Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Which is which?


These are my girls, both at nine months. Definite differences - but oh so similar. If I didn't use the pictures of Paige in this outfit on previous posts - would you be able to guess who is who? Also, Paige really does have lighter eyes, but the light makes them look really dark.

I really could have spent a little more time making the scanned picture look a little better, but as it is, I am waiting for Miss Paige to wake up from her nap.

Have a lovely evening! And, just so you know - it's STILL cold.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

I guess it's okay....




I tried to take a few pictures of the girls together today - okay more than a few....and I think these two are the best of the many. Emily looks good, Paige is squirmy. Paige looks cute, Emily is making a weird face. Oh well. Have a great Wednesday (only about 1/2 hour left of Tuesday).

Monday, April 28, 2008

Weekend pictures.....



Paige and I have been taking many walks this past week. The trees are all in full bloom - just beautiful.





The last time I took a picture of this tree, it was covered with snow - very pretty. I like it this way too.



This tree is in the front of our house. The pink flowers don't last long...they should be done by the end of the week.







Paige does not want to sit still for pictures anymore. So, here's the best that I have.....in her so very cute froggy pajamas.




Emily drew this very cool piece of art. I think it's a map of something. If you look closely under her nose, you can see some red and blue marker there. She has these markers that smell like fruit, and she's always smelling them, and getting them on her face.


Paige this morning - wearing her new hoodie and pants - it's only 40 degrees today. I had to go and get her some size 12 months clothes for cooler weather. She is pretty much grown out of all her nine month stuff....get ready for another bag Ryan and Julie!! I went to Carter's on Saturday looking for this hoodie and pants set that I saw a couple weeks ago. They had tons left, all different styles and colors, but this was the ONLY 12 month size. I guess I was lucky to get this one. I was even willing to get her one of the boy ones, but there were none in her size. Crazy. Hopefully, it will be getting warmer soon.......

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Nine Whole Months



It's been nine whole months since this little bundle of energy, cuteness, sweetness, happiness, crabbiness, and of course, joy has come into our life. I remember wondering while I was pregnant:
"What is she going to look like?"

"What kind of personality is she going to have?"

"Is she going to be a sleeper?"

"Is she going to have colic?"

"Is she going to be a quiet, contented baby?"

"Is she going to be like Emily?"

And of course, "How is it possible for me to love this little baby as much as I love her sister?"

Well, I have the answers to some of those questions, and some we'll just have to wait a little longer to see what pans out.
Paige looks a lot like Emily. In fact, when going through some baby pictures of Emily, I caught myself thinking they were Paige. Of course, there are differences. Emily was a much smaller baby than Paige - in length, mostly. Eric thinks they have different looking eyebrows...ahhh, okay. In saying this, I think that Paige and Emily has a good mix of both of our features - mine and Eric's. They are both totally adorable.



Paige's personality is still developing, but I will say that she a very determined child. She tries things until she gets the desired effect - and if that doesn't happen, she'll let you know. She is very vocal, although she hasn't said any real words yet. She loves the sound of her voice, as many of my neighbors can attest to. She is also a charmer and can turn it on at any given time. I can't wait to see how this all plays out as she goes into toddlerhood.


Is she a sleeper? Well, she is now. But, I think she had different plans. Her and I have been in a battle over this since she was about two months old. I have lost many battles, but I may be slightly ahead. I am not going to declare victory yet - see above.

Thankfully, she did not have colic like her big sister. In fact, she was and still is, a great eater. Her current favorites are: yogurt, Cheerios, cheese, Gerber puffs, grapes, watermelon, pear, apples, and ANYTHING that Mommy is eating. She is not really into regular vegetables yet. She likes to eat them pureed, and that's okay for now. This girl definitely has a sweet tooth. Wonder where she got that from???


Quiet and contented - that would be no. She is loud, busy, fast and can be whiny at times. But she's very cute doing it - so we'll let that one slide.

Other than looks, she is not really like Emily at all. Emily was not nearly as needy as Paige is. Emily was a very verbal child - she had quite the vocabulary by one year, her first words were at six months. Paige likes to yell, a lot. Paige is much more coordinated. She is also fearless. Paige is something new and different everyday - not predictable at all. I love and appreciate the differences in both. And, of course, I knew it would be that way. But, sometimes, you can't help to compare - it's human nature.



As for loving her - well, I just do. How could I not? I did the second I saw her. In fact, it wasn't even surprising. It's just one of those fears that you have as a pregnant Mommy, who already has one child. You just somehow think that one of your kids is going to get slighted - and it's not true at all. It's something you can't explain until it happens to you. It's a wonderful thing.


Happy nine months Paige. Thanks for coming into this world.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Things you should know about Spring.....

When you have too much of this:





Apparently you get this:


Emily has been sick for the past couple days. She woke up early Sunday morning with an upset stomach and a fever. She continued having a fever all day Sunday and Monday. She is feeling much better today and she went to school. Her biggest disappointment? Not getting to play on her playset while she was sick.

I went on a walk this morning. It's just beautiful out today. Blue sky, high 60's. All the bushes and trees are really starting to bloom. I took a few shots. Should be in full bloom in the next week.



Sunday, April 20, 2008

The Sounds of Spring







It's that time of year again... Everybody looks forward to Springtime. For most people it's the sound of kids playing and birds chirping. For me, it's the sound of small engines from lawn equipment. All the lawn equipment came out up and down the block this weekend. I did my own ritual in preparation for lawn maintenance. The snow thrower, now emptied of fuel, is relegated to the dark corner in the back of the garage. The lawn mower and other power tools have been fueled up and tested. Perhaps all these engines make my carbon footprint a bit bigger, but if I didn't cut the grass just think of all the carbon dioxide it would give off (see comments). Everything has its balance. Yes, things are in bloom and the birds are chirping and all that stuff too. I can almost hear them in the background when my mower is running. Some of Eric's Spring photos above....

