Dohner Days

Stitches

2012-01-14T14:14:00.003-06:00

Moses came hopping in from outside with wet shoes this afternoon. Slipping and falling directly on his chin led to a visit to prompt care and three stitches. Thankfully, Aaron was here and took him. Aaron said he was screaming, "No, Daddy! Stop it!" over & over at the top of his lungs as Aaron tried to hold him down. If you look closely at his face, you can see where Moses broke little blood vessels with all the screaming. As they were pulling out of the parking lot, Moses told Aaron, "Doctors help me. They fixed my chin. Hooray!"

I convinced him to change his bloody clothes only after suggesting he put on a Toy Story shirt. Also, we had to change his band aid as soon as he got home from a boring band aid to- you guessed it- a Toy Story band aid. He is now resting peacefully and recovering while watching Toy Story 3.

Christmas Continued

2012-01-12T14:17:00.003-06:00

Here are a few more pictures that I just received from our Christmas celebrations:

Sheer joy.

Moses loved playing in the box full of packing peanuts that held one of Amy's gifts.

Amy & Ezra all worn out from all of the excitement.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-10T12:40:00.005-06:00

Here are some pictures from Christmas. Moses received a load of Toy Story items and not one was a duplicate :-) We had many family gatherings to attend, which is always fun.

Moses was so excited to get Mr. Potato Head from Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa.

A few of the Meiss cousins: Eliza, Moses, Kianna, Micah, Ezra, & Nigel

Sleeping bags from Grandma.

Ezra loved the tissue paper!

Captain America & Green Lantern ready to save the world.

Dinner at the Dohner Christmas.

The Dohner men: Ezra, Aaron, Russell, Moses, & Mark. I believe we were just missing one, Aaron's Uncle David.

Ezra at Six Months

2011-12-20T13:07:00.002-06:00

Ezra had his six month doctor appointment yesterday. The doctor confirmed what we already thought: Ezra is a long, skinny baby :-) He had four shots that he did not take well. He has been working on cutting his two bottom teeth for what seems like forever. On Saturday, we finally felt a corner of one of them. So, it's a start :-)

Ezra is sitting up by himself pretty well.

He loves to pull up to a standing position while holding on to our hands.

Moses, Micah, Ezra, Eliza, & their cousin Olivia Susan hanging out.

Family Time

2011-12-19T17:53:00.005-06:00

My apologies for being so inconsistent with updating the blog. Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving & Williams' Christmas.

Ezra was out after a long day

Ella & Ezra hanging out.

Aiden, Micah, & Moses playing

Me & my cousins Amanda & Sarah

Eliza, Moses, & Micah with their edible artwork--painted sugar cookies!

Ezra at Five Months

2011-11-16T14:47:00.003-06:00

Ezra celebrated his 5 month milestone with me, my mom, Karmelle, & Christine by taking a shopping trip to Chicago. Ezra was definitely spoiled by everyone as we lugged him around the city.

Uncle Zach was kind enough to baby-sit as we shopped on Southport.

To keep with tradition, we ate at Sushi Mura. Delicious!

What a trooper :-)

Chicago!

2011-11-15T14:24:00.003-06:00

A couple of weekends ago, the entire Meiss clan headed to Chicago to visit Zach for his birthday. Here are a few pictures of our day:

Halloween 2011

2011-11-05T22:41:00.004-05:00

This year, Moses dressed up as a spider for Halloween. Yes, a character from Toy Story would have been more appropriate, but a week before he told me that he didn't want a costume and that dressing up was "too scary." Even though I think he would have been fine, I didn't want to spend time or money on something that could have been a bust. So, we borrowed an adorable spider costume (Thanks, Caleb!). And Moses was fine.

Spider, Batman (Dark Knight), Teddy Bear, & Wonder Woman getting ready to go trick-or-treating.

We were able to stop by Great-Uncle Ty's office, and the Great-Ones house to show off the costumes.

Aaron & I had our own Halloween party, so here is a pic of us all dressed up :-)

Jack-O-Lanterns

2011-10-20T10:31:00.002-05:00

Moses had the opportunity to carve a pumpkin with Grandma Meiss. As you can see from the picture, Grandma, Micah, and Eliza are hard at work. Moses, on the other hand, thought that it was "icky" and decided to just hang out instead.

The finished products.

Ezra's little pumpkin is being hidden by his hand.

Ezra at Four Months

2011-10-18T14:54:00.002-05:00

Ezra celebrated his four month birthday with a visit to the doctor's office. We found out that he is one healthy boy. He's in the 97th percentile for length (27.2"), 40th percentile for weight (14 lbs, 12 oz), and the 70th percentile for head circumference (43.3").

It is fun to see Ezra's personality develop. He's a pretty good baby who likes to cuddle. He loves to laugh and thinks we're playing a joke on him anytime we change his clothes. Recently, Ezra has been really exploring all the different tones of his voice. Right now, the screech is one of his favorites :-)

Ezra's new favorite game is standing up!

We had a surprise (quick) visit from Uncle Zach. It was great to see him. The kids were sooo excited. Each one was vying for his attention that created utter chaos :-)

Rader Farm

2011-10-06T07:24:00.005-05:00

On Tuesday, we took advantage of a beautiful day and headed out to Rader Pumpkin Farm. There is so much to do, the kids played for about three hours before we had to drag them away, kicking and screaming (well, maybe not, but there was a lot of whining). Lizzie joined us with Elle & Nohl. We missed Jack, but he was having fun at his G & G Hendrix's house.

Grandma climbed to the top of the hay castle with the kids. Moses didn't really want to be up there :-) He's holding on for dear life.

They have a playhouse, a market, and a post office that Moses loved to play with. It was difficult moving on to another activity.

Micah & Moses getting ready for the hay rack ride.

Eliza & Micah enjoyed jumping & playing in the bales of hay. Moses wasn't too interested in it.

The jumping pillow was another activity that Moses wasn't sure about. We sat and bounced while the others jumped.

Moses loved the caterpillar ride. He went two or three times.

Grandma & Grandpa trying to show off their roping skills :-) Moses was just excited to be "riding on Bullseye."

I think going to the farm reminded Moses of Grandpa Dohner. All day yesterday he kept on telling people that he was on his way to Grandpa Dohner's house.

2011-10-02T21:25:00.002-05:00

Each week since school has started we have tried to get together with Jude, Livey, & Em for a play date. I'm not sure who has more fun or needs the interaction more: me or Moses. This past Friday the kids were out playing in the driveway.

Moses loves the Cozy Coupe car. He usually claims it as his and never gets out. Liv took advantage of one of his rare breaks :-)

Ezra watching all of the activity.

Ezra has rolled over from his stomach to his back, but not the other way yet. He's getting close!

Moses has a favorite new toy: a box! Well, he actually puts a lot of toys in the box, and pretends they are "Andy's toys." That is his new pretend play--mimicking Toy Story 3. It's pretty amusing to listen and watch him play. Since we don't have any of the characters from Toy Story, he pretends that other toys are the characters. My two favorites are a rabbit that he calls Mr. Potato Head and a giraffe that is Jessie. Here he took a break from playing "Andy's toys" to sit in the box and watch "Super Why!"

Strong & Spoiled

2011-09-29T07:53:00.003-05:00

Ezra has just started to sit in his bumbo seat. He's getting so strong! For now, he can sit in it for a few minutes before he starts wobbling and losing control of his head (think bobblehead doll).

Here is Ezra taking his afternoon nap in his favorite spot. With volleyball & golf season going on right now, this is practically every day. He is one spoiled boy!

Meiss Cousins

2011-09-12T08:04:00.003-05:00

Watching these kids together makes me smile.

