This Forever Family

Oh how things have changed in the last 3 months.  Eric Andreas “Andre” graced us with his presence on February 9, 2012 at 2:35pm.  He weighed in at 7 lbs 6 oz.  He definitely came into the world with a bang when his heart rate dropped twice during labor and I was rushed into the OR for an emergency C-section.  But, he was healthy and I was healthy and that’s all that mattered.  I think David was excited to have a new little brother, but more excited to have so many relatives around for so long.  Mimi, Papa, Grandmommy, Grandaddy, Aunt Rebecca, and Aunt Amanda all made visits to meet Andre and help take care of David – especially while Chip was out of town.

Life has definitely changed.  I now have two “schedules” to contend with and on occasion two screaming children to deal with.  But, life is also more exciting, more filled with love, and more of a joy with two.  I can tell David is ready to actually play with Andre, but Andre isn’t quite there yet.  However, he is smiling, laughing, and beginning to grab toys.  He is getting more interactive every day.  David is also growing into quite an imaginative, smart little boy.  He is talking up a storm and loves playing with his trains.  We spend most of our time at home around the train table.  I think Daddy is enjoying building the train tracks too.

The last few months have definitely been a whirlwind, but I think we’re all starting to get into a groove.

We had a photo shoot a while ago with our friend Sunny.  So, here are the latest family pictures.  We hope you enjoy them.

We had a fantastic holiday season.  Because I am so far along in my pregnancy we decided to stick around West Lafayette.  This is the first Christmas Chip and I did not celebrate in NC; however, we did have a lot of visitors (but we’ll get to that later). The week before Christmas we got to spend a lot of time as a family.  We especially enjoyed spending the day at the Indy Children’s Museum.  David got to see the frogs and go down the Yule Slide with Daddy.  But, he really enjoyed playing with the train table and inside the bulldozer.  We also took David bowling for the first time.  He had a good time, but we definitely only needed to play one game.

Christmas Day was a blast.  David enjoyed opening his presents and it was so exciting to see him so excited.  He loved his new train set and pretty much everything else he received. He also got a new tent from Mimi and Papa that he loves to sit in and play and a train table that Grandaddy built for his new train set.  Since Christmas we have been doing a lot of art projects too.  He got a lot of new art supplies – stickers, coloring books, markers, and finger paint.  He has really loved using all of the new “stuff” he got and I have learned a new appreciation for stripping David down to his diaper when letting him finger paint.

After opening some of the presents Christmas morning, David took a much needed nap and I went to pick up my sister and parents at the airport in Indy.  David was a little timid at first, but the moment Papa walked through the door he was very excited to see all of them.  He had such a blast playing with Mimi, Papa, and Aunt Rebecca during his visit.  He even helped Papa put together the nursery furniture for the new baby.  It’s kind of funny that he still walks around sometimes and says “Becca, sleeping?”  I guess that’s what he thinks Aunt Rebecca did while she was here, though I think we only actually told him that she was sleeping in the mornings.

On Wednesday we got some more visitors with Chip’s parents and Chip’s sister Susan and family all arriving.  David was happy to see more people, though I do think he got a little overwhelmed with the number of people.  He did really enjoy playing with Uncle Jeff and his cousins.

I really enjoyed having all of the ladies in town since they could attend the baby shower my friend Alice threw for me that night. It was a nice shower and I loved being able to have family there that don’t usually get to come to these events.  I got some fantastic gifts for the baby and enjoyed all of the company.  And of course a big thank you to Alice Harper for hostessing!!

Susan and family left the following day, as did Mimi, Papa, & Aunt Rebecca.  I think David was disappointed to see so many guests leave, but Grandmommy and Grandaddy stuck around for a few more days.  We even took David bowling again.  He enjoyed it for about one game, but was ready to leave at that point.

For New Years Eve, we all went over to Alice and Kyle’s house and spent the evening eating, drinking, and letting the kids play.  Around 8:30pm, Chip went back to the house with his parents and put David to bed.  But, graciously, Grandmommy and Grandaddy agreed to stay with David which allowed Chip to come back to Alice and Kyle’s house.  We spent the rest of the evening playing cards.  Chip even started teaching the three of us how to play Bridge.  It was a nice way to end 2011.

New Years Day we went to church in the morning and Chip actually got a chance to cantor.  Then we went to El Rodeo for a quick lunch before Grandmommy and Grandaddy had to get on the road.  David was completely exhausted and fell asleep on the way home.  The rest of the day we just relaxed and spent some time with just the three of us.

