New bowling shoes

If you follow the blog you know that Jake likes to bowl and it was one of the final carrots we could dangle in fromt of him to get him potty trained.  The place near our house is pretty good but half of the fees are actually shoe rentals.  After a while I decided to buy some shoes to cut down on the continuing costs.  His shoes arrived two days ago and last night we took him bowling again.  He also likes to copy any older kid and a few weeks ago he starting trying to roll the ball like older kids (and adults) do.  This actually has significantly increased his score as you can see from the pictures at the 9th and 10th frames.  You can see that not only did jake get two strikes and two spares in the first 5 frames but we were tied going into the 9th frame.  I am an increadibly erratic bowler and will bowl anywhere from 100's to 190.  Unfortunately jake was getting so enthusiastic around the 6th frame he was almost throwing the ball into the the adjacent lane.  I had to stop him and this made him start rolling the differently without much force.  (good thing or he probably would have won).  People started coming by and giving me a hard time about losing to Jake before the 9th frame.  Fortunately for me I survived with my ego intact and won out by 1 point.

Sam is 5 months old!

Well, actually Sam was 5 months old 2 weeks ago, but this picture was actually taken on December 4th. He has been interacting a lot, definitely expresses discontent when he drops his toys or you don't feed him fast enough. He's doing well with rice cereal. I haven't quite moved onto veggies yet. He is sleeping really well since we returned from San Antonio, about 10 hours most nights. He laughs at Jake and Daddy. He is cuddly and smiles with me. Happy 5 months, Sam!

Back home again.

Well the trip is over.  After a 16 hour marathon drive fueled by red bull and coffee we made it back today.  We spent the last two weeks in San Antonio for the CCC (non-important army acronym).  We had to bring the entire family with us or else do the course some other time in the future which could mean 3 months of separation instead of two weeks.  Thanks to Heather and Grammie Kris the kids both had fun down there while Mandy and I were in class.  It was strange putting on my uniform again for the first time in 18 months to remind me that I am in the Army still.  Even better was the PT test at 0420 in the frigid temperatures....
It was great reuniting with so many of our old friends from medical school and residency as well as making some new connections.  After all the stress and preparation for the trip I am glad I got to do it and no longer need to worry about it.


Jake and his new favorite helicopter the "Huey"



This was from a fe weeks ago but I just found it again and its too cute not to put it in.

Happy Birthday Jake

Yesterday was the official 3rd birthday for Jake even though we had a party for him last week.  It was a beautiful day outside so we took a trip to the zoo.  They have a nice kid zone with a petting zoo, Carousel, and train that runs around the whole area.  He got an unlimited pass and we spent 90% of the time just doing the rides.  Add a cheeseburger and cotton candy for lunch and you have a 3-year-old's dream day.  Sam was great the whole time and they both took a good nap once we came home.  Tom-Tom expect a binky coming in the mail, Jake will miss it but it had to be done.  In other news the little scooter that he got a few months ago is now one of favorite outside toys.  I figured it would be a while before he would develop the coordination to ride it but he is so far doing well.  I included the video to show grandma since he remembers who gave it to him.  Thank you to all who sent presents, we hope to get cards out soon.

Sam is close to rolling over from back to front, I expect the event to happen soon so stay tuned for video updates.

Who is this Kid?

Jake and I went for a haircut on Sunday and after I brought him home I couldn't help but noticec how different he suddenly looked. Kind of like after his first haircut when Mandy came home. I decided that I would not cut his hair while Mandy was in Afghanistan so she could be home for his first haircut. He immediately went from looking like a baby to a toddler. This one seemed almost as dramatic where he truly seems more like a little boy.

He also figured out how to take a picture with my blackberry without putting his finger over the camera lens or pointing the camera in the wrong direction. Yes the picture of me (taken by Jake) is a little blurry but blame the camera not the operator on this one.

Sam is 4 months old!