Ezra at Three Months

2011-09-11T14:49:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe that Ezra is already three months old! He loves to be social and gives out smiles more & more each day. My grandma has made the same comment a few times about how once a baby starts smiling he's more like a real person, not so blah. I think she may be saying that she likes to see the baby's personality, so she's been very happy to see Ezra smiling more.

Apparently, having ears that stick out is a Meiss gene. My grandma told me that she use to push my dad's ears back so that they would lay flat because they stuck out so far. Then she reassured me that Ezra's ears "aren't that bad."

We love to make Ezra laugh. Moses thinks all he needs to do is command it, so he'll just start saying, "Laugh, Ezra!" He gets a little bent out of shape if Ezra doesn't do as he is told.

The next two pictures are of Moses at three months. People ask if the boys look alike. I think they do sometimes, but for the most part they are pretty different.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

2011-09-03T13:59:00.004-05:00

What do you get when you put three moms, one grandma, and seven kids together? CHAOTIC FUN!

We took advantage of the rather warm day yesterday (100 degrees in Normal, IL) and headed to Tipton Park.

Nohl checking out Ezra

Jack (above) & Micah (below)

Moses played at the playground for nearly an hour before he warmed up to the idea of the sprayground.

Elle & Eliza enjoying the water.

The only time the entire crew was together. . . snack time :-) Nobody wanted to miss out on food.

After the park, we took my mom out for a birthday lunch to Meatheads. Sounds crazy, I know, and it was. But the managers at Meatheads were fabulous and as soon as we walked in the door, they were helping us in any way imaginable. We had a great experience!

Fun times with fun people :-)

2011-08-24T12:01:00.002-05:00

Just a couple of pics because I think my kids are pretty cute and quite amusing!

Ezra talking, smiling, and enjoying the attention.

Moses didn't understand why he couldn't wear Eliza's swimsuit to the beach. Maybe we should have let him to get rid of those tan lines!

Asleep after a rough day at the park.

Ezra at Two Months

2011-08-18T14:24:00.003-05:00

Ezra had his two month well check-up this week. This dr.'s visit came with three shots, which Ezra handled very well! The doctor didn't have a solution to Ezra's extreme gasiness. The first time he smiled at us, we were on vacation and since then he likes to smile when he's not grunting (poor kid!).

Ezra weighs 12 lbs. and measured 23.5 inches long. This is in the 40th -50th percentile, so he is just your average guy. His head circumference is in the 70th percentile.

We're still waking up two times each night (usually 1 and 4ish), but I'm not sure he wants to eat both times. A lot of times he's bothered by gas. Once that is relieved, he's good. Overall, Ezra is a pretty good baby. I guess we'll keep him :-)

Summer Vacation 2011

2011-08-08T08:00:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures of our Meiss family vacation to Holland, MI.

Ezra in the shade, while Uncle Zach catches some rays.

Gifts from grandma!

Playing Monopoly

Eliza was a good helper with Ezra.

Moses would only go in the water if someone was holding him. He preferred either Grandpa, Grandma, or me. For some reason, he didn't trust his father. . .

Dancing to VBS songs.

Running down the dune. Aaron only dragged Moses for a second or two.

Moses was at the water's edge by the end of the week.

Good Times at Good Old Days

2011-07-26T18:05:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures from our cookout and firework showing at my Uncle Gary & Aunt Ann's house during Stanford's "Good Old Days" festival.

My cousin Joe, his wife Cassidy, and their 11 day old baby Juliet

Micah and Moses posing for the camera.

The grandkids had Grandpa running all over the yard chasing lightning bugs.

Waiting patiently for the show.

Beautiful fireworks!

Ezra at Six Weeks

2011-07-22T09:39:00.006-05:00

It's hard to believe that six weeks have already gone by since Ezra's birth. It also means that six weeks of summer have flown by as well!

We're working on a "social" smile and it looks like he almost has one here!

We see this snarl quite regularly!

This year, I was asked to help organize Vacation Bible School at our church. Emily was the one heading it up and my mom & I helped out where we could. The theme was "Big Apple Adventure" and the setting was New York City. We just ended the week with an average of 80 kids a night, which I would say was a success! Here are a few pictures from the week:

Music time was a favorite with the upbeat songs & fun dances!

Crafts and snacks

We took pictures of the individual classes. Somehow, Moses (not old enough for VBS) snuck into the 3 & 4 year olds' picture. He thought he was a part of the group with Eliza, Elle,& Jude :-) After this, he was in the nursery playing with Livey & Caleb.

Missions time focused on missionaries working in big cities--very cool!

The organizing crew (& Ezra)

Summer F-U-N!

2011-07-16T09:36:00.005-05:00

After being confined to the house for the month of June with a newborn, we have been making the most of July. We started the month off with Ezra's first trip to Ipava and to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Brielle is checking out her cousin Ezra.

Moses enjoyed swimming in Aunt Martha & Uncle Lee's pool with Katie, Renney, & Riley.

Grandma Dohner with Ezra.

Moses & Brielle just chillin' while watching Sesame Street.

As we've ventured out nearly every day, Ezra has been a trooper! This is usually what he does as we're out & about:

My parents fixed up our old playhouse for the grandkids. Moses needs a bit of help going up and down the ladder, but they all think it's pretty cool.
Growing up, we had many adventures and club meetings up there. It will be neat to see how the next generation uses it.

The past couple weeks we've been "swimming" many different times. We've played in Grandma Meiss's pool, at a sprayground, and at Morton & El Paso's pools.

Moses loves his goggles, but we're not sure how much he can actually see :-)

2011-07-08T08:33:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Moses stayed at Grandma Dohner's house all by himself! He was one busy (& spoiled) little boy. Here are a few things that Grandma did with Moses:

Moses taking a walk in the wagon and enjoying the swing with Aunt Amy

Two activities that Moses loves: swimming & helping

While Moses was enjoying Ipava, Ezra had the chance to meet his Uncle Zach and spend some quality time with him.

Ezra at Two Weeks

2011-06-23T19:57:00.003-05:00

We took Ezra to his two week doctor appointment today and had a very successful visit. Successful for a few reasons: One-Ezra is a healthy boy, two-he did not have any shots, and three-he gained back his birth weight. . . and more! All newborns lose weight from birth to leaving the hospital (Ezra weighed 8lbs 5oz at birth and 7 lbs 14 oz when we left the hospital). I guess a good guide for newborns is that by the time they are two weeks old the newborn weighs at least his birth weight. Ezra weighed 8lbs 14oz today, so he's gained an entire pound! Also, the nurse measured him at 20.5 in. That means he has grown an entire inch as well. Aside from waking up to eat at night, he has been quite a good baby.

Moses love holding Ezra. We are so thankful that he has done quite well with adjusting to a new baby. He has only told me twice to put Ezra down so I can hold him instead :-)

Yesterday, we had a visit from my Aunt Mary, cousin Sarah, and Sarah's daughter Ellasyn. It was a great day catching up and meeting Ellasyn. Moses spent the day protecting us as a Roman soldier.

Moses & the Sink

2011-06-19T07:31:00.004-05:00

Moses loves water. He loves playing in it whether it is in the shower, in a pool, in a sink, or in any container that can hold water. Anytime I turn on the faucet in the kitchen, Moses is running to get his step, shouting, "I HELP, I HELP!" As you can imagine, he doesn't really do a great job of actually helping. Playing in the sink will occupy him forever and so it was to our great excitement when his Great-Aunt Marilyn and Great-Uncle Garry sent him a magnetic fishing set to use in water.

The most amazing part to us is that his step isn't tall enough for him to reach, so he stands on his tip-toes the entire time he plays in the sink. Half-hour, hour, it doesn't matter. We're just thankful that we've found something to occupy his time.