It was a great holiday and we really enjoyed all of the company.  Thank you to everyone for making the trip to come visit us and for playing with David.  He had a fantastic time and can’t wait to see you all again!

 

So, we visited Chicago and had Sunny take some pictures of us at Navy Pier.  We hope you enjoy the latest and greatest!!

 

It has been too long since we posted to the blog.  But, here is a general update about how things are going.

He has changed so much in the 6 months.  First and foremost, he is walking…more like running.  He officially started walking on March 9, but he was walking holding onto a finger long before that.  So, he didn’t really take the few days or weeks to figure out how to run, he was running that night.  It was quite exciting and we were all so thrilled when he decided to “let go”.  Another exciting part of his first steps was that my sister, Rebecca, was visiting that week.  So, she got to see David’s first steps too.

David is full of energy and loves to laugh.  He has also started really enjoying his toys.  He spends time playing by himself a lot more than he used to, which is a much needed break for me during the day.  He enjoys playing on the playground and swimming in the pool.  He has also started saying a lot more words.  He can say a few phrases as well.  He loves making animal sounds and pointing to different body parts.

David really enjoyed our child development class.  He started going down the slide by himself during that class and we found out that he loves playing with rice in the sand table.  Chip  also took David to a water baby’s class where David started to get use to being in a pool.

In terms of trips in the last few months…

We spent a weekend in the suburbs of Ohio visiting my grandparents.  It was my grandfather’s 80^th birthday, so we went to celebrate with him.  My parents, sister, brother & fiancée, and aunts and uncles were also there, so we had a full house.  But, we also got to visit with a lot of family we hadn’t seen in a while.  Everyone loved seeing David and it was exciting that he was walking before we went on that trip.

In addition to our trip to Cincinnati, we have taken a few day trips to Indy.  I took David with a friend and her daughter to the Indy Zoo one day in April and also I took David to see my parents in Indy.

We took a few trips this summer and enjoyed a “staycation” for a few days between trips.  First, we went to Dallas, TX for Chip’s nephew’s First Communion.  We spent the weekend with Chip’s whole family and David really liked playing with his cousins.  We also got to go to a water park with David where we spent a lot of time going down the small water slide.

We spent the next few days at home, just the 3 of us.  We went to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum one day and David loved it.  He played with the dinosaur tables, rode on the Carousel, but especially enjoyed the Dora exhibit.  We also spent a day playing at the park and another day at one of the local pools.

Then, on Friday, we drove to Ann Arbor, MI for our friend Sunny’s.  On our way to Michigan, we stopped at the Indiana Dunes State Park and spent the afternoon at the beach there.  The water was freezing and it was a bit windy, but we still had a good time.  Saturday I took David to the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum while Chip practiced with the choir for the wedding.  He enjoyed the bubble exhibits and the toddler play area.  Finally, on Sunday before we headed back home, we stopped at the Detroit Zoo for a few hours.  It was fun to see all the animals.

The Monday following our trip, we invited one of David’s friends (and his Mom) to go to Chuck-E-Cheese with us.  David loved running around and pushing all the buttons, as well as playing with the skee balls.

For Father’s Day weekend, we went to Chicago to visit David’s Godfather, James and his wife, Whitney who were in town.  We spent Saturday at the Shedd Aquarium.  David loved seeing all the different kinds of fish and especially liked the beluga whales.  Then, on Sunday, we headed to the Brookfield Zoo.  It was so much fun letting David visit with James & Whitney and Chip & I enjoyed ourselves too.

We’ve done some other fun things with David this summer as well.  We’ve gone to the local pools a number of times to let David cool off from this crazy heat.  Also, my Mom’s group has had two “open gyms” that we’ve been able to make it to.  Basically, they are local gymnastic centers that open up their gyms to our group for an hour or two.  David loved the bouncy floor, foam block pit, and the trampoline.  We are considering enrolling him in a gymnastics class next year if he continues to show interest.  We also had a whirlwind of cook-outs over the 4^th of July weekend.  Two of our neighbors hosted barbecues (one for Canada Day & one for 4th of July) and we had one ourselves on the 3rd of July.  David loved being around all the people and playing with the kids that were there.  In addition to that, we’ve gone to a few of Chip’s softball games.  He’s playing on a neighborhood team once a week.  If the game is early enough, David and I go to cheer on Daddy.  David is one of the best cheerleaders at the game (for either team).

