New Blog!

So I ran out of room on my blog today...this has happened before, but I've always taken out a collage and made it work. Today it's officially full, so I started a new one. Here is the link

http://casqueirokids.blogspot.com

I have written a few posts to finish out August, and I won't be posting on this blog anymore. Hopefully I will take some time to make it cute soon.

Pre-Carter August

The first 10 days of August were perhaps the longest days of my life. I tried to fill it with fun for Olivia, who was about to get the shock of her life when we brought a new brother home, so we started it out with a super fun play date with Grace at Riverfront Park. The girls enjoyed the water park, then we went inside to the Carousel. I just can't get over how cute these little girls are, and what joys they are to their moms.

Wondering where the water went...we were wondering too, because it turned off for about 15 minutes!

Grace's concentration is adorable, and Olivia's face in the background is...well...typical :)

The carousel was really fun, it's one of those activities that is so fun to share with a friend! I enjoyed watching as the girls explored their horses, kept looking at eachother to make sure they were supposed to have fun, then sat back and enjoyed the ride.

Love these girls!

After the carousel we played at the playground for a while before going out to eat. It was a really fun play date, every time I look at these pictures I am reminded that I need to plan another one! I'm thrilled to have kids that will grow up being friends with the children of my good friends...double fun for me!

On August 2nd I had my last OB appointment. Carter's induction was scheduled for the 10th, and I was set to go. Honestly I just kept hoping that he would come that day, and then the next day...the end of pregnancy is no fun. But I was lucky to have this sweet face to look at every day!

She loved her swimming pool, and was spent time nearly every day in it for a few weeks. I promise she had a swimsuit on most days...this was post-potty accident, and I just didn't care enough to put a new one on!

You know, just sitting on her uncle in a box...normal activities I'd say.

My only real evidence of nesting this time around was making doll furniture. We are living with Alex's parents, and Carter is going to stay with us in our room until he is ready to share with Olivia, so I didn't have all the nursery prep to keep me busy. Instead I decided to make some bedding for a doll cradle that Olivia was getting when Carter came home from the hospital. I was thrilled to find this cradle and a matching high chair at a garage sale, but the bedding in it was trashed. Despite my previously noted lack of domesticity, I made a trip to the fabric store at 39 weeks pregnant to get the supplies for a project. I spent 45 minutes deciding on the patterns, then bought not quite enough fabric, but I fudged a little and finished the project with 2 days to spare. I thought it turned out decently, but I won't put up a close up picture...let's just say my first sewing project in 7 years shows my lack of skill.

Our 'Big Girl' turns 2!

On October 28, Olivia turned 2! This post is all about the sweet girl that we love so much and who makes us laugh every day.

Olivia is a little fire cracker. We try not to spoil her too much, but she seems to know instinctively that she is the boss, and isn't afraid to tell you what to do. She is always coming up with new words and ways of expressing herself...she is able to speak well enough that she can say any word she wants to. This morning while watchin Sesame Street she did refuse to say 'investigate'...but I think she was just being sassy.  My favorite sentence to date was last week when I asked her where Grandma was. I honestly didn't know, and expected her normal response of 'iuh-no (I don't know)', but she surprised me with 'na-ma go food need nanas'. I was floored, but she was exactly right. A few minutes later Mary came back from the grocery store, bananas (and other food) in hand.

As you can see from these pictures, she definitely no longer looks like a baby, and is getting more and more independent and 'kid-like' every day. She is a great big sister, always trying to help Carter to be happy *please note that she equates happy with silent, and is constantly shoving his pacifier into his mouth to help him :)*. She loves mimicking mom with her babies; she feeds, diapers, and puts them down for naps multiple times a day. One of my favorite things is watching her hold her baby carrier just the way that I carry Carter's carseat as she walks around the house pointing out things for her baby to see.

Her official stats from the doctor:
Height: 35" (83%)        Weight: 25 lb 1 oz (30%)

We have definitely hit some of the terrible twos, but they aren't all that terrible. We have mostly noticed that her automatic response to anger is to throw whatever she has, but if we catch it early enough she is able to control it. She knows that a thrown toy is a lost toy, and anything thrown at a person means time out. I think her ability to let us know what she needs and wants has really helped curb the terrible twos, but I know that we are in for much more. This girl is just learning to scheme, and I know that she has quite a few good adventures left before her toddlerhood ends.

I can't believe that two years ago I held this beautiful girl for the first time. She is such a blessing in my life and the lives of everyone around her. I can't wait to see all the new skills and fun times that the next year holds.

End of June

We spent a lot of this summer enjoying the new personality that we are able to experience each day from Olivia. She is getting so capable and grown up that we are amazed all the time at the little things she does and says to let us know what she wants to do.

 

She loves to parrot anything that the grownups are doing, including 'Na-ma's' crossword puzzle in her chair outside :)

 

She has a new hobby...smelling flowers...then proceeding to pound them against the wall until all the petals fall off. Not sure who taught her that one!

On the 27th Olivia got to help Aunt Kathy and Grandma make some decorations for Carter's baby shower. She was loving being part of the team, and was hilarious with her grins and excitement.

 

Slide faces!

 The last two weeks in June Olivia had her second dose of swim lessons! This time dad got to help her most days, because mom was looking more and more like a beached whale every day. Olivia got more comfortable going under water, and started learning how to jump off the wall.

