Taylor, Mindi and Miley

Where has the time gone....

2011-10-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

Funny how this blog was something I religiously updated at least once a week for three years and now I never make time for it. I mean, I still have pictures from Easter that I have yet to upload from my camera!

I guess it is a good/bad thing. Good meaning we are so busy that I don't have time to go through my camera and work on this blog. Probably because going from one kid to two kids leaves us with our hands full. I am going back to school so any free lunch periods or time in the evenings that I would have to be on the computer I'm doing homework. And probably because I've taken on a new hobby of bow hunting for Whitetails. So- if I have free time and my homework is done, the kids are busy doing something and I have nothing to cook, clean, or attend to- I find myself hanging out in a tree. Bad meaning I feel like I had quite the baby book going of Adventures with Miley- and poor Cooper is barely documented.

So, here's to old hobbies, may they always hold a special place in my heart and to new hobbies that I soon hope to reap the benefits of by bringing home some meat. Oh yeah- and the kids are doing great! I Love them to pieces. :)

Tap Dance

2011-06-13T11:13:00.002-05:00

Miley's First Dance Recital

2011-06-13T11:09:00.001-05:00

These videos are taken on the night of her rehearsal. She got a little scared at the recital and froze up for the first part of both her dances. Once she warmed up she started doing her dance and having fun, in the last 15 seconds. But, we are proud of her none-the-less and she said she LOVES dance and can't wait to start up again in the fall! :) And Mommy loves having her little dancer!!!

Trying to Make a Come Back

2011-03-21T08:10:00.000-05:00

So, I've been unmotivated and uninspired and probably too busy to blog much. But I'm hoping for a come back. It's been a long winter and I haven't been myself and I'm starting to feel better now and am gearing up for some new adventures.

I got to experiment with a new easy recipe last night which I posted on Mindi's Magnificent Meals. Check it out!!!

Cooper's The Big ONE!!

2011-02-20T21:00:00.001-06:00

Cooper James has turned ONE!!! It's so hard to believe that he has been a part of our family for a full year already! He is growing up so fast!

Stats: He is 29 pounds and 31 inches
He has 12 teeth and I can see white buds where his canines will be coming through.
He has been walking since 10.5 months so he is walking quite well now. He is almost running at times and just two weeks ago finally got the hang of standing up from sitting all on his own. He's quite the monkey too, he climbs up on everything. He loves climbing into the fridge and taking out all of our condiment jars.

We had a great first birthday party for him! We did a monkey theme since Coop's nickname has always been 'Chunky Monkey'. I made his cake similar to Miley's cake, a two layer round funfetti cake, I added some extra blue frosting to his cake. We served chili cheese dogs and they were a hit!! I have to say that this being the fourth birthday party we have thrown I finally for it right. We were so relaxed and the meal was so tasty and super easy!

I'm ONE!!

Kelly took some 1 year photos of him. Here are a few of my favorites!

Miley Turns 3

2011-01-30T20:49:00.000-06:00

All right, all right- yes, I'm almost a month behind. Just needed a little time off from being creative. But now I'm in the mood again.

Miss Miley turned three at the beginning of January. On her actual birthday she got to spend the day just her and Mommy. I asked her to pick between going to the MOA to go shopping and go on the rides, Chucky Cheese, or swimming and she chose swimming. The YMCA in Hastings was so kind to allow us to be guests for the day seeing as she has taken swimming lessons there. We had the whole pool to ourselves and she loved it. She is quite the little fish. :)

That evening we went out to eat for Grandma Pam's birthday as well. When we got home Miley got to open her present from us and from Brendon and Shelly as they were on vacation over her party. We got Miley her very own digital camera. It's pretty neat! She loves taking photos. And Brendon and Shelly got her an Easy Bake Oven! Let's just say Mommy has had more fun with that, but she sure enjoys eating all of the yummy treats. (Side Bar: I ALWAYS wanted an Easy Bake oven but never got one- this is the BEST part of having a daughter, getting all of the fun toys for her that I never got!)

That Saturday we had the family over for her birthday party. Of course, she didn't take a nap that day so she was a little crabby at the beginning but she soon warmed up and had a blast. She loved when we sang happy birthday to her and of course opening the presents!

This years cake I ordered an edible topper again and made a double layer round fun-fetti cake. The middle was filled with pink frosting and then I pipped frosting on the outside.

Since Miley is now 3 we decided that she is now big enough to learn how to put herself to sleep and sleep in her own bed. She was doing this for awhile when we first had Cooper, but then she got sick and slept in our bed for a few nights and it then became habbit for both of us. She would fall asleep with me in my bed and then I'd bring her to her bed and most nights she'd end up back in our bed. She now has a sticker chart on her door and she gets one sticker for falling asleep in her own bed and another sticker for staying in her bed the whole night. It only took two nights and she totally had this figured out. She loves the reward and I'm not going to lie and say she's been perfect, a few nights here and there she ventures into our room and we tell her that she only gets one sticker and she gets a little upset with herself and says she is going to earn two the next night.

We are signing her up for pre-school in two weeks! I Can't believe it! But we are SOO excited for her. I think she is going to LOVE going to school! We have decided to send her to St. Paul's Lutheran pre-school. We are hoping to be able to send her on Monday's and Thursday's from 8-12:30 or 1. This will allow her to have lunch at school as well. She's turned into a picky eater and we are hoping that sitting down with the other kids and seeing them eat will inspire her to eat what is given to her as well.

Seems like just yesterday....

Duluth 2010

2010-12-23T14:51:00.000-06:00

Taylor and I took the kiddos on our first family of four vacation all on our own! We did a long weekend in Duluth. They were really good in the car on the way up and back home. The last 20 minutes both ways for Cooper got to be long, he had had enough and I was doing everything I could to keep him entertained.

When we arrived Cooper was ready for his afternoon nap so I took Miley to the pool while he took a nap with Taylor. Miley LOVED the pool. She hasn’t been swimming in a pool since her swimming lessons last spring, so it was fun to get her in there again. After we swam we got ready to go on our first train ride of the weekend. We took a short ride to the Bentlyville Tour of Lights which next to the Aquarium just as you enter Duluth. The lights were amazing! They had such cool displays and free cookies, hot chocolate, popcorn and marshmallows to roast in the fire pit area. They had Christmas creatures roaming around to pose for a photo, we met Mr. Penguin and Mr. Rudolph himself! We could have stood in line to see Santa, but it was cold and we were going to be visiting Santa on Saturday so we decided to skip that part. We got back to the hotel after the tour and had some pizza and curled up and watched the Christmas movies that were on that night.

Saturday we got up and had breakfast and headed for the pool. Cooper LOVED the pool! We spent about 2 hours there! Miley even participated in the sailboat races! After we swan we had lunch and a much needed nap. Then it was time for the main reason we went up there- the Polar Express train ride!!! We boarded the train which was covered with lights and had Christmas Music playing as you entered. We sang Christmas carols as we road to the “North Pole train station” which happened to be the train museum. We entered the train station to see the toy engines up and running. Then we were escorted into the next room where they had carolers singing and a big carpet rug laid out on the floor. The Children sat and were entertained by a Story teller reading them the Polar Express. The train station was decorated in lights and Christmas décor. After the story each child received their very own Christmas bell and they got to meet with Santa. Miley LOVED him and Cooper did well too. Miley said she wanted Dinosaurs- girl ones, not boy ones and told Santa that Cooper wanted some boy toys. (Yes, Santa did some last minute shopping to find some Girl dinosaurs as to keep the magic alive, she is CERTAIN Santa will bring her them!) We got to tour the train station before the Polar Express picked us up again and brought us back to Christmas Town where we got to have cookies and hot chocolate by a big bonfire. Then it was back to the hotel for some Olive Garden to go for Taylor and I and McDonald’s for the kiddos and then we all curled up and watched our favorite movie- The Christmas Story and drifted asleep.

It was a great little family Christmas Vacation and we hope to do something like that at least every other year. It was fun to do something special as a family at this time of year, and Duluth is so pretty in the winter. And shocking enough, they had less snow than we did!

We Wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Winter with the Pagel's

2010-12-13T14:50:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a month since I posted, that is SO not like me! It's been busy, when does it ever slow down? Never, for us! Cooper is 10 months now and we all have bets on him being able to walk by Christmas! Wouldn't that be an awesome Christmas present!!! He could do it, if he just would get brave enough. He barely hangs on to the things he holds when he walks and he has stood free standing by himself for periods of time, so now we just have to get some courage.

He has now decided he is an independent eater, he doesn't really go for the baby food anymore, he would rather feed himself. His FAVORITE foods are crackers and cooked carrots. He could seriously eat those all day long! He likes just about anything you put in front of him, I just hope he stays that way. I know I am trying to be very concious this time around about making sure he eats lots of veggies over and over again because I think, with Miley, we didn't push them on her and now she wants nothing to do with them. So, fingers crossed for Coop.

He has 6 teeth and the 7th is just about to pop. He seems to have slowed down a bit in the growing department. He is holding steady at 18 month clothes and I think we will be there for the remainder of the winter.

Happy as a Lark eating carrots!

Getting ready for his FIRST Christmas!!! Cutting down his FIRST Christmas Tree!!!

Next winter buddy, you can come out and make Fairy Snow Castles with Mommy and Miley.

Miss Miley- wow, Miss Miley. She's a SPONGE. Please watch out for what you say around her now! She will be quick to tell you if you say something that is naughty and quick to ask you what that "*****" (Insert word) means. I said 'freaking' the other day and she says, "Mom, what's a freaking?" Oh man! Good thing that was all I said!! She certainly is in the Terrible Two stage and heading into the Terrible Three's. She is Sassy but OH so cute! She makes us laugh daily! She says the funniest things that are well beyond her years. She loves to sing and makes up songs all the time about what she is doing. "Putting it in the Garbage, I'm putting it in the garbage, in the gggaaarrrbbbaageee....." I love her!

She's quite the girly girl too- loves putting on makeup with Mommy and doing her nails and she seems to always end up wearing her dresses by the end of the day, even if they are meant to only be worn in July!

Having Breakfast and a story with "Mrs. Santa" she called her.

This is one of her FAVORITE dresses.

Building Fairy Snow Castles

Picking out a tree and playing with snow balls

I'm sure, the first of many years where Family Christmas pictures will just not quite turn out how I imagined them too. :) Oh, the memories!

9 Month Stats

2010-11-23T07:53:00.000-06:00

I brought Cooper in for his 9 month well child check up and here are the stats:

25.3 pounds (down a few ounces from when he went in at 8 months) which is off the charts still- but all his crawling and walking around has helped him hold steady with his weight

29 inches long- only the 45th percentile- short and chubby just like his sister was

The only shot he got was a flu shot and I brought Miley along so she could get her flu shot as well.

Miley LOVES going to the doctor, LOVES it! She was a little jealous that Dr. Dann was checking out Cooper and not her so when the nurse came in to give the shots she asked me who was going to go first and Miley jumped up and down and raised her hand say "Me, Me, Me, I'm first!" So, she sat up on the table and the nurse was telling her she was going to clean her leg and at the same time I took out her prize for doing a good job- a Kit Kat and showed her that if she does good she gets her candy. The nurse then said OK Miley, you will feel a little prick and then I'll be done. Miley watched her give her the shot, she tensed up for a half a second and then said "OUUU THAT REally hurt" And she was over it and grabbed her Kit Kat and then got super excited that she was getting a band-aid. The nurse looked at me and said- "Wow, that was REALLY REALLY good". Miley has always been good with shots, but I also don't hide the fact that she is getting one from her. We had discussed it the day before in full detail and I flat out told her that it would hurt, but only for a second and she as OK with that, as you can tell.

Then it was Cooper's turn. He got his shot and tensed up and let out a cry for one second and as soon as I stood up with him he was over it. I'm so proud of my kiddos! They are tough!

Cooper- 9 months

2010-11-10T08:03:00.000-06:00

Mr. Cooper James has done leaps and bounds over the past month!

He still only has four teeth, two on top and two on bottom but the other four have GOT to be around the corner- he's been getting a runny nose again and crabby during the night.

His biggest accomplishment is that he became mobile, very mobile. All of a sudden one day he just figured out how to crawl, the next day he was pulling up on everything, the next day he was walking around furniture, then the next day he was walking behind push toys. Seriously, just in a snap of a finger. Every day we have been amazed at how much more he is doing. He gets into everything now, he has his own toy preferences, he has to be where the action is and he has no problem getting to the action. Plus, he has a big sister he is trying to keep up with, and he does fairly well at it!

He is a very good eater, shocking huh! We are still nursing several times a day but he is also now eating all three meals and a snack during the day. If anyone is eating anything when he is around he will make sure he comes over to check it out and take a taste. He LOVES carrots- diced carrots- that he can feed himself. He loves meat, pasta, bread, cheerios, all fruits and yogurt. Of course, all things ground up, I love my little hand grinder. We are starting to break away from the baby food and just grinding up what we are eating and he is much happier with that. I'm thinking this weekend we might start teaching him how to feed himself with a spoon- we'll see how that goes. He picks up on things very quickly, so I'm sure he'll get it figured out right away. I taught him how to drink out of a straw two weeks ago and now he's a pro at it.

For as crabby as he was as a newborn, he sure is happy now. He is smiling all the time, he found his voice in the last week or so and is quite the chatter box. He is entertaining and such a little love bug.

His 9 month check up is on the 18th- stats to come....

NEW CAMERA!!!

2010-10-25T15:06:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard- Taylor made a bet with me... he told me that if he got a Buck in WI on Friday or Saturday I could get the new camera I have been drowling over. This bet was a big deal because he was leaving me along with the kiddos for 3 days, one of which included a work day... so... I was just very busy all weekend.

So- if you know me... my motto is POSITIVE THOUGHTS LEAD TO POSITIVE OUTCOMES.... well... on Friday Taylor had no phone service where he was but I was just getting this vibe that he was going to get a nice buck... so I ordered my camera without him knowing, at that time. HEHEHE I just KNEW he would get one... and with having already gotten my camera I was sending every positive vibe I had back at him.

Well... Just to paint a picture... Bob has been out hunting in WI for DAYS and HOURS on end... Taylor goes out and sits Friday morning, Friday evening, Saturday morning (in the rain) and Saturday evening and BAM- GOT ONE!!!!!!! HECK YES!!!! I knew my positive vibes would work!!!

My new camera will be here TOMORROW!!!! Expect MANY photos from me- as soon as I figure it out! It's a Samsung HZ50W- Middle of the line camera- better than a point and shoot but not as fancy as a professional one. I'm PUMPED! Tomorrow can't come soon enough!!!

Mileyisms

2010-10-22T09:15:00.002-05:00

She knows how she feels- if I tell her she can’t do something she stomps her foot and crosses her arms and puts her head down and say “I am SO mad” – After she cools off she then says “Mom, I’m not mad anymore” Well- at least she knows how she feels- and makes it clear to me!

