The Terrible Twos!!

Cody has been 2 for less than 2 weeks, and the Terrible Two bug has already bit him! He is getting into everything and anything he can get his little hands on! He has broken a light bulb from my floor lamp, crawled behind the couch, tried to play with the toilet and sink, and was bugging his little sister Carleigh to no end! He will take a temper tantrum if a toy does not do what he wants it to do or he can't get past the gate in the kitchen! He has been cruising the furniture like a "pro" these days. Methinks he will be walking soon and his P/T and O/T agrees. The P/T is working on balance and he can stand without holding on for several seconds and have made 2-3 stepts on his own. He gets so excited that he lunges and loses his balance. I am sure he will get the hang of it in no time! We had his 2 year old portraits taken at JC Penneys yesterday and I can't wait to get them back. The photographer just loved his blonde hair...I was a proud Mommy! Carleigh is trying to crawl and she rolls all over the place to get to what she wants to get into. She has gotten stranger anxiety on a couple of occassions. She is very attached to Mommy these days. She has developed her personality into a shy, sensitive little girl. I cannot believe that she will be 1 year old in a couple of months! It is amazing how time flies! We had their bloodwork completed for a researcher and am hoping that we will get the reason for their delays as soon as possible. No matter what, they are true blessings from God!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Cody!

We had Cody's party at Bonanza's in Fairfield from 4-6pm on Saturday, January 14th. I cannot believe my baby is 2 years old!

Do I have to wear the hat? My birthday is in 2 mos

Our birthday gift to Cody!

January Update

We finally purchased baby gates for our kitchen and Cody's bedroom. This really saves us from chasing after our very mobile son Cody! He pulls up to the gate and gazes into the kitchen mournfully wishing he could get his hands on something that he shouldn't!!

Carleigh is growing and is such a happy baby! She loves it when I tilt her backwards and she rolls with laughter! She is starting to bear some weight on her legs and is almost sitting up on her own without support! Yeah Carleigh!! She is also trying to crawl and I am so excited about her milestones being reached a just a big slower pace.

Cody should be walking any day now. He is working on balance and foot position in physical therapy. He is eating all table foods and is starting to gain weight!! He has his 2 year checkup on January 18th and I will be excited to see how much he weighs and how tall he is!! He is definitely looking like a little boy instead of my precious baby. Whenever he gets upset, he cries "Mooommma!" It is so sweet. I just praise God for these special babies he has placed into my home. I cannot wait for the day that they will be offically Schmidts!!

My little Diva!

Santa was too good to Cody and Carleigh this year!

Fisher Price Christmas!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2005!

Merry Christmas 2005  and a Happy New Year 2006 from Matt, Jennifer, Cody and Carleigh!!

Mommy's two favorite Christmas presents!

He peaked!!!!!

While watching "Survivor" last Thursday, Matt and I were not paying attention that Cody sneaked out of the living room, crawled through the kitchen and our bedroom. He sneaked down the hallway into Carleigh's room. Well, Matt and I both commented "Where's Cody?" Matt looked for the little guy and found him in Carleigh's room....He was playing with one of his Christmas presents! We bought a bead/wire maze which he LOVES to play at the physical therapy waiting room. He was busy playing with it enough though it was still in the box! Well, I have learned a lesson: I will have to HIDE the presents next year! Oh well!! He loves the toy and he is going to be soooo much fun this Christmas! It looks like I have a peaker on my hands!!

Candids of Cody and Carleigh

Carleigh loves to play in the exersaucer, however, Cody doesn't like to share it. He will play nicely with her at times. He loves to spin the cylinder with lots of little balls inside.

My sick little ones

I strongly believe that Cody is teething and cutting his 2 year old molars because he is drooling and now has runny nose and a cough. I have noticed that his immune system is a bit weaker than Carleigh's and he seems to ALWAYS have a runny nose! Today was the last visit with his birthfamily. I am sure it was a bittersweet moment for all. I hope that someday I can write a letter to them letting them know that Cody and Carleigh will be well taken care of and will have a long, happy and secure life with us. Cody is 22 months old now and Carleigh is 8 months. Carleigh has the sweetest smile! She loves it when I "nibble" on her belly....she rolls with laughter which is an added bonus for Mommy or Daddy!

Lately, Cody is nicknamed "The Wrecker" because anytime that I stack cups or blocks, he comes over and knocks them down. It is like something inside of him snaps, and he can't control the sudden urge to knock them down! Sometimes, he beats me to the punch and knocks them down BEFORE I am finished creating my masterpiece!

