Three!

Three!? I'm shocked that my baby boy is a three year old.  Leading up to his birthday (details on that in a sec...), we really started pushing potty training and dumping the pacifier.  So far, one down, one to go.  He will use the potty but not consistently.  We'll get there.  As many have reassured me, he won't be going to college in a diaper (or biting, or using a paci, or...you get my point).

At his three year wellness check up Brock was delighted to learn he didn't need any vaccination shots.  But he still wanted a sucker that I foolishly (and prematurely) promised.  Heck, he deserved it. He was patient and cooperative during the examination (Dr. said he's doing great!).  He is enamored with our physician so the night of his appointment, he told me that Dr. Kroes said paci's are for babies and he's a big boy now.  Done.  He hasn't looked at or asked for his pacifier since. 

Stats from his check up:
Height:  2' 11"
Weight: 26 lbs. 3 oz.

Overall he is in the 3rd percentile in height and 13% combined height/weight.  What he lacks in height and weight, he makes up for in PERSONALITY!  This kid was made for the stage.

Now on to the fun stuff.  We had a MARCHING BAND themed birthday party for Brock. It was so fun!  He had a few of his buddies over and their families.  We ate yummy food, parents libated on beer and wine, and everyone devoured cupcakes - all before nap time.  The weather was spectacular; couldn't have asked for a more glorious day.

The kids decorated tambourines and hats upon arrival and just as they were getting restless, we surprised them with a marching band!

Originally I wanted to hire the Stanford marching band.  They would have done it but they required a minimum of 20 band members (that would have terrified the kids!) and it was their Spring Break.  So, I contacted our local high school band.  Five students came over (if you ever plan this party, no more than 7 musicians is my recommendation)  and surprised the kids with musical entertainment.

Initially the kids were quiet and not sure what to make of the noise.  All the parents eased their fears and within minutes everyone was overjoyed.  The band played a few songs (including Happy Birthday), then corralled the kids and took them on a parade on our street. It was toddler chaos - totally adorable and disastrous all rolled into one.  There was no order, there was no synchronization; just toddlers running around with the band.  Brock and his buddy Drew held the banner and took their jobs very seriously.  These videos don't even begin to showcase the adorableness of it all.

All in all, it was a fun day and I'm not sure how we are going to top this birthday in years to come. Happy Birthday to my, "I can do it myself, Mom; I'm a big boy" Brock.  We love you!

6 months

Yep, it happened. Another month crept up.  Cade turned 6 months on February 17th.

He's growing up so quickly.  His favorite things right now are sitting up unassisted, grabbing toys, inserting anything (and everything!) into his mouth, saying da da, and smiling.  Lots and lots of smiling.  He's a pretty happy fellow.

On the food front, we've had to limit his foods to high fiber foods because he is having pretty bad constipation.  We've been administering suppositories (super fun, not really) daily to assist in the bowel movements.  Our physician said one more week of that, then a specialist if he doesn't start to go routinely on his own. For now, baby oatmeal, pureed prunes, pears, apples and carrots are all he's chowing down on.

He's also had a trim.  His side curls were too much for Brian to handle so he snipped them. He wanted to take a little off the top, too but I firmly refused.  His curls are adorable.  So what if he is mistaken (literally every day) as a girl. 

His vitals at 6 months (50% percentile)
Height 27 inches
Weight 17 lb., .05 oz
Head Circumference 42 cm

February

February came and went incredibly fast.  The month started off with a business trip to Amsterdam for Brian.  Some of you might recall last year's trip  where I got to tag along.  It didn't make sense for me to go again this year so Grandma came to help keep the boys in line.

As usual, Grandma's visit was awesome.  Brock woke every morning to delicious french toast and ended each night snuggled up with grandma reading books. Cade had plenty of snuggle time with Grandma, too.  I'm not sure who enjoyed that more.  He was all smiles in her arms.

The weather couldn't have been more agreeable for February.  We spent a lot of time outdoors playing at the park. We even had a chance to go to one of our favorite sushi restaurants.

Thanks for another great visit, Grandma.  We love you so much!

Then something terrible happened.  Something so awful that it's still heart breaking to think about, let alone talk about. Our dear friend Anne died suddenly of a brain aneurysm.

