Harvey's birthday

Harvey is now three, too! We celebrated at the park Sunday with his family and friends.

Cora had a great time at the party, repeating "Yippee! This is fun!" for all the activities.

We played a bit of croquet, "hiked" in the wooded area at the park's edge, and went down the big slide. And, of course, there was yummy cake and snacks.

Happy Birthday, Harvey!

It was just warm enough for Cora to wear a new outfit, a birthday present from Keith and Tracey.

Kitchen

Here are the photos of Stace and Cora putting together (and playing with) her new kitchen.
Cora loves her kitchen, especially the little cell phone that came with it. She is often talking to Kipper the dog, a character on a cute British cartoon show.
"Hello? Hello, Kipper! That's a great idea! Yeah, let's have a picnic at the park!"

As you can see, Somer had fun helping, too.
Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!

(Oh, and a small thing to report - Cora now calls them "Drandma and Drandpa," an improvement over the "Dam-ma" and "Dam-pa" she had been saying. And she can say "drapes" instead of "dapes" for grapes. Her own name is still "Tora.")

Cora has been interested in, um, helping us improve ourselves lately. (Doesn't that sound better than "telling us what to do"?)

After coming home from grocery shopping the other evening, I heard her sweet voice saying, "You're a naughty mummy, you still had your shoes on," while I was taking them off.

She later told Stace, "Don't dance with the lollipop in your mouth. It's dangerous."

And later that night, while I was reading her a bedtime story, she informed me, "You can't go to bed with your earrings in. They'll break."

Cora and I are having a nice week. Monday we went to Stroller Strides, Tuesday we had MOPS, and Wednesday after Stroller Strides, we met Genia and the kids at the library for story time, before heading to the park for a picnic lunch.

The final photo here is of Stace and Cora making music together. Lately, when Stace isn't working on the house, he's playing his guitar. He's gotten pretty good, too!

Lastly, here is a little video I took a week or two ago of Cora singing the song "Just Around the Riverbend" from the movie Pocahontas. I couldn't upload it directly to the blog, so I put it up on youtube. Click here to watch it!
Poor thing, she starts to repeat, "I missed" or "messed" in the beginning. When we watched it on the computer later, she sounded just like a little adult, getting embarrassed about hearing her own recorded voice, saying she didn't like it.

A Weekend Ramble

What a nice weekend we had! A bit of relaxing, a bit of nature, a bit of work.

Saturday was a great day for a hike, so we went back to Placerita Canyon. We were there last weekend, but we didn't get to go back into the canyon after Cora's birthday celebration. This time, Cora absolutely loved her time exploring!

She enjoyed stomping through puddles, climbing rocks and crossing the river. She also enjoyed some time walking through the stream, since it wasn't very deep and she was wearing her wellies.

This is the best time of year for hiking in SClarita - the weather was pleasantly cool, and there are no snakes out. We saw a red-shouldered hawk, lots of woodpeckers and a few hummingbirds and crows.

In the evening, we went out for a quick dinner and rented a movie on the way home, Pixar's "Up." Stace and I watched it after we put Cora to bed, and were surprised at how touching it was (meaning, I was in tears several times!). It certainly makes you think about and appreciate your spouse!

Over the weekend, Stace got some more DIY work done on the doors, and he finished off the interior trimwork on the living room window.

On Sunday morning, Cora went to the 3-year-old Sunday School class for the first time. Wow. Her growing up sinks in more when I see her in a class with kids who look so big!

When we went to pick her up, she had gone for a potty run with the teacher and a few others - that shows she's growing up, too! She's been potty-trained about six months, but I believe this is the first time she's agreed to go to the bathroom with a teacher, and not a parent/close relative.

After church, we got our doughnuts - Cora always is excited to get her doughnut!

When we got home, we walked down to Dink's Deli for brunch. On the way, Cora asked Daddy for the "blow flowers" she spotted near the hospital.



We've noticed a distinct change in Cora since she's turned three. She's been much more affectionate, giving out lots of hugs, kisses, and "I love yous." She's also become much more emotional - she seems to fall to pieces at the drop of a hat. It seems different than the tantrums we've seen in the past, more sadness and tears than frustration and anger.

I've heard that the Year of Three is very emotional, so I'm not surprised about this; well, maybe I am that it seemed to come so immediately after her birthday!

In the last photo, Cora was working on "thank you " letters on the fridge. We've been working on her birthday thank-yous, so she must have that on the brain. She said that a certain line of letters said "Thank you Johnny for sharing your car with me," and another said "Thank you Maya for lunch." (We had lunch with Maya and her mom Friday after Miss Diane's class.)

