Savannah's big girl room

This past weekend, Mick's wonderful parents took Savannah and Noah to spend the weekend with them in Cape Girardeau.

Mick and I got a chance to relax and have some "couple" time, which was wonderful. However, the main reason why they were there was so that we could finally get around to painting the kids rooms (we've only lived here for 7 months, I know...)

All of the design decisions were based on the amazingly colorful duvet cover that I found at Pottery Barn Teen a while back. That, and the fact that I really wanted Savannah to have my wrought iron bed, which was my first big girl bed as well!

Therefore, here is the finished product. We are still missing a few things (wall hangings above the bed, curtains, etc.), but overall I'm really happy with the way that things are coming together!

One half of the room- I LOOOVE this bed!

The rails aren't very pretty, but they are definitely necessary at her age!

The pin board was white, but I painted it with the hot pink paint and I love it! The mirror will get hung in the room somewhere.

These are Ikea spice racks that I painted pink- I love them for book ledges!

The sweet side tables are from Target and I love them. The alarm clock is designed to turn green at the time when it's okay to get out of bed in the morning. So far, she seems to be getting the concept, though she keeps unplugging it, so I've become and expert at setting the clock!

It's been an interesting transition for her to a real bed. She was in a crib until right after her 3rd birthday, when she finally figured out that she could climb out of bed. Since then, bedtime has been a battle to say the least. Here's hoping that having a room this pretty will make her want to go to bed easily and be the good sleeper that I always bragged to everyone about!

Unfortunately, this makeover did have a sudden an unexpected turn. Let's just say that the 20 year old white carpet will never be the same again. But more to come on that in another post!

With much Metzger love,

Meredith

Sweet Savannah turns 3!

It is so hard to believe that last Friday, we celebrated our baby turning 3. I'm always in awe of how much children change from month to month, when as adults, I feel like I stay pretty much the same. But looking at pictures from even three and six months ago, she looks like a whole new person!

Savannah is a sweet, spunky three year old with personality for days. Sometimes this is a blessing, and sometimes, the greatest challenge of my day. :-) She is headstrong and always wants things done her way, on her schedule, and with her as the star of the show. As the oldest child, I can't imagine where my oldest child gets all of these traits...

She loves to eat (most days), loves her little brother (most days), has a great time at school and the daycare at the gym (most days), and above all, she loves Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and the rest of the Clubhouse gang with ever fiber of her being (all days, nights, weekends, holidays, etc.)

For her birthday, Mick and I decided to take her ice skating. Though she didn't really get the hang of it, she did have a great time watching Mick and I skate around her, and sitting on a chair on the ice. She was brave enough to try it a few times, which I was really proud of her for.

She also got moved into a big girl bed (her crib with the front taken off), and this weekend, Mick and I plan to redo her room and give her a real big girl bed. I am really excited about that as I think she is really going to like it.

We went to the doctor today. She weighs 31.2 lbs and is 37 inches tall. She's still a peanut, but growing how she should and meeting all of her milestones, which I'm so grateful for.

She has had a little trouble going to bed lately, so I've been trying several tactics. I'm going to see which ones work and then I'll report back so I can remember them for when Noah turns three. Eek!

Here are some pictures from her birthday. We will have a party with her friends the first weekend in February, but we were able to celebrate with family on Saturday, and she enjoyed the presents, but most of all, the family and of course, the cake.

I love this picture. It shows how much they really love each other (even if they don't always act like it!)

In her big girl bed. She wasn't very happy about it...

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