Christmas Time is Here

After two weeks of battling colds, ear infections, sinus infections, bronchitis and a stomach virus, all we wanted for Christmas was to be healthy. Luckily, we consumed as many antibiotics as Christmas cookies, so between the sugar and the meds, we managed to make a speedy recovery just in time for St. Nick. Overall, the holidays were great, and Alex and Avery definitely made the nice list for both Santa and the Grandparents.

Click here to see pictures from Christmas Eve.
Click here to see pictures from Christmas Morning.
Click here to see pictures from Christmas Day.

The Second Date

They each played hard to get for most of the night, but Avery and Evan’s second encountered ended by getting cozy on the couch. Don’t worry, there were plenty of chaperones in the room, which limited their flirty behavior to just pulling ears, screaming unpredictably and taking off their socks.

Click here to see more pictures and video of Avery Muse and Evan Cox.

Tis the Season for Everything

In the mist of shopping, Christmas parties, out of town guests, ornament making, trips to the doctor, girls nights out, guys nights out, visits with Santa, posing for the perfect holiday card photo, our anniversary dinner (even if it was only at BW3s) and baking cookies, we also squeezed in some non-commercialized and non-cynical holiday behavior by joining our local church and getting both kids baptized. And despite my previous beliefs, we are all very excited about the new and more peaceful traditions we are adding to the season.

Click here to see pictures from Alex and Avery’s Baptism.
Click here to see miscellaneous pictures from December.

The Holidays Start Early

I can’t believe it is December 2 and we have already taken a winter carriage ride, checked-out the annual Duke Energy holiday train display and saw Santa Claus repel down a 15-story building. What else is left to do?

Click here to see pictures from our trip downtown to kick-off the holidays.

November 2007

Once again there has been no time to write, but here is a quick update on the kid’s vitals. Avery was 20 pounds at her six month check-up and got two teeth over Thanksgiving weekend. Alex is finishing up his second season of soccer and has developed his first crush – June from The Little Einsteins. And he insists that she likes him, too.

Click here to see pictures from Thanksgiving.
Click here to see miscellaneous pictures from November

Click here to see pictures from Melissa and Jake’s Baby Shower.

Happy Halloween!

The scariest night of the year turned into a fun-filled five days of Halloween festivities that included trick-or-treat at grandma’s house, a pint-size costume party, pumpkin carving with daddy and a well-deserved beggars’ night.

Click here for more pictures from Halloween.

Pumpkins and More Pictures

We continue to keep busy by picking out pumpkins, learning to eat with a spoon and finally getting the hang of riding the tricycle.

Click here to see miscellaneous pictures from October
Click here to see pictures from the pumpkin patch.

Hocking Hills and High School Musical

We all enjoyed a weekend trip to the “hills” with our friends and a Disney inspired birthday party that any 10 year-old girl (or Alex) would enjoy.

Click here for pictures of Avery’s nineteenth week.
Click here to see pictures from Hocking Hills.

Fall Facts and Photos

Here are a few interesting events (and statistics) captured on camera these past few weeks: The Bengals opened their season with a win on Monday night football. Alex and Avery took their first train ride when Thomas the Tank Engine rolled into town. Ellie Rapp turned 1. Grandma Foley turned 64. Avery weighed 18 pounds at her four month check-up. UC Football is off to a rare 4-0 start. Avery is sleeping thru the night in her crib. Alex is wearing heels and driving!?!?!

Click here to see pictures from Avery’s 16th week.
Click here to see pictures from Avery’s 17th week and Thomas the Train.
Click here to see pictures from Avery’s 18th week and Grandma’s birthday.

Saugatuck: Trip or Vacation?

We realized there is nothing relaxing about traveling with young kids. A five hour car ride becomes eight with plenty of whining and crying. A day at the pool lasts only 15 minutes to avoid kicking and screaming. And in between you are still tasked with all the same care giving activities of feeding, napping, dressing, playing, bathing, disciplining and changing diapers, which leaves little time to sit and read the latest summer novel. Things get especially worse if your three month old develops an ear infection, which unfortunately was the case for Avery, who then required even more attention, and in turn, I got even less sleep. But at least I was holding her with a lake view and an Oberon in hand.

