Frosty Christmas

Despite the fact that the house looks like a toy factory exploded (what will we do with TWO boys' gifts?), we had a lovely last Christmas as a family of three.

We continued our Christmas Eve tradition of going to church, although Miles refused to enter the sanctuary for a good 10 minutes until Pastor Mitch gave him a pep talk. He sat well through the children's sermon, but he got shipped off to the nursery before they broke out the fire for the candle-lighting. He's been rather two-year-old-ish lately. Not necessarily naughty, just rambunctious and only wants to do what he wants to, on his own time table. He can put on a deceptive disguise sometimes though:

On Christmas morning, Miles slept until a reasonable hour, thanks to his new alarm clock (thanks Aunt Kat!). Seriously, out of all the gifts he got, this was Mommy/Daddy's favorite. It turns green when it's ok for him to get up, and we've been able to get a good 45 minutes extra sleep every morning.

But I digress...you really care about SANTA! We checked the cookies we left out for him, and he ate them all but one little bite! The reindeer left some of their carrots, so Miles decided to feed the rest to Rudolph.



Santa did not disappoint and brought Miles his flute (although tiny and noiseless), just as Miles has been requesting since before Thanksgiving:



Miles has also been really into "big boy" games lately, so he was happy to get Chutes and Ladders and Cars Memory.



I also got Daddy and Miles a really big boy game - a Wii - for Christmas. Miles wasted no time getting the hang of it. His favorite game so far is baseball.



Grammy and Grandpa Ronald came over later that day for Christmas dinner, and, of course, more presents. Miles had lots of fun spending time with them. Unfortunately, the flash blew on our camera. Guess we'll have to wait for the pics from Gpa Ron - he's a much better photographer than I anyway.

And now, your Christmas Day entertainment:

I still haven't scanned in the Santa picture, but here's a blurry cell phone picture from when Miles met him at my work. Not the nice professional one as promised, but it'll do for now:

And a bonus non-Christmas picture. We took a trip the the Rhythm Center last week. Miles enjoyed it after getting over the initial shock. Note to the Percussion Society folks: ya might want to place the gigundo bass drum and gong towards the end of the exhibit...it might mean less little ones running screaming from your establishment. Anyway, Miles on a full drum set:

Happy New Year to everyone!!

Holidays, Birth-days, and Such

[Insert standard excuse verbiage for not updating the blog in XX days.]

A change for this blog entry - lots of pictures, (hopefully) little words. (Well, little for me.)

Thanksgiving at the Kolbs

Rubbermaid Tote fun with Cuz Lyla:

Balcony scene:

Miles also had fun checking out the Lexington Christmas parade, although it was so cold that he and Daddy only made it outside for a few minutes. They still outlasted the girls - we watched the whole thing from inside the restaurant!


Getting Ready for Christmas

Hamming it up for Christmas card pictures (instead of saying "cheese", his favorite phrase is "Ah-cha-cha-cha!"):

Fun making a Gingerbread House with Nana & Papa while Mommy and Daddy are having fun in Chicago:



A little snack before pre-Christmas dinner with Mommy's family:



Presents!

Miles also has really enjoyed seeing Santa (three times so far!). We'll post pics soon (maybe). He surprised us by not being scared at all! We saw him first at my work, and Miles was literally jumping up and down with excitement waiting to see him. He clammed up when it came time to tell Santa what he wanted, but he's been telling us that Santa is going to bring him a flute. He also saw Santa twice at the mall with Nana and Papa.


Baby Cousin is Born!

Gavin Andrew Kahl - 12/20/2010, 6 lbs 11 oz, 20 inches long.

Miles hasn't met Gavin yet, but he was so excited to hear all about him when Mommy and Daddy came home from their visit with him. He asks every couple of hours, "Where's Gavin?"

Baby Coney

For those of you (all two of you?) who haven't already heard via phone, text, word-of-mouth, or Facebook...

It's a BOY!!



