Exploration

Earlier this week Cori climbed our stairs without showing interest before. Uh-oh! We're in trouble now!

Just some pictures from playing this week. And while like most kids her age, Cori likes books. It's just funny what she likes to read!

Play Time

The warmer weather of this past weekend made for lots of outdoor adventures.
Cori is really at such a fun age - she laughs so much and it's infectious! She loves it when you chase her around and she's gotten to be quite the expert at playing "How big is Cori?" ("Sooooo big!") It's funny because when she hears the word "big" in conversation, she'll raise her arms up over her head like she does with "so big!". It's amazing to see her word recognition in action and her intelligence just grow and grow.

One of her favorite things to do is for us to create a tower from stacking cups, and she is immediately drawn to it like a moth to a flame. She will then proceed to knock it down, scattering all the pieces around and laughing at her destruction.

Before

After

Cori is pulling up to stand and starting to cruise around a bit. But her favorite mode of transportation is still scooching around our hardwood floors from room to room. We're thinking of attaching a swifter cloth to her and letting her clean as she goes. She's getting close to a year - that's old enough to earn her keep right?

Cori 11 months

Our big girl.... where did the time go?
Will she really be a year next month?

the week in pictures

It's been a very busy week since the last post. Dave turned 40 and my brother got married. And I found out that my work is again laying off people and I'm being told that I have to take 3 additional weeks unpaid leave, one per quarter for the rest of the year. With the 4 weeks unpaid this year and my 3 weeks vacation time, I've never had so much time off! Too bad I can't get paid for half of it. At least my job is safe (for now - nothing should be taken for granted).

Dave came home on his birthday to a house full of balloons, streamers and beer! So far he seems to be handling 40 without much a breakdown - mentally or physically!
Over last weekend my brother got married in a semi-private ceremony with a full reception of family & friends. A good time was had by all! Congratulations to David and Kelly!
This weekend's weather looks to be amazing - sunny and upper 70s Friday through Sunday. My intuition must have kicked in as I'd requested Friday off a few weeks ago. I look forward to lots of yard work, long walks in North Park and a big dinner at Mad Mex!

Amazing weekend

Lots of photos ahead, because we had an awesome weekend this past weekend! We got to see lots of family in from Connecticut & Rhode Island and locally as well. Saturday Cori spent some time with her cousins who adore her (and she is enamored by them too!) . Even better is that they will be at the beach in Corolla the very same week we will be this year, so we'll get to hang out on the beach!Afterwards we met with Mark & Kacey and went to Phipps for their spring flower show.
It was beautiful as usual, but it was extra nice to see the exhibit through Kacey's eyes since she'd never been there. The rooms looked amazing - picture perfect! Can't you just imagine a wedding here?!
Cori had a blast too and did wonderfully even though she missed a nap. After dinner out, we hung out at home and played Guitar Hero which was hysterical and a lot of fun!Easter morning Cori had her basket and we couldn't resist the bunny ears. She didn't seem to mind very much at all. And she was on excellent behavior in church (as usual). So many members commented how beautiful she looked and what a pretty baby she is, which just makes me smile. Ovbiously we think she is the best little girl around but we admittingly biased.
We got to spend the whole day with my mom, much to Cori's delight. After a delicious brunch out we took Cori to the park. It looks like we'll have to get a swing now! What an amazing day - we couldn't have asked for anything more!

Ready for Easter

We're all set for Easter this weekend! We dyed some eggs on Thursday night - Cori supervised.
We have her basket ready to go (the Easter bunny dropped it off early!)This weekend will be busy since Uncle Mark & Aunt Kacey are in from Providence, as well as Aunt Kristen and Uncle Rich & Cori's 3 cousins - all from Connecticut. Tomorrow we are going to visit Cori's Pop-Pop & Grandma Kathy to visit and have an easter egg hunt. Then we're off to Phipps with Mark & Kacey & Grandma Lois and then maybe the Pittsburgh incline and dinner. We hope to fit everything in before bedtime!

Hey! I recognize you from somewhere...
you read this blog, don't you?

Sunday is church services with Grandma Suzie and then brunch. It looks to be the beginning of a great week - Dave's 40th birthday is later this week followed by my brother's wedding. Lots of pictures to come I am sure.

Cranky

A certain someone has been extra cranky today. That combined with the new phase of temper tantrums when told "no" or when she doesn't get her way makes for extra fun times...

We think it's teething. Heck, at 10.5 months, one of these times saying it, it is bound to be true! We don't see or feel anything in there, but someone's continued fascination with her tongue makes it hard to check.

This was today's church outfit prior to the first of many meltdowns. Good thing she is so darn cute!

