the T-Rex cake, was changed mid week. Originally it was pink and blue cupcakes but when we picked them up evidently it was too pink for his liking and was deemed a "girl cake" - not acceptable.  Luckily the grocery store was able to re-ice it in about 10 minutes.  

Tuesday - his actual birthday.  When he woke up, his room was covered in balloons and streamers. And, had a big birthday banner on the wall!  After a very healthy breakfast (his requested breakfast - a chocolate glazed donut with sprinkles from Dunkin' Donuts) and getting Katie off to school, Grandma, Lucas, Andrew and I went to Chuck-E-Cheese.  Then -  Requested birthday dinner - chocolate chip pancakes.  Hey, its his birthday!  

Last, Saturday - his friend party.  He had 7 friends at a local gymnastics place.  Nice children in total.  It was fun and simple.  An hour of gymnastics followed by dinosaur pinata, cake and presents.  This tired mommy likes simple....

He had a fabulous birthday.  He got to celebrate it, celebrate HIM, four times.  

Four times for the FOUR YEAR OLD! 

Happy birthday to our curious, sensitive, funny, silly, and loving little boy!

Family party on January 22

cousins Charlie and Audrey with Andrew and Katie

Present from mom and dad on his actual birthday. January 24.

Wonder what it is....baseball pitch from Grandma and Pop

Playing pass the parcel 

(a game we learned in the Netherlands compliments of our British friends)

Family picture minus Lucas who was sleeping

Skateboard from Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Dino

Chocolate donut with a candle for breakfast

Balloons all over his room!  So fun!

Spider Man pull apart cupcakes

Chuck-E-Cheese with mom, Lucas and Grandma on his actual day

Who's Who?

Katie, Andrew and Lucas all wore this outfit within the first few weeks of life.  

Can you tell who is who?