Tag Archives: Ila

Isaac’s Field Day

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On Tuesday was Isaac’s Field day.  I was a little nervous about taking my three girls by myself, but since I knew I was likely to see some other mothers whom I had met that might be able to help in a pinch, I decided to give it a shot.  I love that Nicole’s sign is upside-down in this pic and she looks bored.5.11.10 Field Day (4)I knew Isaac wanted us to be there.  He even suggested that we make signs that said “go Isaac with two exclamation points.”  As you can see, we followed his suggestion.  Charlotte was a great sign holder and held up her sign every time Isaac ran or she thought he might run.5.11.10 Field Day (7) Isaac is always very concerned about doing what’s right and not getting into trouble.  He was afraid to even hug his mom without his teacher’s permission, at lest at first he was.  I’m glad that he’s consciences, but I worry that he doesn’t stand up for himself and get what he needs.  Here he is lined up for his first race.5.11.10 Field Day (10) I wasn’t able to get a picture of it, but while most kids were focused on the finish line and running as fast as they could, Isaac was searching the sidelines as he ran and ended up being the slowest kid in every race.  Here he is getting ready for the sack race5.11.10 Field Day (14) The ‘Pony Express’ race was a relay race with 4 other teams competing.  Isaac’s team came in last place, but they had ribbons for all 4 teams so Isaac ran to me after the race with his white ribbon and announced that he his team won!5.11.10 Field Day (22) Apparently an employee of Tennessee State Bank has a kid at Mount Olive, so these guys pulled up and started cooking hotdogs.  They gave everyone who came up the hill to the truck free hotdogs, chips, and water.  The guy who grilled the meat also helped me to my car when he saw me hobbling up the hill with my overloaded stroller in one hand, Nicole in the other, and Charlotte trailing behind me.5.11.10 Field Day (29) The girls didn’t really eat the hotdogs, but they thought the water was great!5.11.10 Field Day (31) It got really hot out and the Kindergarten tarp was right in the sun, so towards the end of the morning, we broke out the umbrella we had brought to provide a little shade.  Charlotte joined the kids under our umbrella.5.11.10 Field Day (37)And finally, here’s a picture of Isaac’s class with their teacher, Mr. Burton.  I didn’t notice the arm in my pic till I got home, oh well.5.11.10 Field Day (26) At the end of the day, I was glad I got to go and observe and cheer Isaac on, but next year I might call a babysitter!

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The Bumbo

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I bought a Bumbo when Nicole was a baby and I was desperate for a way to put her down and have her remain happy. She wasn’t happy with the swing, or bouncer, or lying on her back and as it turned out, she wasn’t particularly thrilled with the Bumbo either and I thought that perhaps it was a gimmicky waste of money.  She was content enough in it a few times. 9.7.08 Nicole (1)   However, Ila is definitely helping me get my money’s worth out of it.

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Capturing Smiles, Taking better pictures

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When I try to take a picture of Ila smiling, I end up with a lot of pictures that look like this:IMG_8427-1 Not only does she stare at the camera instead of me, but when the camera flashes she seems a little startled by it and I end up with pictures that have what I like to refer to as ‘Crazy Eyes.’  If I turn the flash off, it slows the shutter speed and the pictures turn out blurry.IMG_8482 The solution is to take the pictures outside (or in highly lighted places).  Since the camera doesn’t need the flash, I don’t end up with crazy eyes and I can capture more natural facial expressions.IMG_8499

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Ila’s 4 Month Well-Check

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It occurred to me today that I ought to make a habit of posting well check stats here .(particularly for my children’s grandparents, but also for anyone else who wants to know)IMG_7815-1

Name:  Ila Jane Cochran (side note:  It annoys me that most fonts don’t differentiate the capital I from the lowercase L so it looks like they are the same letter.)

