Merry Chris-Moose

 

It's Christmas time in the Shannon household. The tree is up, the outside lights look great, and Ethan and Violet are playing with all of their new toys! It was an amazing Christmas experience with the children this year. Ethan is at the age where he is really starting to get the whole Santa/presents/Christmas connection, and he is not shy about going to say hi to Santa when they happen to meet. Violet, although not really aware of the whole Christmas thing yet, makes things fun with her generally positive and excited attitude. Together, they made one heck of a Christmas team in 2013.

Christmas started even earlier for us, because we traveled to New Jersey a few weeks before to celebrate with Daddy's side of the family. It was so nice to see everyone and to see their excitement to be spending time with Ethan and Violet. Even though we were only there about 3 days, we managed to spend some quality time with almost everyone in the family. 

We met at Grandpa's favorite restaurant one morning with all of the Shannon's (Pederson's, Torlucci's and Avaziers) and everyone gave Ethan and Violet their presents, which the kids had to open and play with right there at the table. Later on that day, Grammy and Poppy had their annual Xmas party, which was really fun. We had an elf show up and have a sing-along, and the elf even did some face-painting! Later on, Santa showed up and gave presents to all of the grandchildren, both Shannon and Rechenberg! Ethan loved to see Santa, and even went and sat on his lap for a good 10 minutes straight! Violet was not as impressed with Santa, and she did not want anything to do with the Santa lap situation. Ahh, maybe she will like him more next year. The next day Ethan and Violet got their presents from Grammy, Poppy and Uncle Keith. In typical fashion, everyone got gigantic gifts for the children, which is fun when it's time to pack the car and drive back to Maryland. Ethan got a bunch of new trucks, a new Hess truck, a gigantic crane, and even a leather recliner! Violet got a Minnie mouse recliner too, as well as some dolls, and other cute toys. It was great to see Krista, Jenna, Ciara, Ethan and Violet all play together. There is so much love among the cousins.

The following weekend Grammy Litsch came down on the train to visit and celebrate Christmas with us as well. We had a great time hanging out with Grammy Litsch, and she helped us pick out a Christmas tree! Later we all went back to the house, had Hot Cocoa, and decorated the tree. We were lucky that Grammy Litsch came down and was able to share in this very special moment with us. The best part of Grammy's trip (according to Ethan) was the gigantic cement truck that Ethan received as a present. He was thrilled with the truck (considering trucks remains as his sole obsession right now) 

The next morning, Grammy spend some one on one time with Violet, while Mommy and Daddy took Ethan to the train museum for breakfast and a train ride with Santa. Ethan had such a great time, playing with trains, and eating pancakes with us. During the train ride, he got to meet Santa (again), and it even started snowing while we were on the train. It was a really magical experience overall.

Our final celebration of Christmas came on the actual day itself. On Christmas Eve, Mommy and Daddy made sure to (try and) get the kids to bed early, so they could get the house ready for the arrival of Santa. They made sure that the tree was just right, and to make it extra special, they set up Pop Pop Litsch's trains. That was the centerpiece, and one of the most special parts of this Chrismas for everyone. It was through the magic of Christmas that we even got the train to work, considering its been in the box for 25 years, and neither Mommy or Daddy ever set up any kind of train before. Not only did the train work, but even the liquid smoke worked, which was a really nice touch to a beautiful Christmas experience. 

Ethan woke up first at about 6:30, and he was so amazed to see the  train under his tree. He immidiatly labeled all the different train cars and wanted to touch it every time it came around the track (he was responsible for multiple derailments). Violet came down next with Mommy, and she stood in her Christmas pajamas and pointed at the train while looking at us, as if she wanted to say "hey guys, check this out". 

The attention then switched to the tons of presents that were surrounding the tree and train. Ethan was so happy to get yet another garbage truck, and some extra garbage cans. He also got really cool garbage truck pajamas (sensing a theme yet?) Violet got a shopping cart, that was full of toy vegetables. She loves pushing it around, and putting her baby in the seat. 

 

 

All in all it was a Merry Christmas, and we can't wait to see what the new year will bring us.