House update

With Cora turning three, Stace and I thought it would be nice for her to have some big-girl furniture to go with her big-girl bed. This is the dresser we picked out; each drawer front can be removed and replaced with any of the colors shown, or white.

The dresser is big, hopefully big enough for two, should our girls ever share a room. The basket on top holds the diapers Cora still wears at nap and night; hopefully they'll all be put away in the upcoming months!

We also liked this dresser because it goes so well with the ceiling fan Stace and Dean put in last year.

In other home news, my parents came over last week to help, and primed out Duckie's room. I bought some beautiful baby girl bedding this week on Craig's List, so now we can paint the room and move in Cora's old furniture.

And lastly, see that man on the roof? Stace noticed that some of the roof tiles had fallen off. Thankfully, they were still on the roof, and nailing them back in wasn't too tough of a job. Most importantly, no Staceys were hurt during the repair.

30-Week Update

I've reached 30 weeks! 10 to go! Well, nine to go, if you're reading this on Thursday.

I've not been feeling as great the last week or two as I had the prior month, but I'm still feeling pretty darn good. A bit of heartburn and frothiness here and there, and, sadly, the morning sickness has come back a bit a few evenings this week. And, like I had with Cora, hip pain when I'm in bed and need to turn over.

Still, I'd say that overall I'm feeling a lot better now than I did with Cora.

Duckie is moving a ton these days, lots of big movements that feel like she's completely turning over! According to my weekly Babycenter.com update, she is about three pounds and almost 16 inches long. So no wonder I've got this belly! I'd still say I'm carrying lower than I carried Cora, and right out in front (just like with Cora). When I sit down, I really feel my belly on my lap.

The last week, I've been feeling the Braxton-Hicks contractions, just an overall hardening of my tummy. I never noticed them with Cora, so that makes a change.

And a name story: For many months, Cora has found the following words to be hilarious, and calls them her funny words: "eggy" and "pooey sooey." At breakfast yesterday, she was being goofy, and said, "Eggy!!" and laughed. Then she said, "What if we called Duckie 'Eggy' when she comes out of your belly?" I said something to note my surprise, and then she suggested "Pooey Sooey."
This came out of the blue, as she and I had not been discussing names. So, for all of you who think it might be cute to let Cora have a say in naming Duckie, I think not.

Three-year doctor's visit

Cora and I went to her three-year well-check appointment today, and she is well.

She now weighs 28.4 pounds, putting her in the 20 percentile. She's gained five pounds since her appointment a year ago, when she weighed only in the 10th percentile!

She was 35 1/2 inches tall, putting her in the 28th percentile. A year ago, she was 33 inches tall, also in the 28th percentile.

For the first time, the nurse took Cora's blood pressure, with a friendly lizard monitor. Her BP was a very healthy 84 over 62.

Dr. Brockett said Cora seemed very healthy and articulate. She also said that the lingering wet cough she has had for a week or so might last for many more weeks. It's just going around and tough to get rid of.

Thankfully, she added that Cora is not contagious, even though she sounds pretty awful.

Lastly, Cora had to have one vaccine, and she handled it bravely. She cried during the shot, but calmed down pretty quickly and regained a pleasant attitude.

One cute Coraism: the other day, Cora had on a new-to-her pair of jeans from a big bag of clothes I found while looking through our baby stuff.
Stace: "Cora, I like your trousers. Where did you get those?"
Cora: "Starbucks."
Stace: "Starbucks? Really?"
Cora: "No. CVS."
(CVS is a drug store we frequent.)

Birthday Party, Part 1

For Cora's birthday party Saturday, we went back to Placerita Canyon Park and Nature Center, where we also celebrated her first birthday.
We watched the animal show, where the rangers showed us a skunk, two owls, a king snake and a tarantula. Isn't Ferguson here cute? Thanks to Heather for taking and sharing most of these photos!

After the show, the kids were able to pose with the great horned owl. You can only imagine how long it took to get (from left) Lucas, Libi, Maya, Cora and Harvey to all look at us at the same time!
After the show, the kids took part in a nature treasure hunt. Grandma (the preschool teacher) brought bags with magnifying glasses and a list of things to find, like leaves, rocks and acorns. It kept everyone busy while we set up the snacks and cake at the picnic tables.

Cora was very excited to see her Nemo cake! Though she's only seen "Finding Nemo" at a friend's house once, and kept running out saying she was scared of various things, the Nemo cake was the only cake for her. We looked through Thomas cakes, Pooh Bear cakes, princess cakes (ha!) and many more, but once she saw the Nemo cake a week or two ago, her mind was set and she talked about it daily ever since. In fact, Cora woke up around 3 a.m. Saturday crying, and when I went in, she calmed down and then asked if she was getting her Nemo cake that day.

