Another Post

I just figured I would post as much as possible over the next weeks because I have a feeling that once baby girl comes I won't be as diligent at posting until things settle down.

Friday the doorbell rang and Noelle instantly said, "I got a new package from Great Granma!". Sure enough she was right. It amazes me how much she loves receiving packages. She digs right in to the new clothes and wants to try every new outfit on! She is such a girl! Max also got some great new outfits, but had no interest in them. He quickly grabbed the garments and tossed them aside, only then to play with the box and his new stuffed puppy dog! When Tom arrived home from work the first thing she did was grab him and show off her new outfits, Max wanted to wrestle.
After being told that I need to spend as much time as possible taking it easy on the couch and not picking up the children they are beginning to get the drift and engage in play by themselves. Noelle has started to go outside by herself this past week. She is out there for minimal time and I stand at the door watching her the whole time. She walks around eating snow and chasing Zeus. Then she comes in and needs some hot chocolate right away. She loves the fresh air and is worn out and I don't have to do much in the way of entertaining her. A win win for all of us.
Here are just some more pictures because I feel like sharing.

End Of January...

Due to a lovely flu virus running through the Goodhue household we did not make the trek up to Traverse City. Noelle was very bummed and cried and cried, but dealing with her emotional side was much more pleasant than the thought of dealing with the flu!

On Saturday we took the children to Cabela's. It was crowded and while looking at the big mountain of animals Noelle turns to me and says, with her arms crossed, "I don't like all these people talking. They need to all go away!". The women next to me shot me a shocked look and we hurried off to find Daddy and Max. Upon leaving Noelle suggested going out to eat and it sounded like a great idea to all of us.

That brings me to Tom's new problem...his high cholesterol! He was tested and it was determined that he needs to cut back on the *gasp* cheese, fried food, chips, pizza, and basically everything he loves with great passion! It has been a very hard transition. At times I fear he will break out in sobs at the sight of the grilled chicken and steamed vegetables I prepared for dinner. Other times I think he is finally getting used to this new healthy eating lifestyle, then we will be relaxing together and he will start muttering about his favorite pizza (Mancino's extra cheese pizza) or something else like a large helping of mozzarella sticks. Is sending him to our room too much when he starts to whine? I'm tempted, but then I fear he would enjoy the alone time too much and refuse to emerge!

We both agree it is great for us as a family to start eating healthier, but boy it's not fun. We are finding that it is more expensive and way more labor intensive to eat healthy. Popping in a frozen pizza or ordering out is so much easier and tastier.

Tuesday I went into for my 30 week obstetrical appointment. We are still having a girl and she looks great, although measuring a bit small (no surprise there). I have had some intense contractions and was told that "the couch is the best place" for me. No lifting of children, no shopping without the assistance, no traveling, minimal household chores. Taking it easy looks to be my new standard to live by until she comes out.

Wednesday (today) we headed into for Noelle's eye appointment. I have been lacking on the three hour a day patch routine, although I do try to do it at least some. Well, the patching, even though lacking, seems to be doing wonders! Her eyesight in the left eye has drastically improved since last visit. We only have to patch an hour at a time, a few days a week. She doesn't have to be seen until July. Max had his eyes quickly checked and they are straight as an arrow...thankfully!

So, I thought I would write a little bit about our little man:
Maximilian now has seven teeth. His communication grows daily, picking up more words and a few baby signs. We have also noticed a great improvement on his understanding of directions. He is all boy from head to stinky toes. Brut force is the way he gets things done. He has started a love of hitting when something frustrates him, he looks for the nearest large object and runs at it with arms raised and slams his large hand down upon it. We have been desperately trying to encourage gentle a touch, but he seems to think it is way more satisfy to be a beast. Throwing balls and toys are a favorite game, along with playing with cars. Noelle and him have discovered the great sibling activity of wrestling. The other day he wrapped his arms around Noelle's waist and threw her down as if she were light as a feather. Of course, she landed on top of him and they both were crying! He loves to climb on anything and everything, as I'm sure is pretty universal when it comes to boys! Let's see what else...He hates to snuggle and even his kissing are forceful to the point that we have to brace ourselves after asking for one. A large slobbery mouth being thrust at our head has to be only cute to us!

Here is a very disgusting story about Max. I was busy doing a my hair, a rarity that I was treating myself to, and Noelle had to do a number two. I told her to go into our bathroom and Max was with me in the other bathroom. The little rascal took off and I figured he was playing with his toys. Soon I hear, "Max is playing in my poop!". I run into my bathroom and there is Noelle sitting at the front of the toilet and Max was behind her, elbow deep in poop. I quickly picked him up and as I did he shook his arms furiously, spreading poop all around. Meanwhile, he was giggling as if he knew how disgusting it was, but fun at the same time.

Oh, I forget to mention that we went to the pediatrician sometime in the past weeks. Noelle and Max both had appointments and both are doing great. Max is very tall and a bit below average weight. Noelle is average height and in the 5-10% weight range.