Our 20-week ultrasound was yesterday, and all looks great! We have a healthy, laid-back boy on our hands. He wasn't quite as much of an acrobat as his big brother, but he definitely has the flexibility down. There were a couple of times we saw his foot almost up to his face. Here's a fun picture of his arm. At one point, he had one arm way up over his head and another arm sprawled out behind his back. Looks like he inherited his mommy's (non-pregnancy) sleeping position:




The baby is slightly bigger that average already, but, NO, I AM NOT HAVING TWINS. I'm not sure why people don't just use the phrase "You look big as a house already; how can you get any fatter?" instead. Maybe that's the reason I haven't taken any pictures of myself yet this pregnancy.

Big brother Miles came along for the fun and was a really good boy. He really only fussed after we'd be stuck in the tiny exam room for 15 minutes, after having been at the office for over an hour. He liked watching the baby on the TV and kept asking, "Mommy, what are you doing?" When we asked him to share his name choice with the ultrasound technician, he stayed consistent, answering, "Coney." At this point, he seems a little done with talking about his baby brother. Maybe he's saving his excitement for the arrival.

Speaking of arrivals, Baby Coney has a (likely) birth date! We asked the doctor about when she normally does planned C-sections, just trying to get an idea of whether it would be closer to the due date or closer to 39 weeks, so Jason could post a sub position for his leave. She answered by telling us that we could just schedule it! We got the date today - April 4th at Noon. Sorry Aunt Hilary and Uncle David...Miles' poor cousin is due on Christmas Eve, and they still won't let them schedule his birthday yet.

So, stay tuned and check back the evening of April 4 (and hopefully not sooner)!

School Pictures for Sale!

Miles' school has moved away from the pictures with cheesy fake backgrounds and straight into the 21st century. Although they also have 21st century prices, the lady does a pretty good job. Unfortunately, most of Miles' poses look a little, well, just weird. Here's a pretty cute one though:

We haven't decided yet if we are actually going to buy any, but take a look and let us know if you might like some - maybe we can combine packages. Or, you can just order some for yourself right online! Here's how can take a gander at all of them:

• Go to the website.
• Click "Proofing" in the lower right.
• Type the password "celebrate".
• Click "Next" until you see Miles - #62.
• Click on his cute face!
• Check out all of his poses: pensive, goofy, WTF, surprised, cute, droppin' a deuce, all the classics...
• You can order directly from the website or let us know if you want to combine forces. We need to order by November 15. We like the one I posted above or the one directly right of that.

Don't forget to cast a vote for Baby Kahl the Sequel at right! Nothing much is new in Baby's world, except he/she is starting to get a little bit feisty. I think I'm maybe-kinda-sorta starting to feel the baby move. I probably am, but it's light enough that sometimes I'm not quite sure if I felt a flutter or if it's my imagination. I'm sure he/she will be kicking me in the ribs in no time!

SuperKid!

Despite the giant pre-bedtime tantrum we just experienced, we really do have a super kid. (Bad parents - we wouldn't let Miles put on a dirty diaper and clothes back on after his bath.) Here's evidence!




Just a fun everyday example - tonight we were playing with Miles. He said, "I like playing cars with Mommy and Daddy! We're Best Buddies!" Sure, he can sometimes be a typical toddler, but he amazes me at other times with how great he can be.

This past week, Miles woke up in the middle of the night throwing up. He was really in pretty good spirits, other than the fact that he was concerned about getting puke on his sheets (and pillow, and Snuggy Bear, and surrogate Snuggy/bath dino, and blanket x 4, and jammies x 4). When I caught his bug (recovery time = 4 times longer than Miles), he was a very concerned boy and kept asking me, "You OK, Mommy? You're not sick now?"

Even at Halloween, I like to think that my good boy discovered the meaning of, "It's better to give than receive." OK, so he might have just had more fun handing out candy that avoiding scary costumes and pumpkins, but I like to think he's just learning to have a big heart.




Don't get me wrong though - he still loved Trick or Treat once he got the hang of it! We got lots of cute/adorable comments, even after we broke out the hat and mittens.



He made out like a bandit and had to line up all of his candy in a row once we finished. His OCD tendencies aren't too much of a surprise - after all, he was also totally disgusted by the idea of the pumpkin carving once he saw the guts inside it. This is about as close as he ever got to the pumpkin.




