Happy Father's Day

First off, Happy Father's Day to Cort, who is a wonderful daddy to Mia and Cole. He is very loved!!!

Today to celebrate Father's Day, we took a little trip to see the Kane County Cougars with our family, Sarah and Ian's family, and Cort's parents. Despite the fact that the weather was supposed to be overcast, the sun was shining periodically, baking us and making it rather hot and sticky. The kids did good though, with breaks in the shade, some treats, and a trip to the kids area with the jumpies and slides. While I couldn't really tell you much of what happened during the game, a good time was had by all, and that was followed up by a trip to Sonic for some cool treats-yum!!

I will start with 2 pics actually from yesterday-I realized that heat stroke must have caused me to forget taking any pictures of Cort with the kids today-duh!!

Cort and Mia-perfecting her gymnast moves

Cort and Cole

And from the game today....

Mia and Ava checking out the players on the field

Cole found my leftover pizza on a plate on the blanket and was going to town on it :)

Funny story-as soon as Mia saw some kids with the "Number 1s," she knew she just had to have one. I tried to distract her from that idea, but she kept bringing it up. One of the times I had Cole in the shade in the concourse I saw a vendor with them. They weren't too expensive, but of course I didn't have my money on me. He said he would make his way over to the lawn later (where we were sitting), but by that time, I already was at the play area with Mia. Gigi and Papa surprised her though when we got back and I have not seen Mia so happy in a long time. She was so excited to put her "Number 1" on her hand. :)

And the trip to Sonic...

Cole enjoying Papa making piggy noises at him since Cole wanted to eat all of his ice cream

Mia enjoying her sundae
Cole and Papa

Wiped out on the way home

Mia's Last Day of School + Updates

June 5th was officially Mia's last day of school at Childtime. Even though she had only been there since January, it was hard to say goodbye. She was lucky to have such great teachers and I have really seen so much growth in her since she started. But, I am thankful that it is summer and to have some more time with the kids and to not have to rush out the door each morning! Here's Mia on her last day with 2 of her teachers.

Miss Farzana

Miss Julie

In other related school news, I found out toward the end of the year that I would be working in the afternoon for the 2009-2010 school year, so that presented a challenge of what to do with the kids next fall. I knew Cole would be easier than Mia, and as it turns out we are going to be sending him to Mia's old babysitter who is right in the neighborhood, which is awesome.

Mia was more of a challenge, being that she still naps in the afternoon and I definitely wanted her in some type of preschool program (at Childtime, they nap in the afternoon, so she would be missing all the curriculum). After much research and creative scheduling, we have decided that she will be going to an afternoon 3-6 Montessori program, three days a week. The other 2 days she will be watched by Sarah.

We will be doing some creative juggling and trade-offs between the kids, and once Ava turns 3, I will take her to school along with Mia. The school is only about 2 minutes from both Georgetown and Waubonsie, so that is perfect for Cort and I. The bad part is that she will have to transition off her afternoon nap at least 3 days a week, but the good part is that I am excited for her to be in a Montessori program and that it fits my hours perfectly! Cort and I observed the class and it was very impressive. School has been such a positive for Mia in terms of her growth and independence and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be the same in the fall.

In other news, I am off for the summer!!!!!!! Cort is off too, but working half-days at Waubonsie for the summer school program. It is great having so much more time now! Come fall though, I will be embarking on a new educational adventure-I will be seeking National Board Certification. I don't think I fully know what I have gotten myself into yet, but I think it will be a great challenge for me and will help my teaching. It's been awhile since I got my Masters, so hopefully it will not be too traumatic to get back in the swing of the extra work! Until then, I am ready to enjoy summer!!!

Cathy's Retirement Dinner

The other night we went out to dinner to celebrate my aunt's retirement from teaching. We went to a cute little Italian place called Mangia Mangia. The food was awesome and the kids did great! Congrats Auntie Cappy (Mia's name for my aunt-ha, ha)!!

Suprise!! My aunt didn't know that my sister and I would be there with our families

The whole family

Mia

The Silly Pulins Kids

Cole getting close and personal with the tv back at my mom's house

Gifts

Cake time! Mia and Noah were waiting for this all night!

