Wow! Almost three months have gone by since we were all at Hilton Head. Corinne continues to grow and amaze mom and dad every day. It was just two months ago that Cori had her crawling legs under her and was trying to stand up. Now she’s a blur as she moves about the house. She has mastered crawling and is now using an activity walker to walk all around the house. But we've gotten ahead of ourselves. I'm just throwing this picture in because I love it so much. Since vacation there have been several "firsts" for Cori and the rest of our new family. We were able to experience our first pumpkin patch as a family. We visited Stony Creek Farms in Noblesville and had a great time. Cori got to help pick out Halloween pumpkins and for Halloween Cori was a perfect little ladybug. On Halloween night we spent some time greeting the neighborhood kids and giving away bunches of candy. As the night went on and the children stopped showing up we closed up shop and had a little candy of our own and went off to bed. Halloween #1 was now under our belts and now we start the planning for the years to come. A couple of weeks after that The Larson family headed north for Aunt Barb and Uncle Bennie's 50TH Wedding Anniversary. We visited with GiGi Ruby and Uncle Dave for a while and Great Grandma Charlotte sent cookies home with us. Cori really liked all the sugar. Check out the double fisted cookie monster! Cori seemed to be in the “never mind my mess; where’s my next cookie” mode. Mom and dad regretted that decision as the night wore on. Shortly after Halloween and the cookie fiasco we had an opportunity to share Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Barts in Noblesville. Michael had the whole week off to spend with his family. Cori was grateful because she got to spend some much needed time with her dad. Mom made a pumpkin pie an apple pie for the Thanksgiving feast. They both looked too good to eat. That week was especially great because that is when Cori started to develop her connectedness with her daddy. Now she waits with baited breath everyday for daddy to come home; and when he does, there are a plethora of happy screeches and a bunch gibberish that is only understandable by other infants her age. Mommy says that Cori has really become a "Daddy's Girl". In The day after Thanksgiving Cori was able to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Larson. The whole family is now preparing for Christmas. Holly Michael and Corinne recently got their family picture taken for Christmas and Cori got to take her FIRST picture with Santa. Don’t worry Cori; mom and dad’s first pictures with Santa were the same too. Holly and Michael have been shopping feverishly for the past month. Something tells me that Cori is going to have a great first Christmas! The Larsons in Fishers have had their first Halloween as a family and Thanksgiving as a family and we're now staring Christmas in the face.

8 Months Old!

Time is just flying by. In September we went to Hilton Head, SC with Michael's family to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa Larson's 30th Wedding Anniversary. We had so much fun!

Corinne's first visit to the beach was wonderful, the water temperature was great and she really liked "swimming" in the ocean. For the most part we just tried to keep sand off of her hands and face. It was quite a feat but she didn't seem to mind staying clean! While we were on vacation Michael and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. We went to Charley's Crab for dinner and really enjoyed having Cori there with us.

Just before we left for vacation Corinne started to crawl! She is so excited about her new skill! When we were on vacation she mastered pulling up on things! For now we have the living room sectioned off and baby proofed so she has the run of the room. We can only keep her in one place for a very short time, she is into everything! Our big girl has also transitioned into a convertable car sear which Grandma and Grandpa Barts bought her. It's the safest seat on the market and made here in Indiana!

Last week Mommy joined the gym where Cori can go hang out with other kids in the play room. I was apprehensive about leaving her 20 yards away from me with a complete stranger. But everything was fine and when I came back to get her she was talking and standing on the guy watching her! He said she was trying to get into the other baby's car seat and all crawling all over the place. I'm glad it wasn't traumatic for her!

Today we met our friends Teri and Catie Cochran at the Carmel Library for some story and play time. Corinne really enjoyed seeing other kids and singing and clapping. I think her favorite part was the bubble machine at the end!

We are getting ready for Halloween, Cori is going to be a Lady Bug! This costume is so cute if I could put her in it everyday I would!

For now we are cleaning out closets and cabinets to make room for all of Cori's baby stuff that she has grown out of so fast! We are also looking forward to the Holidays. They will be extra special this year because of our new little Larson. Love to all!