In baby news, I had an appointment last week, and all is looking good! Heartbeat was 152 bpm. We got blood test results back, and Jason has the dreaded "M" antigen as expected. No worries though - that just means that we better know what most likely caused this whole scenario. My bloodwork this month was very good, which means no anticipated complications in the near future. The only disappointment out of all of this is that the doc said we didn't need an extra ultrasound. That means we're back to Plan A - big ultrasound on November 22! Vote at right to cast your vote for Baby Boy or Baby Girl!

In the Year 2000 (and Ten)

Miles seems to be adjusting well to the idea of being a big brother. Although he changes his mind occasionally, he seems to think he'll be getting a baby brother. He'll sometimes spout out of nowhere, "My baby brother is coming to my house!" He's great at giving him/her kisses in Mommy's belly, and he even asks to say prayers for the baby at night. Once the baby arrives, I'm sure there will be some challenges, but Miles is taking the idea of sharing with his baby like a champ!

He's also been helpful at giving advice about baby names. We started by asking him about what he thought his baby cousin would be named. He wouldn't answer for a while, until recently, when he definitively determined that baby boy cousin shall be named "Boy". I guess he must have wanted to put in a lot of thought before making his determination. He's taken a slightly more creative bent with his own sibling - he says the baby should be named "Butter" if it's a girl and "Conan" if it's a boy. Yes, he and his friend Butter hang out every morning with her buddy Toast, but I have no idea where he got the idea for Conan. Jason and I are casual fans of Conan O'Brien, but I can't recall a time that we've ever uttered that name in front of Miles. Maybe I watched too many episodes of Late Night while Miles was in utero.

Miles has also been spending some time going to marching band contests this fall. We're so proud of Daddy for his great season this year! He still has one more contest at BOA in a couple of weeks, but we're going to start enjoying a little more time with him starting soon. Miles loves going to marching band contests and pretending to be one of Daddy's big kids. At home, he likes to play color guard with the race flag he got from Grandpa and Granny. Very graceful young man! He also likes to use Daddy's trumpet mute and march around the living room like a good little junior bando. A duet:



And solo!

And serving as the band mascot, with this year's Seniors. Why yes, that is the head of a 40 yard long dragon behind them.

Big Brother

Because it's never official until it hits the internet...Miles is going to be a big brother!

Baby Kahl, the Sequel, is due April 10. We are so pleased (and terrified) to welcome a new member to the family! And now updates on:

The Babe - Baby is doing so well! We've seen his/her picture twice already, once at 8 weeks and again at 11 weeks. He/she was wiggling all over the place already - it never ceases to amaze me how quickly the little bean can become a little person. Heartbeat has been great - in the 150s and 160s. We opted for the earlier first trimester "quadmarker" screening, and the baby did fabulously. Here's my favorite pic from the last ultrasound:





The Mom - Things are much better lately. Just like I experienced with Miles, I never barfed...just felt like I wanted to about 16 hours a day for 3-4 weeks. Luckily, that has mostly passed, and I'm feeling a renewed sense of energy. I passed my 8-week gestational diabetes test, so I've been savoring sweets in moderation until I take another test at 28 weeks. Other than the usual pains here and there, I've been able to sleep relatively well. With Miles, I had strange bits of insomnia, but there's been nothing like that with this baby so far. Does that just mean I'm more exhausted as the parent of a 2-year old, or is there hope that this baby will let me sleep better at night once he/she arrives?

The Dad - Daddy is cool, calm, and collected about taking on the challenge of another little person, but is nevertheless excited about the new arrival. While I tend to freak out a bit about how difficult things are going to be, he's great at reminding me that less-prepared people have managed to raise throngs of children throughout history. He had to take a little bit of the pregnancy pains for the team recently by getting his blood drawn. (Boo hoo.) No, the blood test was not to determine paternity! ;-) The genetic science of the whole thing really put a strain on my mental capacities to understand, but here's the quick lowdown. Jason probably has the "M" antigen in his genetic code (what the test is seeking to find), which I do not have. Miles probably inherited the M from Jason. My blood and Miles' blood likely mixed during childbirth, and my body saw that "M" as a foreign body, so I started making antibodies against it. If the new baby has the "M" (50/50 chance), my antibody may work against it, which could cause some complications. This is all very rare - only a 1 in 15,000 chance that the antibody would be activated in the first place (compared to a 1 in 30 or so chance of getting gestational diabetes, for example). From what little I can find, it's also very rare that complications will develop. In any case, the docs will be keeping a close eye on me and the baby, which means extra ultrasounds (hurray!) and blood tests (boo!).

