The Upchurch Family

Sea World!

2012-01-19T13:46:00.000-05:00

With a new year comes new goals and (gasp!) a new blog! It has been over a year since my last blog, and I actually started a blog file in my filing with things we have done/things the kids have said and done for when I started blogging again. So now it is time to play catch up! :o)

We went to Sea World at the end of December (ignore the date stamp from my mom's camera) and had a blast! The weather could not have been better and the kids LOVED seeing all the Christmas decorations.

Calla and Mammie anxiously awaiting the Sesame Street Christmas show

Since we had to wait in line for half an hour before entering the theater and then we had to wait another half hour for the show to actaully start, Cohen had a hard time sitting still and kept asking, "Where Elmo? Where Cookie Monster go? Don't see 'em."

Mammie and Papa were just as excited as the kids were to see all the Sesame Street gang.

Michael LOVES having his picture taken.

Cohen LOVES giving his big sister hugs, but she is not always a willing recipient. He doesn't seem to notice or care. :o) Sometimes Calla will say, "Okay, Bubba. That's enough hugging for right now."

A Sesame Street Christmas stage. The kids' favorite part was the grand finale where bubbles came down from the ceiling.

Oh, how I love this little man. Cohen gets SO excited about everything, you can't help but smile when he is around.

Family pic at the Blue Horizons show

Calla and Mams

Who doesn't like a nice family picture? I can think of at least two people.... :o)

The kids loved the Sea of Trees and kept exclaiming, "It's Christmas! Look at the trees!"

Cohen was very helpful and wanted to make sure all the lights were working properly.

Polar bear hugs

We had a great time and it was fun to see the kids get so excited about all the decorations. I hope they are not disappointed the next time we go and all the Christmas decor is nowhere to be found. :o)

Cohen Right Now

2010-07-22T23:25:00.001-04:00

I haven't been the best at writing down milestones and other fun stuff for Cohen, so I wanted to devote a blog to just that!

Here are my favorite things about Cohen (8.5 months) right now:

- His cuddliness ... Cohen is THE cuddliest baby ever! I love how he just melts into me.

- He is always happy ... He smiles and laughs all the time and is content to go with the flow. I could not have asked for a more mellow, good-natured baby!

- His smile/dimples ... He has the cutest smile ever! My favorite is when I am nursing him and he stops eating so he can smile at me.

- He likes to hold my hand ... He will often search around with his little hand until he finds my hand. It is so sweet!

- He is a Mama's Boy...BIG time ... Cohen wants to be near me all the time. He wants me to hold him a lot, but I don't mind; I know he won't always be this little, and when he is a teenager, I'll remind him that there was a time when he couldn't stand to be away from me for more than 5 minutes. :o)

- Cohen is really into breastfeeding ... He likes to hold on to my necklace when he is nursing, and if I'm not wearing one, he'll search for my hand to hold or he'll rub my belly. He also likes to prop his feet up on my hips/legs when he is nursing in bed with me ... If my legs aren't where he wants them to be, he will keep lifting his legs up (even in his sleep) until I move my legs. It's pretty funny to watch and I'm a little sad because I don't get to see him do this much anymore because he is in his own bed. :o(

- He is a COMPLETE snugglebug ... On the rare occasion that he cries, 99.9% of the time he will immediately stop crying upon being picked up. Michael used to tell me that when I got out of bed while Cohen was still asleep, Coco's little nose would scrunch up and he'd start sniffing around for me.

- His furry little head ... I love how his warm furry head feels up against my neck when I'm holding him.

- He likes to be where I am ... Cohen will follow me around the house, crawling with speed and intensity to keep up with my gait. He is content to sit at my feet and play with a toy while I do dishes or other house work. When he gets impatient, he will tug on my pant leg or pull himself up and look up at me with a how-can-you-resist-picking-me-up-when-I'm-looking-at-you-like-this smile.

- He is very determined ... Cohen doesn't let anything (or anyone) get in his way when he wants something. Lately, he has been kneeling in the middle of the room and trying to stand up unassisted. You would think he'd give up after several unsuccessful attempts, but he keeps trying until he is distracted by something else.

- He is one tough kid ... I'm glad Cohen is so sturdy because I don't have to worry as much about him with Calla. Sometimes Calla likes to ride on his back ("Yee-HAW!") or tries to pick him up ("Bubba's too heavy, Mommy!), which doesn't always end well for Cohen. He is such a good sport and will usually just pick himself back up and sometimes even smile or laugh at Calla.

- He thinks Calla hung the moon ... To say that Cohen loves his big sister would be a HUGE understatement. He wants to be where she is and doing whatever she's doing. Most of the time this is okay with Calla because she enjoys having a playmate. Sometimes, though, he doesn't exactly play according to Calla's rules (like when he puts the prince's head in his mouth and gnaws on him while they are playing with Calla's princess palace or eating one of her beloved books ..."Coco! NO!"), and Calla will (gasp!) hit, push, or yell at him. He just looks at her and smiles, and when she gets sent to her room for her behavior, he will follow her in there to play with her. He also thinks Calla is hysterical and will belly laugh for her all the time, much to her delight.

- His chubbiness ... I heart Cohen's squishy cheeks, buddha belly, chunky legs, his elbow and knuckle dimples, and his little Fred Flinstone feet. I love that he weighs as much as Calla (25 lbs.) and wears the same pants size as she does (12-18 months). We were out and about last week and Cohen had a blowout poopy diaper (a weekly occurrence). I had already used the extra outfit I brought for him, so I just put one of Calla's shirts on him. It was a gray Roxy shirt with pink, orange, and red writing, so I figured it wasn't too girly. He didn't seem to mind. Also, up until Calla's recent potty training, she and Coco wore the same size diaper (5), which was really convenient.

Michael's favorite things about Cohen right now (well, actually this is from a month ago):

- his cuddliness

- he is always happy

- he loves his mommy ... No matter who gets him when he wakes up, he looks around for mommy

- how he follows mommy around everywhere now that he is crawling

- how much he loves his big sister

- his drooly one-toothed smile (he has since gotten his second tooth)

- his chubby cheeks

- his cankles

- his big ol' belly

- he loves water

- when he really wants his bottle, he grabs it and shoves it in his mouth

Moving on to Cohen's milestones:

- First smile: 3 weeks
- Rolling over both ways: 3.5 months
- First word: 4 months (ma-ma-ma-ma-ma), 5 months (mama) (he can now say mama, dada, baba (bottle))
- First solid food: 5 months (organic brown rice cereal with probiotic and DHA)
- Sitting up (steady and for several minutes at a time): 6 months
- Scooting: 6 months
- First sippy cup and regular cup: 6 months
- Crawling (belly off floor): 6.5 months
- Standing up (assisted): 7.5 months
- First tooth: 7.5 months (lower left central incisor), second tooth: 8 months (lower right central incisor)
- First time he slept more than 8 hours straight in his own bed: 8.5 months (HOORAY!!!)

I also want to note that Cohen had not been a very good sleeper until this past week. In the beginning, he was a great sleeper because he slept with us. From about three to seven months, he started to wake up more often, not sleeping more than about three hours at a time. We transitioned him to his own bed when he was 7 months old, and he woke up EVERY HOUR (I'm not exaggerating) for almost a month just because he wanted me to hold him. The last few weeks, however, he has been sleeping better, usually at least three hours at a time, but often more than that. He slept for 10 hours straight a few nights ago, and then for 8 hours straight the next night, so I'm hopeful that this trend will continue!

Cohen really is the best little baby, and we feel so blessed to have him in our family. We love you more than you can imagine, little man!!! Hopefully your mommy will be able to blog more now that you are sleeping more! :o)

Cohen's First Real Food

2010-07-22T23:06:00.000-04:00

Since he was only a few months old, Cohen's interest has been piqued by food and what everyone else (especially Mommy) is eating. When he was five months old, I offered him rice cereal but he wanted nothing to do with it (my mom wanted to know if I would eat organic brown rice cereal mush with probiotics). I tried again the next week and the next ... still no interest on Cohen's part. I finally decided to mash up a banana for him, but he wasn't even interested in that (and neither was his little digestive tract)! At his 6 month check-up his ped just said that I should keep trying and not worry because, after all, he is in the 92nd percentile for weight and 97th percentile for height. I offered him a variety of fruits and vegetables, but Cohen just wasn't interested in solids. He seemed to be perfectly content with breast milk and formula, so I backed off; I figured he would eat when he was ready. We took a little break and when Cohen was 7 months old, I tried again. This time, he actually swallowed some food instead of spitting it out, and over the course of several weeks finally started to act interested in solid food. Now, at 8.5 months old, Cohen is becoming quite proficient at eating:

The most difficult part about feeding Cohen is that he likes to grab the spoon when I least expect it, and then giggle when he sees the look of shock and bewilderment on my face. You would think that I would see it coming by now, but he always manages to catch me off guard. Sometimes one or both of us ends up with a bowl of food on our lap (fun!). Needless to say, the whole eating process can be quite time-consuming.

Since Cohen has been cutting teeth, he especially loves to chew on the spoon.

