the giddiness is taking over

i can't wait to welcome this man home again...the excitement is starting to be all-consuming! was just looking through these old pictures from our last homecoming reminiscing, remembering the awesomeness of that day - and feeling amazed by how much these two littles have changed. oh, and there will be a third one to greet (meet) his daddy this time! yay!!!  i can't even imagine the magnitude of emotions he must be going through as he waits...and waits...and waits to get home to us. not too much longer, but it sure does feel like eternity!

she was two weeks old when he left...quite a change!

am cracking up - this is the only picture EVER of betsy with a scowl. hehe.

this is what they looked like when we said goodbye for this deployment - so many changes, so much changing and growing up since October, my goodness. they will have so many new tricks for you, daddy!

i guess maybe i look a little different too ;)

a good lookin team

reid is 2nd from the right. :)

rolling, rolling, rolling!

i knew he was close. he's been trying for awhile. i thought maybe he'd wait til daddy got here, but he was in a hurry. he spent most of his awake time today trying to get it accomplished. and tonight, in a fuss at bedtime, he finally got comfy when he rolled from his back to his tummy. way to go, big boy! :)

three & 3

what is happening to time around here? i thought for sure these last few weeks would slow down and stall out and grind forward. not even close. its may 12th? i panicked today in an awesome/excited kind of way when i realized it was already the twelfth of may - oh my! - and curtis' three month celebration had whizzed past without any of us paying notice. sorry little man. well today we stopped together for a few minutes to focus on just him and take some pictures. we've been spending more time outside in the afternoons, although he protests the glare of the bright sun a bit, he loves lying on his back next to me looking up at the trees dancing above our heads.  three months. THREE! i'm smitten with this snuggly babe whose eyes sparkle and dance when he hears his momma's voice.  we're a good team when it comes to nursing and he continues to gain weight beautifully, weighing in at 14 lbs 5.5 oz at the doctor this week. he's rolling to his side and arching his back trying to figure out the last little step to kick his legs over and get onto his tummy himself. once momma helps him get propped up on his belly, he leans juuuuust enough to plop himself back over onto his back and do it all again.  the focus in his eyes as he takes in the pattern on the quilt or the fan whirring above him or the big kids zooming past is so cute - its as though you can actually watch his brain processing and storing all the data he is collecting.  my favorite trick that mr. curtis performs is his big, happy open-mouthed smile always accompanied by some coo's - just as soon as his tummy is full, he starts trying to catch my eye out of the corner of his. once our eyes meet, he turns his head up at me with a full toothless grin and i melt into a puddle of smitten momma-love.  he upgraded to a big kid carseat today - he just didn't seem comfortable in his infant carrier and he's already too heavy for me to lug him around in it so it seemed silly. instead of sweating in that infant chair, he's now got a big-kid luxury carseat to lounge in and he seems pleased. he also seems so super tiny in it, but i'm glad we made the switch for his sake.  ever since birth when he arrived, greeting us sunny-side up he's had some tightness in his neck. not a big deal, the doctors weren't concerned....but i noticed it from the get-go and my chiropractor said it was common for babies born that way (their necks/nervous systems go through a little more "work" when they have to flex and bend a little extra to get around all the bends and corners of momma's pelvic structure that way). well it continued and i noticed he tended to only sleep with his head turned to the one side and even when he was awake he didn't readily turn his head to take things in like i thought he would be. as a result he's had a little tiny bit of head flattening, which is typically very normal and self-correcting.  i decided to be proactive and get him a little help so we're seeing a pediatric chiropractor before our big move to see if we can't make him more comfortable and in overall good alignment and health. we love dr. lindsay and she's super gentle and sweet and is wonderful with the kids. just another person in san diego who we've come to love and trust - wish we could tuck them all into our luggage and bring them along (especially my hair dresser! love you girl).  scroll down and see how much our little one has changed. he's anxious to meet his daddy. SO. SUPER. SOON!

3 months

2 months

one month

one week

2 hours

daddy on our minds

we've been chit-chatting more and more about daddy lately as our happy, can't-come-fast-enough anxiety for our reunion mounts. our paper chain is looking shorter and shorter and that happy day in the near future is definitely a hot topic as our hearts already start to beat just a little faster in anticipation. since curtis has only seen his daddy once on skype, we've been watching some pre-recorded movies of daddy reading stories during tummy time.  and this week some new gifts arrived from their daddy- a curious george monkey for pete and a winnie the pooh bear for betsy.  perfectly selected for their latest favorite stories.

gotta love that funny baby hair - the new blondie hair is growing in up front but that fuzzy baby hair is holding on, in spots and bits at least, around the back edges. so funny. ;)

loves everything curious george - particularly loving the new book we got with all the george stories in it. he sat and looked at it all on his own for a half hour today too.