Anne and I were pregnant with our boys (Brock and Connor) at the same time. She and I also grew up in the same town and went to the same schools. She married Brian's friend, Jim and that is how we connected. Anne was one of the kindest, honest, funniest, liveliest persons I ever knew.

Her funeral, while incredibly sad, was filled with hilarious stories of Anne that made everyone laugh, then burst into tears knowing all we had left were our memories. What is even harder to process is the loss her beloved son, Connor, is enduring. He's only three.  And he lost the one person who loved him more than anything. Anne wanted a family so much.

We'd talk (over copious amounts of wine) about our fears of infertility. Mine became a reality and she got pregnant almost immediately. I'm so happy she did because while three years is never enough time to be a mother, in those three years, she filled Connor's life with love and joy to last him a lifetime.

Anne at our wedding (she's in the left corner in the black and white polka dots)

Blushing bride, Anne at her wedding in 2008

Anne and Connor at Brock's 1st birthday

  Here is her obituary.  We miss you so much, Anne.  May you watch over Connor and Jim and keep them safe. We promise to do our best to help Jim and make sure Connor continues to smile and live life as you'd want him to: fully.

By the second half of February, the entire household was under siege with colds and coughs.  We stayed in bed, indoors and away from the world.  Just now (it's the first week of March) we are re-entering society germ free.

February- it came and went. 

Hello, 2013. When did you get here?

It's already three weeks into the new year and if these past few weeks is any indication of how quickly the year will go by, we are in trouble!  Better hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

Life at Casa McCormick is stable - for now, which is not a bad thing.  Nothing too chaotic is going on.  We battled the cough/cold virus and triumphed.  We had flu shots so hopefully whatever comes our way won't be too powerful, and we are surviving the 30 degree frosty mornings.  Brr, we are ready for some warmer weather.  I know, I know, we Californians are wimps. 

The boys have been (as usual) adorable.  Of course they are perfect and never raise my blood pressure - at least that what this blog will document. :-) 

Brock is really enjoying preschool.  In spite of his morning rants about not wanting to go, once we arrive, he is excited and doesn't look back as I leave.  He goes three days a week but they are full days.  I think he's starting to grasp (slightly) the concept of time. The other day he mentioned that I don't come back for him for a long time and that makes him sad.  Then again, he picks up the darnedest phrases at school so maybe this is just something he is now saying but doesn't understand what it means.  Hmmm, not sure.  He's always so happy to see me when I return - it's the highlight of my day chatting with him about his day at school.  He's pretty good at giving me a play-by-play of his day. It helps that I have a copy of the curriculum and menu to keep the conversation going. 

Brock continues to LOVE reading.  He will sit through 7-10 books per night without getting anxious or bored.  And he remembers everything. I love when he corrects me, "no Mommy the book says Father, not Daddy".  Marching bands, music, cars/trucks, and dinosaurs are all the rage these days.  Construction sites - whoa, BIG deal.  Serious stuff!  I now know the difference between an Excavator, Cement and Dump truck. 

Cade is a joy.  I am thoroughly taking advantage of the YMCA's Child Watch program.  You can leave your child in their center for 2 hours while using the facilities.  I've got a routine that allows me to workout four times during the week, then on the weekends Brian and I take shifts going to the gym.  Too bad I'm still 7 lbs from my pre-baby weight...well, I will keep working out and hopefully I'll get back to my old self soon. 

Around the time of his 4-month check up our physician said if he seemed interested in food to start him on solids.  We didn't start Brock on solids until 6 months so this seemed foreign to us.  Cade, unlike Brock, has been watching our every move and smacking (yes, smacking!) his lips when we eat.  So, we started him on solids the other day.  Wow, does he like it.  Too bad the cereal is giving him major gas and constipation... Brian said it's like living with a college student.  Enough said.  It's so easy to forgive a child who just pooped all over you when he's this cute.

I'm not gonna lie, there are days I wish I had a girl in the house to balance out the testosterone.  A girl to shop with or get a mani/pedi with. A girl to plan her wedding with... But when I look at my three boys, I forget those thoughts and just relish in the love and joy my family provides me.  I have two amazing little boys who with the right amount of love and discipline, I can only hope turn into honest, kind and loving men, like their father. Brian is an amazing husband, father and role model for my boys.  Lucky doesn't begin to describe my life! 

Welcome, 2013.  Let's make this a year to remember!

