Wrap

When I bathe Cora I dry her off and then 'wrap' her in a towel and send her to her room. She used to make me carry her in her room, so this was a trick I used to get her to walk to her room on her own. I tried to take some pictures of her, but she was more interested in saying cheese and posing for the camera. Go figure.

We have learned that Cora is not getting out of her crib anytime soon...unlike we thought. She has been going to bed pretty well lately, but she stays up and plays in her crib. We can hear her talking and laughing for a long time after we put her to bed. She usually settles down on her own without crying so it isn't a big deal. It is times like this that we wish we would have gotten the video monitor though!

Mother's Day

We had a nice Mother's day despite me being sick and hurting my foot yesterday. Both our parents, Papa Groth and Eric & Pennie came over for hamburgers. It was good to see everyone. Cora did great and actually sat in Papa's lap for a little while.

I got no pictures of Cora and I together, but that's ok. I feel like crap and probably looked it a little too - No comments please! Here's some of her with Papa and some with Honey.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!

Pony Tail

We finally have enough hair to put a pony tail in the back! Yeah! Her hair is growing really fast and I didn't realize it was that long. We have to clip the bangs a little, but it worked and helped keep her neck a little cooler today while out in the heat.

Emerson's Birthday Party

As you will see, we go to a lot of birthday parties. Saturday we drove up to the north side of Houston to see the Faterkowskis and celebrate Emerson's first birthday. Cora had fun and got to play with some new friends.

Cora got to play some baseball - she wasn't good at keeping her eye on the ball!

Conner needs to worry...she was pretty smitten with this little boy. He was a little older so maybe that was the attraction...but he was also dark headed like her daddy...you know what they say about girls, you always marry one like your own dad!

Cora really liked the curvy slide...I am glad we found that out before we bought her new playset!

1st Brain Freeze

She was drinking a lot of milk with her dinner last night. I refilled her cup and she started drinking more right away. She set her cup down and started pushing right between her eyes and kind of groaning. She sat there for awhile. This picture is towards the end and I think the freeze was wearing off. It was really funny though.
She is becoming quite the bossy little girl too. She doesn't like Tucker or Katie to lay on the floor beneath her at the table and is constantly telling them to 'MOVE'. I guess I am telling Tucker to 'move' too much! I have started to tell Tucker 'excuse me', but it is hard...he is always in the way! She also tells Katie to 'get down' when she is on the chair or in the windowsill.
I finally figured out what 'I-saw' is - it is Applesauce! She loves the stuff and asks for it quite often at meals. It just takes me forever to figure out what she is saying.

Happy Mother's Day to Me

Dennis did well this year - he planned ahead and sent me roses. It was a nice surprise for me. My arranging of them doesn't do them justice though.
Here's a view from the top to see them better. They smell really good too!

Thanks Daddy!

Madeline's Birthday Party

I swear she is a little mini me! We went on a walk when we got home from work/school and I handed her a pair of sunglasses. She held on to them the entire walk, then at the end she put them on her head like this. Mine were of course on my head too. She ate her entire dinner like this! I am not sure what happened to one of her pig tails, but she does have two - I think her glasses pulled one down...it is a little flat.
Our friend Madeline Mayfield turned 1 last week! Time certainly flies when it is your own kids...but it really flies when it is other kids you don't see every day! Daddy feeding Cora a cupcake. He wanted the credit for giving her something sweet...he doesn't know I gave her ice cream later! Ha.

Cora playing in the playroom - it was one of the nicest playrooms I have ever seen and very cutely decorated!

More Updates

A few more updates that I have thought of since I posted the last bunch.

*'A-choo' is cheerios.
*'Sho-00' is bless you after you sneeze.
*She says 'mess' when her hands are dirty or have food on them and insists you clean them at that moment.
*'ninit' is 'nothing in it' or basically, empty. That took me forever to decipher.
*She sings "Happy Birthday", but just sings "Happy, to you".
*She is saying a couple of sentences..."I broke it" when she broke her chip.
*Checks on her 'bok, bok's' (chicks)
*When you tell her she is eating chicken she says 'bok, bok'; or if she's eating bacon and you tell her it is pig, she'll make her noise for 'oink, oink'.
*She yells 'a two' when she finds two of one thing.
*She adds 'a' to some names...it is a mama, a dada, a nana, etc.
*She points out the car when leaving places and we are walking towards it.
*She likes to hear me say 'ow' or 'owwy' when something hurts me and then proceeds to do it again so I'll say it again.
*If I grunt or groan when getting up or picking something up, she does it too.
*She usually manages to repeat 'fart' when I call her a 'little fart'.
*She repeated me saying 'crap' the other day too - man I have to watch it!
*She still loves Conner...and will ask for him. Silly Girl! She did this morning and we had to go get him from the other classroom. Then he wanted nothing to do with her, but did give her a hug. She was good with that.
*To wake her I up, I usually tickle her and she giggles. I am trying to make her a morning person, but she still takes forever to get up in the mornings...just like her Daddy!

