The Little Man Is 1!!!

A simple post from the father of the little Roehrigs:

At 5:42pm one year ago Maximilian Charles was born. He is a complete joy and total workout rolled into one. He never stops menacing from the moment he wakes until his sweet little head lays down. I remember seeing him and being so happy that he wasn't having any of the problems that his big sister had. He wasn't huge, but we didn't have to worry about him going to the NICU. I knew he was going to be a handful from the moment I felt him moving in his mother's belly.

He has been walking for 3 months now, and it amazes me every time he runs up to me. The little man is never gentle, and hardly ever snugly. He is all boy. If you hold him close, he grabs your nose in a not so gentle embrace. Kisses are never given without a fight. However, he still has the extra soft skin that makes you want to squeeze and nuzzle him close. His sister has always been a snuggler, and he makes you realize how fleeting those times can be.

When we brought him home I thought it would be difficult having two little ones around. Noelle made these feelings disappear immediately as she was always ready to help out. It is impossible to think about one of our little people without the other, and they play like angels one minute, like brother and sister the next. She got a little scooter from her Aunt Shannon and Uncle Don, and doesn't take kindly to his attempts at surpassing her mobility. However, a few soft words gets her back to earth and her love shines through.

I know that there is another little one coming in a couple months, and I now realize how easy it will be to pass even more love around. I was having some slight chest pains again today (it has to be indigestion, that's all I can think) and my big girl just layed down next to me on the couch and gave me big hugs. My little one year old boy didn't have the same gentle nature, and I loved him more for it. He showed me that Dad has a lot more attention to give and time will not wait for any physical illnesses. I am the proudest father there could ever be, and I can't wait for another year and little girl like her sister to keep me loving life so very much.

Maximilian Charles Roehrig is the cutest little guy, and I can't wait for 2009 and the surprises it holds.

The Dad.

Merry Christmas And Lots More!

First off, Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of Jesus

A lot has happened since I posted last, visits from friends, a couple of hospital visits by Tom, including one overnight stay, our fourth wedding anniversary, the Babcock Family Christmas, Noelle's birthday, and things in between that are eluding me at the moment.

I can't remember it all but I'll start with a visit from my friend Stacy. They came in to celebrate Christmas a few weeks ago. It was just a one day visit but the children all had so much fun and Noelle continued to talk about the visit for days afterward.

Our wedding anniversary (December 18th) was overshadowed by some complications Tom was having with his health. I won't go into detail but it he is okay. I did get some gorgeous flowers that are still blooming and making me smile while remembering that wonderful day four years ago.

The Babcock Family Christmas took place on December 19th in St. Clair. We braved the weather and left early Friday. Seeing all the family was great and the children just loved all the attention. I wish I had pictures, but I did not take any pictures but hope to receive some soon. We spent the night at my Aunt Cindy's house. Upon loading up Saturday morning to head to Sturgis and have Christmas with them, Tom began again feeling heavy chest pains. After talking to my Aunt Shawn, who is a doctor, we headed to the ER. Tom was transferred to St. John's hospital and spent the night there.

It was not at all what we expected. An upside was having family around to help. Noelle and Max loved spending Saturday with Aunt Cindy and her children. I honestly don't think they missed us much at all. It was a relief knowing they were so well cared for. On Sunday I dropped the children off at my Aunt Shawn's house and she came with me to the hospital. Tom was discharged and we headed home.

That was how Noelle spent her third birthday. Being only 3 she was not disappointed in the circumstances and was just happy to have her Daddy back. Tom and I were more upset that she did not have a cake and just of the lackluster celebration! When we got home she opened some presents from us. She received a camera that has been a big hit. The amount of pictures taken is staggering and of what is comical. Never did I think that a drain was such an object of great admiration.

Aunt Ceecee came in to celebrate with us. Noelle and Aunt CeeCee put together a gingerbread house gifted to us by Aunt Cindy. We have never done one before and it was a huge hit. Noelle loved playing with all the pieces and decorating them. No is was not the prettiest gingerbread house, but the joy Noelle experienced was awesome.

There was a point on Christmas Eve while wrapping and putting presents together that we thought maybe we got them too much! In the morning Noelle was overwhelmed to say the least. She was not overly excited and it took her some time to jump in. Max had no problem wanting to open presents and play with everything!

I also cooked my first big meal today. I guess it was pretty good because nobody was puking and Noelle even asked for seconds! All in all it has been a very busy, stressful, worrisome, last few weeks. We are glad to have a break! Christmas has been wonderful as the children's faces filled with joy are so worth it!

Merry Christmas to all...I'm exhausted and off to bed!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy....

I encountered a great ultrasound technician today that was determined to find out the sex of the baby for us. After a few laps around the office, flipping and flopping around, pushing the baby, and getting into a crawling position the baby revealed herself. Yes, it's a GIRL!!! We are all thrilled, especially Noelle!

Christmas Card Outtakes

For some odd reason we decided to try taking our own pictures of the children for our Christmas cards. This will NEVER happen again, especially since next year we will have another child to try and wrangle in the mix. Noelle made weird, silly faces, and Max was, well Max. He didn't want to sit still, no surprise there. We did end up with one okay picture that I have saved for the card.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Max is 11 months old...I fear for the next few years!

