Faces of Adison

She is smiling up a storm these days, she just loves to be talked to which is lots of fun for us.
I was trying to capture a smile on camera yesterday, but was always a second too slow. Thankfully, Kevin came home and did the talking while I did the picture taking and we have a little grin!
Be sure to click on the last picture of Kevin and Adison to see a larger look at her little smile.

The Best of Friends

I got a treat recently when my very good friend, Dana, visited me to see Adison and help out. We met over 15 years ago on a waterslide during a church youth group outing. We clicked, and next thing you know we were pretty much inseperable for our high school years. We were talking last night about it all, and said our parents must have thanked their lucky stars for our friendship, because our idea of a good time on a friday night was a slumber party watching Elvis movies (we've been to Graceland together twice).

She was great here, being an extra pair of hands, cooking us dinner and enduring a few tantrums by Dr. No (Grammy's new name for Cole).

I'm grateful to the Lord for bringing such a special friend into my life, and grateful that after 15 years we are still close and keep in touch, "talking" daily through online chats. Kevin watched the kiddies while we went out Friday night and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and did some window shopping at Southpoint Mall. It was so fun to just laugh and talk like a day hadn't passed since that day at the water park.

Helping Daddy

I've done posts like this I think every month, but it never stops being cute. Cole LOVES to help Kevin outside. They'll be out there together for hours. Today's project was picking up the leaves and Cole actually did a great job scooping up leaves onto his heavy shovel and putting them in the pile. :)

Peanut

I have this sling called The Peanut Shell, and it's super cozy microfleece fabric. We havent' used it much yet, but she's starting to be big enough for it, and she really likes it. It's great to to outside with Cole and keep her toasty warm. She usually falls asleep in it in a matter of minutes.

Anyway, just a picture of her all wraped up in it when I put her down for a minute. Look at those little eyes...wonder if they'll be brown?

Playing Around

I cleaned out our pantry last week, and it's not a large pantry but it's coniserably more roomy now that it's been organized. So roomy, in fact, that a 2-year-old can fit comfortably in there. I was cooking one day and Cole decided this was his new play space. He spent 30 minutes going in and out of the pantry. He'd go in, close the door, yell "I'm in the Pantry!!" , open the door, come out and say "Hi Mama! Glad you came here!" give me a hug and then repeat the sequence again.
He also added some battery powered lights to make it more cozy in there.
I took a picture and then he promptly grabbed the camera, got in the pantry and took another picture of himself.

Deck the Halls

Here are some pictures of the Chrismtas decorations at our house.

Cole had a good time helping decorate the tree, and he strategically placed alll the ornaments in a nice clump at Cole-level.

Kevin is once again master of the outside lights. My new favorite decoration is of our Moravian Star I got this year at Homewoods Nursery.

Who's Your Mama?

That's Right. I am the Mother. I am in Control (supposedly...).

This picture is a sampling of one of our daily battles as Cole moves through his 2-year-old independence streak. It's nap time, and I've started gating him in his room as a way to keep him in there. The rule is, if you're not going to sleep-- play or read quietly, but don't come out of your room. On this particular day, he'd run through all the stall-tactics, and all his little needs were met. So when he started screaming, "Mama! Mama! I NEED warm milk! I NEEEEEED warm milk!!" (which he'd already had, by the way) I simply looked at him from my bedroom and slowly closed my door. After about 20 minutes I noticed it had gotten pretty quiet so I peaked out and this is what I found.

He slept solid for 2 hours and another 30 minutes after that after I tried to get him up. I vacuumed, changed a screaming Adison in his room and he was still out. :) See? I knew he needed a nap...if he would just listen to his mother.

P.S. Mom: I'm sorry for every SINGLE time I didn't listen to you. :)

(Little) Lady in Red

Red is Grammy's favorite color, and I must admit I like it quite a bit myself. There's nothing exciting about this post, except that Adison is wearing a cute red outfit given to her by some good friends. She even has soft, furry, matching booties.

