Girls' Day Out

So apparently this post never posted! This was written back in the end of October. I was having all kinds of problems with blogspot...

Isabella has been feeling a little "needy" lately, wanting to be with Mommy way more than usual. She never has been one to want to snuggle or just climb up on my lap and want to sit with me...until a few weeks ago when her life changed due to a new little brother. So Kevin suggested I take her out for some much needed girl time together.

Last Saturday we went to the mall together and had a great time. We walked in and she immediately spotted the elevator which has glass on the back half that overlooks the rest of the mall. She thought it was soooo cool and so we took a ride. We got in, and of course she pressed the "up" button, and when we got to the top, the doors opened and people were standing there waiting for us to get off. I had to explain that we were just on there for a fun ride and were going back down :) She thought it was pretty fun. This girl must be too sheltered!!!

Back down on the first floor, we went in a few girly stores where she looked through the clothes racks. We even danced together to one upbeat song that was playing! In Gymboree, she wanted to watch the show that was playing on the tv, and of course thought that I, too, should sit in one of the little tiny chairs next to her and watch as well. So I did.

Our next stop was at Build-A-Bear. I always thought this place was frivolous, pricey, and somewhere I'd never go. But today was our special day together, so we went in and made an adorable bear for her to remember just how special she is. She chose a super soft pink cuddly bear. The process is actually really cool. You choose the "shell" of the bear/animal you want, and then you take it over and they put it on the machine which blows the stuffing into the arms, legs and body. Before they sew it up, you get to put a little red heart inside as well as a sound device if you choose. (I found out after they had sewed it up that I could record my own message and put it inside, so we ended up having them open the bear up to put it in. As they were opening it up, they ripped the poor bear, so she actually got to go through the process twice. Twice the fun!) I recorded "I love you, Isabella" on a sound device, so when she presses the bear's foot, that's what it plays. She liked it :) Then she got to give the bear an "air" bath. When you press the foot pedal, air blows out of the showerhead! Very cute!!

I let her pick out one accessory, which was very hard since there are SO VERY many things from which to choose. She ended up choosing a pink corduroy/tulle skirt. Then you can register and name your bear, creating a birth certificate for it. We both had lots of fun!

After we were done, we then went to Cheryl's Cookies for a snack. She picked out an M&M's chocolate chip cookie, and I had the same. We sat at one of the little bistro tables and had our snack together. She enjoyed picking off all of the M&M's to eat first, then devoured the rest of the cookie! She loves her chocolate!!! Then we walked back to the car, after another ride on the elevator. She loved carrying both her bear in his box and the drink all the way through the mall. Hot stuff! :)

1 Month Pics

1 Month Old

Happy 1 month, Chase! This month has been lots of fun but very tiring. It doesn't seem possible that it's already October and that I've had a month of sleepless nights already! My days all seem to run together as there is no clear start or end to them. But it's all so worth it. He is so precious to us!

Travis and Isabella both still LOVE him. The newness definitely has not worn off, and Kevin and I have to fight Travis for any cuddle time with Chase. Isabella likes to give him hugs and kisses as well as give him his pacifier, whether he needs it or not!

When we brought Chase home, he had skinny little legs, but now he is quite the chunker! He had his one month checkup today, and even though I could tell that he has chunked up and grown, I didn't realize just how much! He weighed in today at 11 lbs., 12 oz. - over a 4 lb. gain since he was in the hospital! (He was 8 lbs., 1 oz. at birth, but dropped down to 7.11 I believe.) He has also grown 2 inches - up to 23.5 inches long!! He's in the 75th percentile for weight, 90th percentile for height, but just the 25th percentile for his head circumference! He has a little grape :)

Another noteworthy occurence over the past month was Kevin and my 10th anniversary. The "big" kids spent the day at Grandma & Grandpa's, and Kevin and I just hung out and went out for lunch and dinner, then ended the evening by stopping at a few stores before picking up the kids. Not exactly what we had envisioned a year ago of how we would be celebrating, but as they say, a baby changes EVERYTHING!

You can see some more adorable pictures of Chase from the past 2 weeks by clicking here.

1 week old

Chase is already one week old! This past week has FLOWN and is a complete blur! Here are a few pics from our crazy week!

Monday he had his checkup at the pediatrician, and was almost back up to his birth weight at 5 days old. (He was 8lbs. even.) That was our only "outting" so far!

Chase Evan Yankovich

Chase Evan Yankovich was born on 9-9-9 at 4:03pm. He weighed 8 lbs., 1.3 oz., and was 21 1/2 inches long! He is a very healthy boy with a full head of very dark hair! You can view some first day pics by going here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=149928&id=637970375&l=fa92c61b9e

Boy, oh BOY! It's Mother's Day!

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and this year I am celebrating being Mommy to two beautiful children as well as one that I've only seen in ultrasound pictures so far! I love being Mommy. It's the only "career" goal I've really ever had. It's the most precious gift that God has ever given to me. My family is my life. Travis & Isabella are so different, but both so special to me. I thank God for every day He has given me with them.