Sam is 4 months old this week, which is tough to believe! He's been so cute lately and reminds me of why I love the 4-6 month age. He does this cooing/talking/smiling/laughing thing that is so cute. He also grabs and rakes toys or your finger with his hands. We'll post a video sometime soon! He also is sleeping more and on a relatively good schedule. He's very portable and doesn't try to escape from anything. We are very thankful for him! Jake is just excited that he'll have someone to wrestle with! Happy 4th month, Baby Sam!

The Halloween Post

Jake and Sam had their first Halloween together and both were spooky bats.  Sam stayed home to hand out candy to the trick or treaters while Jake and I and a couple other neighbor kids went out for the halloween loot.

Actual quote from Jake:  "Look at me I'm a bat I'm really cute!"

Yes it definitely scored him some extra treats last night and he filled his bucket after only one street.





I couldn't decide whether to do the scary tree or bat this year so I put one of

each on either side







The tree on the back



Mommy is crabby

As this blog is intended to chronicle our kids' lives. I feel the need to blog them a warning. I am crabby. I have been told this by my mother growing up and now by Scott. Example from today. The boys awoke earlier than usual, which for them means 0745 instead of 0900. Scott and I are spoiled, yes, but by them getting up early it meant that I didn't go for a run or anything and I had had multiple wakenings through the night from Jake, Sam and the cats. At this time of our life, most crabbiness gets taken out on household individuals in this order: cats, Scott, Jake, and Sam. So Scott felt the brunt of my aggravation this morning. I do recognize when I am crabby; so when I knew that the morning was only going downhill because of my mood, I loaded up Jake and Sam into the P&T's stroller and we took to the neighborhood. We live in a beautiful neighborhood and this morning was extra beautiful with quiet, lots of fall colors, and cool but not cold weather (mood elevating). We walked about a mile and then landed at the park where Jake played with a boy his age, Sam chilled quietly, and I was able to drink my coffee and socialize with some nice neighbors (more mood elevation). When we had returned Scott had a delicious breakfast prepared for us (mood back to euthymic level). As an aside, Scott impresses me with his cooking abililty. This morning he made an omlet of turkey, cheese, asparagus, and red onion. Great mix of flavors as Jake would say!

Jake and Sam, here are recommendations for how to predict my level of crabbiness or how to "keep mommy happy" as Jake says right now: sleep at least 7 hours, exercise once a day, hang outside for at least 15 minutes, socialize with adults, drink coffee, and reduce hunger level. I think that about covers it, right Scott? Interestingly, my work is not consistently the cause of my crabbiness. It contributes, but all of the above, if applied on a bad day of work, can still equal out in the end to happy mommy. Sorry, boys, I wish I wasn't so crabby. I'll work on it, I promise.

Take your toddler to work day

Well today was a first for me.  Our nanny showed up sick today.  With Mandy already at work I had to make some quick decisions.  She was well enough to take care of Sam by himself for a few hours but clearly could not take care of them both.  Fortunately I had clinic today and nothing I could not reschedule for the afternoon.  I decided that he should come to clinic with me today and charm the office staff while I saw patients.  I know this probably makes me a bad parent but sometimes when I just need to keep him out of trouble I let him watch the ipod.  Mandy actually bought it for me last Christmas but if you ask Jake he thinks it is his.   We intially used it during his potty training but he recently dropped it in the toilet.....Mandy did however buy the special warranty from Best Buy and it was replaced without any questions.  I put a bunch of his cartoons and Pixar movies on the ipod and he watched them for almost the whole morning and never caused any problems.  In any case the ipod saved me today and I definitely will get another if this one breaks.  Now if I can just figure out a way for him to scrub on the days I have surgery.........

One of the last times the previous ipod was seen alive.

It's Time for Football

One of my favorite things about Fall is the start of the college football season.  Being from Oregon and growing up going to many of the Ducks home games in Autzen stadium made me into a fan even though I went to school at Willamette.  Now that I have two boys part of my fatherly duty is to prevent them from becoming OSU fans so I started them early by getting them each the proper attire.

