Edyn's A Big Girl In The Car!

The weekend of Labor Day I went and purchased Edyn's big girl car seat.  I was going to wait, however, Target was having a WOW deal on a Britax Roundabout 50 Classic in the 'Lauren' fabric and it was I believe $70 or $80 off the original price.  I had checked out all the reviews online and saw it was a highly-rated seat and it was CUTE and GIRLY! So after getting permission from our family CFO (AKA - Brad), Edyn and I headed over to Super Target in Urbandale to go get her car seat.  We were already in DSM that day since we went to the Zoo w/Brad's dad.  Brad and Strummer stayed w/Papa Paul for the evening.

Once we arrived at Target, we strolled to the Car Seat aisle, I found the car seat (thankfully that still had it in stock) and showed Edyn her new seat.  She got a BIG smile on her face, so I knew should would like it!

Somehow, I was able to fit the box in the back seat and then we headed back home!  Once we were all settled in, I got the car seat out of the box to check it out.  Everything looked good, so I had Edyn test it out. 

I think she like's it!

It then was stored in our bedroom for another 1-1/2 months.  I wanted to wait as long as I could, then by October, it was just becoming to cumbersome to carry a 16 lb baby in a 25 lb car seat, along w/a 33 lb toddler - SO I decided to install her car seat when the 2 little ones were taking a nap.  Go figure - I install it on a nice day, then the next day it was cold and rainy!! What a way to have a first day of not being able to completely cover Edyn up! Oh well!!

So, October 25 - at 7-1/2  months old, Edyn went into a big girl car seat!! Honestly, if it was just her, I could have gone longer before transitioning, however knowing it would be even more difficult (in juggling both kids) when Winter arrived, I wanted to get things situated beforehand! 

It took her maybe a day in getting used to her new seat.  She loves it now! She seems comfortable and I know she enjoys being able to look across the backseat and see her brother!!! Strummer and Edyn now like to make each other laugh and smile while they are in the car! It's adorable!! 

Here are the things I like about the car seat

*Rear-Facing til 35 lbs, Forward Facing til 50 lbs

*Easy to change from rear to forward w/a little click

*It looks like it will be easy to change the height of the straps on the harness

*Very easy to make the straps more tight or more lose, even in the rear facing position

*It has convient velcro squares on the sides to keep the straps in place when not in use

*Side Impact Protection

*5-point Harness

*Tangle Free Straps

*It was fairly easy to install
*Edyn is very snug in the seat! I feel like she's completely secure!

There are a FEW cons

*The cover isn't machine washable - it's a spot-only wash.  It shouldn't be to bad - unless she gets sick

*When it's rear-facing it takes up quite a bit of room - so I have to have the passenger seat moved all the way up.  Only just a slight pain if we're all in the car and I'm riding in that seat! We probably wouldn't have the issue if my vehicle was larger than my fabulous Fusion!

Edyn and Bosco - this is where Bosco found the most comphy spot being in the car

A view of the full back seat

Happy Girl in her Seat!

(almost 8 months Old)

In incase you're curious on Strummer's blogpost of his car seat - click here! 

Our 3 foot 2-Year Old!

Wow! So a month almost 2 months later, here's an update for Strummer at the age of TWO!! Really?  How is he already 2?

First - as you're curious on the title - here is how big the 'little guy' is!
Height - 36 inches
Weight - 33 lbs

In 2 years - he has gained 24 lbs and grown 15 inches!

He had 'fun' at his appointment.  No shots, except his flu shot. He enjoyed inspecting Dr. Parsons stethoscope. She let him inspect it, put it in his ears and he was able to hear his own heartbeat, Dr. Parsons, and mommy's.  Then he experimented by trying to find if other things that might have a beat. She then let him just play with it by himself for a bit and after he was done using it, he put it around his neck - exactly how docs and nurses have it in place when it's not in use.  Dr. Parsons asked if he had a play doctor kit at home - I replied 'No'....she was very impressed!

I think we have an all-boy type of boy! Growing up with 2 sisters and one brother (who is 7 years older than me), I really don't have to much experience with how boys - especially little boys typically act.  However - I'm thinking Mr. Strummer is a boy-boy-boy!

He LOVES to run, jump, dance, shout, and throw!

He LOVES balls!!! He'll point out and say basketball, football, soccer ball, (working at the Y comes in handy - he's surrounded by lots of balls!) Strummer almost always has to grab a basketball or a ball for the racquet ball court while we're at the front desk.

He loves throwing Bosco's toys and having Bosco go and retrieve them, then Strummer will throw them again! He finds it HILARIOUS when Bosco will chase after him - it's some sort of crazy game between the 2 of them.

Of course - he LOVES daddy, mommy, sister and all his aunts, uncles and cousins!

