When There Were Two

I thought I would do a post before the baby arrives to catch up on what Whitney and Colin have been up to. They have been changing and growing up so much in the last few months!

Colin is  22 months and around 31 lbs and seems to have added a little height to his sturdy stature.  He is talking much more and putting two words together now.  Most commonly saying "More Mama", since he always wants to eat!  He is usually the last one to finish his dinner.

 He loves playing with his new trains, cars and airplanes.  It is crazy how innately little boys just make that "vrroom" sound when playing.  So cute!  He also loves to sing and dance.  He sings along to songs in the car and at home we often have music playing.  Any toy that has music he has a little dance to it.  Amazingly he really seems to hear the different music tempos and sounds and adjust his dance moves accordingly :)

He continues to be my little snuggle monster.  I can always count on many hugs and kisses though out the day.  When he gets in trouble he grabs my face and plants a big wet one on my lips.  I mean really!  He is such a Mama's boy and I love it...and am enjoying it because the day will come when we will be his Papa's wingman.  I could never imagine how a little boy would make me feel!

He is also in big boy underpants! We took the plunge with the New Year and he has been doing great.  Don't get me wrong, we have had our fair share of accidents.  But I can say we are only in underwear during the day from here on out!

Whitney is so much fun.  I love spending quality time with her and hearing what is going on in her head.  She is such a caring little lady and loves doing sweet things for the family.  Writing notes, drawing pictures or just giving them a call.  And she LOVES her little brother so much and tells him all the time.  She also hugs my belly and says, "I love you baby sister"!  She cannot wait for this baby to arrive!

I just had her conference at school and she got high remarks for everything.  They specifically noted what a good artist she is, that she has enthusiasm for learning, is a hard worker and has been a delight!  We are very proud of her and excited to see her making friends and showing more of her fun and energetic side to others!

Whitney and Colin have such a sweet relationship.  Whitney looks after him and is so good at playing with him like an equal.  He loves keeping up with his big sis.  He often gives her hugs and kisses too but then it ends in a tackle to the floor. Boys!  I am so glad they have each other as we bring a new baby home.  I know there will be adjustments and tough moments for everyone, but we are thankful for how well they play together and will continue to get closer.

This is most likely my last post before the baby arrives.  Here are some of my favorite pics from the last few months.

Whitney loves pretending to be a dog.  Thanks to her current favorite show, Paw Patrol.

Colin's favorite thing to play is doctor.

Build them up and knock them down!

Passing down her love of puzzles.

Playing in his big boy room.

Big Boy Undies

 Whitney and  I saw a production of Annie.   I have been singing Annie songs since I was 5 and was in the show twice.  It is so fun to share my love of theatre with her!

We feel so blessed.  There were times we never thought we would get here.  We can't believe we get to love another one!

Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas around here.  Getting to relive all the excitement through your kids is just so much fun!

Whitney had a fun little party at school where they ate way too much sugar and had a book exchange.

 Christmas concert at school

Her buddy Emilie

Parade Downtown

Breakfast with Santa--Colin's first time meeting Santa went down in the books.  I mean when have you seen a one and a half year old hugging Santa!

Making Nanny's Sugar Cookies

Checkers break with Auntie Ann.

Tree Trimming at my parents house.

Gifts from my parents and Ann!

Whitney was in full gear this year and really into all that had to do with Christmas.   She wore this hat almost every day.

So we had to get Colin one too!  Quickly Colin got familiar with Santa and said, "Ho, Ho, Ho" all season!

 Every morning she would run down to find the elf and just think it was hilarious wherever he had camped out.  Then we had three advent activities that were next on the list.  She asked many questions about Santa and we often would play pretend it's Christmas morning.  So, when Christmas Eve came and she got very sick (probably the flu) and woke up forgetting it was even Christmas it was kind of sad.  But she quickly rallied and we had fun rushing down to see what Santa had brought.

Christmas Eve

Colin was super excited about his big Mickey Mouse!

The train set was the biggest hit with both of them.

Around 9am my parents and Marguerite came over for a big delicious breakfast!  We spent the next few hours leisurely opening gifts.  It was a wonderful Christmas morning.

The next day Sue and John came into town and we enjoyed another Christmas celebration.  Then the next day Casey and Jess joined us and spoiled the kids with some more wonderful gifts!