Thanks Garry and Marilyn for helping Moses develop his calf muscles :-)

Ezra's First Visitors

2011-06-14T22:28:00.007-05:00

Ezra met so many people while we were still at the hospital. We didn't have a chance to get everyone (sorry Jess, Brian & Lizzie, Kim), but here are a few pictures:

Grandma Dohner holding grandchild #3

Grandma and Grandpa Meiss brought Moses to meet Ezra.

Aunt Amy & Aunt Dawn meeting their new nephew.

The Dohner guys

Cousins Micah & Eliza were excited to meet another family playmate. Ezra was happy to meet Uncle Nathaniel & Aunt Karmelle. Uncle Nathaniel stopped by the hospital twice. . . either he loves that little Ezra, or maybe it was the Krispy Kreme donuts? :-)

Ezra Timothy Dohner

2011-06-12T08:27:00.003-05:00

Our new baby boy arrived Thursday, June 9 at 5:06 PM. He weighed 8 lbs 5 oz and was 19.5" long. Labor and delivery went very well.

Moses loves giving kisses to Ezra. We all came home yesterday. He doesn't mind him so much now, but it will be interesting to see what happens as time goes on. Aaron says Moses does have ADD--"If there is a deficit in attention, then he gets disorderly" :-)

We are looking forward to a summer filled with new adventures!

Memorial Day Breakfast

2011-06-01T17:04:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures from the Meiss family Memorial Day Breakfast. This is a family tradition that originated back way before I was born.

We start the morning off with a very healthy breakfast of fried potatoes, fried eggs, liversausage, toast, and melt in your mouth caramel rolls (not pictured). Uncle Ty, my dad, Nathaniel, and Aaron all participated in the making of the liversausage this year. Everything was delicious!!

The kids played outside for awhile after breakfast. Aunt Sharon found some interesting sidewalk chalk paint that was a hit among the young ones.

We all walked down to witness the Eureka Memorial Day parade. Moses loved the band and candy :-) I think Zach and Uncle Trent made it in time to see some firetrucks.
All of the little kids enjoyed a dip in the pool before heading off to take very long afternoon naps. Isn't this what summer is all about?

Micah's 5th Birthday

2011-05-30T23:17:00.004-05:00

Micah celebrated his fifth birthday yesterday with us. Grandma Meiss made a beautiful caterpillar cake for all of us to enjoy.

Micah showing off his gift from Moses.

Grandma also thought that a piñata would be so much fun. It only took about 20 minutes for the kids to actually get any candy out of it!

After swinging at the baseball piñata, everyone was inspired to hit the whiffle ball around.

Aaron pulling a terrible prank on Moses. . . tucking his shirt into his underwear! Moses was too focused on mowing to really care.

2011-05-20T22:00:00.002-05:00

Here are a few pictures of Moses from this past week. He has been antsy to use the sidewalk chalk, but it has been rainy and cold. Finally we were able to be out this week for a bit. We could hardly get him to come inside after over an hour and a half.

Moses has been playing more with his "baby" (if you can call that gigantic thing a baby) in the past few weeks. We're hoping that it will help with the transition when Baby Dohner comes.
He wants the baby to eat, sleep, and play with him. Also, he puts the baby in time-out and tells him that he's going to "spank your bottom." Hmmm. . .

Tonight we walked to the local ice cream place (Uncle Bob's Homemade Ice Cream) for its Grand Opening for the summer season. They had single scoop cones for $1, so I couldn't pass up that deal! Moses has never had a cone before (I didn't even think to get a single scoop in a cup) and I was impressed with how well he ate it. He didn't know quite what to do when he got to the cone, but he'll learn :-)

36 Weeks

2011-05-15T21:43:00.002-05:00

Only four more weeks until Baby Dohner is here! School will be out in two weeks, so we'll have a couple of weeks to finish getting ready for our new addition.

I have gained 30 lbs already with four weeks to go. I gained only 28 lbs total with Moses, so I'm a bit ahead. I thought chasing around a toddler would hinder me from gaining more weight :-)

2011-05-07T15:28:00.002-05:00

Moses now sleeps in a big bed! Last Friday night was his first night, and he has been doing fabulous all week long. He has actually been telling us that he is ready to go to bed most evenings this week. He stays in bed all night long and comes downstairs when he is ready each morning. Naps are a little more of a struggle. . . he will get out of his bed once each day before settling down to go to sleep. We are so thankful that the transition has been fairly easy! Again, we'll see what happens when the baby comes in a few weeks :-)

Here's a recent pic of the cousins with their new sunglasses.

Yesterday was Aaron's annual 3rd & 4th grade track meet. I helped out by running the high jump. My cousin Natalie jumped to 2nd place in the 4th girls competition. The family came up to support her.

The high school's FFA does their annual petting zoo at the same time just behind the track. This way, students and kids can enjoy both events. Here are Moses and Jack enjoying one of the tractors.

Grandma is having a good laugh torturing my child :-) Acutally, I think he's getting better. I didn't hear of any crying from Moses around all the animals, but he wasn't too interested in them either. I think this is as close as he got to any of them.

Birthday Parties & Easter

2011-04-25T22:38:00.007-05:00

Moses was able to celebrate his birthday multiple times the past few days. The first one was a combined gathering for his and Eliza's birthday at my parents house.

Grandma made yummy cupcakes in the shape of a bear!

This weekend we were able to spend time with Aaron's family to celebrate both Moses's birthday and Easter. Let me tell you, we have one spoiled boy on our hands!

We didn't get many pictures from the cook-out at Grandpa Dohner's, mostly video. Above, Moses is eating his birthday brownie with the the Fillingham girls.

Moses is hunting Easter eggs with some Schisler cousins.

Blowing out his candles on his Elmo cake and enjoying the new swing set at Grandma Dohner's house.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Moses!

2011-04-21T20:45:00.002-05:00

Today is Moses's second birthday. It was a fun filled day! Due to no nap yesterday and a late night, Moses slept in until 9:00 this morning. I guess it was his gift to us :-)

He opened his first birthday gift from us. . . a band in a box! He was playing in the band all afternoon and evening. I think we have a musician on our hands.

We met Jack & Elle, Livey & Jude (& their lovely mothers) at Five Points for toddler swim time. Moses enjoyed swimming and talked about it the rest of the day.

Before dinner Moses opened his second gift from us. . . Toy Story 3 dish & silverware set. I made him the meal he always asks for "french fries and eggs." He also loves his new shirt from Micah and Eliza that he wore today.

Cousin Brielle

2011-04-20T16:32:00.003-05:00

Our family had the chance to take a trip to Carl Junction, MO, to visit Aunt Dianne, Uncle Cody, and Cousin Brielle. It was Moses's first time meeting Brielle. He wasn't too concerned with her, until I wanted to hold and play with her. Then he was very interested in her. It was really fun getting to hang out with the Stinnett family. We're excited to see them again when they come to Illinois.

We are so thankful for family!

Visit to Frazier Prep Academy

2011-04-14T21:02:00.003-05:00

Last week my dear friend Emily, my mom, and I had the opportunity to enjoy Chicago for a couple of days. Before we got down to exploring our new favorite shops, we made a quick trip to visit Mr. Meiss's kindergarten class at Frazier Prep. It was fun to see my little brother in action and meet his students.

Mr. Meiss conducting the math meeting (above). In the picture below you may notice a few boys wearing ties. . . a reward in Zach's class for good behavior :-)

Baby Chicks

2011-03-29T16:10:00.005-05:00

My cousins just received some new baby chicks, so Moses, Micah, and Eliza went out to see them. Apparently, Micah is the only one who enjoyed the little animals.