His vocabulary has just completely gone on a fast-track! If he doesn't say things on his own, he'll repeat just about everything that we say! The recent word he recently learned was jalapeno! He says it PERFECTLY!  He is stringing words together, making sentences and you can actually understand what he's saying about 90% of the time! One of his newest things he is doing if he REALLY wants something, this is what he says "mom-momma-mommy-mom".  I find it slightly humorous!

He still absolutely loves books!! He'll now bring a book to us and say the title of the book (not all of them, but a chunk).  He is also finishing words at the end of a sentence.  For example - in most of his 'That's not My" books we have him finish the sentence (some of the words are bumpy, fluffy, - feeling words).  He also finishes the sentences of Handa's Surprise.  The basis of the book is a girl had a BIG basket of fruit - and each page goes through the fruit...so now Strummer will finish each sentence in that book w/what fruit it is.  One of the more 'strange' fruits are 'guava' and 'avocado'.  He will say them perfectly!  However when he says guava, he says it w/a type of growl.  Really hard to explain, but I'll try and get it on video!

If you didn't know he still LOVES music!! All kinds of music! He enjoys playing his guitar and the piano.  He'll pats his leg to the beat of some songs.  He pays attention to a tv show or music if a song is playing. He will randomly break out into song and just start singing.  Yesterday he went to the piano and sang his abc's while playing the piano!

Our smart little guy can sing his ABC's, almost count to 20, knows almost all of his family members by name (all of his aunt, uncles and cousins). I'll ask Strummer - who's this?  He'll reply one of the family member's names.  He even knows Pepper (Scott and Sara's dog).  Probably b/c when they come and visit, they bring her along!  He knows some colors (like blue, red, green, yellow), he knows most of his body-parts, he knows how to take off his jacket, shoes, shirt, pants and sleeper, put on his hats, shoes (can't quite put his tennis shoes all the way on), his jacket (needs help), he can put on his shirts (sometimes) and can pull up his jeans, but can't quite put them all the way on himself.

He also knows quite a few tv characters and shows and asks for them by name or point them out if they are on.  I feel we don't watch THAT much TV, but maybe he just pays really good attention. He knows The Office: Dwight, Jim, Pam, Michael, Kelly, Ryan, King of the Hill: Hank, Peggy, Bobby, Bill, Dale, Boomhower, Larry David (Daddy's shows). Kids shows: Curious George (George), Cat In The Hat, Sid the Science Kid (Sid), Dinosaur Train (Dinosaur), Elmo's World, Sesame Street: Elmo, Big Bird, Grover, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie, Arthur, Clifford, Caillou, Mickey Mouse Club House (Mickey Mouse), Handy Manny (Hanny Manny), Winnie The Pooh (Pooh), Fraggle Rock
Movies He Knows: Toy Story: Woody, Buzz, Care Bears
Logos he knows: NBC logo (will say The Office), Fox Century (will say it's King of the Hill), The Star Logo for Wal-Mart, Logo for Target, The Hat Logo for Dr. Seuss, he also knows and will tell us when we're at Hy-Vee and Fareway

(and yes he says ALL of the shows, movies and characters listed above)

Things We are Working On
*Potty Training - he's been showing good interest in starting it  ~ in fact, last week he said he needed to potty, took off his pj pants, pulled off his pull-up, ran to the bathroom, i put on his potty seat and he went potty!  I've haven't been heavily pushing it (mainly b/c - no time and i have another small child at home)
However - I think we're going to become more consistent in trying to go potty once I buy a potty chair.

*Learning more colors

*As always - learning more words, phrases, numbers and putting sentences together

*Learning his right side from his left side (for example - when we put on shoes - I say right shoe on the right foot, or if we're putting his coat on - right arm, left arm)

*Being More Patient

*Learning to not hit or throw things when he's angry and isn't getting his way

*Learning how to dress and undress himself

Things He LOVES that I haven't mentioned
*BLUEBERRIES! He's been a BIG kick for eating blueberries - pretty much every day - I'm happy he enjoys eating something healthy!

*Yogurt - asks for Yogurt (yogut) daily!

*Reminding me he needs his vitamin (if I had a gummy vitamin, I'de look forward to having one too!)

*Making Edyn LAUGH!

*Playing outside: all seasons of the year! loves going to the park - swinging, going down the slide, playing in the leaves in the fall, and playing in the snow! (w/this new found white environment - AKA Snow) he now has a new love of Winter!

*Being a snuggle-bug

*Being helpful - w/cooking, getting his own food, drink, helping with Edyn's food, giving Edyn her toys

*Being Crafty - we almost daily - play w/play-doh, color and draw

*Getting the DVDs out of their cases, putting it in the DVD Player and pushing play (yes - he can do it all! - however we're in the midst of having him stop getting into all the DVDs, in fear that someday he may accidentally break one!)

*Telling us EXACTLY what he wants to eat, watch and what he wants to do

*Loves Baths and Water in general!

*Now prefers to eat his cereal w/milk and a spoon and would rather drink his beverages in a regular cup - not a sippy cup.

