Here we go again!

NOTE: At the time I am writing this, I am 7 wks, 1 day pregnant according to Baby Center. I'll go for my first OB visit in a few weeks, so that due date may be adjusted after that. But I wanted to record these things in the time they were happening!

Mick and I always talked about wanting our kids to be close together. We loved the idea of having them close together so they could play together, be friends, and enjoy the same things around the same times.

We have had it really easy with Savannah. Yes, she's a 16 month old, which means that she definitely has her times where she is demanding, clingy, and even a little sassy (can't imagine where she would get that from). But for the most part, she's been an easy baby. She is a good sleeper, a great eater, and despite her slight gross motor delays, she's met or exceeded all of her milestones. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful baby!

Mick and I decided that we would let go and see what happened. Well, as with Savannah, once we let go, we REALLY let go! We are so blessed that getting pregnant has not been a challenge for us. So many of my friends have faced this challenge, and my heart goes out to them because I can't imagine what a stress that has to be on your mental and physical well-being.

Pretty much as soon as I could, I took a pregnancy test. Though it was very faint, the line was there. Of course, as most women do, why stop at one test when you can take 4? Over the next few days, I took several more, which all confirmed what the initial test had said- PREGNANT! I told Mick by wrapping up the test and putting it in the bed with Savannah so that when he went in to pick her up in the morning, there it was. In typical male fashion, he ignored the gold box in the bed with the baby completely?!?! I had to tell him to open it. When he did, he stared at it for a while, looked at me, and said, "Is this a thermometer? Why did you wrap up a thermometer?" And I stared at him in disbelief. Once he actually looked at it, it became more clear, and then he was excited.

So, here we go again! According to Baby Center, this baby is due on January 14, 2014- almost 2 years to the day younger than Savannah. I mean, why stop at one January baby when you can have two?

So far, this pregnancy has been different than Savannah. About a week ago, right around 6 1/2 weeks, I started feeling nauseous all day long. It is worst in the late morning and gets better by the evening. But it's still rather unpleasant. Today was the first day I've actually thrown up- good times.

We are looking forward to seeing the doctor and that first ultrasound. What a whirlwind the next few months will be, but what blessings we have to be thankful for. Thanks for reading and keeping up with our journey to a family of four!

Here's our future big sister telling some important news to our parents. What a sweet big sis she will be!

Happy New Year- Welcome 2015!

Happy New Year! We had such a great 2014- we welcomed Baby Noah to our family, moved to our new house, and spent a lot of time with family and friends!

Today, I'm sitting in disbelief that on this day last year, I was sitting at our old house, hugely pregnant, preparing to go to the hospital on January 7 to give birth to (what we didn't know at the time) a 9 lb, 5 oz baby boy! I was feeling so many things, but as I look back, I'm just so grateful for the blessing that Noah has been to our family.

At one year, Noah is the happiest, most laid back baby I've ever met. He's constantly smiling, LOVES to eat everything in sight, and follows Savannah around all the time. He doesn't seem to love any toy more than another, though he spends a lot of time in the ball pit. He has been crawling since 6 months, pulling up and cruising since 9 months, and for about the past week, he's been letting go of things and taking several steps at a time. He loves climbing the stairs, and generally getting into everything he shouldn't.

And of course, I can't forget that three years ago on Friday, I became a mommy when we welcomed Savannah to our family. She has challenged and enriched our family so much. But I'll talk about her tomorrow!

Here are a few pictures of my sweet Noah. Happy early birthday, Mr. Bud (Super Bud, Monkey Man, Bud Monkey, and of course Baby Noah).

UPDATE: After Noah's 1 year doctor appointment, he weighs 21 lbs (49th percentile) and was 29.1" (19th percentile). My dear, sweet, short and fat little dude!

Happy birthday Dad!

Two weekends ago, we had the awesome opportunity to celebrate a very special moment- my dad's 60th birthday. Throughout my life, my father has been such an amazing inspiration and example in my life. He is a hard worker, a wonderful spouse, and a loving and supportive parent.

His party was a great chance for him to get together with many of our friends, family, and his work colleagues. He is a wonderful father to me, Ally and Ryan and a super cute grandfather to Savannah. Dad, we love you!

Here are some pictures from his party. We held the party at Twin Oaks Park- we were blessed with beautiful weather and had a wonderful time. I even think we managed to keep it a surprise, which if you know us, is no small feat!



Waiting for the birthday boy to arrive with my girl!



We did it! We pulled off a surprise!

The birthday boy!



Two of the biggest blessings in my life- my wonderful parents.

The whole family- if you know how hard it is for us to get a good pic, you'll truly appreciate this one!

A display of Dad's 60 years. If you click in to this picture, you'll see some examples of how truly hideous I was. Seriously, what was I thinking when I was younger? I blame mom...



Dad, Mom, Karen and Steve- the Smith clan!



I love the swings!



Sliding is fun! Here I go!

