More Snow

We’ve been couped up all weekend long, and even though the snow is very pretty, it’s hard to stay inside for 3 whole days with 2 toddlers!  Chloe and Daddy played outside all afternoon yesterday, but I kept Cole indoors.  Today, we headed to the Rains house because the roads were a little better and their driveway was PERFECT for sledding!  And of course, Chloe couldn’t wait to see her best bud, Luke.

Cole was a little left out because he was too small to sled with the big kids…. or so we thought.  He proved us wrong!  The adults looked over at Cole (after obviously not paying attention to him), and he had hopped on a sled by himself.  He didn’t necessarily mean for this to happen, but the sled took off down a pretty steep hill.  The Moms all started yelling for the Dads to go after him, and Matt took off running.  However, Cole was loving it.  He was laughing and so proud of himself.  He never fell off, and the sled stopped before Matt could catch him.  Not too long after that I took him inside.  🙂

After the sledding excitement, we went to eat Mexican with the Rains…. four adults and five kids.  It was complete and utter choas, but fun nonetheless.

Running and Raising Money

I’m putting this information out everywhere I that I can, so if some of you have seen this two or three times, I apologize.  I’m just trying to raise money for a great society in honor of my great Dad.

Hello family and friends!

I’m sure most of you, if not all of you, know that our father, Rodney Waits, was diagnosed with Primary Central Nervous System (CNS) Lymphoma in July 2009.  Since then, he has endured four brain surgeries, one which was very invasive, and 5 months of chemotherapy.  Dad has been a trooper, but unfortunately, CNS lymphoma is a rare cancer in which little research has been conducted.  We want to change that!  So, we are putting on our running shoes and raising money with every step we take.  A team has been formed in Dad’s honor to run the Country Music Marathon and ½ Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee on April 24, 2010.  Since Dad is known to many as Hot Rod, the appropriate team name seemed to be Hot Rod’s Hustlers.

Hot Rod’s Hustlers are working together in conjunction with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Make Cures Happen.  All money raised will go toward this organization in hopes of finding cures for blood cancers.

Hot Rod’s Hustlers appreciates any and all pledges.  If you would like to pledge to our team in honor of Rodney Waits, please click here to make your donation:

http://mch.cmm2010.llsevent.org/hotrodshustlers

All donations are 100% tax-deductible, so please pass this along to others, businesses included.

We would love for any other runners and/or walkers to join us Saturday, April 24, 2010.  The Country Music Marathon is an awesome experience, and it’s not too late to register or start training.  If you would like more information on participating in the event, you can register at the following weblink:  http://nashville.competitor.com/register/ After registering, you can contact A. D. Waits at awaits1@gmail.com or Auburn Kizer at auburnwaits@hotmail.com to receive more information on Hot Rod’s Hustlers.  There is an abundant amount of information available regarding training if you would like to participate in this event.  Feel free to contact A. D. or Auburn for links/training resources.  Remember, many people walk the entire 13.1 miles.  As long as you are raising money for a good cause and crossing the finish line, then your goal is met!

We are in the process of ordering t-shirts if anyone is interested.  If so, please let one of us know so we can have an approximate count for printing.  All profits from t-shirt sales will go towards The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Even though we have many contacts through email, we do not have everyone’s email that we would like to have.  Please pass this information along if you know of someone that would like to donate money and/or join our team.  The more the merrier!

Please check http://mch.cmm2010.llsevent.org/hotrodshustlers frequently.  T-shirt information and team members will be up and running soon.  Pun intended.

Thanks again,

A. D. Waits and Auburn Kizer

Team members of Hot Rod’s Hustlers

Snow Fun!

It happened!  We got SNOW!!  Matt had to cut his day short in Birmingham so he could get home.  He was out of town all week, so he did NOT want to get stuck.  Even though it took him twice as long to get home, he made by 4:00.  Uncle D left work early, too, and he bundled up, and headed here for some play time with the kids.

I think Matt and A. D. had just as much fun as the kids trying to sled…. until Uncle D broke the sled!  Here’s some action shots of them busting it.

Cole did pretty well, but he couldn’t walk that well in the snow.  He loved eating the snow more than anything.  I didn’t keep him out too long because he was getting very wet.

Chloe loved it.  She stayed outside with Daddy and Uncle D for a very long time.  We was a wet, frozen mess when she finally had to be dragged inside.