Divide and Conquer

Scott and I are learning that with two kids, it sometimes works the best to divide the kids between us and then accomplish things. This weekend we did just that. Scott took Jake to Portland to visit Grammy Barb and had some great adventures. Sam and I drove to Augusta to visit Jenn and Jimmy and Eloise in order to try and not be overwhelmed by my messy, unorganized house and to try and start Sam's baby book. I think we both had great times, though it was good to be back together. Jake seemed to have grown up in just the four days they were gone! Here are some pictures:

Sam blending in with the jungle themed play area. I think we have to get one of these!

Sam and Eloise (6 months old) wondering what is going on...

"Hi, Mommy, we're having a great time with Grammy. Daddy can't figure out how to match my clothes, though..."

Jake asleep with his bear sleeping bag, a gift from Grammy Barb.

Great picture of Jake, Marc, and Levi fishing.

Sam is two months old!

Sam is two months old today. I can't believe it! We're having a fairly quiet weekend here at home together. The weather is beautiful and we've been to the pool, walking, running, playing football. We plan to bike tomorrow and probably another trip to the pool.

Here is Jake wearing Scott's operating loupe glasses and looking pretty goofy:

Here is a good picture of Sam today at 2 months:

Here is a picture of Jake in the same cute, fall outfit. Jake was only 6 weeks old in this picture:

More cute sayings by Jake

Additional quotes by Jake:
"Pickles make me happy."
"One minute, Cat!" In reference to putting the scary cat toy that Henry left at our house in time out. When asked why the cat was in time out, he could not say.
"Hit the road squirrels!" What Jake yells out the window at the squirrels that insist on eating all the bird seed from our bird feeder.

Bowling and sleeping

Last night, Sam slept for 8 hours straight! I am so thankful as I am going back to work in 5 days and getting regular sleep will really help. We have been Babywise adherents with both boys and both have been sleeping for 7-8 hours by 8-9 weeks. I know they were probably predisposed to sleep, but I feel confident that Babywise helped me get them there. I just hope it continues...sleep is so wonderful!

Jake has been progressing well through potty training. Today he was discussing bowling with Elizabeth, our Nanny, and decided he really wanted to try bowling. Scott made a deal with him. Poop in potty for bowling. Sure enough, he went, so we went bowling! We tried out a bowling alley that is in a somewhat sketchy area, surrounded by interesting clubs and "spas", but it was a great bowling alley! We'll definitely go back! Here is a video of Jake in action:

Jake says the funniest things

As Jake develops his vocabulary and speech patterns, I realized I better write down some of the funny observations and spontaneous things he has said recently.

"Coffee makes Mommy happy."

Jake and Scott walk into nursery at church. Jake says, "Hi. I'm Jake. This is Scott."
Jake and Mandy walk into sunday school at church 2 days later. Jake says, "Hi. I'm Jake. This is Mandy."

"I love the sting ray." In reference to new stuffed animal from GA Aquarium.

"It's ok, Sam." Stated whenever Sam is crying.

"It's a mix of flavors." Describing eggs, cheese, and broccoli. From his recent daily exposure to Ratatouille, his current favorite movie. I'm hoping this is the beginning of a long career in the culinary arts.

I'll write some more later when I can think of more.

The summer is ending...

Yes, the above is a picture of Sam, not Jake. They look a lot alike, don't they?

Jake is a great big brother. Here he is helping me with Sam's stroller.

Jake becoming cultured at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

One of my favorite pictures from our family reunion. We just finished playing in the river and are waiting for Tom-Tom and the RV.

We've enjoyed a pseudo summer vacation this year as my maternity leave has coincided with typical summer vacation dates. July 4th through Labor Day weekend. We've had many adventures, including adding Sam to our family. I go back to work in a week and I think I'm ready. Here are a couple of favorite shots from our summer adventures as well as recent pictures of Sam and Jake.