Coco totally rocks the pink Bumbo. The poor guy doesn't stand a chance having an older sister. A lot of the toys he plays with are also pink. One day, I left the room to throw a diaper away, and when I came back he was crawling around with a pink sparkly purse around his arm. I should have taken a picture because it was pretty funny, but I didn't think Michael would appreciate my humor. :o)

I heart Coco. He is the sweetest little man EVER! He is so good-natured and easy-going, and is the happiest baby I've ever met. How can you not smile at this little face?

After he rubbed a fistful of food in his hair, I decided to make a squash mohawk. I don't know what to do with all his hair. Calla didn't even have this much hair when she was 18 months old!

Hmmm ... should I take a bite or play with the spoon some more?

I must have been making a funny face or noise to get him to laugh. It doesn't take much to get Coco to laugh, but I am convinced that he saves all his belly laughs for Calla. He adores his big sister!

When Cohen becomes increasingly reluctant to relinquish the spoon, I know feeding time has ended.

Cohen's favorite fruit is apples mixed with blueberries (he will practically inhale an entire bowl, which he NEVER does for any other food), and his favorite vegetable is squash. I also recently started giving Cohen puffed cereal and yogurt, and he seems to like these as well. I can't wait for more adventures in food land with Cohen!

Mommy, No Swiping!

2010-06-30T08:28:00.000-04:00

For those of you who do not recognize this sneaky fox, he is Swiper from the children's show Dora The Explorer. Swiper often tries to swipe things from Dora and her friends, but if they say, "Swiper, no swiping," then he can't take their stuff.

Last week, we were eating lunch and Calla was taking her sweet time finishing her chicken nuggets to put off going down for her nap. I asked her several times if she was finished and she kept saying no. Cohen was getting restless, so I stood up to bounce him. Fearing that I was going to swipe a nugget (as I often do when food is left uneaten), Calla quickly shielded her food with her hand and exclaimed, "Mommy, NO swiping!"

Aside from the occasional tantrum and bold assertion of independence, I love this age! Hearing things from a 2-year-old's perspective is wildly entertaining. Thanks for all the laughs, Calla girl!

Calla's 2nd Birthday!

2010-06-09T14:31:00.001-04:00

Calla celebrated her second birthday in April. We still can't believe our baby girl is TWO! On the eve of her special day, I asked her if she knew what the next day was. She smiled and excitedly declared, "Calla's birday!"

My mom and I took Calla and Cohen to the aquarium (one of Calla's favorite places to go) in the morning. She usually likes to pet the sting rays, but on this day she opted to just wave hello as their fins flopped out of the water while circling the tank.

Calla loves to play in these giant shells. In this picture she was saying, "Cheeeeeeese!" Can you tell she gets her picture taken frequently by her shutterbug mom?

We probably walked through the mist about ten times. Calla was scared of it last year unless you were holding her, but now she loves to run through it by herself while giggling.

Cohen was fussy (because he wanted to be held), so Calla stopped to give him a kiss and said, "Don't cwy, Bubba." I love these moments.

Here is a family picture minus Michael, who was at school.

Calla took a REALLY LONG nap, so we had to wake her up to start the festivities. She was so happy to see her Daddy and Papa. As you can see, Cohen loves his Papa, too.

Calla has an affinity to playing with blocks, so there can never be too many around. These particular blocks are probably the most painful toys to step on, but Calla loves them, so I suppose they are worth it.

"Blocks!" Calla wanted to start playing with all the blocks, but we reminded her there were more presents for her to open.

Calla took a little break to play with her fridge letters with Daddy. She now calls them "wetters" or "ABCs" but at the time this picture was taken, she just called them "Cs."

Calla was definitely more excited about opening her presents this year. We had to do most of the work last year, so it was fun to see her really get in to it.

My mom and brother got this farm for Calla. She LOVES all the animals and sounds.

Calla loves to "cohwer" (color), so we bought her a huge drawing pad and some fun neon crayons. We go through a lot of crayons because our little peanut likes to break them (yes, even the twistable ones) and then say, "Uh-oh...ohhh noooo! Break it, Mommy!" as if it was an accident. :o)

This is one of my favorite pictures/memories EVER. We played Stick the Tail on the Donkey (the tails were stickers) and everyone (even Coco) had a turn. I was laughing so hard I was crying. I think he even did better than I did with the placement of the tail. He is such a good sport!

Here are some of the Funfetti cupcakes I made for Calla (as promised from last year). It was especially fun for me because I was able to ask her what SHE wanted: "Pink cakes, Mommy."

"Cupcake...mmmmmmm...yummy!" After successfully blowing out her two candles, Calla wasted no time before devouring her cupcake. Actually, she just licked off all the frosting and took a few small bites of the cake part.

Her face in this picture totally cracks me up.

This picture is so Calla. Not surprisingly, she was saying "Cheeeeeeese!"

Calla generously offered me a sprinkle from her cupcake, "Prinkle, Mommy?" She then followed up with a pink frostingy kiss. I love you, Calla babe!

Here's a lovely family picture. Look how big Cohen is compared to his big sister. When this picture was taken, he weighed only five pounds less than Calla. Currently, he weighs two pounds less than Calla and is only five inches shorter than her. We keep telling her she better be nice to him because he is going to outgrow her pretty soon. :o)

At sunset, Michael took Calla and me on a deuce ride. Calla loves Michael's truck so much that she likes to give it a kiss goodnight ("Night night, Deuce!") and waves and blows kisses whenever she sees it outside ("Wuv you, Deuce!").

All in all, Calla had an exciting birthday! We feel so blessed to have Calla in our family and love the sweet spirit that she brings into our home. She truly is the sweetest, most loving little girl ever and we cherish every moment spent with her. Happy Birthday, Peanut!!! We love you!!!

California

2010-05-27T14:49:00.000-04:00

At the end of February, we made a trip back to San Diego for the wedding of our close friends, Shane and Miranda. Many thanks to my parents for letting us use some of their skymiles to buy our tickets, to our favorite Aunt Lesley and Uncle Chris for letting us stay at their beautiful home, and to Michael's awesome sister and brother-in-law, Shannon and Dario, for letting us use their truck. We are lucky to have such great family! Here are some pictures from our trip:

This is the Brockton Villa in La Jolla, where Michael's mom hosted the rehearsal dinner the night before our wedding. The view of the Cove is gorgeous from here.

Could a trip to San Diego be complete without visiting the seals in the Children's Pool?

Michael and Calla enjoyed some seal yoga (well, that's what I call it anyway). Calla was thoroughly entertained by all the seals and giggled with delight as she watched their every move.

Yay for family pictures. It's not a particularly great shot, but we are hardly ever in the same frame at the same time these days. A certain someone (not mentioning any names) doesn't like to sit still long enough to take pictures.

Cohen was really enjoying the view! He was such a happy camper the whole time. I almost forgot he was strapped to me, were it not for the reminder from my aching back. He is such a big boy!

Calla kept saying, "Water...seals!" I think she liked the Children's Pool (or should I say Seal's Pool because the seals and sea lions took over the beach some time ago).

I love the looks Calla gives me when I am trying to take her picture. She really likes to make me work hard.

We spent a lot of time looking at the seals. :o)

Cohen didn't seem to be as interested as Calla was with the seals. Go figure.

A view of the Children's Pool from further up the cove

Calla could not get enough of chasing the seagulls. We (and several passersby) were laughing hysterically as she ran after them shouting, "Get 'em...getchoo birdie!"

This little guy didn't seem to mind Calla's attempt at giving him a hug. Nice birdie.

Calla was the afternoon entertainment for all the visitors in the Ellen Browning Scripps Park. I think everyone liked it except for the three girls who were annoyed that their sunbathing was being interrupted. Oopsies!

How can you not smile at the look of pure joy on her face?

Calla wore herself (and us) out by running around all afternoon. Thankfully she took a looooong nap that afternoon.

Our little social butterfly decided to take some time off from gull chasing to get in a game of soccer.

Calla was nice enough to oblige my request for a picture, but she was more interested in her bubba than looking at the camera. We're still working on getting Cohen to look at the camera for pictures. :o)

Michael's Marine buddy, Garrett, caught up with us at the Cove. He is a drill sargeant at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) in San Diego. Can you imagine having this 6'5" black belt in your face all day every day for 15 weeks? The first time I met Garrett, he accidentally hurt me with his handshake. :o) BUT, he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. We love you, Griebs!

Mmmm...In-N-Out Burger. I miss this place so much that it is not uncommon for me to have dreams about eating one of their cheeseburgers. I made Michael stop at least once every day for this...

a double double animal style (and animal style fries and a chocolate milkshake, too). Can you say yum? I heart In-N-Out.

It rained a couple of the days we were there, so our thoughtful friend, Shane, bought a Little Mermaid umbrella for Calla. She thought she had died and gone to heaven. When we were ready to get in the car, I had to individually pry each of her skinny little fingers off the handle.

