Climbing up a pole

Here are the kids today playing in and on the jumper. I think it's funny that Charlotte tried to climb the pole at the end. By the way that is Cooper laughing...Charlotte's laugh is quieter. (Sorry for the bad quality...that's on our Sony Cybershot...the video camera uses such new software that it isn't easy to transfer it into something that can be uploaded to blogger.)

Zombie Days

We are feeling slightly better, but still under the weather.  Charlotte and I only got mildly sick for a day or two, but Chris and Cooper got it pretty bad.  Chris still has a bad cough and Cooper is still pretty sick. 

I feel a bit like a zombie.  Cooper was waking up every 45 min the first night he was sick, then the next night every 2 hours and the last couple nights every 3-4 hours.  Last night he was up from 2 am until 6 am crying non-stop.  Now he has lots of gas, maybe from breathing through his mouth.  He is still congested and is spitting up more from the extra drool from teething and the draining sinuses.  I feel so bad for him.

On a good note, I got another raise at work.  This is another 7% raise.  This year alone my pay has increased by 42%.  That is just unreal!  Maybe I'll stick with this industry a little while longer...from what I understand companies in Denver are paying higher salaries than what I make now.  Either way, money will go so much further in Denver than here in California.

Besides being sick and teething, both babies are doing well.  Charlotte is FAST with her army crawling.  Cooper is very close to rolling from tummy to back, which will allow him more mobility.  Cooper does this really loud growling and now Charlotte has picked it up from him.  It's funny to listen to her because it's not a normal sound she makes. 

Charlotte also steals all of Cooper's toys.  Cooper has learned to get a good grip on things and hold on to prevent her from taking the toy away.  Well, now he's found Charlotte's hair.  He gets a handful and really pulls then grabs her clothes with the other hand and yanks her around.  She's not too happy about it.  We'll see what she comes up with to fight back...she already knows how to hit him pretty good.  This will be fun when they are going through the 'mine' stage!

We're looking forward to my dad and brother coming into town next weekend.  We sold the Eclipse to my brother, so they are flying out to pick it up and drive it back.  It will be a super short visit, but it will be good to see them anyhow.

Chris has his first foster parenting class this Thursday.  Only one of is required to get licensed, and since he is home with them all day, we thought it makes sense for him to do it.  He's looking forward to having something to get him out of the house without the kids, and I'm looking forward to learning how to handle both kids by myself.

Fun pics lately:

The not so tasty peaches

She some how maneuvered her way into here:

Cooper giving the pillow some love:

Cooper having fun in the jumper:

Charlotte, the next scholar:

Sick Family

Since we came back from vacation it has been a rough week.  I tried giving Cooper cereal twice this past week and both times he woke up around 2:30 am covered in throw up.  Enough that I had to change his pj's and sheets.  Then over the weekend we all woke up not feeling well.  Some sort of a head cold.  Charlotte's been waking up several times at night and Cooper can't sleep for more than 45 minutes at a time because he's so stuffed up.  I tried breastmilk up the nose, and it worked okay, but he's still congested.  Christopher and I are both exhausted on not feeling well either.  This picture of Cooper about sums up how we are all feeling:

(Of course we are hoping that it is not the 4/5 month and 8/9  month wakeful period we are experiencing on top of not feeling well.)

And to give you an update on the crockpot meals, from the Crockpot Blog.  The 3 Packet Pot Roast is delicious and full of flavor...we added carrots and potatoes, yum!  The Layered Steak and Potatoes Dinner is also awesome, especially the corn on the cob.  We recommend using more flavoring for the meat, and lower quality steak.  The Jamaican Salmon was by far my favorite!  It had excellent flavor, cooked quickly, the fish was cooked perfectly, and it was easy clean up.  We only used 1/8 of tsp of the cayenne pepper.  Chris said he would have liked it a little more spicy, but I thought it was perfect.  The French Toast was just plain gross.  It was a soggy mess and didn't taste much like french toast.  Maybe more like a bread pudding?  I did like the nuts and brown sugar on it though, so I might try traditional french toast done this way.

Okay, off to bed in hopes of feeling better tomorrow!

Trouble Walking One Block

We had Charlotte's 9 month check-up on Wednesday.  When we showed up they told us that our appointment was on Thursday.  I showed them the card they gave me to prove I was told the appointment was on Wednesday.  They decided to 'squeeze' us in, but gave us the option of coming back the next day.  We decided to stay.

Squeeze us in = 3 hours of waiting + seriously cranky, tired babies

I went to get us some snacks and water to make a bottle for Charlotte.  We ended up giving her some of our snacks too...she loved the bits of apple and small pieces of goldfish.  We survived the appointment, but barely.  Both kids were so tired and cranky by the end. 

We filled out Charlotte's medical history.  I really think they need to revamp this paperwork for babies.  Trouble walking one block?  Um, yes, she can't walk yet.  Last premenstrual cycle?  What?!?  Okay to leave a message with someone else?  No, ur, I mean yes, she can't talk yet so it's probably best to leave a message with her mommy or daddy.  I honestly feel like I don't know how to fill those things out for a baby.

Charlotte weighs 19 lb, 4 oz and is 27.5 in long.  She is finally as tall as Cooper, assuming he hasn't grown in the last month (probably a poor assumption).  This puts her at the 50th percentile for height and 50-75th percentile for weight.  Her head circumference is at the 95th percentile.  The doctor said it's not an issue unless it changes percentile and she will likely grow into her head.  If I remember correctly her biological siblings also have larger heads.

Her Hep B vaccine is slightly off schedule, so we have to give her an extra dose at her 1 year appointment.  The pediatrician says she is meeting her milestones as expected, and looking wonderful.  She says her using a sippy cup is advanced for her age and we are doing things right when it comes to nutrition (the biggest concern we have since we are so new to it).