Last week, we were in for a big surprise as we found out we are having another BOY!! We were very shocked as both Kevin & I thought for sure we were going to have another girl. Another little baseball player. Another little set of muddy hands and feet after a long day playing with frogs and dirt :) Another little munchkin to snuggle with and give kisses to. I can't wait!

Here is a clip of what his "voice" sounds like right now. I will try to scan in the ultrasound pictures tomorrow.

Isabella's 2nd Birthday

I can't believe that Isabella is already 2! Our little "Pumpkin Pie" is getting old! :) She is saying more and more words every day, repeating EVERYTHING and coming out with new phrases all the time. I remember thinking that 2 was that magical age when Travis started talking and really communicating, and she's living right up to that as well. There are still phrases that she will say and we will have a hard time figuring out what she is talking about, but she is really doing well. It's fun when they can do more than just cry when something is wrong or actually be able to tell you what is so exciting to them!

Isabella's interests at 2 years old: SHOES, SHOES and MORE SHOES!! She is constantly switching out which shoes she is wearing every half hour it seems. Her shoes are always scattered all around the house, as are mine, Kevin's, and Travis's, as she is always trying on whatever shoes look like fun at the moment, and then wearing them until she decides to go find another pair to try. She is definitely a girl and has her own ideas of what she should wear in the morning. If I pick out a shirt that she doesn't approve of, she will definitely let me know and reach down and find one that she DOES like! It's rather funny. She is still into her baby dolls as well and likes to put diapers on them and, yes, tries to put SHOES on them as well. :)

She also loves her big brother and mimics all of his antics on a regular basis. They get along really well for the most part. It's really fun to watch them play together. In the back yard, Travis will always help her out with whatever she is trying to do. For instance, we have 2 slides - one off of the treehouse, and one that you have to climb a ladder to get up. She can't quite make it up the one with the ladder, so Travis picks her up and totally helps her up. Then they both go down the slide together - with her on his lap! It's cute. He also helps her up onto the glider on the swingset and will brush her off if she falls and gets her hands dirty - which is something she hates (the getting the hands dirty, not the being brushed off)! Of course they have their moments, but don't we all :)

We had her birthday party here at the house and it was REALLY low-key. I did not have the energy to do much of anything, and planning even the food for the party was not done until last minute. I was still battling "morning" sickness, which was more afternoon/evening sickness for me, and energy was non-existent! BUT, the party turned out to be a really enjoyable evening with family. My parents were able to come out for the weekend and spend some time with us, which was a lot of fun and the kids LOVED having them here. Kevin's parents and sister (& her family) were able to be there for the party as well. Isabella was hilarious as she ripped through the gifts. She definitely has a very nice wardrobe for the summer now!

As for her 2-year stats, she kind of cheated on the weight portion. She had been sick for a good week before her appointment and had lost some weight as a result. She weighed in at 25 lbs, 8 oz (25th percentile); height: 35 1/2" tall (90th percentile); and her head was 19".

Below are a few pictures from the evening. The rest can be seen by clicking HERE.

New boots to match her raincoat!

New heels to tromp around the house!

Can you tell she was NOT into her photo shoot?!?! We need to re-try this again some day soon!

Of course Travis was easy...

Travis's First Hockey Game

Back in March, Kevin took Travis to his first NHL game. Even though the Blue Jackets didn't score at all, they had a blast. It was free hat night, so they each got green Blue Jackets hats. Not sure why they were green, but it didn't seem to phase the guys! Here are a few more pics:

Before the game

Drinking the traditional Pepsi

I'm SURE he NEEDED this...

The BIG arch
Travis had to take a pic of Daddy after the game at home:

Stitches & Stuff

This week has been very busy to say the least! Sunday started off the week with Kevin's 33rd birthday. After church our small group had a potluck, and then we had an enjoyable relaxing afternoon and evening.

Travis's preschool class has been talking about community workers, so they went to the Central Ohio Fire Museum on Tuesday, and I drove 5 kids (including Travis & Isabella). The kids learned about fire safety and were showed the fire trucks from the olden days. They got to slide down a pole and play in the front of a staged fire truck! They also learned that matches are not toys and what to do if they find them laying around. What did I learn? That 5 rowdy kids with carseats/boosters do NOT fit easily in the back of an Explorer and make for a very tired driver by the end of the day!



On Thursday, Kevin went in to Travis's school to talk about police work. He had a great time and showed them his hat, handcuffs (put Travis in cuffs!), gave them police badge stickers and even was able to bring a police car for the kids to see. Travis thought it was sooo cool to have Daddy at his school. I can remember that feeling when I was young and my dad would bring his cruiser and talk to my class :)

When I picked Travis up at lunchtime, I asked him what his friends said about Daddy coming and talking to his class, and he said, "They said he was like 180 cool!" Now to give you a background to the comment, Travis rates everything these days by numbers, and 180 or 189 is the very biggest/best. For instance, he will tell you how much he loves you by saying, "I love you 189!" and rates how pretty I am (189) and how handsome Kevin is (1) - according to him! Hahaha. He knows how to make us laugh!