Grandma Meiss said this was as close as Moses would get to the chicks (shown here with my cousin Kianna). He also had a traumatic experience with a cat (it was walking towards him and he started to scream). Micah thinks Moses acts that way because he is allergic, just like his mother.

Here are a couple of pictures of me at 30 weeks pregnant. Only 10 more weeks to go! Things continue to go well for all of us.

Spring Tease

2011-03-26T21:37:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday & Monday Moses enjoyed being able to play outside with two new toys. The weather was beautiful for a couple of days before getting cold on us again. We maybe should have waited to get out the outdoor toys because now that is all Moses wants to do. Today with the temperature at 37 with wind chill of 26, Moses was begging to play outside. We went out for as long as I could handle it. . . all of about ten minutes :-)

The jeep was given to us by very kind friends. Their kids are done with it. We didn't even need to buy a new battery! Moses is a bit too short for it. He can push on the gas in jerky motions, but can't ride it smoothly yet. It's pretty funny--and scary!

The new tricycle was a Christmas gift from Grandma & Grandpa Meiss. Moses doesn't understand the concept of pedaling yet, so it is a lot of pushing for Aaron & me.

Weekend Away

2011-03-09T08:59:00.004-06:00

Moses had the opportunity to stay overnight at Grandpa Dohner's a couple of weekends ago. He had a busy day with Grandma, visited the bank, and ended up at Grandpa's house. Here are a few pictures at Grandpa Dohner's:

Exercise and Training

2011-02-24T19:33:00.004-06:00

Moses has been busy the past couple of weeks learning new activities. These pictures show a combination of the two. Grandma Meiss bought an "exercise" video called Elmocize. Moses absolutely loves dancing and exercising with Elmo & Rosita (Cyndi Lauper even makes a guest appearance!).

Touching toes & head

Chunky legs!

Moses's second new activity is going potty. He is wearing his "Woody/Buzz" underwear (the only ones he will wear) in the photos. We are far from actually being potty trained, but it does seem that Moses is taking small steps to our goal! I'm trying not to push it, but he is the one that is having fun with this (most of the time). We still have 15 weeks until baby, so I keep telling myself that we have plenty of time to master the skill (so then he can regress when the baby does come :-) ).

Fun with Grandpa Dohner

2011-01-26T19:51:00.003-06:00

Moses loves it when Grandpa Dohner shows up at the gym. . . we're not sure how much fun it is for Grandpa, though!

20 Week Pictures

2011-01-21T18:14:00.003-06:00

Here are some pictures of me halfway through the pregnancy. I know it may not look like I've gained too much weight, but I've gained 16 pounds in 20 weeks, so I'm on target to gain over 40. Lovely.

Moses just had to get his picture taken since I was getting my picture taken. He is such a ham, just like his father :-)

It's a . . . .

2011-01-20T11:01:00.004-06:00

BOY! Aaron and I went to the doctor's on Tuesday and found out that we are having another boy :-) Moses will have a little brother. I don't even want to think about the trouble they will get into through the years! Here are some pictures of our new addition:

The above photo is suppose to show that it is a boy. His head is on the left and I think the legs are open on the right hand side :-)

It is hard to believe that I'm halfway done with this pregnancy. Time flies when you're having fun, right? :-)

Potty Time

2011-01-16T21:58:00.003-06:00

Moses began being interested in going to the bathroom about a month ago (thanks to Micah & Eliza!). He tells us in time to make it to the toilet about once every ten times, so we are far from being potty trained, but we are very excited about the thought of it. I took a video to show Moses's excitement, but it's not loading properly. So, here are some pictures instead.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T06:59:00.003-06:00

Moses really enjoyed Christmas this year. He is such a social kid, that I could tell his favorite part was being around family and getting loads of attention. He wasn't so concerned about the gifts. He does love his all his books, Curious George dvds, piano, and race track, just to name a few.

Moses showing off some books that he received. He is such a little reader right now.

Grandpa Dohner and Moses showing off their Christmas hats.

A New Hat

2010-12-14T10:26:00.004-06:00

Moses found a new hat to wear with a message for everyone!

He thinks he's big stuff strutting around in his various hats. Little does he know that people are excited about the message of this hat, and not the fact that he is wearing a hat :-) So for those of you who don't know, I'm due June 9. So far, everything is going well. We'll find out in January what the sex of the baby is and let eveyone know then.

Here is a recent photo of Moses's cousin, Brielle. She received a great report from her doctors yesterday. We are so thankful for her and her parents!

Day Trip to Chicago

2010-11-08T13:36:00.003-06:00

Saturday, the Meiss family took a trip to Chicago to visit my brother Zach. We were able to watch his soccer match, eat a delicious meal, and even wander around the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was a very enjoyable day!

The view of the city skyline was awesome from the soccer field.

Uncle Zach prohibited us using strollers on our walk to the restaurant, so he helped out by carrying Moses on the way back to his apartment.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-06T22:16:00.003-05:00

Moses was able to enjoy two nights of Trick-or-Treating this Halloween. On Saturday, we enjoyed the day in Ipava with a special visit from Aunt Dianne & Aunt Amy. Moses had his first go at Trick-or-Treating, but didn't really understand what was going on.

Then on Sunday, Moses went Trick-or-Treating with Livey (bumble bee) & Jude (monkey). With Jude leading the way, Moses started to understand the process. . . go to door, say the magic words (which sounded like "tick-o-teet"), grab candy, then say "bye!" and off to the next house. It was pretty amusing!

Moses the chicken with Eliza the fairy princess and Micah the Power Ranger :-)

18 Month Milestone

2010-10-27T18:12:00.004-05:00

Today Moses had his 18 month check-up. He was very uncomfortable the entire time we were at the doctor's office. But when he got his shots, he did a great job. The part he hates the most? Lying down on the table. Moses is in the 60th percentile in height (32.75") and only the 30th percentile in weight (24 lbs 5 oz), even with that big looking belly! His head is still huge, measuring in the 95th percentile.

At the moment, Moses attempts to balance anything he can on his head. Here, it's a basket. Sometimes it's a spoon or a bowl. Other times it's a book or some sort of toy. I'm not sure what it tells us about Moses except that he has a flat head, but he sure is proud of himself!

Moses's first jack-o-lantern, hopefully. We need to find the time to carve it before Sunday!

Meet Brielle

2010-10-13T18:05:00.008-05:00

Technically, Moses did not get a chance to meet his first cousin on the Dohner side. Brielle is in the NICU at the St. Louis Children's Hospital and so Moses was not allowed in to see Brielle. Aaron & I both had the opportunity to see her and hold her. Since we didn't realize our camera was out of battery until at the hospital, these pictures are taken from others who were there :-) She is so precious, is was so fun to finally be able to meet her. To learn more about all that is going on with Brielle, check out Dianne & Cody's blog: www.stinnettgazette.blogspot.com

Moses enjoyed being spoiled by everyone this weekend. Grandpa Dohner played hide & seek with him.

Aunt Dianne taught him to play with the bead game with sound effects :-)

"Uncle Cody is so much fun!!!"

Grandma Dohner & Dad know how much Moses loves water!

We also had a chance to go to the St. Louis Zoo. The elephants & anteaters were a couple of my favorite exhibits.

After a long day, Moses enjoys a nap :-)

Fall Fun

2010-10-08T07:03:00.003-05:00

Grandma & Grandpa Meiss took a fall fieldtrip with the grandkids to Rader Farms. While there, they ran into some familiar faces :-) I'm glad that Moses is able to enjoy going to a farm with someone other than me! He is still very leery of animals, which he must have gotten from me.

