the toddmeister

Claire"s Preschool Graduation

2009-05-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

Claire Graduated from Preschool yesterday. The school had a little ceremony that was so adorable. They sang songs and read a story and each kid answered a "question" when they received their certificate. Claire's question was "What do you want to be when you grow up?" And she said "A Cowgirl". How cute is that? My little girl is growing up so fast. I can't believe she'll be startind kindergarten in August. How time flies! Love you all, E.

Easter

2009-05-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Here are some pics of the kids from easter. I just uploaded the pictures on my camera and realized I still had easter on there. Love you! E

Claire turns 5!

2009-04-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone I know we started this blog for Todd, but since we share everything in the family and since we are teaching Todd to share...well he can have a good learning experience by sharing his blog with Claire! hahaha...like he knows.
We took Claire to Chuck E Cheese's for her birthday. She got to bring her friend Olivia. Both girls were tickled to death to go and celebrate. As soon as we got there the girls were off playing and I didn't really see them until it was time to eat and open presents. Chuck E scared Claire when he came out to wish her a happy birthday...not like Im surprised though. I was scared of those guys too...actually they still creep me out a little. I guess it's inherited. She got some cute things for her birthday including a fancy nancy board game, some books and a special fancy nancy crown. She got a play kitchen from mom and dad and we used her birthday money from nita and uncle chuck to buy this mermaid playset for barbie that she can use in the bathtub. How fun! We are so glad to have such a sweet young lady who is now 5 and has grown up so much in the last year I can hardly call her a little girl anymore! She is just as sweet and polite as she could be! Love to you all, Erika.

Todd Turns 2!

2009-03-17T10:57:00.001-07:00

Hey folks. Our little man has turned two...we never thought the day would come when our baby boy would cease to be a baby and move with wild enthusiasm into...dah dah dah...the TWO'S. He started hi "terrible two's" about 2 months ago. Does that mean he'll end early? Although I have to be honest he's still an angel most of the time. If being two means he talks more, laughs, more and is happy more then that would be Todd. We had a few friends over for his birthday - nothing fancy. Todd is getting a wagon from my parents and he got a bubble mower from aunt anita and uncle chuck. He actually ate his cake this year with a fork and hardly got any on his hands and face - maturity and cleanliness all at the age of two! Love to you all, Erika

2008-10-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

Hey folks! We've had a pretty busy season this year, but I managed to get some pictures ready for you! The kids went to the Fall Festival in Franklin with Nana and PopPop last weekend and had a blast. Todd and Claire are growing up so fast...I can't believe that fall is here already. Todd is saying many words now - his favorites are apple, banana, and no...note that two of those words are food related. Claire is learning a lot in preschool - including courtesy and manners. Apparently Zach and I weren't getting through to her...but she is becoming more independant and that makes it a lot easier on me. Zach and I have been getting more involved in our church - which makes life a lot busier, but also more meaningful. I hope you enjoy these photos. Love to you all, E.

First day of school

2008-09-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

the definition of happy

2008-07-16T05:46:00.000-07:00

Here is Wikipedia's definition for happy: "Happiness is emotion in which one experiences feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense joy. This definition is, however, a synonymous one." If that does not describe Todd then I don't know what does. Todd woke us up at 6:48 this morning happy as a clam that he had changed the buttons on our alarm clock and made Zach late for work. He could not have been more excited to see both of us running around trying to get Zach ready in 25 minutes - Zach taking a shower and me making his lunch. He decided he'd "help" by spilling Claire's milk from last night all over the floor right in front of the fridge where I needed to be. So a sticky mess still awaits me...
But other than our daily hilarious episodes, Todd stands to be the happiest child I have ever met. Nothing gets him down for very long. He helps me to remember that as an adult I should be taking advice from my child who is trying to teach me to enjoy the happy moments and to make those mediocre moments even happier.
Another great story proves that we're already in trouble. Todd got us into Cheekwood Botanical gardens for free just because he was hamming it up with the guard at the gate. He was giving the guard the hammy face and his hair was spiked up so high that the guard couldn't stop laughing. So he didn't charge us the $20 we should have paid because Todd "Made his day" as he said. So we're already in trouble if Todd can do that at age 15 months - I'm afraid of what is going to happen when he's 17 - he'll probably never have to buy his dinner again! Love to you all, Erika

Ansel (Todd) Adams

2008-06-03T18:11:00.001-07:00

Well I know it's been a while since I've posted pictures of Todd, but I have a very good reason! Our camera is broken, BUT claire's digital camera still works. Todd got a hold of it the other day and took these pictures of himself. I thought I'd share them with you because they show his personality so well and the compositions are almost artistic - perhaps we have a little future artist on our hands! Love to you all, Erika

Well we made it...Happy Birthday Todd!

