caleigh grace at 19 months

Our big girl is 19 months as of last week!  She is doing so many new and fun things - more than I can capture in this update.  Her biggest thing she is doing all the time is mimicking everything we do - whether it be cooking, using our feet to do something, turning on and off the lights, pushing the stroller, changing the diaper on her babies (like mommy does with baby Andrew),   

• ~ My favorite milestone so far: Caleigh said Mama (actually referring to me instead of babbling it)!  She said it on 6/17/09 - the day after we brought Andrew home from the hospital.  That was probably one of the harder days since bringing them home and it was such a treat to finally hear her call me by my 'name'.

Here she is eating some mud pie and really enjoying it.  We have been giving her a tiny bit of dessert from time to time if she eats a good dinner.  Unfortunately this time after forgoing the spoon and using her fingers to eat the mud pie she decided to play peek-a-boo.  Needless to say, she went straight to the bath after this.

Ta-da... I am 19 months old.Some of the things she is doing (that I can remember):

• ~ She is saying tons of new words.  This is probably the biggest milestone.  Some of my favorites quack (kaak - the sound a duck makes), elephant (el-de-pant), Gigi, Poppop, sho-wee (shoeee - when something stinks),  turn it on/off (dur dit don) - often confused/interchanged with put it on, take it off, rock rock rock (ra-ra-ra, often said while swinging Andrew in his swing at breakneck speed), night-night (ni-ni), please (pa-pa-peas, the pa-pa part she says to imitate us because we always try to get her to use her words instead of just signing please).  Her favorite word by far: no (often said in a sing-song, whiny voice - nooooo).  This has made discipline a little more difficult as now we are trying to parent and discipline her attitude as well as her actions.  
• ~ She is really into climbing - she is climbing on top of the coffee table, under the chairs, on top of the chairs, onto the couch, and onto our bed.  
• ~ She is so close to running and jumping (her feet don't leave the ground).
• ~ She loves animals - ducks, dogs, kitty-cats (her favorite).  She loves books about animals, farm animals, pointing out animals everywhere we go, and reading books about animals.  

while andrew is sleeping...

This is how Caleigh likes to entertain herself while Andrew is sleeping - "cooking" and playing with the water.  Also notice the picture from behind - that is not a poopy diaper, though it may look like one.  Caleigh got her diaper wet and then sat on the black ledge of our doorway which was covered with dirt and pollen - makes for a dirty looking diaper.  No need for Caleigh to say "sooooeeee" (meaning sho-wee) and wave her arms as she does when it is a real dirty diaper.

loving and kissing sweet little a

loving andrew

such a little miss priss

helping...

This is where Caleigh can be found every time Andrew cries (and often found rocking the cradle not so gently).

Caleigh really is such a great helper with baby Andrew - besides alerting me when he is crying (as if I didn't already know) - she loves to get diapers, throw away diapers, take out wipes, give him is pacy (often ramming it roughly into his eye b/c she is not very accurate - we are working on this), giving him kisses, and putting away his clothes.  What a great big sister!

bringing home baby

On Thursday we took our sweet little A to the doctor for a weight check: 6 lb 15 oz at 4 days old... not quite back to birth weight.  We also had to take him to the hospital to get his bilirubin checked since he was looking a little more yellow - it was 13.8.  Because his bilirubin was a little high on Thursday, I took our little guy back to the hospital to have it checked again on Friday - it was 13, so we are in the clear with that!  Some pix from last week...

On Thursday we also gave Andrew his first (sponge)bath which he hated.  To show his displeasure he treated us to our first urine shower which squirted halfway across the kitchen - it was hilarious and we were pretty impressed with his distance. Today we took our little man back to the doctor again for a weight check - at 8 days old he weighs 7 lb 11 oz - that is 7 oz more than his birthweight!  The doctor said they usually like to see babies gain 0.5 to 1 oz per day in the beginning and Andrew has been gaining 3 ounces a day - he is a growing machine.  We have loved spending time with our little guy and with sweet Cals.  I think both of us were a little nervous about not being able to love both equally - Adam was nervous that we would love and spend so much time caring for A that we would neglect Caleigh and I was more concerned that I would spend so much time loving, taking care of, feeding, disciplining Caleigh that I wouldn't be able to bond with Andrew.  We have seen that God has increased our love for both of our children and given us the capacity to love them both - in different ways.  

heading home...

On Tuesday we headed home from the hospital with our sweet baby boy.  

