Kevin's Swim Class Pictures

Two weeks ago, I finally got some pictures of Kevin during swim class. The problem is that since it's just me and Kevin, I had to get a waterproof camera, and take most of the pictures myself. This meant poorly lit, awkwardly-taken photos which were then developed and scanned into my computer. Ugh. I apologize for the quality of the photos, but I did the best I could!

I really wanted to get the pictures on this specific day because the teacher had told us that we'd be doing life jackets, and using some special toys and boats in the water, which would make for some good photo op's. How could I resist?

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Kevin's checking out his surroundings.

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Kevin and his swim buddy, Parker
They look so impressed, don't they?
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Swim class falls right during Kevin's morning nap time, so he is usually very relaxed and sleepy in the warm water.

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Mommy: This is so much fun, eh, Buddy?!

Kevin: Ya, I guess it's alright. Can I go to sleep now?

Funny and Cute

Andrea

Brigitte was over on Sunday, and she got a toy with her Happy Meal dinner. I noticed the French version of the character's name was "Tete-a-Lard." Laughing, I showed it to Brigitte, who goes to a French school. She exclaimed, "That means FAT-HEAD!" and we were both giggling. Then, Andrea wandered in, wanting to share Daddy's chocolate sundae with him. She asked, very sweetly . . .

"More please, Fat-head?"

Brigitte and I looked at each other, and then burst out laughing. Daddy's reaction: "Did she just call me Fat-head?!"

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Andrea is very much my girly-girl. Right now all she wants to wear is dresses, and we have had some differences of opinion about that. Also, she always puts on her crown and declares herself a princess. Her dress-up high heels are always on, as well. I swear she walks better in heels than I do, though I'm always afraid she's going to twist her ankle in them! She still has to check herself out in the mirror all the time, too: whenever I do her hair, change her outfit, or if she's put her princess accessories on, she has to go look in the mirror.

some of the girly gear

"I'm the Princess!"

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Kevin

Kevin is 7 months old now. He is currently cutting 3 more teeth (ouch). He's having a bit of a rough time with teething, unlike Andrea, who barely reacted to it. He's pretty grouchy during the day and often whines in his sleep at night--poor baby! I hope these teeth come through soon. He also rolls and wiggles all over the floor, but only sits up for a few seconds at a time. He is enjoying his (pureed) solids now--we are into the fruits and veggies, and will start meats next week. He likes to grab his spoon and try to feed himself, but it gets messy--Mommy got bright orange carrot stains on her pants yesterday! The things that entertain him most are seeing Andrea, playing peek-a-boo, and blowing raspberries on his stomach.

I think he looks more like a little boy than a baby in this outfit! Sigh. :))

Kevin has also been babbling like crazy the past couple of days. His most common sounds are ones like mama, baba, vava, mum, and the occasional buh, boo, or doo. Here's Kevin babbling, with some good "mama"s thrown in.

The Americans Stole Grandma Marty!!! :))

Margaret Jean Hein, right, from Canada, sang with the Valley Vocals group as well as became a new citizen during the Naturalization Ceremony. (JAMES WOODCOCK/Gazette Staff)

New Americans celebrate citizenship

By CLAIR JOHNSON
Of The Gazette Staff


A love affair that blossomed over the Internet between a Canadian and a Montanan grew Thursday to love of country when Margaret Jean Hein became a U.S. citizen.


"I came here in 2000 to marry the man of my dreams," Hein said. "Being a Canadian, I've always considered the United States to be my neighbor and my friend. And today, I decided to make it my family."


Hein, from Windsor, Ontario, and 30 other people from 16 countries became naturalized citizens during a ceremony in U.S. District Court.


When Hein received her citizenship certificate and a small American flag, friends stood and cheered.Friends and family of all the new citizens applauded, took photos and waved flags in honor of the joyful occasion. Afterward, the new Americans exchanged hugs and congratulations over punch and cookies in the lobby outside the courtroom.


Hein also participated in the ceremony as one of the Valley Vocals, a six-person choral group she organized among friends and co-workers at Valley Health Care and Rehabilitation Center. The group sang "The Star-Spangled Banner," "God Bless America" and "America the Beautiful." Hein dabbed her eyes as she sang.


Hein met her husband, Rick Hein, who works for Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. in Billings, through the Internet in 1998. The two chatted online before meeting in person nine months later. Rick proposed in 1999. Margaret - who goes by Marty - moved to Billings as soon as the paperwork got approved, and the couple married.