Summer's Over/ Violet Turns 1

Summer is now officially over! The trees are changing colors, it's starting to get truly cold outside, and Ethan and Violet continue to grow like weeds! We've packed away the summer clothes, and gotten out the winter coats. The halloween decorations are up and the garden is about out of veggies for the year. The first frost is just around the corner, so Violet is going to have to learn to keep her socks on when we go outside. or she is going to have some pretty cold feet!

Since the last post, Violet reached a few huge milestones. First of all, she turned 1 year old a few weeks ago, and we celebrated her birthday with a party at Gymboree. All her friends (and a few of Ethans) came to the party. Grammy Litsch and Uncle Joe took the train down the Maryland to come to the party too!  We had the whole place to ourselves, and the kids managed to use every inch of the gym! After we played in the gym, everyone ate pizza and cake, and everyone gave Violet really nice gifts.

The following week, we took a trip to New Jersey, where we got to visit everyone on Daddy's side of the family. We all went out to breakfast with Grandpa, Uncle Keith, Krista and Jenna, and then went to the park afterwords. Later on in the day we headed back to Grammy and Poppy's house, where we celebrated her birthday again with ice cream cake, along with Grammy and Poppy, her cousins Krista, Jenna, Ciara, and Uncle Keith.

The other major milestone that took place was that Violet has started walking! She officially started a couple of weeks before her birthday, but now, she is full time walkin! It's extra cute, because she is so petite, that it looks like an 8 month old walking around, and people are amazed that such a young baby can walk so well! She can stand from a sitting position, and even bend down to pick things up.

All the while Ethan continues to bring us happiness, at the same time keep us on our toes!  He is such a curious little guy right now, and he wakes up every day with an energy and  exuberance, that it's often hard to keep up with him. He loves to do everything boy, from playing with tools in the garage, to digging holes in the sandbox and putting the dirt in his dumptrucks, but garbage trucks are the newest big thing for him. He is obsessed with garbage trucks. He has more than a few toy garbage trucks, and he loves to play with them, along with the sound effects! When he doesn't have a garbage truck, he is quick to turn the laundry hamper and a shirt sleeve into a "sideloading garbage truck" and will pick up the little toys around the house.

Ethan is about to embark on a new chapter in his life....School! He is starting preschool next week, and we are excited for him to learn all new things. Today, we brought him in to meet the class, and he jumped right in and got in the mix.We hope that this new experience will help him flourish and develop into a well rounded little boy. It's amazing how he has developed in the past year, and we are excited to see what he'll be like next year.

The Moose Is On The Loose

We've all made it through the middle of summer in one piece, and as starts to get dark out earlier, we are beginning our transition into School mode. That's right! This September, our little man Ethan starts preschool. We have him going two days a week starting in September. Mommy really did her homework in checking out every preschool in the area, and was really happy with this specific one. We can't wait for Ethan to take this next step in his life. His speech development has come such along way in the past year, considering this time last year he was really just beginning to speak. Now he speaks in full sentences! He knows all his colors and shapes. He can identify the letters of the alphabet and count different things. We hope that preschool will help him take all this great stuff and help him put it all together and take the next step.

While all of this is going on, Violet is a fully mobile baby. She is now 10 months old, and she is hitting so many milestones early! She can crawl at a very high rate of speed now, and she can stand up with assistance, and even lets go with one hand. She can say "dada" and "mama" sounds as well as others. She can pick up small objects, and uses her hands really well. She waves at us all the time, and it's always accompanied by a smile. She even got her first two teeth (bottom).Violet is completely intrigued by the world around her, and every experience seems to be a great one involving her.......except for car trips. We're not sure about the future, but as of right now, Violet does not like being in the car seat for long periods of time at all. Mommy and Daddy will have to devise a new plan for car trips with Violet. That being said, once you get to the destination, Violet turns right back into the happy little girl that she is. Nothing beats the greeting you get from Violet when you walk in the door, and it makes it all worth it.

Ethan and Violet have such a great relationship. Ethan loves his sister, and he often insists on being the one who get to wake her up from her naps. He runs into her room with a very cute greeting of "Hiiii Sweeety", a greeting that Violet accepts with laughter and some occasional arm flapping. They play toys together really well, although Violet is still a little too young to know about sharing, and we all know how Ethan loves his trucks. Once Violet is a little bigger, Ethan will be able to take her outside and show her his big trucks.