Cori Sidebar

I’ve updated the side to some new things Cori is doing and some people have asked what she may enjoy for her 1st birthday. These are merely suggestions and of course no one is under any obligation to purchase anything! These are just some things we think she’ll enjoy this summer. Unfortunately it seems that the older the kids get, the bulkier the toys get. Good thing we have a basement!

Cori has been crawling at daycare, but has yet to do this for us at home. She is fascinated with her tongue - sticking it out and making raspberry sounds and moving it back and forth. And you already know how she likes to kiss people. We think she may just skip crawling as she is pulling to stand quite a bit and army crawling is really her fastest way to move. She points, she screams, she giggles, and she is eating foods with more texture. She has her sippy cup down fairly well, and she just loves chasing the kitty!

Here’s a funny video of Cori and proof that kids put ANYTHING in their mouth….

Lazy

I’ve been meaning to post for a few days, but I’ve had a serious case of procrastination. Or maybe I was bitten by the lazy bug – who can say? Since my last post, let’s see what’s happened…I turned 35, spent 3-4 days in Palm Springs, and missed Cori’s first word.

One thing at a time – my birthday was very nice. I’m really enjoying the Keurig single pod coffee maker! Unfortunately my impatience to get this item ruined what Dave had planned to get my as his gift. Whoops! So instead he got me alterations… romantic huh? Actually it is what I asked for. I had my first experience at a tailor, and suffice to say that the reason they treat you like royalty is that they think you have the bank account of royalty! Yikes. I should’ve paid more attention when my grandmother was teaching me to sew.

A few days after my birthday, I flew out to Palm Springs for work. Well, technically it was for work, but not much work was involved. And my refusal to pay $15 a day for internet access sealed the deal. This was for an award ceremony for top sales on a team in which I was a member. Thursday made for a long day with much time spent in airports and on flights. CA can feel as far away as France at times. But landing in 85 degree sunshine kind of makes you forget that. And coupled with prepaid spa treatments, pool side bloody marys and good food, it was pretty easy to relax! (Good thing another parternering company paid for this trip, considering I just took a week off to save my company money!)

On Saturday my dear friend Jennifer came to visit me from LA. We hung out by the pool and had some lunch and girl talk which was wonderful. Later on Jen took me to my first casino ever… That was quite an experience – both good and bad. I apparently had the wrong impression of what casinos are really like. For those of you who are “casino virgins” like I was, let me tell you what may and may not happen:

• People will not be dressed to the nines like George Clooney & Julia Roberts in Oceans Eleven. I felt over-dressed and should’ve worn jeans.
• You will not hear “clink clink click” of coins hitting the dispensing tray. If you win, you get a paper pay out ticket?!?! Where’s the fun in that….
• Not once did someone come up to me and offer to get me a drink from the bar.

The place REEKS of cigarette smoke – blah!

I think overall, I just had the wrong impression. We still had a blast, and played some bingo which should’ve made me Grandmother smile from the great beyond… Things sure have changed from the days I schlepped hard bingo cards at the Knights of Columbus. They have ELECTRONIC bingo!?! And all kinds of crazy configurations like “Chinese Kite” and “Crazy Rail Road”. I used to think playing 4 corners was flashy. But I did win $24 on the slots, which I promptly fed back into various machines. No biggie – I think I spent a total of $25 all night for a few hours of entertainment. In the spirit of channeling my Grandmother, I never won at bingo.

But there are some pictures scattered here of my hotel in Palm Springs and a cute picture of Jen and I at 4 AM as I was preparing to leave Sunday morning.

While I was gone, Cori spoke her first word! The magical word…. Kitty. But it sounds more like “gitty”. We always point to Zoe and say “kitty” when we see her – Cori is fixated on our cat which is funny because of course Zoe wants nothing to do with Cori. She tolerates her at best. But Cori pointed to Zoe and said “gitty”. What a proud moment! She’s always very talkative and babbles ma-ma and da-da over and over, but we never know if she gets what she is saying or not. But I think pointing to Zoe and saying “gitty” would qualify as her speaking with intent.

It’s just amazing how Cori seems to be turning into a little toddler from our baby. She is always trying to pull up onto her knees or feet. We think she may just skip regular crawling and go to walking. She still army crawls and has “regular” crawled at daycare but doesn’t seem to show much interest in it. Here’s a little video of her playing with her favorite new toy – her kitchen from Pop Pop & Grandma Kathy at Christmas. Sorry that you have to turn sideways half way through – Dave turned the camera.

back to the grind

After a hectic week of frenzied cleaning, this weekend was busy with visits from a lot of family & friends. Saturday morning I got to visit my friend's new son Mason, and he is just adorable! Then we had 3 generations girls time Saturday afternoon, followed by a visit from my dad and his wife.