The Big Brother - Miles acts so proud that he's going to be a big brother! Of course, he doesn't understand most of it yet, but we see glimpses of recognition every once in a while. The other day, he said out of the blue, "My baby brother is coming to my house!" His answer changes, but he seems to be leaning more toward baby brother vs. baby sister lately. We'll be finding that out again, either November 8 or November 22. We're hoping to bring Miles with us to see the baby on the big screen. Occasionally, he'll ask to see my belly. He had some fun tickling the baby the other day. It'll be really fun to see how he reacts as my belly gets bigger!

And now, here are some long overdue pictures of the big brother:

When the helicopter came to visit his school:








Little monkeys jumpin' on the bed with friend Janelle:

So happy to be a Big Brother!

Baseball and the Big Boy Bed

Miles' latest adventure in growing up? The switch to the Big Boy Bed!!



"Hmmm...", you may ponder, "that doesn't look like a very big Big Boy Bed." You would be right, Sir (or Madam). Because we have overnight guests so frequently, we decided to maximize our sleeping situation and get Miles a bed with a trundle underneath to sleep extra guests (visits from cousins, perhaps?). Rather than getting one of those funky bed rails, we're just going with the trundle bed only for a little while to give Miles time to adjust.

He's doing amazingly well and hasn't fallen out of bed once! The first night, he woke up at about 1am, asked for his friend Scout, then went back to sleep after a little bedtime music. He slept all the way until the morning and piped, "Mommy, Daddy! It's light outside! Come get me!" He's been a little more adventurous in the days following and now gets out of the bed. Then, he either pounds on the door or makes an annoying noise with the door stop until we come and get him. Next up: working on getting him to (quietly) play on his own for a while. Oh yeah, and buying some of those doorknob covers before he figures out how to bust of the joint. Don't call it cruel and unusual...we got the idea from our pediatrician.

In other news, we've been loving the baseball lately. Here's Miles usual chant:

Miles attended his first Major League game - Reds vs. Cubs. We had great seats - unfortunately, Miles/Daddy/Uncle Davy only lasted 2 innings there because of the 90+ degree heat that day. That topped my record of about 2 pitches...and Aunt KK/Lyla/Nana never even made it to the seats! We still had enjoyed out time together in the nice air-conditioned restaurant at the stadium.

We also took a road trip with the Indians to their away game at the Louisville Bats' home turf. We had fun with Uncle David and Aunt Hilary, even though they kept trying to convert Miles to a Bats fan.



Miles has taken to an obsession of playing ball at every chance he gets. He loves to pitch to you and gets very particular if you're not on your knees like a catcher. He also likes to run "the bases", which means making the circle from our family room, to the kitchen, to the dining room, and back. It's been over 90 degrees here for a very long time, so we make some creative fun indoors! He also is still loving singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and even makes up new words for different sports. "Take Me Out the to Foo-ball game...buy me some mashed potatoes and french fries too."

He should come back singing all about "Take Me Out to the Races" soon. He's there now with Granny, Grandpa, and Aunt Ashley, and I can't wait to see him and hear his stories!

Story Time

Warning: This post is for hard core Miles fans only. The following videos are full of cuteness but can get very long. You may want to skip to the A Cliff's Notes Fortnight if you're a bit timid. For those intermediate users still jonesing for a video, I recommend Caterpillar #2.


Miles has always loved books, but he recently has taken to reciting some of his favorites. The first, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, was a "gift" from cousin Lyla. OK, so Lyla left it by accident, Miles fell in love with it, and never gave it back.