It’s hard to see in this next picture, but Chloe flipped out of the sled and face-planted in the snow.  She would not get back in the sled once this happened.

Dentist

Chloe had her first dentist appointment today, and yep, I’m the crazy Mom that took the camera.  Chloe did so well and was very cooperative.  Miss Andrea was very sweet and gentle, and Chloe listened to her and did everything she asked.  The only problem we had was when Dr. Edwards appeared.  For some reason, she didn’t want Dr. Edwards to look into her mouth, but she eventually let him.  I can’t believe Chloe is already seeing the dentist!  Wow…. she’s a big girl!

Kids in a Box

That will mean nothing to you non-SNL watchers…

But, out of all the Christmas and birthday gifts we’ve received in the last month, this kept my kids entertained  more than anything.  It’s the simple things…

Chloe’s 3rd Birthday

Since we had dinner Sunday with Pappy and Papa Rod to celebrate Chloe’s early birthday, she has been so confused!  We have tried telling her that Sunday was not her actual birthday, but it was the only time Pappy and Papa would see her to celebrate.  Every day this week, she would ask if it were her birthday and if she were three yet.  Matt and I tried to explain as best we could, and we would work on the calendar every day showing her how much longer she had until her birthday.  We made a countdown to help her, but it still didn’t click.

When we put her to bed Thursday night, we told her when she woke up in the morning it would be her birthday.  She would be three.  She seemed very excited and seemed to understand.  She woke up Friday morning earlier than usual, and when I went into her room to get her out of bed, she popped up and said, “Mommy!  Can I have a birthday now?”  I said, “Yes, birthday girl!  It’s your birthday!”  She asked, “Now?  It’s my birthday now?”  She kept repeating, “Now?”  And, “I’m three now?”  Finally!  It’s her birthday and she is three!

It was a beautiful day today, blue skis and warm temps.  We couldn’t have asked for a better day in January, especially for a birthday!  With everything that has been going on with my family, with Matt’s new job, and with the stomach bug, we thought we had dropped the ball on Chloe’s day.  We had nothing planned as of the beginning of the week just because we had had no time.  I asked Chloe what she would like to do for her birthday, and all she said was that she wanted to play with Luke, with Hallie, and have a Dora and Diego cake.  Whew!  I can handle that!

Miss Dana and Luke called in the morning to see if we wanted to meet for lunch, but Cole was napping and I didn’t have time.  So, Miss Dana and Luke came over and took Chloe on her first birthday date.  Of course, Chloe couldn’t have been happier, and she had so much fun eating pizza with Luke.  Luckily, once they got home, Chloe was tired and didn’t mind taking a nap one bit.

After nap, it was party time.  First, before anyone came over, we let Chloe open her gifts from Mommy, Daddy, and Cole.  Mommy and Daddy gave Chloe some clothes, and Cole gave Chloe a purse and a book for 3-year-olds.

Unfortunately, Hallie couldn’t come over, but we had the Rains family and Uncle D over for burgers, hotdogs, sides, cake and ice cream.  Ninnie and Big Poppa couldn’t come because we passed the stomach bug over to them, and we are so sorry.  All the kids, except Cole, played outside until we made them come in and eat.  Cole tried to play with the big kids, but it was just too cold from him.

Luke and Elliot gave Chloe a Diego koala bear that she loves, and Luke gave Chloe some beautiful jewelry.  The packaging said, “My Little Dream Girl.”  For those of you that don’t know, Luke and Chloe are the best of buds.  You can ask her any day what she would like to do, and the answer is always, “Play with Luke.”  Uncle D gave Chloe 12 bottles of bubbles.  Yes, you read that right…. 12 bottles of bubbles.  He also brought over some silly string…. which he broke out…. in the house…. on the nice, living room rug.  Good ol’ Uncle D!  And, he said he almost bought a second can.  Thank goodness he changed his mind!  But, the kids loved it and had a blast even though we had to get out the broom and the vacuum.

After eating, it was cake and ice cream time.  It was getting late, and everyone, adults included, was getting silly.  Chloe loves Dora and Diego, so Matt got on the computer and started playing the theme songs to both Dora and Diego.  A dance party broke out, and so did the limbo!  I think Mr. Jake was the only one unable to do the limbo.