Poinsetta Paradise

Emily, Mom and I went to the opening of a local Nursery's annual poinsetta sale. It was just beautiful! It just puts you in the mood for christmas, and I didn't escape without buying two poinsettas, a Moravian star that lights up, and a small, pre-lit christmas tree for Cole & Adison's room.

It was a fun morning of girl-talk and coffee (thank to mom) and the only thing that would have made it better was if Chris and Carine could have been there too. :)

Mark It.

2:01pm

Mark that time and make a note that, miraculously, both my babies are asleep at the same time.
I can still hardly believe I am a mother of two. I'm sure all the mothers of 3, 4, and 5 are laughing at me right now. But that's fine. I find myself enjoying more of the little things with Adison. I was never one to stare into Cole's face for hours in awe. I loved him as a baby, no doubt, but I just wasn't that fluffy type of mama. I do find myself enjoying her moments more, though. And I look forward to her growing up so I can see what kind of personality she will have and I can't wait for her to be old enough to interact with Cole and see how they play together.

Aside from being 2 and bossy, Cole has been a fantastic big brother. He is eager to help, like getting her diaper and informing when Adison is crying and that I should go get her. :) Even on the rough days, there's nothing I'd rather be doing right now. Well, almost nothing.... :)

A Closer Look

I haven't been able to get that many good close-ups of Adison, so here's one for you.

Kitchen Redo

We needed some new countertops in our kitchen, and it just so happens the brand of counters we ordered offered a free sink with it. Well, we can't have a pretty sink with an old faucet, and for that matter why don't we replace that ugly and loud dishwasher that doesn't really clean the dishes? You get the idea....

So here's our mini kitchen makover. I forgot to take a before picture; so the wow-factor is significantly diminised. But the countertops were all white before and this new color really warms up the kitchn. The dishwasher is humming quietly as I type this. :)

Focus

It's time for a doggy post since the blog makes reference to them. Our younger dog, Irbe, may not be the brightest light on the tree, but I will tell you one thing he knows how to focus. This picture is a view of him staring intently on a ball just out of view. He will bring his ball to you, drop it and stare a burning hole into it until you pick it up and throw it for him. Cole has really taken to bossing the dogs around pretty good and has started giving them a little shove and tell them to "go on!" and the dogs are just champs about it. They usually give us a sad but obediant look "Am I really taking instructions from a 2-year-old?" Welcome to my world, doggies....

Adison One month Old

One Month Old


One Week Old




Actually almost 5 weeks now! She continues to just pork up and round out. She was 6 pounds 7 ounces last week, and I imagine she's going to be 7 by the end of the week. I included a picture of her at one week to see the difference. She's wearing a 0-3 month outfit (provided by my very good friend "aunt" Dana!) and it's still loose on her, but she's about to start fitting into all the adorable things that are hanging in her closet. :)

Breaking The Law

There was a time, believe it or not, that we let these two large, smelly, snoring dogs sleep on the bed. I can hardly believe it myself, actually. I used to get the raw end of the deal. I'd wake up with dog paws in my bag and hugging the edge of the bed while Kevin, Bou and Irbe slept happily away. Well, we decided when we moved 2 years ago: new house, new rules. One of these was 'No Doggies on the Bed'.

Kevin takes pleasure in bending those rules from time to time, and he decided to call both dogs onto the bed one night. They know it's wrong, because you have to literally beg them to jump up. But when they get there, it's like fast-setting cement: good luck getting them off. I captured this momentary lapse in judgement the other day. I made them get down only minutes after Kevin called them up. I like how both dogs refuse to look at me taking a picture.....obviously they are ridden with guilt.