2008-03-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well folks we've made it to Todd's first birthday! I think if your child is still alive at one year with no brain damage then you're probably doing something right. We had a great day on his birthday with the family. Todd woke up in a chipper mood and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to him in bed. Then we went over to Wayne and Pam's to go out to lunch, open gifts and eat some destroyed cake!
Todd got a basketball hoop from his Nana and Pop pop and he got some clothes from grandma and grandpa. He wore an adorable little suit (his first one!) since he was going to have his picture taken. Most of the people at the restaurant where we had lunch we going nuts...can you blame them?
Im sure that Todd's favorite part of the day was when he got to destroy his first birthday cake (a tradition that we thankfully don't carry on in consecutive years). He picked the roses off the top and was sucking on those like a pacifier until the frosting came off, then he figured out he could dip the flowers back into the cake to get MORE frosting...you can see from the pictures that he thought he was something special to get to do that. The day ended with us teaching Todd how to make baskets with his new hoop so that in another 20 years or so we can watch him play on TV! hahaha.
We are so glad to be celebrating his 1 year birthday. Of course it came too fast and I can hardly believe all of the stuff that's happened over the last year! But one thing I'm glad about is that I am not pregnant THIS march! Love to you all, Erika

so much to tell!

2008-02-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

Well the first photo should say it all folks - Todd is walking. Not very well, mind you, but he can get up and go for more than a few steps before falling down and crawling the rest of the way to get there faster. We had a wonderful Christmas up in Michigan - it was soooo great to see family again - especially some family we never get to see on regular visits.
So what's happened in the last couple months? Not a whole lot, but the kids are getting older and Todd is turning into such a little man. His facial expressions match his daddy's and sometimes even mine. I was looking through my baby book and I couldn't believe some of the similarities between my face and his - so I guess he does look like me too. He says momma and dadda and baba (we can safely assume he's talking about himself since he says that a lot). He and Claire can even play together sometimes without one of them screaming - when both of them are screaming it's okay because I know they're having fun). In one more month we'll be celebrating their birthdays - I can hardly believe it. Claire's going to be starting school in another year and a half, but I try not to think about it. I hope everyone is well and that you enjoy the pictures. One of them is of all of us with Zach's dad's friend Ken Mansfield who wrote "The Beatles, The Bible, and Bodega Bay" plus his new book "The White Album". We went to his book signing last week to say hello. Check out his book if you get the chance. He is a wonderful writer. Love you all! Erika

Christmas is coming - protect the tree!! And the gifts!!

2007-12-13T07:41:00.001-08:00

Helloooooo Everybody! We are jumping up and down with excitement over our trip up to Michigan in another week. Christmas is going to be a hoot this year folks. Todd loves boxes, paper, and everyone else's stuff so it should be a pretty funny experience for all - except the other kids - they might not enjoy Todd trying to open all of their presents (I guess we'll just have to distract him with a cookie or two - or five - he's quite an eater...). We're trying hard not to think of him as a gorilla, but with appearance and manner it's just too hard not to - and bananas being his favorite food...well! You get the idea.
He is growing and growing - right out of his 12 month clothes and right into a forward facing seat. When he and claire sit on the floor together they look like playmates and not big sister, baby brother. They're practically the same height sitting down! I'm probably exaggerating though - Claire is quite tall.
I included some pictures (finally!) from Thanksgiving. The first picture is of Todd from last night. Love to you all! See you soon! Love, Erika

Happy Halloween

2007-11-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! The night before Halloween we had Matthew and Chelsea over to carve pumpkins (Matthew and Chels are razorbacks fans). And no the gorgeous girl in the photo isn't me it's Chelsea! We also had a great time last night with the kids over at Nana and Pop Pop's house. Claire went trick or treating with Nana and Momma. Pop Pop, Daddy and Todd passed out candy. Todd wore his gorilla suit and claire wore the dinosaur costume I made. The funny thing about Todd is, well, he actually looks like a gorilla when he wears the costume. And he also acts like one by slapping and growling and trying to eat everything! hahaha. Hope everyone is doing well, Love you! Erika