Cole-11 Months

I know I recently did a post on Cole, but yesterday he turned 11 months and it seems like there have been lots of new changes in the last month. First off, we has Cole's Early Intervention evaluation. Like I suspected, he did come up as being a bit delayed in his speech, but not enough at this point to qualify him. The funniest thing is that a friend of Cort's from high school, Erin, is the one who came to do the evaluation. She is into photography and we had recently gotten together to talk photo stuff. It was so nice to have someone I know come! Ironically enough, an occupational therapist also accidentally showed up that day (it was only supposed to be a speech therapist and developmental therapist), but I am so thankful she did, because it turns out Cole also has some OT delays. The biggest eye-opener for me though that she mentioned that Cole has some sensory issues. This was a big "aha!" moment for me as we have really been struggling with diaper changes, wiping Cole's hands and face, etc. He just hates it!! again, he didn't qualify for anything at this point, so we are going to have him reevaluated in a couple of months, to be sure he is progressing.

The good news is since his eval, I have seen some improvement, mainly in his speech, and hoping this trend continues. He has been babbling more and more, and mimicking sounds that we make. I swear he said "hi" to me when I walked in the room today. He is now waving on his own and when you ask him "How big is Cole?," he does the arms above the head-so cute!!! His newest trick is giving high-fives.

Cole continues to motor around and live up to his nickname of "Trouble." You really cannot leave him alone for a second, or he gets into something. Favorite items include houseplants (still) and toilet water (gross I know!). I had forgotten (or purposely put out of my mind) how much trouble little ones can get into. He if funny about it too. If you try to go after him, he takes off crawling as fast as he can, or else gives you a sly little grin. What a stinker!!

He is very mobile these days and cruises around furniture and has even tried to stand from a sitting position. He will let go of furniture and stand for several seconds, but it inevitably leads to him collapsing. He has mastered the stairs, which is yet another area that needs to be kept under lock and key. :)

Cole is changing every day and looking less and less like a baby. His hair is growing and he has sprouted 2 teeth, which you can now finally see. He continues to be a good eater-although we need to work on using the sippy more. Our baby will be one in a month-yikes!!!!!

And of course, some pictures of our handsome little guy. :)

Our brown-eyed boy

Teething on his toothbrush Contemplating what to get into next :) The concerned look

More Congrats!

First off, congrats to Dave and Liz, who welcomed Baby Braiden on June 4th. Braiden couldn't wait any longer to meet his wonderful parents, and showed up a bit early, weighing in at 4 lbs. 3 oz. and 16 3/4 inches. We cannot wait to meet him!

Second, congrats to Brian and Cyndi who found out that they will be having a GIRL come October. Mia will be happy to show her the ways of jewelry and nailpolish. :) Cyndi has joined the world of blogging, so check out the Smith Family Blog here.

Mia's School Pictures

Back in April I had mentioned that Mia had school pictures. I wasn't sure what to expect since I wasn't the one taking the pictures, and I wasn't there to supervise (bribe her with m&ms). After picking her up from school though, her teachers told me that she did a great job posing for the camera (actually not so shocking as she is becoming more and more of a little ham!). I am a little late in sharing these, but when I got the finished product, it gave me a good laugh.

Here is Mimi, in her full glory, crazy hair everywhere and with a scratched up face. The fake green background and log compliment the photos nicely too, don't you think? :)

While they took the pictures, apparently the door was open, and in this one you can see Mia's hair blowing in the breeze :)I also have to say thanks to my mom for the adorable outfit!!!!

Guess Who Finally Got a Tooth??

The last 2 weeks have been a little rough in the Graske household. First Mia got an ear infection and I got sick at the same time. Then poor Cole got a double ear infection last week! Mia recovered quickly, but needless to say Cole has been a bit of a bear!! I was thinking that the amoxicillin wasn't doing the trick and so I scheduled a follow-up today. It turns out that his ears are getting better, but before the appointment I realized he had FINALLY cut his first tooth. So no wonder the poor guy has been so crabby-he was getting his first tooth on top of a double ear infection-yikes!!!

