Winter has hit Folsom, bringing frigid temps and rain this past week. We've been using our fireplace and drinking hot cocoa accordingly. We've also managed to get out a bit, including a trip to Ventura to celebrate my brother's graduation from nursing school. Go Anthony! Here are some misc. pics...
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Fall Hiking, Amber's Bday, etc.
Brian stumbled upon a great trail near the lake recently so we all went on a 'hike' last Saturday. The fall leaves were amazing. Caelyn is growing like a weed and hit the 7 week mark yesterday, which also happened to be my 31st birthday. The kids surprised me with balloons in the morning! Such fun!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Timothy's First Haircut
We went to Lollipop Cuts today and got Timothy's hair cut for the first time. We're glad to report that Timothy was a super boy and he still has some curls!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Article on Westmont soccer
This article featuring Saturday's Westmont vs. APU men's soccer game really grabbed me. Makes me miss those days dearly. Take a look...
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke18-2008nov18,0,5737203.column
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke18-2008nov18,0,5737203.column
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Pics of Westmont after the fire
Our Alma Mater, Westmont College, was burned in the recent fire that swept through Montecito, CA. You can view photos of the damage at http://www.westmont.edu/teafire/pictures.html.
Brian and I both lived in the Clark dormitory at various points so we were sad to see it did not fare well. I also spent many long hours dissecting rat brains and taking class notes in Bauder Hall which housed the Psychology Dept. It was a unique and historic building. We are grateful to hear that nobody was seriously injured in this truly wild fire. I feel especially grateful to the brave firefighters that risked their lives for our school.
Brian and I both lived in the Clark dormitory at various points so we were sad to see it did not fare well. I also spent many long hours dissecting rat brains and taking class notes in Bauder Hall which housed the Psychology Dept. It was a unique and historic building. We are grateful to hear that nobody was seriously injured in this truly wild fire. I feel especially grateful to the brave firefighters that risked their lives for our school.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
So Timothy woke up yesterday morning covered in hives. Head to toe. Red, splotchy, alarming things that prompt you to call the doctor immediately. She said he's allergic to something, but what exactly is a mystery. Today he's much better, but it sure would be nice to know what started it all!
Caelyn is 1 month old today. She has beautiful sparkly eyes that make me happy. She's starting to coo and smile when I talk to her. Timothy has adapted really well to having her around. His favorite ways to help are by putting her pacifier in her mouth, putting her dirty diapers in the Diaper Champ, and giving her little pat-pats when she cries. I also notice that he tends to say "hi" to her when he walks by her, which of course makes me happy too. We've been letting him play with a baby doll which is fun to observe. The other day he was "burping" the doll and gently setting her down for a nap in the middle of the kitchen floor. Then he proceeded to pick her up by the leg for an adventerous bop across the room. The only real challenge I've had is Tim getting sad or upset when my lap is occupied, but even then I'm usually able to appease him to sit next to me with a book or something. So I'm thinking this 'close in age' thing is not as intimidating after all. For sure, my hands are incredibly full, but the sibling dynamics are not a huge factor. Praise God!
Caelyn is 1 month old today. She has beautiful sparkly eyes that make me happy. She's starting to coo and smile when I talk to her. Timothy has adapted really well to having her around. His favorite ways to help are by putting her pacifier in her mouth, putting her dirty diapers in the Diaper Champ, and giving her little pat-pats when she cries. I also notice that he tends to say "hi" to her when he walks by her, which of course makes me happy too. We've been letting him play with a baby doll which is fun to observe. The other day he was "burping" the doll and gently setting her down for a nap in the middle of the kitchen floor. Then he proceeded to pick her up by the leg for an adventerous bop across the room. The only real challenge I've had is Tim getting sad or upset when my lap is occupied, but even then I'm usually able to appease him to sit next to me with a book or something. So I'm thinking this 'close in age' thing is not as intimidating after all. For sure, my hands are incredibly full, but the sibling dynamics are not a huge factor. Praise God!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Timothy's Chores
1. Push the garage door button to open/ close it
2. Turn on and off the light switch in his bedroom.
3. Get carried out to the driveway each morning to be lowered to the newspaper whereupon he picks up the paper and carries it inside, all while being carried by his dad.
4. In similar passenger fashion, get the mail.
5. Help roll the trash cans out to the curb on Thursday night and back in on Friday afternoon.
6. He helps move the laundry from the washer to the dryer and closes the dryer door every time.
We are proud of our son learning these life skills.
They are being added to all the time.
2. Turn on and off the light switch in his bedroom.
3. Get carried out to the driveway each morning to be lowered to the newspaper whereupon he picks up the paper and carries it inside, all while being carried by his dad.
4. In similar passenger fashion, get the mail.
5. Help roll the trash cans out to the curb on Thursday night and back in on Friday afternoon.
6. He helps move the laundry from the washer to the dryer and closes the dryer door every time.
We are proud of our son learning these life skills.
They are being added to all the time.
Interactions with Timothy
Timothy now knows how to kiss.
He kisses me. He kisses his mom. He kisses Caelyn.
Its adorable and makes me feel like I've already done something right as a parent.
It may be my favorite part of bedtime.
When Timothy wants our help, he comes and grabs a hand or finger. Then he leads me to what he wants. When he's hungry he takes me to his high chair. When he wants to go outside he takes me to the door.
He kisses me. He kisses his mom. He kisses Caelyn.
Its adorable and makes me feel like I've already done something right as a parent.
It may be my favorite part of bedtime.
When Timothy wants our help, he comes and grabs a hand or finger. Then he leads me to what he wants. When he's hungry he takes me to his high chair. When he wants to go outside he takes me to the door.