*Loves sleeping in his big boy bed

*His newest obsession: TOY STORY!!! He picked out Toy Story bedding for his big boy bed, points out Toy Story if it's on a commercial, he now has a Buzz toy (exactly like how it is in the movie), a toy w/Woody and RC (the car), and likes to color pages of Buzz at Child Watch! It's pretty cute he's now at an age where he is REALLY interested in something!

Strummer telling me he's 'ready to go' - - wearing my boots

Things he likes to point out and say: hats (loves wearing hats and pretending other things are hat), trucks, cars, train, bus, someone is crying - whether on tv or in real life, doggie, kitty, snow, rain, ice

I'm sure there are A LOT of things I am missing! I could just write on...and on....and on!!!  

We love our fun-loving, adventurous, no-fear, crazy, happy little 2-year old!! We're looking forward to what our little guy will be up to during his 2nd year of life! 

Strummer at the bakery on his 2nd b-day

At the Y w/his cupcake that 'aunt' mindy made

Showing he LOVES water!

A recent pic taken last week in Daddy's Classroom
(PS - you see the poster w/Dwight in the background? As soon as Strummer walked into the room, he saw the poster and said 'That's Dwight') 

Help Coach Tjeerdsma become DII Coach of the Year!

As you are well aware of - I attended Northwest Missouri State! I love that college and LOVE Bearcat Football!!! Coach T is one of the finalist for being Coach of the Year! Not only is he a fabulous coach, he also an awesome individual!!! Please help him win by going to this site and voting once a day!!!

Thank You!

Tjeerdsma named Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year finalist, Bearcat fans encouraged to vote

Mel Tjeerdsma

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State head football coach Mel Tjeerdsma is a finalist for the 2010 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, which honors college coaches who demonstrate responsibility and excellence on and off the field.

If Tjeerdsma wins this award, he will receive $50,000 for his favorite charities and $20,000 for the Northwest Missouri State Alumni Association. 

There’s one more step Bearcat fans can take to help Tjeerdsma become Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year. Go to www.coachoftheyear.com between Dec. 13 and 28 to again cast votes for Tjeerdsma to help him surpass the four other finalists.

This is a unique opportunity for the Bearcat Nation to make its voice heard. Unlike other college football awards, fan votes for Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year truly count, contributing 20 percent to each coach’s final score. The remaining votes will come from College Football Hall of Fame coaches and players and members of the national college football media.

Once final votes are cast, the four winning coaches – one from each NCAA division – will be announced on Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz., in advance of the BCS National Championship Game.

Tjeerdsma, who has been national coach of the year by the American Football Coaches three times (1998, 1999 and 2008), was the 2009 Liberty Mutual Division II Coach of the Year.

Tjeerdsma has completed his 17th season at Northwest Missouri State and 27th as a collegiate head coach. The Bearcats ended their season Saturday with a 17-13 loss to the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Tjeerdsma, the winningest coach in Northwest football history, is being inducted into the Division II College Football Hall of Fame during a ceremony Friday in Florence, Ala.

Thanks to SHUTTERFLY, We will actually have Christmas Cards after 6 Years!

I've always had the idea to do Christmas Cards. It seems like it would be a good thing to send family and close friends a little card in the mail saying Merry Christmas w/a cute photo of our little family.  When we were first married - didn't see the point, then 4 years later after Strummer arrived - Hey, I should do Christmas Cards - but I had a newborn at home - so didn't happen - I then vowed that I would do it NEXT YEAR, well the next year rolled around - and I had a 1 year old and was 6 months pregnant - so again, no time - or for that matter - ambition, so didn't happen again.

NOW this year - We WILL have Christmas Cards! Shutterfly is doing this fabulous promotional special!! They are a GREAT website to store photos, print photos and make awesome photo gifts!

For instance, you could design and print your own Christmas Photo Cards.  Which is what I will be doing. I am so excited!

Would you like to have an adorable calendar for your desk at work? You can head over the Shutterfly website and make your own Desktop Calendar that will show pics of your family and friends all year long!

Does your husband, wife, mom, dad, grandma or grandpa drink lots of coffee, hot tea, hot cocoa or any other type of hot beverage on a regular basis? Well here's a GREAT idea! Head over to Shutterfly and make your own Picture Mug!! What a fabulous gift that's usable AND personable!

I love the ease of the website.  It's an easy way to store photos online and if your live near a Target that has a Photo Center, you can get your pictures printed at Target!

If you are a fellow blogger - you could receive 50 Free Cards!! For more info, click here!  This offer ends on December 10th!

Thanks again to Shutterfly (oh - and Rachel Jones for blogging about this!)


Keep a look out for the 2010 Grout Christmas Cards! Now - whether they will be mailed out or just handed to you - that's a whole other story! Hee-hee! One step at a time for me!  :D

A 2-year old can make BIG messes!