Eliza, Moses, Olivia, Ty, Jude, & Micah on a hay rack ride.

Following a day at the farm, Moses broke out in a mysterious rash. The doctor thought that it could have been a result from a virus (very possible as he was out of sorts the week before) or an allergic reaction to something. Seeing as I'm allergic to nearly everything outside, I'm leaning toward the allergy theory.

2010-09-20T13:33:00.003-05:00

I know I've been horrible in updated the blog. My apologies are extended to anyone who checks the blog (I think Erin, Michelle, and Jess are the only ones I know about, so sorry girls for my lack of posts!). Here are a couple of quick pics. Maybe I'll get to do more sometime this week.

Moses has a new cousin, the first of the Dohner cousins! Brielle Dianne Stinnett was born last Tuesday. She is having a few health issues and is in the NICU in Joplin, MO, where Aaron's sister and her husband live. We are so excited to meet her and Moses is happy for a cousin to play with at family gatherings :-) I'll post more pictures as I receive them.

Just Your Average Guy

2010-07-30T16:33:00.003-05:00

Moses had his 15 month dr.'s appointment this week. His height & weight are in the 40th - 50th percentile (31" and 24 lbs.), but that head of his is still way above normal in the 90th percentile! The doctor said that he was a healthy little boy and Moses ended the visit with three shots. As always, he handled those very well. We are so thankful for our average, healthy toddler.

For his first birthday, Moses received a basketball hoop from my friend Molly Jo and her husband Jared. Well, to be precise, they were very generous & thoughtful and gave Moses a gift card to Toys R Us. Naturally, he picked out the hoop all by himself :-) Aaron thought that we might as well get the ages 3 & up hoop instead of the 2 & up hoop because Moses would be able to use it for a longer time period. Little did we realize that the basket for older children would be way too big for Moses nor did we think that Moses wouldn't actually understand the concept of shooting the ball. So, the ever creative father rigged up some furniture and cushions so Moses could enjoy his gift. Even though his dunks aren't quite YouTube ready, he absolutely LOVES it! Thanks so much, Molly & Jared!

Tot Time at the Pool

2010-07-29T13:42:00.004-05:00

This week we've enjoyed "Tot Time" at the Morton pool. From 10 until noon the toddler pool is open for $2/kid & parents are free! Perfect time for toddlers, perfect price for families :-)

Moses absolutely loves the water! He is still very cautious when trying to walk in the pool, which makes me not have to worry about him as much. Thanks, Uncle Nathaniel, for helping Moses with the slide :-)

Eliza, loving the spray toy.

"Yes, I have a big belly!!"

Micah, under the water umbrella.

Good Ole Days

2010-07-22T17:38:00.003-05:00

On Saturday Uncle Gary & Aunt Ann had a cookout that coincided with Stanford's "Good Ole Days." Although we didn't see the parade or any of the vendors, we did witness the fantastic firework display put on the village of Stanford. It was a sticky, hot day with no air movement. A perfect time for Ann & Gary's air conditioner to break down :-)

Dale is trying to help Moses shoot a basket, something that Moses obsessed about all night.

Aaron & Nathaniel trying to stay cool while discussing their favorite topic: basketball.

Great-Uncle "Farmer" Gary helping Moses with the backhoe? I have no idea what that is, but I'm told it is not a "digger."

Moses enjoying the fireworks with his dad (above) and his Grandma Meiss & cousin Micah (below)

Micah getting up to get a better view of the fireworks.

Sprayground

2010-07-19T16:01:00.004-05:00

Last week my mom and I took Moses & Eliza to a small sprayground in Washington. Moses LOVED it! Every five minutes or so, the water would turn off and after pushing a nearby button it would start again. Each time it occurred, Moses was confused that the water shut off and then his pure joy when the water came on again was priceless. We had a fun time. Great idea, grandma!!

Waiting for the water to turn back on (above). Sheer joy (below)!

Summer Reading

2010-07-14T08:21:00.003-05:00

Aaron & I have a lot of things in common. There is one thing, though, that I love that Aaron is not really interested in---READING! I'm so happy that Moses is showing signs of being a reader :-) I know I have a huge task for the next 17 years to keep him interested, but I'll enjoy it for now. He will take out each of his books and want us to read to him, a few pages later he's ready for the next book.

Enjoying a book with Grandpa Meiss

As of right now, Moses doesn't pay much attention to TV: unless it is the Toddler Sing-a-long Songs at my parents house. He is completely mesmerized by this early '90's video with children lip syncing a few classic children's songs and a few not so well known songs. He will stop playing, eating, or crying to sit and stare at this video. His favorite song? Jonah.

Moses also loves the baby stroller and my old Cabbage Patch Doll, Duane (my mom wouldn't let me change his name). I'm not sure if he loves it on his own, or if it is because Eliza & Micah love the strollers and my mom only has two. They have to have something to fight over :-)

Fireworks & Family

2010-07-11T19:39:00.005-05:00

I apologize for the short intermission I've taken with the blog. Pure laziness on my part. I guess we've been enjoying our summer vacation too much :-) Moses is a busy boy, and I'm not just talking about his social calendar. When he plays, he is always on the go. He sits down only to eat. It has kept Aaron and me on our toes.

We spent 4th of July weekend in Ipava. It was so great to spend time with Dianne & Cody, who were visiting from Missouri. Aunt Marilyn & Uncle Garry hosted an extended Dohner family reunion on Independence Day. Moses loved all of the attention he received there! He has been going through attention detox this entire week.

Moses with his Aunt Dawn (above). Below, he is playing with his cousin Lily.

Moses with his dad, grandpa, and great-great uncle Russell. If my family history is correct, Moses is the fifth generation of the Dohner family since Russell's father moved to Illinois.

The David & Ethel Dohner clan (below).

Moses playing "way high" with his grandpa Dohner.

Moses's One Year Stats

2010-05-02T08:12:00.004-05:00

"I love you, dad!"

Okay, okay, so maybe I'm a little crazy, but I would like to have accurate measurements for my child! Aaron has told me numerous times to chill out about the whole height/weight/head size thing, but I just want to know for future reference! Is that so horrible?

With that said, Moses was measured at 29" which is in the 25th percentile for his age. It just makes me wonder because nearly everyone tells me he looks long. Is it just an optical illusion or does the pediatric nurse have problems measuring Moses? Yesterday, we try to compare his height to our dear Finn, who was measured at 30" recently. From what we could see, Moses was at least the same size. . .but in the end, I do realize it doesn't really matter. . .

Moses weighed 22 lbs 3 oz. This is in the 40th percentile. I can't imagine him being any heavier. I have problems holding him for an extended period of time now!

I'm not sure the measurement of Moses's head, but that is in the 95th percentile. I'm not really surprised. Let's hope he'll grow into that big noggin sooner rather than later :-)

Moses is still too cautious to start walking. He is standing on his own for longer periods of time and using whatever he can as a walker. He'll even use chairs on wheels if that will get him to where he wants to go.

The only other update I have are his teeth. He has been all out of sorts the past week. Chewing and drooling, drooling and chewing with a lot of whining! I have noticed one more tooth in and another is nearly poking through. That makes 13 & 14. For his sake, I hope the pain is over soon.

"CHEESE!"

Birthday Celebration

2010-04-21T22:17:00.003-05:00

Moses already had his big birthday bash last Saturday due to his father's all important golf trip this weekend :-) We enjoyed celebrating with family and friends. A huge thank you to everyone who made Moses's big day special. We are truly blessed!

Happy Birthday, Moses!

2010-04-21T22:04:00.004-05:00

Today, our little baby boy turned one. It is so odd to think that at this time a year ago we had a brand new baby. He has taught us a lot the past 12 months and we know that we will be learning more & more as he grows.

