Reid Tries Solids for the First time!

On Sunday, 1/22/12, Andy got Cole's old highchair out of the basement, sat REid in it and gave him some pureed bananas for the first time. The kid couldn't get enough! He was so excited that he leaned in for more and was kicking all around. I had mixed feelings about giving him solids at 4.5 months but both the pedi and the allergist recommended starting to expose him to different foods to minimize the chances of him developing food allergies. We were at the allergists office last week and Reid's skin testing showed that he is allergic to cats, pollen, weeds, mold and peanuts. This is a side note but can i tell you how difficult it is to hold a 15 lb little man in your arms without touching his back for 15 minutes while his back gets all red and itchy? I sure wish the nurse had given me a little heads up to get into a comfortable position before she started pricking his back.

More fun in January

We've been having fun playing monster recently. Today Gwen and Cole decided that Reid's high chair was a safe bus to drive away from the monster (usually played by mommy, go figure). They also enjoyed playing outside with Daddy in the snow this past weekend (see below). The only other thing i have to say is-- should i worry that my 3 year old son can fit into a bumbo seat? He and Gwen have been sitting in it to play marbles recently.

Crafts, Crafts and More Crafts

How do i entertain two preschoolers who are refusing to nap? My secret is Pinterest. I have pinned so many easy activities for us to do together. I recently had a few minutes to organize my craft supplies so now i can actually find what we need to do on the fly craft projects. Check out Cole practicing some fine motor skills by putting pipe cleaners into my colander. In the bottom pics, the kids are showing off some caterpillars that they made out of beads and the little cocoons they made out of toliet paper tubes. How cute is Gwen all snuggled up to her big brother???

Organized Chaos

Sometimes I like to tell myself that we have organized chaos in our home. I have had so many people comment about how organized i am but most days I feel like the only organized part of me has to do with the kids and not my home. I definitely like to keep them on a schedule and can get everyone situated and out the door pretty quickly but trying to keep the house tidy is not more forte recently. One day last week I was excited to sit down on the couch for a few minutes to read a magazine and this is what i saw. Gwen is totally on the road to being a hoarder. The girl loves to sleep with 1,001 different things including everything from stuffed animals to kitchen dish towels. She and Cole both enjoy making piles of their animals. To them this is organized. I mean, look at it-- Cole's pile is on the left and Gwen's is on the right. Unfortunately i was not able to enjoy their organization when all i saw was chaos!

4 Months Old!

Reid is 4 months old! Our little man has been blowing raspberries, giggling when the kids and I sing to him and trying to sit up. He still loves being held and expects lots of attention from his big brother and big sister. He recently moved to size 3 diapers and has had a few nights where he has slept for a 5 or 6 hour stretch. He seems to be sleeping better since he started taking Zyrtec for his allergies and his skin has cleared up. The other day the kids said: "Look, Mommy, Reid is a Doctor". When i rounded the corner, this first picture is what i saw. Reid was SO excited to be playing with Cole and Gwen and they love that he is now more interactive. Reid also rolled over the other day. I was at the pantry getting the kids a snack and Gwen said: "Mommy, REid rolled over!". Sure enough he had... I have to admit that i'm a little jealous that i didn't see his trick.

I've received some funny comments recently about our little man. One friend said: "Oh, Meg, he is no longer a newborn. You are definitely a mommy of an infant!". Also, the nurse practitioner, Deb Busch, at Dr. Rice's office said: "He's one sturdy little man and i swear he has three chins!"

Below is a pic of one of the cutest 6 month sleepers that the kid owns (and has almost outgrown). I used to love all of the ruffle butt outfits that Gwen wore when she was little. I think this lion outfit is the closest thing Reid will ever have to a cute ruffle butt.

January Fun!

We've been having a lot of fun this winter! Cole and Gwen have been doing a lot of imaginary play with each other. One day they are pretending to search for pirates and the next day they have a car ie. sheet spread on the floor to drive to Chick Fi La! We have also been doing a bunch of crafts. Check out my big kids with their new watercolor sets! They love them :)

New Years Resolutions

I'm not big on new years resolutions but this year I am attempting to do the following:

1. Make sure that I spend a nice amount of quality time doing something special with each child each day. My plan is to do this even if it means the house is a disaster!

2. Be better at organizing the house. (I cringe every time I walk into our master closet!). My Aunt Terrie keeps telling me that I'll have an organized home once my kids are grown. I am hoping to at least make a few little improvements in the next few months!