Libi, at left, is Cora's friend from Pioneer Club, and her mom Heather and I have become good friends this year through our work together at MOPS. Libi thought the Nemo fish toy was pretty cool. Maya, at right, is in Cora's class and we lived near each other briefly. She and her mom, Juliana, are total sweethearts.

And, the family shot!

Cora's birthday, part 2

Aren't they pretty?

All blown out!

Heather made this awesome Lightning McQueen card herself! All the little pieces are cut out and glued together. Very impressive work.

Here's Cora opening her biggest gift (literally), a kitchen play set from Grandma and Grandpa. More on this in a future post. Also, a bonus belly shot of me at 30 weeks. More on that soon, too.

Cora had a great time at her party. She was so tired when we left! Unfortunately, naptime seems to work best for birthday parties, and by the end, Cora was asking to go home to get in her big-girl bed. (By the way, for those of you wondering, the bed transition has gone very, very well, I'm so glad to report. Since that first night, she has gone to sleep as quickly as she used to, both at naptime and at nighttime.)

Happy Third!

Three years old!
Cora had a great day on her third birthday. We started with MOPS, where her teachers made her a special birthday card and the kids sang to her at snack time.

After nap, when Daddy came home, we went to Scooter's Jungle for some fun on the bouncers and other activities. Elissa and Harvey met us there, and later Grandma joined us as well. (Grandpa was working.)

Cora, Stace, Elissa, Harvey and Grandma all had a great time playing on all the fun things. I had fun watching them have fun.

Cora and Harvey both were impressive in their ability to climb up the steps of the largest slide, pictured here, and slide down without a trace of fear.

After dinner, we sang to Cora and shared cupcakes. Harvey was with us, as he stayed the night while his parents went into L.A. to watch Mumford and Sons play their first American concert.

On Wednesday, we ordered her cake for her birthday party this weekend. She's very excited about her cake!

Happy Birthday, Cora! Daddy and I love you dearly and are so proud and amazed as we watch you grow bigger and more grownup each day.

Move to the Big-Girl Bed

We made the big switch Sunday night. Cora is now sleeping in a toddler bed. Never mind the fact that the bed is technically the same size as her crib, as it uses her crib mattress - to Cora, this is most definitely her "big girl bed."

She has been very excited about this transition, talking about her bed a lot. She helped Stace put it in place, helped make it, and decided which animals and books would share it with her.

It was a tad bit emotional for Stace and me - we can clearly remember putting the crib together over three years ago.

For now, Stace will take the crib apart and it will live in the garage for a few months, until Duckie is big enough to need it.

Anyway, back to Sunday night. We tucked Cora in, and told her that we wouldn't be coming back in to tuck her in again, should she decide to get out. Somehow, we just knew she would spend time exploring her room and getting new books to read, now that she could. We could hear her bouncing around for well over an hour, talking and playing. Granted, she always plays in her crib for a while before falling asleep, so that wasn't really unusual.

Around 10 p.m., the room had been quiet a while, so I carefully opened the door to peek in, wondering where she might have fallen asleep - by the door? the closet? actually in her bed?

As soon as I'd opened the door, I heard, "Who's that!?!" coming from a sleepy voice, on the floor next to her bed. She was lying there with her blankie, and said she'd fallen out of the bed. Well, since there are guards to prevent her actually falling out, I'm sure she rolled out on purpose. She obviously hadn't quite fallen asleep, and my unfortunate interruption didn't help at all.

Stace and I heard her talking and playing again a bit later, and as I was falling asleep around 11:30, I could still hear her singing.

She was very tired Monday morning, of course, and I was a little concerned that she might spend all of naptime playing. Thankfully, she did fall asleep quickly, and took a long nap.

Happy (Almost) Birthday!

Let the festivities begin!

On Sunday we celebrated Cora's third birthday with Nan, Pop, Dean, Jenny and Euan via Web cam, and Big Nan via the phone.

Cora loved all her presents, with her favorite being a joint tie between the kids' camera and the tiny plastic kids' scissors, both from Nanny and Pop.

Cora really got a kick out of her new camera. She always likes playing with ours, normally looking through the photos we've taken rather than taking her own.

As soon as Stace got this one out of the package, she started documenting everything in her life. Daddy. Mummy. Kitchen appliances. The kitchen counter. A real closeup of Somer's fur.
We directed her to stand back a bit, and her photos improved.

She took dozens of photos today. I'll share them soon!