Trick Or Treat

Cole was excited about Halloween this year. Why? Because he is now very aware not only of what "chocolate" is, but also that he likes it very much. Here is our friend, Lizzie (A Fairy) at the house before we hit the streets. Kevin kept raiding Cole's bag for the good stuff practically moments after he got it. But Cole still managed to get plenty of chocolate and other candy. He had a blast as an elephant.

Pumpkin Carving

We picked out three great pumpkins at the Farmers market this year. On pumpkin-carving night, Cole set up with his markers to color his pumpkin and Kevin got his tools out for carving. I didn't have much energy for it, so my pumpkin sat embarassingly un-decorated on our front porch. But the boys had a blast and here are some pictures of the action. Note the face Cole is making, I asked him to smile for the camera.

First Bath

Here is Adison's first bath. She wasn't really crazy about it and I don't blame her. You don't really get to sit in the nice warm water unter you are a few months old. I'm sorry I don't have a new picture of her, but she is growing like a weed. She weighed in at 6 pounds 7 ounces this week, which is up from 5 lbs 11 oz last week.

We have found she likes music and singing, and it seems to calm her when she is fussy, particularly when Daddy sings it.

Adison One Week Old

Here she is at one week old with her little Doggy friend. I leave the naming of it up to Kevin, as he is the one who named Cole's small stuffed Elephant "elly". So for now it's just boring old doggy.

I am stealing an idea from another Blogging friend of mine (Brandy & Sarala!!) and decided it would be fun to chart a little of her growth against her doggy friend. Since she started her little life on the smaller side, it will be neat to see how quickly she catches up. So here she is against her friend and every week or so I'll post another picture of them and we'll watch Doggy begin to look smaller and smaller!

P.S. Thanks to Aunt Jenny for the super, super adorable knit outfit she is wearing. Adison will be wearing this until it absolutely will not fit anymore. It's our favorite!!

And Then there were FOUR!

We joyfully announce the arrival of Adison Margaret Marie Spillman on October 12, at 3:08pm in the afternoon. Our little girl weighed in at 4 pounds 12 ounces. She arrived early via C-section and spent a little time in the hospital after her arrival, but we are thankfully home now and getting settled in!

We are thrilled and Cole is already a huge helper and wonderful brother. He keeps saying, "he's a good baby!" (we're working on the he/she thing......) and "it's a tiny little baby!" :)

One of My Favorite Things

Yesterday for the first time since Cole started Preschool, I didn't have any appointments or errands to do. So I stopped and got myself a Mocha and a muffin at Starbuck's and came home to read my bible. 10:00 is one of my favorite times of the day, which may sound silly. But it's still got a lot of morning light and it's quiet and with no one in the house but me and two doggies, I was able to sit at the table and read with no schedule to keep.

It's Back!

Hockey Season officially started on Wednesday and Kevin and I went to opening night for the Hurricanes. It was an extra special game since they were raising the Stanley Cup Champions banner. The Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe, Prince of Wales and....I think the Selke trophy were also on dislplay in the arena. We lost the game 3-2 in a shoot-out against Buffalo (boo!), so that was the only downer of the night. Kevin and I aren't getting season tickets for the first time in quite awhile, just because with a new baby in the mix, we just wouldn't be going to as many games. We're still planning on going to one a month.

Just Chilling Out

Cole decided yesterday that he wanted to wear his sunglasses when we were getting dressed. It's funny because he hasn't worn them in a long time and they were stuffed in his closet so I'm not sure what made him decide he needed them. When I was getting ready and he sat down to watch his video, he refused to take them off. :)

C-O-L-E spells "Cole"

We captured a little something surprising on video this past weekend. Cole wrote out his name for the first time. Now Kevin is really the Teacher in the family, and has been spelling out important words like "Cole, Mama, Daddy, Irbe and Bou" for awhile now. Cole knew what they were purely by memorization. He learned how to do an "E" a few weeks ago. And the "L" came easily after that. Anyway, I'm blabbing on but to one day I hear him in his playroom at his table saying "spells Cole!" So I come in and look at his little paper, and call Kevin and tell him his son has just written his name, alone, without any prompting.