It was a great night, and Chloe had a blast.  Thanks to the Rains family and Uncle D for making Chloe’s day special.  And if you are wondering, yes….. the party stopped at 8:00 for a brief time to watch the Derek Dooley press conference.

Chloe was worn out at the end of the night, and after the Rains left, she asked if she could go to bed.  We didn’t hear another peep out of her.  The next morning when we got her out of bed, she looked at us and immediatley said, “Am I still three?”  Ah…. good stuff!

Chloe is 3!

Happy, Happy Third Birthday, sweet Chloe!

Since Chloe’s first birthday, we have taken a picture of her on her actual birthday holding the number that represents her age.  I’m hoping it will make a nice frame one day.

It’s Official….

We have a walker!!

It was November 10 that Cole, all of a sudden, out of the blue, walked across the room, and it has been a struggle getting him to walk since.  He had no interest, especially since he crawls so fast.  I’ve had so many comments about how fast he crawls.  Just last week, we were at the indoor playground, and he crawled across the playground.  A mom sitting close to me saw him crawl, and she looked at me and said that was the fastest crawling baby she’d ever seen.  Maybe that’s why he is under the 3rd percentile…. he’s too busy!

But, enough about crawling talk because today it happened.  He walked all day long…. and has been walking since.  It’s official!  We have a true walker on our hands!  I smell trouble!  Below is a video of our new (sort of) cruiser.

Cole Stats

Today was Cole’s 15 month check-up, which I’ve been dreading because our pediatrician is concerned about Cole’s size…. and I knew he hadn’t grown much in the last three months.  Today, he weighed 19 lbs, 7 oz (under the 3rd percentile), he is 29.25 inches in length (5th percentile), and his head circumference is 18.5 inches (50th percentile).  So, the biggest thing about him is his head, which our doctor said is great because Cole’s brain in growing…. obviously you want brain growth over other growth, so that was some good news.  We talked about moving forward with the blood work and xrays, but we’ve decided to hold off for 6 more weeks.  She wants to see us back in 6 weeks and measure all three areas of growth.  She will then make her decision on whether or not to move forward with testing.

We did talk about Cole being sick the past two weeks and not having an appetite.  She said hand, foot, and mouth disease is a very painful virus for a baby, so we are all aware that Cole probably could have lost a pound since being sick.  The rest of his check-up went very well (aside from his 4 shots that he had to endure).  His language development is above average, and his fine/gross motor development is fine.  I thought our pediatrician may have some thoughts about Cole not walking all the time, but they were not concerned over that in the least.  So, for the next month and a half, we are going to feed, feed, feed Cole.  She recommended introducing ice cream into Cole’s diet on a daily basis.  It is very rare if we have ice cream in our freezer, so that’s one recommendation I can handle… and am excited over!

An Early Celebration…. Cut Short

Mom and Dad traveled here today because Dad has a full day of appointments tomorrow at Vandy.  They wanted to come over and take Chloe out for her birthday.  Her birthday is not until Friday, but they won’t be able to come back then, so we are celebrating tonight.  We asked Chloe where she wanted to go eat, and she said, “Garcia’s, ” which is fine with us because that’s usually where we are on Sunday nights anyway.  And actually, that’s where we all celebrated Cole’s 1st birthday.  We LOVE Mexican!

Chloe ordered a burger, and by the time her food got to the table, she wouldn’t eat.  All of a sudden she was curling up in my lap sucking her thumb.  Then, she told me her belly hurt.  I kept trying to get her to sit in her seat beside Pappy, but she wouldn’t.  I kept trying to push her on Pappy, but then she walked over beside me….. and it happened.  She threw up all over me.  Ugh!  There was a lot of drama for a little bit, but Chloe perked up to open her gifts for Pappy and Papa Rod.  When the servers sang “Happy Birthday,” she perked up a little more.  The servers scared Cole (to say the least) when they began singing, and he was bawling!  Very funny!  Chloe ate one bite of her ice cream, which is VERY unlike her, and then she threw up again.  We got Pappy and Papa Rod out of there as fast as we could, only to quickly follow behind them.

I felt so sorry for Chloe, and she was begging to go to bed when we got home.  We got her home and in bed, and we had a rough night….. full of changing sheets and pj’s several times.  Now, we are hoping and praying Pappy and Papa don’t catch it!