You Know You're A Mom When...

(A lot of my own, some I have heard/read other places. Other Mothers, feel free to add your own)

* While scheduling a doctor's appointment and they ask for your name you say, "Mommy"

* You forget your wallet on the way out but remember to bring diapers, wipes, toys, snacks, and extra clothes.

* When you put on a little makeup your little one says in amazement, "Wow! Mommy you look so beautiful!"

* While doing household chores you automatically set up a little station for your little helper to clean right along with you.

* Cutting up your food for the baby is second nature, even when they are not around.

* Upon hearing a baby/toddler cry while out sans children, you grab your cell phone to call and make sure your babies are okay.

* While out on a romantic dinner with your husband all that the two of you can talk about are the children.

* You pick up your children and sniff their butts in public without batting an eye.

* You have caught spit up in your hand.

* You consider the inventor of the Sippy Cup a genius.

* Every crying spell and/or tantrum can be chalked up to teething.

* "No" is the most frequently used word in your vocabulary

* You ask where "the potty" is.

* An escape is washing dishes without someone clinging to your leg.

* Cleaning the bathrooms with the door shut while the husband watches the children is the highlight of your day.

* Your DVR is loaded with more children's shows than your own.

* When you have to use the bathroom you sneak out of the room then count the seconds until the knocking starts or the door bursts open.

* You only have time to shave one leg per shower session.

* Your feet stick to the kitchen floor and you don't care.

* When your child prefers to go naked/pant less/shirtless you think that it is okay as long as you are at home. It is just not worth the argument.

* You do not object to chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese for breakfast

* Ketchup is not a condiment, but is it's own food group

* You can breast feed, talk on the phone, discipline a child, and read a book all at the same time

* You spend an entire week, hell a month, wearing only sweats.

Holiday Travel

We left for the Great Up North on Wednesday afternoon. Much to our surprise we were able to make the drive without any stops! Both children did amazingly well, especially Noelle's bladder! Max had his fussy moments but we threw food at him and he was quiet until his craw was empty.

When we arrived the children opened their Birthday gifts. We, sadly, will not see my family until sometime after Christmas, so this was a weekend of Thanksgiving, Christmas-ish, and Birthday Celebration Weekend. Noelle was very excited to not only open all her gifts, but to tear into all of Max's as well. A learning laptop, amongst a ton of other great presents, was a big hit and she promptly sat next to Granpa attempt to be as grown up as possible. Uncle Alex got the children a mini hockey net. Soon after putting it together Noelle went to take a shot and on her back swing hit Max in the eye. For the rest of the weekend he had a minor black eye. Poor little man! All of Max's gifts had to be "inspected" by Noelle. Luckily, he is too young to care that Noelle bullies her way in and takes over (she comes by it honestly) all. He just smiles and picks up the nearest item and goes on his way!
Thanksgiving morning we headed out to experience some fun in the snow, after Granma put in the 24 pound turkey! Noelle loved sledding and eating snow. Max was not too pleased about the gear he had to wear. It hindred his walking and the little man was not happy unless someone was holding him. One duel sledding attempt resulted in Noelle accidently slamming Max's face into the snow. Poor Max!
We enjoyed an early fabulous Thanksgiving feast, that Noelle had an active hand in preparing, then sadly watched the Lions lose, again. Max loved all the food, especially the mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey. He ate probably twice what Noelle did! The tryptophan set in and the rest of the day was spent enjoy each other and taking it easy.

The big event on Friday was attending Uncle's first hockey game of the season. Max was more interested in walking around on the metal bleachers and trying to menace everyone/thing in sight. Noelle liked watching the players rushing by. We did not make it to the end of the game because both children began to fall asleep. The Mercy Rule was upheld at the end of the second period so we did not miss much. Alex's team won 12-0.

Saturday we took the children out to Granpa's friend's house to see some horses. Noelle had no fear and absolutely loved it! A ride on a snowmobile was also part of the visit. Noelle seemed to enjoy it and Max loved it, crying when it was over. She has been talking about the horses, Honey Bear and Moe, since returning home.
We all had such a great long weekend. Here are a few more pictures, including a few with the children playing with a big TV box, that was a big success. Oh, the simple things that little ones find joy in!

I wish I had more to report on. Let's see....this past week Tom was away for a few days in Chicago on some work thing. It was rough to say the least. Tuesday I headed up to visit my friend Stacy. It was a nice distraction but the children were not exactly on their best behavior and it stressed me out a lot.

This week we are headed up to Traverse City to celebrate Thanksgiving and spend some good quality family time together. I promise to have a mountain of pictures. Including many outdoor snowy adventure pictures. We are so excited to enjoy the plentiful snow in TC.


With the Christmas season quickly approaching, well actually it is upon us, Noelle has taken a great interest in the real Christmas story. She seems to grasp the concept that we celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas, along with her own! Although she does understand the birth of Jesus it does not deter her from wanting EVERY toy that is advertised on TV, in the paper, in magazines, and of course, in stores.