Caterpillar Part I:

Caterpillar Part II:

He also like "Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?" Or, as Miles likes to say, "what you do see?" His favorite is "Ball Geegle" (Bald Eagle).

A Fortnight in Review

We all know you're just here to see pictures - who needs a long diatribe by me? So...here they are.

At "Daddy's" Parade (aka the Morristown Derby Days parade) with Aunt Ashley. Miles loved the marching band (of course), boys in cars, police cars, and was slightly amused/confused at the people throwing him candy.



At the State Fair on the carousel with Papa. Miles loved the marching bands (of course) and horses but was thoroughly freaked out when we almost crashed him into a cow with his stroller.



At the Indians game with Jen. Miles loved finally getting to eat Cracker Jacks, singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", and eating Strawberry Italian Ice (and getting a red tongue!).

Music of Maestro Miles

It's Band Camp week, and Jason is working 14 hour days. How does Miles celebrate? By pulling out his Terrible Two toddler traits to the max, of course! I've gotten my fair share of reminders about what I don't like about being a mom - screaming, tantrums, hitting, and refusals to do anything I ask. So, I'm now going to turn up the cheese on this post to remind me what I DO like (love!) about being Miles' mom.

Miles attended his first symphony concert last week and loved it! You free spirits out there might be thinking, "Those music snobs dressed their child up in a mini-tuxedo, paraded him downtown, and made him sit in an uncomfortable chair for three hours to listen to Russian funeral music?" No. We had plans to go to Symphony at the Park - a family-friendly, pull-up-your-lawn-chair-in-the-grass, break-out-your-bottle-of-wine (or sippy of milk) kind of a show. Unfortunately, we got rained out and watched the show in the local high school gym, but that didn't mean Miles enjoyed it any less.

He really loved clapping after each song, but also he became to be quiet the critic. Strangely, he said he was scared after Copland's Rodeo, but he "really liked" Holst's Mars. He also informed us that his ol' pal Snuggie Bear thought that the Shostakovich was a "really pretty song" and "cool".

So, Miles is now connoisseur of orchestral music, but he's also a traditionally-trained vocalist. Here are some of his vocal stylings:

First, a flavor of Mozart with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Please ignore the unfinished tune, plus the diaper-shirt combo (we were on our way to bed, people!).

Next, the Wheels on the Bus. Not quite sure why the "driver on the bus says swish, swish, swish"...

This is an interesting variation on "Old McDonald". In the version, he has a gummi bear, which just happens to be what Miles gets when he goes pee on the potty.

Now, to add a little religious fare:

And this one even includes choreography:

Miles also is a bit of a composer. A few months ago, way back when we had a harder time understanding him, Miles kept singing a song that went "Dub dub dye...sit down!" We could never figure out what it was. Miles now informs us that he and Colin made the song up. He still sings it at least 3 times a week.

Whew! I feel better now!

Hot Diggety Fourth

The 4th holiday was actually our 5th weekend traveling...out of 6 weeks! We are definitely old pros by now at packing up the car, the boy, and the pup. The cleanliness state of our car, however, has yet to recover.

We had a great down-home Kentucky 4th with the Kahls. Miles got to start the fun by dancing to the tunes that Grandpa put together for the family reunion, featuring one of Granny's "kin."

We went to the Bowling Green Hot Rods Single A baseball game. What a nice little park! Miles enjoyed the game and had lots of fun saying "Hey Batter Batter Batter!"


They had fireworks following the game, which was a major shock to Miles' system! Being that the set them off on the field right in front of us, they were ridiculously noisy - even more so for a first-timer! Jason and I immediately put our hands over his ears. When I tried to adjust my awkwardly-placed hand a few minutes in, Miles clamped down on it with his hands and wouldn't let go! I think that three pairs of hands blocking out the noise probably did better than any set of ear plugs.

The next night's attempt at fireworks was much more successful. We decided to watch them from the state park, at least a mile away from where they were setting them off. On the way, we stopped at the cutest little kitschy antique store/ice cream shop/roadside attraction. Check out the Wiener family!