She came to visit me at work and says as she was playing with the little toys I have sitting on my desk “Your work is so Fun, Mom!”

As I was walking her down to Taylor’s car she asked if I was going with them and I told her no, I had to go back into work and she says “But it’s dangerous” HAHAHHAH

Last night- Miley and I were having popcorn as a snack and Taylor hadn’t eaten dinner so we made him a sandwich. We were going to have a picnic in the living room so Miley says to me “You carry that plate with a sandwich for daddy and the water cup for Mommy and Me and I carry the popcorn bowl for Mommy and Me, Thanks mom for carrying the water!” I just laughed! So detailed in what we were doing! I was impressed by her thought process.

Last night as she was giving Taylor a hug and kiss good bye before he left I told her to tell him Good Luck and to get a deer she says “Good Luck get a BIG deer like this” as she puts her hands up over her head and wiggles her fingers.

She is a very polite little girl- if she does something that I told her not to- like spilling, on herself; she immediately says “I’m sorry mom, I spilled a little” – at least she is polite and honest about it.

Discussion about her paci’s- I tell her all the time that the paci’s are going away on her birthday.

She holds on to her paci, in her mouth and shakes her head no. I then explain to her that the paci fairy is going to come and take her paci box and all of her paci’s and leave her a big present. She runs into her room and grabs her paci box and says- “But I don’t want the paci fairy to come and take my paci’s away, I need them” in a sad little voice. OH BROTHER…. This may be a difficult thing. Especially when she starts crying about something, she says “I need my paci” I will tell her no, she doesn’t. She follows up with “Yes I do, I’m crying, see” What did we get ourselves into!

Cooper Sits Up

2010-10-17T14:58:00.000-05:00

He was crawling a bit, of course, before I got my camera out- but he shows off his other new skill of sitting up. I'll continue to try to get him moving on film.

Photo Gallery

2010-10-17T14:49:00.000-05:00

I'm sure it's no surprise- but Cooper LOVES his food! He eats very well and I think we are about to pass the baby food stage. He would rather eat what we are eating. If I break it up into tiny pieces he feeds himself really well and does a good job, but he also is a typical boy, and would sometimes rather be lazy and have me spoon feed him. We try new foods all the time and the only thing I have found that he really really hates are brussel sprouts! (Taylor and I love them!)

My happy boy! He has four teeth and he's been working on the other four for some time now, I am surprised they haven't popped through yet. Miley had 8 teeth by 8 months, so he has fallen slightly behind her in that category.

This was taken a few weeks ago- he is MOVING all over the place now! He just pulled up for the first time this weekend and he crawls a few paces and then is down but he rolls and scoots and gets what he wants.

Coop and his best bud Grayson! We have frequent play dates. Cooper is kind of a bully, that, or he really loves Grayson, every time they sit by each other Cooper reaches over and just grabs a hold of him. Best Buds for Life!

My pretty Miley! One night when Taylor was gone teaching night school and Cooper was already in bed she let me play with my camera and take funny pictures of her. She never lets me do that! So I was excited to actually get a good shot where she wasn't moving around.

My new hair-do is curly, so one night I asked Miley if she would let me curl her hair, I have NEVER curled her hair before and she was surprisingly VERY excited. When I got done she stared at herself in the mirror for a half hour, dancing around and making faces and admiring how pretty her hair was. She LOVES getting her hair curled now! It's a lot of fun for Mommy too!!!

Sibling Love! They play so well together! Miley just lets Cooper beat up on her, he loves to pull her hair and she rolls around with him and they honestly get along very good. We love seeing them interact more and more.

One night as Taylor and I were working with Cooper in the living room trying to get him to walk holding our hands, crawl and pull up (we practice every night!) Miley was in the dining room using water colors. She told me she was staying on the paper and when I went in there to check on her- this is what I found. Right to the tub after this picture!

I think he was almost 6 months old in this photo- I really need to get better at taking more pictures, I think half of my problem is that I hate my camera. A nice digital semi-professional camera is the only thing on my Christmas List this year!

Cooper's Getting Better...

2010-10-11T08:03:00.000-05:00

It's amazing what a small dose of steriods and a nebulizer can do for a little guy. After his first dose he turned around! He slept well all weekend, finally! And is breathing much better. We did steriods for two days and a neb twice a day for two days and he has improved 99%! Now, we can just have the neb to use on a 'as needed' basis.

Is he 100% himself? No, not yet. Darn teething! He's been working on 4 teeth for 2 months and we are all very anxious for them to just pop through! He's got two on top and two on bottom and his gums look puffy on top and bottom next to his middle teeth. I'm betting on them popping through on the left side first. He is slightly behind Miley on the teething front. She had 8 teeth by 8 months and Cooper turned 8 months on Sunday. I'm hoping they all pop through during the next month.

He has taken a little growth spurt though. Not only his weight, from Monday's doctor appointment weighing in at 25.3 pounds and then at Friday's doctor appointment weigning in at 25 lbs 14.5 ounces but he has gotten taller. You would think that such a rapid huge growth in weight that he'd look pudgier but he actually is starting to slim down, a tiny bit. You can see his neck when he looks up and his cheeks aren't as full. His thighs- well, that's another story. But hey, I'm sure once he starts to really get moving he'll thin out quickly.

Speaking of moving- he is soo ready! He will roll all over the place to get to where he wants and spin on his tummy and scoot backwards and sometimes forwards. He is SOO close to crawling, he is really trying and he will walk if you are holding his hands. He thinks its so funny when he walks, I think he feels like a big boy.

Miley just adores her little brother, she is so good at helping out with him and teaching him new things. She even lets him pull her hair, he has a hair fetish like she does, she will scream OUCH OUCH OUCH when I brush her hair and hardly pull on it but yet she will let Cooper grab on with his death grip and she won't say Boo. What a good big sister!

Miley's "Trick"

2010-10-07T07:43:00.000-05:00

During dinner last night Miley was talking to Taylor about her food and here is the conversation they had:

Daddy: "Miley eat your supper"

Miley: "Daddy wanna see this this this twrip, thissss quick, tich... I can't say it... "

Daddy: "Trick?"

Miley: "Yeah, Trick, wanna see this trick!"

HHAHAHAHAHhAhAh So funny!

Follow Up Appointment

2010-09-27T09:44:00.000-05:00

We got good news at the Specialty Children's Hospital for Cooper. He said that his testicle is there, just not all the way dropped yet but very close. He thinks that once he becomes mobile and looses his 'fat pad' as they call it, that it will help bring it the rest of the way down. He said that if it doesn't appear to change in a year from now to then bring him back in. So, I guess that is good news and he didn't seem too worried, so I guess I will stop worrying about it, for now.

He got over his ear infection and now has a cold. He broke out in some weird rash towards the end of his antibiotic so they made us come in to see if it was an allergic reaction to the meds and he said it would have been more hive looking if it would have been from the meds but his ear was clear so to stop taking them. Ironically 24 hours after being off of the medicine the rash disappeared, so who knows. Check out a this picture of his cheeks- his whole body looked like this.

And Miss Miley is going in today to see what she has, possible ear infection, strep throat, beginnings of pneumonia. Man- We just want both of our kids to be healthy and happy for longer than a week at a time. Wouldn't it be great!?!?

So, Miley is going through a stage where she just doesn't want her picture taken- So, I want to publicly announce that I did not try to have a void in photos during her 2nd year of life, she just wouldn't let me take any! Unless she was doing something goofy....

And I have to share this cute brother sister moment when we spent the last night in the camper for the season. They were having breakfast sitting next to each other at the table and they both thought it was so fun to sit right next to each other. Cooper was more thrilled than Miley, he felt like such a big boy!

Well-- here is to hoping for healthy times to come in my household. Hope everyone is enjoying Fall! :)

Coop's First Ear Infection

2010-09-14T15:30:00.000-05:00

Well- we have found the culprit to our sleepless nights- Cooper has an ear infection in his right ear. After seeing each night get worse and worse and a HORRIBLE weekend we finally decided that it was something other than teething that had to be bothering him. We took him to Urgent Care on Sunday morning and it was an easy find. Sunday night he was a little better but after having slept all day long on Sunday from the lack of sleep Saturday he was up quite a bit just because he wanted to be awake. Mommy, however, was not handling this ‘awake’ business very well. With not nursing the entire weekend due to the pain I was having to pump and had to learn how to give him a bottle, yes, I had never given him a bottle before, ever. I was quite emotional on Monday. I wanted my baby to nurse, I was utterly exhausted, and I wanted my baby to feel better.

Finally, at 3:30am last night he woke up, again, and wanted –another- bottle I decided to give the nursing thing a shot. As I grit my teeth and prayed that he wouldn’t bite down, again, my painful grit turned into a HUGE smile as my baby finally latched well and had a full feeding. Talk about a HAPPY MOMMA!!!!

So, with having such a good evening, and a freaking ROCKIN’ hair day today- I’m in such a good mood! (Side note about the hair- I had it cut a month ago, and couldn’t not, for the life of me, figure out how to style it correctly. As I went in over the weekend to color it I about had her chop it off as I just couldn’t figure it out, but Katie, thankfully, took the time to teach me how to style it correctly and I figured it out this morning by myself and I LOVE my hair now!!!)

A little update on Miss Miley- She started Studio dance on Monday! I need to get a picture of her in her cute outfit- she looks so grown up in her leotard, pink tights and ballet slippers and tap shoes! I LOVE IT! She will be learning tap and ballet all year long and have a recital in June. She is the youngest in her class and Ms. Shannon, thankfully, let her join as she has already had a year of dance before, and she did WONDERFULLY last night! I was peeking in towards the end and she was listening so well to Ms. Shannon and doing all of the cute ballet moves and acting so independent. It was seriously the cutest thing I had ever seen! I will get pictures soon!

Oh- and Miley is in a phase right now where she doesn’t want her picture taken, so this is the only one I have of her from recent. HAHA Oh toddlers! Once again, no nap for Grandma and she fell asleep on the drive home. Apparently, she is following her Mommy's footsteps as I ditched nap time by the time I was 3...

My Chunky Monkey

2010-09-07T12:50:00.000-05:00

Cooper has been doing better- I can see his forth tooth so I think that was the reason for our sleepless nights last week. He slept much better all weekend and only nursing one time overnight, so I hope we are on the road to a more consistent schedule.

I just have to share that before I had Cooper I was very very nervous to have a second child. I had all the common feelings of "how can I love another child when I love my first SO much". Then, when I found out I was having a boy I had thoughts of "a boy, what am I going to do with a boy, how will I relate, how can I love a boy like I love my little girl". I often told Taylor "Miley is my baby and this boy is going to be your baby".

Oh how things change...

Cooper completes our little family! I couldn't ask for anything more. It is amazing how your heart can grow to love each kid individually so much. I LOVE my time with Miley and her hugs and kisses and how funny she is. And I LOVE my time with Cooper and his cuddles and laughs and how he grabs at your face to really get a good look at you. I look forward to all of the new adventures with our baby boy! And to see Miley in her glory as the best big sister anyone could ever have!

Two words:

Chunky Monkey

But he's the cutest Chunky Monkey you'll ever meet!

Just a Wednesday Night

2010-09-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

I sometimes wish we had night vision cameras in our bedrooms, just like they do on the Real World. I'm sure I look like a zombie walking around late at night. Sometimes I don't even remember going into the kids room to tuck them back in. There has been nights that I don't even know that I'm walking and I run face first into our bedroom door, let me tell you- that's a rude awakening!

Last night wasn't as bad. I think mostly because I was sound asleep by 9:30 so having to wake up around 11:30 to insert a paci, and then who knows what time to feed and another awakening 10 minutes before the alarm went off, I just don't feel tired today. Which is a good thing.

I'm very thankful that I am a morning person! Which, I feel, is the main reason I'm so fully functioning going off of 5-7 hours of sleep, 6 being the average.

To respond to some questions: When he nurses in the middle of the night, yes, that is the only thing that calms him down. He never eats fully, so he's probably only drinking 2-3 ounces versus having a full 5 ounces. I think it's mostly the warm milk calming him down and allowing him to have a warm full belly to bring happy dreams. The doctor said that he has never seen an obese breastfed baby and to never let anyone tell me otherwise. And drinking water- he doesn't like water yet and we really haven't given him any water since he just nurses. And when he eats dinner I have breastmilk in a sippy cup and he's learning how to use that.

I'm sure he'll be like Miley and eventually stop needing it. She was probably a year old before she stopped fully needing that overnight feeding and by 14 months was done nursing all together, all by her own choice.

So, until then- I am Super Mom! Even if I could sleep through the night, I don't think I'd know how to at this point, I'm so programmed to wake up, and then there is the obvious- my boobs are VERY programmed to wake up, I think I'd have to pump for comfort if Cooper slept through the night right now! I think he's going through his 6 month growth spurt- and those darn teeth aren't helping the matter either. 4th one is just about to emerge!

Diary of a Sleep Deprived Mom

2010-09-01T09:20:00.000-05:00

So, you would think that my kids would sleep through the night, right? WRONG!
Miley is finally getting to the point now where 80% of the time she does sleep through the night, finally! At 2 and a half. But Cooper- we aren’t anywhere near sleeping through the night.

Here is my diary of a sleep deprived mom!

Last night- I nursed Cooper at 5, then at 5:30 he had a half a cup of baby food mixed garden vegetables with Probiotic oatmeal mixed in to thicken it up. 2-3 tablespoons of our dinner diced and chopped up with my hand grinder, which consisted of whole wheat noodles, hamburger, and tomato sauce (which he loved!) and then 2 tablespoons of baby food peaches. You would think his little tummy would be full until morning! Not the case with my little man.

Last night he was up at 11:30, nursed. Up again at 3:45 or 4 (I start to lose track of time at that time of the morning) and I nursed him, again- he was screaming like he hadn’t eaten in years! Then he was quite squirmy and I realized he had peed through his diaper, so at 4:30 I changed his diaper and removed his clothes but was too tired to get something new out so I just snuggled him in his blanket and cuddled up with him in my bed, which he thought was funny. After a half hour of him squirming around and laughing and playing with his pillow and stuffed animal I finally said it was time to go to his bed again. I snuggled him up and turned on his music and went back to bed, 10 minutes later I had to go back in there and cover him back up and put the paci back in and he FINALLY went back to sleep, this being 5:15am now. 5:30- alarm goes off- I hit snooze until 5:50 then I’m up for the day.

Tonight’s changes- apparently I cannot use Huggie diapers at night, he seems to pee out of them. I had been using Parent’s Choice and never had an issue but had leftover Huggie’s from when Miley was in them- so I’m using them up. I did get a package of the Target brand diapers (just because I was there and needed some) to give them a try, hopefully we have better results tonight. Otherwise, I’m back to Parent’s Choice for good.