Anyhow, today was a bit of a better day, so I am hopeful that Cole is finally on the road to recovery! I mentioned in my last post on Cole how he has become a thumb-sucker, and I was able to capture it the other day (doesn't he just look sick in these pictures???)....

Going to the Chapel.....

I am beyond thrilled and excited to share the wonderful news that PAM AND RYAN ARE GETTING MARRIED!!!!!!!!

This past weekend I got the shock of my life when Mia came upstairs with Cort and Cole and had a present for me with a note on it. I was so confused until I read the last line "I'm getting married!!! " I started freaking out asking Cort if Pam was at our house and he (playing along with Pam and Ryan) said no. I went frantically running downstairs for my phone when I saw them standing at the door. I let out the loudest scream, making poor Cole burst into tears. :)

Pam has been my bestest friend for many years and there is truly not a more kind, caring compassionate person in the world! It is apparent that she has found her match! Ryan planned a wonderfully thoughtful engagement that you can view in pictures here. You will have to log in, but it shows how much thought he put into it. I am so happy that Pam and Ryan have found one another-they are such a great match! Congrats to you both!!!!

Here are a couple more pictures....

The happy couple showing off the ring

I think Pam is going to need to find a good pair of heels to go with her wedding dress. :)

Mia and Pam showing off their "bling"

Mia and her godmother

Bling, Bling!!

Bass Pro Easter Bunny

Since I am so behind, I am going to back up to Easter and share a couple of posts about our various Easter festivities. First off, we had heard that Bass Pro was going to be having an Easter Bunny. Since this is one of Mia's favorite places to go anyhow (she loves the fish and tents!), we figured we would take the kids there to get a picture with the Easter Bunny. I wasn't so sure how it would go. A couple of days earlier we had an Easter Egg hunt in our neighborhood and the Easter Bunny made an appearance. While Cole was more than happy to sit with the Easter Bunny, Mia was not having it. I figured we would give it a try anyhow. This is what we got:

and just so you can get the full effect, I cropped in a little closer

While Cole is as happy as can be, Mia was not having it and totally freaking out. In order for us to even get a picture, Cort and I had to sit there too. And as you can see, we were obviously not expecting to have our picture taken. :)

We decided to relax a bit and check out the fish and tents, and as we were walking around I asked Mia why she didn't like the Easter Bunny. She told me that she was scared of him. I then explained that he was nice and like Santa and would bring her treats on Easter morning. Suddenly she had a change if heart and wanted to go see him again (funny how that works!). Luckily the line was short, so we tried again. Here is what we got the second time around....

and the close-up

Cole--9-10 Months

Today Cole is 10 months old!! That is great except the fact that last month when he turned 9 months old, he had a checkup and I never got around to blogging it. Sooooo, here it is a month late!

First with the 9 month stats....

Weight: 19 lbs--25%
Height: 28 7/8 inches--75%
Head Circumference 17 1/2 inches--25%

Cole dropped a bit in percentile on his weight, but that isn't all surprising when you see him. He is just our long, skinny guy. Now if he didn't eat I would be concerned, but it is quite the opposite. This boy likes to eat! He pretty much started rejecting pureed baby food right around 9 months, so we went ahead and started him on some basic table food. He loved it! Ever since then he has pretty much transitioned to all table food and is doing great. I swear sometimes he eats more than Mia which is crazy!! He does great feeding himself with his hands, although he is quite the messy eater!

The crazy part about him totally being into table foods is that he still does not have SINGLE TOOTH!! I do not know what is going on up in those gums of his, but no teeth have decided to make their appearance yet. We have sworn that he has been teething for the last 5 months, but apparently we are wrong! :)

Cole has had some major changes though in getting around. He mastered crawling around 8-9 months and very quickly moved onto pulling up and cruising around furniture!!! He loves to pull himself up and has stood without holding on to anything for a couple seconds. I am thinking that we may not have to wait until 15/16 months for him to walk!! It is so exciting for Cole to see things from a different perspective, but boy is he into everything! I don't know if it is him being the second born, or a boy, but he finds and does things that his big sister never dreamed of! Anything he can find on the floor immediately goes in his mouth. We have to be SO careful with what is out on the floor. The floor plants in the house have some sort of magnetic pull on Cole and he has been caught with dirt in his hands, heading towards his mouth many times. He frequently flips over his learning table and finds that rather amusing. He dives over the step into our step-down living room with reckless abandon and just smiles. He is quite the rough and tumble little boy!