More cute pictures

Caught Jake on camera holding his brother for the first time, and he didn't even drop him. not much else to report around here, Sma is eating and sleeping and we are sleeping whenever he lets us at night.

Play Ball

Grandpa Tom Tom and I bought Jake a few new toys to play with after we brought Sam home. One of his favorite is the whiffle ball bat and accompanying tee. At first he seemed to get mostly the tee instead of the ball but from the video here you can see he has already improved his game. Usually when I get home in the evenings we trade off between using the tee and slow pitching the balls to him. We also got a miniature basketball hoop at the same time but haven't used it yet since he is still so excited to "play baseball"

Balance

I just read Kate's entry on James' blog and have been thinking about balance while I am a brief stay at home mom. First of all, I am still in the midst of the first 4 weeks of Sam's life so I know that my current life is not about balance, but about schedule. Scheduled feeding, sleeping, playing with Jake. I am hoping for the balance between my two kids now and am not even thinking about balance at work. It does make me nervous to go back to work, but I have some more weeks to figure things out.

Yellow Babies, Wet Toddlers

Well we just came back for our second bilirubin check at the doctors office this morning. Sam is still looking yellow but not having any trouble eating or gaining weight. He is now almost back to his birthweight of 6 lbs 9 oz (6 lb 8 oz today). Fortunately Sam doesn't need to go back to the hospital for phototherapy and instead a special bed was sent to the house. Jake is having a lot of fun with all the extra attention from grandparents. Yesterday they went to the Atlanta botanical gardens down the street and had some misadventures. (watch the video, soon to be viral)

Samuel Paul Cuda has Arrived

He came a little earlier than expected but both Mandy and baby are doing fine. After having contractions most of Satruday during the day the starting coming stronger and more frequent that evening. We arrived at the hosptital around 0600 and starting pushing at 1250 pm. The official time of birth is 1331. He was 6 lbs 9 oz, 19 inches long and healthy. I wll try to start posting a little more frequently now that the new baby is here and it's sometimes hard to get pictures out to everyone.







He has dimples just like jake and has his nose as well. Mandy should be able to come home from the hospital today. Thank you for all the family support

Summerfest

We live in a pretty awesome location here in Atlanta. We didn't realize how awesome until spring arrived and every festival that is worth attending in Atlanta seems to be within 1/2 mile of our house. We live in Virginia Highlands and they had their summer festival this weekend. It was an amazing collection of artist, vendors, and live music. Even free dinner and beer on Friday night for neighborhood residents. We live really close to Piedmont Park where concerts, movies, and other festivals are held on a nearly weekly basis. I think it is good for us because we'd probably never venture out to any of these events if we weren't able to walk to them. I know, we're just really boring right now. Here are some pictures of Jake at the Summerfest. He was supposed to dress as his favorite movie character. We quickly grabbed his lederhosen and he became Pinnochio or one of the boys from the Sound of Music. True, not his favorite movie, but costumes are tough to throw together. Well maybe for everyone except Kate...

Success on the Potty!

I know Jake will be completely embarrased that we blogged about this someday, but he pooped and peed on the potty today! We're still in the timed, sit, and wait stage of potty training, nothing independent yet, but this is a great step. He received much praise, candy, and some time flying his Chinook. He also seemed genuinely pleased with himself, as well. Our goal is to have him trained by the time Baby Brother arrives. This gives me hope that it may actually happen!

8 Weeks and counting

Jake is used to being the center of attention around the house. So in 8 weeks I figure he has a pretty big shock coming. He seems to understand that someone new is going to be joining us. He sometimes says "wake up baby brother" to Mandy's Belly. He even tried to share his sandwich with her belly button. I wish I could have gotten tha on video. He also is really into jumping as well so i included a quick video of him showing off for the camera.




We also have some new ultrasound pictures of "baby brother"