Although it was difficult to leave Canada, where she had lived with her family all of her life, Hein said of Billings, "I fell in love with the place and the people."


Being a citizen means being able to vote, something Hein is eager to do.


"I was a big voter in Canada," she said. "I really missed that."


Voting, said U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull in welcoming comments, is one of the rights he encouraged new citizens to exercise. He noted the voter registration cards enclosed in their packets. "Use them," he said.


Cebull called the United States the "finest country in the world" because of the freedoms its citizens enjoy, including the right to free speech, to vote and to serve on a jury. America remains free because of the service of the armed forces, he said. "So when you see an armed forces member, thank them." The ceremony opened with the presentation of the colors by members of the Marine Company D Anti-terrorism Battalion. They stood ramrod straight at attention as everyone recited the Pledge of Allegiance.


Alan Puckett, district adjudication officer for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Helena, read the names of all those seeking citizenship, and Deputy Clerk of Court Heather McLean issued the oath of allegiance.


Those becoming U.S. citizens included Ana Aydee Hendrickson, Maribel Magana, Maria Maya, all of Mexico; Sharon Ann Anderson, Catherine Joyce Bailey, David Arthur Cherry, Delmer Edward Cox, Bruce William Francis, Christopher Arnold Graham, Margaret Jean Hein, Patricia Anne Zitzer, all of Canada; Carlos Pablo Butler, Panama; Olya Mokina, Russia; Damaris Elisabet Chapman, Finland; Lixu Zhang, China; Kledia Goga Colenso, Albania; Andleeb Ghaffar Dawood, Suzanne Smith, Dawn Smyre, all of the United Kingdom; Ireneo Tumali De Guzman, Rosalie Encoy Myers Cynthia Rozal Pluhar, all of the Philippines; Julia Jayne Kern, West Indies; Maria Cornelia Min-Muskens, Netherlands; Leona Jane Omeara and Rosalind Joan Pattyn, England; Aiyappa Muthanna Palecanda, Lakshmi Aiyappa Palecanda, India; Louise Amanda Payne-Zindell, Australia; Mari Smith, Japan; and Baerbel Stuetzle, Germany.


Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.

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Okay, so they didn't really steal my mom--she went willingly. :)) I know she was really looking forward to this event, and it's nice how they made her a focal point of the newspaper story (and she also spoke on TV). Congratulations, Mom! I hope those Americans appreciate you as much as WE do. :))

For Daddy: The Kids Doing Their Thing

Daddy has to be in Toronto for work this week, so I decided to do an entry about what the kids have been doing so far, with some photos and videos from the homefront.

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Yesterday evening, there was an unpleasant incident . . .

Andrea and Kevin were playing near each other on the floor. Andrea grabbed one of Kevin's toys, and for the first time, I saw him get a bit irritated with this--he appeared to be yelling at her! Anyway, I asked her to give it back to him, and what did she do? She threw it at him! It is a heavy, hard plastic toy, and it hit him just below the eye. He was stunned for a few seconds; then he started to wail. I was SO mad at Andrea. She clearly did it on purpose; but what was worse, was that even though I made it clear what she had done wrong and why, she didn't seem to care. She laughed it off. Since she clearly didn't care about Kevin, I punished her in the only way I knew would get her attention--I ignored her. It didn't take long before she caught on that Mommy didn't want to play with her anymore. Then she was sorry, and even hugged Kevin when I asked her to. Ugh. Passive aggressive little thing, isn't she?

The good thing is, children forgive and forget much more easily than adults. While I was still upset by the situation, Kevin was laughing at her again within minutes. When I put him to bed, he was as excited to see her in his room as ever! God Bless the little ones. :))

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Things were back to normal today. Andrea appeared a little more aware of Kevin, and seemed okay with his presence in her room while we were playing. It's funny how she always says, "Kevin's crying" when he squeals or laughs a lot. It also makes me frustrated when I say, "He likes you!" and she says, "No." But I think that's more of her toddler contrariness than an actual belief that he doesn't like her, so it doesn't worry me.

Anyway, today she was popping in and out of her playhouse, and making Kevin laugh.

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Kevin is a real wiggler. He can't sit still for a minute--he's so curious! In fact, I can't even get him to sit up because he never stays still enough to keep his balance! He's always tilting himself to get a better look at something, which causes him to topple over.