This is Market Street Village in Downtown San Diego, where Michael and I shared our first apartment together as newlyweds. We have so many fond memories of living there. We were the first people to live in our apartment, and I could see the Nordstrom sign from our balcony, so I knew it was meant to be. Not to mention that it had amazing amenities and we could walk anywhere downtown. We barbequed on the rooftop grills several times a week and loved living on top of Albertson's (I considered this a HUGE bonus when I was pregnant with Calla). Michael and I used to walk to Seaport Village every Saturday and have breakfast at a little cafe. Our favorite part of living there, though, was having our good friends Alex and Sophia as neighbors.

On our way to the airport, we stopped at the Miramar Marine Corps Base. While Michael shopped around for some things he needed, Calla, Cohen, and I perused the commisary. Calla was thrilled to find a display of stuffed Chesty dogs (named for the famous Chesty Puller, the most decorated of all Marines), and picked one up, saying, "Doggie, doggie!" After I explained to her that his name was Chesty, she hugged the dog and said, "Chesty...awww...." Michael found us by the Chesty display and he told Calla to put the dog back. As Michael took Chesty away from Calla, I explained to him what she said and he didn't believe me. As if on cue, Calla said "NO, Daddy! Chesssssty, hold you!!!" With a smile on his face, Michael handed Chesty back to Calla and we headed for the checkout line.

We had a great time in San Diego and we were so glad that we could support Shane and Miranda on their special day! I didn't get any pictures of the wedding, which is kind of funny. I was a little nervous because it was on a Hornblower cruise and we were out for four hours, but it was lovely and Calla and Cohen were awesome the whole time. My only complaints were Calla spilling sparkling cider in one of my shoes and later peeing on my lap from all the cider Michael gave her. :o) It was a good thing my dress was black.

I forgot to mention that we were able to have dinner with our good friends (and old neighbors), Braden, Kathleen, Charlie, and soon-to-be Colten. Charlie (who is a year older than Calla) and Calla played really cute together and had fun dancing to the dinosaur song at the end of Ice Age 3. Thanks for a fun night, guys! We miss you!!!

Our favorite South African friends, Gary and Sandy Betrix (Shane's parents) also invited us over to dinner at their house, where Calla enjoyed a reunion with her friend Kassy (Shane and Miranda's little girl who is exactly six months younger than Calla).

Shannon and Dario has us over for dinner, too (aren't we popular?), and Calla and Cohen had some quality bonding time with their cousins, Dario Luca (5), and Marco (2).

Thank you to everyone who made time to see us (all of the aforementioned, plus Alex and Soph)! We didn't get to see everyone and everything we wanted to see, so I guess we need to plan another trip back to SD!

Anyway, this blog has turned out to be waaaay longer than I expected (what did I expect with 24 pictures?), so I am going to just end it with a cliche, we had so much fun on our trip!

Busch Gardens

2010-01-28T12:55:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, we loaded up the family and headed to Busch Gardens to use our new passes that my parents gave us for Christmas (thanks, Mom and Dad!). I was a little nervous about how Calla would do because she would have to miss her nap, but she was great and we all had so much fun!

Calla loves animals and was SO excited to see the "eletunts" (elephants). She tried to climb up on the fence because she wanted to go give them hugs. "Eletunt...hug?" She wanted to hug the alligators, too. "Alligaer...hug?" Michael told her the alligators weren't very nice because they have so many teeth and no toothbrush to brush them with, so Calla stopped asking to hug them.

Stopping for a quick bite to eat (for Cohen, anyway) and a family picture. I'm not sure what Calla was doing...pointing at something or nose mining, perhaps?

Calla LOVED the flamingos. I don't know if it was because they're pink, or tall, or have long legs like her, but her little face lit up the moment she saw them. She kept saying, "Mingo, hug?" and then couldn't stop giggling. There's an area where you can walk right up to them, and one brave flamingo sauntered over to Calla (with her little arms stretched out for a hug, of course). I actually considered letting her hug the flamingo, but then quickly decided against it after a flashback to a traumatic experience with a goose when I was about her age.

Another family picture. Cohen is the best little baby. He slept most of the day, and only woke up twice to eat. And aside from some coos and gurgling noises, he didn't even make a peep the whole day! Hopefully we'll have a repeat performance next time we go (fingers crossed).

Yet another family picture. I asked my mom to take several shots, because I feel like we never have our whole family in pictures. Calla was all about the waterfall ("Waterall...waterall!!!").

Calla is half fish. Really. She LOVES water. It was only about 70 degrees that day and the water was freezing cold. Calla didn't seem to care.

Calla wanted Michael to come with her. "Daddy...water? Please?"

Calla also wanted me to join in the water fun, but I reminded her that I had Coco and the water was too cold for him. She settled for me helping her climb up on all the mushroom and animal statues instead. You wouldn't believe all the dirty looks we got from other parents who weren't letting their kids in the water because it was so cold. I always come prepared with a few extra changes of clothes for the kids, so I wasn't worried. Kids need to have some fun, right?

You can't really tell from this picture, but Calla's lips were blue and she was shivering. I asked her if she wanted to dry off, but she was having way too much fun and said, "No!" (her favorite word these days). We have been working with her to say "No, thanks" or "No, thank you," but apparently it's more fun to just flat out say no. Aren't toddlers great?

A topless Calla with Mammie. My mom was a good sport for (sort of) getting in the water with Calla. Now that's love.

After a quick wardrobe change, we stopped to watch a show with people in animal costumes on stilts.

Of course, Calla wanted to hug them all. One even came over to her for a quick embrace.

Here's a lovely self portrait. I was trying to get more of Cohen in the picture, but surprisingly, my arms just weren't long enough.

Calla wanted to share her goldfish crackers with the fish. "Fishies...share...." She is the sweetest person I have ever met.

I think Calla chased every bird in the park trying to give them hugs. "Bird...hug?" As you can see, they were not exactly eager to oblige her.

We were able to do a lot more than I thought we would, and everyone had a blast! We can't wait to go to Busch Gardens again soon!

Little Miss Manners

2010-01-11T16:45:00.000-05:00

I know every mother thinks her kids are the cutest ever, but mine really are. During a recent diaper change, Calla sneezed and I said, "Bless you!" With a big smile on her little face, Calla replied, "Thanks!"

Sisterly Love

2010-01-11T16:24:00.000-05:00

Calla LOVES her little brother and is always giving him hugs and kisses. She will walk up to him with her little arms outstretched and say, "Coco...hug..." and then give him a kiss and pat his little potbelly. I was really worried about how Calla would handle having a younger sibling, but she has been so cute with him. She says "Coco...?" and looks around for him after she wakes up from her nap. A couple weeks ago, I was in the living room with Cohen and he was crying (which is pretty rare). Calla, who had been playing with her blocks in the kitchen, came running over to him while saying, "Hang on...hang on!" She ran up to him and rubbed his head, gave him a kiss, then patted his belly. So cute.

Coco Unleashed

2010-01-06T23:30:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics of Cohen at five weeks old...

This one was taken on my lap when he was 13 days old. Isn't he cuuuuuuute?

Cohen!!!

2010-01-04T15:35:00.000-05:00

Cohen Michael Upchurch was born on November 10, 2009 at 10:35 in the morning. He weighed 9 pounds and 1/2 of an ounce, and was 21 3/4 inches long. I was induced at 5:45 a.m. and after a few short hours of hard labor and less than ten minutes of pushing on my part, our beautiful little boy made his way into this world. He is such a good baby and we have all fallen completely in love with him. Calla calls her little brother "Coco" and is thrilled to be a big sister. She has been so good with him, and is such a great little helper! Since Cohen will be eight weeks old tomorrow (and because of multiple requests), I figured I'd better update our blog. What can I say? Things have been a little crazy and I would rather spend time with my kids than blog. :o) Anyway, without further adieu...here's our little Cohen....

Here I am holding our sweet boy for the first time. There are no words to describe this feeling. Giving birth is truly a spiritual experience. It was definitely love at first sight.

Michael and I were overjoyed to hold Cohen for the first time. Michael was even more excited about the fact that his son was born on the Marine Corps' 234th birthday, which happened to coincide with my due date. Michael really wanted his son to be born on that day, so with my doctor's okay, I agreed to be induced. Aside from Cohen sharing his birthday with the Marine Corps, I think it is a cool date...11.10.09, AND Veteran's Day is the following day. Michael even played the Marine Corps Hymn for Cohen and showed him pictures of famous Marines. As much as Michael adores Calla, I think he is happy to have a son.

This is my OB, Dr. Jennifer Irani. She is AMAZING. I am really picky about doctors and do lots of research before choosing one (thanks, Google!). I was initially a little worried about having such a young doctor, but she is the best!

Since my hospital stay was the longest I have ever been away from Calla, I was SO excited to see my baby girl!!!

Here I am holding my sweet babies together for the first time. Calla was pointing out Coco's nose. She cracks me up. My mom got her a doll so she would have her own baby, but she is much more intent on playing with the real thing. I can't say that I blame her; he's pretty darn cute!