It was a wonderful day, celebrating good friends, good family, and 60 years of the amazingness that is David Forrest Smith (DFS for short). Dad, we love you!







Graduation and the beginning of spring (finally!)

Well, it's been a busy few weeks in the Metzger house. Over the past weekends, we have had at least one (and sometimes more) overnight guests at our house. This is because there have been a lot of exciting happenings in the past few weeks!



Last weekend, Uncle Tyler came into town. Here are all of the Metzger men!



Savannah has learned a new favorite word, and a new favorite activity. She now wants to be "outside" ALL of the time! She loves playing outside, in her swing, and walking around. She cries when we make her come inside. Here is a picture of her- she gets sad when the dogs get to go outside without her!



Hey, wait for me!



Last week, I was watching an old dance video, and lo and behold, Savannah became super interested in watching the dancers. She even clapped along with the audience at the end of each dance. I think that this is my proudest parenting moment so far!



Watching her dancers!


Last weekend, Aunt Natalie graduated from Webster University. We are so proud of her and look forward to all of the wonderful things that I know she will do with her life in the future. We celebrated with the ceremony and a party afterwards at George and JoAnn's house.



Aunt Natalie with her Hoeckele's graduation cake.



Natalie with the dean of the College of Fine Arts.




This isn't a great pic, but I love her happy little smile! That's my girl!

 Savannah also got to experience her first ice cream cone this week. One day after work, Mom, Ally and I took an impromptu visit to Fritz's- my first high school job! Savannah clearly isn't my child, as she only took about two bites and then amused herself by trying to run into traffic on Old 141. But I managed to get a few cute pics, and isn't that the most important part??



Yummy, let me have it!



Mommy, this is cold!

 This should be a fun weekend for our family too. More later!





16 months!

Dear Savannah,

How has it already been 16 months! Seems like just yesterday that we went to the hospital to have you, but you are now a walking, chattering tornado with a mind of your own!

You are becoming a very adventerous walker, which has led to a few spills, a few tears, and a few forehead bruises. You is really doing well with it though. You still can't stand up without pulling up on furniture, so that is the next trick that you will have to learn! Overall, though, you are very good at getting around and love to run around, rather than be held or carried!

You talk all the time. You definitely do a lot of jabbering, but you say quite a few words. In addition to the ones I've already talked about, you have added "oh boy, I know, Neigh (what does a horsey say?), Ooh aah (What does a monkey say?), Kiki (kitty), book, opposites (from your FAVE book, the Book of Opposites), back, bath, up, what's that, who's that, no no (your current favorite- you use it for everything that we have told you not to touch- outlets, the toilet, trashcans, etc.), uh oh, nana (for banana). You also say hi and bye to everyone that comes in and out of the door. Recently, you have started saying hi to everyone that we walk past at Target, the grocery store, etc. It is hilarious but a little embarrasing as you literally chase people around the store yelling "hi! hi!". But generally people think you are cute and funny. I know I do!

Your favorite toys are all books. You love the same ones you always have, and bring them to me or Mick to read to you all the time. You still take a bottle in the morning and at night, but we will begin phasing those out soon. You have recently started watching Clifford's Puppy Days in the morning, and seem to really enjoy it. That's the only time that you really watch TV. Plus, it gives Mommy and Daddy a chance to get ready for work!

You also still love your push toy that Laura and Kyle got you, as well as your singing picnic basket. Your favorite toys are still remotes, iPhones, etc. You love your tree swing that we have in the backyard, and you LOVE to chase the cat around. Sometimes she'll even let you pet her, which thrills you to no end.

You still take two naps during the day, and go to bed around 7:00-7:30ish. You love baths, and I think that you are really going to enjoy going to the pool this summer. We take walks around the neighborhood a lot, and all of the neighbors think that you are the cutest thing. Of course, we do to. Not that we are biased or anything.

You wear some 12 month and some 18 month clothes. You are still a peanut. You still hate bows and won't wear them. This makes mommy sad. Hopefully, someday you will decide that bows are alright.

You don't have a ton of baby friends right now, but you hang out with Brady quite a bit since he is right across the street. You also occasionally see Thomas.

Basically, you are a joy to be around and we are so grateful that we were chosen to be your parents. Life as a parent has been so many things, but through it all, we have had a wonderful time seeing the little person you have become in 16 short months! Baby girl, we love you!




Savannah and Linus keeping a watch on the neighborhood!


Mommy

This week!

Hello friends! It's been a nice week, full of some (finally!!) warm weather. Of course, it's supposed to get down to 50 degrees tomorrow, so we have been outside, soaking up the sun while we can!

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to go to Aunt Natalie's senior art show at Webster University. Of course, we think she is super talented, but obviously others do too because she won a $500 prize for having the best piece in the art show. We were so proud of her!

Since the show was right at Savannah's bed time, we spent most of the time outside with her. Here's a picture of Savannah with her biggest fan- Grandpa Mike!

On Saturday, we spent most of the day with Mick's parents, just hanging out. That night, the Metzger girls went to the Webster Conservatory performance of Legally Blonde: The Musical and the guys just hung out.

