Leprechauns and Bunnies

In the midst of all the craziness that has been going on for the last 8 weeks, we still managed to celebrate some more of the kids’ first holidays. And by celebrate, I mean dress them up and try to get them smile for the camera.

St. Patrick’s Day. ‘Tis my favorite holiday, usually. Not only does it showcase my Irish roots, two days after my birthday but it also means the Spring is on its way! Also, I won’t lie…Beer. Well, no beer was had this year (or last year for that matter…cooking babes). E had been home from the hospital for a mere 3 days, everyone was exhausted; I received disturbing and devastating news on my life-long bestie… Needless to say, it wasn’t the best St. Pat’s and my kids’ faces in this photo sums it all up.

A few weeks later, Easter was upon us. E was feeling better and the kids had their fancy outfits all pressed and ready to go!
“Won’t they look so cute with Easter eggs around them?” I say to my trusty friend, babysitter and fellow photographer, Meghan.
“Totally! Let’s do it!” Meghan says.
Big mistake. Kids didn’t look up once during our little photo shoot. But hey, they are still cute.

Dear Interwebs

Let us talk about cups. The sippy kind. When did you start to introduce them? How did you introduce them? Any words of wisdom?

Oh Crap.

 I forgot to post their 7 month photos.  Now you may view the nomness that is Twins of Reed.... Be prepared.  Although, those on Facebook have seen these for weeks now.

See you in a few days with their 8 month photos!

Dear Interwebs

It was a big weekend over at the Reed Compound this weekend. Ethan has figured out how to roll from a sitting position to his tummy. He then proceeds to scoot around in circles endlessly searching for the best toy ever! Once he realizes what those knees can do, we’re in trouble. Olivia is officially an ambi-turner and can roll over TO her tummy and BACK to her back. Once she realizes what those knees do, we’re in trouble. We’re in trouble.


All this being said… We have a few questions for the interwebs that seem to be Olivia-centric this week. Feel free to answer one or all in our comment box. Thanks for all your insights, we really appreciate them.


1. Now that Olivia is found on her tummy in the crib in the morning, do I leave her that way?

2. Do we leave a blanket in there for her? I have heard the many warning signs of leaving a blanket in there when a baby is getting all twisty and turny. But then I have also heard to give the child a friggin’ blanket.

3. Olivia now hates cereal. Hates fruit slightly less. Loves her veggies. Will she be ok without cereal since she won’t eat it (even when we mix it with fruit)?

Annnnnnnnnnd go!

Top 10

I have resorted to stealing from other websites. No, but really, I always find this kind of information interesting. When E and I chose the names Olivia and Ethan, we often were told how many other people they know with kids of the same name. So what? Kids have enough problems in life and throw in a terribly misspelled name because Mom wanted it to be ‘different’? No thanks, I refuse to be blamed. I always told E I wanted our kids to be able to find pens with their names on them because I could never find any “Colleen” embossed pencils. Alas, this is why we have an Olivia and Ethan and not a Peachy and Luigi. Roll your eyes all you want, it’s true.
Still early in the year, but here is a list of the Top 10 baby names so far in 2010.
GIRLS

1. Charlotte

2. Olivia

3. Elizabeth

4. Amelia

5. Emily

6. Ava

7. Ella

8. Claire

9. Emma

10. Violet



BOYS

1. Oliver

2. Owen

3. Henry

4. Liam

5. James

6. Jack

7. Alexander

8. Benjamin

9. William

10. Noah

courtesy of www.parentdish.com



And… the Top 10 baby names from the year I was born… (1979 for those wondering… I have no shame.)

GIRLS

1. Jennifer

2. Melissa

3. Amanda

4. Jessica

5. Amy

6. Sarah

7. Heather

8. Angela

9. Nicole

10. Michelle



BOYS

1. Michael

2. Christopher

3. Jason

4. David

5. James

6. Matthew

7. John

8. Robert

9. Joshua

10. Brian

Courtesy of www.ssa.gov

Dear Interwebs

I have been thinking that perhaps I will start a new segment on Mondays asking YOU, my readers for help with my kids. Because, we all know whatever you read on the internet is true, right?

Sooooo..

Dear Interwebs,

My kids hate to be on their tummies. Hate it. Olivia will, in fact, go on her tummy and then swiftly roll over onto her back. When she gets angry about that, she will lay on her side. Ethan, on the other hand, just flat out whines incessantly while on his stomach and has no interest of rolling over. The both enjoy sitting up on their own, but then get irritated when they lean forward and ultimately, end up on their stomachs (side notes- doesn't the word "stomachs" look weird?)

So how do I get Olivia and Ethan to enjoy tummy time until they realize that it is the gateway to mobility?

Leave me a comment and I appreciate the help!

And He's Back!

I do apologize for lack of updates, posts or even baby pictures. I won’t lie to you, I just haven’t felt like doing it.

First things first. Eric was released from the hospital on March 14th, six days after his surgery. He took it slow and made sure he was resting and not pushing his recovery. Everyday since then has been a bit better or easier for him. Unfortunately, the cabin fever mixed with unseasonable Northeast Ohio warm weather, he’s been itching to get out and about. Luckily, he’s been able to tag along with his dad or brother on daily errands, which is a big improvement to where he was three weeks ago.

Secondly, since many of you had asked, Eric will be undergoing a round of precautionary chemotherapy to ensure the cancer didn’t spread. But we will not dwell on that right now.

And finally, I want to take this time AGAIN to thank all the special people in our lives that have been there for us. It truly meant a lot to me, Eric and his parents that people took the time to make us meals, came in from out of state, offer to baby sit and offer their shoulders to cry upon. It is amazing to see our “community of people” join together to help us out. So thank you, you know who you are.

We continue to ask that you keep Eric and our family in your thoughts and prayers.
I hope to be back with some super updates about Olivia and Ethan. However, the interweb powers aren’t always on my side these days. Alas, you better believe me that Olivia and Ethan are growing and turning into “almost” mobile babies. Watch out!