Gwen's Big Girl Room

When we got back to PA we decided it was finally time for GWen to have her own room. She has been going back and forth between the convertible crib and pack and plays in the nursery and master for months now. It got to the point where she called one room "Cole's room" and one room "Reid's room". She was THRILLED to snuggle in to her big girl bed. She loves that her bed it bigger than the pack and play because it means she can have many more stuffed animals and blankets by her side. At this rate I'm thinking I'm going to need to weed through her stuff at least once a week!

Cole and Gwen have not been napping often recently. If Cole isn't tired he usually reads a few books, plays with his trains and rolls around in his nest to pass the time. Gwen, on the otherhand, is a trouble maker. She gets into everything she possibly can! Right before she moved into her big girl room she found a container of vaseline in the nursery and put it on the nursing chair, carpet and her hair!

New Years Trip to VA

Between Christmas and New Years we took a family trip down to VA to visit Mimi, Grandpa, Aunt Sarah and Uncle John. Cole and Gwen loved all of the attention and Reid was a good little man. We got to catch up with the relatives and also meet Ben and Kelley's little man, Wyatt. Check out the pic to the right to see Reid's TV watching skills in action...

Big Boy, Reid!

Reid has been enjoying tummy time recently. He pushes up very high and proudly looks around the room. Most of the time he follows his brother and sister with his head/eyes but sometimes a toy or two catch his attention! Have I mentioned that he LOVES TV? The TV was never on when G & C were little but when they watch their 1 hour of TV a day now, Reid cranes his neck to see it-- little stinker! Check out Reid in the jumparoo below. He enjoys putting weight on his legs so we thought he would like this. Unfortunately, the kids decided to assist him one day with his jumping which gave Daddy a heartattack!

Adults with Santa

Of course the adults also enjoyed hanging out with Santa...

Christmas Day Activities

After lunch we went to cousin Melanie's to celebrate Christmas with our family. Cole and Gwen remembered that Santa had stopped by last year and seemed very excited about it this time around. When we got to Reading, Cole and REid were sleeping so I stayed in the car with them while Gwen went inside with Daddy. Apparently she loved all of the attention. It is so nice now that the twins are older because a lot of times Andy and I don't have to be right next to them when we are out and about. Instead they feel comfortable with some of our relatives and close friends which makes things a lot easier for Mommy and Daddy.

Santa did make an appearance and both kids were happy to see him!

After dinner, cousin Elizabeth, Anne and Andrew came to hang out. I've been trying to explain to the kids that they will be in Elizabeth's wedding in a few months but I don't think they quite get it. They do understand that weddings happen when people love each other and that the "mommy wears a pretty dress"....

More Christmas Morning 2011

Gwen and Cole were pretty excited about their new bounce house. Somehow Gwen figured out what it was before we even started blowing it up! They enjoyed bouncing but cole cut it short because he was VERY interested in his new marble run! Gwen enjoyed playing with her pretend cupcakes and Reid gummed his Sophie for hours. In fact, within a few days he knew to open his mouth when we squeaked Sophie! Please note that this is the best picture we have of all three kids. Cole is in a phase where he is constantly playing with his nose. Is it a boy thing?!?

Christmas Morning 2011

Cole and Gwen had been talking about Santa coming for several days and i think they were slightly shocked when it actually happened!

Preparing for Santa

This year we had a few things to do to get ready for Santa's arrival. First went outside and put some reindeer food in the yard so the reindeer could see it and know that we wanted them to bring Santa to our home. The kids had a blast throwing the reindeer food all over the yard. Of course Daddy had to do it too :) Then we made some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies for Santa. As usual, both kids enjoyed adding the ingredients and eating the final product.

It took a little convincing...

and a little bribing (shhhh!)...but I managed to get the kids to wear these special outfits. My Aunt Yvonne made these sweaters for her grandkids. They have been sitting in Gwen and Cole's closet for the perfect picture opportunity and I finally got them out so we could take their photos and frame the pics for Aunt Yvonne and Uncle Gene for Christmas :)

Warm Temps Make for Fun Outdoor Play in December!

As strange as it sounds-- we had snow in October but November and December have been fairly warm. We have been taking full advantage of being outside on the warm days. While Daddy was home over the holidays we went to "the big playground" ie Cedar Beach and enjoyed some family playtime. Gwen ran around and liked swinging and going down the slides. Cole, as usual, parked himself in front of the marble maze and enjoyed making the marbles move. Reid slept for most of the trip but did enjoy a little time in the sun towards the end.