*On Sunday she pointed to her ear and said 'ear...hurt'. She had a stuffy nose and had been a little cranky, so I called and made an appointment Monday afternoon. We went and her ears were clear, but he cleaned them out as he always has to do before checking them! Then he was worried about the little rash around her mouth. We used a cream and it cleared right up! She lost a little weight though - she's back under 30 pounds...barely - 29lbs 6 oz. She's not eating as much, so it is fine.
That afternoon I was unloading the car and since it was raining I told her to stand in the garage with Tucker. I was at the back of the car and could hear her saying 'where's mama?'. I came around the car quietly to see her standing next to Tucker and bending down looking at him with her arms up in the air asking him 'where's mama?' It was the cutest thing I have seen! I laughed so hard. Kids just do the darndest things, don't they?

Baby Chicks Update

Ok, well Dennis came home with four baby chicks about a month ago. We have had a little bit of drama with them. Cora loves to check on them everyday when we get home...but she still doesn't want them to touch her or be on her. Can't blame her, I don't either.
Within a week of getting the first round of chicks, one went missing. It was on a Saturday and we still had them in the garage in a rubbermaid bin. We leave our garage door open a lot of the time while we are home. That evening I went outside to throw something away and there were only three chicks in the bin. Oops. We looked around outside for awhile and never found it, but we did find a neighborhood cat lurking around. So, the following day, the chicks were moved to their new cage in the backyard.
They did fine...until all the rains came. One Friday evening I had come home early from work and before I left to pick up Cora from school I checked on the chicks. It was raining pretty hard and a little bit of water was on the edge of the cage. I called Dennis and he said he would be heading home soon. I found a tarp in the garage and covered the cage as best I could. I tried moving it, but it was just too heavy. I only had one rock, so half of the tarp flipped up, but half of the cage was still covered. I left to pick up Cora...
And then there was one...I came home and two of the chicks had drowned! There was less than 1/2 inch in the bottom of the cage...but come to find out, chicks and turkey are stupid in the rain and they hold their mouths open to the rain...and drown! Crazy.
Saturday we had a huge storm and got about 8 inches in a few hours...and some hail. The only lonely chick survived that and Dennis rescued it from a couple inches of water. I thought Dennis would have learned his lesson and given up on the whole chick idea...but nope! When Cora and I were at gymnastics and a play date, he went and bought three more!
So, now we are back to four...

The lighter colored (and bigger) one is from the original group... the younger ones follow her around like she's the mom.

Daddy and Cora checking on the chicks and feeding them.

Cora telling the chicks bye bye for the night.

Daddy's Hat

Daddy left his hat on the bathroom counter...and Cora is getting taller by the minute! She grabbed it and put it on this way. It was so cute...I had to take a picture...or two.

She started saying 'cheese' by the end. Boy do I have her trained!

How to Trim a Tree

Ok, I know this blog is mainly for stuff about Cora...but I need help. Would someone please explain to my husband how to trim a tree??? I kid you not, he came inside on Sunday and said "I trimmed the tree". This is what I saw when I looked outside...

The tree is now 2 feet tall - THAT IS NOT TRIMMING!!! That is called CUTTING down the tree. Why do men do this?

Big Girl Chair

Sunday morning Cora didn't eat much breakfast with Daddy. I didn't want her going to church hungry, so I offered her a banana and she wanted it. I told her to get in her chair and she went to the table instead of her high chair. I didn't think much of it and let her sit there and eat the banana. Well at lunchtime I told her to get in her chair and she insisted on sitting at the table. I decided if we were going to do that, then we would pull out the booster seat and do it right. She loved it! She's obsessed with buckles and we buckle her in this one (we didn't with the high chair since she never tried to climb out of it). She did wonderful and hasn't made too much of a mess, that we know of...Tucker sticks close by when she is in that chair!
I gave her a nice healthy lunch and sat down next to her with my sandwich and she hijacked my sandwich instead. Owell.

Wow! Updates

Well we have had a busy year already. I have been good to get pictures posted and haven't had much opportunity to post information.
Here are some notes on what she is doing & saying:

*Boo-boo is el-boo
*Outside is I-yi’ed
*Can sing part of the ABC’s when she wants – gets very shy if you put her on the spot. And she calls them ‘AB’ instead of ABC’s.
*Can count to ten on fingers for the most part and when she wants to do it.
*Knows some letters – especially M for Mama and D for Dada
*Feeding herself really well – applesauce and now yogurt.
*Trying to pick her shoes – wore boots to Church
*She has case of Mine-itis – BAD - everything is 'MINE'
*Says Yah for Yes. Will answer yes (yah) or no when you ask her something. She is nodding her head for yes too. If you ask her something and aren't looking at her she nods her head even more and with more emphasis until you look at her.
*She knows what just about every animal says - I learn more each week.
*She has gone tee-tee and poo-poo in the potty, but the poo-poo scared her so bad she won't sit on the potty seat again!
*She will mimic what you do and say, so we have to be careful now.
*Everything is 'Yellow' but once you correct her she will say the correct color, but if you ask her again she usually says yellow again.
*She loves her wooden peg puzzles - she completes them over and over again with no help.
*She loves Elmo...on tv and in books, not real ones!
*She is still a Mama's girl and wants me to hold her, but wants Dada in the room.
*If Dada falls asleep in the recliner, she will stop playing and walk over to him and wake him up!
*She waves hello and goodbye to just about anything.
*She let me paint her toenails - she saw me painting mine and held her foot up to get hers done.
*She is awesome at holding my hand when walking around - and will ask for 'hand' before I do.
*She says 'aqua' for water
*She loves dogs and points them out when we see them while driving in the car.
*She knows what her animals are and all their names (Tucker, Katie and Maddie) and says them really well too.
*She knows most of the kids names in her class and can say them.
*She finally started saying her name!
*She is saying multiple syllable words and even two words together...like 'Conner bite'

