"Baby Peanut & Baby Coconut": Welcome 2009!

First and foremost, Happy New Year! I realize that we're already into the 5th day of the year, yet this is the first post of 2009. 2008 was a terrific year for us, as we welcomed Isaiah Daelen into our family, and also saw Makenna hit the big 1-year old milestone! It's been a wonderful journey watching the two grow up together, and it's been fun to see how their personalities mesh as they continue to develop. When first starting this blog, my intent was to take everyone on a journey through Makenna's first year of life, her ups and downs, along with our trials and tribulations as we learned firsthand exactly what it took to be parents! Little did I know that shortly after Makenna was with us, that I'd have to include our little man into the mix!!! We were just as surprised as everyone else when we shared our news. And so, after reaching my initial goal of Makenna's first year, I opted to continue the same tradition for Isaiah, and took everyone on an extended voyage through his first year! Of course, since the two go hand in hand, it was only natural that I keep Makenna in the loop as well!

That being said, we can hardly believe that Isaiah will be reaching the 1-year mark exactly one month from today. Happy 11 months Isaiah! This holiday season, both Enza & I took time off, and being around the kids 24/7, we've noticed just how much our little man has developed, and how his own little personality has become much more noticeable. He still has his quirks, and will still cry every now and then when he can't see his mommy, but lately, he's been in daddy-mode which makes me smile =) He's not far from walking on his own, and has taken two steps by himself on at least a couple of occasions. That's all we need right now, is two fully mobile children and then we'll definitely be on our toes! Makenna has noticed the change in Isaiah, and has really gotten into her big sister role. When she sees him doing something that he's not supposed to do, she'll tell him "Zae Zae No!" But on the same note, she'll get him to play with her by doing something that neither one of them should be doing, like playing with the curtains. When we catch them, she'll automatically throw Isaiah under the bus, like we're supposed to believe he did it on his own! Hahahaha, she's a little sneaky one! It's also hard to believe that she's only two months shy of her second birthday! Seriously, where has all the time gone???

This should be a good year for the two of them, as they both reach major milestones in their lives. And since we don't have any other surprises at the moment, at least I don't think we do, it'll be nice to enjoy just the two of them. The thought of expanding our family is still up for debate, but for now, the five of us works just fine! For any of you trying to read deeply into that last statement, don't forget, Marino makes 5 =)

Isaiah's been in a really good mood since the holidays...