One area of concern we do have is with his speech. He doesn't seem to be making the typical babbling sounds that a baby his age normally makes-the buh buh, dada, mama, that sort of thing. Just to be on the safe side we took him to have his hearing screened to make sure that wasn't the reason why. That came up clear, so the next step is that we are going to have an early intervention speech therapist come and observe him to get her input. Depending on if she thinks his speech is discrepant, we may get some speech services for him. Being a teacher and having many friends/family with kiddos in speech, I know how important that early intervention can be so we want to get a jump if there is indeed a delay.

Other random tidbits-Cole pretty much has given up his pacifier. He just generally was never as interested as Mia and he has taken to his thumb when he is tired instead. Cole is quite the squirmy little guy. He is hard to hold still, he likes to constantly be down and moving, unless he is tired. Then he will snuggle up into your chest with his thumb in his mouth. :) Cole is a mama's boy. He could be as happy as could be playing in a room without me, but the second I walk by, he needs to be by me. :) Cole continues to be a good night sleeper, averaging about12 hours a night and an ok napper. We would love some of his naps to be longer, but I am happy to get good sleep each night too!

Kudos if you made it this far, now onto the pictures....

Crawling-with his eye on the prize-shoes!

And of course Zip too!

Look at that determination :)

Eating-string cheese and peas-yum!

LOVING the swing at the park

Standing!!! (I have to get a better picture than this)

Hamming it up

And enjoying the nice weather-finally!

A Rare Picture

It is a rare thing to get a picture of Mia and Cole together. Yesterday the kids were playing and I asked Mia if she wanted to hold Cole while I took a picture. She very excitedly answered "Yes!" I ran for the camera and here is what I got:

It's a total snapshot with Zip and various pairs of shoes in the background, but I love it!! Eye contact and smiles from both children=happy mama!

Mia in the Dandelions

Last weekend I took Mia out to a field of dandelions to take some Mother's Day pictures. Mia is a big fan of dandelions, so I figured that was a good incentive to get her to cooperate and have her picture taken. I had a vision of what I wanted, and suprisingly it worked out! :) Some M&Ms that were stashed in the car also helped do the trick!

11th Annual Heart for Life-Sign Up!

Here's a little reminder that it is that time of year again-time to sign up for the Heart for Life Run/Walk. If you have never done it and you are interested in joining us, sign up here and let me know. Basically you can run a 5K or walk a 2-mile fitness walk, and there is also a kids run at the end for kids 2 and up (the kids get medals-it is too cute). It is totally free and is sponsored by the cardiologist group I see. You can click here and here to see pictures from previous years. When I signed up for this year, I saw a link to pictures from last year and found this (go down to the 9th row and click on the 2nd picture):

Midwest Heart Community Foundation

I am not sure if this picture was before or after Cort shot the Dasbach kids out of the jogging stroller, but either way it made me laugh (only because they were okay!!). I am going to put it out there that I am hoping to run at least most of the 5K this year. Hopefully by writing that and posting it here, it will keep me honest and force me to start training-I only have 2 months!!

Congrats!

Congrats to the South Family who welcomed Ava Paige on April 21st. I had the opportunity to go visit her and she is absolutely beautiful! I snapped some pictures, but will only share one right now in case Julie wants to share any first.

Beautiful, Peaceful Ava

Aren't the boys so cute? They were my photography assistants. :)

One of Mia's future boyfriends. :)

Also, congrats to Brian and Cyndi who are expecting their own little bundle of joy this coming October. We are beyond thrilled for them! It is raining babies here!!! :)