Kevin had a few funny comments from the kids while he was there. Of course there were the usual questions ("Did you ever shoot a bad guy?"), but after a little girl answered a question correctly and Kevin said, "Yes, that's right!", she said, "I know, I am the smartest one here!" Another comical comment was from one of Travis's friends. When Kevin, in his uniform, walked in with Travis, his friend said, "Wow, Travis, your Dad's a Police Officer?!?! Mine's just a lawyer." (poor kid! haha)



Friday night we were able to leave the kids at Grandma & Grandpa Y's and go out to the Cheesecake Factory with friends for a much-needed night out. We had a great time, and from the sounds of it, so did the kids. The food was great, and of course so was the friendship.

However, the most noteworthy event of the week occurred this morning (Saturday). We had just gotten to the church to help clean some of the rooms with our Small Group, and Travis was running down the hallway with a friend, tripped, and his head quickly met up with the corner of a wall. I was downstairs, and all I heard was Travis crying, saying "Mommy!!" and I knew it wasn't a good thing. Kevin was bringing him downstairs and just said to me, "Grab your stuff. We're going to the hospital. He split his head open." Travis was crying saying, "I don't want my head split open!!!" and "I don't want to go to the hospital - am I going to have to stay for a really long time???" I think the whole drama of it was more upsetting than the actual cut was hurting. I remember thinking when I was young that if you "split your head open" that your head was basically in 2 halves with your brain exposed. I'm sure something along those lines was going through his mind at the time.

We jumped in the car and went to the Children's Close to Home Urgent Care. (For those who don't know, here in Ohio they have centers where you can go if it's not a life or death emergency so you don't have to go to the main hospital's emergency room during regular hours.) The lab portion was open when we got there, but the Urgent Care didn't open for another hour, so we watch The Little Mermaid while we waited. He was doing fine with very little bleeding, so I figured a few pictures wouldn't hurt :) (I still had my camera in my purse from all of the events of the week.)



When we went back to see the doctor, we ended up in the same room where he had gotten his cast almost 2 yrs. ago. Travis was SOOOO brave. They put numbing gel on first, and then when they did the stitches, he got to wear blue star-shaped sunglasses so the bright light wouldn't bother him. He layed on the table very still and wasn't the least bit scared - no crying or fussing at all! The nurse asked him if he was in 2nd grade? 3rd grade? 1st grade?? She couldn't believe it when he said he was in Preschool! He was the best/bravest little boy they'd seen in a LONG time. Everyone there was SO nice. They stitched and stitched and stitched, and finally 12 blue stitches later, they were done.

He will have to have them taken out in 5 days, and they do expect some scarring. Guess that's what little boys are all about. Thankfully it is up by his hairline, so I'm hoping it won't be too noticeable. They recommended (after it is healed over) to put sunscreen on it every morning and vitamin E on it every night to minimize the scar. I've also seen the commercials for the Mederma (which now has sunscreen in it), so I think we'll be stocking up on that as well. If anybody has any other tips, let us know!



We stopped at McDonald's on the way home for a treat and Travis got a pretty cool Spiderman toy, which he has been playing with all day. As good as this week was for taking pictures and blogging, I'm hoping for a less eventful week next week!

Additional pictures from the week (not all gross!) can be seen by clicking here.

Christmas 2008

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Travis was sooo very excited - all month, and probably well before that, too! Every day he would ask, "How many more "naps" until Christmas??" (It's funny he still says "naps" because he hasn't taken a nap in well over a year. By "naps" he now means nights/periods of sleeping.) Isabella was excited just because Travis was excited - his enthusiasm was very contagious!

Christmas Eve was a blast. We made cookies for Santa and left them on a plate along with some milk and carrots for Rudolph. The "cookie-making" consisted of purchased dough spooned onto the cookie sheets, which was promptly eaten by Isabella!

After we finally got the kids in bed, it was a LONG time before Travis finally fell asleep - I'm gonna guess it was at least close to midnight, if not after. The gifts finally made their way under the tree, and it was a very late, but enjoyable, evening.
Christmas morning started just how we had hoped - with the kids sleeping until about 9:30am!! Kevin had worked that night and got home around 7AM, so we let him "sleep in" until 10ish, when Grandma & Grandpa came over and we got started opening gifts. You can see the excitement in the kiddos' eyes in this picture:
Isabella's favorite gifts were a new baby doll and a stroller, which she non-stop pushed round and round the house, only stopping to "feed" the baby plastic bingo chips, or to wrap her up in a blanket before continuing on the stroll. It was rather precious! :)

Travis's Christmas was very successful from his viewpoint, as he got a light saber, Incredible Hulk boxing gloves, 2 guns from Santa (which I keep getting ambushed with), a remote controlled space shuttle, and the Wii, just to name a few!! He hasn't been bored yet!

We ended the day by spending an enjoyable afternoon & evening at Stephanie's house (Kevin's sister) with family.

The rest of our December 2008 pics can be seen by clicking here. (Note, to view larger images of the pictures, click on the first picture, then click the "Next" link at the top to scroll through them.)