My parents brought Calla to the hospital to see her new baby brother and their first grandson. I am lucky to have my parents so close, and I'm grateful to them for taking care of Calla while I was in the hospital. It removed all stress about worrying about whether or not she was okay, because she LOVES her Grammie (a.k.a. "Mammie" or "Mimi") and Papa!

Mmmm...a delicious Cuban sandwich from the famous Silver Ring. Need I say more? The hospital food at UCH was awful. Quite a departure from my experience after I had Calla at Mary Birch in San Diego. I actually got to order from a menu there, and the food was delicious. Oh, well. I'm just glad that's the only thing I can complain about from my hospital stay.

I think the looks on their faces say it all. They were pretty excited to see their first grandson, and even more excited to have another grandchild!

Calla liked reading the "I'm a Big Sister" book even though a lot of it's content didn't apply to her because she's only a year-and-a-half (i.e. big sisters don't wear diapers, etc.). :o)

Aunt Danielle (my SIL) came to see her newest nephew and visit with me for a few hours. Thanks, Danielle! It's nice to have family that lives so close by.

Coco burrito! Like his big sister, Cohen hates to be swaddled. He tolerated it in the beginning as long as his arms were free.

Uncle Chris (my big brother) came to see his little nephew that night. I love this picture!

Michael and Cohen playing video games. I guess you can never start them too early.

Here's a family picture before Cohen's first bath. Calla was patting Coco on the head and giving him a kiss, even though she was unsure about whether or not she was okay with him using her duck bath tub. Hmmm....

Michael was having some difficulty getting Cohen to latch on. :o) We have a similar picture of Calla doing the same thing after her first bath.

Me and my sweet little man. Look at all his hair! I guess it's true what they say about having lots of heartburn correlating to your baby having lots of hair.

Cohen has been so mellow, and for the most part, only cries when he's hungry. He must get that from his mother. :o)

Cohen is a great little sleeper. He has been sleeping through the night since he was five weeks old. Don't let his peaceful expression fool you, though. He is such a loud sleeper that he sometimes wakes us up with all of his noises (not too hard since he sleeps with us). Michael often complains that he wakes up with a foot touching the floor, or either me or Cohen hogging the bed (sorry, Michael!), but he's been a trooper.

Well, that's it for now. Cohen has been the best little baby (tied with his sister, of course) and he has already brought so much more love and joy into our home. We have loved getting to know our sweet little boy over the past several weeks and think he's a great addition to our little family! We love you, Coco!!!

A year-and-a-half of Calla

2009-11-08T02:53:00.000-05:00

As the arrival of our second addition is nearing, I wanted to dedicate a blog to Calla. The last 18 months have been the happiest months of my life. Calla is the best thing that has ever happened to Michael and me, and we have had so much fun learning and growing together as a family. It's hard to believe I once thought that I never wanted kids, because I absolutely LOVE being a mom and think it's the best (not to mention the most rewarding) job in the world! I have learned so much from Calla and I am thankful for her sweet presence in our home. Every night before Michael and I go to bed, we talk about how great Calla is and how blessed we are to have her. She has quite literally epitomized the stereotypical perfect child (okay, well she comes pretty darn close), and I can't imagine my life without her in it. Since Calla came into this world, I have experienced more love and joy than I ever imagined I could feel. Okay...I could go on and on about how great Calla is, but I don't want to make anyone nauseous. :o) I really wanted to post a bunch of my favorite pictures from the last year-and-a-half, but decided that was overly-ambitious since I am due in a few days. I figured it would be easier to post some of my recent favorite pics of Calla. So here goes...

Calla is extremely curious and is always on the hunt for a new adventure. She is also very easily entertained, and can make a toy out of just about anything.

Since she was about 14 months old, Calla has been voluntarily coming up to us and giving us "hucks" and "kisses." This has probably been my favorite part of being a parent.

Calla LOVES to eat and always mooches food from anyone sitting at the table, even if she has just eaten a big meal. Grammie (a.k.a. "Mammie") has shared many a juice bar (amongst other things) with Calla. I love the sound effects Calla makes while she is eating. We hear lots of "yum," "ahhh," and "mmmm," which is always entertaining.

Michael recently set up his hunting blind as a little tent for Calla to keep her entertained while I was at a doctor appointment. He put her Calla chair inside and she brought in a bunch of her books, a TV remote ("mote") she managed to tactfully acquire, and of course, a sippy ("ippy"). When I came home, Calla said, "Daddy...tent...cool...." I think she liked it. :o)

Calla melts my heart into a big puddle on a daily basis. She is always doing things that make me smile and laugh, and we have lots of fun laughing together. My favorite is when the laughing becomes cyclical; Calla laughs at me laughing at her, and I laugh at her laughing at me. Kids are truly the best source of entertainment.

For the past few months, Calla has really been into giving "hucks." She walks around hugging everything (including inanimate objects), and smiles and says, "huck...huck...." She is famous for her three-person "huck," which involves putting her little arms around two people for a warm embrace. Calla is very in tune with her surroundings and always wants everyone to love each other and get along. My mom and I both had our feet propped up on an ottoman a few weeks ago, and Calla came over and touched our toes together while saying, "muah, muah!" Another example of this is her hugging a tree on one of our visits to the park a couple months ago. I explained to her that we love trees because they are pretty and they give us oxygen to breathe, and she ran over to the closest tree in sight and yelled, "tree...huck!"

Calla is all girl and LOVES shoes. She recently went through a phase where she had to have shoes on all the time, even if she was only wearing a diaper, or in this case, her jammies. Mammie took her to Nordstrom last month to buy shoes for her Christmas dress, and Calla thought she had died and gone to heaven. She picked up as many display shoes as her little arms could hold, and said "shoes...huck...muah!"

As I mentioned before, Calla loves to eat, and is quite fascinated with the refrigerator. She gets really excited whenever someone opens the door and enjoys calling out various food items that she spots inside ("cheese!" and "milk!" seem to be her favorites). She has been known to climb inside (see above) or even really make herself comfortable and sit down inside. Not surprisingly, Calla also likes to kiss all the salad dressings/sauces on the shelves in the door.

Calla LOVES her Daddy and enjoys all the silly times they share together. Michael sometimes likes to try to scare her, or tease her, or tickle her incessantly. I am always amazed by how patient she is with him, and entertained by the looks she gives him.

I try really hard to provide Calla with a healthy, well-balanced diet (see my blog about her first birthday cupcakes). Michael, however, thinks I am a little too strict sometimes and sneaks Calla some unhealthy snacks. Recent additions to her vocabulary include: limeade, Coke, chips, and M&Ms. Oh, and lets not forget "shhh," as in "Shhh...don't tell Mommy...." I figure all the good I do can't be completely undone by a few unhealthy snacks or daddy-daughter trips to Dunkin' Donuts, right?

Calla absolutely loves to be outside and run around. She also likes to go exploring and brings us all of her interesting finds (rocks, bugs, twigs, etc.). Whenever we are outside, she always points out and signs things like trees ("trees!"), airplanes ("airpane!"), trucks ("truck!"), birds ("birdie!"), bushes ("bush!"), and everything else you can imagine. She has quite an extensive vocabulary, and loves pairing animals with the noises they make. I was cooking dinner a couple weeks ago and Calla came over to me and said, "Mommy, up?" I picked her up and after she observed that I was making chicken, she said "chick-en...bock, bock, bock, bock...." I started laughing, and she just gave me a puzzled look that said, What? That's what sound they make.... She cracks me up.

Calla is definitely a Mama's girl. I like to refer to her as my shadow, because she is always following me around and mimicking what I am doing. Michael tries to let me sleep in on occasion, but his attempts are usually futile because she will practically knock down the door while yelling, "Mama...Mama!!!" Michael recently asked me what it felt like to be the most loved member of our family. I told him there is plenty of me to go around. :o) I know I am lucky to be a stay-at-home-mom, and I treasure every moment spent with Calla. We are really excited to welcome our son into the world and know that Calla will be the best big sister to him (after, of course, her initial jealousy wears off). Here's to the last year-and-a-half and all the exciting years that lie ahead for our growing little family. We love you so much, Peanut!!!

Our Little Hallo-weenie

2009-11-05T23:08:00.000-05:00

In the middle of September, I purchased a ladybug Halloween costume for Calla because she loves bugs. I call her our bug patrol, because she walks around looking for bugs and will say, "bug...bug..." at anything resembling a bug, even if it is a speck of lint on the floor. When I tried the costume on Calla, however, she started to cry and immediately tried to take it off. I thought perhaps she would get used to it over a few weeks of Halloween costume-wearing conditioning, but that proved to be unsuccessful. I didn't realize an 18-month-old could have such strong opinions on things, but then again, she is my daughter. So I settled on having her sport a Halloween t-shirt instead, which she was happy to wear because the skull's eyes were heart-shaped ("heart...heart!"). It's the little things in life I guess. For dinner, we had our second annual Upchurch Halloween meal of mummy dogs, which turned out to be quite delicious. Calla even ate an entire mummy dog by herself!

After dinner, we hung out with my parents and passed out candy to trick-or-treaters. All in all, it was a fun evening. Hopefully Calla will be more excited about Halloween next year!