I will say the one nice thing about Cooper is that when I put him down for bed at night he wants to be put down awake and falls asleep quickly all on his own. Miley NEVER did this. But, when it is the middle of the night he wants to be in my bed after he nurses, and at this point of the game, I just do it because I’m getting to exhausted and will do whatever needs to be done so we can all get some sleep. I would let him cry it out in the middle of the night when I try putting him back to his crib after we nurse but that is the one down fall to sharing a room, Miley WILL wake up and I’ll end up with her in my bed. So, for now, this is what works for us. And NO- I am NOT ready to move Miley all the way downstairs, so don’t bring it up.

I would just like to get to the point where Coop only wakes up once a night…. Some day.

I want to give props to myself though- I get to work every day, I’m on time to 10 minutes late, but hey- I find that to be pretty impressive when other people seem to always been an hour or more late, consistently! Seriously- who is an HOUR late to work EVERY day! And I still have the energy to work full time and get home and devote my entire evening to my two bundles of joy! God really was creative when he made Woman- As a Mom, I feel invincible!

6 Month Photos

2010-08-25T08:06:00.000-05:00

Here are a handful of my favorite photos of Cooper at 6 months

Follow Up Appointment

2010-08-13T11:06:00.004-05:00

We will be seeing Dr. Schukla on September 23. (that is the soonest we could get in!) I'm anxious to see what he has to say.

6 Months with Cooper

2010-08-13T08:28:00.002-05:00

Cooper had his 6 month check up and here are the stats:

23.7 pounds which is off the chart

26 ¼ inches tall which is in the 50th percentile

So- just like Miley was, short and fat!

Developmentally he is doing great! Very strong and everything looks wonderful.

The only issue we are continuing to have is his left teste still hasn’t descended completely. At birth it was nonexistent and within two weeks it dropped to his groin area and it’s been sitting there ever since. Dr. Heilman is thinking that it must be stuck. I did some research on what that means and it said that his canal could be too short or blocked. A very minor surgery is done to correct those issues. They say that this is more common than you might think, especially with early babies. Cooper was two weeks early and it took two weeks for it to drop out of his abdomen. We are waiting to hear back from the scheduling office to see a specialist from the U of M. With further reading they say that some doctors like to wait until 1 year to see if it will drop further but in my mind it’s been sitting in the exact same spot for 6 months and it doesn’t appear to want to move any further and I’d like to get this taken care of as soon as possible before he gets mobile. I can’t imagine having to keep a 1 year old from grabbing at it and making him sit still for two days. Many parents have posted their experiences with this surgery and they say that their little guys hardly made a peep during the entire process and healed very quickly and very well and it was 100 times harder on the parents then it ever was on their son.

Dr. Heilman highly recommends the doctor we are going to see, Dr. Schukla (I believe is what he said or something like that). He said he is really good at explaining things and answering questions and has really good bed side manner. I said, then that is the doctor for me! We will first go in and meet with him and they will do a full exam on his testicle to see if they can see what the hold up is and from there we will determine the best plan of action. It is important to get this taken care of as soon as possible because the longer it sits up in his groin the chance of infertility and/or cancer will increase. I’ll keep you posted.

He's such a happy boy! He didn't even cry after the first shot and bascially just got mad for 30 seconds after the next two. So strong! And those chubby thighs help too!

Wednesday Update

2010-08-04T08:12:00.001-05:00

Just a fun little update for a Wednesday morning.

Cooper officially has 2 teeth now! (exact age was 5.5 months) They pooped three days apart. He is falling in the exact line as Miley did. So, if he stays on track he’ll have 8 teeth by 8 months like she did. I kind of hope that he does because he is SO interested in eating- I know he can’t wait until he can chomp down on what we are eating. Speaking of eating, we’ve introduced fruits and veggies to him and he LOVES them! He would get MAD at us during dinner time because he wasn’t eating too so we gave it a try and he just can’t get enough. He does very well with it all. He doesn’t like peas, but we’ll have to give it a try again sometime. His favorite is carrots, after his first taste he gummed at it and then smiled and laughed at me and held his mouth open wide for more. There are times when we just can’t feed it to him quick enough! And I’ve learned my lesson, I can’t pause to take a bite of my dinner while I’m feeding him, he screams at me like ‘Mom, feed me now!’. Guess that is just a sacrifice us Mommy’s have to deal with, a luke-warm meal versus a hot one. We’ve also been introducing the sippy cup when he has his supper with cold breastmilk. He didn’t like it at first but now he does enjoy the cold breastmilk and is getting use to sucking on the sippy cup. I like to do this with his meal so he can wash it down and it prepares him for when we do switch over to regular milk 6 months from now. But, until then, I just make sure I pump enough extra milk every day to put in his cup at dinner time. Cooper is at such a fun age now, he can sit up and play with his toys, he loves his jumperoo, he’s starting to ‘talk’, and he’s so smiley. I love him.

Miley amazes me weekly. It’s so crazy how much a toddler can really change before your eyes. Her vocabulary is what truly amazes me for her age. The other day we were sitting at the table and she was making funny faces into our hutch as she could see her reflection in the glass and I said to her as I was laughing at her, “Miley, what are you doing silly girl?” And she asks, “Mom, what’s that thing called?” and I said “It’s called a hutch” she follows up with (after a pause to think out her sentence) “I’m making funny faces into that hutch”. I was very proud to see her ask a question and then use it in a sentence! And very clearly enunciated as well. She is sure a mini me- she’s got the excitedness about life as I do, her SASSY moments, her loveable moments and her crabby moments and I see myself in all of her emotions. I love my big girl. “Mommy, where are you going?” “I have to go to work but I’ll pick you up today” “No mom, I don’t want you to go to work, I want you to stay here and hold me” AAHHH It’s so hard to leave after you hear that!

Daddy Cam

2010-07-22T15:35:00.000-05:00

Taylor was home with the kids today. He has missed them the past two nights with teaching his night class. I love getting updates and pictures and phone calls throughout the day. "Mommy, I miss you all day" So sweet!

First dress she picked out to wear

Cooper enjoying his lunch

Her second dress for the day, such a girl!

Date Night with Mommy

2010-07-22T07:43:00.000-05:00

Miley and I had a date night on Wednesday. I think it is important to do fun things with the kids on a one on one basis every once in awhile. Since Taylor was teaching his night class I left Cooper with Nana and Miley and I headed to the Deli in town and had dinner with Jackie and Grayson. (as Miley would say, No Boys, Just Girls (besides Grayson)) Miley was very well behaved and she got an ice cream cone when we were done eating. She then decided she wanted to take a walk around town as we finished our ice cream cones and then we sat and chatted for a little while. She is truly a Bodette because she certainly has a lot to say! I love my baby girl. Oh, wait, she corrects me- I love my big girl!

Count Your Blessings

2010-07-16T20:36:00.000-05:00

Death
Passing of a loved one
To take into God's hands

It's weird how death works. Especially when it is someone who is too young to die, a mother of a little girl, a wife of a husband, a family member. I always wonder why God chooses who he chooses and why he chooses to take them when they are so young. A good friend of mine has been tested, with the lose of her mother in the battle of Alzheimer's and now a sister-in-law with a failing heart and kidney function and is in her last days. My heart goes out to her and her family and my tears as well. Her sister-in-law has a little girl named Gracie and soon her mommy will only be a memory. Luckily for Gracie, Laurie is a Super Aunt and I know she will be very close to Gracie as she grows up. I know God has a plan and I just hope for peace to her and her family.

And for everyone else, Count your Blessings Daily. You never know when God will take them away from you. You may think that you are having a rough day but just think of those who are watching a 'too young' loved one in their lasts days. Maybe you will think twice about what is 'so bad' in your life and maybe be thankful that you have something to complain about.

Cherish every hug
Cherish every kiss
Cherish every squishy cheek and I love yous

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Who's Who?

2010-07-05T14:45:00.001-05:00

4th of July

2010-07-05T14:38:00.001-05:00

We had a very busy 4th of July. We went to the fair on Saturday and rode rides and the parade and fireworks on Sunday. Miley's favorite ride was of course the tilt-a-whirl again. She is at the age where she loves rides but doesn't quiet understand that we go on the ride and then get off and go and do something else, she wanted to keep going again, again, and again.

The heat was too much for Cooper, he slept for a majority of our fair visit.

Miley waiting to dance and showing Nana which ride she wanted to go on first, the ferris wheel

The lady bugs!!

Her favorite ride!

Cooper finally woke up!

Riding the pony!

Her famous pout stance, mad she had to get off the ponies and let the other kids ride.

Sparklers!

Summer Fun with Miley

2010-07-05T14:21:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of Miss Miley so far this summer...

She loves being a big sister

Running the bases at the end of the game is the best part!

He's almost as big as her already!

Fun With Cooper

2010-07-05T14:16:00.000-05:00

Here is some random Cooper fun so far this summer....

Taylor teaching Cooper how to stand up! HAHAHA

The baseball guys!!

Commerical photo for Mountain Dew

Practicing being a big boy at the table

Miley's Swimming Lessons 2010

2010-07-05T14:08:00.000-05:00

Miley was in swimming lessons as the Y again this spring in Hastings. This time her last two classes they had the moms break away from the kids for part of the lesson and work one on one with the instructor. She did very well and is very confident in the pool, maybe a little too confident, she must have a floatie on when we are even close to water because she just heads straight in. She will have one more parent/child lesson next spring again and that will be her last parent/child lesson.

Here are some pictures from her last class.

Cooper 4 Months- a few weeks late...

2010-06-28T08:05:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe that I missed putting Cooper’s 4 month stats on here! And as a form of a ‘baby book’ and a helpful tool to look back on I like having it posted!

Cooper had his 4 month check up on June 10th. He weighed in at 19.13 pounds, which I said, let me feed him because it’s time to eat, then he’ll weight 20 pounds! His weight was off the charts! He was 25 inches long, 75th percentile and I didn’t catch how big his head was but it is in the 75th percentile. Dr. Heilman said that he has never seen an overweight breastfed baby and to not let anyone tell me that he’s too fat. We look at it as a super sports star in the making! He is very strong and likes to stand up and is getting really close at sitting up on his own. He is working on some teeth right now, I can see the bottom front two teeth working their way up, I’m sure they will pop within the next two weeks. He has his hands all figured out and likes reaching for toys and chewing on them. He’s full of smiles and on the verge of laughing. He’s the perfect addition to our little family.

Tubing

2010-06-23T09:55:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from Memorial weekend, thanks to Auntie Janna.

I took Miley tubing, she thought it was great! Cooper hung back at the camper with Nana. It was a very fun day!!

Love and Hate

2010-06-18T14:27:00.003-05:00

The word "Mommy"

Love: When your baby says it looking into your eyes “Mommy, I love you”

Hate: When your 2 year old starts every single sentence with it “Mommy, my shoe is falling off” “Mommy, what’s that” “Mommy, where’s the moon” “Mommy, I’m hungry” (mind you, all of these questions going back to back to back in less than 2 minutes)

Sales
Love: Getting a great deal on something you really like

Hate: That I’m buying something I really didn’t HAVE to have but since it’s on sale, I better get it now!

Being at home alone

Love: Peace and Quiet and time to get stuff done

Hate: Instead of relaxing and enjoying the quiet I run around like a crazy person cleaning and doing laundry and everything else on my check list because if I do just sit and enjoy the peace and quiet I then find myself missing my babies and not wanting to be home alone

Independence

Love: When your child gets old enough to get their own snack, their own glass of water, walk by themselves

Hate: When your child gets old enough to get their own snack, their own glass of water, walk by themselves

Fridays

Love: It’s the start to the weekend

Hate: That I’m usually tired and can’t stay up late anymore like I use to. Friday nights are usually early to bed nights!

Music

Love: When my songs on

Hate: When a bad song is on

Being a Mom

Love: I have the two most beautiful babies that I am a Mom too

Hate: Finding the right balance of Mom and Dad time and Husband and Wife time alone and with friends

Little Loves

2010-06-16T08:11:00.001-05:00

Squishy Cheeks- OUR squishy cheeks- you know, instead of Butterfly kisses, I do squishy cheeks with my babies, simply rub their soft squishy cheeks up against mine.
Bright Blue Eyes
Morning Smiles with tired eyes
Good night hugs that linger
New pictures hanging in my cube thanks to a great friend K.G.
Looking up from a busy spreadsheet to see pictures of my babies smiling back at me
Twins Tickets for me and the hubby, especially when it’s time for a much needed date
Cooking a good dinner and having plenty leftover for lunch the next day
Opening the freezer and realizing you aren’t out of bread/hamburger/pizza
Good Bye kisses in the morning before taking off for work
New Water Bottles
A good hair day
Free lunch at work
Waking up in the middle of the night to spend 5 minutes snuggled with my baby and taking in the special quiet moment

Miley's at School Again

2010-06-10T14:24:00.000-05:00

As part of their tradition, Miley went with Taylor to school today. Here are some fun photos Taylor updated me with all day long.

Matching Outfits!

Mommy packed yummy snacks!

Playing catch in the hallway

They had ice cream sundaes for the students- Lucky girl!

Totally cashed out!

Tired Girl

As you can see, if we only lived in Hastings I think we would have quite the babysitter list we could call!

Signing Yearbooks!

Family of Four??

2010-06-04T08:17:00.001-05:00

Are we really done having kids?

This is a question I SERIOUSLY ask myself EVERY SINGLE DAY!

I think for the fact that having a child is something that I can 100% control and it is sort of like playing “God” by choosing to bring another life into this world or not. Just to know that you have all the control on whether or not you want to, for me, is what makes this question so hard to answer. I’m good at having kids. My body carries babies well, I deliver well, I bounce back fast, I have lots and lots of milk, and if I may say, Taylor and I make pretty cute babies!  These are the reasons that run through my head when I lean towards having another.

BUT

It seems as if this world is made for a family of four. If we had a third kid we would be forced to get new cars that could fit three car seats, vacations would cost that much more, we are out numbered, I’d have to wait until the third kid gets a little older to do some of the fun family things I want to do, we couldn’t think about moving until the third kid started school, then on a selfish note, what if I don’t bounce back as quickly, what if I end up with post partum?

As you can see my ‘stick with two kids’ list seems to be larger than my ‘have another’ list. Taylor and I talk about it all the time and we feel that since we were so blessed to have one of each that it is a blessing in disguise telling us that we are suited for being a family of four. I told Taylor that I have 4 years left of my child bearing years and I refuse to have a child after I turn 30 so whatever we decide we have 4 years to make that decision. Some would say, you have 4 years so why are you stressing about it now? Well, I feel that I have to make a conscious effort to make sure I remember and cherish all of the baby moments I have with Cooper as it is more than likely the last time I’ll experience these moments.