We are really looking forward to the next few months.  David and I will start attending the Parent/Toddler development class again in the fall and I’m hoping to do another Music & Me class.  We will also start attending more of the meetup groups that my Mom’s group will host in the fall.  In addition, David and I just got back from a trip to NC to see my family in August and then all of us will head back to NC for my brother’s wedding in October.  He will have a lot of playtime with his cousins, which is nice since he doesn’t get to see them very often.

Here are some pictures from the last few months…

Here are David’s 12-month pictures.  David was fascinated with Sunny’s camera, so we got a number of close-up shots.  Also, Sunny did catch one shot of him standing on his own holding onto a ball, which at this point in time was a new feat for David.  We hope you enjoy the latest and greatest pictures of David!

On February 16, 2010, Chip and I got the most exciting, scariest, amazing news of our lives…we were going to be parents.  Like most parents, that day changed our lives forever.  But, unlike most parents, we didn’t have the traditional 9 months to prepare ourselves for our little boy’s arrival.  Yes, we had been approved for adoption 9 months prior and yes, we knew it could happen the way it did, but we never really thought it would.

That afternoon was like any other afternoon.  I had made myself a snack (which ended up sitting on the counter until I threw it away 3 hours later) when the phone rang.  It was Bethany (our agency) but they had called before about meeting a birthmother or getting answers to questions, but then this phone call was different.  They asked me if Chip was home, well of course he wasn’t it was the middle of the day.  Then, they asked if I would like to be a Mom today.  Honestly, my first reaction was disbelief.  There was no way I was going to be a Mom at that moment.  I had waited too long and gone through too many losses to have it actually become a reality.  But, it was true…we were now parents.  One minute I was making myself a snack and the next I was a Mom.  It was the most amazing feeling of my life (even more amazing than getting married…no offense Chip).  We had been waiting so long for that moment and it was finally here.  We were, for all intents and purposes, parents.  We still had some legal paperwork to do, but we were his parents.  So, we drove to Indy that night to meet our new son, who was 2 days old and still in the NICU.  When we arrived, we were greeted with nothing but smiles from the hospital staff and when we saw him for the first time, I knew that was my son.  He was so tiny, at only 4 lbs 15 oz, but he was the most precious and most amazing thing I had ever seen.  I knew I could never love anything as much as I loved that little boy.  I only left the hospital a few times for meetings that had already been scheduled and a weekend back home to get some things ready.  I spent as much time as I could just sitting with him and watching him.  Finally, on Feb. 26, 2010 we got to bring little Charles David Killian home from the hospital.

We spent much of the next few days just trying to wrap our heads around this little person that was now our responsibility.  We had had a lot of NICU nurses doing most of the work prior to this day, so we were once again thrown into a world that we didn’t understand.  Little did we know that the rest of the year would have similar feelings.  The next few weeks we welcomed family and friends who came to visit and meet our new baby.  We also had two baby showers to attend with friends around town and the choir at church.  It was joyful and overwhelming all at the same time.

Of course, all was not fun and games in the Killian household.  David began showing signs of colic after only 6 weeks and continued crying for much of the day during the next 3 months.  We switched formula numerous times and finally settled on, of course, the most expensive formula in the store.  But, it was well worth the relief it brought David.   After a few weeks of dealing with a very colicky baby, we decided to ask my parents to stay with David while we went on the previously planned vacation.  It was a much needed rest for two very weary parents and we appreciated that they were willing to stay with him for a week so we could recuperate from the craziness of the previous 3 months.  I must admit I did miss seeing him everyday and I couldn’t wait to get back to be with my little boy once again.

The first 6 months of David’s life were a whirlwind of change and growth.  He went from being a little preemie, to a full sized newborn.  Then, he began to make eye contact and started cooing.  He would smile at us and babble.  He would grab an object or laugh at a toy.  We were in awe of this little child who learned so much so quickly.  Also during the first 6 months we celebrated our first Mother’s and Father’s Day.  These were days we had dreaded for the previous 3 years and were now celebrating.  We also had David baptized in NC, while surrounded by many friends and family.

After 6 months David started teething, and we were once again thrown into the nighttime wake-up routine.  But, he also grew and changed with each passing day.  He learned to sit up and he started to pull himself up on furniture.  He started to scoot across the floor and began actually playing with his toys.  He started cruising around furniture and standing on his own.  He began to hit all of these milestones that seemed miles away only a few months earlier.

