8 Month Pictures

"Hey Mom...I'm 8 Months Old Today!!!!:

"I know..the monthly picture in the chair.  I'm not sure we're going to make it to 12 months in this chair!"

"Remember when I used to just lay in here...."

"I WANT OUT!!!!"

"Being the little sister is pretty cool...most of the time!"

Dear Caitlin,

We can't believe you are already 8 months old.  You have grown so much in the last month.  Your biggest accomplishment this month is you learned how to crawl...and boy are you fast!  You learned how to crawl in about 1 hour at grandma and grandpa's house.  Within days, you began pulling up and now you can pull yourself up and stand on everything.  Your favorite things to stand up on are the couch, the ottoman, the bathtub (supervised of course), and any person.  This month, you also really started eating.  You LOVE Puffs....I've never seen a baby eat Puffs faster!  You eat them by the fistful...literally!  You are on stage 2 baby food and like all foods.  There is no food you don't like, but you prefer the veggies over the fruit.  You still drink Nutramigen formula...and mommy and daddy are pretty sure you are not going to be able to drink dairy milk until you are much older.  Now that you have the tubes in your ear, you can hear everything!  Hearing your name makes you smile instantly.  And when you hear Abigail talk, you always look for her!  You still aren't talking to us yet, but we know what you need...so don't worry about that...just take your time and when you are ready, we can't wait to hear your sweet voice!!!  When you are happy, there isn't a happier baby in the world.  You have a smile that lights up the room.  And everywhere we go, people say you look like the gerber baby (it's the cheeks, kid!).  Mommy and Daddy gave you private swimming lessons over the past two weeks, and you really like the water...but you LOVE bathtime and playing in the bath with all your toys...especially now that you can sit up.  You are a GREAT little sister.  You tolerate your big sister and all the things she likes to do with/for you (feed you, give you bottles, dress you, change your diaper, play dress up with you, color with you, read with you, etc.).

We love you so much, Caitlin bug!  You bring such joy to us everyday!  Everyone in the family is so in love with you!!!!  We LOVE YOU!!!

Love, Mommy, Daddy, Big Sister Abigail, and Kramer

*Side note, we are leaving tomorrow for our 10 day stay-cation in Indiana!  But I'm doing a few posts now and scheduling them to post throughout the week so you'll have some new posts!

Hmmm...How'd that happen????

How did this little peanut

who was so smalll

turn 8 months today?????  Happy Golden 8 Month Old Birthday!!!

Where did the time go????

We have a very busy day of ballet, swim lessons, preschool tour, party for visiting friend from out of town,  and dr appointment between 9 and 3 (not to mention packing for our stay-cation), but will post pictures of our big 8 month old tonight!

4th of July, Part 2

Wow...What a great fun family-filled weekend!  We had a great time playing with our neighbors on Friday night. 

On Saturday morning, mommy got a little "quiet" time and ran 15 miles while daddy got the girls ready for the parade.  We went to the Carol Stream parade...it was nice small town parade.  We really like living in such a small community!  Abigail saw the trucks (her biggest fear right now) coming and tried to get us to leave, but she stuck through it and enjoyed the rest of the parade (except the SCARY clowns!!!!!!).  We ended the day back at Carol Stream events.  We parked at the fireworks (so we had PRIME parking) and headed out to sushi (and delicious pitchers of mojitos). Then we went to the Carol Stream concert and ended the night watching fireworks!  Abigail has been so scared of the fireworks going off during the nights but really enjoyed them at the festival (I think it had to do something with the cuddling she got to do with daddy).  These were Caitlin's 1st fireworks and she loved them!!!  However, when they got loud, we were saying that Caitlin was probably wishing we hadn't put the tubes in her ears...they must have been extra loud to her!

Sushi

Caitlin is standing on EVERYTHING! 

Sunday we braved the heat and headed to Brookfield Zoo.  It was.....HOT!!! 

By Sunday afternoon, we were all exhausted and decided to stay in and not do fireworks again.  However, that didn't stop us from a little DQ run!

On Monday, Abigail had swim lessons so the whole family headed to the pool. While Abigail did her lessons, Caitlin did private lessons with daddy!  She seems to love the pool as much as her big sister!  We stayed at the pool all morning.  The highlight for me was watching Abigail play with other kids.  Those who know Abigail know she doesn't really play with other kids, she's always just observing (except for Reese and Chase of course, her buddies).  However, she played with 3 girls today and it was great to see.  Caitlin, on the other hand, will probably the social butterfly always playing with kids...but today she choose to stay by mommy and daddy!

We ended the great family weekend by having both our parents over for a cookout.  I didn't take any pictures (so sad) but I think it's fun for the girls when both their grandparents are together...we are so lucky that our parents get along so well!!!!  One day, we are gonna have a BIG backyard and have our families over all the time for real cookouts!

It was a really great family weekend.  We were together the whole weekend...and reallly got to spend quality time together!!!  Next week is our stay-cation in Indiana so lots more fun family times to come!!!!

Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July!

4th of July, Part 1

Happy 4th of July Weekend!!!!  We love this weekend...it's full of fun family activities!  Here are a few pictures from the Carol Stream parade on Saturday morning!

and our slip n slide/pizza/pool playdate with the Staniaks!

Hope you are having as nice a weekend as we are...lots more to come!

Summer Happenings

Okay, I know I need an update...and I have nothing!!!!  I only found 2 pictures on my camera from the girls playing in the pool on Saturday....so I'm posting them and then will have fun updates this weekend!  