With that said I have registered myself to be apart of the From Yours to Mine consignment sale on September 25. I will be spending my summer preparing all of the kids fall and winter clothes to be sold at this giant consignment sale. Then, I will put their spring and summer clothes in the spring sale next April. I have been going to this sale for the past two years getting stuff for Miley and I always SCORE on tons of great stuff and I am now looking forward to being a consigner and getting to take advantage of the Pre-Sale shopping all consigners get to participate in on Friday evening. Not only will I be cleaning out the 7 large tubs and 10 grocery bags of clothes we have piled up downstairs but I also have found a creative way to earn money for Christmas shopping, and then both of the kids birthday’s which all happen to be back to back to back.

We decided that I will at least sell the clothes as if we have another kid I’ll just get new stuff as our stuff will probably be out dated, but at this point I’m thinking that if we have another baby it will be a complete accident and defy the medical theory of this IUD being 99.99% effective. I keep going back on forth on whether or not I’ll start to sell the baby gear as those items are rather expensive to replace, if we ever needed to. Guess I’ll just have to make that call when the time is right.

The Pagel Family…. Family of Four…. I think that has a good ring to it.

Memorial Weekend

2010-06-02T14:04:00.000-05:00

We had a fantastic Memorial weekend!!! Saturday I took the kids to Zumbro Falls where my parents were camping and I brought Miley down by the river were we first made sand castles and a sand turtle and then I grabbed her little tube and put her in it and I took her down the river! I swam behind her while I rested my head on the back side of her tube and she sat with her legs hanging over the top of it, just like a big girl. She thought it was great! I took her first for about 20 minutes and then later in the day my dad joined us and we did the full route, which was only about 40 minutes. This time I had my own tube, she ended up sitting in my lap towards the end. I’ll have to wait for pictures from Auntie Janna on the tubing adventure!

Taylor couldn’t come with us on Saturday as his team, which he coaches, had their first play off game. His team only won 3 games all season and on Saturday they won the first play off game which then they had a game on Monday morning and they won again! They have now made it to the double elimination round and are scheduled to play on Thursday and Saturday. Go Raiders!

Sunday we had the Bears game- Taylor got a HOME RUN!! Miley loves cheering on her daddy and running the bases afterwards.

Monday we watched the Memorial Day parade as it goes right by our house, Miley was SOO excited to see the Marching Band. She is really into marching bands right now. She can name all the instruments, thanks to her most favorite show, right now, Calliou. She even asked to watch the Marching Band episode as she ate breakfast that morning. Silly girl. Then it was off to the Bears game. Miley and I spent most of the game at the playground, 1 hour exactly on the swing. Then it was off to Brendon and Shelly’s house for a little BBQ.

It was a great weekend! As much as I LOVE my little baby I am really looking forward to being able to do things with both my kids. Right now it has been nice being able to spend special alone time with Miley as I do pay a lot of attention to Cooper but I am looking forward to the day where I can run around and play with them both. I’m sure once he becomes mobile I’m going to wish for him to be a baby again as I’m sure I’ll be running back and forth in different directions, but hey, when your baby is 20+ pounds I do look forward to him being able to walk! Mommy sure gets a workout!

I need to get more photos off my camera, but here are a few to hold you over. HEHE

Miley and I playing on the beach at the river

Cooper enjoying a nice long snooze in the shade

Cooking Blog...

2010-05-25T15:15:00.002-05:00

Check out my cooking blog to see how my family likes to make asparagus on the grill!

My Babies are Doing Impressive Things!

2010-05-24T08:11:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update on my babies and their new milestones:

Miley is doing SO well with this whole Potty “Learning” thing! She didn’t have a single accident all weekend! Most of the time I just bring her into the bathroom when I think it is time for her to go and she goes but a few times yesterday she actually stopped playing to tell me she had to go, even #2!! I was VERY excited for her that she has figured that out now! She is very proud of herself too. She says “I’m a big girl and go on the potty chair and get M&M’s and Cooper a baby and he wears diapers.”

Cooper is growing up so fast, he has found his hands and knows how to use them. He loves sitting in his exersaucer’s and both Grandma and Nana’s houses and his jumperoo at our house. He reaches for toys and brings them to his mouth as well as sucking on his own fingers. We think he is starting to teethe as he is a drooling machine and just chomps on his fingers. I’m sure teeth are right around the corner.

Mulch Is In

2010-05-17T14:33:00.000-05:00

A little more progress on the backyard.

Taylor got the mulch put down around the deck. Eventually we will be getting a couple stepping stones to insert off of the deck to the yard and from the gate to the deck.

To Do List:

Prep dirt for seeding
Seed
WATER WATER WATER
Stain Deck
Box in swing set and fill with sand

This project is taking a little longer than we originally hoped, we hoped to have grass grown in by June 1st but life does get in the way sometimes of house projects. With Miley running two times a week for dance and swimming and Taylor coaching baseball and playing Bears baseball our time to complete this project is cut short. Plus, finding the right tools to get the job done and someone to either help do the work or help watch the kids so I can help with the work adds to the challenge. But we are slowly but surely getting there.

Potty "Learning"

2010-05-17T07:56:00.000-05:00

Well, we are back at it, FINALLY!

Miley has decided she wants to learn how to use the potty! Friday night I thought I would pull out her panties, not the thick training panties but the regular panties, Elmo and Princess ones. She got VERY VERY excited to see the Elmo ones and quickly pulled off her pull up and wanted the Elmo ones on and also her Elmo shirt. Since then, she refuses to want to wear a pull up! YEAH! To me, that means she is ready!!

She had four accidents on Saturday morning but then on Sunday only one accident, which happened to be number 2. I took her to Target to pick out more panties (the ones we had at home were a bit snug since they are the ones from back in October when we first tried). She picked out Elmo, Minnie Mouse, Princess and the Frog and Super Why panties. She also got to pick out a potty present and more potty treats. She was very excited that this shopping trip was all about her!

I let her walk up and down all of the toy isles and she decided on a Dora adventure backpack with treasure hunting accessories, very good for the imagination! And Nana was so proud of her too she said she wanted to get Miley a potty present too so Miley then picked out a pink baseball glove, baseball and baseball bat! Super cute!

Today is the first day of learning to use the potty (all over again) at Grandma's house. Grandma Pam said she was going to make Potty Time super exciting and fun, so everytime that Landon goes potty Miley has to go potty too. Miley was very excited to show Landon that she has big girl panties on so I hope it goes well today again!

There is no going back this time- she is going to figure this out and if I have to do a lot of laundry in the mean time, so be it! Here's to Potty 'Learning'!!!

Taylor's Graduation

2010-05-10T12:55:00.000-05:00

Taylor graduated from St. Mary’s University with his Masters in Education this weekend. We are all very proud of him!

We camped down in Winona and went out and celebrated on Saturday night, and it was a celebration indeed! Our Dad’s were the life of the party, everyone kept telling Taylor that he had the coolest Dad and Dad-in-law ever and they were jealous at how much fun they were! Let’s just say that I love my Daddy and I know my Dad likes to have a good time and he certainly knows how to embarrass his daughter! HAHA, It’s all good though. I like that people are jealous at how fun my Dad is, it makes me proud! And Thanks to Nana for hanging out with our babies so we could celebrate Taylor’s big accomplishment!

This picture sums up our two year accomplishments- two beautiful babies and a Master's degree!

Backyard Project Continues...

2010-05-06T15:45:00.000-05:00

New addition to the backyard project
A SWING SET!!

Taylor’s Aunt Jodi had one that she wanted to get rid of so we moved it to our backyard! It is just perfect! Miley’s been asking for one since last summer and since we had the yard tore up we decided now was the best time to go for it!

Miley is in her glory! She has her PINK swing or as she says- ‘Wing” and a super fast slide! She Loves it!Now, we just need to get the grass seed planted so we can fully enjoy our new backyard!

**Pictures complimentary of Grandma Pam**

To Do List:

Box in Swing set and fill with sand
Smooth out the dirt
Prep dirt for Seed
Seed and Fertilize
WATER WATER WATER
Stain Deck

The Deck is IN!

2010-05-01T21:33:00.000-05:00

In just a few hours today Taylor, with some help from some buddies, got the deck complete! We already love, love, love it! We need to stain it, but the hard part is done!

During the process I ran to the store to get some food for dinner and when I came back apparently Cooper had fallen asleep so the guys set up the pack and play and went back to work and he slept through the whole process.

Miley had a hay day playing outside all day too, our backyard is the biggest sandbox she has ever seen, yes, a bath was much needed tonight!

And because I was taking pictures of her she said she needed to take a picture of me too. She really does take good pictures. No cropping or editing was done, she fills the frame nicely. :)

Doesn't the deck look pretty!

It was Ken's birthday today, Miley and Grandma went and got him an ice cream cake. She was very excited to sing to him and have him blow out his candles. This was the best candle I could find. :) But hey, it worked!

Up next for our backyard remodel:

Edging and mulch around the deck
Smooth out the dirt and prep for grass seed
Plant grass seed
Stain deck
Watch the grass grow

More updates to come as we check off our next item!

Miley's Dance performance

2010-05-01T06:31:00.000-05:00

Backyard Project

2010-04-23T10:47:00.001-05:00

Well, we finally are getting one of our talked about projects outside DONE!!!

Last year we talked about tearing up the yard and re-doing it as you couldn’t walk across the yard without spraining your ankle, and with two little ones now, that was the last thing we needed, an ankle injury from walking in the backyard! So, we decided this year would be the year to just get it done before we have two kids begging to go play outside. Thankfully, as we started discussing doing it again, this being the 10th time discussing over the past two years, Taylor finally just called Luke to see what it all entails. Luke said- we are getting it done this week as he goes back to work next week! Those that know me know that when I talk about things I want it done so I was VERY excited to hear Luke say this as it then puts a fire under Taylor’s butt to be proactive on his projects. (Taylor has a lot of wonderful ideas, they just don’t always get done, he is very busy, so it is nice that his buddies can help him get going on his to-do list!)

Luke came over on Tuesday and dug up all the sod and access dirt. Thursday night Ben H. came over with his dump truck to take away all the sod and dirt and then they came up with Plan B, then Plan C!

Plan A was to extend our patio slab so it stretched the full length of our garage instead of just half the length.

Plan B was to take out the existing patio slab, as it settled towards the house and we would get puddles there, then the entire slab would match and not lean towards the house.

Plan C was to forego the slab idea all together and just build a deck! It will be a low deck, just a step up off the yard but it will be easier for Taylor to do, look nicer, and add more value to our house than just a cement slab.

To-Do List:

Purchase supplies
Build deck
Border deck with mulch, a few stepping stones and plants (if the budget allows- we will gladly take any extra Hostas anyone may have!)
Level out dirt
Level out flat area in the back corner for a fire pit
Plant Grass Seed
If budget allows- lay slab or patio bricks for the fire pit area
Wait 3 weeks to see the grass sprout!!

Taylor’s plan is to be laying the seed by the end of next week. After his Hastings game tonight he is running to price out the deck supplies to decide which kind of wood he wants to go with. Sunday he plans on purchasing the wood as he has his final Master’s class on Saturday!! YIPPEE!! Then he will be working till the sun goes down all next week after his Hastings baseball games and practice. It will be a lot of work but he will be so happy with himself for getting it done right away! Then we can enjoy it all summer long!

Here is their favorite ‘TOY’ and what it can do!

Photos, Photos and More Photos!

2010-04-18T20:53:00.001-05:00

Easter Bunny!!

Easter Hunt Downtown

Easter Photos

Cooper got a fun mat

A little mad but you can see his cute outfit!

Play date with Grayson

Fun Photos

Photos taken by Miley

She's pretty good for a 2 year old, huh!

My favorite sibling photo!! Too stinkin' cute!!!

"My Stool Hide and Seeking on me!"

2010-04-15T07:51:00.000-05:00

Funny how the mind of a 2 year old works:

Miley: “Where’s my stool Mommy?” (as she wanted to stand on it to help me in the kitchen)

Mommy: “I don’t know where it is Miley you better go find it.”

Miley: “I can’t find it Mommy.” (after looking for a minute)

Mommy: “Keep looking, I know it’s here somewhere.” (as I knew right where it was sitting in the living room and the other sitting in her bedroom, but I wanted her to find it.)

Miley: “Mom, my stool hide and seeking on me!”

Mommy: “It is? Where is it hiding?”

Miley: “I don’t know, it’s hide and seeking on me!” (15 seconds later) “I FOUND you Stool!! I find my stool Mommy, I help you wash.”

And mind you this conversation is after she proceeded to get out all of my pots and put their lids on them and tried standing on top of each one to see if one was higher than the other so she could help me at the counter. Very creative mind!

2 Month Stats

2010-04-14T07:49:00.001-05:00

Here are the official stats:

2 Months and 3 Days

14 pounds 11 ounces- 95 percentile

22.5 inches- 50 percentile

Head 50 percentile

Everything checked out wonderfully and surprisingly he did really well with his shots. I know there are a lot of moms that dread the shots but I really don’t mind taking my kids to get them. At Cooper’s age she gives the shots and I’m basically tossing the nurse out the door as I just stick him on to nurse and he is perfectly happy. And at Miley’s age I just come equipped with some cookies for being a brave girl and we are good to go and she is walking out the door in less than 1 minute after the shots with a big smile on her face.

Yesterday Cooper only flinched at the first shot but he did cry with the next two but as soon as I picked him up after they were done he was done crying. Having chubby thighs defiantly has its advantages at their age, lots of fat layers to put that needle through to help make it less painful.

He was such a happy boy for Dr. Heilman and I hope he grows up loving the doctor as much as Miley does. She thinks it’s a special event when she gets to see him! What a silly girl! She was so excited for Cooper yesterday, that he got to go and see him. Funny girl!

The Coop is 2 Months!

2010-04-13T08:11:00.003-05:00

Mr. Cooper is 2 months old!! I can’t believe it! We head to the doctor today to get his official 2 month stats and shots too, poor guy doesn’t even know what’s coming. He is slowly starting to become a much happier baby. I think the Zantac is really helping. And he is also getting to be more interactive, smiling, laughing, ‘talking’, and playful.

Well- I will post the news after the big appointment today. I’m guessing he has broken the 14 pound mark!?!?! Any bets? HAHA~Momma’s got the Whole milk baby! MOOOO!!!

He was waving Hi to Daddy after his bath!

Good Luck Taylor!!

2010-04-08T07:50:00.000-05:00

I just have to take a moment to not post about the kids but to give props to my wonderful hubby!

As you may or may not know he has been working on his Masters for the past two years which entails school once a month Saturday 8-5 and Sunday 9-4 with due dates for homework throughout the month. Well, this long, stressful journey is now coming to an end! This weekend he has his final presentation! FINALLY!!! As long as it’s not a total dud he will have completed the program with graduation set for May 8!! We are so very excited! It seems like it has been an eternity to get to this point. During the two years of him starting this program he not only had a full time teaching career where he takes on an extra class which means he doesn’t get a prep hour, but also goes in early on Tuesday mornings to supervise the Internet Café for the students, coaches Football and Baseball (this year he is the Assistant Varsity Coach!), plays for the Bears, has had two children and is a good husband and father. He has Mastered to have his cake and eat it too during the last two years and I am very proud of him!

