Kutztown University Trick or Treating

On Sunday, 10/23/11, we took the kids to the Kutztown dorms so the kids could trick or treat. Cole had a slight costume problem-- he had chosen a dragon costume but unfortunately after i ordered it, i got an email saying that it was out of stock. I lined up a dino costume but didn't have it for this trick or treating outing. He decided to wear his construction hat. Cole was very hesitant to participate and it took a lot of convincing for us to get him over his "it's scary" whining. Reid wore his pumpkin hat and slept in the sling the entire time.

Aunt Sarah and Uncle John's Visit

On Wednesday, 10/19/11, Aunt Sarah and Uncle John came to visit and meet little Reidster. Uncle John took some great pics of our outings to the park, pumpkin patch and the Philadelphia Zoo. Hoping to post some soon. In the meantime, here are some cute ones of our little man.

I've been trying to be good about taking pics of little Reid because he is changing so much in a short period of time. Here are a few of him in the tub. Early on he was not thrilled with getting a bath but these days he seems very relaxed in the tub. Oh and i'm also including a pic of the big kids dressed in their rain gear to go to school.

Reid Meets Granny

On Saturday, 10/15/11, Reid and I went down to Delaware for a weekend visit. We hung out with Nana and Pap Pap, Aunt Erienne, Dave, Angela, Julie B, & Eileen. He met his new little buddies, James and Owen and looked like a giant next to them (pics to come). Reid joined Nana and mommy on a garage sale hunt. He was not happy in the stroller but settled right down when I put him in the ring sling.

On Sunday, we went to Granny's house to introduce her to our new little man. She was very excited to hold him and Reid fell asleep in her arms. We stayed for some chatting and lunch and then headed back to Breinigsville to make sure Daddy survived 1.5 days with two toddlers ( he seems to have done ok, all things considered!).

10/11/11-10/14/11

On Monday, 10/11/11, I took Reid for his one month check up. The kid weighed in at 9 lbs, 10 oz. Yup, that means that our little peanut gained 3 whole pounds in his first month! He seriously seems to be changing each day. He is now a little more alert during the daytime and has been giving us more smiles in the past few days. Gwen and Cole have been loving on their little brother. They are constantly giving him stuffed animals and other "baby toys". When Reid cries, Cole says: "It's otay, baby Reid!" and "What the matter, baby Reid?". The big kids even shared their germs with him which resulted in Reid's first cold. Thankfully it was nothing serious and he cleared up in a few days.

Melt My Heart Monday

As a mommy of three, sometimes it is difficult to sit down and truly hear what each child is saying to me. That is one of the reasons why i believe it is important to make one on one time with each child a priority. This is how i discovered Gwen's love for pretend and Cole's love of snuggling in close while reciting books to mommy.

Here are some of the things that the kids have been doing recently that melted my heart:

1. Cole has randomly been saying: "Mommy, i yuv you"

2. Gwen loves to come over and kiss me.

3. Reid started social smiling this weekend. Andy and I both swear that he smiled at us several times. That or the kid has a lot of gas!

Pumpkin Patch Take #1- 10/8/11

The afternoon of 10/8/11, we went to pick pumpkins as a family. Cole kept talking about how pumpkins "grow on vines, not trees like apples". Both kids had fun riding in the wagon out to the pumpkin patch. Unfortunately, most of the pumpkins were picked over and those that were left were moldy. Luckily Daddy and Cole were up for trecking through a bunch of mud to find some nice ones for us. Gwen preferred to hang out in the wagon. Afterwards, we checked out the farm animals, went through a straw maze, climbed on/slid down the bales of hay and played in the corn box.

Firetrucks, Ambulances and More...

On Saturday, 10/8/11, our family went to the Lower Macungie Fire House Open House. Cole and Gwen were very excited because they remembered going a few weeks ago. The highlight was ringing the fire bell. There were some people in costume and Cole handled things very well. He didn't want to be near them but he did not freak out either- definite progress!

Our Week in Review...

1. Reid slept most of the week away but we celebrated him turning one month old especially after he started waking less during the night!