Dinner Table Fun

2009-08-30T22:52:00.000-04:00

There is never a dull moment with Calla. Watching her eat is especially fun, though rather unpredictable at times. Sometimes she makes funny noises or faces, and the majority of the time, food ends up on the floor, whether on accident or from an emphatic catapult out of her little hands. Having a dog has really come in handy for clean-up time (thanks, Bear!). I couldn't resist snapping some pics of Calla at tonight's dinner table.

Using a spoon often requires a tremendous amount of concentration. Great form, Calla!

The excitement of success could not be any more apparent. I love capturing moments like these.

When all else fails: improvise, adapt, and overcome. Michael uses this phrase all the time, and I have come to embrace it. Apparently, Calla has, too.

Calla was having a little trouble deciding whether to use the spoon or her fingers. She was proud of herself for using a spoon (even though it wasn't her first time), but using her fingers meant that the food got to her mouth much more quickly and efficiently.

This is such a classic Calla expression. How can you not smile at this little ravioli-covered face?

Calla was waving to Grammie (a.k.a. "Mammie") when she noticed she had missed getting some of the meat in her mouth. She licked it off after this picture was taken.

What can I say? The girl loves her food. I guess the apple falls right next to the tree in this case.

After bath time (which I need to devote an entire blog to sometime), Calla enjoyed some quality time with Dad. Few things beat having a clean, happy baby.

After getting in her jammies and reading a book with Daddy and Mini Goober (her little monkey lovey that Uncle Topher gave her), Calla headed off to bed with a happy heart and a full tummy.

It's a boy!!!

2009-08-11T12:34:00.001-04:00

We FINALLY found out the sex of our baby, and I'm so excited to report that we're having a BOY!!! Michael didn't want to find out, but I was able to convince him that we NEEDED to...I NEEDED to. He agreed only after I promised he could buy a new gun if it was another girl. Nice, huh? Calla loves to come up to my belly and say "baby" and give it kisses, but at only 16 months, I'm not sure she quite fully understands. Oh, well. Only three more months to go. Now if only we could agree on a name....

Buttons' Babies!!!

2009-05-26T12:01:00.000-04:00

The moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived: Buttons gave birth to two beautiful kids on Sunday!!! Okay, let's be honest...this was the moment Michael had been waiting for. I didn't even know we owned a goat until a few weeks ago. Apparently, it's the thing to do when you move to Wisconsin. Michael has been keeping Buttons at his friend Taylor's house, because he was afraid I might freak out if he told me he bought a goat (surprisingly, I was not upset). There are lots of other goats for her to hang out with, and Taylor has lots of experience with animals since he grew up on a farm. We went over to Taylor's house yesterday to meet the new arrivals.

Here are the two kids, both girls. Zipper is on top, and Thimble is on the bottom. Zipper is a little more high-energy than Thimble, hence the pouncing.

Calla LOVED the baby goats, especially that there were two of them to play with.

Calla holding Thimble, while Zipper was checking her shoes out. Typical goat behavior. :o)

Michael, Calla, and Thimble. Aren't they just so cute?

What is it about babies? They are all so cute and innocent. These baby goats even smelled good!

Luckily, Buttons didn't see Calla as a threat. This could have posed some serious issues. We did, however, witness Buttons buck some of the other goats pretty hard to protect her kids. There's nothing like a mother's love.

I love the expression on Calla's face. She is just so excited to be playing with the goats.

Thimble was my favorite. She was born after Zipper and was the more mellow of the two.

I was enjoying some quality baby goat snuggling time, but not too much. Calla looked on with some serious jealousy. I hate to tell her that her competition is going to include more than a couple baby goats in five more months.

Buttons got a little nervous when I picked up both of her kids, but I assured her that I was a mother, too, and wouldn't harm her little babes.

How cute is she?! She fell asleep in my arms later on and actually started purring. It was the cutest thing...I think my heart melted into a big puddle. Again, Calla did NOT like this.

This is Calla playing with Darby, one of Taylor's dogs. She follows him around saying, "dog...doggie..." every time we're at Taylor's. Calla loves dogs so much that she even gets excited when dog food commercials come on TV.

Taylor had just bought this fainting goat, and named him Lazarus (hahaha). This particular breed of goats stiffen up and fall over on their sides when they are startled. I guess Lazarus will be rising from the "dead" a lot in the future.

Here are Michael and Huckleberry, who is one of Taylor's goats. Taylor's wife, Katie, warned me not to get too close, as Huckleberry likes to urinate on women. Yikes!

These are little sweaters for the baby goats to wear so they don't get cold. Cute, huh?

Here we are with 8-week-old kittens. Calla tried to eat one of the kittens right before this picture. She grabbed him by the ears and pulled him towards her mouth like she wanted a bite. Michael swiftly intervened, though, and no kittens were harmed. Calla also got her first taste of goat poop. I thought she had just grabbed some rocks and was putting them in her mouth, but when I told her to spit them out, I realized it was poop! Ugh...I was SO grossed out I thought I was going to die. That was, BY FAR, the most disgusting thing Calla has done to date. I'm sure there will be many other equally gross incidents in the years to come, but I just didn't see this one coming. Ewwww!!! Katie assured me that their son, Malachi (2), had done the same thing thinking they were Cocoa Puffs, and he was okay. That didn't exactly make me feel better, but it was nice to know that my kid wasn't the only one who had eaten poop before. :o) Anyway, we had a great time playing with all the animals, and we'll be sure to be on a vigilant poop patrol next time. Congrats, Buttons! Now my parents have two more grand"kids" to add to their list!

Cravings

2009-05-20T13:22:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't already know, I am 15 weeks pregnant, and have had pretty bad morning sickness (even though it's usually the worst in the evenings). Luckily, I have been able to eat in spite of feeling nauseous most of the time (this really is lucky if you know how much I love food). I thought it would be fun to do a blog on all the cravings I've been having, so here goes...

Let's begin with my number one craving: Arby's Beef 'n Cheddar sandwiches. I just can't get enough! If I let myself, I would devour several of these every day. When Michael is in the dog house, he'll bring one home as a peace offering. Smart man. The way to my heart is definitely through my belly. I love the special red sauce they put on this sandwich. Contrary to what many think, it is not Arby's sauce. I actually found out from the drive-thru girl last week that it's called Red Ranch Sauce. I pulled the pregnancy card and she gave me two huge sides of it. I now have a serious Red Ranch obsession. Mmmm....

Next on the list are Nestle's Drumsticks. I am a huge fan of ice cream even when I'm not pregnant, but I have specifically been craving Drumsticks after I saw a commercial for them on TV. I craved gelato when I was pregnant with Calla, and since we lived in downtown San Diego, I would walk to the gelato shop almost every night. Yay for ice cream!

I have been enamored with grilled cheese sandwiches my whole life, but I have been craving them more than usual. What's not to love about buttery grilled bread with gooey cheese? Yum.

I have been buying potatoes in bulk because I have been eating so much mashed potatoes and gravy. I make about five pounds at a time, and then eat them over the next several days. I had the same craving with Calla, too, but not with gravy.

Arguably the best salty snack in the world, McDonald's french fries are so addicting. When my nausea is really bad, these are the only thing I want to eat. I know french fries are not healthy, so I try to rationalize and say they're a vegetable.

Mmmm...pickles. I have also been buying these puppies in bulk. I will eat any dill pickle, but I prefer Claussen. When I was pregnant with Calla, I asked Michael to go get me some pickles late one night. He said he was tired and he'd get some the next day. He didn't understand that I NEEDED them, so I went downstairs by myself (we lived on top of an Albertson's grocery store) and bought two jars. I ate one whole jar as soon as I got home, and I polished off the other one at work the next day.

I have had a little bit of an obsession with egg salad sandwiches. I think I ate one for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the other day. I have to have it with spicy mustard and chopped up pickles (surprise).

Again with the eggs. I have been craving deviled eggs on an almost daily basis. I have gone through eighteen eggs this week between these and my egg salad sandwiches.

I have also been eating a lot of spaghetti. I think Michael is getting a little sick of it, but he's a good sport. I craved lots of pasta with Calla, too.

I couldn't be from Florida if I didn't like oranges, right? I grew up eating a lot of oranges, but I have been eating them more than I normally do. They are just so good, and I don't have to feel guilty about eating them!

It's almost as if my body knows to balance out the junk it has been craving with some salad. I especially love Olive Garden's salad with lots of cheese on top. Yummy. I ate lots of salad with Calla, too.

I have always loved chips and salsa, but now I probably eat it for a snack at least every couple of days. I love salsa so much, I have even considered drinking it out of the bowl.

I haven't really been craving saltines and ginger ale, but I figured they deserved an honorable mention for getting me through the really tough times. Thanks, guys!

Well, I guess that about sums up my list. This will be fun for me to look back at someday.

Cheesus?

2009-05-19T11:13:00.000-04:00

This is hilarious. I saw on the news last night that a Dallas couple found "Jesus" in a 99-cent bag of Cheetos, and dubbed him "Cheesus." Wow. Sounds like some people have too much time on their hands....