Puree, Teeth and more!!

The past month has been a whirl win of milestones! Cori started fruit/veggie puree, grew two bottom teeth, and turned a half a year old!
For Cori’s half birthday we went to the Zoo to celebrate! Cori and Daddy got to pet a shark and Mommy and Cori got up close and personal with a momma elephant! We also visited the butterfly gardens at the zoo where the butterflies are free to fly around. Corinne reached out for a few but they were just fast enough to get away. The grasp of a six month old can be surprisingly firm!
Cori’s favorite food right now is peaches and pears. We tried strawberries but almost instantly got a hive over her eye. Cantaloupe is another favorite; she gets some food in a mesh teether that she gums down. (Thanks Jen!) All of the flavor none of the choking hazard.
A few weeks ago Corinne sprouted her first teeth! Both bottom teeth came through within 4 days of each other. And boy does she love to use them to gnaw on whatever she can get in her mouth!
Just after her teeth came through she was having trouble sleeping so mommy reluctantly put her to bed in her own room for the first night and she slept so well. I guess she was just uncomfortable in her cramped pack n play.
This week she started sitting up on her own and she is trying to crawl she gets into position and gets so mad that her arms and legs just wont go! Soon enough I suppose! We recently discovered the swings at the park in our neighborhood and Corinne loves to be pushed in the baby swings! Another favorite part of the park is the big(er) kids playing on the jungle gym and running around. Any where we go Cori has to watch what everyone is doing, kids are her favorite to watch, maybe because they are the loudest!
Corinne also sits in the grocery carts like a big girl, she appreciates the new view! While we are strolling around the store she talks and jabbers away to anyone that will listen. We get compliments all the time about how sweet and beautiful she is. We know we are blessed to have such a little angel.

I love lamp!

Cori still has a love for inanimate objects like ceiling fans, lamps, curtain rods, and best of all the humidifier. We’ve nick named it Wall-e because she has to flirt with it every time we walk by. [I can see we are going to have our hands full during the teenage years.] I’m not kidding she coos, and smiles and giggles at it! It’s so sweet to watch! Today she is 5 months old and I find myself racking my brain trying to remember every detail from when we had her until now and I’ve realized it’s flying by.
Corinne has inherited her Dad’s sense of humor. When I rock her for her naps or cradle her the first thing she does is stick her fingers up my nose. I know she’s just exploring but the next place her fingers travel to is my mouth.
More and more she’s becoming Daddy’s girl. She gets very excited to see his face when he gets home or comes back into a room. Cori has also entered a new phase where she screams and throws a tantrum when I leave the room it’s just the saddest noise I’ve ever heard.
Her eyes are still as blue as ever, the shade depends on the light and the mood she’s in but the most consistent color is blueberry. More to come!


Mommy take me to the Spa! Getting pretty for Daddy!


Gotta love that morning hair! Molly is becoming my best friend!

Cori rolled over!

May 15th Corinne rolled over from her belly to her back! Mommy was so excited at first she thought it was fluke but she did it 2 more times. The sad thing was Daddy missed it because he was taking a test and we couldn't get it on camera. Here's a video of me telling her to roll over, I guess she just isn't as well trained as Molly, yet.

We'll try again this weekend to get her to roll over on camera.

May (The Sabatical)

It’s the 24th and Michael’s month long vacation is almost over! The family has been happy to have him home. He got to spend time with his wonderful wife and baby girl. Corinne seems to be growing so fast! Holly has done a great job raising our beautiful little girl.

May 5th (Cinco de Mayo) was Holly’s Birthday and Cori and Daddy treated mommy to a special lunch and shopping. On May 15th Michael took the series 10 and passed it with flying colors. Now he gets to take on more responsibilities at work. Lets hope he doesn’t have to stay too late at work now. He still needs a healthy dose of family life. Daddy spent his study breaks with Holly and Cori, loved on Molly and took care of the yard. The third week was exciting. Grandma Larson came to Indy to spend time with Cori and the rest of the family. We were happy to have her here with us. On the 20th we went up to Grandma and Donnie’s lake house for a visit it was a good time and the weather was great. Cori went on her first boat ride! After a few days she was ready to get back home. The last week of the sabbatical was for playing in the pool and enjoying the weather.