On the other hand, he doesn't really like being on his belly, so I think it will be awhile before he crawls. He has been voluntarily rolling himself onto his belly a lot lately, but he usually flips right back over. Of course, if he gets distracted or gets his arms pinned under him, he has a hard time of flipping onto his back. Today he was in that situation--struggling to flip back over, while keeping an eye on all the action. However, Andrea stepped in with a demonstration on how to roll over, and I think she inspired him!

Weekend Photos

Yesterday morning, I got out the camera to get some video of Kevin laughing at Andrea. But as soon as Andrea heard the velcro rip open on my camera case, she wanted to play photographer. As much as I remind her that my camera is not a toy, she still demands, "I click, Mama!" until I give in to her.

Andrea is laughing as she clambers up into my lap, in an attempt to wrestle the camera away from me!

This is a photo that Andrea took of Kevin. Not too shabby for a two and a half year old! Of course, I deleted the twenty or so practice shots she took . . .

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This afternoon, we went to Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Tony's for supper. Tony's sister Rita and her kids were there, too. We basically all got together to give the kids something to do, because everyone's getting cabin fever! Naturally, the kids had a riot, and burned off lots of energy. They played surprisingly well together. After supper, we lined them up on the couch to watch 4-Square and have some heart-shaped lollipops. Still, it was amazing how quietly and peacefully they all sat together on that couch!

As you can see, Kevin has a "baba" in lieu of a lollipop. :))

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After the kids vacated the couch, I got some cute pictures of Daddy playing with Kevin.

That's Daddy's Team Canada hat that Kevin's wearing. He's also wearing hockey Robeez and a hockey shirt.

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And my favourite . . . I just LOVE this picture . . .

Video For Grama Marty :))

I'm putting this up here, rather than crashing poor Grama Marty's email with a huge video file. Of course, everyone else can look at it, too!

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I had put away the big Winnie-the-Pooh puzzle pieces set that Grama Marty and Grampa Rick gave Andrea for Christmas a year or two ago, because I didn't think she'd know what to do with them yet. I re-discovered them the other day, and thought I'd let her check them out. I put them together first, and it took me about an hour before I realized it was actually a hopscotch game! I tried to teach Andrea how to play hopscotch. Her interpretation of the game: run back and forth, as fast as you can, across the puzzle-path! I also quickly realized that she's not so great at putting on the breaks, so some padding is needed at both ends of the path (loveseat - ottoman).

Watch what Andrea does when she hits the padding--and listen for Kevin's excited squeals. :))

Gone Skiing

Daddy's on a well-deserved ski trip this weekend. It's his annual trip up to Collingwood with the men.

Andrea has noticed his absence. Yesterday morning, she was confused when I got up with her, because Rod usually gets up with her in the morning. When we were in the bathroom, she suddenly said, "Shhhhh . . . Mama, Dada's sleeping! Dada's in da bed!" She thought I had let him sleep in. Then, today, after lunch, she came up and laid her head down in my lap and said softly, "My Dada? Want my Dada." Aw, it just about broke my heart. I promised her he'd be home tomorrow, when it got dark outside. :))

But the real reason I posted about this is that Andrea surprised me by doing something she hasn't done in about a year. Before she learned to walk, she used to pull the fat-catching trays from our indoor grill off the kitchen shelf and put them on her hands, and slide around like she was skating. Last night, she surprised me by trotting into the living room with the fat trays, placing them on her feet, and sliding across the living room floor, exclaiming, "I'm ski, Mama!" She was pumping her arms and everything! I had to laugh. She must have heard Rod and I discussing his trip, and remembered how she used to "ski" around the house. It's amazing how much toddlers pick up!

15 months old

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Now!

Kevin's 6-month Appointment

I took Kevin for his 6-month check-up and immunizations today. Here's the stats: he weighs 18.4 pounds, and is 28.5 inches long!

The visit itself went fine. Kevin is in good health, and developing normally. He only let out one little shriek after the second vaccination (the painful one). I think it helped that I stopped at the pharmacy downstairs and bought him some Tylenol drops, and gave them to him about an hour before he saw the doctor.

Of course, our appointment was at 10:00, and we didn't see the doctor until 11:45; but that's the norm in her office. I came prepared with toys, bottles, and blankets. He slept for about half an hour in the waiting room, then drank a bottle. He also spent some time charming the other patients, as usual.