Surviving the holidaze

I firmly believe that the holiday season starts at Halloween and ends at Super Bowl.  So, while the holidays aren't officially over, the majority of them have passed and we are in the home stretch.  The rest is just a lot of screaming at watching TV and eating junk food.  I can handle that.

Christmas was exceptionally fun this year because no one was sick (a first in years!) and Brock is sort of understanding the concept.  We didn't push the whole " I believe in Santa" thing on him so we think all he understands is that Santa is a really nice guy and we take pictures with him.  Oh, and he drives a sleigh with reindeer and he's green (he likes us to read the Grinch Who Stole Christmas).  Yep, he's still a little fuzzy on the details.

If you were to ask Brock, I'm pretty confident he would say what he enjoyed most about Christmas was seeing his cousin, Logan and being at Grandma and Grandpa's (they have THREE flights of stairs!).  He had all of their undivided attention and he loved every minute of it.  Brock talked about playing with Logan for days before and after our visit.  And the other night he was talking in his sleep about Grandma and Grandpa.  Plus, at Grandma and Grandpa's house, there were special treats like See's candy and Grandma's special carrot bread.  I think he had more fun than he could have ever imagined.  Didn't hurt that he raked in some serious toys - a keyboard, a guitar, a fire truck, cool books...and more!

The three Amigos

Grandma is grandkid heaven!

 Christmas had no significance to Cade except that a whole bunch of people wanted to hold him and flash cameras in his face.  I'm pretty sure if he could talk, he'd have some unsavory choice words for us.  But he was gracious and allowed us to take (literally) hundreds of pictures.  He did have fun playing with his new toys.  His smiles and giggles proved it. Have I mentioned how adorable this kid is?

Me and my boys

Grandpa getting a little Cade time - don't they look alike?

Cade loves his Grandma

That's a mighty proud Uncle!

Cade sporting a hand knit Stanford cap

Logan and his new bike!

We had so much fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house it was difficult to pack up and head home.  Brock kept asking why we had to leave.  He LOVES his grandparents so much (we do too!)!

Thank you, Mom and Dad for feeding, sheltering, spoiling and loving us!  Merry Christmas!

Here comes Santa Claus

Our boys were fortunate enough to see Santa Claus not once, but TWICE this year. 

The first photo attempt Brock had just finished up swim class and his eyes were burning red.  Brian was not too keen on the way the pictures turned out.  And Cade looked frightened.  I can't blame him.  The photographer's assistant used this hideous sounding clacking things to get the kids attention.  I'm not a pro in the Santa picture taking department, but I was Santa's Helper in the 9th grade and I will tell you this - I would have never chosen such a toy to encourage children to smile.  Clack Clack Clack Clack Clack Clack - oh the noise!  It still haunts me.  But I digress...

Photo One

So, two days later, after selecting two more equally adorable outfits, I braved the mall again. This time, Brock did not have swim class in the morning so his eyes weren't blazing red.  Cade, however, needed to be woken up from a pretty solid nap.  He was less than pleased with me.  So again, he looks frightened (could be from the clacking toy again). 

Much to my surprise, Santa did not wear his hat.  Of course in the frenzy of fixing hair, adjusting sweaters, and focusing my camera lens, I didn't take notice.  That was until we were finished and reviewing the series of pictures you are forced get to buy. When I inquired about his hat, the charming teenager working the cash register simply said he gets too hot in his hat so you need to request that he wear it.  What the...????

Photo Two (Santa looking cheesy sans his hat)

Yo, Santa, if you can't hack the job, then don't accept the job offer.  Just sayin'...
Merry Christmas from the McCormicks!

Four Months

How did four months pass?  Geez, this kid is growing up way too fast. 

Overall, Cade is doing fantastic.  He is happy, healthy and an absolute flirt.  I am in big trouble in a few years, my boys are chick magnets!  Just this week, he started sleeping about 10 hour stretches in the night.  It might be a short-lived phase but for now, I will enjoy my 6-7 hours of REM. 

Coming in at 25.25 inches tall (62%) and 15 lbs., 4 oz. (45%), Cade is quite a love.  But what's not to love? 

I'll tell you what's not to love.  Vaccination shots.  Poor Cade had three shots in his thighs and one oral vaccination.  He didn't enjoy this - at all.  Poor thing wailed and wailed.  Fortunately he won't remember these shots and we don't have to return for two more months!