Snow!

No, no snow today. These pictures are from a few weekends ago - it snowed on a Saturday morning but it was gone by naptime! Luckily we got outside to play before the snow melted away.

Sean was excited to bundle up in his boots, mittens, snowpants, hat, and jacket.

He brought out his "shubbel" so he could help clear up some of the snow...

Sean went flying down the slide - it was so slippery!

Then we went for a walk and did kung-fu with sticks on every puddle on the path.

It was a long walk :-)

The next day, we got a little more snow and Sean was so happy to help clean off the cars!

He wasn't such a big fan of slippin' and slidin' around on the icy ground, though - poor buggins.

Makeover!

Sean's been looking pretty shaggy lately - a kind of shaggy that Mommy can't fix with a few stolen snips of the scissors here and there.

Mad scientist?

We needed a pro to take these locks, so I made an appointment for Sean to get his first official hair cut at a nearby kids' salon.

The salon was awesome.  There was a chalkboard and toys, as well as "Bolt" playing in the waiting area. When it was Sean's turn he got to choose from several different types from chairs and he chose a frog chair and a smock decorated with doggies.

Luckily the frog chair was right in front of a TV which was also playing the movie so Sean didn't miss a scene... and barely noticed the haircut. He hardly flinched, except when the stylist sprayed water on his hair.

The stylist was a pro - the whole thing took about 8 minutes, I think.  Afterwards, Sean got a stamp on his hand and got to pick a lollipop.

He looks so nice and neat and handsome - and grown up now!

Quarterly report?

Back in July, I thought that every three months I would publish a post comparing the Sooy Babies' Winnie photos.  But I was late posting the first one in September and accidently skipped the second one.  Whoopsie.  So here's a comparison of Winnie photos for months five through nine!

Five months:

Sean at six months (18 lbs 9 oz, and 27 in tall)

Clare at six months (19 lbs 6 oz and 27.25 in tall)

Seven months:

Eight months:

And nine months... Sean (20 lbs 10 oz and 28 in tall)

Clare (22 lbs 7.5 oz and 29.25 in tall)

Siiiick

Poor Baby Clare - she had a sick visit today. I think it was her first one! That cough that the doctor said to keep an eye on at her the well visit a couple of weeks ago stuck around and it got worse this weekend - now she's coughing, she's wheezing, she's fussing, and she's tired but isn't sleeping comfortably. Poor honey. She was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and an ear infection.  We've got medicine and nebulizer treatments, so hopefully she'll be feeling better soon.

Darla

A teacher at Sean's school brought in some stuffties and Sean came home with a new blue bear who he named "Darla."



Sean usually doesn't mind Baby Clare playing with his stuffed friends, but Darla must be special since he'd rather share his Cheerios with Baby Clare than Darla.

After dinner, Darla made the trip upstairs and helped entertain the kids while Mommy put away some laundry.  She also hung out with us while we did bath and booktime before bed, but Sean asked that Darla sleep in the rocking chair with his Woody doll.

So, Bear and Monkey - your station is secure for now as bedtime friends. Sleep tight!

Finally, some evening entertainment, courtesy of Darla:

9 month well visit

Baby Clare had her nine month well visit last week!  Despite a little cough, the doctor said she looks great - very healthy :-)  The appointment was pretty nuts - I was tasked with filling out a questionnaire asking me about Baby Clare's motor skills, but Clare kept taking the pen away from me and ended up marking up her belly. Luckily the doctor understood.

Sean asked the doctor tons of questions (Why you looking in Baby Clare's ears, doctor? Why you using the tethocope on her? Why the doctor gonna put it on her back? Why on her back? What's that light doing, doctor? Can you see her eyes? What in Baby Clare's eyes? Can I see too?)

Sean was such a sweetie when Baby Clare got her shot - she cried and cried and Sean kept saying, "It okay Baby Clare, no crying, okay honey?" She got over her shot pretty quickly and we got everyone bundled up and out the door with minimal fussing :-)

And here are Baby Clare's stats at nine months!

Height: 29.25 inches (95th percentile)

Weight: 22 lbs 7.5 oz (95th percentile)

Head: 18.5 inches around (99th percentile)

*smooch smooch*

Happy Valentines's Day from our little Sooy sweeties!

Hoping that your day was a little bit silly...

a little bit sweet...

or a little bit of both!  And maybe you even got a kiss without having to bribe somebody with a Disney Channel show :-)

I asked Sean if he was my Valentine and he said, "No way!  I your Buggins!"  Then I asked him if Baby Clare was his Valentine and he said, "Nope, she my baby.  She my baby tister.  I love her."  Finally, I asked him if Daddy is his Valentine and he said, "Yes, Mommy." Awwwww.

A clip show post?

Well here we are - 500 posts - a little more than three years after our first post announcing the impending arrival of a certain little boy.  I was trying to think of how commemorate this blog milestone on this babybook/scrapbook and I think the best way is to highlight some of my favorite posts.

The first is the post I wrote on Sean's due date - April 30.  We were so excited to meet our Sooy Baby and "April 30" was a date that had held a lot of meaning for us for nealry nine months.  When the 30th came and then it went, I think we were relieved, baffled, nervous, and a little unsure of what would happen on May 1st and there was no baby in our house!
http://newsooy.blogspot.com/2009/04/happy-due-date-sooy-baby.html
But of course, Sean ended up making his appearance and it was amazing - he was amazing!
http://newsooy.blogspot.com/2009/05/here-he-is.html

After following Sean's first summer filled with trips to the beach, sporting events, and just hanging around the house, we followed him as he transitioned from only drinking bottles to eating solid foods. Although he was NOT a fan of green beans, he did like sweet potatoes: http://newsooy.blogspot.com/2009/10/sweet-potatoes.html

Sean's surgery in November 2009 for hydronephrosis was stressful, but we were so relieved and so grateful that everything with the surgery turned out okay. We were so proud of our little boy - he did so well with the whole hospital experience. http://newsooy.blogspot.com/2009/11/hospital-pictures.html

This post - Sean's nine month Winnie post - really showed off how wiggly, squiggly, and roly poly Sean had become.

Sean started walking exactly one week before his first birthday and it was really fun to capture each wobbly, tottery, exciting step.
http://newsooy.blogspot.com/2010/05/under-table.html

We took time to celebrate Sean and Pepper's relationship and I'm so glad we did. http://newsooy.blogspot.com/2010/07/pepperdog-and-seanybear.html

Of course, the posts announcing the Newest Sooy and that the baby would make Sean a big brother to a baby sister are near and dear to our hearts.

Sean's first visit with Santa was a blast.  It was fun experiencing Christmas through his eyes and getting excited about each and every twinkly light.  http://newsooy.blogspot.com/2010/12/tanta.html

Our trip to Spain was fun and it was so cool to experience a new country and culture with the Buggins in tow.

We started to encounter signs of toddler behavior.  Hitting, biting and the word "no!" became topics of daily conversation at our house.  http://newsooy.blogspot.com/2011/02/misbehavin.html

We welcomed the arrival of spring by spending time playing outside and trying to get last-minute things done for the new baby as well as enjoy being a family of three.

Clare's arrival in May (only 8 days late) was a joyous occasion and Sean was really excited to meet his new baby sister.  http://newsooy.blogspot.com/2011/05/shes-here.html

Since Clare's arrival our family feels like it's changing everyday - both in big ways and in little ways.

Even if we're too busy getting through the day to notice everyday, it really is amazing to watch Sean and Clare grow up together and interact with each other. We're very lucky to have this blog to document big and little moments in their lives - here's to 500 more!