The Best Day Ever!

Here's my idea of the perfect day:
1. Charlie sleeps through the night: check
2. The 2nd Christmas tree is lit and decorated and the stockings are hung: check

2nd tree, even more beautiful than the 1st!

Are you up there Santa?

3. No school today because of the beautiful snow outside: check
4. Dancing in our pj's all day long: check

Dance girl, dance!

 

Charlie : Big O Salesman of the Year!

  

A lot of people have been asking how Charlie has been doing lately: so here's the update:  We spent over 4 hours at a pediatric allergist (and my old pediatrician who is the most wonderful man alive!) yesterday trying to determine why Chuck sounds the way he does. He definitely has fluid in his ears from the ear infection he had this weekend which perforated.  The fluid should go away on its own... but if not he might have to get tubes (which most kids have).  But,  the extra drainage is caused by Charlie's "twitchy lungs" in which:

1. Airways become more narrow, making it hard for air to move in and out. Tightening of the muscles surrounding the airways (bronchoconstriction), extra mucus and swelling of the airway linings all add to the narrowing, which is called obstruction.
2. Airways become super-sensitive or hyper-reactive to things that do not bother people with normal lungs. The "twitchy" lungs over-react even to cold air, exercise and smoke. The airway narrowing or obstruction and "twitchiness" cause the asthma symptoms which usually come in new "waves" called flares or attacks.

    We are treating Charlie by giving him a nebulizer twice a day with steroids to help open up his airways.  He also will do nose spray once a day to help with his drainage.  His chest x-rays are perfectly fine! Great looking lungs!  Dr. Garcia called him a Big O Tire Salesman because he is so healthy and big!  The brochiolitis that he got in August triggered these asthmatic symptoms and every time he gets a cold or bug, we hit a set back in getting him to 100%. 

  Even though Matt and I love his daycare we have decided to pull Charlie out this year to lessen the occurrences of illness.  Caroline will continue to go as usual (she is so social and smart... we couldn't take her out:)  My mom and Cathy will help to watch him during the day and hopefully Matt's cousin Kaitlin.
   Charlie is such a wonderful baby; after 6 hours of doctors and x-rays yesterday he didn't cry once!  And we discovered that he has cut a tooth!  Such a big happy boy... and now we know who is perfectly healthy... just needs a little TLC!

Big enough to sit on lap? Not yet!!!!!!!

P.S> we did do allergy testing, and I am happy to know that he has a peanut and egg allergy (so I can be careful what to give him when he turns one).  Most kids grow out of these allergies... in fact Dr. Garcia called his peanut allergy a "placenta allergy" that babies get in the womb if their mom craves peanuts during pregnancy.  Maybe I should have laid off the PB&J's!
  On a sad note we found out that he is not allergic to Christmas trees (which I dumped on Monday), but dust mites.  So, technically it is better for us to get a live tree and spray it with pollen and mold killer than getting a fake tree because it collects dust.  So, today I will head to the big HD for our second tree of the season!

On a happier note:  Daddy and Caroline enjoyed the snow this weekend while Charlie and I stayed warm inside putting up decor.  Caroline made her first snow girl and had her first sled ride of the season:

Randy

Little Red Sled

Snow Daddy

Frosty the Armless Snow Girl

Thanks Thanks Thanks

So the Mullers headed to chilly Michigan for Thanksgiving with Pap Pap and Lu Lu!  We had a wonderful time relaxing with the family; Uncle Andrew and "Aunt" Ali came up from Charleston, our friends Ron and Mary came to hang with their son, we played Wii, drank pom pom martinis, and ate ourselves into oblivion.  I have to say that my mother-in-law Carolyn is one of the best cooks imaginable.  And the beauty of it is she can whip up delicacies so fast you don't even know she's made them until their sitting in front of you!

Car Ride to Pap Pap's

Charlie's ready for more Thanksgiving peas.... so thankful for food!

Uncle Doo Doo and Spidey

Headed off to the Thanksgiving Day Race... in a few years Charlie!

It's weird to say but believe it or not my kids saw Santa three times BEFORE Thanksgiving.  Good Lord, has our country really gone so far into making a profit that we put Santa on display before Thanksgiving?  We should at least keep him hidden until after he makes his appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade! (By the way I think Caroline's new goal in life is to become a Rocket!)

Dressing up for Ho Ho

Third visit with Santa... two weeks ago!

CHARLIE

4 Things to Love Most About Charlie at 4 Months:

1.  He's 18 1/2 pounds of squishy lovin!  Those cheeks, those chunky legs, the little roly-poly feet that for the life of me cannot be sqeezed into shoes.  The kids loves to snuggle; and he gets snuggled most of the day. He has mastered the art of eating rice cereal and a couple of days ago we started him on sweet potatos.  The kid loves to eat!  I remember feeding Caroline solids and it took her a couple of days to get used to each food we introduced.  Not Chuck, I think that if you put dirt on a spoon the kid would eat it and then smile for more!  Tonight it's on to bananas!

You're coming back with that spoon, right?

2.  He's as easy going as can be.  On June 2nd, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. Charlie quitely came into this world.  After whimpering just a bit, he calmly nestled into my arms, opened his big eyes and began taking in everything around himCharlie can sit on a lap, in his rocker or exosaucer and takes a passive interest in the world around him.  Yesterday I took him to lunch with my mother-in- law and Caroline.  As I'm entertaining, forcing food, and trying to discipline my two year old I hate to admit that I sometimes I neglect to entertain Charles.  After realizing that my second might want a bit of attention too, I peer into his carseat and my heart is warmed by the huge smile on his face.  He seemed to be saying "Hey Mom, it's cool... I'm happy and content just to be here!" 