Super fun airport and airplane.

City Cafe lego set she asked for.

We have been enjoying all the fantastic gifts that everyone showered them with.  Finally some boy toys in this house!  

Uncle Casey being a good sport !

That Saturday my parents had a big party with the Butler, Ashbaugh and O'Neill families.  It was so fun to have my relatives all in one place!  

Christmas was a huge success this year.  We look forward to a crazier one next year!

Snow Day

As the snow is falling I am posting a few pictures from the first snow of the season.  The first time Colin really got to participate in all the fun!  Luckily, Tim has the flexibility to work from home and was able to take the kids out that day.  And he is home again today too!

Yes, Colin is wearing pink boots.

Sheer Delight!

3 Years Ago

3 years ago today Christine was born.  It was the most heartbreaking day of our lives.  Something a pregnant woman never expects to happen to them.  I can't explain what it feels like to carry a baby, give birth to a baby and hold a baby in your arms that you have to hand over and never see again.  I don't know how I even survived it.  But I did.

What I learned from her is that everything is out of our control and that life can change in a second.  That nothing is more important than your here and now. I want to say how grateful I am that it has made me stronger, made my relationship with Tim stronger and made me appreciate motherhood in a way I never would have otherwise.  

Today, January 10th, will always be a significant day.  But really, we think of her every single day and are reminded of how blessed we are.

4 1/2

Whitney was a super excited to turn 4 1/2.  She wanted to be sure that I told her teachers and several other random people that week!

We marked off her new height on her growth chart.  She is now 43", still one of the tallest in her class.  She is growing up but staying around the same weight, so she is slimming down and looking like such a big little girl!  Sometimes I just cannot believe how old she is!

A big change in the last few months is no more naps for this girl!  She would sleep so deeply during her nap and she wouldn't want to wake up, resulting in a grumpy girl.  Also, it would take her an hour to fall asleep at night.  Though we have really nipped the bedtime drama in the bud, it just didn't seem fair for her to be sitting up there forever!  So, no more naps and it has been great!  She still has a rest time, playing games in her room or my room or just watching a movie.  That way I still get some alone time!  We usually have her in bed now by 7:45pm and she is out by 8pm.  It has been a win all around.

She is doing so well at school.  She can write both her first and last name.  The other day she sat and counted to 60 on her own.  She is super excited on the days that she is a helper.  Like line leader or calendar duty.  The teachers say she is really coming out of her shell and answering questions, speaking up and having fun playing with all her little friends.  It is so cute to hear her talking about her "buddies" at school.  They have started writing numbers, have science and spanish class and she loves to color and do all the arts and crafts activities.

School Pic

When she is not at school she loves to practice writing letters and numbers.  She can now do a 48 piece puzzle by herself.  We play many games like Dominoes, Candyland, Bingo and I Spy.  She has also taken to Legos. And I mean the tiny little legos.  She is good at following the directions and building the pictures that are shown.

Since turning 4 she has started dance class and soccer.  This summer she took dance and did dance camp at Bella Ballerina.  She had so much fun.  While we were happy there, it is super expensive.  So we made the switch to one of the main dance studios in Leesburg.  Crazy enough it is where I took dance all through high school.  I was one of the first students when this school opened and now 18 years it is huge!  Her class is ballet, tap and gymnastics.  Her favorite being gymnastics.  She has been asking to take soccer forever and we finally got her signed up this Fall.  She was the only girl out of 5 in the class and rivaled being the "best" with the other little boy who seemed atleast a year older.  We continue to be impressed with her strong left kick!  She starts an indoor soccer class in January.

At home Whitney still loves to help around the house with laundry, cleaning windows, stocking the toilet paper and helping us cook.

She is such a terrific big sister.  She and Colin play together so well and she is very patient with him.  Of course, we have heated moments when they both want the same thing, but really they are both good at seeing the other person is upset and handing it over.  They spend lots of time playing together in each other's rooms.  It is so great they have this relationship since my attention will soon be on the new baby.

Whitney is so excited about the baby.  She likes feeling her kick and says she can't wait to help with the baby.  Also, clothes she out grows or toys we have packed away she says, "Oh, that can be for the new baby."

We are so proud of our little girl and the polite, funny and caring person she is and continues to become.