Sturgis Weekend

The drive to Sturgis in our new vehicle was much more pleasant than ever before. More room is a huge bonus! This is what I see every time I look back at our little Maximilian. He obviously enjoys the new car as well!Our first stop in Sturgis was at the Feyes Family Residence. Olivia and Noelle, being only two months apart, played well together and enjoyed each other's company. They are expecting their second baby right around the time we are having our little little angel. It will be nice to have another mother to chat with about those lovely sleepless nights! We didn't stay very long, but it was still very nice to catch up.

Sunday, we had lots of family fun! Aunt Liz, Uncle Larry, their two boys, Colton and Larry came over. Max was a charmer smiling at all and being a sweetheart. Noelle was cranky, but warmed up quickly to everyone. Uncle Don and cousin Chloe popped in as well. Noelle absolutely LOVED having an older little girl around! She needs a big sister! We had a great dinner and then headed home.

I can't believe that the next time we go there we will have another baby! The time is just passing by so quickly.




Next weekend we head up to Traverse City and then on to home improvement projects and get ready for the baby over the next couple of months.

Cool Whip Art

This morning, to keep the children entertained, I pulled out some Cool Whip and we had some fun! Max didn't really draw anything, he just shoveled it in his mouth saying "Yum!". Noelle enjoyed the fact that she could indeed eat it, unlike shaving cream. The clean up is a pain but it keeps them busy for awhile.

Bigger is Better

I thought I would mention that on December 30th Granpa Roehrig came to visit and bring Christmas and birthday presents for the children. He spent the night and we all had a great time. Max turned 1 on the 31st, as previously mentioned, and it was wonderful having Granpa around to celebrate and experience Max's first cake eating experience! Here are a few pictures:

This past weekend we braved the horrific roads and took a day trip down to Fort Wayne, Indiana to buy our new vehicle. We got a 2008 Dodge Durango, and we LOVE it! The children did amazing on the drive and in the dealership. Small amenities like a large fish tank, fountain pop, attentive sales people, a large TV, and plenty of toys made the wait a breeze for the kiddos. It seemed like we were the only people there buying a car so everyone wanted to play with the children! The drive back was just as treacherous, but we each had one child and that seemed to make the trip less tension filled. Now we are ready for a third, and then fourth (?) child to make an appearance.

And now some stories:

A Noelle analogy: "The drain is like my esophagus. The septic tank is like my stomach." I was impressed with this.

After using a stern voice telling Noelle not to do something she points her finger directly at me and says, "I think you are very crabby, you need a nap."

During another discipline session Noelle says to me, "It is not nice to yell at people, say your sorry!" Man, it's hard to get my point across.

I tell Max to get off the table at least 10 tens a day!

Max is now done with bottles, but has a hard time drinking whole milk. After spitting out yet another sip of his milk, Tom asked if it was good. He shook his head fiercely and said, "NO NO NO NO!"

If Noelle is having an off day she often comes up to us in a sad, weepy voice and says, "I'm having a bad day, I need love." It melts our hearts and we scoop her up for hugs and kisses.

Max is called Diego 90% of the time and Noelle refers to herself as Alicia. From the television show Go, Diego, Go

This coming weekend we are heading to Sturgis, in our nice big new (to us) SUV, and the following weekend it looks like we will be heading up to Traverse City. That will be it for traveling until after the baby comes. Hopefully we can get that darn basement done!!

Let me know some thoughts about the name Annabelle Grace Roehrig? I really like it and Tom seems to think it's okay.

About 10 Weeks...

I'm flipping out a bit...If this pregnancy follows the Max route we will have a new baby girl in about 10 weeks, give or take a few! Ten weeks may sound like a long time, but it's not at all. We have so much to do, things that NEED to be done before she comes. Finishing the basement is a must, making Max's nursery into the girls room, transforming Noelle's room into Max's room, transitioning Max from a crib to a twin bed...ahhhhh!!! Not to mention buying a new SUV to fit all three car seats. It's not too bad, but considering I was told by the doctor to try and not even pick up Max, let alone manual labor around the house, it's a lot for Tom to take on. As if that isn't enough to start freaking me out, yesterday I broke my ring finger on my right hand. A very minor break requiring no cast. I would not have gone in to see the doctor had it not been for the ring on my finger. Within mere minutes of my clumsy accident my finger had swelled too much to even twist the ring. It had to be cut off. Good thing it was not my left hand and my wedding rings. But it was Tom's engineering ring he gave to me during our first week of dating, awww. How sophomoric of us!

It's more annoying than anything else. I have to keep it taped to the middle finger for 3-4 weeks. It's sore, but again the worst part is it's hindrance to normal life. . Changing a poopy diaper on a very wiggly little boy who loves to be naked is a big challenge. We just love racking up hospital bills these days!
As far as names go for this little princess, we have a few that are milling around in our heads and nothing that is permanent right now. One is Annabelle. We really want to keep away from the top 100 most popular names. I use the Social Security Administration website for reference. After having a Noelle (Rank 504) and Maximilian (Rank 315) we don't want to have an Emily (Rank 1) or Madison (Rank 5).

I'm off to ice my finger and not use it much. Surprisingly, it's easy to type while not using the right ring finger!