We have had our ups and downs with how stressful it can all be, but in the end we knew that if we could get through these two years we could get through anything and I know he does all that he does for us, our family, and I love him very much for it.

Good Luck this weekend Taylor, the kids and I believe in you!

If you see Taylor or have a chance to drop him a note, please wish him Good Luck~ It is a very BIG weekend for him!

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

Here is our little Stud

HAHAHA I love his face here!

My camera didn't snap fast enough but he just had a HUGE smile on his face! Yes, he is finally smiling at us now! That's the best!

Miley's Pretty Smile

On the way to see the Easter Bunny

Cooper wasn't very happy when it was our turn to see the Easter Bunny so it's just Miley and the Bunny, she was very excited to see him!

We finally found her candy! YEAH!!

Yummy! Jelly Beans!

Little Note: Cooper went to the doctor on Thursday and he is colicy and they are treating him for Acid Reflux with Zantac twice a day. I can already see a slight improvement and it's only been 2 days, he said we should see a real improvement after 3 full days of taking the medicine, so we are hoping this works. He did get measured and weighed though and he is 13.6 pounds and 22.5 inches long! He's a Big Guy!! We go back in two weeks for his 2 month check and we will see where he is at again.

7 Weeks with the Coop!

2010-03-31T08:26:00.000-05:00

Well, the first week back went well and now we are on to week two. Things are still going well besides the fact that Miley has yet another cold for some reason and Cooper is really having some tummy issues. I feel bad for my kids that they have inherited my intestinal issues, I just pray that neither of them end up with Crohn’s, thankfully, mine has been in remission now for 3 years now with a minor issue last May. We now have Miley’s toddler diarrhea under control but now Cooper is dealing with something. He is a very gassy baby but it seems to be excessive and when he has a gassy spell he is extremely uncomfortable and will scream out in pain until it passes and this can take up to an hour of screeching cries. And once they pass he sure can clear a room! I spoke with Dr. Heilman and he wants to see him tomorrow as he wants to check to make sure something isn’t wrong as there is fussy and then there is in pain and we are thinking we are at that point where he is in pain and not just fussy. So, we will see what he has to say tomorrow and go from there.

But, when Cooper is happy, he is Happy!! He is really starting to get fun now, he still won’t smile for you yet but he sure is a talker! He is very aware of his surroundings and follows voices very well. He knows when his mommy enters a room and loves looking at his daddy, especially when he is wearing a hat, and adores his sister. She loves to sit and talk to him and give him kisses and he just stares at her like he just knows that she will always be there to watch out for him.

I need to upload pictures from my camera but for now here are some from my phone.

We got this bed for Cooper that goes in our bed between our pillows as he didn't sleep well in the bassinet and we cant' have him move into his room with Miley yet until he sleeps alittle more soundly and he does REALLY well in this bed and puts himself to sleep and is easy for me to get to when he needs me.

He is really getting good at holding his head up now!

Miley fits better in this now then when she was Cooper's age, she had some THUNDER thighs when she was an infant!

I love this hat! He loves looking at Taylor when he is wearing a hat as he stares at the bill- I put this on him and he kept going cross eyed looking up and staring at his bill.

We had popcorn one Friday night and Saturday morning Miley came to our room when she woke up carrying the bowl of leftover popcorn and sat down on the floor and starting having breakfast.

Cooper now pulls his own hair! When he is laying down on the ground he finds it and pulls! He started screaming before I took this picture and I couldn't figure out what the problem was until I looked up and saw he had a handful of hair and wasn't letting go, he now has to wear a hat when he is playing on the ground!

His baptism quilt

Mr. Chubby!!

Back to Work...

2010-03-25T07:52:00.001-05:00

My first day back to work was a success! Although, when it was time to go home I was smiling from ear to ear knowing I got to go and pick up my babies! Cooper did really well for his first day of Grandma Daycare. He took to his bottles of my milk really well and was a happy baby. Miley was very excited to bring Cooper with her but once Landon got there she wanted to play with him but Landon was more interested in Cooper, watching him and helping Grandma out. I think Cooper is very lucky to have such a good Big Sister and Cousin to look out for him every day!

When I showed up to pick them up Cooper heard my voice and woke up immediately from his nap and wanted his Mommy and wanted to nurse! He was pretty much attached to me for the rest of the night, but I was OK with that.

So, I have to share another funny Miley moment:

Tuesday night I had everything all set and ready to go for the next morning, which included my pump sitting out ready to be used first thing in the morning to pump off the side that Cooper didn’t eat from. So, I was sitting in the rocking chair nursing Cooper and Miley was playing around with my pump, I thought just looking at it and talking to me about it, then all of a sudden I hear the ‘whoosh whoosh’ sound and Miley goes- Look Mommy, I did it! The little stinker had turned the pump on and put it up to her boob!!! Talk about wishing you had a video camera in your hands at that moment!

My Leave is Coming to an End

2010-03-19T22:20:00.000-05:00

Well, sad to say but in 5 short days I will be back at work. :(

I will say it is bittersweet. I will miss sleeping in with my baby and just doing what I want when I want and did I mention sleeping in? But I am looking forward to getting back on a schedule and having some alone time, if being at work can be considered 'alone time'.

This week Taylor had spring break so I think we were all a bit spoiled on getting to see one another and sleep in, especially with this time change, Miley has been up past 10:30 every night! Urgh... but the wake up call for all of us hasn't been until at least 8:30, some days even 9:30! Cooper has been doing 4 hour stretches over night for the past 4 days so I hope this is the new schedule. He eats at 10 or 10:30 and then up around 2 and then again between 5:30 or 6, which is when I will have to get up for work so that is perfect! Although, I have been going back to sleep with him after that 6am feeding and not getting up until 9 so it will be an adjustment to have to stay up and go to work.

Miley is finally feeling better, she hasn't had to have a neb since Wednesday during nap time so that is great! But the steroid shot she got is still in her system as she isn't sleeping so well and she is SOO HUNGRY! I bet every 10th sentence out of her mouth lately is, Mom, I'm Hungry! She could seriously eat non-stop right now if we would let her. (a side affect of steroids is sleeplessness and hunger)

So, with my leave coming to an end I am going to cherish my last few days that I have. I made a new rule in the house, since Taylor will be gone until later in the evenings now that his coaching baseball season starts on Monday and it will just be me and the kids getting home around 5:15 and having to do dinner, play time, bath time and then bed time- we won't be doing any chores during the week. I get very stressed out when I can't get things done so if I just don't worry about it during the week I hopefully won't get so stressed. All the laundry and cleaning will just wait till Saturdays and Sundays. When you only get so many limited hours with your kids during the week why should I spend the time I have scrubbing a bathtub or putting mounds of laundry away?

Here are some fun photos from this week:

HAHAHAHA!!!!

Miley put these on him, She came running to my room saying Mommy Mommy come quick, I got to the living room and she goes, Look Mommy! Too Funny!!!

She wanted to rock some shades too! Cooper wasn't amused anymore.

I have to share some funny conversations between Miley and I. As you would expect, with now having a brother and watching diaper changes she has noticed his penis. And with nursing she has noticed my 'boobs'.

First conversation, we have decided we are going to call the 'pee-pees' what they are, a vagina and a penis. So I was trying to explain that to Miley as she was curious.

Me: Are you a girl or a boy?

Miley: A girl

Me: Is Cooper a girl or a boy?

Miley: A boy

Me: (thinking, good we have that straight) Since Cooper is a boy his pee-pee is called a penis, and since you are a girl your pee-pee is called a vagina. (to make sure she understood I had to ask the next question) Where is your vagina?

Miley: My gina at home.

Me: HAHAHHAA laughing until I cried

Next conversation: Scene set up: I asked Miley to go to my room and grab my breast pad as I had started nursing in there and then moved to the living room, she knows exactly what my breast pad is. She ran and got it and here is our conversation:

Me: Thank you Miley for getting my pad

Miley: You're Welcome Mom, you put it on your boob?

Me: Yes, I will once Cooper is done nursing.

Miley: I put it on my boob?

Me: Sure, if you want to

Miley: (trying to lift up her shirt while holding the pad) I can't find my boob Mom

Me: Maybe when you get bigger you can

Miley: Ok Mom

I love having conversations with a 2 year old!

Cooper's Baptism 3/14/2010

2010-03-15T13:30:00.000-05:00

On March 14, 2010 Cooper James was baptised.

We, thankfully, had beautiful weather, as compared to the -15 degree day we had for Miley's baptism. Cooper was perfect throughout the whole thing. We then had family and his Godparents, Nick and Kathryn, over for lunch.

Unfortunately, Miley woke up in the morning with a bit of a cough, again, and it got worse as the day progressed. I ended up having to cut the party short to take her down to urgent care as she had a horrible coughing spell at the party and threw up buckets of phlem. I thought her pneumonia was back so we rushed down there. When we arrived her oxygen levels were low so they gave her a nebulizer right away as the doctor thought she had croup versus pneumonia. We did a chest x-ray to confirm that the pneumonia was indeed gone and it was. But, the poor thing, now has croup. They gave her a steroid shot and we now have an at home nebulizer to give her if her coughing gets out of control or if she gets really wheezy and short of breath. We had to do a neb once in the evening and one more in the middle of the night and she is already starting to sound better today. I hope we can just kick these winter illnesses because it is no fun for anyone. Thankfully I am on maternity leave so I have been home to take her to the doctor and be with her.

Here she is eating some nuggets after being a trooper at Urgent care for 3 hours.

A little Sisterly Brotherly love I had to share

Homemade Pizza and Toddler Tuesday

2010-03-02T16:50:00.000-06:00

Sunday night while Taylor was running the men's basketball league Miley, Cooper and I were at my parents house and Miley and I decided to make homemade pizza!!!

Tuesday was Toddler Tuesday at the Mall of America and Ralph's World who sings the Pull Ups Potty Training Dance song performed and had a Pull Ups event. Miley got to experience her first Rock Concert and we got a bag full of Pull Up things such as a package of Pull Ups, the Potty Dance on DVD, a Ralph's World CD, a Potty Dance poster and a DVD about potty training- and this was all FREE! It was pretty cool! We then went on rides of course and had lunch and headed home for nap.

And just a cute photo of Daddy and his babies

It's a Good Thing...

2010-02-26T10:47:00.004-06:00

1. Cooper is now nursing like a champ WITHOUT the help of a nipple shield! YEAH! He's been doing it all week and doing awesome! Now, we just need to teach him to let go of his gas!

2. My king size bed is seriously the most comfortable thing ever!! When we got it I was pregnant so I haven't really had a chance to fully enjoy and appreciate how comfortable it truly is. Laying on my back and stomach is like laying in a cloud! I love my bed!!

3. Campbells V8 Soup- Golden Butternut Squash is VERY yummy! I do recommend!

4. Grocery shopping at Target versus Wal-Mart is so much more fun! They have so many different options and products for a good price. I recommend the Target on Pilot Knob. They even have the new products I see in commercials that I want to try that I still haven't seen at Econo Foods or Wal-Mart such as Red Velvet Cake yogurt!

5. My homemade Moby Wrap Sling- I love it! I even cleaned up after dinner and did dishes while wearing my sling with Cooper in it. Funny though, I told Taylor that I couldn't wait to get him out of me and when I put him in the sling he sits balled up in front of my stomach, quite like he did when he was in my stomach- I wanted him out and now I put him right back where he was. Funny!

Updated Photos and Comparison Shots

2010-02-23T14:12:00.000-06:00

Just a nice shot of Daddy with his Baby Bear

Hanging out with Mom

A proud big sister!

What is with the flashing Mom!?!

Miley wanted him to lay with her, this lasted 2 minutes until he started grunting as he had to burp and she thought he was going to poop on her!

Meeting his new buddy Grayson Malloy!

Comparison Shots

Birth Story- As Told By Me

2010-02-23T14:01:00.000-06:00

I just realized that I haven't taken the time to tell you the Birth Story from my angle. Taylor did a very good job in his but I know, Mom to Mom, some like to hear it from the Momma.

It all started out on Friday night and I had a fun evening planned. Jackie and I went and got pedicures as a little treat for ourselves and we went all out and did the Spa pedicure treatment and the ladies there loved working on two hugly pregnant chicks and really spent a lot of time massaging our feet and legs, it was very relaxing and what we both needed. Then we headed to the mall to do some walking and a little shopping with Kelly and ended the evening at Olive Garden for a delcious meal and some great laughs!

Saturday morning I headed to Lookin' Good and got a cut and color, it had been since APRIL since I did that! I was just loving the pampering.

Monday I had an appointment at the chiropractor and to meet with the massage therapist and I told her to focus on my feet and ankles and to hit all the pressure points she could because I knew this baby was ready to come out! Well, much to my surprise, it actually worked!!! My contractions started in around 5pm and were 20 minutes apart. They stayed that way all through the night and Tuesday morning I woke up at 5am and they were around 8 minutes apart! With us having a big snow storm to battle with I decided to take a shower and get things ready as I knew it would take us awhile to get to Red Wing if things started to pick up even more. After my shower they went back to 15 minutes apart and stayed that way all through the morning. Taylor's school was two hours delayed and he decided to just call in and stay home as something was happening and I didn't want to be home alone, especially with the snow and knowing how long it would take Taylor to get home if I needed him.

Through the morning I could feel the baby dropping lower and lower and I went through the cleaning out process and I decided to call the hospital to see what they had to say. They wanted me to come in at 11 and meet with the doctor to see if things were progressing. Of course, on the way to the hospital things slowed down even more. She checked me and said that his head was so low it was very hard to check me, and painful! She stripped my membranes and told me to go walking to see if things would pick up again.

We walked around Menards, Wal-Mart, sat at Caribou for awhile to relax and lastly headed to Target. Things were still 15 minutes apart so I called in to see what they had to say. They wanted me to come in at 5pm for observation and it turned out the contractions were 4 minutes apart so they admitted me. I labored naturally all evening and at 2am they went to 5 minutes and were very weak. They said my cervix was behind his head and having a hard time flipping to the front so they wanted me to get some sleep to see if relaxing would help things move. At 5am I woke up and started walking around and got them going again but only to 5 minutes. By 9am we had a conversation with the doctor and she said I could go home and see if relaxing at home would get things going or if I wanted to try a bit of pitocin and then break my water and go from there. After discussing things with Taylor we decided going home without a baby was the last thing we wanted to do. They hooked me up to the pitocin and in the words of the doctor, they could have just dabbed some behind my ears like perfume, I hardly had any and I started contracting like crazy all on my own. They broke my water and nothing came out and she said it was because he was so low and she was preparing to get a shower once I delivered him! By noon the contractions were finally too much for me to take and I opted for an epidural as I was at 6cm. Shortly after I got the epidural and my body relaxed we heard my cervix flip through the monitor and my water gushed out! An hour later I started feeling all kinds of pressure and my mom could see it in my face that I was feeling something.