I honestly, should have taken pics of the house b/f I started clean up, but I don't think I wanted to 'relive' the sight of the house! ha-ha!  So - just wanted to write this down before I forget because seriously, this was the biggest destruction our little guy has ever done!

So here's the scenario - I was feeding Edyn and wasn't paying that much attention to what Strummer was doing (i must add in, i had PBS on, in hopes it would keep his attention to sit and watch - not so much for a little one who's ALWAYS on the move!)

In roughly I would say a 1/2 hour's time, this is what happened:
*Was in my make-up bag, (which was still in the bedroom) pulled out my blush, took ALL of it out of the package, put most of it on the floor - and rubbed some on his face
*Strummer takes his (full) bowl of a combo of Special K and Cheerios that was sitting on his table and dumped it on the floor.
*He then goes inside our little cabinet that we keep spices, pasta, baby cereal, etc - (BTW - usually is locked, but forgot to lock it)
    ~he dumps out the rest of my red pepper flakes bottle (fortunately, it was almost empty)
    ~finds a box of plastic silverware in the bottom drawer (didn't even know about it) and dumps a full box of assorted silverware all around
    ~takes out the opened container of muffin cups - and scatters them around
    ~finds the unopened container of muffin cups - scatters about 1/2 of the container
    ~takes one of Edyn's containers of oatmeal cereal - not opened - opened it, and poured it into the muffins cups that were on the floor
    ~takes the italian seasoning and sprinkles it into the cereal in the muffins cups
*opens up the hutch cupboard that hold appliances
    ~takes out the marshmallow campfire sticks
    ~the mixer
    ~the cups, motor and lids to my mini-blender
    ~the trays to my pampered chef chiller
    ~the quesadilla maker
 *grabs the foil, rolls it across the floor and runs up and down it- giggling in delight
 *takes his small cup of cereal (that i had set out to take to the Y) and dumps that across the floor
 *THEN - when I took Edyn up to take a nap - he took the bowl of her leftover oatmeal (that i had made), grabbed a pot out of the cupboard - and pored it in - all though, some got on the rug

***However - when he was done w/the oatmeal bowl - 

he DID put it in the sink! 

So 2 Thumbs Up for throwing a dirty dish in the sink!***

So - that was my morning!  Yes - I know he's 2 and he LOVES to explore!! I'm thankful for such a rambunctious son!  :o)

TO end this post - here's a pic of Strummer from this morning - he also found one of my headband wraps and put it on.  Plus - when I went to change him, the only clothes I got on him was his socks!
I had started to clean up the mess - hense the vacuum in the pic. Also - didn't lock the fridge, so while I was getting something, he went into the fridge and grabbed a pudding. :P

Edyn's 6-Month Update - 2 months Later...

On a side note - i started this post a few weeks ago when i had a rare occurrence of both kids sleeping - ONLY Blogger was being strange and it didn't save the post.  So while I was posting pics, the site froze up and there went my post! :P

Wow - Am I late in the game, or what?? I can't believe I didn't get something posted!! Oh Well!! Better late than never, right?

Here are the little princess's stats:
Weight: 16 lbs (53%)
Height: 26 inches (71%)

Here are her stats thus far:
0 Months ~ 7 lbs 1 oz, 19-1/2 inches
2 Months ~ 10 lbs 12 oz, 22-1/2 inches
4 Months ~ 13 lbs 10 oz, 25-1/4 inches
6 Months ~ 16 lbs, 26 inches

At 6 Months this is what Little Miss was doing at 6 months: rolling (3 months), scooting backwards (4 months), 'crawling' in circles (4 months), sitting w/out support (5 months), walking in her walker (5 months)

She is nursing roughly every 4 hrs.  She will eat cereal, fruits and veggies every so often.
At 6 months she has had rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, applesauce, bananas, sweet potatoes, apple slices,
green beans, carrots, avocado. I had her try puffs - she was not a fan. She just want to play w/them.  We have also had her start using a sippy cup.  I filled it w/mostly water and 5% of apple juice. She hasn't taken to much interest in it quite yet.

She is still drooling and chewing - but no teeth!

She can say 'hi', 'mama' and 'dada'.  We're putting Mama as her first word in the baby book! She said 'mama' at 6 months.  She doesn't quite say the words when we ask her to....HOWEVER, when she is upset, she'll say 'mama' loud and clear!

She has a good days and not so good days.  Generally, she's a pretty happy baby, but she has her moments of having to cry.  Sometimes we're not to sure why she's crying.  She's also a very 'mommy-centered' little girl.  If I'm in the room and someone else is holding her, she more than likely starts to fuss.
She loves to be heard! She will speak up if everyone else around her is talking.  She also enjoys laughing! Strummer usually makes her laugh! It's adorable!

It is so much fun watching her grown and learning new things each day! It has also been fun watching how she interacts not only w/us, but with Strummer and Bosco!! She is very aware of her surroundings!