He isn't too concerned with walking, but will stand on his own quite a bit. We think he said his first word "ball" last week. He enjoys pretending to "talk" on the cell phone and "use" the tv remote controls. . . does that tell you a little bit about Aaron & me?

Final Four Weekend

2010-04-08T06:59:00.005-05:00

Aaron and I started our Spring Break last Friday. On Saturday, our little family and Aaron's sister Dawn traveled to Indianapolis for the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four. Aaron's Uncle Garry generously gave Aaron & Dawn two tickets for the final four games on Saturday (Butler vs. Michigan State & Duke vs. West Virginia) and the championship game on Monday (Butler vs. Duke). Moses and I went along for the ride. We enjoyed strolling the downtown area, a meal at the famous St. Elmo's Steakhouse, and a little bit of shopping. Oh yeah, and the games (I'll post about that later). The atmosphere around the whole city was so exciting.
Moses is enjoying Bracket Town above (a much bigger Experience March Madness at the Illinois State basketball tournament) and helping his Aunt Dawn on the computer below.

Having fun with dad at our hotel.

Moses eating his Easter meal at St. Elmo's Steakhouse. The night before Magic Johnson was enjoying one of the delicious steaks at the restaurant. Look at the big, full belly!!

Downtown Indianapolis

Even though we were away from home, Moses still had a chance to practice his walking.

Fun at Grandma's House

2010-03-31T11:01:00.004-05:00

In the following pictures you will see the Meiss cousins having waaaaayyy too much fun at Grandma's. I'm so thankful for family (& that my mom likes taking pics!).

Eleven Months

2010-03-23T17:46:00.004-05:00

The eleventh month mark has come for Moses. He continues to be joy to us. Aaron and I are learning that things Moses does that we think are brilliant are actually quite normal for an eleven month old. And other things that we may assume are "normal" are not! We sit, watch him and think, "this kid is smart," while he takes Aaron's keys and tries to reach up and put them in the doorknob. Then, we are snapped back into reality with conversations like this:

Emily: "Oh, Moses, you are so funny! What is that noise?"

Me: "What noise?"

Emily: "That one!"

Me: "Wait, you mean Livey doesn't make a really loud 'DOI, DOI, DOI' sound all of the time?"

Emily: "Nope, I think I can say that I've never heard that noise from a baby before."

I guess that's what you get when you're a first time parent :-)

Moses refuses to walk. He gets noodle legs when we try to have him stand on his own. He absolutely LOVES walking with the push toy. He thinks he's pretty big stuff.

We also have another tooth to report. After popping out eight teeth, Moses took a couple months break. That all changed a week & a half ago. Moses cut his first molar. Poor kid is in quite a bit of pain.

59 years!

2010-02-24T10:49:00.005-06:00

Sunday we celebrated Grandma & Grandpa Meiss's 59th wedding anniversary. Fifty-nine years. . how crazy! We tried to get a picture of the Great-grandkids with Grandma & Grandpa, but it didn't quite turn out right.

Micah tried to play "catch" with Moses. He doesn't have as much patience as Aaron & I do :-)

Great-grandma was a little shocked when Moses gave her one of his famous open mouth kisses (those who know her, know that she is a germ-a-phobe, so that makes it even funnier).

I was told that I should wait until Moses was 10 months to give him spinach. I was so excited for him, since it is one of my favorite vegetables. As you can see from the picture, he did not share my enthusiasm for the spinach! I'll keep trying :-)

10 Months

2010-02-20T16:31:00.003-06:00

Moses is beginning his 10th month of life. His personality is definitely showing: ornery grins, temper tantrums, laughing loudly when we "get him," and a bit of stubbornness. Moses has been fighting various colds and even had a double ear infection this past month. He's drooling like crazy working on more teeth (if that's possible!). He hasn't been too interested in walking on his own yet, but he cruises around using furniture, legs, or the wall.

We've enjoyed visits from Grandpa Dohner, Aunt Dawn, Uncle Zach, and Great-Aunt Marilyn & Great-Uncle Garry these past few weeks. Basketball season is winding down, and Moses has been a trooper! I have to laugh on game nights when I'm putting him to bed a couple hours later than normal he lunges for his crib. Poor kid.

Moses loves to play with his farm from Grandpa Dohner. He knew right away how to work the chicken and the eggs. I guess he's just a natural :-)

I thought I'd include a picture of whiny, sick Moses. Reality check: he's not always a happy, smiley baby :-)

In the video, I was trying to show his favorite skill: making spit bubbles. When he started doing this about a week ago, I thought for sure it was on accident. Although I'm sure it wasn't on purpose to begin with, it is now a staple during his day. He even does the exact same "mmmmuhhm" sound each time. It makes us laugh.

First Kiss

2010-02-09T16:45:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, we thought Moses had mastered the art of the wave. Since then, he has regressed and refuses to say "hi" and "bye" on command. It worries me a bit, but I'm sure it's just his stubbornness. Moses has a new skill (I am trying not to say "trick" as that makes him sound like a dog!). He will give kisses when asked. He'll even stop a tantrum to do it when asked. I'm sure the novelty of the kiss will end soon, but I'm loving it right now as only a mother could (if you watch the video, you'll understand what I mean!).

2010-01-23T11:53:00.002-06:00

Moses passed the 9 month milestone on Thursday. He's 3/4 of a year old and growing so quickly! Well, I think he's growing, but according to the doctor's office he's shrinking. The nurse measured him at 27" in October and on Wednesday Moses was measured at 26.25" Aaron told me to chill out about the measurements, but it would be nice to know! He weighed 19.25 lbs, which is accurate. Obviously, the doctor wasn't too concerned since he didn't even comment on Moses's stats.

Moses is enjoying making loads of noises with his tongue. He continues to crawl and pull himself up on anything that will hold his weight. This past week he showed me his desire for independence (or maybe stubbornness?): He was trying to grab a ball (one handed) out of a toy basket and he couldn't quite get it. I thought, "He made a good effort, I'll help him out." I reached for the ball and as I did, he hit my hand, looked away, and pretended to be uninterested in the ball. So, I let go of it and watched him turn back to the ball and proceed to cup it between his fingers and wrist and pull it out. Really, Moses? I just had to laugh.

Here are some pictures. I somehow messed up with the sizes and can't figure out how to put it back. Sorry!

The above picture shows that he does have hair :-) It is starting to come in now, thankfully!

Happy 2010!!

2010-01-10T09:26:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year! We spent our New Year's Eve in Gridley, ringing in the new year in style :-) Moses didn't quite make it until midnight (I think he was asleep by 8), but he was able to celebrate for a bit before his bedtime with Finn, Olivia, and about 15 other kids.

The kids were able to control the karaoke for a few songs before they all headed to bed.

A party's not a party without a good spread. Emily and I enjoyed the delicious food (above), as did Eliza (below).

We are so thankful for all that God has blessed us with in 2009 and are excited for what 2010 will bring!

Christmas Craziness

2010-01-09T13:15:00.004-06:00

Moses was hit hard with a Christmas sprint this year. I say sprint instead of marathon, because we celebrate five Christmases in two days :-) Like most babies, Moses was way more interested in the tissue paper, ribbons, and boxes than the actual gifts when they were opened. Now, he loves playing with all of his new things. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for their generosity. Moses is one spoiled boy! Here are a few pictures of him enjoying his Christmases.

Moses with Micah (above) and Great-grandpa Meiss (below). Great-grandpa knew how to get Moses to like him the best. . . he was continuously feeding him Cheerios from a Chex mix bowl (yeah, there's no butter or seasoning on those, right? We can thank Great-aunt Sharon for the idea!)