She wanted to get the nurse but I said she was coming in in 10 minutes anyway and I'd just wait. When she came in I told her what I was feeling and she went to check me and said Oh, we have a head! They called the doctor in right away and they rushed to get things ready and in 3 pushes we had ourselves a baby boy!!! No tearing or anything! So, we were at the hospital longer than I had hoped but once I got just a little bit of medicine to help put some intensity behind things I went super fast and had a quick delivery.

Late on Tuesday night in between contractions

Just had decided we were going to try the pitocin, waiting for the nurse to hook me up.

It's time to push!!!!

My Baby Boy Cooper!!

More of Cooper and Miley

2010-02-16T11:10:00.000-06:00

Things have been going well with Cooper at home. A lot of adjusting, but well. We had a small set back in the nursing category which created for a VERY rough day. Since he is two weeks early he is pretty lazy and when my milk came in at full force it intimidated him and he decided he didn't want to latch anymore, then without latching well for a few feedings he forgot how to do it. He went 8 hours without having a really good feeding and then I struggled for almost 3 hours to get him to eat again and ended up having him suck on my finger and use a dropper dripping the milk down my finger.

Along with my stress of him not eating Miley has a pretty bad cold so she wasn't feeling well and needed cuddle time, which I just couldn't give to her with trying to work with Cooper for so long. So, I was quite the emotional wreck yesterday. We brought Miley over to Grandma's house as we then headed to Red Wing to work with Anne, the best lactation consultant ever! After her seeing how much we were struggling she decided that the best thing for him and I would be to use a nipple shield which forces him to latch correctly and will be a teaching device for him until he can figure it out on his own and remember what to do. This little piece of soft plastic has been a Godsent! He latched immediately and he ate and ate and ate last night! Mommy felt so much better!! I have plenty of Golden Milk and the last thing I wanted to do was to let it go to waste so he is now working with me and is a much happier boy now that he knows what a full tummy is like.

Other than that set back everything else is going well. Here are some things we've been up to the past couple days.

Going Home Outfit

First time in the car seat

We got home at noon on Friday and Miley got dropped off after nap time, she wanted to bring Cooper to their room and watch a movie with him and she told me right where she wanted Cooper to sit on her bed.

Our first meal with the four of us.

Little Brother

Ms. Dress Up Queen

One of the sweetest moments!

They both love their Daddy cuddle time

She wanted Cooper to sit with her in her chair.

And then she wanted to hold him on the couch and pet Joey.

More Cuddle time with Daddy

First bath at home, a double bath, got Miley all washed up and while she played we gave Cooper his bath.

Miley during her first bath and Cooper during his:

We occasionally let Tigger come in the house and play with Miley, he's out in the garage and outside because he pees on the carpet, so here she is loving him up. He is pretty anxious to get back to his garage after playing with her!

Like Sister Like Brother

2010-02-12T17:58:00.000-06:00

Lots of Pictures

2010-02-12T09:51:00.000-06:00

Here are some photos from Cooper's Big Day!

Miley was there helping out her Mommy! She held my hand through contractions.

Miley with Nana behind the curtain waiting to hear Cooper's first cry.

Cooper is here!!! Only 3 pushes, doctor telling me to push, no wait, push, wait. He was ready to come out! Not a single tear or anything!

We are all in love!

Miley saying "Good Job Mom!" and patting me on the back.

Miley got to push the Magic button that plays a little tune so the hospital can hear that someone just had a baby.

Loving up her baby brother.

Such a sweetheart, her two favorite animal friends are Elmo and Eeyore and she shared her Eeyore with Cooper.

Already a Bear! His teddy bear from Godparents Nick and Kathryn.

Cozy Cozy

Snuggled up with Mom.

His circumcision was this morning and it was really well! We should be heading home shortly. :)

Cooper James Pagel is here!

2010-02-11T14:53:00.005-06:00

Cooper is here!

Well, after a long wait we can finally introduce you to our little slugger, Cooper James Pagel!

We arrived at the hospital at 11am on Tuesday February 9th only to be told to go walk around Red Wing for a while and if anything develops to come back in. So, Mindi and I had a great day of walking around Menards, Wal-Mart, and Target. We even went to Caribou Coffee and sat around for an hour waiting. After the long wait they asked us to come in around 5pm.

We came in and they set us up in a room. Mindi began to have some strong contractions that came as close as two to three minutes apart. We, along with the doctor thought for sure that we were going to be meeting our little one that night. Much to both our surprises though, the contractions began to spread apart and it wasn't looking good. By this time we had already had both Grandma's and Grandpa Pagel here waiting (Grandpa Bodette was at home with Miley). After things settled down, Grandpa Pagel went home and soon to follow were both Grandmas. Mindi and I decided to try and get a little sleep after that.

When we woke up in the morning Mindi and I walked around to try and get things going. This didn't work so we made the decision to hook her up to Pitocin. They only needed to give her a little and the contractions came on strong and close together. Thats when they decided to break her water and things really started to cruise along then. It happened so fast that the doctor had to ask Mindi to not push because she was not ready! All during this time Grandma and Grandpa Bodette brought Miley in and Grandma Pagel was there too.

Finally at 2:13pm, little Cooper James joined us! He weighed in at 8 lb's 1 oz's and was 20 inches long. (Miley was 8 lb's 2 oz's and 19inches long) He was happy and healthy and Miley was so excited to see him. I could hear her clapping from behind the curtain! After he was cleaned off we brought the family around the curtain to meet our little Cooper. Miley was so excited and wanted to hold him! So, we let her and we were able to get some great pictures and a little video too! She was so delicate with him, I am so glad that she is taking him in so well!

The attached videos are of Cooper just after the birth, so he is a little slimy! The second video is of Miley holding Cooper for the first time. Notice how gentle she is with him!

We would like to thank everyone for the congratulations and we would like to thank all the visitors too! We will be heading home some time Friday afternoon. Feel free to visit this weekend! Hope to see you soon and thanks for reading!

Cooper Just After Birth

Miley Holding Cooper

38 Week Belly Shots

2010-02-08T08:40:00.003-06:00

Well, I thought the pedicure and walking the mall would get things going, it certainly did, but not going enough. But I did have an awesome weekend full of pampering! Our pedicure was the best one I had ever had, it lasted for a long time and we went all out and did the deluxe one and spoiled ourselves. Then on Saturday I had a three hour hair appointment and it was so nice!

* if you are wondering what the heck took three hours, well, the last time I got my hair cut was back in APRIL!!! I dont' even know why, I LOVE getting my hair cut but I guess I just don't ever make time to do it, so this time I went to Lookin' Good and saw Katie and really enjoyed the end results. I put some color in and got a good cut, I asked her if she could tell that it had been so long and she said, Oh yes.... especially since the cut I had was meant for a short cut so some spots she took off 2 inches and others she only took off a 1/2 inch. I guess I better go sooner than 8 months from now to keep it fresh. :)

Sunday, Miley and I went with my parents to Barnes and Noble and Kohls hoping that the running around would kick start some things, and nope, it didn't. So, I'll just keep waiting patiently, but secretly hoping for him to come no later than this weekend as my Dad will be gone traveling again all next week.

I feel like he dropped AGAIN this weekend... I'm not sure how much more he can drop here, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this leads up to a quick delivery again as my plan is to try to do it naturally if the process is going to be as quick or quicker as when I had Miley. I'm not saying I won't take drugs at all, but to be honest, by the time they kicked in with Miley it was time to push so it really wasn't necessary and I was stuck for 8 hours with no feeling in my legs for no reason at all.

38 Weeks Side A and 37 Weeks Side A

38 Weeks Side B and 37 Weeks Side B

Exciting Things...

2010-02-05T11:12:00.000-06:00

We got the hospital bag completely packed last night with a short list of the last minute items to throw in sitting on top. The car seat base has been installed and ready to go. Now, we just wait.

To entertain me while I wait- tonight I am going to get a pedicure with Jackie! We are hoping they can really rub our feet and ankles to kick start something! :) Then, we are heading to the Burnsville Mall with Kelly to get Jackie set up with her nursing necessities, followed by a wonderful dinner at Olive Garden. Sounds like the most perfect Girl's Evening to me!

Saturday morning I get to continue my pampering by getting a cut and highlight at 9am. I don't remember the last time I got my hair done. Is that sad? I think I get my hair done twice a year, not sure why, I think I get too lazy to go to a salon and have a hard time committing to a haircut. I really loved my hair short, like how I chopped it off after Miley was born. But, I once again, during my pregnant months, have preferred to grow it out again. Maybe in preparation to be able to just throw it up in a pony and have it look nice instead of having to style it when I am running around with a toddler and a newborn. So, needless to say, I'm getting a shaped up trim and some fun highlights.

In a perfect world, I would then start going into labor after my hair appointment and head down to Red Wing in the evening, as I have been instructed to not have this baby until my Dad get's home tomorrow night.

But, I know things don't go my way- it's up to Mr. Baby Bear.

So, until his arrival... I'll have to keep coming up with things to entertain us!

37 Week Check Up

2010-02-04T07:23:00.000-06:00

Well--- talk about an exciting appointment!!

As I was driving to my appointment I was just annoyed- annoyed and crabby at everything. Tired, long, exhausting week at work and it was only Wednesday, my to-do lists felt like they were getting longer instead of shorter and the list goes on and on. I was prepping myself to hear that nothing had changed and I'd be stuck wobbling around and feeling uncomfortable for another 3 weeks.

Well, much to my surprise- Baby Bear and Momma Bear have been BUSY this past week!!!
I went from practically being nothing and him sitting at a -1 station to:
Dilated to 1
50% Effaced
+1 Station
My exact stats three days before I had Miley!!!

And the stars are aligning oddly enough that I got checked on a Wednesday for Miley and had her on a Saturday. Well, I got checked on Wednesday and I'm thinking Saturday looks like a perfect day to have a baby! Plus, my Dad said no baby until Saturday evening as he is out of town for work in Nebraska! I can handle that!

I do know that it might not happen that quickly, but sitting at a +1 I find it hard to believe that I am going to be pregnant for another 3 weeks. Miley came out with a pretty squished nose because she was sitting at a +1 for those few days, I wonder how squished this little guy is going to be when he makes his arrival!?!

With all of that said- car seat base is getting installed tonight, bags are packed and ready to go and I'm heading out today to purchase the present Baby Bear will be giving to Miley when she meets him for the first time. She's going to get a baby that she can take care of just like Mommy will be taking care of Baby Bear, one that makes noises when you feed it and has a paci and all that fun stuff. Nana even made matching blankets- a blue one for baby bear and a small pink one for Miley's baby.

I'm getting Excited!!! Stay Tuned...

37 Weeks and Dropping

2010-02-01T07:37:00.002-06:00

36 and 37 weeks from Side A

36 and 37 weeks from Side B

I'm getting bigger and he's getting lower. I can literally feel my hips spreading more and more each day and Sunday was Awesome- I actually felt HUNGRY!! That is when I KNEW he must have dropped a little, I was able to stomach more than just a bowl of cereal!

We are now officially as ready as can be for this baby to come, everything is stocked and washed and my hospital bag is packed with a list of the last minute items I will have to grab and Taylor will be installing the car seat base into my car this week since the weather will be warmer out, seems like the perfect time to get that done and the perfect time to have a baby, don't you think!?!? :)

Disappointingly Right

2010-01-28T07:26:00.000-06:00

I knew it, but I’m OK with it. 0 dilation, 25% effaced, hovering just above my pelvis so around a -1 station but low enough where he won’t flip flop on me. Head down, butt on the right legs to the left but he still rolls around in there so I’m sure that changes daily. It was cool to see all his body parts again, he was really moving around in there. So, with that said, I’m OK with him baking for a few more weeks- he needs to fatten up like his sister! And, I know the longer he stays in the better sucker he’ll hopefully be when he comes out.

But, to follow up the ‘disappointing’ information she informed me that the visiting restrictions have now been lifted for the maternity floor which means Miley can now come and visit in the hospital!!! YEAH!!!!! I was grinning from ear to ear after hearing that information. I really wasn’t too keen on her meeting Baby Bear for the very first time at home, in her territory, it will be nice to have her meet him at the hospital and plus, I am going to miss her like crazy so I’m happy I’ll get to see her!

Things I find amusing:

2010-01-27T12:35:00.004-06:00

Earlier in my pregnancy I was a COLD pregnant woman. I would get mad at how hard it was to find cute long sleeve tops for winter as they mostly have ¾ length sleeve and short sleeve and I would ware my fleece pants and thermal long sleeve shirt to bed every night. Now, I find myself standing outside in the blowing snow in a ¾ length sleeve cotton dress trying to cool down and wear short sleeves or tank tops with shorts to bed and still get too hot and have to kick the covers off.
You know how people say they don’t want to get a new puppy during winter as it’s too hard to potty train. I think the same goes for kids!! Miley has good weeks and bad weeks and they ironically seem to coincide with a runny nose and/or cold. Miley has officially been diagnosed with Toddler Diarrhea and she should grow out of it, but that seems to cause her to have runny stool whenever her nose runs, not to mention when you don’t feel good you just don’t feel like putting in the extra effort. I’m THANKFUL she only gets mini colds, she’s pretty healthy, but MAN… this whole potty training/learning deal is a lot more work than I was expecting it to be. I think we’ll just continue to let her go when she wants to go and really buck down maybe when I’m on maternity leave or this spring when hopefully the runny nose will be gone for awhile!
Monday night Taylor offered to cook dinner! He decided on making gourmet looking grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. But what was the only thing I could stomach- a bowl of Raisin Bran. And what did Miley want… Salsa. I felt bad for him- he went through all the work and he was the only one to enjoy it. Taylor- your effort was greatly appreciated!
How excited Taylor gets when I start talking about fixing/changing/renovating our house. His eyes light up much like Tim Taylor from Tool Time! Apparently “we will have fun talking about it tonight!” What is it that I want to change in our house…. It’s a secret until it happens. :)
How excited I get for my weekly appointments at the doctor even though I know I’ll more than likely come home disappointed. With this being my second child I know better than to get my hopes up that they will tell me at my 36 week appointment that he’s at a 0 station and I’m 50-75% effaced and dilated to a 3, as you can tell this is what I WANT to hear at my appointment but in every effort to keep me from having a melt down after my appointment I’m going to go in expecting to hear that I am MAYBE ½ cm dilated, 25% effaced and he’s still at a -2 station.

So, on that note, you’ll have to come back tomorrow to see if I was disappointingly right, or happy that I got what I WANT! Fingers still crossed though, for good measure!

