A day in the life of a Toddler

8:00 am After breakfast, spot a bug on the floor and put a glass over it to save it to show Mommy when she wakes up. (Seriously, he took my hand, brought me over to it, took the glass off, picked it up and showed it to me! Gotta' love those boys!)

11:00 am Lookin' good after a haircut for Lance & Cassandra's wedding. He's going to be so cute as a ring bearer!

1:00 pm Bring Mommy her shoes and ask to go play outside, but pass out on the floor before she can even get them on! (We're still working out this no-nap schedule! Of course the days I need him to nap are when he's wide awake rarin' to go!)

2:00 pm Wake up refreshed and make as big a mess in the living room as possible! (How does he do that??)

3:oo pm Hanging out with "Memen", our wonderful nanny. (Aka Meagan, to those of us over 2 yrs old)

6:00 pm Falling asleep in his dinner after a very busy day!

Baby Elizabeth- Growing like a Woodgate!

Elizabeth looking for Daddy's wallet.

A little smile!

Elizabeth is now 10 1/2 pounds and 22 1/2 inches long at 7 weeks old. She's getting so big!

Halloween Pics!

Carter shared his sucker with Grandpa Kent.

Carter and his best friend Mr. Monkey (aka Griffin Asher) doing their best to sit still for a picture!

Elizabeth and Carter were both pumpkins for Halloween and were so cute! We went around Mankato to see our friends and then to the cities to see family. Carter had a blast at the Domack's Haunted Garage and hanging out with his favorite buddy Kyle. Ellie snuggled into her favorite cousin Katie on the bench outside. We all had lots of fun, the guys had some beer, the kids had some candy, and we moms had our Diet Cokes!

Doug's Cardiologist Visit

Yesterday we went up to the U of M to see a cardiologist for Doug to re-establish ongoing care. For those who don't know his story, Doug had heart surgery when he was ten years old for a coarctation of the aorta. At the appt yesterday, he had an echocardigram, an EKG, blood tests, and had his blood pressure checked. His blood pressure was a little high, which can be common in patients with his history, so the Dr. put him on a daily beta blocker to begin aggressively treating the high bp. All of the tests done yesterday looked good, as well as the results of his 48 hr Holter Monitor test. On a very good note, what Doug's earlier Dr.'s had diagnosed as a bicuspid valve is actually tricuspid. We have another full day of appts. scheduled November 28th for a lipid panel, MRA, MRI, and CT scan. The Dr. wants to have one of each of these on file, specifically to make sure Doug has not developed a brain aneurysm. Also, since we had Level II ultrasounds done with both of the kids and had them evaluated by a pediatric cardiologist, we most likely don't need to do follow up care for them. So, he definitely looks good, but we just need to do some preventative care.

It's Pumpkin Time!

We (meaning Doug) carved our pumpkin this weekend. Doug showed Carter a website with tons of designs and Carter chose a penguin, which happened to be the Linux penguin, so Daddy approved the design. (Linux is the computer system Doug works with at Brown.) So, Carter and Doug cleaned it out and carved out the penguin and did a very good job! We took some family pictures with the pumpkin and put Elizabeth in the pumpkin. She was NOT happy with that idea, but we got some cute pics anyway. Sorry, Ellie! Later I roasted the seeds for a snack. Unfortunately, they got a little too roasted. They were awful- so much for that plan!

Saturday- Cooking & Cleaning Fun!

Saturday was a fun, busy day! No, those bowls aren't filled with chocolate pudding- it's wet, muddy sand from Carter's sandbox. In order to prepare for winter, which is coming way too fast, we cleaned everything off the deck. This included Carter's turtle sandbox, which after three straight days of rain and the cover blowing off, was filled to the brim with water. Carter had fun helping us shovel the rest off the edge, though! Earlier that day he "helped" me make some chili. He was interested in the onion, so I gave it to him and he threw it in the pot- skins and all! I showed him how to peel it and then when we were done he threw it in again! He said to me, "Mom! Apple there!", which in toddler language means "I put the onion in there for you, Mom!"

Storytime with Daddy

Carter loves to snuggle in with us and read a couple books before bedtime. The other night Ellie wanted to listen, too! Carter likes the funny voices Daddy uses to change characters. And sometimes he completely changes the words, to something that cracks Mommy up!

No, Mom, I'm not tired!

This summer Carter started not sleeping during naptime and when he would take a nap, he wouldn't go to sleep at bedtime. So, we've decided to forego the nap so he gets better sleep at night. It's been a transitional process, but yesterday I guess he really needed a nap. I finally got a shower at about 2 in the afternoon and when I came out the house was quiet- too quiet. I ran out to the living room to find Carter slumped over the baby swing and not moving. I thought he was hurt until I saw his hand move and I realized he was asleep! I had to take pictures, it was too cute! It's easy to see where he gets it from, though. Daddy can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, too!

Adjusting to life at home

Ellie is just over three weeks old now and we're trying to get adjusted to life with two children and work and school. It's definitely very busy around our house! Ellie and Carter are both going through a major eating phase right now. We're expecting big growth spurts from both of them soon. Carter tends to grow by a few inches at a time so we better stock up on the next size of pants for him. Ellie has definitely plumped up a bit and she is getting cuter every day! We went through a rough patch last week with both of them not wanting to go to sleep at night. It was a tough week for Mommy & Daddy. Thankfully Daddy figured out that if we unscrew Carter's light bulb in his room then he can't turn it on and play until 11 pm. Problem solved for him! Ellie has thankfully made the switch on her own. She is back to sleeping most of the night now, waking up only once or twice to eat. This has meant more sleep for Mommy & Daddy, which was very much needed!

Carter & Ellie

Doug and I were looking back at Carter's newborn pictures and found one that was taken when he was a few days old. We compared it to one of Ellie at one day old and it was amazing how much they look alike!

More pics at home

Coming home!

We came home today and were so happy to get out of the hospital. We all left just before noon and spent time together all day. Carter is adjusting well to being a big bro' and Kimberly is still feeling pretty good. I think we all are looking forward to a few days of relaxation.