These days Max is very very troublesome and keeps me on my toes all day long. Because he can walk so well, he is able to get to things quickly, for example the fridge. If he hears it open, he bolts toward it. While Tom was away he was able to grab a bottle of chocolate syrup out of it. While I was cleaning up he was silent and I rushed to finish some chores. A few minutes late I found out he was so quiet because he unscrewed the top of the syrup and poured it all over the carpet, then proceeded to put his feet and hands in it. When I rounded the corner he was spreading it all over the floor and Zeus was trying to lick up as much of it as he could. Those type of stunts are typical with him.

Stories:

I let out a frustrated huff and Noelle quickly responds with, "Mom, don't you huff like that!"

Max has become very quick and very mischievous lately. He gets into Noelle's things and one time Noelle came up to me with her arms crossed and said, "Max is NOT my brother, he is YOUR son and you take care of him!".

While Tom was replacing the vacuum belt Max runs up to him with a piece of the hose and swiftly hits him over the head and runs away with a huge grin planted on his little face.

When Max does something silly Noelle says, "What are we going to do with this kid?".

Right before being disciplined Noelle runs up to either Tom or I and wraps her arms around us, plants a big kiss on our lips and says, "but I love you really really much and I'm really really sorry." It just melts our hearts.

That's all folks...Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Baby R3

Today I went in for an hour long routine anatomy ultrasound. I have been feeling his/her little kicks for awhile now and it was incredible to feel the kicks while watching them happen on the screen.

Unfortunately, Baby R3 is very stubborn and again would not let him/her self be known to us. He/she kept his/her gender hidden from our view. There wasn't even a glimpse of between the legs. I guess I will have to wait until December 3rd at my next OB appointment to hopefully find out.

The technician gave us horrible pictures. I wish we could make them out, but the baby looks like an upside down, inside out alien! We were hoping for some nice head shots that we saw on the screen, but were given two very disappointing photos. I guess pleasing the parents with fantastic photos of their in utero baby is not high on their priority list!

Can't Think of A Title...

I wish I had more to write but not much has happened around here. We enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather this week by heading outside as much as possible. Noelle told me that she "really really needs a swing set". That is the plan come spring.


On Wednesday, I went in for another doctor's appointment. I expected to find out the sex but baby R3 refused to cooperate. The baby is growing well and looks great, he/she just would not let their sex be known. I go in again this Thursday for the more comprehensive hour long anatomy ultrasound, hopefully it will yield a positive result as far as gender is concerned. If not then I go back on December 3rd and will again be given another ultrasound. We will find out the sex of this baby !

Max is starting to talk. He can say ball, hi dada, and dog. Noelle gets very excited when he does say something and tries to encourage/teach him all day long.

That's about it...here are a few pictures because I'm out of words:

Happy Halloween!

We have had such a great weekend it's nice to be back home, but we all seem to want to be back in Traverse City.

The five hour drive up went very well. Noelle was very excited about Halloween and seeing Granma, Granpa, and Uncle Alex (now affectionately called "Unkie"). We arrived in early afternoon and let the children run around and play in the beautiful weather.


After dinner it was time to get all dressed up and head out for some candy! We decided that Max was going to be a tiger and wear Noelle's costume from last year, we searched many stores and could find nothing that seem to suit him better. He made a very cute tiger, and Noelle was an adorable, studious doctor!
Noelle loved going up to house and saying in her sweet little voice, "trick-or-treat". Max was quick to pick up on the concept and reached his little hand into the bowls to grab the brightest candy to gnaw on. We would only have a few minutes before Max's thick slobber soaked through the candy and he was eating it. We went to a handful of houses around the block and then my two little munchkins were tired out.

Tom and I dropped off the children, gave out many hugs and kisses and headed out for our adventure! We booked a hotel room for the night, alone, no children, all by ourselves...completely amazing! The Cherry Tree Hotel was wonderful, our room perfection. We had a little suite, complete with a huge jacuzzi tub, nice flat screen, and a more than comfortable big bed. Needless to say we had a great time!

The children did very well with Grandma and Grandpa. Yes, I had to call a few times, Tom begged me not to but for my peace of mind I just had to hear it. Saturday morning Grandpa and Noelle went to Toys R Us together. What an adventure they had! Right around noon we arrived back at Castle Goodhue to find Noelle playing with her new toys which included, a back pack full of sparkly makeup, a princess baby carriage, a little Dora the Explorer puppy with stethoscope, a pink dolphin, and an elephant for Max! Noelle pointed out exactly what she wanted and Grandpa got it for her; that's what Grandparents are for, spoiling.

After an afternoon rest period for Noelle and Max's nap we headed out into the woods for a walk. It was beautiful crisp weather and got some great pictures.

After our walk, "Unkie" cut down one of his old hockey sticks and proceeded to teach Noelle how to play a little street hockey. She had such a great time! Max was given his own little stick and decided to use it as a club on the nearest vehicle, such a brute!


It was a fabulous, wonderful, (insert many more descriptive adjectives here, I'm tired!) weekend. It was hard leaving. I can't wait until Thanksgiving.