Baby Bear Bets

2010-01-25T08:38:00.000-06:00

See all the bets that have come in so far on the right.

Still taking bets- so get yours in before he comes out! :)

If you are one of those people that want to make an extremely educated guess, like me, I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday to see where things are sitting.

What a Goof!

2010-01-22T07:47:00.002-06:00

Last night Miley was being her goofy self.

As Taylor was trying to get on her pajamas after her bath she was jumping all over our bed being goofy. Then all of a sudden her cheeks puffed out like her mouth was full of something, she looked at me and then swallowed hard. I asked her if she just puked in her mouth and she responded with a nod and a little drizzle coming out the side of her mouth. I quickly grabbed a towel and tossed it to Taylor to wipe her mouth off and told her to go to Daddy to clean her up.

She then proceeded to JUMP over to Taylor, now with major hiccups and said- “I puked” as she waited for him to wipe her mouth.

What a goof! After that jumping time was over!

Grocery Shopping

2010-01-22T07:41:00.003-06:00

I seriously feel like I live at the grocery store lately.

A little background information- when we first got married and up until the point where Miley was eating three meals a day with us I went to the grocery store once a month, Yes, just ONCE! I would occasionally go back if the milk ran out or something small, but for the most part, once a month I would fill up the refrigerator and cabinets.

Now, I seriously could go once a week, and I have been lately, and I find it rather annoying! I LOVE to shop, some would call me a shopaholic, and I would agree, although I have come to find the same enjoyment I get when I purchase a new shirt as with purchasing bags of groceries to help with that NEED to shop. But, with that said, grocery shopping once a week is still annoying. Why can’t I figure out how to do a bulk shopping trip like I use to?

I thought about this for awhile yesterday, yes, when I get to the end of my pregnancies I start to mentally check out and I ponder the most random thoughts. Anyway, I guess I go to the store so often because I can go through two boxes of cereal, myself, in 1 week. Right now we have five boxes in our cupboard! I love cereal, every kind imaginable, from Fruity Pebbles, to Corn Pops to Raisin Bran- all of which I currently have in my cupboard.

Then it dawned on me that everyone in my house has been craving fresh fruit- must be cabin fever. Taylor eats about 2-3 bananas a day, Miley enjoys bananas, I’ve been craving grapefruit. Just the other day I went and bought 13 bananas! One bunch just wasn’t enough!

And MILK- of course with my obsessive amount of cereal I seem to consume lately I can also, weirdly, drink a glass of milk with this pregnancy! I have been lactose intolerant since I was 16 years old. I could have milk on cereal but never could I drink a big glass of milk with a meal. A couple months back I was just craving the biggest glass of milk and I gave into my craving and nothing happened! I tried a few days later and the same thing! It has been amazing!!! Just think, for all you milk lovers out there, not being able to drink a glass of milk for 9 years! I don’t overdo it, just to be safe, but at least a couple times a week I enjoy my glass of milk while I still can!

So, with all of this said, this is why I find myself running to the grocery store almost weekly. I guess I’ll just have to get use to it with my growing family now, it sure will be different having to feed four mouths!

Make sure you place your bet in the post below for when Baby Bear will be here!

When Will Baby Bear Be Here?

2010-01-18T20:05:00.001-06:00

Poll is now open for bets! See the poll information on the right side of my blog and start taking a guess. Post your guess in the comment section of this post. Each week I will list those who have made their guess for that week.

There will be 2 winners- a Date winner and a Weight and Height winner who guessed the baby would be born during the week he is born.

What do you get if you win? It's a surprise, so make a guess!!

Due Date: Feb. 23

FYI- Miley was 1 day late and 8 pounds 2 ounces and 19 inches long

Big Sister Miley

2010-01-18T19:43:00.000-06:00

I just have to share this story.

Saturday, after Sesame Street, (see post below) her and I were laying in my bed cuddling and she had found a bottle of hers from when she was an infant and thought it would be funny to put water in it. Well, she actually put water in it for the baby! She lifted up my shirt and said she wanted to feed the baby! So she put the bottle up to my tummy and when it would drip out water she would rub it in my tummy.

After she decided he was done eating she then cuddled her baby brother and rubbed his 'back' to sleep and then covered him up with a blanket. (*Baby Brother and Him referring to my tummy)

I think she is going to be a great Big Sister and I think she is as ready as I am for him to come out.

Here's to week 35, may it go as fast as it can!

Sesame Street Live

2010-01-18T19:38:00.000-06:00

We took Miley to Sesame Street Live on Saturday, her birthday present from us. It was a fun adventure! She was in Ahh when it first started and, like most kids, Elmo was her favorite, she actually got kind of mad when he wasn't on stage.

During intermission Miley picked out an Elmo doll and she got her first taste of Cotton Candy! We figured, go BIG or go Home and make it an entire experience. She thought it was pretty good but wasn't a fan of getting sticky so it didn't last long.

It got a little long towards the end and she was ready to go home and thank goodness we had an extra seat next to us so she could move around between the two of us. But all in all it was a fun morning and she really enjoyed it.

Just arrived and sat in our seats

I'm so excited Daddy!!

The opening act, in complete Ahh!

Sitting on Mommy's lap

We had great seats!

YUM Cotton Candy!

Big Bite!

We had talked about possibly taking her to the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie if this show went well, and she did do really well for a 2 year old, but we were glad we were in a stadium full of kids her age because we aren't quite ready for a movie theatre. We'll save that for a day once the baby is here and she is older and it can be her special day with just Mommy and Daddy.

34 Week Check Up

2010-01-14T07:22:00.000-06:00

My 34 week check up went well. My weight gain is right on the money, my blood pressure couldn’t look more beautiful and Baby Bear is still head down.

I did talk to her about all this pressure I have been feeling on my pubic bone and she said that is normal and she felt where his head was sitting and when I’m lying down he’s low, but he’s not engaged so she doesn’t think he will be making an extra early appearance.

Although, she did say, because I am sitting and running around all day long that when I get home I need to lay down as much as possible as lying down will take the pressure off of my pubic bone and in the end allow me to, hopefully, work up till the day I deliver. My boss sure liked hearing that! (he asked if I wanted a recliner for my desk so I could really relax while I worked!) (Too bad that can’t be a reality!)

Since it has been prescribed to have me lay down at home as much as I can don’t you think that means Taylor should do all the cooking and cleaning! :)

34 Weeks

2010-01-13T07:37:00.000-06:00

34 Weeks

Not much to say really except that when I tell people that I still have 6 weeks left their eyes slightly pop out of their head in shock that I still have that much more to go as if they are thinking, WOW, she is going to get even bigger!

Most are sincere and apologize for their initial response and I tell them that I'll be the first to say that I'm 34 weeks and should be going on 39!

Weirdly though, my body is feeling better, it must just be getting use to holding this big baby. However, the potty breaks are getting VERY annoying. Just last night I was up 6... yes... SIX times to go to the bathroom, that is almost once an hour I was waking up!! I think it will be easier to have this baby as I can at least sleep for 3-4 hour stretches versus waking up every hour!

My good friend Kelsey had her baby girl this past weekend, Emma Jean, such a cute chubby baby. Gotta love the chubby ones!! But let me tell you, boy was I jealous to see the picture of her baby and to know that she wasn't pregnant anymore and could lay flat on her stomach! I honestly don't really mind being pregnant, I would say that it's just a hard adjustment for me with already having one at home and not being as mobile as I would like to be. And I think at this point in anyone's pregnancy you just get so anxious to see what your baby looks like and to be able to hold him and kiss him!

Well, here are some pictures of the belly, sad to say, 34 weeks brought on some very unwanted stretch marks, I'm hoping they will fade away once I'm not pregnant anymore as you can only see them if the light hits them right, I only had 2 tiny stretch marks with Miley but since I'm carrying this one directly out front I think my stomach is really stretching out.

34 Weeks side A

34 Weeks side B (I think sometimes you can look bigger on one side than the other)

Miley's tummy at 34 weeks, she just loves having her belly picture taken too! :) HEHE

(Sorry for the funky coloring of this photo, the flash did something goofy, and of course, with a toddler, you only get one chance to get a photo!)

Conversations with a 2 year old

2010-01-13T07:23:00.000-06:00

Miley has really come to understand her feelings now and being able to express them. For example, Monday, here are two of the conversations we had:

Me, calling out to Grandma's

Me- "Hi Miley"

Miley- "Hi Mommy, I miss you"

OK- talk about melt your heart, this was the first time she has ever said that without me asking her if she missed me. So sweet.

Then, on the flip side, that same day, coming home from Grandma's. She prefers to walk into the house by herself. As I was juggling my purse, lunch bag, her bag, the mail and her blanket and trying not to slip on the ice as I do my pregnant waddle to the door, Miley decided she wanted to play in the snow. I told her we needed to go inside first as she can't play in the snow in her Ugg boots and with no snow pants on. After trying to ask her nicely to come inside I ended up just picking her up and bringing her inside.

Me- "I'm sorry Miley but we can't play outside in the snow right now, Mommy is in her work clothes and you aren't dressed warm enough to play in the snow"

Miley- with her hands on her hips, " I'm MAD at you!" and throws her glove at me!

Trying not to laugh at her I said, "Then you just be mad and let me know when you are done" and within five minutes she wanted to snuggle with her mommy. :)

Pictures from Miley's Birthday Week Adventures

2010-01-10T21:50:00.000-06:00

Here are the pictures of Miley enjoying all the rides Nickelodeon Universe the day of her Birthday.

And here are photos from her first haircut! She wouldn't let me get an after photo but we really didn't cut too much off, just trimmed the bangs and trimmed the ends to clean it up.

Our next adventure is Sesame Street Live this weekend! Should be exciting!!

Miley is 2!!!

2010-01-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

Yes- that’s right, Miss Miley Kay is officially 2 years old!! YAHOO!!! This week was FULL of fun events for her, yes, even at 2 years old she didn’t just have a BirthDAY she had a BirthWEEK! And she most certainly knew that all attention was on her this week and she ate it up!

Sunday we had friends and family over for a Little Einstein’s Birthday Party. She was so excited when we decorated the house on Saturday in preparation for the party. I didn’t go overboard but yes, I did get some themed decorations to brighten the place up, which are still all hanging up, hum. We had a delicious lunch, which the Birthday Girl was too excited to eat any of and then it was on to my homemade cake, of which I am VERY proud of myself. (I would consider myself more of a chef than a baker but I proved that day I can do both!) She got some wonderful birthday presents and had a wonderful time.

Playing with Peyton

I don't want to eat lunch I just want to play :(

Singing Happy Birthday

The first of MANY attempts to blow out the candle

FINALLY!

YUMMY!

My Masterpiece! (that is June from Little Einsteins)

Trying to be sneaky and steal some more frosting

PRESENTS!

Check out her sweet leather lazy boy!

Tuesday was her actual birthday and Taylor and I took the day off of work to have a day of fun with her! She got a gift card to Build-a-Bear so we headed to the Mall of America to make a bear. Out of all the cute snuggly animals she could have chosen she headed STRAIGHT for Alvin the Chipmunk! She was adamant that she get him versus any of the other cute animals that we could have then chosen a super cute outfit for. So, we let her get her Alvin and convinced her to at least pick out a pair of shoes for him (Alvin already came equipped with his signature red sweatshirt).

After Build-a-Bear we went to Nickelodeon Universe. We sure got lucky that day, since it was Tuesday we got to take advantage of Toddler Tuesday which the mall has every Tuesday. And since it was her birthday she got a free unlimited ride wrist band, SCORE! They only had rides open to toddlers so it was so calm and peaceful in there, we didn’t have to wait in any lines and Taylor was able to ride with her for free as well as a chaperone. She went on every toddler ride there and had a BLAST! Her face was gleaming with pure excitement.

We then ventured up to third floor to have lunch. Another special treat for Toddler Tuesday is that at 12 participating restaurants toddlers eat free!! I have been CRAVING Bubba Gumps for months so we went there! Miley had on her special Birthday Girl shirt and got a lot of special attention from people all day and it didn’t stop once we got to Bubba Gumps. They had their mascot Shrimp come to our table and say Hello to her and then, after our meal, the entire wait staff came over and sang Happy Birthday to her and had the whole restaurant clap for her and they gave her a special Birthday sundae! She thought this was just the greatest. So, an entire morning at the mall only cost us a few extra dollars at Build-a-Bear and lunch for me and Taylor, talk about a GREAT deal!!

That evening was Miley’s first dance class with Just for Kix. She LOVED it, it is a Mommy and Me class to help introduce her to dance and to learn to follow the teacher.

To continue the fun, Wednesday she got her first haircut at a salon. She did pretty well, a little squirmy but you could tell she felt like a Princess sitting in that barber chair. We didn’t cut too much off, just shaped up the bangs and trimmed the ends to even things out and keep it healthy.

Then, onto Thursday- with the snow storm it took me 2 hours to get home! I sat still on the highway as they cleaned up an accident for 45 minutes. So, since it was almost 6:30 before we got home and I was just exhausted from being in the car that long I told her her Birthday week would continue with her favorite dinner treat- McDonald’s chicken nuggets!

Next Saturday we will be taking her to Sesame Street Live, her birthday present from Taylor and I, I’ll make sure to give a full report after that adventure.

I will upload more pictures of our day at the MOA this weekend. And Thank You to my friend Kelly for the pictures from Miley’s birthday party!

32 Weeks

2009-12-29T12:58:00.003-06:00

Only 8 weeks left… ONLY… HA… How come the last 8 weeks seem longer than the previous 32?
Could it be any of these

Top 8 reasons why the last 8 weeks seem so long:

My clothes really don’t fit anymore, for example, I have three pairs of dress pants to wear to work, well, now only two, my low rise maternity pants no longer button and hardly zip because this little guy is so darn low! Sorry people at work- I now only have two pairs and one I don’t really like so get use to seeing one of two maternity dresses which I will now have to wear weekly…. So happy leggings are in style, they are SOOO comfy to wear pregnant!
I have a Hobbit inside of my stomach- I swear this kid is going to come out ready to hit the slopes! He pushes straight out when he kicks and you can feel his giant feet and OH MY does it hurt, feels like he is about to kick through and my skin is going to split open!
My hips are definitely getting ready to push this baby out, the Pregnancy wobble has officially begun.
SSSNNOORRINGG… Sorry Taylor- I know my snoring has become officially Out of Control! I feel like my lungs are being squished when I go to bed at night, hence the monster snores that come out of me!
Sleepless nights- Not only am I up all the time to pee but I just can’t sleep, except, oddly I don’t want to wake up when I have to go to work but when it’s the weekend and I am allowed to sleep in I wake up at 4am and watch the minutes tick by until Miley wakes up around 8am.
HEARTBURN…. Enough said
Beached Whale- that’s what I feel like when I try to roll over in bed at night.
32 weeks pregnant and a Toddler at home… talk about exhausting! Just giving her a bath takes every ounce of energy!