Tiny Teachers

I spend my day teaching my girls important things:  letters, songs, manners, how to walk.

Last night, as I rocked my baby to sleep, I was thinking about all of the things I have learned from my girls.

I may be teaching them important things for life, but they are teaching me even more important lessons in life.

Abigail

Abigail taught me that there is no fight "too big".  She was 3 lbs and she fought harder than most 8 lb babies.  She had to fight for every breath.  She had to fight to keep her body temperature normal.  She had to fight to learn to swallow 1/16th of an ounce.  So when something comes along that requires a little "fight" in me, there is no fight too big.  I learned how to be strong from the strongest little person I know!

I have learned to stop and appreciate the little things in life.  I can not imagine how many times this bird has flown over me as I have walk out to get the mail.  However, yesterday, not only did I notice it, but I really watched it.  To Abigail, it was the funniest, most exciting thing of the day.  And as I actually watched it, I saw how amazing it is.  How many little things pass us by that we don't notice?  This little lady is teaching me to stop and notice it today!

She has taught me how important it is to set a good example for your children.  She's a sponge.  If I say it, there is a 99.9% chance she'll say it...good or bad.  Her mannerisms, her word choices, her personality....she's learning these from Rob and me.  So, living my best life means more to me now than ever before!

Caitlin

Caitlin has taught me to relax and let the cards fall where they may.  We had a few scary months.  When a doctor says "neurologist" or "cardiologist", you don't ask questions, you just go.  There is nothing we wouldn't do for our kids.  But at 5 months we were being told how concerned they were with her development, and now at less than 8 months, she ahead of a typical 8 month old development.  So....we relax!  We relax and let her develop as she will.  We watch and celebrate her development, but we relax.  No speech therapist, no dietician, no physical therapist.  We just relax...and encourage....and celebrate!  If her health is at risk, we will stop relaxing.  But now....relax!

I have learned about the important things in life from her.  Taking the extra time to rock my baby to sleep.  Stopping doing the dishes because Caitlin is curious about a book and this is a perfect time to read together.  Appreciating when my kids nap at different times because it means some quality one-on-one time with the other girl.  It's easier said than done some days....but it's a lesson I'm learning.  My tv shows may be on downstairs, but I'm upstairs rocking my baby girl to sleep who in a few short months will be too big to rock to sleep....and that's what's important in life!

Quality, not quantity.  We may have gone from a lifestyle of fancy cars, amazing trips, city life, and high-end clothes to a lifestyle of minivans, weekends at the zoo, our suburb, and a new clearance shirt every once in a while.  But this time is passing us by so quickly already and I'm so blessed to be watching my girls grow every day and being the one setting the examples for my kids.  Bills have to be paid, food has to be bought, and not everyone can stay at home like I can.  So I am appreciating it!!  Everyday!  We may have traded our trips to Jamaica eating at 5 star restaurant for a weekend at Wisconsin Dells eating Pizza Hut...but you know what????   It's the best vacation of my life!!!!!  One day I will have to return to work, but now, we make sacrifices....lots of them....and we are grateful for them.  I am so grateful for my husband who works so hard everyday while I am at the pool with the girls.  I am so grateful for my girls who appreciate the books from the library as much as a new book.  I'm just grateful!

Last night, as I rocked my baby to sleep, all these thoughts went through my head, and I wanted to make sure I wrote them down so when I'm having a day where life is passing me by or I'm feeling sorry for myself, I can look back and realize all I have learned from my girls!  And continue to teach them as much as they teach me!

On Tuesday, we met the Holtz girls at Lake Arlington.  We met the Holtz's through our friends Jenny and Ryan.  We have a lot in common with the Holtz.  Not only do we both have 2 girls and the dads love hockey, but we both had itty bitties....only their itty bitty Ava made our itty bitty Abigail look like a giant weighing in a whole 3 lbs!  So Kristine and I got all the girls together for a day at this small beach in Arlington Heights.  We weren't sure what to expect, but it was a perfect little outting for us!  You can't "swim" but you can go in the water (up to ankles) so for toddlers, it's perfect!

Caitlin loved the sand....a little too much!  It was her lunch!

Kristine and Ava

Lila and Abigail

I tell you....this one....So I left Caitlin in her stroller but didn't buckle her in, and I came back to see her standing next to her stroller.  Um, hello, you're 7 1/2 months old!  Yes, I learned my lesson...always buckle from now on!

That evening we celebrated the big 2 1/2 birthday.  We started at Toys R Us where we were going to let the girls pick out a new outside toy, but we really couldn't find anything, so Abigail choose new "food" for her kitchen.  Then, we came home for BLUE Popsicles...Yes, I usually do 1/2 cake, cupcakes, or brownies, but she wanted blue ice cream...and it's her day!

Then it was time for presents.  We always do one present for a half birthday.  Nothing big, just something little to celebrate how special they are 2 times a year!  ;)  As luck had it, as we walked through Toys R Us earlier, Abigail saw the "present" I had already bought and was begging for it, so I knew we had a winner!!!

What is it???? 

PRIN.CESS TIA.NA!!!!!  Just what I wanted!!!!!!  The princess and the frog is Abigail's favorite thing right now(although Toy Story is making a run for it's money).  We don't really watch much tv, but when it comes to a movie, it's Princess and the Frog!  (Although she likes the princess part but not the parts when she's not a princess and she's a frog...which is most of the movie.)  Since she opened it up, Princess Tiana gets carried around on a pink pillow like the princess she is!!!!

Wow...2 1/2....half way to 3?????