2. Gwen and Cole re-discovered "The pom Pom Activity", which consists of giving them each some colored pom poms along with plastic cups and plastic spoons. They had a blast transferring them back and forth, making "ice cream sundaes" and sorting by color. After playing for about 45 minutes, they decided that it would be fun to pile the pom poms on little Reid. This activity kind of reminded me of the time they covered my pregnant belly with post its!

3. I took the kids to Savidge Farms to enjoy a little fall fun on the combine slide. They loved playing in the corn box and had fun choosing little pumpkins for themselves and baby Reid.

October 3, 2011- Reid is ONE MONTH OLD!

I cannot believe our little Reid man is 1 month old. A lot has changed in one month. He is getting so big and almost out of his newborn clothing. He has been trying to hold his head up much more during tummy time and when he's on my shoulder. Also, Reid has been awake for longer periods of time and alert in the early evening hours when Daddy comes home. WE're starting to establish more of a pattern of sleep at night too. I have been nursing him around 10:00 pm and then he wakes 2-3 times in the night. Our main accomplishment is that he is now going back to sleep on his own in the crib. I remember the lactation consultant telling us that babies that are held a lot during the first few weeks actually transition to sleeping in their cribs easier than babies who are not. She explained that this is because babies who are held know that when mommy/daddy put them down they will be secure and come back for them. Dont' get me wrong-- Reid certainly loves to be carried around in the Moby and Ring sling but for evening sleep it is so nice to be able to put him down and not have to get up 15 times to soothe him back to sleep.

Daddy's Children

Gwen and Cole have been playing together nicely recently. They pretend and make up all kinds of little games to entertain themselves. The majority of the time Gwen makes the plan and bosses Cole around but he usually complies and they have fun for the most part. Today the kids decided to flip over bins and put their little chairs on top. When they started trying to climb up and sit on the chairs, we quickly put a stop to the game. Daddy did comment that they were definitely his children as he had an incident when he was young where he put a rocking chair on a bed and rocked right onto the floor!

Gwen Gets All Dolled Up!

On Friday, 9/30/11, we took the kids to Sweet and Sassy for haircuts. Gwen was VERY excited as she had watched Cole get his hair cut every 5 weeks for several years now and didn't ever get to do it herself. She proudly announced in the car on the way there that she wanted to "wear the cape while her hair was yimmed (trimmed)" (Cole always refuses to wear the cape). She was beaming as the lady trimmed her ends, braided her bangs and sprayed sparkles in her hair :) Afterwards the whole family enjoyed dinner at Cosi (Reid slept the entire time) and then the kids had their "special treats" ,lollypops from S & S, for dessert.

More Toddlerisms...

The past few weeks Gwen has been very into the phrase "what happened?". She asks this question whenever possible and continues to ask even after I explain what happened to her in excessive detail. Several of my mommy friends have told me that "What happened?" is soon followed by "Why?". I can't say i'm looking forward to answering "But why?" questions day in and day out but i'm sure it will make for some interesting conversation. Usually when the kids ask me something and i don't have an answer they say: "Ask daddy when daddy comes home".

Yesterday, I was helping Gwen off of the potty and onto the stepstool to wash her hands. She insisted on climbing up the side of the stepstool and as she was doing it she said: "Well...that's one way to do it!". Guess she got that phrase from her daddy!

This afternoon the kids were watching TV and a pigeon was on the screen. They both got off of the couch; went over to the TV screen and started making a loud noise. It took me a minute but i finally realized that they were trying to "scare away the bird". They have been doing this when birds are in our yard and when there are flies in the house.

Cole is still very interested in who is around and what we are all doing. He proudly announces "We all are eating dinner- Coleman, Gwen, Daddy, Mommy and Baby Reid". He has been extremely excited about attending school. When i get there early to pick the kids up, i always here him enthusiastically answering Miss. Kristin's academic questions.

A Week of Reid

Reidster had a rather relaxing week. He slept...and slept...and slept some more. The only time he was interested in waking up was for a few minutes of tummy time and between 4:00 am and 6:00 am, which made for a very tired mama! Cole and Gwen continue to adjust well and are VERY into their little brother. Cole rubs Reid's hair whenever he can get his hands on his head and simultaneously sucks his thumb. Gwen decided to give Reid a little hairdo by spiking his hair with her greasy hands.