Now- I’m not complaining because being a second time mom I know that this is all totally worth it and I’ll forget all about this as soon as I am looking Baby Bear eye to eye, but sometimes you just have to tell the truth!

So, if you look at me and say to yourself- Wow, you still have 8 weeks left, don’t feel bad for thinking that because I’ll say it out loud, yes, I look as big as a house already!

31 Weeks!

2009-12-23T07:57:00.000-06:00

Well, I am 31 weeks and feel like I should be going on 38! Things are going well besides the increase in heart burn, sleepless nights and it is getting hard to move around like I used to. Last night I went to get something out of the bathroom and caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror and it stopped me dead in my tracks… I was like HOLY COW- did I Pop even more in a blink of an eye!

Here are my 31 week shots and the third is a comparison from my pregnancy with Miley. And of course, Miley wanted a picture of her baby too!

Monday I scored 4 free tickets to a suite at the Wild game. We invited Nick and Kathryn with us as we had something very important to ask them. They have accepted the honor of being Baby Bear’s Godparents!! We are so excited, and so are they!

Well, Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope everyone has safe travels, wonderful company, plenty to eat, excitement and joy and most importantly a Blessed Christmas Day!

Miley playing Wii and Santa Pictures!

2009-12-13T13:54:00.004-06:00

Miley decided that she wanted to play the Wii with her daddy! Daddy is playing a wii fit game where you ski down the big hill and jump. Miley enjoyed watching this so much that she decided to get up on her stool and pretend that she was playing!

Here are some pictures of Miley from ECFE last Thursday night. Santa made a surprise visit and Miley wasn't too sure about him. She did eventually let daddy bring her over and then she sat on Santa's lap. She was silent but she did not cry!

Christmas Cookies

2009-12-12T17:51:00.000-06:00

Today Mom, Miley and I decorated our traditional fat white sugar cookies. I have a cookie exchange at work and chose to make these cookies and then we had to make some extra to have at home too because they are my favorite. Miley sure enjoyed decorating her cookies but would rather have eaten the ones mommy was making. It was a fun morning!

29 Weeks

2009-12-09T19:14:00.000-06:00

Well, things at 29 weeks are still going well. I find that I get tired more quickly and get short of breath doing certain tasks but all in all things are going well. The nice thing with him being so low is that he's not squishing my lungs or my stomach so I am enjoying the feeling of being hungry while it lasts. I got the first hard jab to my ribs the other day while driving, it took my breath away he kicked so hard!

As my tummy grows Miley will randomly come up and rub my tummy. It is very cute. We were getting some photos taken and asked her to kiss my belly and she decided she wanted to lick it instead, or in her words 'I tounge it'. Funny girl!

I feel as big as a house and it is hard to believe that I still have 11 weeks left and how can I get any bigger, but I know I will continue to grow... somehow...

Getting Ready For Christmas!

2009-11-29T20:37:00.000-06:00

My favorite part of Thanksgiving weekend, besides seeing family, is getting the house decorated for Christmas! Friday we did venture out to do some black Friday shopping and brought Miley with us this year, we didn't leave until 6:45am but she was so happy the entire day. We got her a hashbrown from McDonald's to help hold her over until we went to Perkins after we were done shopping. This picture was taken literally 20 minutes after we woke her up.

Saturday it was time to cut down our Christmas tree, Miley was very in to it this year. She fell asleep on the way home from the tree farm and when she woke up Taylor and I had the tree set up in the living room ready for her to help decorate. She still wakes up in the morning and from her naps running to the living room saying Pretty Tree!! I love this time of the year!

Her Charlie Brown tree she thought was "Cute, Mom"

"What doing Dad?"

"Cheese!"

"Hide, Hide"

Still not too fond of Santa, she has this thing with elderly people.

But she was excited to eat the Candy Cane he gave her!

Our Pretty Balsam Fir. (Which is now full of wrapped presents underneath)

"Oh Well".... she said

2009-11-27T20:10:00.000-06:00

So, today was Black Friday and we really didn't HAVE to go out but Taylor and I enjoy going out. We had two presents left to buy (because I'm on online shopping freak) and there were a few things that we needed for ourselves, like a heated water bowl for Joey and a cordless drill that was on sale at Sears. So, we ventured out with Miley this year. She was SOOOO good! She even went to the bathroom two times while we were out!! So proud of her! Then after nap we went over to Nana and Bumpa's house as I had to make some things, present related, and she went to the bathroom here! YEAH Miley- that was 3 times on the pot and only 1 accident so far at that point. Then, as she was sitting on the counter eating a piece of chocolate after dinner I realized that the stars on her pull ups were gone, meaning she had had an accident. I said 'Miley your stars are gone, did you have an accident?" After careful examination and bending to see that her stars were gone she says "Oh Well". REALLY!?! Where did she learn that... that comment was just too funny, myself and Nana and Bumpa busted out laughing. Such a funny girl today!

I'm Thankful for my Hubby

2009-11-25T07:22:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to write this tribute to my hubby. Last night we had such a precious family moment, after my shower I went downstairs with some nail polish and kindly asked my hubby if he would paint my toe nails as I am having a very hard time reaching them already. He graciously said Yes, so we set up shop and Miley sat right next to me and patiently waited and watched as her Daddy painted her Mommy's nails and when he got done she put her toes out and was ready for him to do hers as well.

We gave him lots of high fives and kisses and said Thank You Daddy over and over again. I really appreciated his willingness to help me out and Miley seemed to really enjoy our precious family moment.

Cooking Blog....

2009-11-24T10:05:00.000-06:00

For some reason- when I look at my blog and scroll down to see if anyone else has a new blog title post it still says my old Chili recipe title as my last post... so, in case you haven't looked in awhile, I have added a VERY tasty new recipe and share the good news that I WON a Chili Cook-off!!! So, Check it out!

Potty- Break...

2009-11-24T10:02:00.003-06:00

Well, sad to say, but hopefully not for too long, we are taking a Potty break. Miley has now been 3 weeks of solid potty learning to now 3 weeks of preferring to Not go on the potty. And I guess I can’t really blame her, she went so many weeks of having tummy issues, then a cold, and then whatever last week was. So, we decided we are going to let her take a break and not pressure her or stress about it because we know she’s not even 2 yet. We are, however, going to keep pull-ups on her during the day, just so we aren’t reverting completely back to diapers and she is now learning how to pull her own pants up and down so I wanted to keep that going and she calls the pull ups her panties and does get excited to wear them. She hasn’t stopped going completely as she does seem to go maybe once or twice a day so we just make sure we celebrate those times when she chooses to go. And she is staying dryer longer so I know she is understanding control and tells me she is going right before she goes or as she is going so making it to the potty has been the difficult part the past two weeks.
So, anyway, we are hoping that maybe taking the pressure off of her for a little bit she will revert back into wanting to do it all by herself again like when she first started. We still ask her every so often, or when I go I tell her I’m going to the potty do you want to go too? Sometimes she says yes and other times she says no. She of course likes going at other people’s houses and restaurants, so that’s good I guess. And at night, for now, we are just using up the diapers we have at home, figured I spent the money on those I might as well use them instead of buying overnight pull ups, which tend to be pretty expensive. And really, she doesn’t even know the difference right now.

I’m also thinking that once things start to settle down a little bit she will snap back into it. With the nice weather there has been outside time to play, errands to run, places to go, people to see and sometimes I feel like we are Out more than we are home so as soon as the weather starts to turn cold and we begin our winter hibernation I think she will snap back into it.

A Night at Home

2009-11-20T07:36:00.000-06:00

Well- last night I decided that Miley just needed a night at home. We were supposed to go to ECFE but when she started to put on her crabby pants during dinner and refused to eat anything I had decided I had had enough and we were staying home and I’d bring ECFE to her! I asked her if she wanted to do projects at home and she got VERY excited!! So- we first started out doing a Thanksgiving project. Now- some background, Happy Thanksgiving is quite the mouthful for a toddler to say so instead I taught her to say Happy Turkey! It’s supposed to be Happy Turkey Day but sometimes she forgets the Day part because Happy and Turkey are so fun to say. So, I found some foam letters that spelled out Happy and she glued them onto her paper. I wrote Turkey and then she went to town coloring her picture and gluing gems onto it. And to make it festive I decided to get really crafty and make a Turkey out of pipe cleaners!! Hey- Miley thought it was very pretty.

Then I remembered that we had two wooden ornaments that she picked out from Joann’s several weeks ago along with green and purple glitter pant so I got those out and she ‘finger’ painted them, as I couldn’t find where our paint brushes went. She was VERY proud of her ornaments, I can’t wait to see her face when we tell her she can hang them on the Christmas tree next weekend!

After crafts she took a bath to get all of the glue and paint off of her and as we were heading back to the living room she saw a commercial about Playdoh and apparently Landon has taught her how to watch a commercial and say she wants “That Too” for Christmas! So, we pulled out the playdoh and then finally she was hungry for supper! She ate well, and well enough that I thought it would be fun to bake cookies. Once the cookies were done we had a little snack and then we both went to bed early. It really ended up being a wonderful night at home for just her and I. I think we needed that. It seems like we’ve been on the go so much lately that we haven’t had time to just sit down, relax and bond. I think we will do the same again tonight when Daddy gets home. I’m thinking it sounds like the perfect evening for Movie and Popcorn night!!!

26 Week Check Up

2009-11-19T13:17:00.002-06:00

I had my 26 week check up yesterday, it seemed like forever since I had been there as they let me go 6 weeks in between visits. My tummy is measuring 26 weeks exactly, blood pressure was awesome, slight weight gain but I was quick to remind them that it had been 6 weeks since my last weigh in and they say- Oh yes, then that gain of 8 pounds is right on, so that puts me at 17 pounds…ho-hum… Not too shabby- but I still have 14 weeks left and would prefer that number to not get any higher than 30, especially since I’m not retaining water, so that 17 pounds is all me and baby—well… and all the extra fluid your body naturally holds, extra blood, ahem- bigger chest, etc. The best part about my appointment is that I had my Glucose test and I PASSED!!! YEAH!!! WOO HOO!!!
The down fall…. I start going every other week already!!!! SERIOUSLY… are we already at this point! WOW… I am going to feel like I live there before too long, especially now because I was there twice this week, have to bring Miley back next week, then I go again the following week… WOW!

And the sad news…. As it stands right now, no children under the age of 5 are allowed on the OB floor! That means Miley isn’t able to come and visit at all while we are in the hospital! That is going to make it very hard I think! My doctor, who had her 2nd child four months after I had Miley and is now due to have her 3rd four months after I have this baby, said that when her 2.5 year old came to visit and meet the 2nd baby she said he was interested for about a minute and then was into everything and running all around the room being curious and it stressed her out more than anything and plus it gave her and her husband some time to really focus and bond with the brand new baby. So- if the rules don’t change come February…. Just note…. No children under the age of 5 can come and visit Me or Jackie when we have our babies. I’ll make sure to put out the word though if I hear that it changes.

A week of tests....

2009-11-18T08:01:00.001-06:00

Well- we defiantly have been tested this week!! Being a parent is the best thing in the world but when your child decides to a) be a medical mystery b) stop using the potty after doing so unbelievable well for 3 weeks straight and c) having a major temper out of the blue- it sure does make it hard to ‘enjoy’ being a parent, it actually freaks me out even more because I’m having another in three months (are we CRAZY!?!?!)

So, to further explain…

a) Miley is a medical mystery right now, to keep it brief, Miley got the stomach flu 7 weeks ago, then had soft stool or diarrhea for 6 weeks straight, got tested for a few things which all came back negative so we tried no dairy which was kind of helping. Sunday night she started getting a runny nose and watery eyes (just a cold) but Monday wouldn’t eat any breakfast and had a one hour episode of throwing up, when I picked her up she looked half dead, to be blunt. We headed straight for Red Wing to do further testing to ensure nothing was wrong intestinally. Of course, every single test they did came back normal, except for the ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE test which normal is under 300 and hers was 885. However, he doesn’t know the correlation of the two things, diarrhea and this test, Miley is now his third patient with the same problem but not even the Specialists at the University can figure it out, and the other two kids ended up snapping back to normal within a few weeks. So, for now, we get through this minor cold and go and do blood work again next week to see if those levels have come back down. As for the throwing up episode, he thinks it was contributed to all the gas that was showing up in her tummy and for the fact that she normally goes twice a day and hadn’t gone since Saturday night, we got her to get it all out by simply giving her some Chocolate Milk, her FAVORITE thing in the whole world, for being so brave with all her tests, and because I knew that would get things working rather than the alternative method, which I don’t even want to speak of.

b) I know, I know, she is young to potty train, but it was her decision to do it, and I know we’ve been dealing with a lot of stomach issues and now having a cold but now we are going on 2 weeks of just wanting to go in her pants. I guess I was so excited that it was going so well and now it’s not that it upsets me. I’m hoping next week though she’ll be healthy again and we can get back on track, but it’s just frustrating to have maybe 1-2 accidents a day for three weeks to now maybe only going on the potty 1-2 times a day and the rest in her pants.

c) Seriously, this terrible 2 thing, SERIOUSLY! WOW! The girl knows how to throw a tantrum, that’s for sure! They mostly come only when she’s over tired and her schedule gets off, which is to be expected as she is like me and does like her schedule. But man, last night, seriously, we timed it, 54 FULL minutes of her screaming, crying, kicking, swinging her arms, choking, coughing, etc. until she finally just gave in and fell asleep! She wanted NOTHING to do with me AT ALL, she would freak out even more if I even came near her, she only wanted Daddy (which is just WONDERFUL because now he is gone on the 8th grade Eagle Bluff trip as a chaperone for the next three days, wonder how this is going to go). But once she finally did relax enough to just fall asleep she slept hard, she barely moved a muscle all night, she was still in the same position when I left this morning. Moments like that are defiantly a true test of being a parent and working together, as frustrated as Taylor and I got we both helped each other stay calm in order to deal with her and once she was out we gave each other a smile as a way of saying, we made it through this, we did it, together.

So, it’s been a rough start to the week at the Pagel household and we are defiantly looking forward to next week, short work week, Thanksgiving, and then getting ready for our most favorite Holiday of all, CHRISTMAS!!! Miley will really enjoy all of our ‘getting ready for Christmas Traditions’ this year. Now, we just have to make it to next week still in once piece!

Here she is at Fairview. My mom came with as I was a pregnant emotional wreck and I knew they would want to do x-rays and I obviously can’t even be in the room when they do them right now. And it’s hard for Taylor, being a teacher, to just drop everything and leave like I can. He got off as soon as he could though to be with his little girl. The second photo is her wanting to get the heck out of the x-ray room after they were done doing the photos, we just had to wait for 1 minute so they could ensure they got a good photo but she was ready to run out the door.