Friday, April 18, 2008

A New Playset







It was inexpensive. Then it when on sale. Then it was an additional fifteen percent off. How could we say no? So we didn't. My amazing husband put it together in just the better part of three afternoons. Emily is one happy girl. Finally, a playset of her own. That's the new addition to our household. Yea for us!

La La La La La La. Spring is Here! La La La La La

We gave Paige her first taste of Spring yesterday. I brought her outside and plopped her down on the almost green grass. At first, she was definitely not into it. She immediately started crying, and wanted me to rescue her. So, I just kept on trying. I held onto her and just let her toes touch the grass. She wasn't into that either - at first. After about a minute, she decided that this whole grass thing was not too bad and sat all by herself. She immediately grabbed a stray, dry leaf and put it into her mouth. Of course. After removing this from her mouth, she decided that she wanted to try the grass. Oh, it's going to be a busy summer for us - her putting anything and everything in her mouth, and me diligently retrieving it. Didn't have this problem with Emily - we never sat in the grass in Florida. Too many fire ants, and that St. Augustine (they call it crab grass here) grass is not exactly gentle.




Emily spent most of the day outside either playing with some of the neighbor kids, or just hanging out with Daddy. I had to drag her inside last night just a few minutes before bedtime. She was still shouting to all the kids outside from her bedroom window after she went to bed. She has already informed me that she is intending on spending the whole day outside today - and she doesn't have to come in until much later because today is Friday. Do you think she had a little cabin fever?




We have a very exciting new addition to the Gottlieb House that I will tell you about later - maybe later today, so check back to see what it is......and NO, I am not pregnant. Not even a little bit.

Have a great Friday everyone!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Just call me Mom



So, last night, we were on our way home from Erma's. I was a happy girl, I got my first cherry dip of the season, as did my oldest daughter - Emily. It was a beautiful spring night. The trees are almost in full bloom - almost. I was having a relaxing moment. It was just that, a moment.

Emily was being her usual self. "Mom." "Maauum." "Maaauummmm." "Mom, I have called you three times."

Here it comes - the zillion questions that I would have to endure in the car ride home:

"What does that sign say?"

"Why?"

"What does that thing mean by the steering wheel?"

"Why?"

"How do you know you need gas?"

"Why?"

"Is it November yet?"

"Why?"

"When is Hailey coming?"

"Why?"

"Can we go sledding next time it snows in the winter?"

"Why?"

"Maaauuuummmm - why are you not answering me?"

Why is it that it's always Mom she asks? Why not Dad? It's something I hear about a thousand times a day. Sometimes, it's just what I want to hear - but a lot of times, it's usually followed by a request, or a question. Both of which I don't always feel like dealing with at that time.

The funny part of this whole thing is this - right now Paige pretty much only says "Dada." Of course, she is just making sounds with no meaning. But what do I do? I say to her all day long, "Say Mama." I show her exactly how to form her mouth, and what sound it is that should come out. Am I crazy? I should be reveling in the Dada.

This motherhood thing. It's enough to drive a person crazy. And sometimes, I would not have it any other way.


By the way - the reason that she is asking about November is not because she is really looking forward to the presidential election, but because that's when I told her it would be okay to talk about her birthday. If I did not do this, then we would all have to endure endless questions about her birthday all year long. I know this may seem a little mean - and that's fine. If you wish, I can give Emily your telephone number, and have her forward all her birthday questions and requests to you. Trust me. You don't want that. So let's just keep it the way that I have it. And she's fine with it - really. She just talks about Paige's birthday. I'll have to put a moratorium on that on July 25th.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Some cute pictures from this weekend


So, we got to meet the newest member of the family - Emerson. We all went over to my Aunt and Uncle's house on Saturday evening for pizza, salad and baby. She's just adorable. Julie and Ryan seem to be handling the whole parenthood thing with ease. They didn't even look tired. Emerson apparently likes to sleep, so I think that is helping them out a lot. What a good little girl she is. I did get to hold her for a moment - until Paige saw me, and wasn't too pleased about that. Here is Emerson with her Great Aunt Carol - my Mom. Welcome to the family. Can't wait for our all girl shopping trips!!



Here's Paige climbing the stairs - her new trick. She did this quite a few times this weekend. She was very proud.


Here's her proud sister waiting at the top of the stairs.


"Look at me Mom. I made it."


Other than that, uneventful weekend. It was much colder, so no really going outside. I did see a 70 on the forecast for this week - and we will be out and enjoying that. Maybe a trip to the trails in Stoney Creek. Have a great week!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Busy Day


Today, Emily finally got her wish. Daddy took a break from work, and went to the park with her. It was not exactly warm, but it was warm enough for slides and jungle gyms, and general park fun.





When they got home, they continued to play in the backyard. Paige watched from the dining room. It needs to get a little warmer, and the grass needs to be a little greener, and then it will be Paige's turn to play outside. I know she is looking forward to it.




We also got to celebrate Kelly's birthday with her. My Mom and I made vanilla cupcakes with lemon curd, and homemade butter cream frosting. They were delicious!! Happy Birthday Kel!




And because it was so popular last time - here's a video clip of Miss Paige just doing her thing:


Have a great day!