I woke up today and enjoyed a steaming cup of coffee with the new Keurig coffee maker. Aghhhhh! And today Dave & his mom came home from the trip to New England. We all had a nice long visit with my cousin up from Atlanta and my Aunt & Uncle and Mom. There was some competitive Wii action, some good food and laughs. Cori was a happy girl with all the company for the most part. She's fighting off some kind of tummy bug today, and it made for some clinginess and fussiness in the late day. But we had a great time with all the people we love!

Tomorrow is back to work and another year older.
Not sure which I am less thrilled about.

Spring Cleaning

Happy Spring!! This week I said goodbye to winter and purged a lot of tired old thoughts, items, and feelings. Spring is a time of new beginnings right? Don't get me wrong - the things I've tossed were appreciated. But they served their time and purposefulness. I am a big believer in shedding things when they no longer reflect who you really are.

Speaking of who I really am, I've always had a hard time "relaxing". I'm not one to lay on the couch in front of the TV for long periods of time. That was more evident than ever this week. I had the week off from work and decided to use the time to run a lot of errands I'd put off and do a lot of "spring cleaning". It felt good to get so much done, but I'm exhausted!

When I first thought about what I'd do this week, I thought I'd catch some naps, hit the gym daily, reading, and have lunch with friends. Heck, I even contemplated picking up my knitting again. And somewhere mid week when I had made a royal mess trying to clean the kitchen (why is it that it seems like a huge mess is made trying to clean up??) I even regretted my decision to not just "relax" instead of embarking on this big cleaning purge. But I think that was a moment of panic , because I've come to see that I needed this cleaning. It was cathartic for me. Getting rid of some cobwebs to let in the sunshine is just what I needed.

Hope that spring finds you ready for new beginnings, big or small.

little helper

Corinne likes to help us with the laundry.

Did I mention that she crawled for the first time yesterday?! We didn't see it since it happened at daycare, but our little girl is growing up! Makes me a bit sad. Tonight I was putting her to sleep and I held her up against me with her head on my shoulder. This is the pinnacle of contentment for me; it reminds me of when she was really little, in those first few months, and we slept every night in the over-sized chair like that. It is so peaceful that I have a hard time putting her down in her crib. I just want to hold her for as long as I can. Now that she's crawling, it won't be long before she struggles and wants to be free from our arms to move about.

In other, not so content news, Dave has bronchitis. Blah.

coffee snob

I've turned into a coffee snob. If anyone out there has a Keurig coffee maker, you'll completely understand what I'm talking about. Around Christmas a bunch of us at work chipped in and got a Keurig single serve coffee maker. You put in a "K-cup" which is basically a single pod of coffee and pick your size. Stick your coffee mug under the spout and in 30 seconds, your freshly brewed beverage awaits.

It's soooo good that coffee at home just doesn't cut it anymore. Not even the good stuff.

And the variety that is available in the pods! Not only can you have coffee, but tea and cocoa as well. And the kinds of pods - one morning I feel all "dark magic extra bold" blend and then if I want a "pumpkin spice breakfast blend" I can do that too. I'm becoming addicted to pomegranate berry tea as well.

I love this thing so much that to those who are asking what I may want for my birthday.... this is it! I really don't need anything else and this would be a gift that gives over and over. Bed Bath & Beyond has them and would let me use my 20% coupon for big savings. So not that I need anything, but if you really feel inclined to get me something, I'm just saying that a Bed Bath & Beyond gift card would not go to waste.

PS - for those of you who do have one of these magic machines, this website has the best selection and prices for the pods. And shipping is darn fast as well as free with an easily met minimum order.

The week in pictures

This past week Cori finally started eating some puffs and yogurt bites. They need to be in halves because they are too large for her whole. We took a few pictures of her enjoying them with dinner.

Things otherwise are the same for us this week - working and enjoying the warmer weather. We're still trying to weather the 9 month sleep regression. Some nights are better than others.

We're all trying to stay healthy - Cori still has a cough but is back to her old self. Dave is fighting off the respiratory bug. I was feeling better until Saturday late morning when I had sudden chest pain. It was a heavy pressure in my chest and felt more intense lifting Cori or moving my arms. Nothing seemed to help, and the intensity seemed to stay the same. I had to put off going to the doctor until Sunday due to some prior commitments. After some tests and questions, the doctor decided that I had Costochondritis - an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum. He felt the infection was from the intense coughing and respiratory bug I had.

The week's activities can sometimes lead to a messy house and lack of time to clean. Can you find the baby in this picture? ha ha. Truth be told, I don't mind the mess because a weird part of me looks forward to cleaning everything up. Hope you have a great week coming up!