Here Moses is thanking Great-grandma Meiss for the gifts (above) and hanging out with Grandpa Meiss

Moses with Great-Aunt Susan (above) with her kids looking on. Below, is a picture of the Dohner ladies.

Moses with Aunt Dawn (above) and helping his dad open one of his gifts.

Aunt Amy showing Moses his new toy? or maybe book? I don't know, but the red bow is fabulous!

The video below is of Moses opening his first gift of the holiday. He is sooooo enthused :-)

8 Months Old

2009-12-20T22:13:00.003-06:00

Moses is now 8 months old! He seems to be learning new things every day. His eighth tooth finally came in this past week (he's been working on that one for about a month!). Slowly, but surely, he is figuring out the whole "waving" business. I tried to weigh him on our scale. It looks like he's around 19 lbs, so he's a solid boy. This weekend, we were able to finally meet Olivia Susan Hepp (8 weeks old). She's so adorable, Jen & Bryan! Jen is one of my cousins on my mom's side. She & Bryan work for Campus Crusade for Christ in Kansas City, so this is the first time Olivia has travelled to Illinois.

Moses loves to "play" with the baby in the mirror at my parents' house. Yes, he is laughing at the "other baby" & licking the "other baby" in the pictures below. It is just hilarious! Sorry, mom, I think those mirrors may have a few handprints on them now :-)

We are excited to celebrate Moses's first Christmas later this week. More posts to come!

Brilliant Boy!

2009-12-08T17:54:00.003-06:00

Of course, Aaron & I think Moses is a genius! We've been trying to teach him the most basic sign language--"more." We have been doing it since we started feeding him solid foods about 6 weeks ago. We are convinced that he understands what he's doing. . . but you could probably say it is a little bit debatable. I noticed it on Sunday while I was feeding him, but only said something to Aaron, just in case I was being overeager. Yesterday, though, I picked Moses up at my mom's and when I walked in, she said, "I think he knows what 'more' means. . . watch!" Here is our proof:

Thanksgiving

2009-12-08T16:49:00.004-06:00

Moses with his Great-aunt Marilyn and his favorite toy of the day. . .a plastic cup!

Moses celebrated his first Thanksgivings with the Meiss family on Thursday and the Dohner family on Sunday. I am a delinquent mother, and did not get any photos! Fortunately, Aunt Amy, Aunt Dawn and Great-aunt Marilyn sent me some. I don't know what I was thinking (I guess I really wasn't thinking at all!!). We had delicious food & fellowship. Moses isn't quite ready for the feast we partook in, but he enjoyed all of the attention he received. Thanks, Aunt Marilyn & Uncle Garry for hosting a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner!

The Fillingham sisters LOVED looking after their cousin Moses. They are definitely ready for a new sibling coming in February :-)

7 Months

2009-11-22T19:46:00.006-06:00

Yesterday, Moses turned seven months old. He has been doing some new tricks that keep us entertained and on our toes! This past week, Moses has been "crawling" around. By crawling, I mean doing some sort of army crawl using his hands & arms and dragging his legs behind him.

He is getting so to be so good, that he can even move backwards. Here, he moved under the ottoman, but his head was too big to get underneath it. He was so mad!

We've noticed that Moses has been trying to pull himself up to a standing position. Friday afternoon, when he was suppose to be taking his nap, I hear this disturbing sound. I decide that I should go check on him and this is what I found:

The loud noise I heard was his final grunt while getting to this position.

He thinks he is such big stuff. He is also working on his EIGHTH tooth, so there's been a crabby baby around the house. We're hoping that it breaks through soon.

We enjoyed a visit from Grandma Dohner this weekend. Moses loves getting spoiled! Grandma Dohner helped us kick off the basketball season Friday night at the green/white scrimmage. Saturday, we had fun shopping in Peoria.

Shopping Trip

2009-11-18T14:52:00.005-06:00

Moses spent last weekend helping me celebrate my birthday. My mom treated Karmelle and me to a shopping weekend in Chicago. Moses had a LOT of firsts this weekend. His first train ride, first hotel stay, first time seeing Wrigley Field (to his dad's delight!), first bus & el ride. . . the list goes on & on! I bought a new stroller and tried it out. It is an umbrella stroller with a few more features. I thought that Moses would like to lay back and sleep while we shopped. Little did I know he was going to be Mr. Social! He would stare at people until they noticed him, then he'd give them a huge grin and want to interact & talk with them. It was amusing. One man told us that Moses's smile made his day :-) We had a lot of fun without spending too much money!

At the train station in Normal.

On the train to Chi-town!

Shopping on Michigan Ave.

Moses is sooo excited about the Cubs. . . he's sleeping :-)

Happy after two days of shopping & delicious sushi.

Uncle Zach's Birthday Bash

2009-11-11T10:16:00.003-06:00

Saturday, the entire Meiss family travelled to Chicago to celebrate Zach's birthday. He chose to take us to Chicago Brauhaus for lunch, an authentic German restaurant. Moses was not allowed to try any of the sausages or sauerkraut (or head cheese for that matter), but enjoyed the experience. Next, we went to Lincoln Park Zoo. The weather was so gorgeous, we weren't the only one with that idea. We thought Moses would like the animals if he was up close to them. And he did laugh and smile a bit, but we found out that he was enjoying his reflection in the window and not really even able to see the animals! :-)

Halloween '09

2009-11-09T20:33:00.003-06:00

Moses had his first Halloween disrupted by the varsity volleyball team playing in the Regional Championship that evening. He was able to hit a Halloween party on the 30th, though, with the Meiss, Zeller, and Blunier families. In the photo below we have peas in a pod (Livey), creepy tourist (Nathaniel), a chicken (Eliza), Superman (Jack), a nerd (Aaron), a bear (Moses), a princess fairy (Elle), a cheeky monkey (Jude), and a mom (Emily). Unfortunately, our cowboy (Micah) was too busy riding his horse to be in the picture.

Aaron & I had our own Halloween Party to attend that evening. Yes, the Wonder Woman costume surfaced after years of being "misplaced." Not quite the same evening as the last time it was worn (the rest of the Justice League was MIA plus no shady Chicago police!), but still a very fun night :-)

6 Months Old

2009-10-31T01:30:00.005-05:00

Moses turned 6 months last week. Hard to believe that it has already been six months! At his doctor's appt., he was 16 lbs (25th percentile) and 27 inches (70th percentile). It is so amazing how much he is growing and learning each day. He thinks he's big stuff sitting up by himself, eating cereal, and trying to stand up on his own. Teething is a continuous process! Moses is now working on his 6th tooth! Last week, Aaron & I noticed him grinding his teeth. It sounds horrible, but maybe it relieves some pain?

Here are a couple pictures of Moses with his friend Jack Blunier. Looks like they are having fun together. Lizzie watches Moses on Thursday mornings while mom attends a bible study (a baby-sitter for the baby-sitter? No wait. . . my mom doesn't need a baby-sitter. . .)

Mmmm! Cereal is Delish!

2009-10-16T20:41:00.001-05:00

Tonight, Moses had his first taste of the delicious rice cereal! We decided to at least try solids before Moses has his 6th month well baby check-up on Wednesday. It went as well as it could. His first bite he pushed most of it out with his tongue. By the end, he may have swallowed a teaspoon or so! He'll get the hang of it sooner or later :-)

Even though Moses doesn't like us looking in his mouth, we are pretty sure his fourth tooth has broken through. Now he has the two front bottom teeth & two fangs, just in time to be a vampire for Halloween (or a scary bear).

He was more interested in chewing on the spoon and reaching for the bowl than he was in the actual food.
In the post-meal picture, you can see most of the cereal is on his bib!