Timothy's Words
dad
Um (for mom)
Boom
Bye
eye (with a finger right towards yours)
tee (for teeth)
Ea (for ear)
head
hand
cheese
baby
home
close
thank
Elmo
Animal Sounds
eef in a high pitch (for dogs and cats)
roar (for bears)
thbbbbt (for horses)
some sound for elephants that defies writing
Um (for mom)
Boom
Bye
shoes (which means take me outside)
ba (for bottle even though he uses a sippy cup)
Whoa
uh-oh
Truck (any time a vehicle goes by anywhere)
plane (somehow he hears about every one that flies overhead)
Biyd (for birds)
No! No! No! No!
No (as in nose)
eye (with a finger right towards yours)
tee (for teeth)
Ea (for ear)
head
hand
cheese
baby
home
close
thank
Elmo
Animal Sounds
eef in a high pitch (for dogs and cats)
roar (for bears)
thbbbbt (for horses)
some sound for elephants that defies writing
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Caelyn is 10 days old... it doesn't sound like much but as a parent I can hardly believe it. Little children make you confront just how fast time slips by.
I'm still a bit laid up from the delivery. I expected a quicker recovery and pushed myself too hard in the days following her arrival. So now Brian is handling most of the household and Timothy while I tend to Caelyn. It's hard to sit still, especially with the perfect fall weather calling my name. But rest will get me out there sooner, I suppose. One nice thing about resting is that I can just sit and smell Caelyn's head. She smells glorious! And it's not from soap or powders and such... it's just her smell. That baby smell that just makes you want to be close to them all the time. I'm trying to figure out a way to memorize it because I know it'll eventually fade away. Then she'll smell like cheerios and slobber (if Timothy's any indicator of things to come, anyway). I also just stare at her. After she eats, she'll lay back half-asleep and contort her face in all sorts of ways. It often gets me going into some silly running commentary about what she must be thinking. The smiles are of course my favorite. The other day she broke into a wide smile and then gurgled out the cutest little belly laugh. I couldn't help but join her!
I'm still a bit laid up from the delivery. I expected a quicker recovery and pushed myself too hard in the days following her arrival. So now Brian is handling most of the household and Timothy while I tend to Caelyn. It's hard to sit still, especially with the perfect fall weather calling my name. But rest will get me out there sooner, I suppose. One nice thing about resting is that I can just sit and smell Caelyn's head. She smells glorious! And it's not from soap or powders and such... it's just her smell. That baby smell that just makes you want to be close to them all the time. I'm trying to figure out a way to memorize it because I know it'll eventually fade away. Then she'll smell like cheerios and slobber (if Timothy's any indicator of things to come, anyway). I also just stare at her. After she eats, she'll lay back half-asleep and contort her face in all sorts of ways. It often gets me going into some silly running commentary about what she must be thinking. The smiles are of course my favorite. The other day she broke into a wide smile and then gurgled out the cutest little belly laugh. I couldn't help but join her!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
A Family of Four!
Our newest addition is finally here-- Little C! She joined our family one week past her due date. Late as she was, when the moment finally arrived she was more than ready given that labor lasted about only 4 hours. Around 4 p.m. on Monday I was beginning to notice some regular contractions (I had been having activity for weeks prior, so I wasn't sure if I should take them too seriously). An hour later I called Brian to come home from work, and by the time he got home I was in full-fledged labor. We gathered our babysitters and belongings as fast as possible, and after about 1 hour at the hospital C was in our arms (7:30 p.m.)! No time for drugs to help me get through it (although I really wanted them!) It was truly a thrilling adventure for us all!
For those who recall our T story, this is about as opposite a labor and delivery experience as one can imagine. He was induced and took his sweet time at about 20 hours!
We are all at home now. C has been really content thus far... rarely cries and eats and sleeps well. T (almost 18 mos) seemed a bit displaced from having us gone for a few days but was on his best behavior for Grandma Joan. He enjoys looking at his baby sister but doesn't try to touch her much yet. He will kiss her toes, though, which is really sweet and we've noticed that he keeps a pretty good eye on her. Our hope is that they'll grow to become the greatest of friends!
We're so grateful for all the support and prayers people showed us in this pregnancy-- especially these final few weeks. Although being a week late is not very long, it really feels like a lifetime when you're in it! We're very happy to be sharing this wonderful experience with you and hope you can meet our little one soon!
With our love,
Amber, Brian T and C Dowd
For those who recall our T story, this is about as opposite a labor and delivery experience as one can imagine. He was induced and took his sweet time at about 20 hours!
We are all at home now. C has been really content thus far... rarely cries and eats and sleeps well. T (almost 18 mos) seemed a bit displaced from having us gone for a few days but was on his best behavior for Grandma Joan. He enjoys looking at his baby sister but doesn't try to touch her much yet. He will kiss her toes, though, which is really sweet and we've noticed that he keeps a pretty good eye on her. Our hope is that they'll grow to become the greatest of friends!
We're so grateful for all the support and prayers people showed us in this pregnancy-- especially these final few weeks. Although being a week late is not very long, it really feels like a lifetime when you're in it! We're very happy to be sharing this wonderful experience with you and hope you can meet our little one soon!
With our love,
Amber, Brian T and C Dowd
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Getting Started
This is my attempt at communication... letting you know what's happening in our little slice of the world. Our life is simple, really. Days and nights are consumed by our little children (one in utero for just a wee bit longer!) Brian works hard at making Next Step Coach a success. We love our children passionately and it sometimes hurts to realize how fast they grow. We try to live in the knowledge of God's passionate love for us. Hopefully you'll enjoy learning about our little family... it is our joy to know you too!
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