Updates are coming!!

We got home from North Carolina late Sunday night and I am working Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday...so I will post pictures from our trip sometime late this week. We were in NC for the NCAA basketball tournament...Butler played the very first game of the tourney and lost...and our flight wasn't until Sunday, so we had a few days to kill in NC!

Ella is all better now! Yeah!! Appetite and all is back, thank goodness! Cole is also cough, runny nose, and general fussiness free!

Scott got home from Las Vegas on Sunday as well...he won $700...YEAH!

It has been a busy few weeks and we are looking forward to some normalcy and a return to a schedule for the kiddos! They (or maybe us) desperately need some sort of routine back because they are all out of whack!

I totally remember when I used to go to my grandparents house where there were limited rules and no bedtime, and when I would get back home I was exhausted and unruly, and my parents used to threaten that if I didn't shape up I wouldn't get to go back to grandpa and grandma's house...I really get what that was all about now. Kids, at least mine, are much better behaved and overall happier, when there is some sort of routine! I am READY for a ROUTINE!!!

Mini Vacation

Tuckered out after the zoo!

Tuckered out at the zoo!

A little cranky!!

WEEEE! Cole's first slide!

Yeah! His first swing!!

Judy and I decided to stay in NC for a little vacation because our flight wasn't leaving until Sunday, and it was too expensive to try to change our flight. So we went ot the NC Zoo, which was really neat. Lots of hills, you ride a tram in between a North America animals side and an Africa animals side. It was really cold, so Judy bought the kids sweatshirts to help keep them warm. Ella really liked the giraffes and the gorillas. Cole napped most of the time!! We also visited a neighborhood park. We also got to go swimming in our hotel indoor pool. Ella is definatly a fish! She loved her floaties and wanted to swim by herself the entire time! The day we left we spent some time at the Children's Museum. It was really different than the Indy one. This was a little kid grocery, Dr's office, house, post office, TV studio and a construction area. There was also a police car, fire truck, the cock-pit of an airplane that they could climb in. Ella LOVED the Dr's office. Answering the phone, and playing in "nursery." Our flight home was smooth..the kiddos didn't sleep a wink...but they were good! I think that we were all ready to be home!!

BOO HOO!!

What a bummer!! We came all the way over here, and they lost in the first game of the entire tournament!! The worst part was that they got so close at the end, and they didn't play as well as they can. Oh well, they are young and hopefully this was a good learning experience for them. At the beginning of the season we never thought that they would get to this point...so we are really proud of them!!

Ella and Cole both slept at the game...they haven't done that in forever!!

Funny story...we are staying at the hotel with the team and we were waiting on the elevator and out walks Matt Howard (Ella's FAVORITE player) and a few of the other players. Ella gasps!! Matt says Hi to her, as he always does. And she acts all sorts of shy. So we get in the elevator and he is standing next to her. And all of the sudden she is panting! Like she is so excited she can't catch her breath. Matt says something to her, she just grins!! The elevator door open up and she looks at Matt and says..."Come on Matt!!" Like he is now her new best friend and they are gonna go play!! Too Funny!!!

So this is Cole with some of the Dawg Pound.

Here is Ella, in Buffalo, with some of the same guys!

NC here we COME!!!

So, Butler is a 9 seed in the tournament...in Greensboro, NC. SO...off Judy, the kiddos, and I go. We decided to fly...I couldn't stand the thought of another long drive after the Florida trip just over a month ago. So we left Indy Wednesday afternoon. I bought a gogo kidz travel mate from Babies R Us. It attaches to the back of your convertible car seat and you can pull the car seat like you do your luggage. IT ROCKS!!! Since we were packing light...ie no stroller etc...this was awesome to pull her through the airport. Little did I know that it needed to be out together, and it required a screwdriver. Thank goodness that there was a guy working in one of the airport stores that was willing to help. So after a little undue stress, we made it. I decided to put Ella in her car seat for the first flight, thinking that it would help keep her more contained, and it did...but it also put her feet right at the seat in front of her. And, once we arrived in Charlotte (we had a layover) I realized that the car seat was stuck because of the seat belt buckle. It took 3 women to help me get the buckle undone. After that we decided to let her try to sit in a seat without it. She did great. Cole did great. We arrived in one piece! But, just as an FYI...don't rent an infant car seat from a rental car company. I should have known better, but I thought I would give it a try. WRONG!!! It was the lowest grade seat and didn't have a base. you just put the seat belt through the seat belt slots and that was it. AWFUL!! Anyway...GO DAWGS!!!