Miles did much better with the fireworks the second time around, and loved playing "ball" (bocce) with the boys and Ashley beforehand. He was also so impressed by the glow necklace someone gave him. This isn't his best picture, but it shows his elusive and adorable dimple:



The weekend ended on time for Mommy and Daddy, but Miles got an extended vacation out of it! Granny had the following week off, so he stayed and hung out more with the Kahls for a couple of days - the first time he'd slept away from home for two nights! It was also the first time that Jason and I had been in our house overnight without Miles - SO weird. We missed him way more than he probably missed us. We loved hearing his stories about the sprinkler and dancing with Grover at the Louisville Science Center.

It's been a great summer so far - lots of travels but the chance to hang out with so many people that we love. We're looking forward to a quiet remainder of the summer at home!

Days of Cousins and Daddies

With all of the birthday hullabaloo, I thought Miles might have a bit of a hard time sharing the spotlight. Thankfully, he's realized that other people can get cakes and presents and special days too.

Miles got to start slowly with Father's Day. Daddy picked bowling as his special day activity, so Miles got to throw his first bowling ball (with the help of a ramp and bumpers). His first time out, he scored a 55! He did great with Daddy's help:


(Sorry about the sideways version...too lazy and too slow of a computer to figure out how to turn it.)

Miles passed the true test of sharing when we celebrated his cousin Lyla's first birthday. He only had a couple of meltdowns when the other kids touched his toys, and it helped the there were so many other people there to keep him distracted. As it turns out, Miles benefited from lots of sharing from others. Lyla's cousin Isaac shared his squirt guns - perfect for such a hot day:


And Lyla even shared her brand new birthday present - a wagon for two (or three):


Some even better news - Miles will soon have one more cousin with whom to practice his sharing skills. Uncle David and Aunt Hilary are having a baby just in time for Christmas! Miles is convinced it's a boy, but we'll have to wait a few more weeks to find out. I've loved every minute of being an aunt to Lyla, so we can't wait to spoil one more.

I Ride That!

We had a great week on vacation up at the lake. Lots of trips to the lake, lots of walks, and lots of Nana and Papa time.

One of the highlights was our trip to Cedar Point, which turned out to be the perfect day. It was supposed to rain that afternoon, so we figured we'd go for a couple hours in the morning, then head home when the weather got bad. Well, it never did get bad! Cool, breezy, and no crowds!

We didn't have horribly high hopes that Miles would be into Cedar Point, after his luke warm tolerance last year. When we first walked in, it took about 30 minutes before he even wanted to get out of his stroller. Apparently, he just wanted to take it all in. Finally, we convinced him to ride the "Snoopy Cars", and he loved it!



He was so pumped full of adrenaline afterward, that he immediately stepped out of the car and shouted, "I ride that!". Of course, he was pointing to Cedar Point's tallest and fastest ride, Top Thrill Dragster. Jason wouldn't even ride that with me (that's not saying much though).

After that, he was unstoppable. We rode the swings, and he even dug one of those horrible spinny rides with Daddy:


We were lucky enough that N & P picked Miles up and took him home for his afternoon nap. That gave Jason and me some time to ride the big kid rides. The longest we waited: 20 minutes for Millennium Force. By the time we rode everything we wanted, we were ready to see Miles again. I think we had much more fun watching him ride things than riding them ourselves! Once Miles had his siesta, Nana and G-Grandma brought him back for some more fun.

We watched "Snoopy on Ice" and cuddled with the Snoopy statue:



He rode in about every type of vehicle you could imagine:




Our grand finale was a big step in the Cedar Point bravery development...for Daddy. Being afraid of heights, I could never get Jason on the Giant Ferris Wheel. Once we saw that the "thrill rating" for the ferris wheel was less than the thrill rating for some of the kiddie rides, I finally emasculated Jason enough into riding it. Surprisingly, he admitted it wasn't as bad as he thought! He even had his wits together enough to snap this picture:



The rest of the non-Cedar Point week was great as well. We went to the Marblehead Lighthouse a few times, and there were lots of naps. Miles stayed overnight with Nana and Papa and was a very good boy while we spend the night in the exciting town of Cleveland.



"If the whole world moved to their favorite vacation spots, then the whole world would live in Hawaii and Italy and Cleveland."