Hives

Cori is still getting hives every time she eats. I took her to the Doctor this morning and she gave us a soy/milk free formula to try. Mom's new diet consists of no dairy and no soy products, basically I can eat fruit, veggies, and meat. The nurses came in to take a blood sample from Corinne and the poor baby new it was coming she cried the whole time, I cried a little too. The doctor did say that things like this start to happen at 2-3 months when their immune systems start getting stronger. We'll see what they say in a couple of days.

Busy Weekend

Last week was very busy! Cori developed hives every time she ate so we took her to the doctor and he was baffled by it! We've tried breast milk, formula, and soy formula and nothing seems to be working. We also washed our clothes in dye free detergent. Tonight we bought different diapers to see if that was the problem. So tomorrow morning, when I nurse her again, we'll see if the new diapers made a difference. Here is what she looked like Saturday morning when we took her to the doctor. The color is a little exaggerated it's from the camera on the phone.

After the doc said the hives weren't life threatening we were off to Monticello, IN to meet Max, Matt and Karolina Odle's little boy who is a few weeks older than Cori. She was a good girl for us even though she was hot and getting hives. Here's are a couple of pics of Corinne and Max.

After the long car ride home we took a walk and Cori was strollin' like a big girl, no car seat needed! It made mommy a little nervous that because she couldn't see her face, but Cori was a champ as always!

Sunday was the Mutt Strut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! We were glad to be able to take Molly on a family outing. When we got to the track it was about 79 degrees and when we left it was 87! We took lots of breaks and Molly covered the whole track with her nose. For a dog that doesn't like water she sure was happy to have it dumped on her! Cori did great too. Just a few peeps out of her but she was loving the fresh air and sun she slept the whole time. Mommy did such a good job covering her in SPF, she didn't have a tan line on her!! Daddy on the other hand got a little toasty. Here are few pictures of Cori and Daddy at the track.

Easter!

Happy Easter!!

I saw the Easter Bunny (and the crazy lady that takes her picture!) We were out for 5 hours and I did great! I love the mall there are so many things to look at!

I had a great Easter! I got a Pooh Easter basket with goodies and an outfit that says "my first easter". Grandma and Grandpa got me a vibrating swing for their house so when I visit I can stay longer and Mommy & Daddy don't have to bring all of my stuff with them. I also got an Easter basket with lotions, and a crazy chicken that dances.

Easter Bunny is almost here!

"Rawrr"


"mom, seriously?"

"someone rescue me"

Busy Bees!

It's been a while here is what happened in the past couple of weeks. Daddy went back to work, and Mom and I are on our own during the day. I had my one month check up and I'm right on track. I keep Mommy busy all day, changing my diapers, feeding me, and keeping me entertained. I don't mind running errands with Mommy but I let EVERYONE know when I've had enough!

I've decided that I like to look at pictures so Mommy printed out flash cards for me to look at during play time. They are black and white and so far my favorite are the circles. I still don't like to sleep for more than a few hours at a time but last night I slept for almost 5 hours! When it's nice outside we go for a walk in the neighborhood and bring Molly along. I also like to smile, Grandpa gets most of them but every once in a while I give one away to a stranger.

Mommy went to the doctor last week and found out that her diabetes is gone, yay for Mommy!

I've met lots of new people in the last week Cheryl a family friend from Missouri came to visit with me. I also met my Great Grandmas, my Great Uncle, my Great-Great Aunt and Uncle.

Here are some pictures of me so you're all caught up!

Too cute not to post

Cori has been getting all of the attention, but went Mom and Dad were at the hospital I got to hang out with our friends the Amons and my BFF Bella. Check out me and Em, I love her like my own baby!

Bath Time

Rub a dub dub, I'm in my tub!

*Thanks Carie and Aiden

I just wasn't into taking a bath last night.

Usually I love to have my hair washed

and the warm water puts me to sleep!

Nap time hair!

More visitors!

My great Aunt Cathy and Uncle Doug came to visit me and they brought me my first bikini! I can't wait to try it on!