Christmas will be wonderful this year. I am finished shopping for them and still have 8 more people to buy for! I have 4 people finished....buying for 12 people can be quite $$$ to the wallet but I have started early! My sister and I will do alot of shopping on our annual Day after Thanksgiving shopping. I am hoping to have everyone done by then but I think that is wishful thinking. That is all for now....stay continued!!

Look at me!!

Cody can drive his car around......forward and backward! I am so proud of him!!

Raggedy Ann and Andy!

Don't they look adorable? They wore their costumes three days in a row! Boy, I sure got my money's worth out of them!! Carleigh didn't mind her costume but Cody did! He hated the wig/hat. We had to distract him or he would keep pulling it off. We went to Matt's sister neighborhood for a little bit of trick or treating and then on to my mom's house and her neighbors. Cody got cold in his little short costume so we let him play with his Papaw. They got plenty of candy!

I got THE NEWS!!

After over 21 months of being in our home as a foster child, today I received the most wonderful news that I have been dreaming for, for over a year. Cody's caseworker called around 9am this morning to announce that our agency was granted permanent custody of Cody. She then began to state that Cody will be transferred to the adoption unit this week and we will begin the adoption paperwork this coming month---November! This makes it very special because November is the National Adoption Month!! Words cannot express the joy that is in my heart. This joy has replaced fear and worry that has been in my heart for over 21 m onths. I can now breathe and not think "what if.." This joyful, special needs child will now become apart of my forever family. He has always been in my heart as a son, but now we can officially name him Cody Matthew Schmidt! Praise the Lord for His wonderful blessings! "Matthew" means gift from God and that is what Cody truly is!

Halloween 2005

Last night, our family went to Matt's family's church. They had a Harvest Party where children dressed in costume and went around to play games for candy. Cody's costume this year is Raggedy Andy and Carleigh was Raggedy Ann. They were too cute! I plan on posting the pictures soon. My digital camera needs to be repaired so I am waiting until my sister takes pics of them this evening at our church Harvest Party and then I will post them. They were the cutest kids there!! Okay, I am a little biased! Their cousins looked cute too. Raygan was a girl pirate, Riley was Jeff Gordon with sunglasses and a cap, Ryan was Spiderman and Devin was a Middle Ages Knight in Armor. Cody did not like the sailor hat with red yarn hair attached. He tried pulling it off many time, but then he got used to it and he was simply adorable. Carleigh looked like a real Raggedy Ann doll and would smile and coo all evening! It was a fun time!

My poor little girl!

I had to take a half-day yesterday because my mom called and said that Carleigh had another fever. She started to feel bad Sunday night, but I thought it was a little cold. On Monday, mom thought she was teething, but I wasn't so sure. So on Tuesday morning when the fever wouldn't go away and she was just crying, I called the dr. She started screaming when the dr. barely touched the tip of her ear. The dr. said that part of her ear drum was torn due to the infection and pus breaking through to relieve pressure on the ear drum. She prescribed an oral antiobiotic, ear drops and Tylenol or Motrin as well. My poor little girl! Cody was even concerned for her because he would cry or touch her little head yesterday. It was so precious....I have such a sweet, tenderhearted little boy.

Progress!

Well, yesterday, Cody was dragging around his Rock-n-Play Piano by walking on his knees and using the piano as a "walker." I decided to try the walking toy and he started making steps and pushing the toy along! I am so proud of my big boy! Then, today in physical therapy, his therapist placed him on a riding toy and he used his feet to push himself along!! He is making such progress in balance and stepping that I truly feel he will be walking by Christmas! That would be the best Christmas gift he could give Mommy!! I was planning on getting him a riding toy for Christmas, but due to his success, I might have to give it to him early for an extra reward! I thank God each day for his progress. Thank you Lord!

Update

Carleigh is sitting up by herself! She can sit up by herself for about 10 seconds before losing her balance and falling sideways or backwards. It is such an improvement for her! She loves to play in Cody's old exersaucer and doesn't not like to be put down. Spoiled!! We cannot wait until she can sit up in a high chair well and will not have to lug around the infant carrier seat! She is getting heavier and the carrier is getting almost impossible to lug around. Boy, I can't wait until we get her a new carseat like her big brother! Cody's newest skill is to take out everything from a diaper bag or a purse. The cute and annoying thing about it is that he takes everything out one by one!! He is literally getting into EVERYTHING! We really have to keep our eyes on him at all times. What a fun stage they are at right now! I am loving motherhood....I didn't know if I would ever be a Mommy to two small little ones and God has surely blessed me indeed!