A little pre-season entertainment

2007-11-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I've wanted to get these photos up before Halloween, but since I didn't we'll just have two blog entries for today. Oh my goodness, do we ever have a little baby model here. Todd gets more and more fun by the day it seems. One of the most fun things is giving him a bath. Todd Loves the bath! He'll bury his whole face in the water and come up laughing. He loves to stand at the edge of the tub and slap it until he falls on his bottom to make a big splash. He's ususlly in there with Claire and he finishes before her, but if you try to get him dressed while she's still in the tub he'll scream until you put him down again and he can crawl back into the bathroom to stand at the tub edge and slap! He's been eating more solid foods - among his favorites are bananas, guacamole, and refried beans - those all make for a very colorful diaper change - yeesh!Hope you enjoy the pictures! Love, Erika

we got some silly kids

2007-10-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well as you can see from the pictures we have some silly kids on our hands. Todd went in for his 6 month check up he's 18.5 pounds and 27 1/4 inches long. Huge. He's crawling now and trying to stand up and walk. He'll crawl all over our bed and try to go off the edge head first, but if you put him in his crib all he'll do is stand at the bar and yell. And occasionally let go to try and stand up. He loves to play with boxes and remotes and the dvd/vcr players so we have to keep the doors to the tv cabinet closed. If he starts going for them and you run to shut the door he'll actually get mad at you and screech. His new found love is the piano though. He'll stand there for minutes at a time (Im not kidding...actual minutes) and slap to his heart's content. I made those two giant donuts for props at church - the kids love sitting in them - and i love it because they can't get at each other! We're having a blast - wait till you see the pictures after Halloween! Love to you all, Erika

more pictures

2007-09-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

In case some of you missed about 5 pictures, i hope these are the ones you missed. let me know if i did repeats. Lova ya! Erika

So many new skills

2007-09-04T12:37:00.002-07:00

Wow, not a whole lot of time has gone by, but Todd has acquired a lot of new skills. Among the latest ones are eating (although I think this one came naturally), sitting up, trying to crawl (now he does the commando - usually right towards someones food), and biting - biting being the least favorable new skill since it's usually one of us.
The pictures are starting to become more comical because Todd is awake and usually doing something naughty - and smiling while he does it. Our favorite game to play with him is to have him sit on the floor and try to get him to crawl towards things. He does pretty well with dragging himself across the floor (considering th size of his rear end I am quite impressed he's able to do this). He'll usually get to the object although his left leg often gives him trouble and ends up making him sit up again - which he hates. I wouldn't have thought a baby could move so fast, but when you put the cheetos bag on the floor he's racing towards it like there's no tomorrow. Once there were actually cheetos in the bag and ever since he's gotten a hold of a chip bag and there's nothing in it he will actually yell and scream. We had to lower his crib this weekend because he's been pulling himself into standing position - usually when he's supposed to be asleep. He goes to the doctor in a couple weeks for a weigh in and I'll be shocked if he's less than 19 pounds. He's now comfortably wearing 12 month clothes. I'll bet he could probably fit into some of Claire's clothes. Love to you all, Erika.

Drooling

2007-08-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of something funny last night. Todd is a world class drool er. It occur ed to me that he now has a bib as a part of his daily fashion ensemble (usually consisting of a onesie). Kind of like daddy's necktie. We also have t change his bib at least twice a day because he soaks it through and I have to leave them on a drying rack to dry out for the next use.
Todd had his first taste of solid food last week. He had some mashed bananas (made an icky face), then he tried some pears (icky face), then some brown rice cereal (made a not-so-icky face) since it had his favorite beverage mixed in - milk! I hope he gets to be a good eater. we already know how much he loves to eat!
Todd's had two teeth come in and he's in the middle of working on the next two. He and Claire were painting together (one of the photos is of Claire pretending to paint his back). He's also trying to make a bridge pose (like yoga) to learn how to crawl. Just like Claire he sees something and tries to move forward, but only suceeds in moving backwards. And that leaves much room for more foul language! Love to you all, Erika.