 Overall, the Ethan Violet experience has been pretty amazing, we just hope that the kids don't grow up too fast.

Ethan turns 3 / Violet's on the move / July 4th

It's mid-July, and Summer is in full swing. The days are getting hotter, and everyone is trying to beat the heat any way they can. Ethan has a much higher tolerance for the hot weather, and doesn't mind playing outside for hours, no matter how hot it is.  Violet seems to be able to last much less time in the heat than her brother, and she really hates getting in the hot carseat. Mommy and Daddy have to remember to pre-cool the cars before going anywhere with the kids now that it's 90+ degrees every day.

The Summer has brought our family some really wonderful milestones. First of all, Ethan turned 3, and isn't shy to tell you how old he is if you ask him (how old are you Ethan......he says... FWEEE!). We celebrated his birthday with a construction themed birthday party at the house. All of Ethans friends came over, and had a great time playing in the swimming pools and wearing their construction helmets, while the adults enjoyed barbecue and air conditioning. Grammy Litsch came down to visit, and she was glued to Violet the whole trip. We had a truck shaped pinata, trucks on his birthday cake, and a whole bunch of trucks as presents, so Ethan was one happy camper.

Violet wasn't without her milestones as well. On July 2, we left for New Jersey with an immobile baby, and we returned July 5 with a professional crawling machine. She learned how to crawl, and now you can't stop her! All she wants to do is to crawl and get into anything and everything. We love to watch her crawl across the room to get a toy, then slide back into sitting position to enjoy her prize. In the recent days, she has even pulled herself up on her baby gate to standing position! We are so close to having a walking Violet, and at this pace, it's not too far off!

This year, we took a family trip to New Jersey to celebrate the 4th of July holiday. Our trip was pushed back a day due to the fact that both kids had very high fevers, but we finally made it there. We celebrated Ethan's birthday again at  Grammy and Poppy's house, and Ethan got another cake, and some really cool presents. The best present was the fact that we got to see the whole Jersey family. We got to visit Aunt Nancy's house, where we hung out with Grandpa and his side of the family. We also got to spend some time over Grandpa's house, where Ethan loves to play with (and sometimes break) Grandpa's trucks, and Violet was crawling everywhere, with Grandpa crawling right behind her. We stayed at Grammy and Poppy's house, and Ethan and Violet loved spending time with them, as well as Uncle Keith and cousins Krista, Jenna, and Ciara. Grammy swam in the pool with the kids, and Poppy took Ethan out for a boat ride, where he repeatedly asked to go faster. Violet loved hangin out on the deck, mastering her crawling skills. On the Fourth, Daddy and Uncle Keith provided everyone with a fireworks show across the street from Grammy's house. Everyone enjoyed watching the fireworks, except for Violet, who was fast asleep. We had to leave after only a few days, but we really enjoyed our time. Hopefully we can get back up there this Summer!

Summers Here!

It's official! Summer has arrived, and Ethan and Violet couldn't be happier. Everyone has had enough of being couped up in the house, and the kids are having fun exploring the outside world. Ethan is an old pro when it comes to playing outside, but this is the first taste of summer for Violet. She is really interested in all of the sight, sounds, and smells of the world around her. The weather this time of year is great for being outdoors, and Violet has no idea how brutally hot it can get around here in the summertime, but she'll find out soon enough!



Grammy and Poppy came down last week for a visit, so Mommy and Daddy could have a well deserved date night out in Baltimore. Ethan and Violet we're so glad to get the extra attention, and really hammed it up for Grammy and Poppy. Ethan was such a well behaved little boy for Grammy  Violet was so entertained by Poppy's beard! She even imitated Poppy's funny shaking, which is really good for a 7 month old to do!