Calla's FIRST Birthday!!!

2009-05-09T14:24:00.000-04:00

Calla turned one a few weeks ago, and we had quite the birthday celebration for her. She was so excited about everything going on all day, and loved her new toys (thanks everyone!). There's a lot to share, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the blog...

A couple days before Calla's birthday, my parents and I took her to Toys R Us. They gave her a balloon with Geoffrey (the store's mascot) on it and a little birthday crown for her to wear. She was so excited you would have thought they had given her the moon.

Calla playing with her "ball." Sometimes she says ba-oon. She's just smart like that. :o)

Calla woke up to a plethora of pink balloons. She couldn't decide which one to play with first.

Presents! We had to help her a little bit because she got distracted by each new thing she opened.

I think Calla liked the wrapping, or should I say unwrapping, more than she liked the actual presents (at first anyway).

I was surprised she actually let me get away with putting this bow on her head. I guess there were too many other distractions.

I was so excited about getting her this pink plane. Fisher Price makes this special girl version of their Little People Airplane, but it is pretty hard to find. I had been wanting to get it for her for a long time because of Michael's lifelong love of planes and aviation.

Calla loves her Learn and Groove Musical Table. She will push it along the floor as she dances to the music and walks behind the table. It's pretty funny to watch.

Calla also loves her Busy Ball Popper. The balls funnel down until a blast of air shoots them back out, while silly music plays simultaneously. She likes to put the captain of her airplane down the tube (even though she sometimes gets stuck) and watch the air blow her out.

Calla and Daddy spending some quality time busy ball popping.

Giving my little birthday babe some love. Calla was slow to relinquish the balls from her busy ball popper.

Ah, the cupcakes.... I wanted to make cupcakes for Calla from scratch, and since I am pretty strict about her eating healthy food, I decided to use a recipe from the cookbook called Deceptively Delicious-Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food. The recipe was angel food cupcakes (with yellow squash puree) and cream cheese frosting (with carrot puree). I went to the grocery store with my dad and picked up all the necessary ingredients the day before Calla's big day, and spent several hours that evening pureeing the vegetables and making the cupcakes and frosting. The cupcakes didn't rise as much as I thought they would, and the frosting turned out to be incredibly tart and a hideous shade of orange from the carrot puree. I added hot pink food coloring and some powdered sugar to the frosting, but it was still pretty tart. Nothing, however, could doctor the taste of the cupcakes. Wow. Let's just say that everyone's tastebuds had the shock of their life. Calla, quite the little trooper, still dug in, even though she kept making funny faces. I love her. In the end, it was worth it to me to know that I had spent so much time and effort for her first birthday. I keep telling myself that she'll never remember what they tasted like, even though my parents and Michael will probably never let me forget. C'est la vie.

The long-awaited lighting of the birthday cupcake for our little cupcake. Calla tried to grab the flame, but Michael was quick to blow it out before she got to it.

She's probably thinking, Are you sure I'm supposed to eat this thing?

Calla is such a good eater. She will eat almost anything. Seriously, I didn't even take more than one bite of my cupcake, and even that I had to choke down.

One of the many funny faces Calla made, but she still kept on eating. I love you, Calla girl!!!

Calla with her Grammie and Papa. She absolutely LOVES my parents. Hey, who doesn't?

Calla is also a good sharer. And she's even giving Papa the better-tasting piece, the candle.

I love our happy little family. Michael and Calla both melt my heart.

I swear this munchkin likes to be such a messy eater because she knows she'll have to take a bath afterwards. She LOVES bath time. She will literally run into the bathroom and start taking her clothes off while repeating, "bath, bath...."

Here is a picture of me on my first birthday. Compare to the picture of Calla below. Scary how much we look alike, huh?

We had so much fun on Calla's first birthday, and we were glad my parents were able to come out to celebrate such a monumental occasion. Thanks Mom and Dad for all your help! And thank you to everyone for Calla's gifts. Here's to you, Calla! You are the most loved little girl in the whole world and I promise I'll make you funfetti cupcakes next year.

Calla's One-Year Pictures

2009-05-03T22:52:00.000-04:00

On Calla's first birthday, we took her to have her pictures taken. She was very cooperative except for pulling off her headband every five seconds. I was amazed at some of the shots the photographer got because she was walking and crawling around so much.

Calla mid-clap

I love the expression on her face.

She loved this little piano.

Right before she pulled the headband off

Calla is a pro at posing

Calla LOVES to clap. If she hears music, the word yay, or sees or hears other people clapping, she will get the biggest smile on her face and start clapping and/or dancing. It is the cutest thing.

This is, by far, my favorite picture of the entire session. The photographer was so lucky to get this shot because Calla was moving so much. We never would have been able to get this shot if we tried to pose her like this. Calla definitely likes to do her own thing.

I am SO glad we had these pictures done because I think they capture what an angel Calla really is!

Calla's First Easter!

2009-05-01T16:20:00.000-04:00

My parents came out to visit for Easter and Calla's birthday, and we had a blast! I didn't get any pictures of Calla in her Easter dress, but she's wearing it in her one-year pictures that I'm hoping to post soon (and by soon, I mean before next Easter). Here are a few fun pics of Calla on Easter:

Calla LOVES this book! She was quite entertained when my mom put it up to her face.

Calla thoroughly enjoyed her Easter eggs. It took her a while to say "egg" because she kept calling them "balls."

The cutest Easter bunny ever! Calla tries to pull off anything I put on her head, including hats, bows, and headbands, but she actually kept these ears on long enough for me to get several pictures. Sometimes she surprises me. All in all, we had a really fun Easter!

Calla's Curiosity

2009-03-03T22:52:00.000-05:00

Calla is almost eleven months old and is becoming quite mischievous. She has always been intensely curious about everything, but now that she is almost eleven months old, that curiosity can be dangerous at times. Let's just say that she definitely keeps me on my toes!

Calla loves boxes and never tires of exploring inside them, even if they're empty.

I generally shut all the doors so Calla can't wander off. Sometimes she gets so frustrated that she can't open them, that she will lay down like this and make grunting noises until I come open them for her.

I bring Calla in the bathroom with me when I take showers. I have recently had to start opening the blinds and pulling them up out of the reach of Calla's little hands, so this pretty much means showering in public (Michael was horrified when he found out about this, so I reassured him that it was okay because the windows fog up from the steam. Privacy glass? Voila!) Sometimes, though, Calla gets bored with her toys and finds other ways to entertain herself. Like last week when I caught her playing with the toilet paper. Notice the trash on top of the toilet, too. She is into EVERYTHING. She even pulled the toilet lid up and was splashing around inside a couple days ago. I about died. Luckily, though, I am a stickler for keeping clean toilets. I tried to lean out of the shower, telling her in my firm voice, "No, Calla. We don't splash around in the toilet. Please stop...," but she just laughed and gave me a look that said, Why don't you make me? I guess it's time for the baby-proofing toilet lock.

Calla gets super-excited when she hears/sees a vacuum. As you can see, my brother Chris (a.k.a. Uncle Topher), got a kick out of this at Christmas. I vacuum about every other day, and Calla will literally follow the vacuum around and try to pounce on it. I cannot help but laugh every time she does this, even if it takes me three times as long to vacuum.

Calla LOVES power cords and will find a way to get to them even if I make a barracade. She especially loves the power supply for Michael's laptop, and cries the hardest when this "toy" gets taken away. She will also stand up on her tip-toes and struggle to reach the power cord for my blow dryer when I am blow-drying my hair. I used to put things out of her reach on the couch, but now she can half-way pull herself up on the couch to get what she wants, so I have had to resort to putting things up higher. A few days ago, Calla somehow managed to get the TV remote, so I put it up on the desk. She watched me do this and waited until I walked away, then she stealthily crawled over to the desk, pulled herself up to a standing position, and began feeling with her little hand on top of the desk until she eventually found the remote. Even though I was a bit exasperated, I couldn't help but laugh.

Calla already loves shiny things, even if it is a power outlet in the floor. She also loves when she can see her reflection (in the oven door, or windows, mirrors, etc.) and if possible, tries to give her reflection kisses.

Calla likes to "help" me do laundry now. When I put something into the dryer, she takes it out and plays with it. If she's not doing this, then she will just stare at the washer/dryer, hoping that if she stares hard enough at it, it will finish sooner, and she can get Goober back (her favorite blanket that my brother gave her).

And finally, my favorite: Calla loves toothbrushes and brushing her teeth. She would carry a toothbrush around all day if I let her. If you weren't convinced before, she is DEFINITELY my daughter.

Well, there you have it, folks. Calla is curious about pretty much everything, and keeps me busier than I ever thought she could. That said, I must admit that the entertainment is well worth it!

Resurrecting Our Blog (and Happy Valentine's Day, too!)