He has been great since we have been home - he does pretty well at night - although he eats like clockwork every 3 hours.  Unlike Caleigh, he hates to be swaddled - he gets really mad and fights it to get it undone.  Here's to hoping he will be a thumbsucker like his big sister...

andrew's most important visitor

Andrew's most important visitor (and likely the least interested) was Caleigh. 

Caleigh sharing her prized possession - her silky - with Andrew (and then promptly snatching it back)...

Opening a present from Andrew...

the comparison game

Andrew - 

and Caleigh (from Nov. 27, 2007) -  And the comparison game: they look a little bit alike - Andrew's hat is covering his hair but it is blonde - I think even blonder than Caleigh's.  Even in this baby picture you can see that she is going to have some big sweet cheeks - looks like Andrew probably won't.  Caleigh's mouth is smaller but I think they have pretty much the same nose.  They definitely have the same chin and crease below the mouth (like Adam).  Caleigh's eyes are bigger, but both of them have blue eyes.  Overall I think they will look like they are related but I think that Andrew probably looks more like Adam and as we all know, Caleigh is the spitting image of me.

Andrew's hospital visitors...

Somehow I posted these in reverse order, but we were thrilled to see friends and family while we were in the hospital!  Thanks to y'all for all the prayers, treats, company, and acts of service (especially to Grandpa and Grandpa Dyer for coming at 2:30 am on Sunday morning to watch Caleigh and hold down the fort at our place).  We really appreciate it and are blessed by such great relationships! My prayer quad - Carrie, Melissa, Mary, and I on Sunday night...

And husbands and some children (sans Dave - we missed you!)... Adam's brother Jon and his girlfriend, Kayla, on Monday night... The proud grandparents and Aunt Karen with Caleigh and Andrew on Sunday night... Grandpa and Gammy... Gigi (who came to my rescue and kept me company in the hospital on Monday while Adam left to take Caleigh to the pediatrician for her sinus infection and double ear infection - despite tubes)... Aunt Karen, Poppop, and Gigi just after I gave birth to Andrew... And again with Caleigh on Sunday evening... Thanks!!!  (We missed you Uncle David!)

More Andrew pictures -

Mama and her sweet little guy...

What a sweet baby boy... Ohhh, that was a good nap... Caleigh loving on her little kitty cat that Andrew got her to celebrate his arrival...  She is sick with a 103 fever so we don't have any shots of Caleigh with her little brother yet. Proud parents of a little baby boy...  (yes I have already changed out of my hospital gown - but it is still a day 1 picture)...

Andrew is here!!!

Andrew Curtis Dyer was born on 6/14/09 at 8:43 am.  He weighted 7 lb. 4 oz. and was 20.75 inches long.  He has a head of short white blond hair (not as strawberry blond as it looks in the first picture).

His face is also really bruised from his traumatic trip through the birthing canal.  He didn't want to come all the way through the birth canal on his own and so I pushed him down, squeezing his sweet little head all the way.   He is such a cutie!  I will post more of the birthing story when I get a chance - but praise the Lord, Andrew is here and healthy!

girls night at the epicenter

On Saturday night the Dyers and the Hunts joined the Dirks at their home for a impromptu cookout.  The kids spent some time playing outside and the dads spent some time at the grill.  After a wonderful spread we put the kids down to sleep and the girls headed out on a 'one last hurrah' girls night out.  We went to the epicenter downtown for ice cream and a free concert (Ryan Cabrerra and Josh Kelly).  Picture numbero uno - the 2 preggies squashing the slim one...

This picture is so much cuter!  You can see the band in the background - it was such a fun evening out - we felt like the oldest life stage there - we were eating ice cream while everyone else was drinking beer.  We really had a great time. This little outing is also vital to my birthing story of baby Andrew...

andrew's corner

This corner is what we like to call Andrew's corner.  Since we live in a 2 bedroom condo right now, his abode will be the corner of our bedroom (or a bathroom if it turns out we can't sleep too well with him in there).

I have had so much fun nesting in this little corner!  The cradle is a gorgeous solid cherry rocking cradle that we found on craigslist.  We bought a mattress, a mattress pad, a sheet, and the beautiful bumper was made by one of my mom's friends, Peggy.  The little hanging outfit is the one Andrew will come home from the hospital in. The little monkey in the cradle (for our little monkey) is the 'gift' that Caleigh will give Andrew when she meets him for the first time.  Everything is ready for you little guy - come here soon!

ketchup lover

Caleigh loves ketchup.  As you can see - she prefers it to most foods that are supposed to go with ketchup.  