Ethan had so much fun hangin out with Grammy and Poppy at his house. His language has really had another breakthrough recently, and Grammy was amazed at how good of a little talker he is. He still riddles us from time to time with a pronunciation of a word or two, but overall, his speech has gotten so much better.  He showed them his garden, and how he took all of his trucks out and played with them with the dirt and rocks in the back part of the yard. It was such a nice day that everyone hung out in the backyard shade, and Ethan was really funny in how he imitated everything everyone was doing. It's amazing how he picks up on everything you do, even if you don't notice it yourself.

Of course it wouldn't be a visit from Grammy and Poppy without some sort of excitement, and this time's came courtesy of a 3 foot snake, who decided to slither under the fridge just as Grammy walked by while holding Violet. Of course the men were elected for snake removal, so Daddy and Poppy pulled out the fridge, and with the guile of a professional snake handler, gently guided the snake out the back door, where Daddy proceeded to throw it over the back fence with the broom handle.

Violet is almost 8 months old now, and she has been a pretty amazing child so far. She still is a baby and has some fussy periods, but even those are usually very mild and easily remedied. It seems like she just loves the whole world, but nothing compares to how happy she gets when she see's her Mommy after a long day at work. It's the only time she ever lunges out of Daddy's arms. It's for a good reason, because Mommy is so amazing with Violet.
 Daddy does an ok job getting her to bed peacefully, but it's nothing compared to how Mommy soothes and comforts her.  She goes to bed at around 7, and usually sleeps until 4 or 5, where she usually has a snack, and back to bed until 630 or 7. Her daytime napping is very predictable and lengthy. She usually sleeps from 9-10:30am, then again from 1-2:30pm.
As seen in the above video, Violet is very imitative for being as young as she is. She vocalizes to us all the time, and just started the "da" sound. She sits up really well on her own, and rolls from her back to her belly, but no crawling yet. However, if you stand her up, she has super strong legs and will stand up holding hands for a few minutes!

Violet Tastes Spring!

Violet is almost 7 months, and she is now getting to experience the green trees and flowers of spring for the first time. Just like her brother, Violet loves to be outdoors. She is mezmerized by the noisy colorful world around her, and she is a very focused observer. She is so attentive to the world and people around her, and she engages with everyone she meets. She has such an inviting and sweet demeaner about her, that everyone loves to ask to hold her. We often have to ask for her back!
In terms of her growth, she seems to have doubled in size overnight! She consumes an outstanding amount of milk in every feeding, and we've begun to give her solids. She isn't crazy about bananas, or pears, but she likes oatmeal, and she tolerates cereal. Her arm is almost completely healed to the point that you can hardly tell which one was actually broken at birth. She is sittin up on her own now, and can roll from her belly to her back, and visa versa. She holds her head and shoulders up well during tummy time, but hasn't made any attempts at crawling yet, but it's only a matter of time now. As you can see in the picture, she stands up remarkably well, and will stay standing for a good 5 or 10 minutes (assisted of course).
Violet is in full Grammy mode, because Grammy Litsch just left after a nice weekend visit, and we are leaving tomorrow for Grammy Rechenberg's house. We can't wait to see everyone in Jersey again!

Tubes 'n Stuff (the sequel)

As the title states, Ethan needed to have another minor surgery recently. He had to have tubes put back in his ears, since one of them fell out. This time however, the doctor decided to remove his adenoids as well as replacing the tubes  It's not a really serious or invasive surgery or anything, but it's never fun watching your child get anthesized. Ethan did very well with the whole ordeal.  Mommy stayed home with Violet, and Daddy and Ethan took the trip over to the hospital. He was a very good boy before the surgery, and he played really well in the exam room. He really loves using the stethescope, and they had a real one in the room! When it was time, he held the nurses hand and walked down into the operating room. Daddy gave him a kiss on the cheek as they gave him the gas, and he was out in 10 seconds. He was a little confused and cranky in the recovery room after the procedure. He and Daddy snuggled under some warmed blankets, and it wasn't until the arrival of the Italian ice that he started to turn it around and get back to normal. It took approximatly 2 cups of cherry ice to get him ready to go home. Before we left, the doctor told us to make sure he takes it easy for some time after the surgery, and that lasted about an hour. As soon as his anethesia wore off completely, he was back to his normal dare-devil self.  He was definatly uncomfortable for a few days after the surgery, but now he seems 100% healed.