Everyone else seemed to fair much better, as Andy had fishing at his backdoor and Alex had grandparents at his disposal for playtime in the cabin. Other highlights included watching the boats in the harbor, hanging out with Uncle Jordan and Aunt Laura, dining in downtown Saugatuck, reuniting with friends at Mike and Kylee’s wedding and meeting three month old Evan Cox who flew in from Colorado.

Overall, it was a trip worth taking, but we are counting the days until out next vacation.

Click here to see pictures from Saugatuck.

End of Summer

One final party. One growing baby. One day of no humidity. One win for the Reds.

Click here to see pictures from Avery’s fourteenth week and Tyler’s Birthday.

Pirates, Playgrounds and Pizza – Oh MY!

I just described the ultimate dream day for any boy between the ages of 2 and twelve and it also summarizes our weekend with the Isenhours. We started with a trip to the Museum Center to see the Real Pirates exhibit and ended with pizza at The Works. In between we reunited with old friends from Colorado (Melissa and Lee) over margaritas at Don Pablo’s, napped in the car, hung out on the slides at Nisbet Park and watched Alex and Amblen’s friendship grow while playing trains, jumping on the bed and throwing rocks in the Little Miami River – boys will be boys!

And, as usual, Avery just took it all in while along for the ride!

Click here to see pictures from the museum and park.
Click here to see pictures from Avery’s thirteenth week.

Them are Fightin' Words

Everything I have read says that being at home with a newborn is one of the most demanding and stressful times in your life, and the key to survival is open communication, patience and acknowledging your spouse's feelings and concerns. But with everyone adjusting to the craziness of having a newborn AND a toddler – which includes sleep deprivation for four and a double dose of screaming and crying – as well as a poorly timed, but great, work opportunity for Andy – which has led to an obscene amount of extra hours both in the office and on the computer at home – we are not following this advise as closely as we should be and have definitely had our share of tense moments in the Muse household.

And when anger builds and tempers flare, we have to remember that we now have an alert and curious audience member who in one moment despises our behavior, but in the next instance mimics our actions. Luckily, on several occasions, Alex has added some much needed comedy and stress relief by playing referee and interjecting with a well pronounced and serious “knock if off,” “stop talking daddy” or “mommy go upstairs.” Once any of those statements are made, laughter takes over and whatever we were bickering about seems irrelevant.

On the flip side, we may be creating a monster, as it seems to be fueling a bad temper already in the works. Alex has began imitating our not so model behavior and has made a few new enemies around the house including, Thomas the Tank Engine, his inflatable pool whale, Casey and the flashing lights on top of Avery’s swing. It seems in each case, they were not cooperating with his likes, so he let out a lashing. He now has a bitter tone – filled with accusation, frustration and disappointment – that resonates with each command and reprimand (i.e. “stay on the track,” “you’re not working,” “stop barking” or “I said turn off”). But despite the fact these disputes should be in his favor, Alex’s sparing partners never seem to give in or say their sorry, which unfortunately leads to more confusion and the every changing moods of our dynamic two year old.

The Office

It’s official. My 84 days of being a stay-at-home mom have come to an end. My maternity leave is over, so it’s back to the office (located directly northeast of my kitchen) for me and back to school for Alex. Avery will have the luxury of spending her days here, while I keep my fingers crossed in hopes that she eats, plays with her activity gym, sits in her swing, naps and watches Baby Einstein on my schedule so I can actually get work done. Hmmm … we’ll see how long this will last, but I am glad to have a companion in the house (I mean at the office).

Click here to see pictures from Avery’s eleventh week.
Click here to see pictures from Avery’s twelfth week.

Milestone Management

Ten weeks have already passed, and I am not sure where the time has gone and what I have been doing. However, I do know what I have not been doing and that is proactively providing enough emotional, physical and mental stimulation activities for Avery. Unlike with her brother, who I had on a tight daily development schedule that included music, art, bouncy seat calisthenics and reading, I find myself having to stop and make time just for a little mommy and baby eye contact. Surprisingly, and despite my lack of efforts, she hasn’t missed a beat and is logging milestones at the same pace as Alex. But even though we are seeing results now, I don’t want any surprises in the long run (which could lead to lingering parental guilt), so I promise to dust off the baby gym and pull out the Einstein videos for a crash course over the next few weeks.