3. His laugh.  There is nothing better than a baby's laugh.  Even though it's hard to believe I have been fortunate enough to have both of my kids first full belly laughs on film.  And surprisingly they both are super amused by Layla the dog!  Caroline loves to make Charlie "happy" and he will laugh at her for what seems like hours:

4.  He's trying hard to keep up.  The other day I picked Charlie up from school (day care) and his teacher proclaimed that she thought he was trying to crawl.  Being the second to youngest in his class she says that he will sit back and watch the other kids scoot around, roll on his belly, get his legs a-kickin and start to scooch centimeter by centimeter on his big little belly.  I took him home that night, laid him on his play mat, and by George, she was right!  He's a pretty observant little guy and he knows that his sister can move and shake and he wants to be groovin right along with her! 

Just you wait!

Trick-or-Treat! Smell My Feet! Give Me Something Good to Eat!

I have this feeling that I might have been a little bit more excited about Halloween than Caroline was this year.  I think it's so much fun to have little kids around during the holidays.  Mind you... Matt and I had plenty of fun dressing up with our friends for the My Morning Jacket concert the Friday before Halloween:

OHHH Domino!

Jehovas

But, this is the first year that Caroline really understands whats going on (sort of).  We decorated the house with all sorts of witchy-poos, carved our Jack-o-Lantern with a happy face, cooked pumpkin seeds, went trick-or-treating to a total of three houses before our headless horseman neighbor next door freaked her out, and had a blast running to the door to pass out candy to all of our trick-or-treaters.  And the parties... she was so excited to have her first big party at school; we went to Target and picked out decorations, and her and Charlie wore their costumes to school and got to trick-or-treat to all of the different classrooms and offices.  Before we went out for candy in our neighborhood we went to my mom's for the neighborhood party (which Daddy loved because they served Sky Line coney dogs!)  Here are some pics from the big day (p.s. Charlie slept through most of it:)

Making Jack: Caro liked to decorate with the guts!

Hello Smiley Jack!

Mommy and the baby giraffes

Giraffes with Mimi

By the way:  I'm already gearing up for Santa.  The Elf on the Shelf is ready to come out the day after Thanksgiving (hopefully him reporting back to Santa every night will minimize the time out time spent on the stairs), and I have already graciously offered up my youngest child to be the Christ in my school's nativity play (but already at 18.4 lbs, he might be a super huge newborn by then)

This is Halloween... Halloween, Halloween!

   The Mullers are blogging again! We've been a super busy bunch this month; going to football games (Charlie went to his first St. X v Trinity game), getting people super sick (sorry everyone), visiting the Zoo Halloween party, picking pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, and meeting all of our new neighbors at the annual neighborhood Halloween party. 

Super fun Zoo party where my kids sweated it out as giraffes (when is this heat wave going to end?): 

The cutest giraffe ever!

Daddy the big clown!

Caro and her favorite princess, Belle.

                                                 

Go get that candy girls!  Don't mind your horse's broken neck... just ride Avy, ride!

                                                             

Family Pumpkin Picking is loads of fun!  

Riding the horse... not so much fun.

Fun and games in the hood... Caro didn't really get the concept of this game, somehow she still won the big witchy-poo windsock that now hangs from our tree in the front yard.

   I am so proud of my kids, as I usually am.  Caroline is excelling in preschool, surprising Matt and I everyday with the new things that she's learned.  She knows how to "Stop, Drop, and Roll", how to draw a "C", and say her alphabet.  Last night she wowed me when she gently put her little hand under my chin and said "Mommy, you listen to me... you listen to me and we do not hit!"  Uh-Oh.  Matt and I exchanged the worried parent glances .... is our child "that" kid in class (all of you teachers know who "THAT" kid is).  But, no, her teachers swear that she is not that kid... but she does a lot of observing.  Maybe one day she'll be a teacher like her mom.  After scolding me she grabbed her notebook and pen to take "roll"  :

leader of the pack (too hot for the giraffe snow suit)

Caro:  "What your name?"

Me:  "Mommy."

scribble, scribble, scribble

Caro: "What your last name?"

Me: "Muller, Mommy Muller is my name."

scribble, scribble, scribble

This continues to Matt, Charlie, Layla and her 8 grandparents (who aren't there), Eloise from her favorite book, and a few choice stuffed animals.

Yes, an organized little teacher in the making, already honing her roll taking and classroom management skills.

Charlie on the other hand, who we still call "George and Weezy" because of the bronchitis; which they say could last all winter, is the sweetest baby ever.  Always happy and content, Charles goes through life with a smile on his face, and a constant look of wonder and amazement in his eyes. And boy can his sister make him laugh, laugh, laugh! My next blog will be dedicated to Charlie, who will be four months on the 2nd.  I still can't believe how different my children are; both great babies, but even how they came into this world in their own distinct ways.  Caroline... lighting up the room with her humongous eyes and loud cry after 6 hours of pushing; and Charlie who slid out after not even an hour of pushing as quiet as he could be.

the curious little giraffe

Mommy and her best boy