For the last couple weeks, we have seen it coming. Since around August 10th, we've 'caught' Franny taking 3 or 4 steps and then dropping onto her butt. Never discouraged, just happy to get where she wanted to go by crawling...
And then last week. Last week we noticed those 3 or 4 steps were turning into 8 or 10. AND on her birthday, she was still at that 8 or 10 step mark, but more consistently getting up and crawling much less.
Early this week... crawling has quickly come to a hault. Franny wants to walk everywhere and she's at a good 25+ steps. It was literally within a two day timeframe that the walking really commenced and she'd taken off.
So... I can officially say "We're Walking". Exciting times, and I'm sure mom and dad will be kept on their toes even more now.
(I really try hard not to 'compare' the girls, but it's interesting to look at milestones... Nece was about 13 1/2 months when she started walking. Convinced that Franny just wants to keep up with her big sister).
Friday, August 28, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Up up and away!
Tragedy struck (in a 3 year olds eyes) on August 23rd. If you look back one post, you will see Franny with her balloons. They were so beautiful, and the girls really enjoyed playing with them. Thank goodness I got the pictures of Franny with her balloons...
I was outside talking with the neighbors while the 3 kids (my girls and Mya) were out playing. Rob made a comment about how it would be cool to attach our names and see how far the balloons went flying.
As we're having this conversation, little attention is being paid to Mya and Nece. The girls it seems were having a little too much fun with the balloons. They decided to pull the cement weight out and 'see what would happen'. We didn't know this was happening until we looked over and watched as the girls had just let the balloons go.
We were kind of confused as to why the weight wasn't holding them down, and thought for sure they were coming back. WRONG. It seems the weight was laying on the driveway and up, up and away the balloons went. The balloons made it above all the trees, and the last we saw they were heading north. Too bad we didn't get our names attached to the balloons to see how far they really made it.
All the while, Mya thought it was pretty cool to watch the balloons fly overhead. Nece thought it was kind of cool until she put two and two together. She realized the balloons were NOT coming back down and absolute hysterics ensued. She wanted us to get those balloons... she was livid, she wanted those balloons back. The hysterics went on for a good hour... she was MAD. We tried telling her that we'd get more for a special occasion, it was our way of saying hello to great-grandma in heaven, that it was what it was and everything we could think of. To no avail. At one point, I seriously thought I was going to have to take her to the grocery store to get more balloons.
After a couple hours she calmed down enough over the balloons to tell me 'mom... the balloons flew really high and I was really mad.' Being the good mom I am (I know, I'm tooting my own horn), I used this as a 'teaching moment'. Teaching moment that balloons can fly away and that it is okay to experience the emotions of sadness and being mad.
A week later... the balloons are still brought up on a daily basis. If I had to venture to guess, this little incident is not one that will be forgotten soon, and she'll never take the weights out again to she what will happen.
Until the next birthday rolls around, we're balloon free at the M household!
I was outside talking with the neighbors while the 3 kids (my girls and Mya) were out playing. Rob made a comment about how it would be cool to attach our names and see how far the balloons went flying.
As we're having this conversation, little attention is being paid to Mya and Nece. The girls it seems were having a little too much fun with the balloons. They decided to pull the cement weight out and 'see what would happen'. We didn't know this was happening until we looked over and watched as the girls had just let the balloons go.
We were kind of confused as to why the weight wasn't holding them down, and thought for sure they were coming back. WRONG. It seems the weight was laying on the driveway and up, up and away the balloons went. The balloons made it above all the trees, and the last we saw they were heading north. Too bad we didn't get our names attached to the balloons to see how far they really made it.
All the while, Mya thought it was pretty cool to watch the balloons fly overhead. Nece thought it was kind of cool until she put two and two together. She realized the balloons were NOT coming back down and absolute hysterics ensued. She wanted us to get those balloons... she was livid, she wanted those balloons back. The hysterics went on for a good hour... she was MAD. We tried telling her that we'd get more for a special occasion, it was our way of saying hello to great-grandma in heaven, that it was what it was and everything we could think of. To no avail. At one point, I seriously thought I was going to have to take her to the grocery store to get more balloons.
After a couple hours she calmed down enough over the balloons to tell me 'mom... the balloons flew really high and I was really mad.' Being the good mom I am (I know, I'm tooting my own horn), I used this as a 'teaching moment'. Teaching moment that balloons can fly away and that it is okay to experience the emotions of sadness and being mad.
A week later... the balloons are still brought up on a daily basis. If I had to venture to guess, this little incident is not one that will be forgotten soon, and she'll never take the weights out again to she what will happen.