baxter on vacation

we got a visit today from curtis' aunties linda and capri...and capri's little brothers too. pete loved playing with the big boys while all the ladies doted on baby curtis. part of the reason for their visit was to catch up and see the kids...and part of the reason for their visit was to pick up baxter for a little vacation. he's staying with them until daddy comes home, then he'll come back here for some good cuddle time with reid and then go back to his new family's house before the movers come. he'll be staying with them while we're in japan. i think he'll be in heaven.  the kids were arguing about who he was going to sleep with first tonight. makes my heart happy knowing there is so much love for our little guy in his new home...and i think baxter will find that big kid love feels a lot nicer than toddler love. :) we love you baxter!

taj and roman loving on baxter

linda and capri loving on baby curtis

such a beautiful little lady with our happy boy.

happy birthday big girl

this little lady is SO full of awesome and sassy and smarty pants. :) in fact, i have trouble believing she is only turning two...she seems so much closer to 3 in so many ways. she certainly has a way with words and rattles off detailed sentences with correct tense and person; i'm expecting her to start reading any day now. ok, not really...but she dances happily with the gift of language. despite the challenges that the second year inevitably brings: the struggle to express one's self and understand your own emotions, the struggle to find one's place in the world...or at least the family, the struggle to find the boundaries that work for everyone involved...despite all that, she's quite a dazzling two year old gal if you ask me.  she loves to be around friends but gallops off to invent her own little game whenever possible, likely because she isn't afforded much alone time in our cozy house with a big brother always on her tail.  she's already fairly experimental in the world of make believe and loves soothing her baby kate or creating a conversation between the crocodile and the tugboat in the bathtub.  she's fully into the "i can do it myself" phase and her eyes do sparkle even brighter when she beams with pride for whatever trick it is she's mastered.  and even perhaps sometimes the monkey-see-monkey-do helps, as she mimicks and repeats everything pete says and does, for better or worse. he's figured it out and often asks betsy if she can do something naughty, and when she performs whatever the request was, peter calls my attention to the problem with a "momma, look what she's doing. momma, can you say 'no, no betsy!' please?" oh dear.....these two are going to join forces in about 4 minutes and i'm really going to have to be on my toes! i'm grateful she's stayed a happy little cuddle bug, even though most of the time she's on the go...so happy she still snuggles into me and wants to be held by her momma. those little snuggles are oh so special to me.
favorite food: panera shells and cheese
favorite song: twinkle, twinkle and happy birthday
favorite movie: winne the pooh or curious george
favorite toys: baby kate, cars, swings
favorite candy: jelly beans
favorite activity: anything new - she loves the park, she loves crafts, she loves to just explore
she is a gentle creature who loves her babies and any animal we ever encounter so sweetly
she is a little fishy at swim lessons
she soothes herself by sucking her thumb and rubbing her belly button
she can count pretty well
she can identify colors, at least the color red correctly
she is mostly/sort-of potty trained, depending which day of the week it is and her mood
she sleeps at least 12 hours through the night and requests her nap mid-day which is 2.5-3.5 hours
she loves her big brother and her tiny brother so sweetly but can hold her own if her territory needs defending.
she spends a lot of time covering up her "babies" and putting them to sleep.
she's a climber and loves nothing more than to get up on the kitchen table or the top of the fence when my back is turned.
oh this little child is so full of life and overflowing with awesome. she's already got such a big, beautiful personality shining through, am just filled up with joy to be given the gift to watch her grow into the bigger version of wonderful betsy.
happy 2nd birthday, lady bug!

a snuggle with brother and curious george while mom gets the presents organized

loving the new dollhouse from grandma and grandpa

yes, a candle in her cereal...her request, i wasn't going to force her to have birthday pancakes!

the sitter went and picked up balloons last night, she's my hire-a-hubby. :) betsy's eyes lit up this morning when she saw the giant floating Dora. can't believe she is TWO.

skyping with Grandma and Grandpa Nannen so they could sing to the birthday girl

let me make you breakfast

this morning peter did something new. he's often the first one up and usually he comes to the living room and lays on the couch with baxter for a bit. today i guess that went on too long...i can't believe i didn't hear him, momma must be sleepy.
today i woke up to a breakfast of sorts in full prep.

banana peel (empty) on the counter. guess he helped himself.
beverage containers on the counter. grateful he didn't attempt to pour, just set out the options.
(dirty from sink) bowl on the rug with one egg in it (cracked) with minimal eggshell.
11 eggs in carton  and 1 neatly cracked/empty shell IN the container sitting on rug next to bowl.

way to go montessori for the "i can do it myself" attitude. way to go pete for being helpful and tidy about what could have been disastrous (think of the potential mess one dozen eggs could make). so grown up.

snuggly "naptime" with baxter on momma's bed while i organize daddy's closet. you're welcome, babe. xoxo  and don't worry, the silly pirate pants made the cut. they are waiting for you!

beverage options he carried from the fridge to the counter.

this WAS on the floor...