Age:  4 months, 1 day

Weight: 11 lbs 4 oz         9th percentile

Length:   22 3/4 inches       7th percentile

Head Circumference: 41.0 cm     50th percentile

Posted in Kids, Well Checks

Nicole

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She’s a funny little girl.  She seems to really like Ila, but she’s not quite two and can be a little rough in her attempts to be kind.   I generally try to avoid laying Ila anywhere Nicole can reach her when Nicole is awake, but today I thought Nicole was distracted so I laid Ila down while I poured drinks for dinner and when I went back to check on her, this is what I found:IMG_7328-2 Nicole had neatly laid trucks and trains around Ila

I came into the kitchen the other day and found this:  3.19.10 contents of my misc. kitchen drawer It made me smile because I am sure I know exactly which child made the mess.  Nicole has a thing for wire whisks.

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Minor Milestone

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I’ve never been that good at documenting my kids milestones, but I’m trying to blog more often and I’m too tired to write a longer blog so here it is. 

Minor Milestone = Ila has just started to have an interest in toys and has been holding them.  She has been calmed down with a toy and even got a few all the way up to her mouth to suck on.IMG_7109

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It was nice out

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So I went out with the kids to play, even though I had cleaning to do inside.

Nicole enjoyed laying on her tummy in the dirt with her arms reached out as if to make upside-down dirt angels, she also tasted the dirt.3.9.10 playing outside (1)

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The family dynamics as they are now

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Since moving to Tennessee and adding one more child, I’ve noticed some changes in IMG_6899how the kids relate to each other.

Isaac and Charlotte still get along very well and play together all the time.  It seems like they’ve been conspiring more and getting into more trouble since the move, but maybe I just think that because I am much busier and have less family support out here.

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Posted in Kathleen's Personal History, Kids

All in a day’s work

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So I had this idea today that I ought to write down what a day in my life is like right now.  I think I’ll look back one day and wonder how I did it, because there are days now when I wonder how I managed to make it through the day only to wake up and start all over.  I have to warn you that this is very detailed and therefore long. 

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Posted in Kathleen's Personal History

On a Typical Night. .

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you might see a scene like this if you checked on the children after bedtime:2.11.10 bedtime (1) Isaac will likely be found surrounded by non-fiction books.  He often has one propped up or will fall asleep with his finger in one.  The globe is not atypical.  He loves to study maps and other such things as he lays in bed (or when he’s on a road trip).  He’s also a little heater so he’s often sweaty.2.11.10 bedtime Charlotte typically sleeps with a doll or water bottle and sometimes both.  I have to admit that the light saber is not typical, but I took this picture on the same night as the other.2.11.10 bedtime (2) Nicole will likely be fully away sitting up in her bed singing or talking for hours after you put her to bed.  She generally doesn’t cry much if at all when she is put to bed, but it’s not uncommon to still hear her awake as much as two hours after putting her to bed.

2.18.10 Ila (11)

Ila is still establishing her sleeping pattern.  At two months old, she doesn’t usually settle down until about 11:00 (which is much better than last week when she didn’t settle down till 1 or 2 each night).  She can be a little fussy in the evening which is fairly typical for her age, but once she settles down she usually only wakes once to eat before my alarm goes off at 6:30AM.

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Ila

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I know you didn’t love your name, but that’s because to you it was just a name. To me it is the feeling of love that I felt when I was with you.

It’s a reminder of a great woman who I loved and admired. Who showed strength in motherhood through sorrows and joys.

A woman who, like me, thrills to be a mom and recognized her role as the most noble and worthwhile thing she could do.

It’s the thrill in my heart as we got closer to your house each time we drove to Knoxville to visit you. It’s the love that flowed from you to everyone you knew.

There is so much about you that I admire, but when I try to put into words what you meant to me, I can’t find the right words and the letters on the page fall short of the emotion I feel when I remember you.

So, here I sit with my precious, perfect little girl. In a place that I always wanted to be, but now find myself here without you and it seems so appropriate and perfect to be able to give this little angel your name. I miss you and I love you.

Your granddaughter,

Kathleen12.9.09 Ila

Posted in Kathleen's Personal History, Kids

We’re having a . . . .

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Today was my ultrasound and of course the big news is  we’ll be having another girl.  I’m always amazed at all the different things that they can see and measure and I can happily report that she passed every test and measurement.  Our fourth child now holds the record for giving the doctor the hardest time and for providing us with the worst ultrasound pictures.

 

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Posted in Kathleen's Personal History, Kids
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