I'll tell ya...

When it rains it pours!!

Friday, as I was about to drop Ella off with Ali and Izabella while I ran with a friend to help her register for baby stuff, Ella, while standing in the Maines's driveway, threw-up the only food that I was able to get her to eat all day...3 french fries!! And that started a long night of dry heaving and a fever of 103-104! She looked awful!!! By Saturday morning she, we thought, was on the mend. We were even considering attending the Butler game...that thought didn't last long!! Ella, Cole and I enjoyed it from home! She was holding down small sips of pedialyte, still spending much of her day either being held or laying on an air mattress we had on the floor for her. Sunday we tried small bites of toast and that is when the diarrhea started! She looked pretty puny but I thought we were making progress. Monday I worked, Ella still had diarrhea and no appetite so Scott stayed home with her and Cole had started in with a nasty cough. Tuesday, I thought we were golden. Ella woke-up in a decent mood but I noticed that her morning diaper, that was usually soaking, was only mildly damp. We started in with the pedialyte again. And still no pee. By the afternoon her belly was starting to look big. About an hour later it looked like she was pregnant, or one of those emaciated kids on TV with the skinny little arms and big round bellies! Her lips were dry, skin was mottled and the belly...I decided it was time to see the doctor. The doctor took one look and said she was admitting us to Community North Peds unit overnight for a belly x-ray, labs, urine sample and fluid bolus and IV fluids overnight. The x-ray showed an ileus, slowing of the movement of the bowels, that caused an increase of gas in the stomach and bowels. They took a stool sample that ended up showing rotavirus (a virus that kids are vaccinated against as babies. it can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea that lasts from 3-9 days, and can range from mild to serious) Her labs were ok and urine was fine. They had to use a catheter to get urine, which was "ouchy" as Ella said and then they had to poke her 3 times for an IV! It was so sad! So she got her fluids and really started to perk-up! She peed a ton and even had a "normal" bowel movement, which the docs said was a good sign that her bowels were moving again.!! Judy came to the hospital to help with Cole, brought dinner and was major support!! Daddy got to visit for a while after work and before he had to work the Butler game. Nana, Ella, Cole and I watched the game from her room and then Nana took Cole home with her. Ella slept ok, mostly waking-up because of belly pain and trying to pass some gas! By the morning her belly looked back to normal. The doctors were pleased with her peeing and her belly and we were home by 1pm. She had an appetite this afternoon and has had no diarrhea!!! YEAH!!! Cole still has a nasty cough and Scott thinks he has strep throat, so we are not quite out of the woods yet...but hopefully on the mend!!

A big thanks to Alli for offering so much help, Judy for dinner, keeping Cole and keeping us company at the hospital, and to Jessie for bring over a fabulous lasagna, garlic bread, salad, cookies, muffins for breakfast, a card, balloon, and coloring/sticker fun for Ella!! I can't tell you how much all of that meant to us!! Thanks!!!

Sorry for no pictures from our hospital ordeal...I didn't pack for an overnighter!!

9 months

Cole had his 9 month check-up this morning. He woke-up with a fever of 103.! Needless to say we did not get his shots today, which I think he was unknowingly greatful for!! The doctor did not find any reason for the fever...so we will have to wait and see what comes of that!!

He checked out perfectly! Still has the trachealmalasia that seems unchanged, which is expected, otherwise everything looks good.

His stats...

Weight-19lbs 4oz (29th percentile)

Length-29 1/2 inches (85th percentile)

Head-17 1/2 inches (25th percentile)

I'll have to look at Ella's stuff to find out what her stats were at this age, but I can tell you this now...Ella was 18lbs at her one year appt. and 23 at her 2 year appt! I think that Cole is going to pass her up in no time!!

