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!

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.