Okay, that is a good update for now...I'll post more later. I haven't taken many pictures these last couple of weeks, and I have updates on the chicks to post too!

Easter

We went to Dallas for the long Easter weekend to visit our family friends, The Seely's. I didn't take one picture with my camera while we were there, but they took lots, so hopefully I will get them soon. 'Papa Den' took some great pictures of Cora playing with their dog, Rooster. They have a golden retriever named Rooster...that was really confusing Cora, but she liked him. I think she thought their pug was a cat though and kept telling her to get down from the couch. At one point on Saturday I asked Cora 'who is that' and pointed to Uncle Dennis. She didn't miss a beat and answered 'Papa'. He was thrilled to death. I even asked her again later in the day and she said it again, very matter of fact. It was cute.

We enjoyed our weekend with them.

Here's a quick picture of Dennis and Cora playing the drums.

We finally gave Cora her Easter basket and goodies about two weeks after Easter. Elmo Live went on sale, so I thought I would break down and get it for her. (It has already been returned to the store.) We figured out real quick that she loves Elmo on TV and in books...not stuffed or animated at all! She liked the rest of her goodies though.

Oh- No!!

Cora has started to say 'Oh No' a lot...and she does it with lots of drama. She holds both hands up to the side of her face and says it. It is really very cute, but usually not at the right times. She just randomly busts out with it. And when I do it at the right time (when I drop something) she freaks out and gets upset. Go figure.

We had some struggles over the last few weeks with sickness and injuries. Dennis picked her up from school one day and she fell asleep in the recliner. When I got home she didn't budge and was pretty pathetic looking. I checked her temp and she was at 102. I gave her a dose of Tylenol and let her sit. I worked in the kitchen and around the house while she watched sesame street. After about 45 minutes she started whining for me. So I sat with her in my lap and it was so obvious she didn't feel well. She wouldn't tell me what hurt so we just sat and rocked. Within about 10 minutes I found out what hurt...she threw up all over me and her! It was horrible. I would rather lose a limb than throw-up, so this one was really challenging for me. I was so proud of myself though - I didn't panic and above all, didn't get sick! I scooped her up and ran to the bathroom and put her in the tub. Poor thing - it all scared her so bad. I got her all cleaned up as well as myself...all without me getting sick! Yea Mom! (Dennis left for a few minutes so he missed it all - he got to clean the living room & her shoes though!) She went right to bed after getting clean. She woke up the next morning just fine too. Thank goodness since we were going out of town!

This is what she looked like when I got home that night.

Injury #1:

Daddy had her outside and she was playing in the garage and driveway. I was in the house and I hear her crying. I try not to run to her when she cries with Daddy, but it is hard. He came in the house and I remember him saying 'we're going to have to put some ice on that one'. Yep I jumped up then! She had busted her lip open! I still don't understand what all happened. She wouldn't hold the 'boo-boo' thing that I have, so I gave her a piece of ice and she sucked on it for a little while.

Drama was kicking in too. Poor thing. It was still a little swollen the next morning, but was gone after a day or so.

Injury #2:

We went to Dallas over Easter Weekend and I went to run some errands with the girls. Daddy was home with Cora and he was supposed to try to get her down for a nap. Well she apparently fought him and managed to throw herself down on the carpeted floor and then scoot on her face across the room. It didn't leave a mark right away, but I noticed it when I got back. It was only a pink mark at that time and was barely noticeable. By Sunday it was dark and scabbed up.

Monday morning I had to tell the teachers what happened. I am not sure they really believed me because it looks like someone put a cigarette out on her nose! Well they believed me after she did it at school and made her scab bleed! They said it bled for awhile and they couldn't get it to stop so they put a band aid on it. Well Cora hates band aids more than the shots! So that didn't go very well for them either.

The scab finally fell off about a week later, but I just loved all the questions of 'what happened to her nose?' all week.

Cora now can climb up in the chairs at the kitchen table all by herself. She is so proud when she does it too. She is too scared to get down on her own though. I think she has my fear of heights too! Since we keep the computer on the table, she plays with the mouse a lot too. She'll be on the computer in no time! Yikes.