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I brought a slight concern of mine to the doctor's attention. I have noticed, since Kevin was about a month or two old, that sometimes something seemed a little "off" about his eyes. It's hard to put into words. It isn't as obvious as a lazy eye; when Kevin looks straight at you, there's nothing unusual. However, if he looks sideways, or is following something with his eyes, it seems as if the right one doesn't exactly keep up with the left one. It's close, but it just seems a little bit slower. I hadn't mentioned it to the doctor before because I thought it was just part of baby learning to focus properly. But then, I knew Andrea's eyes hadn't done this. When I told her, and showed her, she didn't seem too worried, but said she'd check with her associate eye-specialist, and probably set up an appointment for Kevin, to get it evaluated.

I don't know if anyone else has noticed it. No one has said anything. Then again, people are probably hesitant to say, "Hey, there's something kind of odd about your baby's eyes sometimes!" I don't feel that it's a big deal, but being a watchful mommy, it has caught my attention for some time. I also trust my instincts. How many people told me Andrea was fine, when I pointed out how she stood on the insides of her feet--and which little girl ended up needing corrective inserts for her shoes, hmm? :))

Anyhow, I have one picture from a few months back that shows what I mean about Kevin's eyes. I remember thinking there was something a bit "off"about this picture when I saw it. He usually looks straight at the camera, so it's not noticeable.

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However, I think the real story to be told regards our journey to the doctor's office. Last night we had a brief winter storm--freezing rain, and a few good inches of snow. But I was stubbornly determined to take the bus to this appointment. I didn't want to bother anyone for yet another ride; and I certainly didn't want the expense, and more importantly, the questionable driving skills associated with a cab. I also decided on the bus I wanted to take (time-wise) about 10 minutes before it was due to arrive. Thus, see Julie rushing around frantically tossing blankets, diaper bag, and purse over one shoulder, and bundling poor Kevin in 3 layers with the other hand. Then see Julie carting all these things down the stairs, out into the garage, and loading them into the buggy. Then see Julie skid down the driveway and out onto the street (pure ice) with Kevin along for the joy-ride. Rod, leaving for work at the same time, looks as if he thinks Julie has lost her mind.

Besides the bus being 15 minutes late, no major incidents occurred until disembarking at the corner of Tecumseh and Walker. It was then that I really realized I had gone too far to turn back. The businesses around that very major intersection had not shoveled their sidewalks, or had only lightly salted them. Try pushing a stroller through that snow and sludge! That was bad, but trying to cross the street was literally life threatening! The curbs were so heaped with snow, and the medians were completely heaped up and unshoveled, so the stroller actually got stuck at least 4 times as I tried to cross the intersection. Racing against the light, I actually had the stroller up on two wheels (pop-a-wheelie-style) to plow through the snow. I even got so badly jammed at one point that I went around the front and dragged the buggy through the snow! Anyway, I daresay the motorists thought I was a crazy woman, let alone a bad mother! And of course, no mercy with the sludgy slush--a few big trucks went by when I was back on the sidewalk, and I got splashed all to he@&!

Kevin, as usual, took it all in stride. I peeked in on him a few times during my struggles, and he was perfectly serene.

In conclusion, what did I learn from this? Well, two very different things: 1) If Kevin and I can survive a bus trip on a day like this, we can do it anytime. 2) Strollers are not designed to handle ice and snow--so I don't care that I know I can do it. I won't.

Making New Mommy/Baby Friends

Kevin and I had an unusually active social schedule during the early part of this week. Monday and Tuesday were particularly exciting. On Monday, we attended a mommy/baby spa day; on Tuesday, we went to our morning swimming, and then for lunch and a movie at the mall!
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Jen, one of the mommies from swimming, invited several moms and babies to her house for a mommy/baby spa afternoon on Monday. Kevin and I went with Michelle and Parker. First, Jen's sister-in-law, Laura, taught us how to do baby massage. I think there were seven babies there: a 7-month-old, two 6-month-olds (Kevin and Parker), two 5-month-olds, a 2.5-month-old, and a tiny 10-day-old!

The littler babies weren't too keen on stripping down to their diapers (and a few were hungry!), but the 5 to 7-month olds were so excited to get naked!


Kevin LOVED his massage. After the first few strokes, he stretched out on his back and enjoyed the experience heartily.