Charlotte is really amazing us these days.  Here are all the things she is doing:  mimicking chewing when we do it, army crawling forward and backward, transitioning from sitting to laying, waving hi/bye, raising her arms up for 'touchdown', babbling up a storm (da-da, ba-ba, ma-ma, ta-ta), putting weight on flat feet in the standing position, and eating table foods (her favorite is chicken breast and tomatoes).

Cooper is so close to sitting on his own.  He is also enjoying the jumper now.  Solids are going okay.  Baby oatmeal is his favorite.  Avocado makes him gassy and have stomach problems.  He hates pears and peaches (I don't get that...those are so yummy!).  I think we're going to stick to cereal for another couple of weeks and then slowly try to introduce other things.  He doesn't seem quite ready for the other stuff.

We received news that the termination hearing for Charlotte is Oct 20, 2008.  We originally thought that since we are family and she has been in our care that the adoption would move quickly after the termination hearing.  We found out that there is quite a bit of paperwork that goes along with adoption.  We had hoped for finalizing the adoption in November, but it looks like the absolute earliest would be February, but it could be a couple months later.  We are a little bummed, but it will be fine.  We are just excited to make it permanent.  So, I think I'm going to move forward with making Charlotte's announcements now, and then maybe do a 'We're official!' sort of announcement later.

I think we are going to move forward with taking the classes to become certified foster parents.  In order to receive assistance from the state of CO we are required to be licensed.  There are 7 classes to take and we will have to get certified in CPR and first aid, as well as do another round of background checks and finger printing.  We can use the assistance to help provide for the family as well as put money away for college educations.

Denver Trip Sept 2008

We're back!  Wow, what a trip!  We are tired and attempting to get back to our normal routine.  The first day back was a little rough.  I have so much to write about!!  I will have to break it up a little bit.  I've been writing this over 3 days now.  After this I have to catch everyone up on the other things in our lives!

Plane Ride

The airport went very smooth on the way out.  We checked the carseats at the counter with carseat bags.  It was free since they are considered a travel item.  We stuffed some extra stuff in the bags so our 2 pieces of luggage were under 50 lbs each.  Then we decided to gate check the stroller.  At security they wanted us to break down the double stroller to send it through the conveyer and we had to convince them it wouldn't fit.  We were successfuly but they were s..l..o..w at hand checking, which meant we had to attempt to collect our belongings and get dressed all while holding the babies.  Pretty tough.

The plane ride to Denver was nice because we got aisle seats across from each other.  (You can't sit in the same row on the same side with two lap babies because there aren't enough oxygen masks.)  On the way back we sat in window seats one row apart from each other, so we couldn't hand off the babies.

On the way out Cooper wasn't feeling well.  He doesn't normally spit up and usually poops once a day in the morning.  He ended up spitting up no less than 6 times all over me and pooped and leaked on me on the plane.  I didn't bring a change of clothes for me.  He also spit up on the lady next to me and I know she didn't have a change of clothes either.  Charlotte had a melt down the last 20 minutes of the flight and nothing would soothe her.  Once we landed and got off the plane she was perfectly fine.  At least they were both great on the way back.  Some KFC chicken breast works w onders for a baby who is now curious about finger foods.

The Visit

We got to see so many people while we were there.  It was wonderful to see my dad every day and my sister Savannah, brother Larry, and my mom also stopped by.  Heather and her cute pregnant belly were able to stop by for a short time and we even saw Christina Stack from college!  We went and visited Chris' mom and grandma, and also drove out to see my sister Lisa for about 30 minutes. 

We were able to have a late date night after the kids went to bed.  This was the first time we've been on a date since Cooper was born and we had a great time!!  We saw the new Batman movie, Dark Knight--great movie!!  Each of us also had a night out with friends while the other stayed home with the kids.  Then on Sunday we watched the Broncos game and loved every minute.  Nothing like watching the Broncos in Denver, especially with such a close game! 

The kids did okay with all the new faces, new places, and changes in their routine.  They got stressed out at times and seemed to get tired quicker.  Charlotte was really unsure about everyone, but Cooper did really well.  I think it's mostly their age difference since Charlotte is going through stranger danger, and Cooper isn't yet.  At the same time it is a little bit of their personalities.  Cooper is just more social than Charlotte.

The kids had a blast playing with Maile.  Mikael and Che inspire us to be better parents.  They are SO patient and Maile is so sweet!

We didn't take many pictures, so I hope my dad and Che send me their pictures!

Maile has a healthy obsession with shoes:

And not just wearing our shoes, but also putting them on our feet:

Cooper has become super flexible:

Cooper loved Grandpa:

Cooper especially loved Grandpa's beard:

Maile and Charlotte at dinner time (with my brother in the background)...Charlotte wasn't so happy:

Spaghetti face:

Mango face (I think):

Cooper and Raeann.  Where's the milk?  (Chris says this is Cooper's first realization that not all women are created equal):

Maile 'holding' Cooper.  We stood them next to each other and Maile was only an inch or two taller than Cooper:

Cooper so exhausted:

Laundry basket rides, all fun and games:

Until Cooper joins in:

Girls' night out with Che and Nicole:

Family photos taken by Che (Che Day Photography).  They turned out beautiful!!  I wish we would have had more time to get more poses.  The kids were a little tired and it was tough to get them both to cooperate.  Cooper and Chris always seemed to be preoccupied with the football game taking place at the park:

Cooper's 5 month pictures (more in the header)

Charlotte's 9 month old pictures (more in the header):

Remaining photos will be uploaded to the shutterfly sites soon.