We captured a repeat on video and sometime soon I'll figure out how to do those video posts on blogger. But until now, here's a picture of him with his little masterpiece, and a close up.

We're trying not to put too much stock into it.....but that's pretty impressive for 2 1/2, right?

Baby Bedding

While I'm not completely done, I dont' have the patience to wait until the finished product to post my latest venture. I'm making a bumper for the crib in a fabric that matches the room and I'm halfway there. I went ahead and put it on the crib to see how it looked and it's fun to see something take shape! This was a great and easy project I bought forever ago where the bumper pad inserts are pre-cut and ready for you to basically just cut some rectangles out and sew around them. It's taken a little time to measure all the pieces since it doesn't come with a pattern, but I'm pretty happy with the results. The little pink bows add a girly touch to the crib without over-doing it. I have the same fabric in a 'boy' pattern of blue and green that I'll use to make a pillow case for Cole's "blue bed" as we call it. I still have a few more finishing touches planned for the room, so maybe I can hold out now until it's all done before I post again. :)

Four Eyes

Here we have Cole with his first take-home craft from Preschool. He calls it "for eyes", which is funny since 'four eyes' also applies. He wore it all around his neck this morning and then got a few good laughs at himself looking at me through his little binoculars.

He seems to be enjoying preschool more and more. I think he's always liked his teachers, Ashley and Kim as he asks about them the minute I pick him up to take him home, "Where's Miss Ash-eh-ley" (he says her name in 3 sylables). Some days, however he's reluctant to go ("all done school today"), and sometimes when I pick him up and ask him about school he refuses to talk about it. I think it's just a busy morning twice a week and he's probably ready to just let down on the way home.

Drop off time had been a bit traumatic, but we are finding a little system that works for us. We pray either before we leave the house or in the car on the way about his day at school outloud together, and then he's reminded that when I pick him up, there will be a Chocolate Milk waiting in his little cup holder in his car seat for him.

What's really interesting is that each day he mentions another one of the kids in his class, and so far he hasn't mentioned the same kid twice. So either these other 2 year olds are actually befriending each other, or they are bothering each other. :) The moms of the class are getting together next week after we all drop the kids off and I look forward to meeting them. Honestly I'm just happy to go through the year anonymous, but it's good for me to step outside the comfort zone and really get to know other mothers in his class.

All in all I think it's a great thing for Cole, and for me, although the adjustment has been harder than I anticipated. I figured 3 hours free twice a week would be party-time but I find I miss my little boy and wish I could be a fly on the wall, watching him interact with others in a social environment without his mother around. But the time before baby has been valuable and will be even more so after her arrival.

Lunch with the Stanley Cup Champions

We were very fortunate again this year to be invited by one of Kevin's chemical suppliers to the annual "We Love the Hurricanes Luncheon". Last year we went and had a blast and were surprised when Debbie invited us to attend again. We sat with Ray Whitney, who was a real nice guy and we heard lots about his summer in his home town of Edmonton, his adjustment to Raleigh, his hockey history and then a lengthy college football conversation with some other guys at the table at which point I zoned out. :)

He is playing at the first exhibition game tonight and left early so we didn't get a picture with him, but we did nab Eric Staal and grap a photo with him. He really is tall. We also said hello to Frank Kaberle, who we sat with last year and absolutely loved. He will be sidelined most likely all of this season after surgery and was wearing this arm brace that looked incredibly uncomfortable. So while we're sad we wont' see him on the ice, it was nice to see him in person. Obviously he's not going to remember we sat with him, but several of us at the table last year said hello at the same time and mentioned it and he was so gracious and warm. A great guy.

My only complaint is that the Stanley Cup was not there. I was really hoping this would be my chance to see it up close and not have to wait in line with thousands of other people at the Caniac Carnival in a few weekends....bummer.

