kids

funny things Olivia has said:

"itchy-itis"... "you know mom, it's when you itch"
"spider door"... what she calls the space between the bricks on the house


Malachi- he had an evaluation done today for a program from the state of Texas. He's automatically qualified due to his cleft but I had them do the evaluation anyway. He's 10 pounds 14 1/2 ounces (woo hoo) and he scored as a 3 month old in the developmental areas they check (cognitive, motor, social and communication.

Smiles

“Smile - It's the second best thing you can do with your lips.”



Olivia's smile



I tried to capture Malaki's goofy little smile, my slow camera didn't really capture it...I'll keep on trying

Photo catch up...

Learning to fly...Malaki lays on his tummy and lifts his back legs, it looks like he's trying to fly(or doing a face plant) it's pretty funny to watch.


Olivia's new hair cut


Olivia's definition of "quiet time in her room"...she's in the door way after destroying her room with toys


Olivia changing Malaki...she's an expert!

snug as a bug

Malaki has learned to lay down with his pacifier and go to sleep. I know a lot of moms out there that will say duh when they read this but I missed the window of opportunity with Olivia and I'm just so happy that Malaki does it for me. Additionally, he likes to sleep on his tummy, it's so cute! To give me peace of mind, I totally recommend Bebe Sounds (Leslee will be proud of me, he sleeps in his crib too!)

A twist on a classic

A recipe for you pork lovers out there... If you like pork chops with applesauce or pork chops with stuffing, this recipe is for you.. (compliments to Kraft.com)

pork chops with apples and stuffing
prep: 10 min... it's possible
total 50 min

1 pkg (6oz) STOVE TOP stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 can (21oz) apple pie filling
6 boneless pork loin chops (11/2 lb.), 3/4 thick

Heat: oven to 375. Prepare stuffing as directed on package
Spread: pie filling onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with chops and stuffing. Cover with foil
Bake: 30 foil; uncover, bake an additional 10 min. or until chops are cooked through (160F)
*per the Kraft website, chicken can be substituted for the pork

Enjoy... it was yummy and really easy to make!

so little...

I found this picture of the Cottrell cousins with Olivia, I forget how little they used to be.... miss you guys!

Malaki-2 months

Malaki has decided that he wants to be big and has decided to grow this month! Per my scale, he's 9 1/2 pounds this last week but I won't see his md for another week to confirm. Malaki continues to work on his rolling over (has been doing it since he was 2 1/2 weeks old), has discovered that he can be vocal and when he's happy, can be found to be cooing and such, really entertaining himself. This last week, he has started to smile in response to someone/something and not just random smiles any more. Olivia likes this because he smiles in response to her talking to him, she thinks that is the greatest thing her little brother does. And the most crazy thing that my little boy has done was have a tooth break the gum line this morning. Because of the cleft, I'm not sure what tooth it is or if he will keep it (it's common for cleft kids to have extra teeth, or loose them early and mostly wrong placement)but it seems to be the left sided eye tooth. I am no longer pumping as of this last week, so he's now on formula full time. I'm a little sad but I'm just glad that formula is an option and that he can continue to grow and be strong. Malaki also had his first visit to the zoo this week, he pretty much slept the whole time, of well, there's always next time.

Olivia

Olivia is still going to preschool and enjoying it very much, even retaining some of it! She was so excited this morning that she recognized the letter "O" was for Olivia and "E" was for her friend Emma. Today, she undressed her brother and got his diaper off before I got a bottle ready, she's really fast! Thank goodness we didn't have a "Malaki shower show" before I got over there and got the kid covered up. Olivia loves the zoo and was very happy that we got to go, even more that dad was with us! She wants to go again. We have all enjoyed having dad home during the day (while he was working on finding a job) and she would complain when he had to leave for job interviews, it was hard to explain to her that dad wasn't normally home during the day. Olivia and Logan helped get the Halloween decorations out last weekend and we decorated the front yard. Also last week, Olivia went for a ride with daddy to pick up Logan and dad accidently locked her in the car at a gas station when he went in to use restroom. Olivia was strapped into her car seat for about 45minutes while dad got someone to unlock the door. I think dad was more upset then Olivia :)

October Birthdays....

The collage is my mom that we used for her birthday last year.

Every family has a month that has more birthdays in it then any other month and October is it for my side of the family. We start off with JJ, then Kaylee, then my mom, Gayle, Reece, Stacey, Jeff and Troy (all on the same day) and end with Josh (a Halloween birthday). Happy birthday to you all, we miss you.

September / October Happenings

September started out great but came to a screeching halt when Tomas was laid off the second week. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work, finding work. It's kind of ironic that looking for a job is a full time job and we were blessed to have him find a job that starts on Monday. It's contract but we'll take it! The other good news was that he was paid to the end of the month and didn't really loose that much pay. To celebrate our last day of having our dad home during the day, we all went to the Fort Worth zoo and to our surprise, we weren't the only ones with a new baby. The zoo's lioness and tigress both had new cubs that were old enough to be out enjoying the sun. We really enjoyed looking at these beautiful little guys and seeing them play among themselves and their mommies. Thank goodness our daddy brought his huge lens and was able to take nice close ups of the babies. Other things that have us preoccupied is the presidential race. We have watched both conventions and both debates lately.