Goodbye 2011 and Hello 2012

2011 was a year of BIG changes for our little family. 

We welcomed Tate to the world in January.

We had some special visitors in February…

…and started getting used to our new family tree.

In March, we celebrated first smiles….

…2nd birthdays…

…and second cousins.

In April, we had more visitors to meet little Tate…

…and said goodbye to some very special friends.

In May, I had my first Mother’s Day with my two boys.  (In 2010, I found out we were expecting Tate on Mother’s Day!)

In June, we celebrated Father’s Day and Jer’s birthday.

In July, Tate made his first trip to Ohio for our family vacation…

…and we went to Erie to visit my Gramma.

In August, the big boy accomplished something BIG.

In September, Tate got mobile right as Reid went back to preschool.

We had a lot of fun for Halloween with our little fireman and Dalmatian.

In November, we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary…

…and we welcomed the Kubaney family as they began relocating to Austin from Cleveland!

We closed the year celebrating with our extended families, thankful for each other and our many blessings.

We have high hopes for 2012!  Best wishes to all of our friends and family!

Tate at Six, Seven & Eight Months

Tater is now eight months.  To say that time is flying by would be an understatement!  I am long overdue for posting about Tater’s latest milestones. So here goes….

Tate at Six Months. 

Let’s start with his six-month stats from his check-up in July (where we once again confirmed that he’s much bigger than Reid was):

Height: 29.25 inches (still off the charts!)

Weight: 19lbs 5.5 ounces (75 percentile)

He practiced rolling over and got really good at being a baby “airplane.”  He was sitting up but often tipped over so he spent most of his solo time laying down.

Speaking of airplanes, in July he took his first plane ride, met his big cousins in Ohio (more on our vacation in a future post), and started solid, pureed food. 

He was really getting good at big belly laughs around his half-year mark.

Tate at Seven Months.

He got much more stable while sitting (so long as a big whirlwind brother didn’t bump into him). He started scooching around the floor at the beginning of the month, but it was mostly a combination of reaching and rolling, not really crawling.

Tater is becoming quite the ladies man.  (Sorry, Reid. Looks like Ava has moved on to a younger dude.)

We got Tate on a sleep schedule (yahoo!) during his seventh month.  It wasn’t easy, but just like his big brother, he really thrives when he knows when his next snooze is coming!  He has a very specific “tell” when he’s ready for bed:  he puts both hands behind his head.  Believe it or not, this is the face of my sleepy baby.

He continued exploring new foods and by the end of his seventh month had tried carrots, sweet pots, peas, apples, avocado, yogurt, prunes, pears, pumpkin, asparagus, peaches and broccoli.  And what do you know:  he likes them all!

He loves watching his big brother play and getting into his business, too.

Tay-Tay loves to be outside.  It’s the sure-fire way to stop a crying fit:  go outside.  We swing a lot while Reid plays in the front yard and he LOVES it.

He has been babbling a lot and mostly says “ba-ba-ba”.  We have heard him “da-da-da” and “mmm” but nothing official, yet!  Oh, and no teeth.  Lots of chewing.  Lots of drool.  But no teeth.

And before we knew it, he started army-crawling on his belly!  (Videos to come.)

Tate at Eight Months.

We can’t wait to see what this month has in store for our little Tot.

Back to (Pre)School

Our big boy started his second year of Mother’s Day Out last week.

He is already loving school.  He goes three mornings a week so Tate and I can have some nice one-on-one time, and so maybe I can get a few things done. 

On the way to school he loves to spot all the school buses, garbage trucks and motorcycles.  (He also notices when the riders aren’t wearing helmets and says some version of this:  “his mommy wants him to wear a helmet so he can be safe.”)

Tater loves to watch big brother.

The night before the first day of school, I showed Reid pictures of him on his first day last year.  He noticed that he was signing “R” in the photos.  So of course, he had to sign “R” for his pics on the first day of school. 

His new teacher is so sweet.  He talks about her and his new friends a lot.  The first day he ran in and sat down without even giving me a kiss goodbye.  “Uh, okay.  Bye Reid!”

Here’s to another great school year! 

Meet a New Member of the Family: Big D

Ya know when a kid says something crazy, and you just can’t believe it’s true? Nonsense like, “there’s a dinosaur under my bed.” Or “I don’t need to go potty.” Or “My uncle has a fire truck!”

Well, Reid told his teachers that his uncle HAS a fire truck. He was adamant about it. He kept talking about it all day. (Shocking, I know.) “That’s nice, Reid,” they said, and let me know about his big imagination when I picked him up that day.

It’s true. Reid’s Uncle James has this fire truck:

James and Stephanie had a good idea, lots of experience being around kids, some guts, and made something cool:  Big D Engine Company.  They do birthday parties, special events, store openings, and most recently booked their first wedding!

This is no ordinary engine. This beauty is a 1977 Pirsch, (I had to look it up!) and is in damn fine shape for a thirty-something.

It also has magic powers. Don’t believe me? Tell a toddler that he can ride inside the engine, if he is good. See what happens.

Tell a kid she can honk the horn if she eats all her veggies. (Are they gone yet?)

Tell a grown man he can hold the hose…if he thinks he can handle it.

Or better yet, hire this engine to come to your kid’s birthday party and BAM!  Super mom!!

At the three parties we’ve been at so far, Reid has been out-of-his-mind excited to see Uncle James’ fire truck.  It is so much fun for him, and for us.

We are really proud of James and Stephanie and love to see them having so much fun!!

Congrats on your first summer with Big D!