Until the next birthday rolls around, we're balloon free at the M household!
Happy First Birthday Franny!!
What a fantastic day we had celebrating Franny's first birthday. We decided to have a neighborhood BBQ and bon-fire very similar to Nece's party... except that her birthday fell on a Saturday and we invited our families to join us.
The guests at Franny's party included Grandma and Grandpa B from Chicago; Grandma M, Jon, Erica, Tanner, Sam and Molly (who happened to be in from Portland) Along with the neighbors, Mona, Emmie, Mya, Rob, Mona's mom, Lucy, Marjene, Alvina, Don and our neighbor that no longer lived in the neighborhood, Dorothy. Thanks to all of those who traveled near and far to be with us as we celebrated Franny's first birthday.
BBQ- Chicken and steak kabobs, Snicker Salad, Corn (right from Orlie's farm, thanks Orlie), Panera Breads, orange salad, Franny's favorite strawberry salad and Rob's famous potato salad. It was all fantastic and everybody was overly stuffed by the time dinner was over. Can't forget the cake and ice-cream. I decided to make a ladybug cake, except it didn't work, so we ended up with homemade cupcakes with purple and pink frosting.
Gifts- everybody was extremely generous in the gifts they gave Franny.
Grandma and Grandpa B- Bitty Baby and money
Grandma and Grandpa M and Jon- shoes, Grandma book, socks, outfit and snacks
Auntie Molly- sweatshirt and book
Casey, Erica, Tanner and Sam- a cute little dress and sweater and fall outfit
Aunt Julie- book, dress, shirt and money
Don and Alvina- money
Mona, Rob, Emmie, Bree and Mya- baby
Lucy- dress
Dorothy- 2 outfits and a pink bear
Marjene- giggle ball
Sue- Tinkerbell riding toy, baby and telephone
Great Grandma M- money
Mom, Dad and Nece- a pink 'fred flintstone' car
A great day was had by all that was capped off by a bon-fire next door. Bon fires are always a fantastic way to wind down, have a few cocktails and chit chat with those that mean the most to you. We couldn't have asked for a better day.
Happy first birthday Franny. We love you!
Is it a boy or a girl?!?!
The days and the weeks leading up to August 22 were filled with both excitement and nerves. Were we able to love a second baby as much as we loved our first? Were we going to be able to give Nece the time and attention that she needed along with providing for the needs of a second baby?
August 16 came and past. This was the original due date of baby #2. I was uncomfortable, but mentally prepared at this point because Nece was late. Then, August 18th rolled around. Ahh... this was it. There were contractions coming on a regular basis and I had a doctors appointment that morning... I went to the doctor and the contractions all but stopped. They told me to head over to the hospital because it was indeed time. We checked in, got monitored and nothing. Seriously, are you kidding me, I'm done and I'm ready to have this baby. Nothing... and we were sent home from the hospital, with a new DR appt for Thursday. It was a LONG week... and I was done and ready. Nothing on Tues, nothing on Wednesday and by Thursday I called into work... I just couldn't do it anymore. Hit the DR office on Thursday afternoon, and I vividly remember the doctor asking me, do you want to be induced tomorrow. YES... I'm done.
Friday morning rolled around, and we were told to call the hospital that morning to see if they had 'room' for me, or if Labor and Delivery was full. 6:30AM... we called and were told, yes, you can come in. THANK GOD was all I could think of at this point. We got Nece packed up and sent her to Auntie Mona's that morning. I gave hugs and kisses before daddy took Nece next door, and I was a bit sad... knowing that life was about to change tremendously for our little girl, but at the same time, I was excited knowing we were going to give her a sibling.
Off to the hospital we went. It was night and day from July 6, 2006. The drive to the hospital was remarkably calm. We parked the van and walked into Labor and Delivery to check in. Easy as pie... this was. We got checked into the room, changed, hooked up to monitors and waited for the doctor to arrive and begin the induction.
It was around 8:30AM and doctor arrived. She broke the water and started the pitocin. Okay... there is no turning back now, and we're going to have this baby. The waiting game begins, and it's time to pull the baby book out. You see, Marc and I hadn't come up with baby names yet. We went through the girls names, and it came fairly quickly. Kara seemed to be a good girls name and we knew the middle name was going to be Frances in honor of Marc's grandma, who was battling conjestive heart fairure. Boys names, ahhh... we couldn't come up with anything. To be honest, I don't remember what our boy name was going to be, but we did come up with something.