Click here to see pictures from Avery’s tenth week.

Cutting (Edge) Fashion

When we decided to have kids two years ago, I knew I would be sacrificing any bit of fashion knowledge or style that I may have possessed. It just did not make sense to invest time or money in shopping for expensive and trendy clothes due to my continued expanding and contracting body shape (remember, I’ve been through pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and post pregnancy twice). Plus, let’s face it, I had to choose more practical styles as running around in three inch heals with a baby can be challenging (and dangerous). Therefore, I vowed to live vicariously through my kids ensuring that top dollar was spent on their threads and that they would always be groomed like Baby Gap models.

So after what I believe to be two successful years, it looks like I finally made my first fashion blunder and unfortunately it could not be erased by taking off a shirt and tossing it into the Goodwill bin. Instead, Alex literally had to grow out of it.

Just like “Brad and Angie,” we also prefer long and shaggy hair on kids, but the humidity this summer made Alex’s blonde curly locks look a bit unruly. So I took him in for a trim to just “shorten it over the ears and keep most of the length.” However, my intent was lost in translation and the end result was a circa 1980s mushroom cut and Alex spending the past four weeks looking like Anthony Michael Hall (from Sixteen Candles minus the headgear), Tony Hawk (in the real dog days of summer) and my brother-in-law Mark (at his wedding). Although we kept hoping that this trend would resurface and we would see this cut on Mad or Pax, it looks like a trip back to the barber (or in time) is the only solution.

A Reason to Smile

It’s official. Avery’s smiles are now caused by external (not just internal) influences. Nothing like a mouth full of gum between those cheeks!

Click here to see pictures from Avery’s ninth week.

Kings Island – Then and Now

I knew one day I would have to overcome all amusement park stereotypes and look past the crowded lines, filthy coaster seats and swimsuit wearing patrons, so that my own kids could have the innocent and exhilarating experience of being whipped around in some type of steel car on some type of steel track. And that day came this past week when Jen and her kids invited us to tag along with them for an evening at Kings Island. To much of my surprise, the park was cleaner than expected and when spending time in kiddy land (now Nickelodeon Universe), you do not witness the typical low brow clientele that invades your personal space and grates your senses with stupidity while waiting in line for the “Backwards Racers.”

OK, that might have been too harsh, but in my childhood memories, the park was never filled with future world ambassadors, so I am glad to see that the other parents snapping photos of their kids on “Swiper’s Sweeper” and “Blue’s Skidoo” had showered and spoke in full sentences.

But more importantly, I was even happier to see Alex’s smiles, laughter and excitement each time he tested his thrill ride limits with his older and braver cousins. It was definitely a sacrifice I was glad to make, and will probably make again and again and again and again …

Click here to see more pictures from Kings Island.

Summertime

Too much to report. Too little time. It has been a busy summer and we can’t believe Avery is now two months old. Despite still being a bit sleep deprived, we have managed to fill our time with plenty of cook-outs, pool days, shopping trips, long lunches, happy hours and playtime at home. And although Avery can’t chase big brother around the yard yet, she’s having fun (and getting her exercise) with daily workouts under the baby gym and by swatting at rattles and birds on the bouncy seat.

Click here to see pictures from Avery’s fifth week.
Click here to see pictures from Avery’s sixth week.
Click here to see pictures from Avery’s seventh week.

Click here to see pictures from Avery’s eighth week.

Take Me out to the Ball Game!

Not to be shown up by her big brother (who attended his first Reds game at 4 weeks old), Avery insisted we check out some inter-league play and head to Great American Ball Park to see the Reds take on the Angels this past week.

Overall, it was a successful adventure.

Alex enjoyed the music between batters, the boats on the river and his giant #1 foam finger. Avery enjoyed sleeping through the first seven and a half innings and waking up just in time for her first rendition of “Take me out to the Ball Game.” And believe it or not, Andy and I enjoyed a warm summer evening, a few Miller Lites, a Red's victory and no whining or crying kids! How many home games are left on the schedule?

Click here to see more pictures from the Reds Game.