Sunday, Mick and I relaxed and took Savannah to the park for a while. It was a nice relaxing weekend!

Here's something interesting I did last week. As part of the high school's 80th anniversary, I wanted to take a picture of all of the students in the shape of an 80. However, that meant climbing on the roof of the school and taking the picture from 3 stories up. Add that to the list of job responsibilities that aren't exactly part of my contract! But it was fun to be so high up.



Here I am high in the sky! Don't look down!



Savannah decided to help clean the house on Sunday. I was so grateful for her assistance...

 This weekend, Uncle Tyler comes in town, so we'll get to spend some time with him. We are looking forward to seeing him.

This weekend and a kid craft!

Good morning all! How is it already Wednesday and the 24th of April?! This month has flown by, and though we are well into spring, you wouldn't know it with this cold weather. Everytime I go to put away my sweaters, I have second thoughts because it's so cold!

This weekend, we really worked around the house. Saturday and Sunday were beautiful warm days, so we spent some time trying to get our garden into shape. Mick and I both love beautiful plants and bushes. However, for some reason, our backyard has only one mission- to kill everything that we try to plant back there. We think it is because of the giant pin oak trees in our yard. Though the trees are beautiful, they suck every OUNCE of water and nutrition out of the soil, and as a result, our backyard is now affectionately claled "where plants go to die".

Despite this, Mick and I plant things every year just hoping that this is the year that we will manage to win the backyard battles. Below, see a picture of the "sunroom" garden. As you will see- there are two things that we have managed not to kill: a knockout rosebush and a small, spiky red plant (yes, that's the technical name).



In addition to the rosebush (on left) and the spiky red plant, this bed has tulips, day lilies along the back, and a hydrangea, which I'll talk about below.



 One of my favorite plants of all time is the hydrangea. So far, I've planted 4 in my backyard in the "fence" garden, and each one has met a painful demise. So this time, I've changed it up and added it to the sunroom garden. I've also named him, in hopes that having a name may make him want to fight for his life more than if he were anonymous. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Howard:

This is Howard. He likes acid-based fertilizer, partial shade, and clouds who aren't afraid to cry on him periodically.

Here are a few more pictures of the plants we have in our back yard. It is my hope that at the end of the summer, I'll be able to post pictures of how they are thriving. Here's hoping...



In front is the lamb's ear that Mick's grandmother gave us. This is also a 2-year survivor. In the back is a gorgeous purple salvia. This is an addition for this year.



This is the "fence" garden. This year, we planted a forsythia bush, tulips, and some purple Phlox. The little hosta that you see in the back was transplanted from the sunroom garden. The squirrels keep eating it up there, so maybe back here, they will leave it alone!



Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful weekend. We hung around the house and spent some family time playing outside and hanging out. On Sunday, my sweet husband got up with Savannah and let me sleep in. Imagine my surprise when I came out of the bedroom to find this built on our coffee table. Is it me, or is my child an architectural genius?!?!?

On Monday, I took the day off to take Savannah to her 15 month checkup. She passed with flying colors and got her shots like a champ! She is currently in the 23rd percentile for height, the 50th percentile for weight, and the 85th percentile for head circumfrence. Here's hoping that she eventually grows into that head. Otherwise, she's going to be like her uncle Ryan, who has an EXTREMEMLY oversized head. I'm sure he would say that it makes him smarter. I would probably disagree, though in Savannah's case, it's surely true!

Here's Savannah waiting for the doctor! Poor little thing- she has no idea that the shots are coming!



This week, Savannah got her first pair of "designer" shoes- sparkle Toms. They are so cute!

 

Here's my sweet girl with our azelea out front. How darling is she?



Here's Mick and I before our dinner date this weekend. Love this guy!

 On to the kid craft! On Monday, I felt like being creative, but it was a little to chilly to do anything outside. Therefore, I decided to copy an idea I've seen on Pinterest and make some art for Daddy's office! To do this craft, you really only need a few things:

1. A picture frame with a mat- I think this one was from Target- I got it a while ago and had it sitting around.

2. Finger paint- we used Crayola washable, non-toxic paint. Washable is crucial. You'll see why in a minute.

3. Newspaper or something to cover the area you are painting. If you care about your floors/table, this is also important.

The paint we used and the newspaper taped to the floor.

Here's what I did. I simply took the mat out of the frame and laid it on a bunch of newspaper that I taped to the kitchen floor. I also took off all of Savannah's clothes except for the diaper. That made cleanup much easier.

Then, I squirted some paint on a plate and let her go crazy. We even had a little help in the form of Garth, but I wouldn't advise it, since dog+paint=

Puppy prints on the tile! Fortunately, it was easy to wipe up. This is why washable paint is important!

 Voila! Here's the finished product! I "helped" her fill in the blank spaces and make the colors more even, but the tiny fingerprints are hers! The red blotch on the top left corner is Garth's contribution.

What do you think?