After, the mommies got to do facial scrubs and facial lotions. The older boys were having so much fun in their diapers, that we let them continue to play with their clothes off! Parker was the life of the party--being the only one who can crawl, he was making the rounds to visit all his friends and their mommies.While the babies played/ate/slept as they desired, the mommies chatted about babies, birth, breastfeeding, and all other relevant mommy topics. It was so nice just to sit and talk with people who are sharing your same experiences. :))

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Tuesday morning, Michelle, Parker, Kevin, and I went to our morning swim class. I think it was more fun for us than them this week--we were getting them used to the feeling of water on their faces! This meant lots of splashing, pouring, and dunking! Parker didn't like the dunks too much. Kevin just looked really startled! But Kevin did like to play with the water spouts. He also gave me great big smiles when I stood him up on the edge, and helped him jump in the water. He also seemed to like laying on his belly and back in the shallow end, and wiggling himself around in the water.

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After swimming, Michelle and I headed straight to the mall. When we got there, we fed the boys as best we could (it's amazing how many places won't take two seconds to heat up some baby food for you!), and got ourselves some lunch at the food court. Soon after, the group of moms and babies going to the movies with us arrived. They all got lunch, too. I offered to watch the new arrivals while their moms got food. It was a surreal experience for me to be surrounded by so many little ones at once! This picture doesn't even show all of them! (I think there were seven.)

Kevin and Parker

We went to the "Stars and Strollers" matinee. Again, a surreal experience. They gave us a little goodie bag, compliments of Shoppers Drug Mart, with some lotion samples, etc. Then we went up the ramp to the movie theatres to where there was designated "stroller parking," and saw about 40 strollers lined up. We took out the babies, bags, and their carriers, and settled ourselves in the theatre. It's nice, because they don't put the sound too loud, and they keep the lights up a bit. Also, if a baby gets upset, well, no big deal! Everyone understands. :))

Kevin was awake for the first part of the movie. We were sitting pretty close to the screen, so he was mesmerized. Then, he started laughing at the movie! He thought it was hilarious! But soon he got sleepy, and I laid him in the carrier. He woke up once during the movie, but went back to sleep a few minutes later. He was such a good boy! It was an enjoyable experience. I would do it again, but maybe not on a swim-class day--we were both pretty worn out by the time we got home.

(By the way, we saw "Juno": it's a wonderful, quirky movie, with great characters. I recommend it.)

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"See my tooth? It's poking through, a little above mom's finger!"

Kevin Moments (and some comparisons)

I feel like I've been putting up lots of cute posts about Kevin lately, and not all that much about Andrea. Then again, Andrea had a blog all to herself for a year and a half, so I guess she'll forgive me for dedicating a little extra time to Kevin in this one!

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Kevin's first teeth started to come through a couple of days ago. He is getting the bottom, middle teeth in first, just like Andrea did (and within days of the same age, too). It's funny how excited we mommies get over baby's first teeth! I keep peeking in to see how they're coming along (very slowly!), and rubbing his gums to feel if they've broken through (one has). Kevin doesn't mind--it feels good when I rub his gums. :)) So far he's been handling it well--no fever, sleeping normally, and only a little whining. I remember Andrea handled teething well, too.

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On Thursday, I spent some time playing with the kids on my bed. Both of them think that's a great treat! They were so cute and cuddly and funny and lovable that I just had to snap a few pictures. Sometimes it's the simplest moments spent with the babies that are the best!

close, but not too close :))

precious baby smiles

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This week, Kevin has discovered that he is finally able to reach the fish on his swing's mobile. He has been fascinated with them for months, and now he can actually swat them! The joy he gets out of this activity is infectious. I remember that Andrea was about the same age as Kevin when she discovered that she could reach the fish. It's bitter-sweet how each new development of Kevin's takes me back to the moments when Andrea achieved the same things.

Andrea Kevin

Kevin's reaction to the discovery he can now reach his "fishies," though, is quite ecstatic. He shrieks, and laughs hysterically, as he tries to get them. Of course, Mommy gets him all riled up by squealing, "Get the fishies! Get the fishies!"

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However, sometimes Mommy is busy when Kevin wants to play. If he's stuck in his swing, and I'm out of the room, he has a unique way of getting my attention. There's a colourful chain of baby teething links attached to his swing tray, and he pulls them back and forth so they rattle loudly. The sound reminds me of a prisoner rattling his metal cup along the bars to get the warden's attention!