Our Drama Queen

As we approach the one month mark, Avery’s true colors are starting to emerge. Overall, she continues to be a sweet, mellow baby, and we are being introduced to hints of smiles and coos everyday. However, now that she is awake more, we are seeing a new side that includes a fiery temper – compliments of her daddy. Avery likes to skip the crying game all together and she gets our attention by letting out one or two ear piercing screams that radiate from her mouth, eyes, nostrils, hair and every other pore on her body.

This can happen on several occasions, but is usual trigged by hunger (she is ready to eat and I am not), boredom (she is in the swing and would prefer to be in a bouncy seat), loneliness (she is in the bouncy seat and would prefer to be in my arms), and most notably a wet diaper (no description needed).

We realize that no one likes to sit around in soiled underpants, but our little pre- Madonna doesn’t even give us 30 seconds to fetch a new diaper. Therefore, we have taken to proactively watching for signs and scooping in immediately with a fresh size 1 Pamper. And if for some reason we are not there quick enough, Avery will definitely let us (and the neighborhood) know.

Click here to see pictures from Avery’s fourth week.

Double the Kids, Double the Patience

It did not take long to figure out the hardest part of baby #2 is child #1. Luckily, the second time around everything about the newborn comes so naturally and you are able to breeze through all baby activities (such as diapering, feeding and sleeping) with ease, because your focus and worry are again directed toward the first born.

Alex is no different, as he is struggling to share the spotlight with his little sister, and has turned his frustration and confusion on us -- challenging Andy and I with a new attitude and a new arsenal of attention getting activities. It doesn’t help that he was on the cusp of his terrible twos, so a lot of what he is doing to test our limits is supposedly “typical” toddler behavior. But the timing could not be worse as I am sure we would all be handling it better on a full nights sleep.

However, despite his not-so-golden child behavior (such as removing his pants and peeing on the floor or pulling the fax machine off the desk and breaking it into 100 pieces), it is important to note that Alex loves Avery. They are the best of friends already, and surprisingly, there were only a few tough days of warming up to each other. Once we brought her home from the hospital, Alex has been a model big brother offing diapers, sharing blankets, asking to hold her, kissing her good night and making sure she is included in all outings (going to the park) and in his daily routines (watching Mickey Mouse).

Click here to see pictures from Avery’s second week.
Click here to see pictures from Avery’s third week.

Avery at Home

Not much to report. She sleeps a lot. We sleep a little. She eats a lot. We eat even more. But overall, we are all settling in nicely and trying to get used to having four people (and one dog) in the house.

Click here to see pictures from Avery’s first week.

A Grand Entrance

Perfectly timed and scoring points with me already, baby girl Muse is finally here!

After 9 long months of being pregnant and 11 hours of labor, I was rewarded with a quick, 5-minute, no-push delivery, and welcomed Avery Danielle on May 13 as my Mother’s Day gift. She was a lot bigger than expected, coming in at 8 pounds and 9 ounces (trumping her brother’s birth weight), but has the signature Harper nose and dark hair, along with an extreme dose of the Muse chubby cheeks. She is perfect in everyway, and more importantly, she continues to win me over with her amazing ability to sleep anywhere and through anything.

Click here to see pictures from Avery's first 48 hours.

Second Birthday (Times Four)

In our desperate attempt not to spoil our child with big, lavish birthday parties, we actually managed to go full circle and offer him a three week long birthday celebration.

So which is worse?

Right now, we have two parties down and two more to go. The past few weekends were spent celebrating with the Muse side of the family and then the Foleys. Still ahead is his actual birthday (which includes one final gift from Mom and Dad) and his daycare party (which I am keeping simple by just bringing cupcakes and forgoing the goodie bags).

It is not our intent to be birthday scrooges, but we are trying to find the right balance between recognizing the importance of this day and spending it with family, while not overwhelming him with 30 plus guests, 30 plus gifts, clowns, pony rides and inflatable jumping toys cluttering our front yard. I am sure one day we will succumb to the new standards of birthday party etiquette, but as for right now, Andy and I are a bit old fashion when it comes to this parenting choice.

Luckily we have 12 more months to review all our options (and the further complications of having a baby sister also born in May) before we have to deal with birthday number three. But for now, I think Alex has grown tired of telling everyone he is turning two and wondering when it is actually going to happen!