God has certainly blessed us w/our beautiful little girl!

If you are curious, here is Strummer's 6-month Post

*Pics will come later - I still can't post pics. For some reason, it's not completely loading the pic window and it keeps on spinning!!!*

God's BIG Surprise Last Year!

With Edyn's upcoming 6-month birthday, it makes me amazed on how God is just wonderful and full of surprises! We went through 2 m/c with Strummer and it took us awhile to become pregnant with him. Then with Edyn - we weren't even planning on another child so quickly (since I was nursing and on birth control), but God decided that we could handle 2 kids under 2!
So last year in August, I had a strange intuition, that I might be pregnant. Strummer and I were heading up to Algona to help Erika at the fair and for Pharmacists Mutual big centennial celebration.
I somehow found a free moment, went and bought a test and it turned positive right away!! WOW! You could imagine, I was in shock...Brad was really in shock (o had to call him, since he was at school)!

I was able to get into the clinic the next day to confirm the at-home test. Yes indeedy - Grout Baby #2 was on the way! They then asked me when my last cycle was - I said December 2007 - so the nurse said "i guess you need an ultrasound done to find out how far you are!".  YEP. A few days later, had a U/S done, found out I was already at 8 weeks! WHAT??

See how God is so awesome! Not only were we not expecting anything, I was already 1/2 way through my first trimester! And w/a U/S, we knew this little bean was alive, thriving and growing! So our worry factor was significantly decreased!

This is just a testament that God knows everything that you can handle and HE won't give you anything that you can't manage!

We thank HIM for HIS wonderful blessings that we have!

Leaving the hospital  March 12, 2010

Day at the zoo September 5, 2010

Mr. Strummer Growing Up

Usually I update what the kids have accomplished after their well-child visit. HOWEVER - Strummer's next visit isn't until he's 2!! So in continuing w/the trend of every 3 months, here's some updates on the little guy.

From what I have measured and weighed he is now up to 35 inches and 30 lbs! He is still trying to be very helpful. Sometimes - when he's trying to be helpful, he's really not being that helpful...but hey - he's only 1-1/2!

He eats just about everything.  He's become a bit more picky on things, but I'm guessing it's an age thing. He still loves his spicy food! We made nachos one time and he was eating everything - and we had jalapenos in it. FORGETTING - that we didn't chop them up, Strummer ate a sliced jalapeno, then all of a sudden, tears started rolling down his face b/c of the spicy factor - we forgot to give him his milk! Sorry little buddy!!

He takes one nap that lasts typically for 2-1/2 - 3 hrs. He always goes down at 12:30 and will typically sleep til 3 or 4!

He LOVES being outside! He always points and says 'side, side?'.  Depending on the weather, we usually let him go and play in the backyard on his own - keeping a watch on him, but it's all fenced in and he can't get out. So he enjoys playing w/his slide, kicking balls around, drawing w/his chalk, blowing bubbles and from time-to-time, playing w/some sort of water feature - whether I turn on the water for the slip-in-slide or I fill up his sandless sandbox w/water! Speaking of his sandbox, he did have sand in there and enjoyed playing w/all his sand toys...however Brad found that a family of ants decided to invade and so his sand was dumped! Next year, we'll do a better job of keeping the lid closed on it!

He still loves books! He has dozens and dozens of books! He likes 'reading' books and listening to them. Sometimes he'll just keep on going to his book basket in the living room and brining you more books to read. Yesterday, he wanted me to read the same book 6xs! When I was done, he grabbed the book and said 'book?' (Meet the Puppies - 101 Dalmatians) What's totally cute is sometimes whether he's at home chilling in the living room, sitting in his crib or sitting in the car, he'll just grab a book and it appears like he's reading it b/c he looks at the pages for a bit, then turns the page.

Some other things he has learned are numbers and letters - kind off. He will 'count' usually to 3, and will sing his abc's. He can say all the letters, but he knows most of them. And recently started recognizing letters and numbers in other settings. For instance, the pool, he recognized 'F' 'T' '3'

This may be surprising, but he loves music (i know you are all shocked! hee-hee-hee).  During some songs or theme songs, he will usually clap or slap his hand on his leg to the beat of the music. Another new thing is he recognizes themes and will sing along - for example the 'NBC Studios' tune of 3 notes. He'll hum the 3 notes, pretty much on key!  If there's a good song playing in the car, you can look back, and he'll be 'head-banging' in his car seat. He's also opinionated. Within the last few months, if we are in the car, and there is a song playing - usually when Brad has his oodles of CDs along, Strummer will tell you if he likes it or not. If he does, he smiles and dances...and if he doesn't he'll say 'no-no?'. As in, I don't like this song so you need to change it. Who knew it would start so young! Of course, he is his father's son :P    He of course, still enjoys getting his guitar out and playing it, as well as playing the piano!