8 Months

Not much to say here....I'm 8 months and starting the countdown. Going to the dr. weekly, which seems unreal. It's been an uneventful pregnancy aside from the beginning morning sickness, so we are grateful for that. Just ready to meet our little girl.

I'm also putting up an ultrasound we had of her at...hmmm....I think it was 28 weeks or something. Her eyes are clearly open, as well as her mouth. She was opening and closing it during the ultrasound. This same little girl was "clapping" in the womb at 16 weeks when we found out her gender. So far she has been a pretty active little lady....you'd think she was auditioning for Cirqu de Soliel the way she's been moving around. :)

Working Weekend

This weekend Kevin and I got out our "To Do" lists and set out to tackle a good portion of it. We got a lot done, which felt really great!!

First on our list was painting Cole / Baby Girl's room a lighter green on the top half to lighten the Lime-Factor in there. I still have all the decorations to put up, including the bumper (which still needs to be made: but fabric is on order!), and I think it's all going to come together just great. A great happy room for both of them.

Next I painted a 'chalkboard' with chalkboard paint in the sewing / play room. I had been wanting to try this for awhile. I haven't used chalk on it yet, b/c you're supposed to wait 3 days so tomorrow will be the big try.

Kevin also put up a magnetic strip for Cole's pictures above the drawing area.

And finally, the Outdoor Taskmaster (Kevin) moved some plants to the back yard and made a beautiful border for it. It looks so finished, I wish I had a before picture, it was really quite yucko. He further surprised me by buying a Hydrandgea plant, which we've been wanting to get for quite some time. We refer to this plant as our '3rd Baby' because we really want this pretty thing to survive and blossom.

The funny thing is all this was done to "get ready for the baby" and pretty much none of it is necessary for bringing a baby home, but it feels good to have some projects done. :)

Virginia Beach

Last weekend we went to visit my brother and his fam in Virginia Beach. It was such a nice visit, and so relaxed and the girls kept all 6 of their little eyes on Cole the whole time, making certain he was entertained. We were able to see the Oceana Air Show that is put on there every year. Kevin and Dean braved the entire day, from 10-5. The rest of us met up with them around 2, in time to see the Blue Angels perform. It was so cool. The one picture I caught on my little camera doesn't do it justice, but thankfully Dean made us a copy of all his super great pictures. Here we are enjoying the show!!

First Day of Preschool

I'll get a better picture next week, one of his class, but Cole had his first full day of preschool last tuesday. He was apprehensive, to say the least. I left with him clinging to my legs and crying in agony......so I spent my 3 hours at a nearby shopping center, sure that I would get "the call" to come retrieve him. But much to my delight, it never came. And when I picked him up at 12:15, I heard him laughing several times inside his little classroom. When he came out, I attempted to get him to go back inside the class to get a picture, but he had done his time and would only stand outside the door. I think he will really like it, it's just the new location and teachers. It's run by a great church in the area and he goes tuesday and thursday mornings. They do all sorts of things, and he even brought home a picture he made on the very first day. Since I only have about 6 weeks left until my due date, the extra time is going to be great for all those last minute projects, like the crib bumper I've been planning to make for 9 months.

Cute Stuff

Nothing big here, just a few pictures of Cole doing some cute things.

the first is of Cole sitting next to Irbe. Big deal, I know. But he got all his goodies out (his elephant and his blankie) and then announced that he was going to sit down with Irbe. He is just recently starting to show some connection to the dogs. It started with Bou, and he would pet her and tell her she was a good doggie. He'll pet Irbe too, but mostly bosses him around, mainly b/c Irbe is often the one we are scolding. He's a good doggie...actually more obedient than Bou, but do more of the annoying stuff like drool everywhere and sniff you all the time. :)


Cole has been reading his books in bed now after we read his night time books and several times he's fallen asleep with the book on his face. Always the same book. He is REALLY into his truck books right now.