Todd's Fighting Weight

2007-07-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I just took a look at the blog this morning and realized I missed a few entries - OOPS! Well here are some more pictures of the kids. Todd's first two teeth came through last week - much to the enjoyment of all around him. But now he's back to his regular insanely happy self.
Todd visited the pediatrician for more vaccinations and he tipped the scales at 17 pounds - wow! He looks like a prize fighter in the off season. He's measuring 25 1/2 inches long too - an all around big boy who goes off the height/weight chart for his age (that's our little over-achiever).
His last tests at the Vanderbilt children's hospital revealed that his kidneys are functioning and draining properly so no more tests until October when he'll get an ultrasound. Gosh he'll be 7 months old then...hard to believe. Hope you all enjoy the pictures. The last one is a picture I took today. Love to you all, Erika.
In the pictures, Todd is rolling over for the first time (while Claire runs around him), they are watching TV together too.

lots of pictures

2007-06-05T11:09:00.001-07:00

Well I'm getting better at taking more pictures of the kids. Maybe because Todd is getting more animated now and photogenic. I just have to remember to keep posting them so I don't end up with so many to post - like this week. Claire put the Christmas bow on his head - she thought it was the funniest thing she'd ever done - and we did too. Claire actually wanted to hold him for the first time ever in the second and third pictures and now she wants to hold him all the time - except for when he's crying - then she says "mommy I want you to feed him!" hahaha.
We had a pretty good doctor's visit a couple weeks ago with the urologist. They were going to do a test called a renalgram or renogram, but couldn't get an IV started so we're going back on Friday to get it done. He did get a couple images taken of his kidneys and his kidney actually looks a lot better (meaning not as dialated) so I'm sure he's going to be fine. It sure is a lot to go through with an infant though. But as you can see from the pictures he continues to be a fountain of smiles and sweetness. We're heading up to Michigan on Saturday. It'll be Todd's first plane trip - and I know he'll be happy as long as he has his mom and her you-know-whats to accompany him. Love to you all, Erika.

Crib Moments

2007-05-21T12:18:00.001-07:00

Well Folks, it's been a while since my last post - even the pictures I took are a week old, BUT we have all been sick with some kind of weird virus (except Todd - he only got about a zillion vaccinations last Tuesday). We're all better now though. The night I cam down with it was also the same day Todd had received his vaccinations - which had caused his legs so much pain from the shot points that he couldn't lay on the Boppy pillow to nurse. So I had to improvise and ended up sort of laying down on the couch with him almost on top of me to nurse. But thankfully the shots caused him to lose most of his appetite and unfortunately be awake all night. Oh the joy of children!
I showed you some pictures of him in his crib because that day he #1; put himself to sleep in it for the afternoon and #2; he really enjoys talking to the red flowers on the bumper. It's hilarious to hear him coo and gobble at innanimate objects - just like daddy! The two of them make a cute pair. The second picture of him on the boppy I took right before he starting fussing since he didn't know what he was doing there without eating. sort of like laying on top of the dinner table - only at this dinner table you have to eat by smashing your face into the plate!
Tod is weighing in at 14 lbs 4 oz and measuring 23 1/4 inches long. So we've basically got a two month old the size of a 6 month old. I don't know how we'll pick him up once he actually reaches 6 months of age - hope he's going to enjoy the floor! Maybe we'll invest in a hydraulic jack to get him in and out of the crib - haha. But he's a very happy baby - all smiles and drool. He has much better head control now so he doesnt try to launch himself out of your arms - a good way to throw out my back you can be sure. Hope you all enjoy the pictures - the second one is my favorite! Love to you all, Erika.

chubby little fatso

2007-05-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

Well folks, the picture proves it - we've got a chubby little fatso on our hands. It's been almost seven weeks since little (haha...little) Todd entered this world, and I have to say it's really been a blast so far. I think it must be that with the second one you're pretty prepared for most things that occur so you get to enjoy the little things much more. With Claire I was so worried about every little thing that it prevented me from just sitting back and enjoying the peace that motherhood can give you if you just relax!
So I weighed myself last Thursday (Todd's six week birthday) and then I held Todd on the scale with me to see how much he weighed. Now I won't tell you what I weigh, but the scale said he was 13.4 pounds - yow! We are just thrilled to bursting to have such a fat healthy baby boy.
I think I'm going to need a bigger Boppy pillow - hah!
He's also started smiling all the time - and at everyone - most people think he just has gas...hahaha. But I finally got a picture of that too. Love to you all, Erika

Pictures from Last Week

2007-04-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

My parents visited last week and here's some pictures since Easter Sunday. Todd is still growing like a weed and Claire is as cute as ever. Oh, and my parents are doing well too - loving the new little man. Love to you all, E

Todd's test results

2007-04-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

Right now I am nursing Todd on the boppy pillow while I post this new blog - see? A mom can do two things at once - and that's pretty much how I get everything done nowadays.