He has started this stage of 'I want to do what you are doing'.  He's getting very good at just copying things. If I'm brushing my teeth, he wants to brush his teeth. If I am cooking, he wants to be in the kitchen doing the same thing. So on. I guess he's a big learning kick! Along with doing things on his own, he typically prefers to do things by himself. He will sometimes get upset if we do something for him. For example, I went to go peel his banana, he got upset, so I gave it to him, then a few minutes later, he came back into the living w/his banana in hand, and the peel in the garbage! He will also help w/unloading the dishwasher. He will take the silverware and put it away. He will also grab the dishes from the bottom rack and hand them to me to put away. (A lifesaver for my back!) He also prefers to put toothpaste on his toothbrush. Usually, I'll put it on, give it to him, he'll brush his teeth for like 5 sec, then take the toothpaste and put more on. Usually he doesn't get to much on there, but it's the whole "I'm Independent" thing. 

Other things he LOVES - CLIMBING, sliding, getting his own ice or water from the refrigerator (now i know why they invented the LOCK mechanism on the fridge), helping cook, moving the dining chairs around the kitchen to reach things, playing w/friends, and much more! 

His vocabulary has increased! He says SO many things now - that you can actually recognize! These are just a sampling. He he starting to repeat words after you say them and it's hard to keep track! 

People he can say and recognize

Mommy, Daddy, Papa (grandpa), Gama (grandma) Sister, Edyn, Sara, Scott, Bosco, Mindy, Jim, Jessi, Amy, Jackson (these are friends at the Y),

Characters and shows he can say and recognize

The Off (The Office), Monk, Sid (Sid The Science Kid), Elmo, Why (Super Why), Pooh (Winnie The Pooh), House

Characters he recognizes, but doesn't always say

Michael, Jim, Pam, Dwight, Ryan (the office), Larry David from Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

Fun Facts: We were at my bro's house a few months ago and we were asking Strummer to point out people - then we asked him to find the characters of The Office on Mike's game box. We asked "Strummer, where's Michael"  - then he pointed to him, the asked "Strummer -where's Dwight" - then he pointed to him and so on!

Apparently, Larry David looks like Papa. Not sure which one - or maybe it's a combo, but every so often, when we are watching Curb, Strummer will say "Papa"

That's all for now! He's growing up so fast and learning new things everyday! 

Eating ice cream at Picket Fence Creamery (outing for Mommy 'n Me at the Y)

Chilling at the Train Park

Eating an apple at La Caretta

Smiles on the boat

Just being cute!

Strummer w/Grandma Berg (my mom)

4 Months!

Dr. Parsons had it right when she came in for Edyn's well-child visit. The first thing she said "What happened to the little baby?" My thoughts exactly! I am still amazed on how fast our little girl is growing! Didn't we just bring her home and she was just super-duper tiny??


Here Is What She's Doing
*She can grab onto things
*She can hold her head up

*She can sit in her Bumbo
*She can 'talk'
*She laughs - first time: May 23
*She can roll from tummy to back - June 3
*She can smile - first smile: 3 Weeks

*She can steady herself on her legs being held up
*She can roll from back to tummy - July 1
*She can rotate herself around in a circle - on both tummy and back
*She has a sort of an inchworm or frog movement. She pushes her legs in and out and moves forward.

Edyn now rolls quite a bit - however still haven't captured it on video! She also giggles a bit more! It's totally adorable. She enjoys playing in her playmat, kicking her legs, standing and sitting in her Bumbo. I have recently brought down the walker for her to try out. Not b/c I want her to walk (she can't even reach the floor), more so just so she can have a new view. She has become quite the observer! She loves watching what other people are doing. She usually moves her head back and forth if she's watching Strummer or Bosco. She is still a 'chatty cathy' and talks even more than before! She is very good at grabbing things (watch out if you have long hair!) I love it when she is laying down and you have your finger near her, and she takes her little hands and grabs onto your finger! <3


We don't quite have her on a schedule. I am now in the midst of trying to get her on a regular schedule. It seems that she takes a nap for every 2 - 2-1/2 hrs of awake time. She is eating about every 3-4 hrs. She is also sleeping through the night regularly! Hurray! She has her nights where she'll wake up when she's hungry...and very rarely she'll not go back to sleep in the middle of the night after eating....but for the most part - I am happily sleeping like a 'normal' person again! :o)


Another new thing we are doing is having her sleep upstairs for everything. For naps, we usually start her in the swing, then move her to her crib. Once she's in a regular schedule, we won't rely on the swing to get her to sleep. She is also sleeping at night full time in her crib now. We are still working on Strummer staying asleep when she wakes up, but I'm sure it'll be fine. We will get it figured out!