18 months

So Caleigh was 18 months almost 3 weeks ago.  I can't even describe all of the fun new things she is doing.  Her 4th molar just came through.  Her 18 month stats are: 23 lb 12 oz (43rd%), 31 inches (32th%), and her head circumference is 18 inches (28th%).  I think the funny thing is that her feet are tiny!  She is wearing size 3 sandals right now which is a typical size for 3-6 months of age!  She is such a great joy to us.  She is talking a mile a minute but we understand none of it!  It is a funny stage to be at.  She is also very much into mimicking us and copying what she sees us do.  She is a fabulous little helper which will be great for when Andrew gets here - she loves cleaning the floor, putting the clothes in the wash, putting things away, watering the flowers, etc.  Her new favorite thing (for summer!) is that she loves playing in the water - pools, splash parks, buckets of water on the back porch - you name it, she likes it.  

Her hair was getting pretty long so we got it cut on Tuesday - I need to get a better picture of the whole thing but you get the gist.  It is now a really short bob.  I didn't envision it being this short but it will be so much cooler for her and I won't have to get it cut again - hopefully not until the end of the summer or later.  She loved getting it cut!  She sat so still while they cut it and then she even let them blow dry it!  She likes being groomed in general as long as it doesn't interrupt her agenda.  Another new thing she is saying a lot recently is 'no.'  When she really means no she will say nnnnnooooooooo in a long low syllable and shake her head and hands back and forth for emphasis.  I have to try not to laugh because it is so cute - but I can see how it will make discipline a little trickier now that she can verbally defy us as opposed to just doing it in her actions.  We love our sweet little 1 and a half year old peanut and can't wait for her to be a big sister!

beach trip (part 1)

For Memorial Day weekend (I guess about 2 or 3 weekends ago) Adam and I packed up and headed down to Myrtle Beach with Caleigh.  We left on a Thursday night after dinner with hopes that Caleigh would sleep in the car all the way down.  In actuality she mostly cried in the car and slept intermittently.  Granted she was running a 103 fever all day - but hoping it was a virus (and it was!) we braved the trip anyway.  We had some fun activities that we hoped to do with Caleigh while we were there.  On Friday morning we made pancakes and then went to Ripley's Believe It or Not Aquarium which was expensive but so fun.  Caleigh liked pointing out the fish, though her favorite thing was turning a wheel on some pipes (something of course she could do anywhere).  Adam and I got to touch stingrays so that was neat.  We also learned that sea horses mate for life and that it is the males that get pregnant and carry the eggs to term - that was of much interest to me seeing as I was about 36 weeks pregnant at the time.  On Friday afternoon we headed to the pool - 

I am being very brave to capture myself in a maternity swimsuit at 36 weeks... Caleigh really loved the pool but kept wanting to walk down the steps with no floatie on - but when you would take her in the deeper water she would get frustrated that she couldn't do it herself.   On Saturday morning we packed up (a lot!) of stuff and headed to the beach (we weren't staying on the beach).  Caleigh's favorite part of our trip was putting on sunscreen - she loved getting it sprayed on her and then 'helping' rub it in.  Often she would walk around and pick up the sunscreen and then try to put it on herself and us and then pretend to rub it in.  It was very cute - and if you haven't made the switch to spray sunscreen you have to do it - Adam and I have been using it since our honeymoon in 2004 and it is fabulous (and so easy with kids!).  I did use the stick sunscreen on her face so it would run into her eyes.  Guess I got these pigtails a little lopsided.... Once at the beach Caleigh wasn't so sure what to think.  She hadn't had a fever since Friday afternoon but still wasn't her normal self.  When we took off her sandals and her feet touched the sand she immediately freaked out and kept holding up her feet for us to brush the sand off of them.   She was quite the priss. After much convincing (and some whining on her part) we were able to get her to play in the sand for about 10 minutes.

The water was even less enjoyable for her - she really hated the way her feet would sink in the sand. We finally resorted to Adam sitting with her on the towel trying to convince her to play and me sitting in a chair reading a book (I think I read maybe 1 page).  She was pretty interested in the birds that were on the beach but not enough to actually walk on the sand.  We ended up leaving after maybe an hour and a half.  After Caleigh's nap on Saturday we took her to do one of our favorite beach activities - play putt-putt!  She was mostly into trying to pick up all of our balls and go put them in the hole.  But Daddy is convinced we are going to have a little golfer... Are we related or what... Unfortunately Adam beat me by 3 strokes so that was a little sad - but we did each get a hole in one! See the next post for part 2 of our adventure...