2009-02-14T23:43:00.000-05:00

Wow...it has been a LONG time since my last blog. We relocated from California to Wisconsin last month, and suffice it to say that the last couple months have been pretty crazy. I have several legitimate excuses as to why I haven't posted for so long (i.e. our computers and my laptop have been in storage since the beginning of December and Michael takes his laptop to school, I just got a Compact Flash converter for my new camera so I could put the pics on Michael's computer, Calla keeps me busy, etc.), but the biggest reason is that I am completely overwhelmed at catching up on everything. So, I figured I would just take it one blog at a time, and start with today...Saint Valentine's Day...the day of love. This past year has been the best year of my life and I thank my lucky stars every day that I have Michael and Calla. We have so much fun together and I can't imagine my life without them in it. I don't mean to get all mushy, but I think it is important to tell the people you love how important they are to you. So here's to Michael and Calla, the true loves of my life!

Calla loves to lounge

my loves

Valentine brownies I made

Oh, deer! A special Valentine visitor on our doorstep

the littlest love of my life

I love her smile!

I just can't get enough!

quality snuggle time

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

Calla's First Tooth!!!

2008-12-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

The moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived! Okay, the moment I've been waiting for has finally arrived. Calla cut her first tooth last Friday (the day after Thanksgiving). When she was three months old, I was convinced she was teething. I said the same thing when she was four months, five months, and six months, too. So last week, when I told Michael I felt a bump on her gums, he didn't believe me because I had been the girl who cried tooth. But sure enough, when I rubbed Baby Orajel on Calla's little gums, I felt a razor sharp little piece of tooth. Yay! I couldn't have been more excited and squealed with delight! I can't wait to start brushing and flossing her new little tooth once it comes in all the way. I have made numerous attempts to snap a picture of Calla's new tooth, but her tongue is always in the way, so I'll post one when I can. When Michael saw me downloading this pic, he said, "Should I be worried about you?" Hey, what can I say? I LOVE teeth and I'm all about proper oral hygiene. :o) Besides, how can you look at this picture and not smile?

Upchurch Family Fun Day

2008-11-22T23:56:00.000-05:00

Today was one of the most fun days EVER! Since Calla loves water and fish so much (my parents discovered her love of fish when they took her to Petco when she was 3 months old), we decided to take her to the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. Calla was completely mesmerized by all the fish, and tried to grab them when we put her next to the glass. She also loved the tidal pools outside, where one of the volunteers offered to get a starfish for her to hold. She kind of splashed around in the water at first, then suddenly picked up the starfish and tried to eat him. Luckily, he didn't make it to her mouth. After snapping a bunch of photos/videos, we headed over to Coronado to meet up with our friends, the Knebels, to take them sailing. We were going to go to Seaport Village, but it got too cold after the sun set, so we headed back to Coronado. Kathleen and I desperately needed to use the restroom, so Michael pulled in to the Loews Coronado Bay Resort gondola dock. Michael talked the Spa receptionist into letting us use their restrooms, so Kathleen and I headed for the locker room. While I was waiting for Kathleen, I wandered over to the sauna and noticed a big bowl of ice with cucumber slices. I looked down at Calla sleeping in my arms, then at the cuke slices, then back at Calla. You can only imagine what I was thinking. Kathleen offered to hold Calla, and I quickly picked up two of the cuke slices and gently placed them on Calla's resting eyelids. You have no idea how much self-restraint I had to use to not laugh hysterically while I took pictures. At the end of our little photo shoot (thanks for your help, Kathleen!), we did our best to stroll nonchalantly past the receptionist on our way out. After we docked, Kathleen, Charlie, Calla, and I walked around while we waited for the boys to secure the boat, then we all headed to a gourmet dinner at McDonald's downtown. What a fun day! We couldn't have had a better time if we tried.
Calla touching mussels

I wonder what is going through her head

a completely mesmerized Calla girl

a healthy coral reef

trying to grab the fishies

Calla's first starfish encounter

having a whale of a time

A potbellied seahorse...what a cute belly!

at the whale tail fountain

Michael's creative photography skills

Twins!

family pic

playing with the winch

The beginnings of a bibliophile...Calla loves to read!

Calla and me in the v-berth

getting some much needed r&r at the spa...ahhh....

Charlie trying to hide in the bushes

One Tough Cookie

2008-11-20T13:10:00.000-05:00

Calla had her second flu shot this morning. I HATE taking her to get shots because it is the saddest thing ever (such a big needle going into such tiny little legs). She always gives me a look that says, Mommy...how could you? My eyes always tear up, but I know I have to be strong for Calla. I tell her, "It's okay, baby. You're okay..." and in my head I'm saying, It's okay, Camie, you're okay.... But today, Calla was a rockstar! Besides rolling around on the table, trying to eat the paper and the electric cord for the otoscope, she was amazing. I held her little hands in mine and told her everything was okay. She didn't even cry! Not one tear! She just let out a barely audible whimper and shot me a dirty look. By the time we walked out of the Pediatrician's office she was back to her normal, smiley self. I called Michael to let him know how everything went, and he was equally impressed. He told me to take her to Wal-Mart to get a new toy. I couldn't help myself and bought her two. She deserved them!

In the elevator on our way home

Calla's own cell phone (maybe now she won't try to eat Mommy's)

This one's for you, Michael!!!

2008-11-19T16:38:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I know I must seem like a blogaholic, but I am still trying to catch up on everything. Last Tuesday (Nov. 11) was Veterans' Day. As the wife of a veteran, I really wanted to write a nice blog on that day, but alas, our poor computer was still in "rehab" with Shane and Finlay (our computer whiz friends).

I think we are incredibly lucky to live in a country that offers us so much freedom - freedom of speech, press, and religion, to name a few. I have never considered myself incredibly patriotic, but I do love my country and am grateful for those who defend it. When I was in high school, I was one of a few people who actually stood up and said the Pledge of Allegiance every day. How quickly people forget what it took to found our great nation. Countless men and women (not to mention children) have given their lives to defend our liberty. And many more put their lives on the line every day so we can enjoy freedom. I am so grateful to all the men and women in the armed forces who sacrifice so much to preserve and protect our freedom on a daily basis. Next time you see someone in uniform, stop and thank them for allowing you to benefit from their hard work.

Semper Fidelis

2008-11-18T19:16:00.000-05:00

Last Monday, November 10th, was the 233rd birthday of the Marine Corps. Michael woke me up by jumping on top of me, shaking me to the point of semi-wakefulness, and loudly exclaiming, "Guess what today is?!" After blinking several times to try to get his face in focus, I managed to mumble, "I don't know and I don't care." Of course, he persisted, "It's the Marine Corps Birthday. What did you get me? Something nice I hope!" Then he proceeded to sing:

From the halls of Montezuma,

To the shores of Tripoli;

We fight our country's battles

In the air, on land, and sea;

First to fight for right and freedom

And to keep our honor clean;

We are proud to claim the title

Of United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze

From the dawn to setting sun;

We have fought in every clime and place

Where we could take a gun;

In the snow of far-off northern lands

And in sunny tropic scenes;

You will find us always on the job

The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps

Which we are proud to serve;

In many a strife we've fought for life

And have never lost our nerve;

If the Army and the Navy

Ever look on Heaven's scenes;

They will find the streets are guarded

By United States Marines.

I was being just a tad grumpy that morning and felt guilty, so I cooked Michael a nice dinner, with a birthday cake and all. And, I even let him put up a Marine Corps flag that flew in Al-Asad above (where else?) the huge gun safe that is still sitting in our living room (Michael originally promised it wouldn't stay there). I am pretty sure my grumpiness was forgiven. Ooh-rah!

Ready...Set...Go!!!

2008-11-18T17:10:00.000-05:00

Calla finally started crawling last week (Nov. 9th, to be exact). I say finally because she had been up on all fours, rocking back and forth for several weeks before any crawling actually took place. I had been trying to lure her with all sorts of shiny objects and electronics that she knew were off-limits, but it was to no avail. Then, we were over at our friends Gary and Sandy Betrix's home for dinner last week. I was playing with Calla on the floor while sipping from a water bottle. I set the bottle down and Calla took off crawling for it, like it was no big deal. Who would've thought...a water bottle?! I called Michael over so he could watch, and we both clapped and cheered her on. She just looked at us with a face that seemed to say, What? Why are you guys so excited? So now, a week and a half later, she hasn't changed her mode of transportation solely to crawling. She still rolls and creeps, but only seriously crawls when she REALLY wants something and knows she has to get there fast because Mommy will take it away. I know it sounds mean, but sometimes I put the camera or my phone on the opposite side of the room from where she is and watch her go. A little coaxing never hurt anyone, right?

Ooooh...shiny camera....

I want it....

Mommy! Why can't I have it?

Now that Calla can crawl, she is into EVERYTHING, so I have to barricade the places that are off-limits. She is extremely curious (I don't know anyone like that) and very determined to figure out how things work. Like, for example, Mommy's iPhone (that she spit up on and hasn't worked the same since). My work just gets more exciting every day!

Our Calla Bear

2008-11-17T14:01:00.000-05:00

I am finally catching up on our blog since our computer crashed...yay! Calla's first Halloween was fun-filled and exciting. We went over to Coronado with our friends, the Knebels, to take Calla and Charlie trick-or-treating. Okay, so we really just walked around while Charlie trick-or-treated.