Now, as David begins his second year of life, I’m looking forward to all of those things he will accomplish in the next year.  I look forward to him walking on his own and beginning to talk.  I look forward to running around outside with him and taking him on his first family vacation.  I know it will be amazing, just as the first year was and I hope to relish every moment of it.

Thank you to all of our friends and family that have helped us over the last year.  We appreciate all of the love and support!

How Time Does Fly!!

I can’t believe David is 1 month away from being 1-year-old.  Where has the time gone?  He’s had a lot of firsts since the last time I posted.  He had his first Thanksgiving, which we spent in NC visiting my family & some of Chip’s extended family.  It was a nice trip, but David was very sick the weekend before (as was Chip), so it made it a little more stressful.  Also, it was a lot of driving, but we had a good time. Also, it was the first time Chip’s cousin Carolyn and her family and Chip’s Aunt Mary & Uncle Gene got to see David.  So, we’re really glad we got a chance to go see all of them.

David also had his first Christmas, which Chip & I have been looking forward to all year.  It was so much fun to see him react to the new toys he got and the wrapping paper of course.  We spent the week before Christmas and Christmas day at my parents’ house.  We celebrated Christmas twice since my brother and his fiancee left to go to Michigan on the 21st.  So, David got a lot of Christmas at my parents’ house.  But, it was so much fun.  And he got TONS of toys.  We didn’t think about how big the toys he was getting were going to be until we started packing the car.  But, he does love playing with them.  Unfortunately, the snow prevented us from leaving for Asheville on Christmas Day like we intended, but we did make it out on the 26th.

So, the next week we spent in Asheville with Chip’s family.  We got to spend a little bit of time with Chip’s sister Teresa and her husband Jed before they left to go to the Rose Bowl parade.  We also got to spend time with Chip’s sister Susan and her husband Jeff, as well as their 3 kids, Michael, James, & Katie.  David had a good time playing with his cousins and seeing his Aunt Susan and Uncle Jeff.  We also celebrated Christmas with them and David got even more new toys.  His play room is quite the place to be now. We spent most of New Year’s Eve at the Asheville Country Club, but decided to leave a little early since there were babies at home and we were all really tired from having colds all week.  But, we still had a good time hanging out with our friends Kristina & Eric and Kristina’s parents’ Judy & Bob.  Also, David finally got to meet Kristina & Eric’s daughter, Claire who is 4-months-old.  The joke in the family is that they are betrothed, so at least David has finally met his future wife :-)!

One other thing that happened while we were gone for Christmas is that David figured out the “army crawl”.   So, at least he can kind of get to where he’s going.  He still prefers to walk holding onto someone’s hands, unfortunately that is usually me.  I was hoping he’d learn how to walk soon so I can stop being his taxi.  I don’t know if it will happen before he turns 1 or not.  He hasn’t quite gotten the confidence to let go yet and his balance is still a little shaky, but we’ll see.  It will happen when it happens.

In addition, David has a few more teeth.  I think there are a total of 6 and they are all opposing, which means we have to be careful of the biting now too.  I don’t think he realizes what he’s doing until after he’s done it, but I definitely want to nip that in the bud before it becomes a problem.

So, now we’re back in West Lafayette and I am really looking forward to starting the Parent/Infant/Toddler class with David this week.  I think it will be good for him to have some structured play.

Chip is starting his new semester and so far it’s going quite well.  He likes teaching his class and he’s working on some new papers and grants over the next few months.  Hopefully, we will hear back with some good news.

We hope everyone’s Christmas was as wonderful as ours and that your new year is starting well. Enjoy the pictures.  I am doing a separate post with his 9-month pictures.

 

 

 

Here are the 9-month pictures that our friend Sunny took.  David was super sick that day, so we’re just happy she got some good shots, even if he wasn’t really smiling during most of them.  Enjoy!

Well, we have hit that next milestone…the 9 month mark.  David is becoming quite the little toddler right before our eyes.  He is pulling himself up on things and LOVES to stand holding onto our hands or furniture.  He likes being walked around while you hold his hands and he has actually stood by himself for a few moments on a few occasions…though now he knows what letting go means and when you try to let go of his hands, he sits down.  He hates his stomach, so we’re not really sure if he’s going to go through the crawling stage or not.  He may just skip that stage and go straight to walking or as I like to say, go straight to running.  He is constantly moving when you hold him, so by the end of mass every Sunday, I’m exhausted!!  He is also quite the little ham and loves to be around people.  The moms at my playgroup love how expressive he is.  I think he might be taking after me in that regard.