Her 4-month appointment went surprisingly well (b/c she was very cranky that morning). We had to wait quite awhile for Dr. Parsons. So she had fun scrunching up the paper on the bed. She also did well w/her shots. The same round from her 2-month. This time, only Amy (the nurse) gave the shots. Last time, there were a few nurses doing it. Edyn cried a bit, but calmed down after a few minutes. I was telling Amy we were heading to Ames afterwards, so Amy was calming Edyn down by telling her about going shopping - which appeared to make her happy!
Dr. Parsons said everything Edyn is doing is right on track! She also said if we would like, we could start on her solids if Edyn seems interested. However, I think we'll wait a bit longer b/c she really hasn't shown to much of an interest in our food.
It's crazy that afterwards I scheduled her 6-month appointment! 6 months?? 1/2 a year?? WOW! It reminded me of when I was in my last trimester and we scheduled all my appointments until her due date. Thinking that far ahead is just nuts!

Edyn brings us more joy each day! She changes all the time! She is a delight w/her sweet smiles, giggles and all-around happy baby!


As usual, here are some pics for you to enjoy!

Weight: 13 lbs - 10 oz

54%

Height: 25 - 1/4 inches

91%

Waiting to be called and hanging onto her links

Pic w/her stats sticker

Getting comfort from her blankie-bear

This is why they say you shouldn't leave babies unattended with blankets. She was playing w/her blankie-bear and multiple times, she covered her face. (you can also see how she was squishing up the paper)

We waited so long, I grabbed her elephant from her car seat so she had something else to play with

Kind of a strange pic - but here she is at home w/her 'battle-wounds'

If you're curious on how Strummer's 4-month Update compares, click here!

For those who thought Strummer looked like Brad...

Think Again!! As he gets older, he's starting to look more like me. Here are some old pics that I found and some pics of Strummer. Take a look!!  (PS - the old pics are from the EARLY 80s...so please disregard the awesome attire we are wearing! hee-hee-hee)

Mike (7) and I (6 months?)

Me: I'm guessing over a year old

Mike (9), Me (2), Erika and Sara (1 or 2 months?)

Edyn is already 3-1/2 months!

It's crazy how fast kids grow! So fast - I forgot to blog about it 2 weeks ago when she turned 3 months! Ahh!!

She is starting to sleep through the night a bit more often. It's not every night, but I would guesstimate at least 3xs a week. It all depends on how hungry she is.

She starting rolling about 3 weeks ago. She just rolls from her tummy to her back. She's done it 5xs or so. She's been very close to going from her back to her tummy, but doesn't quite have it yet. She is still talking like crazy! Sometimes it seems she'll 'speak up' when there are other people around her talking. I guess she just wants to be heard! Pretty Funny! :D

She has a bit more head/neck control. She can't completely hold her head up 24/7, but she does a good job of keeping it up most of the time. She's not a fan of tummy time. She has to be in a 'good mood' to stay there and work her muscles! As of a week ago, she sucks her thumb. She's been sucking on her fingers for awhile, but she has now turned into a thumb sucker. HOPEFULLY it's just a phase she outgrows fairly quickly. However, right now, it's pretty cute!

She doesn't use her pacifier as often anymore. She only seems to need it if she's super fussy!

She is very good a grabbing things and holding on. She is also starting to know the cause and effect while playing in her play-mat. For instance, if she hits the big flower - it will make noise. If she pushes of the toys, they will move back and forth. It's fun watching her learn new things!

I'm still feeding her on demand. She is now sleeping in her crib part of the time. She seems to be able to stay asleep in her crib! If it's super hot, we have her sleep in the bassinet, since the upstairs does not have A/C and we just use a fan to keep it cool.

She is still fitting in 0-3 clothing, however, I've pulled out some of her 3-6 clothes - just to mix it up a bit! However, her 0-3 pants fit her in the waist, but are starting to become a bit to short!

Things she doesn't enjoy

*Wet/Dirty diapers (sometimes)

*Cold Water

*Being Hungry

*Being Cold

*Being tired - at times she'll fuss for no reason - that's when we know she's trying to fight it! :P

*Bosco's LOUD barking - it wakes her up (like when he's 'announcing' someone is at the house)

Things she does enjoy

*Mommy

*Daddy

*Brother

*Bosco

*Family

*Eating

*Sleeping

*Music (sometimes it seems she starts 'dancing' when the music is on)

So - here's her run down of the accomplishments thus far

*She can grab onto things

*She can hold her head up

*She can sit in her Bumbo for a bit

*She can 'talk'

*She has laughed (just once - even better, she laughed at her bro!) - May 23

*She can roll from tummy to back - June 3

*She can smile - first smile: 3 Weeks

*She can steady herself on her legs for a bit if held up

That's all for now! If I forgot something, I'll put in my 4-month update! Now - here's a comparison pic for you!

Edyn at 2 days old!

Edyn at 3 month old!

Happy Mother's Day - A bit late...

I really need to keep up w/my blogging! It's crazy to think that last year was my First Mother's Day w/a 6-1/2 month old and now my Second Mother's Day, was w/an 18-1/2 month old and a 2 month old! It's just nuts on how much can change in a year! God is FULL of surprises!!