Sitting Tall & Inch Worm

2009-10-01T21:51:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures of Moses sitting up by himself, for the most part. He's still drooling quite a bit. His third tooth has come through. . . his poor gums!

Here are a couple videos of Moses. One is of his latest way to move. He doesn't use his hands/arms, just his knees, feet, and head :-) The second one is of Moses playing peek-a-boo with his dad.

5 Months Old!

2009-09-22T21:56:00.003-05:00

Moses turned five months yesterday. He'll sit up by himself for about 5-10 seconds before he topples over. The boppy is helpful to him.

Love those big blue eyes. I can't wait for him to grow some hair!!!

Two Teeth!

2009-09-15T14:39:00.002-05:00

Here's Moses showing off his two teeth. We'd like to think that's why he's been so cranky recently! We think he's already working on his next one. Poor kid isn't getting any type of break.

He loves to sit in the exersaucer and play while he's at my mom's. After playing for about 10 minutes, he usually gets tired of holding himself up and it's almost like he's a little overstimulated. Look at it. . . I can't imagine why :-)

Fun with the Dohner Family

2009-09-12T17:11:00.005-05:00

Moses had the opportunity to spend time with the Dohner family last weekend. He was extremely spoiled by his aunts & grandparents. I'm so thankful for loving families :-)

He thinks he's such big stuff holding his head up and rolling back & forth.

As you can see, he is drooling a TON and sucking on his bottom lip. His second tooth just came in this past week!

Four Months Old

2009-08-24T21:24:00.003-05:00

Today, Moses had his four month doctor appointment. He’s just getting over a double ear infection; he’s working on his next tooth, and he got four shots today! He handled it all so well (or maybe it was the Tylenol). He let out one cry, his faced turned bright red, and then he was just fine. Well, a little out of it, but pretty good under the circumstancesJ He weighed 14lbs. 12 oz and the nurse measured him at 25 inches. Both of those are in the 50^th percentile. Mom thinks the nurse didn’t measure him properly and when we measured him, he was 26 inches long (this is the same nurse that measured him shorter at his 2 week appt than what he was at birth and the one who was off 6 inches on his head circumference at his 2 month appt., so I guess we have reason to believe she’s not very accurate!).

Micah is helping with Moses any chance he can get. He told mom that he wanted to feed Moses "all by himself." I do believe he's ready for a new sibling :-)

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

2009-08-23T18:59:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday Moses met his new friend Reegan Thompson. He also met her parents, Jared and Julie. I think Moses and Reegan are about 2 weeks apart (Moses being older). They had a good time "playing" together!

Last week, Moses started rolling! He was rolling both ways (from his back to his stomach and from his stomach to his back), but some time in the past week he's forgotten how to roll from his stomach to his back. As soon as Moses is laid on his back he will immediately roll to his stomach, then proceed to get frustrated and start crying. We'll have to work on that in the coming weeks :-)

South Haven, MI

2009-08-10T21:26:00.004-05:00

For those of you who didn't know it, South Haven is home of the National Blueberry Festival. We were able to enjoy delicious fresh blueberries, attend the Blueberry Pie Social, and even try some Wild Blue--a special Blueberry Lager.

More Michigan Fun

2009-08-10T20:57:00.005-05:00

These pictures are of the fun times we had at the house. The location was great--only 1 1/2 blocks from the beach! The walk to downtown was a bit further, but still manageable.

Micah likes being with Moses for about 2-3 minutes, then Micah's over it. Eliza loves Moses, but she is still working on being gentle with him. I told Micah that Moses loves the song "My God is So Big" so the video is Micah trying to sing it to Moses.

Beach Fun!

2009-08-09T20:32:00.006-05:00

Last week we had a relaxing vacation in South Haven, MI. I have a bunch of pictures, so I will try to put them in categories. The first set is the beach. Moses spent most of his time in the beach tent. Micah, Eliza, Grandma, and Aaron had a great time in the sand. Eliza enjoyed eating it as well!

Moses's First Night

2009-07-30T20:18:00.002-05:00

Last night, we had dinner at my parents' house with Emily and Olivia. Here are a few pictures from the evening. The first one Moses & Liv look like their playing together.

Can you believe that Moses is only 10 days older than Livey? I think he looks huge compared to her (especially his head!).
As you can see, Moses is a drooling machine. Emily probably came away from that with a soaked arm! Moses is talking a lot these days. He can get pretty loud. We can't wait until we understand what all he's talking about.
Moses's room is now ready for him to sleep in it. YAY! Here, Moses is watching his dad put together his crib.
This picture is Moses ready to sleep in his crib for the first time. He slept pretty well. I went up once to give him his pacifier and then he woke up sometime after 6. We have found out that it doesn't matter what time we put Moses to bed (7, 9, or 11 pm), he will wake up around 6ish ready to start his day.

Happy Birthday, Aaron!

2009-07-29T17:15:00.003-05:00

Yesterday (July 28) was Aaron's birthday. We had a entire day of celebration! First, we celebrated at the Burger Barge with my parents and Grandma & Grandpa Meiss. Following lunch, we went and picked out Aaron's birthday gift (a new TV). Then, we met up with his parents and Amy & Dawn for a delicious dinner at the Lariat Steakhouse. Thanks to all who help to make the birthday boy's day special :-)

Three Months Old!

2009-07-21T13:06:00.003-05:00

Today is Moses's 3 month birthday. Here are a couple photos of him peacefully sleeping. He has been sleeping through the night for the past 4 or 5 nights. YAY!!!!

We have found that he will take better naps if we lay him on his stomach. Yesterday, he was sleeping like this and put his little bum in the air. We thought it was too cute :-)

Ready to Roll!

2009-07-17T14:28:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, Moses was just lying around when my mom noticed that he was trying to roll over. He couldn't get his right arm around because he was too busy sucking on that hand!

Here is his starting position:

All he needs to do is figure out how to get that arm out from underneath him. He's growing and learning so quickly!
Here is a picture of Moses and Uncle Zach. They were both mad about something or other. Turn those frowns upside down, boys!
We were all excited when we found out that Zach will be joining us on vacation this year. That will be a real treat :-)

Traveling Man

2009-07-13T08:25:00.006-05:00

Moses had an eventful weekend with a lot of traveling. First, he went to his first golf outing. He's all ready to go with his golf shoes and all (compliments of Coach Doty).

Moses and I then drove to Danville to visit the Clanton family. Miles loved playing with us. Moses and Miles share the same birthday, April 21, just different years (2007, 2009).

Here Miles & Moses are holding hands. I think Miles is ready to be a big brother :-)
Saturday, we crossed the state line for Moses's first trip to Indiana. Michelle & Jason were fabulous hosts. Moses fell asleep on Michelle as soon as we arrived. Both Michelle & Jason were great with Moses--so great the cats were a little bit jealous :-)
I was impressed with Jason. He was willing to hold Moses even when he was crabby.
Michelle braves the bjorn front carrier :-) If I remember right, Moses fell asleep again for her!

I love his smile. We're getting to see it more and more each day. After a long drive home (at least long for a baby), we were happy to see Aaron and hear about his weekend adventures.

Dr. Micah

2009-07-08T08:12:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Micah playing doctor with Moses. It also looks like Micah was trying to drive Moses around, but Moses wasn't having it!

Eureka's July 4th Redo

2009-07-06T18:54:00.004-05:00

Due to all the rain, Eureka postponed all of the city's festivities until Sunday. That meant we were able to watch the parade and have a cookout with my family as well. It was fun to witness the kids enjoying the parade. It was also fun to meet up with the Jacob family :-)

Moses with Great-grandma Meiss

Parade chaos!!