9AM rolled around, still no problems. Small contractions, but nothing uncomfortable. 9:15, 9:30AM still doing well, but a bit more pain. 9:45 doable, 10AM... okay- I'm done and ready for an epidural. Called the nurse, filled out appropriate paperwork and ready to call for the epi. Finally around 10:30 the doctor rolled in and began the epidural. At this time, I was 3 centimeters... He finished about 10:50 and I vaguely remember 11A hitting and telling Marc, I have to push. He called the nurse- I thought NO WAY is this happening this quickly.
She checked me just after 11A and said, you're ready to push. Holy crap, I went from 3 to 10 in a matter of 30 minutes. Mind you, the epidural has barely taken effect and it was time to call the doctor and push. The doctor arrived around 11:10 (I think) and it was go-time. Pushed for about 20 minutes and at 11:33 AM on August 22, our 2nd child had arrived.
I clearly remember saying 'what is it?'
You have a baby girl. Our Kara Frances had arrived. 3 hours from start to finish, and a VERY different, much more relaxed experience from when Nece arrived. And all those worries of being able to love a second child at the same time... no fear, there is more than enough love for those two babies.
August 16 came and past. This was the original due date of baby #2. I was uncomfortable, but mentally prepared at this point because Nece was late. Then, August 18th rolled around. Ahh... this was it. There were contractions coming on a regular basis and I had a doctors appointment that morning... I went to the doctor and the contractions all but stopped. They told me to head over to the hospital because it was indeed time. We checked in, got monitored and nothing. Seriously, are you kidding me, I'm done and I'm ready to have this baby. Nothing... and we were sent home from the hospital, with a new DR appt for Thursday. It was a LONG week... and I was done and ready. Nothing on Tues, nothing on Wednesday and by Thursday I called into work... I just couldn't do it anymore. Hit the DR office on Thursday afternoon, and I vividly remember the doctor asking me, do you want to be induced tomorrow. YES... I'm done.
Friday morning rolled around, and we were told to call the hospital that morning to see if they had 'room' for me, or if Labor and Delivery was full. 6:30AM... we called and were told, yes, you can come in. THANK GOD was all I could think of at this point. We got Nece packed up and sent her to Auntie Mona's that morning. I gave hugs and kisses before daddy took Nece next door, and I was a bit sad... knowing that life was about to change tremendously for our little girl, but at the same time, I was excited knowing we were going to give her a sibling.
Off to the hospital we went. It was night and day from July 6, 2006. The drive to the hospital was remarkably calm. We parked the van and walked into Labor and Delivery to check in. Easy as pie... this was. We got checked into the room, changed, hooked up to monitors and waited for the doctor to arrive and begin the induction.
It was around 8:30AM and doctor arrived. She broke the water and started the pitocin. Okay... there is no turning back now, and we're going to have this baby. The waiting game begins, and it's time to pull the baby book out. You see, Marc and I hadn't come up with baby names yet. We went through the girls names, and it came fairly quickly. Kara seemed to be a good girls name and we knew the middle name was going to be Frances in honor of Marc's grandma, who was battling conjestive heart fairure. Boys names, ahhh... we couldn't come up with anything. To be honest, I don't remember what our boy name was going to be, but we did come up with something.
9AM rolled around, still no problems. Small contractions, but nothing uncomfortable. 9:15, 9:30AM still doing well, but a bit more pain. 9:45 doable, 10AM... okay- I'm done and ready for an epidural. Called the nurse, filled out appropriate paperwork and ready to call for the epi. Finally around 10:30 the doctor rolled in and began the epidural. At this time, I was 3 centimeters... He finished about 10:50 and I vaguely remember 11A hitting and telling Marc, I have to push. He called the nurse- I thought NO WAY is this happening this quickly.
She checked me just after 11A and said, you're ready to push. Holy crap, I went from 3 to 10 in a matter of 30 minutes. Mind you, the epidural has barely taken effect and it was time to call the doctor and push. The doctor arrived around 11:10 (I think) and it was go-time. Pushed for about 20 minutes and at 11:33 AM on August 22, our 2nd child had arrived.
I clearly remember saying 'what is it?'
You have a baby girl. Our Kara Frances had arrived. 3 hours from start to finish, and a VERY different, much more relaxed experience from when Nece arrived. And all those worries of being able to love a second child at the same time... no fear, there is more than enough love for those two babies.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Pictures!!
So excited to share a couple pictures that Bree took this past weekend. Here's a sampling, and what I'm planning to use this year for Nece's 3 year, Franny's 1 year and our family pictures. I've uploaded all of them onto DotPhoto and will be ordering... Enjoy!
What else did we do this weekend?
What else did we do this weekend?