Click here for Alex’s birthday photos.

Playing Catch Up

On my long list of baby preparations is a category for Alex (and Casey). So now that the nursery is set up, her newborn onsies are washed in Dreft and all baby gear, such as bouncy seats, play gyms and swings, are washed and battery tested, I now need to focus again on those already running around the house. For Casey, it means a trip to the vet and to the groomers. For Alex, it is a longer list and it seems to be growing. But for starters, here are some photos from March and April, so I can at least say I am caught up on something.

And as you can see, it has been a busy and entertaining past few months with two trips to Lexington, soccer classes, Easter, numerous birthday dinners and plenty of play time.

Click here to view pictures from March.
Click here to view pictures from Easter.
Click here to view pictures from April.

Alex and the Supermodels

Despite my fondness of upscale Hollywood gossip, Andy has always been skeptic about spending money on US Weekly and People. However, we may now have a legitimate reason to keep the tabloids out of our house – and that is to keep Alex’s pre-pre-pre-pubescent curiosity in check. It seems Alex has grown attached to a Victoria’s Secret advertisement featuring their famous, barely dressed supermodels. And when I say attached, I mean daily gawkings that have taken precedent over his favorite Dora the Explorer and Thomas the Train books.

Although we are still baffled by his true interest in the magazine spread and what actions we should take (besides laugh), he has begun to use it as an educational tool. He likes to point to the bras and say which colors they are - green, blue, orange and purple - and then of course look to us for approval. We would hate to stop his learning process, but maybe we should find a better approach before he gets curious about body parts and before Child Services comes knocking on our door.

Winter Blues

Blame it on my pregnancy. Blame it on the super-long cold and gray winter. Or blame it on the fact Alex won’t sit still for me to take his picture or to spend time on the computer. But in any case, during a few of my good moments, I was able to catch him during a few of his good moments in January and Feburary.

There was his first frolic in the snow (featuring 30 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of play time), his first slam dunk (on his new “hoop”), his first iPod shuffle (that daddy doesn’t know about) and his first trip to Grandma Foley’s house without a major injury (thanks to beach towels taped to all pillars and sharp corners).

Click here for more photos from this winter.

Baby Girl Muse

Now those are three words that haven’t been used in the same sentence since the late 1800s, but Andy and I finally heard them yesterday. After months of just assuming our newest addition would be another boy based on genetic history, we saw first hand at our ultrasound the first female to be born into the Muse bloodline in over 100 years.

Along with surprise, we felt a little bewildered. Although we never had any preferences toward the sex, I would be the first to admit I have no clue what to do with a little girl (and neither does Andy). Pink dresses. Hair Ribbons. Polly Pockets. These are all foreign concepts to me, so I guess I need to do a little bit of research on everything baby girl.

But overall, we are very excited and we welcome the challenge. Plus, my first shopping spree at oldnavy.com proved you can find plenty of cute, baby girl outfits that are NOT pink. What a relief!!

Now how soon do you think we can have our first girls vs. boys family soccer match?

The Wedding Dasher

All I have to save is that Jordan and Laura are brave. I never would have taken the chance. Or even given two thoughts about it. But they seemed to have all the confidence (or care free attitude) to let our little guy attempt to walk down the aisle fulfilling his official role as ring bearer in their wedding last December.

To my surprise, when it came to crunch time, all it took was for Mommy to put Alex down, point him in the right direction and say, “go get Rosie (the flower girl that became his new best friend at the rehearsal dinner).” From there, Alex was loose, and although he started out at with a sprint (and cummerbund riding up to his chest), he eventually smoothed his pace and shuffled the distance to Daddy. And fortunately, not one of my 100 disrupting wedding scenarios – some of which involved an ambulance – came to life.

For more wedding pictures, click here.

At Home for the Holidays

Once again, we were spoiled with the ease of living in Ohio and making it through another holiday season. Alex enjoyed all the attention from his grandparents and all the playtime with his cousins at numerous family get-togethers. I enjoyed the fact my appetite was back in time for all the holiday meals and desserts!

To view picture from Thanksgiving, click here.

To view pictures from Christmas, chick here.

To view pictures from New Years Eve, click here.