Bears and giraffes get along quite well, it seems

The cutest little giraffe ever

Enjoying a little political propaganda

I love my Calla Bear

Definitely a treat (as opposed to a trick)

What memorable experience is complete without a family picture?

After forty-five minutes of walking around, the kiddies were pooped, so we went back home to eat delicious mummy dogs (hot dogs wrapped like mummies in crescent roll dough) and watch a movie. I can't wait until next year when Calla can actually trick-or-treat and eat mummy dogs, too!

...And we're back!

2008-11-15T23:38:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we're back after two weeks (repeat, TWO WEEKS) without a computer. More blogs to follow....

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:04:00.000-04:00

Last night we carved pumpkins over at the Knebels (our neighbors). I'll let the pictures speak for themselves (with a little help from moi, of course)!

Picking out a pumpkin (he was rather proud of himself)

Kathleen and I drew the faces, then Braden and Michael went to work

Kathleen was so excited to clean the seeds out

Charlie, the helper

Kathleen and Charlie

Me and my little pumpkin

Are they done yet??? It's getting close to my bedtime....

Finished products

One last pic before Calla heads off to bed

Calla this week

2008-10-30T13:39:00.000-04:00

Calla is getting to be so much more fun every day. She had her 6-month check-up last Thursday, and she now weighs 16 lbs. 12 oz. and is 26.5 in. long. I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by! One of my favorite things has been watching her little personality come out. She is such a happy, mellow baby, but she definitely knows what she wants! Here are some of my favorite pics of her from this week...

Mmmm...shiny camera...can I just have a little nibble???

This is how I roll

Ready...set...go!

Putting on our sea legs

2008-10-25T01:10:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was a fun-filled family night. Calla and I met up with Michael in Coronado to go sailing. The marine layer was pretty thick in the bay, and it got pretty chilly, but we had a great time. I actually sailed back to the Cays and even parked the boat in our slip by myself (big pat on the back, even though Michael will probably roll his eyes when reading this because I ran into the dock...oops!) I was also able to finally take some pics for those of you who have been dying to see the boat (Dad).

Captain Mike with Coronado and the Coronado bridge in the background

Me and Calla (I got so cold I wore Michael's ski jacket)

Sunset in Coronado

Putting on sea legs can be exhausting for first-timers

Not too shabby for a dollar, eh?

Putting away the sails

After we finished in Coronado, we headed to the best place to get pizza in SD, Ciro's. Our Italian BIL introduced us to the place a couple years ago (thanks, Dario!), and let's just say that it was love at first bite. We used to walk there several times a week when we lived downtown (sometimes several nights in a row when I was preggo), but this was our first time going since Calla was born.

I could seriously eat Ciro's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...EVERYDAY!

We ended our family outing at the Gaslamp Borders, one of my favorite places EVER. We also used to walk there often when we lived downtown. Being a complete bibliophile, Calla and I had already been to a different Borders that morning. The one thing I dislike about this store, though, is that you have to pay to use the restroom (I HATED this when I was pregnant) because there are so many homeless people around. Anyway, after strolling down memory lane (okay, so it was Market and Sixth) and boring Calla with stories about when Mommy and Daddy lived downtown, we headed home to make Calla's bedtime.

Our next door neighbor...Mexico

2008-10-20T21:08:00.000-04:00

Calla and I went down to Las Americas Outlets for a little shopping excursion on Monday. To get there, you have to take the last exit on the freeway before you cross the border into Mexico. I am always amazed at how close San Diego is to Tijuana, at a mere 15-minute drive. You can actually see the border fence from the mall parking lot. Here are some fun pics I took:

And my personal favorite, the illegal alien crossing...

Calla's new best friend

2008-10-17T19:29:00.000-04:00

Our good friends Shane and Miranda finally had their baby yesterday. She was only a couple days past her due date, but when you've been anxiously awaiting the arrival, two days seem like an eternity. Kassandra Lynn Betrix was born at 2:03 p.m. She was 7 pounds 7 ounces and 19 inches long. We went to the hospital last night to sneak a peek...

Calla is so excited to have a new best friend (even if she was jealous of me holding Kassy), and we are so happy for Shane and Miranda! Girls are so much fun!!!

One potato, two potato, sweet potato, four...

2008-10-15T16:15:00.000-04:00

Since Calla will be six months old tomorrow, we (and by "we" I mean me) decided that the time has come for her to delve into the wonderful world of food. I started her on rice cereal last month, and she took to it quite well. She does, however, still eyeball my fork going to and from my mouth when I eat, as if to say, What about me, mommy? Can't I just have one tiny little bite? Pleeeeease??? So, last night, after making sure the video camera was ready, we stripped Calla down to her diaper (and, of course, a bib) and set the stage for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Eyes wild with excitement, Calla took a spoonful, only to spit it right back out with a look of sheer horror and disgust. After numerous unsuccessful attempts of getting Calla to actually swallow the orange goo, I tried adding it to some rice cereal. Our little peanut was too smart for that, though, and gave me a look that said, Are you serious? I can still taste the sweet potatoes.... Several minutes of video footage and lots of pictures later, Michael and I were able to contain our laughter enough to make her a bottle. Calla could not conceal her delight by loudly gulping it down. I've read that it can take babies up to twenty times to actually like a particular food, so I guess we'll just keep on trying....

El fin de semana pasada

2008-10-14T15:44:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, Michael called me on his way home from work and said, "I have a secret. I want to tell you, but you have to promise me first that you won't get mad...." NEVER a good way to start a conversation, in my opinion. I reluctantly agreed to not get mad, and was informed that we are now the proud owners of a Cal 25' sailboat. Yay. As it turns out, a gentleman up in Huntington Beach purchased a new sailboat and needed to get rid of his old one ASAP, so he listed it for $1 on Craigslist. Who would buy a sailboat for $1, you ask? If you were married to Michael, you wouldn't have to ask that question. My wonderful (but impulsive) husband then asked me if Calla and I would like to join him on his journey to pick up the boat and sail it down to SD. My answer: Um...no. So, Michael convinced one of his Marine buddies, Garrett, to drive up to Huntington Beach with him and sail back to Coronado, where we are keeping the boat. Friday night, they drove up to get the boat, spent the night on it, and set sail early the next morning. They made it to Oceanside by Saturday evening and docked there for the night, then finally made it to Coronado at sunset on Sunday. Calla and I enjoyed a mommy/daughter weekend filled with friends and family. Saturday morning, we met Shannon and Dario (my SIL/BIL) and my two cute nephews, Dario Luca and Marco, at Corner Bakery Cafe for breakfast, then tagged along with them to Target and IKEA. Later, after Calla and I had a nice long nap, we visited our good friends Shane and Miranda up in Escondido and had dinner at Shane's parents' house in RB. That night, we all drove up to O'side to meet up with Michael and see the boat. On Sunday, Calla and I walked along the beach and around the Del for a couple hours while we waited for Michael and Garrett. All in all, a fun weekend!

Missing Calla

2008-10-12T23:45:00.000-04:00

Calla started sleeping in her crib for the first time a few weeks ago, and I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I know she's sleeping better (11 hrs. straight) in her own space, but on the other hand, I miss her snuggling with me all night long. So now, when I put her down for the night, I can't give her enough hugs and kisses. And I tell her over and over how much I love her. She just laughs and seems to say with her eyes, It's okay, Mommy, I'm fine...just let me go to sleep! After I tell her 'I love you' for the millionth time and I'm convinced she's okay, I leave her room and go check the video monitor to make sure she's still okay. I laugh sometimes because she seems to look right into the camera and say, Yep, still okay.... Before I go to bed, I go in her room and give her another kiss (or two or three) , rub her little fuzzy head, pat her little diaper bum, and just in case she forgot already, tell her I love her again. Wow. Am I a dork, or what? I never imagined how much love I could have for such a little person.

Leopard pants and pink cowgirl boots are so hot right now...

2008-10-07T16:09:00.000-04:00

We were in Oklahoma over the weekend for the wedding of one of Michael's cousins (Patsy Snyder). It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but we had a blast. I was a little nervous about how Calla would do, but she yet again showed us what an amazing little babe she is! She was awesome the whole time, with the exception of getting fussy at the very end of the reception in Enid (hey, it was 10:30 at night). She slept like a champ every night and amazed everyone. The rehearsal dinner was a BBQ in a round barn in Pond Creek, so everyone sported western attire. Michael got new cowboy boots since I left his at home (oops!) and we got Calla the cutest little pair of pink and brown John Deere cowgirl boots. I just had to try them on her as soon as we got back to my MIL's house, hence the pairing with the leopard pants that she already had on. The wedding was GORGEOUS and we had a great time visiting with family and friends.

Hello, bloggers!

2008-10-06T20:42:00.000-04:00

Apparently, I signed up for this whole blog thing last April, but didn't remember until today, when I went to create an account and realized that I already had one. Hmmm...suffice it to say that I've been a little busy the last six months. Hopefully, I can regularly post things on here, but I'm not promising anything....