Took the girls to the waterpark. What a great time, with a great kids area- think park in the middle of 1 1/2 feet of water. Nece had a blast, and we even went down the big waterslides a couple times. Franny, that child has NO fear. She was right in there crawling arond, and splashing.
Got stuck inside for a some of the weekend due to LOTS of rain Friday, overnight and Saturday for awhile. Luckily, we were just south (by 5 miles) of one of the areas that had really bad storms.
Started cleaning through stuff, and getting stuff into donation piles. I know, fun stuff!
And of course, Friday night had a bonfire! One of our favorite weekend past-times... kids love the fire, eating marshmallows and running around.
AND... Kara took 4 steps on Sunday evening. This was the 2nd time we've seen her take steps in the past week, so it's just around the corner... she can taste the freedom that's about to come her way!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The Garden...
Earlier this summer, we posted about the garden that we had planted. Here is a quick update- we don't have enough sun, so we aren't getting the crops we had hoped for. We've gotten a few squash, broccoli, onions the pumpkins are taking over. Our tomato plants have taken off, as have the green beans, and peppers, but we're seeing very little budding. Here's picture of the before and current state.
YES, there are weeds in there... but seriously, trust me... there are many plants too.
Next year, we have a new spot for the garden... with much more sun and we hope to have more success.
I guess we'll see what happens... there's a first for everything!
The Wedding...
Marc and Cindy got married on July 18... they couldn't have requested a better weekend. Granted, there were a couple showers, but it didn't get in the way of any of the festivities and the temperature was absolutely beautiful. Just look at the happy bride and groom! Pure joy and love on their faces! We love you guys!!!
There was some concern from the getgo that Nece was going to push Franny down the aisle in the wagon. Well, Cindy got a 'training' American Flyer and gave it to the girls on Friday night. From the looks of this picture, Franny could have pushed Nece down the aisle.
But of course, we know kids... and we know that kids don't always cooperate when it's their turn to shine. On Saturday the wagon was pulled out and Nece couldn't wait for Franny to sit in the wagon and push her. She got about four pews up, realized there was loud music playing and she had approximately 200 people staring at her. She turned back, and looked at me with the 'deer in headlights' stare... and this is what happened.
It was really okay though... you never know what to expect from a three and almost one year old. Cindy was prepared for whatever was about to happen that day, and she wasn't going to let it ruin it... only add a bit of character to it!
After the wedding, the girls went back with Emmie and Shauni (our babysitters for the weekend) and had a fun filled evening at the hotel. They went swimming, played with Arial, ordered pizza, ate lots of snacks and just enjoyed staying in the hotel. As I called up around 9P to see if the girls wanted to come down... I was informed they were both out cold. They were tuckered out from their big weekend, and it gave mommy and daddy some time to relax, cut loose and enjoy some adult time, with quite a few cocktails! Indeed a good time was had by all.
It was a very fast weekend, but one with memories to last a lifetime. One of the most very special things for me about the weekend, was the privlege my girls had to wear their flower girl dresses made by their 90 year old great grandma (my grandma). Those are true keepsakes that I will treasure forever, and know my girls will also appreciate as they get older.
Thank you grandma... something we will be able to treasure forever! We love you.
Monday, August 3, 2009
I know...
I've been missing for an entire month now! Please know that I've thought about this many times, and had updates, just haven't gotten around to it. We've been busy this last month with a trip to Winona to get my hair all pretty for Cindy and Marc's wedding on July 18. The week before (actually two) the wedding, there was lots of running around, coordinating and getting final details in place.
Wedding weekend... pictures to come and detailed blog to come. A good time was had by all.
After the big weekend... it sure has been hard to get overly-motivated. I think that is probably what happens after a VERY busy close to three months. We've enjoyed some down-time these last couple weekends and are getting ready for a couple busy ones beginning August 15.
More to come on what we've been up to for the last month... very shortly.
OK- I'll commit. I'll have this blog updated by the end of the week with pictures and all! If I don't you can come after me!
So... if you've been gone. Please come back, and tell your whoever else too... I promise more to come soon!
Wedding weekend... pictures to come and detailed blog to come. A good time was had by all.
After the big weekend... it sure has been hard to get overly-motivated. I think that is probably what happens after a VERY busy close to three months. We've enjoyed some down-time these last couple weekends and are getting ready for a couple busy ones beginning August 15.
More to come on what we've been up to for the last month... very shortly.
OK- I'll commit. I'll have this blog updated by the end of the week with pictures and all! If I don't you can come after me!
So... if you've been gone. Please come back, and tell your whoever else too... I promise more to come soon!
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