Strummer and Edyn got me a card, a balloon and flowers. Strummer even brought me my card and balloon this year! He's growing up so fast! It however wasn't to 'relaxing'. When your husband is a teacher and it's towards the end of the year, he's really busy. So he was busy grading papers and I watched the kids all weekend. :P

I am so thankful to be a mommy to 2 of the greatest kids on the planet! I thank our Heavenly Father for our precious little miracles!

Unfortunately, I do not have a pic w/both kids for this Mother's Day. Maybe next year! :o)

Here are a few pics of my fun gifts!

My balloon

Pretty Flowers!

A chocolate covered apple from The Chocolate Season.

I also received some awesome hand lotion, but take a pic of it.

My mother's day gift from my mom!

Thanks mom! It was delicious!

Pretty-Pretty-Princess!

Yes - I am that mom who decided to pierce my daughter's ears w/out asking how she feels about it! Oh, and Brad didn't care, so that also helped! :P

I heard from other friends that if you are planning on getting their ears pierced, it's best to do them really early (at 2 or 3 months) or you should wait until they are a lot older (like 6 or 7) so they don't fiddle around w/the earrings or else the piercings will more likely get infected!

So - since Edyn had her 2-month appointment on Friday (May 7) and had her shots, I made an appointment for her to get her ears pierced the next day. I did quite a bit of research and asking around to see where to go. I ended up going to ANUDU in Boone. I called them to make sure they do infant piercings and I was told they have done quite a few.

So on Saturday, May 8 at 10AM we went to ANUDU to get Edyn's ears pierced. They had 3 different earrings to choose and I chose the diamonds for her! Once they were ready, Edyn and I sat in the chair, then they needed to mark her ears on where the piercings would go. This took awhile. The girls wanted to get it just perfect! One of the girls told me Edyn had good ears for piercing b/c she had a natural crease where they should go! Once the ears were marked, I held Edyn facing out - I tried to have her keep her pacifier in, but she wouldn't b/c she didn't need it during that time. Then there was one girl on each side and they said 1, 2, ready - and when they were both ready, one of the girls said 'go' and the piercings were in!

It's nice that they do both ears at the same time, that way it's just a one-time deal. It's just like getting her shots. Edyn cried for literally one minute - about the same as her shots, and then she was fine!

After we left, we headed to DSM for Crystal's baby shower! It was fun showing everyone Edyn's newly accessorized ears! I even told Hannah that Edyn has pretty ears like she does!

If you live in the Boone area and want to get your girl's ears pierced, I recommend going to ANUDU. They are super-nice and the piercing (which is free), the earrings and the cleaning gel was only $13! I guess it's less expensive when you go to a local place instead of chain store in a mall! :D

Just arrived at the salon

(It was super-cold! I'm so glad I bought the adorable coat and hat at Sarah's garage sale!)

Right afterwards

No earrings (at her doctor's appointment the day before)

Earrings!

Pretty Ears!

2-Months Old!

It's hard to believe Edyn is now 2-months old! She seems to change everyday! Her doctor appointment went well and she took her (3) shots like a champ! Just cried for a few minutes and she was asleep by the time we left the clinic! She now weighs 10 lbs 12 oz (50%), is 22-1/2 inches tall (67%) and her head was at 15 (39%).

She has thus far slept through the night 3xs! It all depends on when I last feed her. She only wakes up to eat (which is what she's been doing from the beginning), so that's awesome!

She's getting better at her head and neck control. She'll hold her head in place for a 5 sec or so at a time. Which is what she's suppose to be doing. She will also support herself on her legs every so often - more often if she's upset and has more momentum :P She is a mostly happy baby, all though a bit more fussy than what Strummer was. I'm guessing it's a 'girl-thing' and she's a bit more emotional :D

She is still sleeping in her bassinet next to our bed. It has been very convenient when she wakes up to eat. I just grab her, feed her, then put her back to bed.

She also seems to be close to rolling over! It seems very early, but now I'm more careful when she's on the couch...just incase! Every so often she'll get herself on her side! Pretty crazy!

Edyn has also developed quite a grip! She hasn't really grabbed onto any toys yet, but if she gets ahold of your hair! Watch out b/c she won't let go! :P

She is 'talking' more! I think she's going to be a good babbler like her brother! She started smiling when she was 5 weeks old and is starting to smile a lot more often now. Strummer seems to make her smile! It's so adorable!

We love our little girl and are so happy that God 'surprised us' when I found out I was pregnant! She's such a blessing! :o)

Length Chart ~ 67%

Weight Chart ~ 50%

Waiting to be called

Strummer found things to stay occupied during sister's appointment

All smiles b/f Dr. Parsons arrives

Getting her oral shot (it's a liquid drink)

Right after her 3 shots - poor girl!

Ready to leave! All better! No more tears!