Well I mentioned that Todd had an ultrasound scheduled in my last posting and I wanted to give you all a heads up on the results of that ultrasound - plus all the other things we've managed to find out as a result of this.
Todd's ultrasound revealed a couple of things. Number one, he has a VESICOURETERAL REFLUX in his right kidney. It is a grade II, which means that he has urine backing up into his right ureter, but not into his kidney (the right kidney looks very healthy). In his left ureter (the tube connecting the kidney to the bladder), he has a blockage (like a bubble in an old garden hose) that has pushed itself into his bladder. This is going to have to be treated with non-invasive surgery. They will go through a catheter to puncture this blockage so the kidney can drain. He is taking a low dose antibiotic to prevent any urinary tract infections because if he gets an infection it can cause some pretty nasty problems. The reflux should go away on it's own, but he will be monitored by ultrasound every three months to check for further dilation of his kidneys (which would mean that it's getting worse). He'll be going back in another month for an ultrasound because the doctor doesn't want to rush the procedure of removing the blockage in his left ureter since he'll have to be put under anesthesia - and the older he gets the better it will be for him. All in all, it gets pretty confusing, but the most important things are that number one, the doctor says it is a very mild case and that he's going to be just fine. And number two, that we really need prayer for him right now to be protected from infection, and for his reflux to go away as he gets older and grows. I think the procedure of removing the bubble is probably unavoidable, but I know God can perform miracles - I've got a little one sitting in front of me right now - you'd never know he had any of these issues. If you want more info just email me or zach, love to you all, Erika

The last two weeks

2007-03-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

So now we have hit the two week mark and things are still going fairly well. We are all having to get adjusted to our new life together. I'm still getting caught up on sleep (an ongoing battle - usually losing more than gaining) but Todd is doing well at night, sleeping about 4 hours at a time. Everything we've had to adjust to still doesn't compare to being pregnant (thank goodness that's over with). We celebrated Claire's birthday last Saturday and took the family to the zoo. This coming Monday we'll take Todd to Vanderbilt children's hospital for an ultrasound on his kidneys since they noticed something on my 40 week ultrasound that they want to re-check. I can't imagine anything being wrong since he's a neverending fountain of pee. haha. Well anyways, here are some more pictures from the last two weeks. He's really starting to look like a baby now and less like a little pink raisin! Love to you all, E.

at the doctor

2007-03-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

today was todd's first visit to the doctor. it was just the normal newborn checkup. after some poking and prodding, the doctor told us that he's perfectly healthy.

here are the statistics:
weight: 9 lbs. 2 oz. (90th percentile)
length: 21" (90th percentile)

as you can see, he really likes to eat and is packing on the weight already.

sorry for the lack of additional pictures. we've been trying to figure things out, stay up on our sleep and not go insane now that we have two wonderful children! we'll get more up just as soon as we can.

he's here!

2007-03-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

like any good 21st century father, i figured the best way to appease the masses for information and pictures was through a blog. so here it is... todd isn't even 24 hours old but he has his own blog.

the story
yesterday, thursday, about noon, erika's water broke. she'd been dilated at 1cm for about 4 weeks without any change. she started having consistent contractions about 2 that afternoon. our doule, susie meeks, got to our house a little after 5 and erika was already dilated to a 3! we labored at home for another hour or so and at 6:30 erika was dilated to a 4 and felt that it was time to go. once we got to the hospital (35 minutes later), the contractions were 1.5 - 2 minutes apart and erika was 7-8 cm dilated. things were moving fast now! the nurses at centennial did a great job of getting her into a delivery room quickly and getting everything setup. our doctor, dr. lisa morgan, arrived at about 7:45 and erika was really having hard contractions. she got settled and at 8:07 pm, todd alexander greeted the world! for those of you that didn't do the math, that was 8 hours from water breaking to delivery! it happened fast! erika did a fabulous job. she had a totally natural labor and delivery with no drugs or anything. i'm so proud of her!

the vitals
weight - 8 lbs. 9 oz.
length - 21.25 inches

and now, what you've all been waiting for...

susie coaching... erika relaxing...

first picture with mama

todd with the ladies. susie is on the left. dr. morgan is on the right.

on the scale

tipping the scale at 8 lbs. 9 oz.

back on momma

proud parents

the men taking a well earned nap

all clean and getting his hair combed

that's all for now! i do have more pictures to upload. so check back tomorrow!