We went to the pediatrician today and David is 18 pounds and 27 inches (about the 12th percentile in each).  Unfortunately, he has short little legs and a long torso, so clothing him has become a bit of a challenge.  I’m never sure what is going to fit him and in what dimension it will be too big or too small.  Hopefully, his legs will catch up with the rest of his body soon.

In other news, we made a big trip to San Diego at the beginning of October to see friends and introduce David to everyone.  We also attended Stephanie and Tony’s wedding, which was a lot of fun and David got to spend some time with his Godfather, James.  In addition, we took David to the famous San Diego Zoo.  He slept through part of it, but did enjoy seeing a lot of the animals.  He really liked the big panda and the monkeys.   It was great to see everyone, but it was also an exhausting trip with David.  Because of the time change and the fact that he is a loud sleeper in general, neither Chip nor I got a lot of rest on this trip.  But, that’s OK, it was definitely worth the lack of sleep to spend time with some very dear friends.

We took a trip to the Indianapolis Zoo the weekend after we got home from San Diego for a few hours.  David had a great time looking at the animals.  We think the goats and donkeys in the petting zoo area were his favorite.

My parents also came to visit a few weeks ago.  They hadn’t seen David in a few months and he had definitely changed since the last time they saw him.  He loved playing with my Dad’s mustache while he held him and smiling for the camera as my Mom took pictures.  We took him to the park that weekend too and let him swing in the baby swing for the first time.  He wasn’t too sure about that, but he loved the little toddler see-saw.

We had beautiful weather last week.  It was so nice to get outside with David before it starts to get really cold here. My friend Alice and I went on a few walks which was really nice.  David and Charlie (Alice’s little boy) are only a few days apart in age, so it’s always fun to see them together.  They had a great time at the park together on the see-saw.

So, David is 7-months-old now.  It’s crazy how fast time flies.  A lot has happened in the last 2 months.  Where to start…

Well, David and I started attending a playgroup once a week.  It’s a lot of fun seeing David interact with other babies his age and I know it will just increase as the months pass.  Also, it’s great for me to get some interaction time with other moms too!

For the 4th of July we went to OH and visited my grandparents.  We also got to visit with my parents who were visiting that weekend too.  We had a chance to see a lot of extended family on my Dad’s side at a picnic on July 3rd, unfortunately, David went to bed before the fireworks on the 4th.  So, we think maybe next year will be his first fireworks display.

We’ve also had some visitors over the last few months.  Chip’s oldest sister (Leigh) and family came to visit.  We had a lot of fun playing games and visiting some of the sights around Lafayette.  We went to Prophetstown State Park and looked at a Sears-Robuck house, which was kind of neat. Also, David got to go to his first water park while they were here too.  Although, he spent all of his time under the umbrella.  The water was a bit cold for him.

Also, Chip’s youngest sister (Teresa) visited us with her friend Elizabeth.  They had a lot of fun playing with David and playing games with us.  We also went to our first PYFA (Purdue Young Faculty Association) event at a local microbrewery while they were here…we left David home with a baby-sitter.  We had such a great time during their visit.

In addition, I got a chance to take David to the Indianapolis Zoo in August and see my Mom and my Aunt Dianna and family.  David did pretty well at the zoo and he REALLY liked the big fish tank with all of the colorful fish.

At the end of August, David and I flew (yes, he took his first plane ride) to N.C. to celebrate my Dad’s 60th birthday a little early.  He did great on the plane and even slept part of the way.  For the weekend, my parents rented a beach house in Carolina Beach for my whole family.  So, David had his first trip to the beach too.  He actually liked the water.  I think it was a lot warmer than the pools he had been in.  He also fell asleep on my lap a few times while we were sitting on the beach. He had a good time “playing” with his cousins too.  I think Alex (my 5-year-old nephew) and Sara (my 2-year-old niece) had more fun playing with him! He did great on the flight home too…he slept the whole way!

In terms of development, David has gotten really good at sitting up.  He’s also had his first taste of baby food.  He’s a pretty good eater while he’s still hungry, but he fusses a lot when we first put him in the high chair.  Hopefully, he’ll get a little happier about the high chair soon.  Also, his first tooth is showing.  We’re hoping this comes through quickly so maybe the “teething” he’s been experiencing will subside a little.  He’s becoming more interactive with us and his toys, so I’m excited about getting him some new toys soon.

I guess that’s about it for now.  I hope you enjoy the recent pictures.