Cole at 9 months is one of the happiest babies I have ever seen. He loves to cuddle, be held, and give kisses. He has 3 tricks that he likes to do in succession...clap, raise his arms to say "so big" and then wave!! He says dada and blows raspberries. He sits and loves to roll everywhere he wants to go. He is starting to try to get on all fours and rock, so crawling may be in the future??!!

We are loving life with him and it is such a joy to watch him and Ella start to interact!

PS-Ella is having a really difficult time learnign to share with Cole, and loves to take toys away from him...any suggestions???

Playgroup

Cole and Charlie

It was my week to plaan playgroup and we had all of the usual suspects and invited a few new bitty babies to join the fun. I loved that everyone was able to make it and enjoyed the lunch. It was so fun to chat with everyone and watch teh kiddos play.

Horizon League Champions!

Brotherly-Sisterly LOVE

Attempting a "whiteout"!!

The last regualr season game of the year!!

It has been such a fun year and we cannot thank all of the McGraths enough for all of the FUN!!

Counting down...

Just a few games left in the season!! Not sure why I don't have a pic of Ella, but aren't these two cute!!

Sea World

Not sure about "petting" the sting rays
Shamu show ROCKS!!!

What a happy boy!!

She was asleep in the stroller walking out to our car.

I will take that as a sign of a good time!!

We had to visit Sea World while we were down in Floria, Scott and I loved it and we knew that Ella would too...we were right! I think that she liked the dolphins the best, she got to pick out one thing to take with her and it was a stuffed dolphin! The dolphins were being fed and we missed that, but we could stand at the end of the pool and they were playing and you could put your hands in the water and touch them if they came by. So Ella and I were waiting and watching them play and they decided to jump right where we were standing, which we thought was the greatest thing ever, until the landed in the water and got us all WET!! It was nice outside, so we dried fast. The Shamu show was awesome, as usual!

We decided to do this and then hit the road for the long drive home. We stopped for a quick bite around 8:30pm, got the kids in jammies and headed to Chattanooga! We made it there around 1:30am and headed straight to bed! We made it home around 5:30pm safe and sound.

Collin Maxfield

We think that everyone should remember that name because he may be famous someday!!! He really is an awesome baseball player and we couldn't be more proud of him!! More than baseball though, he is an amazing student and really a great kid! We had a great time spending this Saturday at the baseball diamond and enjoyed watching him pitch. His team easily won the tournement with 2 of the games won by the run rule!

Maybe this is a look into the future...Cole...baseball?? We'll see!!!

Downtown Disney

Wat up??!!
My cheesy boy!!
Ella and Cinderella

The Fam at the Rainforest Cafe

The kiddos in front of the Lego Dragon

They had a lego person walking 4 or 5 dogs and one of them was a bulldog. All she talked about dinner was going back to see the Lego bulldog.

My dad treated us all to dinner at the Rainforest Cafe...I thought that Ella would LOVE it. I was wrong...she liked it, but once Scott pointed out that a very large dragonfly was above her head, she was VERY cautious! Every 20 minutes there is a "thunderstorm" and the animals start moving and she really didn't know what to think. Everyone loved their dinner and we had a great time seeing Downtown Disney. Thanks Dad!!

New Smyrna Beach, FL

Cole is cashed!

Uncle Scott and Ella...excuse the exposed boobies!!

Cole feeling the sand and water on his tootsies for the first time!

Messing around!!

It was the most beautiful day...80's and not a cloud in the sky...so we decided to head to the beach to meet up with my brother and hang out. I thought that Ella would play in the sand and not really like the water because it was pretty cold. Quite the contrary was true! When she first stepped on the sand, she curled her toes and kept asking me to wipe it off of her feet!! So we went down to the water and she couldn't get enough of it. She didn't care how cold it was. We had a great time!!
I love the asleep with teh "cools" on and the snack in the lap!!