On the 29th, my wonderful in-law family threw me and Carter a baby shower. It was so fun, and we got lots of wonderful boy things. It was great, because now Carter doesn't have to go out of the house in a pink blanket - though his pink bouncer is his most comfortable place to sit :).

The next day Olivia got to be a flower girl in my good friend Alesha's wedding! She and I walked down the aisle throwing lavender seed, and she continued to throw it throughout the ceremony, which resulted in a huge lavender pile (and quite a strong scent) by our table the entire night. The wedding and reception were both wonderful, and we were thrilled to be part of the day. So thrilled that we forgot to take pictures!

Blast to the Recent - Carter 2 month

Yes I know 'Blasts from the Past' are usually more fun, but someone in our family celebrated a *not-so* important birthday this month, so I need to check in about reality.

On August 11th, Carter turned 1/6. This time has been really special for our family, as we all (even Olivia) do whatever it takes to elicit a smile. When Carter is in a good mood they are easy to get, especially for his big sister. His arms go a mile a minute and he smiles so big, with his entire face. I love when his smile just holds, and you just know he's trying to laugh. I can't wait until we get more than the raspy breath that usually accompanies his smile right now.

Carter is quite a bit louder than Olivia was as a baby; Alex and I have decided that he already has made more noise than she did in her entire first year. A lot of that noise is sad, he has some tummy issues that we are trying to work out. We have recently (as of the last few days) been able to really recognize a tired cry from a hungry cry, and are trying to help him be a happier baby.

His official measurements are:
Height: 23.5" (63%)    Weight: 11 lb 8 oz (37%)    Head Circumference: 40.5 cm (55%)

His 2 month birthday was spent on our trip to Idaho and Utah (at this point we were in Utah) meeting all his cousins. Here are a few pictures from that day, and one early but adorable one.

The first is from our time in Idaho. Teagen and Carter have a special bond. Mostly Teag just loves babies, but I think he has some special feelings for his next youngest cousin. I took this picture from the stairs, about eight feet away from the two of them. I came downstairs just to catch Teag sitting in front of Carter's bouncer, just staring and babbling at him. Carter was grinning back...such a special moment! Apparently (I missed it, but Amber saw) just a few minutes later Teag wanted to sit next to Carter, so he stood up, turned around, and slowly backed up to the bouncer, looking to be very careful where he was going. He started to sit down on the edge of the seat right next to Carter, but apparently got a little worried and decided against it, because he turned around again and sat down in front instead of on the bouncer. They sat like this loving each other for a long time before they (mostly Teag) went on to a different activity. I can't wait to see the two of them become friends as they grow up.

I'll admit to being a busy mom of two under two because my birthday picture taking is extremely lacking with Carter. I did manage to take a few on his 2 month birthday, but they were when I decided to be mean and lay him in the grass to see what he would do. Definitely concerning, but he didn't scream, so the pictures turned out okay.

I love all the little perfect baby features here, and how you can see how soft he is.

And here is just a funny glimpse into post-partum hormones. This particular morning consisted of a photo shoot with all the grandkids (which turned out AWESOME thanks to my amazing sisters), and then each family took some pictures. Olivia was being a bit of a pill all morning - after an entire week of traveling, fun activities, and sleeping in the same room as Carter, Alex, and I, acting out is to be expected - so she wouldn't hold Carter at all for a picture. They were all dressed up cute, and everyone else got a great picture, so I really wanted one for us as well. I tried this ridiculous looking pose before I eventually gave up...with a few tears. Logically I knew that the pose wasn't going to work, but my hormones needed something...so this is what they got :).

 

We are so blessed to have Carter in our lives, and are enjoying the little bits of his personality that are beginning to show as he grows stronger and more aware of us every day. I love the smiles that he saves for his mom, and love watching Olivia and Carter learn to tolerate each other and the love between them. I know that I'm extremely lucky to have two wonderful children, and try to cherish each day that I have with them.

Six Weeks!

Carter is six weeks old today! I've been a typical second-time mom, and haven't blogged very much or taken quite as many pictures. But that's not to say that I'm not loving this new stage of parenting :)

Carter is quite a handsome little man, and has captured the heart of everyone we've seen. He has started smiling, and though he is quite stingy, we are starting to see him happy more often.

Having two under two has kept our little family pretty close to home lately, but we did manage to do two days at the state fair, an OSU football game, and Enchanted Forest. We had a super fun weekend with my family in Philomath and have really enjoyed being so close to all of the Casqueiro family in Keizer.

Carter also likes to prove what a man he is. He's always making grunty groany 'man' noises, and is always trying to hold his head up and look around. This often ends in his head plummeting down my arm or into his dad's scratchy face, but we have managed not to drop him yet :).

I don't have recent pictures uploaded, but here's one from his one month shoot a couple weeks ago :) Such a cute little guy!

Weight Check

No pictures today...just the stats from our most recent Drs appointment.

On Tuesday, the 28th, Carter was a healthy 8 lb 12 oz (43%), which means he gained over a pound in the 2 weeks since his birth. he was 21 1/2" long (73%), nearly 2 inches longer than his birth length. Also, his head circumfrence was 37.5 cm (53%).

Olivia was with us as well, and she weighed in at 24 lb 15 oz (35%). I wish we had gotten her height as well, because she has grown like crazy this summer, but I forgot to ask. Needless to say, things that were safe before are no longer safe from her reach :).

I'm pleading the fifth on my weight check...I have a few pounds to lose.