Troy and Melanie (dot com) bio picture

Welcome to our life!

We are a growing family located in Austin, TX.  Not too long ago it was just the two of us.  Then we added our fur-baby, Bella.  And most recently we added our son, Cole.  This blog was created to keep our friends and families updated on the goings on at the Schneider household.  Given the new arrival, many of the posts will be geared towards our struggle to learn how to be good parents.  

We enjoy watching movies, traveling, photography, reading, and hanging out with friends (preferably while doing anything in this list).  You are bound to read some funny stories here as we try to keep it light hearted and you'll definitely see a pile of photos.

So if you like a post, want to share your opinion, or just want to say hi feel free to leave us a comment.  We *love* comments.

Category Archives: Baby

Troy & Mel Plus 8…months of Cole, that is

[caption id="attachment_1311" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="From E's Birthday Party"]From E's Birthday Party[/caption]

Wow!  Didn’t we just post about Cole being 7 mths old?  Well, guess that just further supports that post’s plea for time to slow down a bit.  But since that’s not really happening, let’s recap the latest and greatest Cole news now that he is, in fact, 8 months old.

Cole has now eaten and liked the following Gerber foods: rice cereal, oatmeal, mixed grain cereal, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, green beans, bananas, apples, pears, peaches, prunes, and a few combinations of the aforementioned (e.g., apple sweet potato, bananas, apples & pears, prunes with apples, etc).  He has tried the biter biscuits and just yesterday he tried a couple of the puffs snacks, but he’s still not quite sure about these finger foods.  He seems up to the challenge though.  ;-)  He drinks minimal amounts of water from his sippy cups, still finding their “drumming properties” to be of more interest at this point.  :-)

Troy has given Cole a new nickname — Nonstop — because that describes our little man well.  He is crawling everywhere…real crawling now, not scooting on his stomach.  He pulls himself up with ease all over the place and is a brave little soul, holding on with one hand to reach for things or walking a few side steps while holding onto the ottoman, couch, etc.  He seems to be trying to figure out how to stand up from a sitting position without pulling himself up too…I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

He sleeps more hours now…has probably done about nine consecutive hours at the longest at this point…but that’s nothin’ to sneeze about, at least from where we’re standing (or crawling into bed).  *Grin*

He has discovered his ability to squeal…loudly.  He also babbles up a storm when he’s of a mood – some of the best mornings are when he wakes up and just starts babbling to his seahorse.  He hasn’t really said true words, though we think we may count “hi” and “hey” as his first words…he certainly makes those exclamations a lot.

He is interested in EVERYTHING and seems to discover something new everyday.  For instance, this week he has discovered the DVDs and Bella’s water and food dishes.  He loves his Around We Go activity table/walker — and we love that!  He loves books.  He loves all manner of “noise makers.”  He loves baths (and has just discovered his boy bits – fun, fun).  He loves his nana Bella – he finds her to be extremely funny and fascinating.  He loves it when we do the chicken dance for him…no, you won’t see that on video.  :-p

Anyway, he is a joy.  An utter joy.  I’m a proud, if tired, mommy and I look forward to seeing what else we get to report at 9 mths, 10 mths, and so on.

View full post »

My 2009 Wrap Up

Yes, I know we’re midway through January…given that mommy work is never done, I’m thinking that’s not too bad.  Anyway, I wholeheartedly agree with Troy’s wrap-up and love his 2010 goals.  I just wanted to add a few thoughts regarding my experience of 2009.  So, here goes…

2009 was the year I:

>  Gained a whole new respect for my knockers *heh heh*

>  Adjusted my definition of a good night’s sleep *read: SOME continuous sleep*

>  Felt most like a pin cushion

>  Met Zac Efron

>  Missed the most days of work ever  :)

>  Traveled the Pacific Coast Highway with my boys

>  Hated poultry for the first time and then miraculously loved it again

>  Perfected my rendition of “Itsy Bitsy Spider”

>  Fell in love with my husband all over again

>  Experienced the miracle of life firsthand…and it was awesome!

>  Embarked on my best adventure/undertaking yet…motherhood

There’s so much from 2009 that I’ll never forget and at the top of that list is holding my son in my arms for the first time…and then the second…and then the third…  :-)  Family defined my year.  Troy, Cole, and Bella…our parents (now known as grandma, opa, nonni, and pappi)…uncle Kev and Kelsey…friends near and far, extended family near and far.  2009 was unforgettable and 2010 looks to be a year full of Cole firsts and other Cole happiness.  :-)  Thank you to everyone in our lives in 2009 and here’s to a great year ahead!

View full post »

Natural Parenting

Found this over on xkcd.com and it seriously made me laugh out loud.
(note to our parents: no this is not a hint)

View full post »

A mommy morning…

Troy’s been having all the blogging fun…  ;-)  I need to try to pop in here more often.  Anyway, this week was the beginning of a new chapter — going back to work was no doubt good and healthy for me, but it was tough.  Tears were shed.  I’m told it gets easier each day, so we’ll see how next week feels.  Anyway, some highlights from the week were 1) Cole and I doing a “duet” to Lean on Me during Glee, 2) Cole visiting me at the office, 3) the nice brunch my team greeted me with my first day back in the office, and 4) watching “Up” with my boys…very enjoyable.

This morning was a good one.  Cole is a pretty happy little man in the morning.  Even as I’m doing that one-eyed, sleepy thing where I have to tell myself I have to get up despite the choppy sleep overnight, I can’t help but be happy to do so as I listen to him coo and squeal happily and watch him give me his variety of smiles.  They are the best sights in the world!  :-D  So, we had some happy back time in bed this morning and we also had some happy time reading (except for the part where I cried a little…”Love You Forever” gets me every time!  But “Barnyard Dance” is more upbeat, so we ended with that) and some happy time looking at all the fun stuff in the nursery.  I think Cole loves Eeyore as much as his mommy does.  Yay!

So, anyway, that’s all I’ve got right now…no pics but I know daddy will be putting some up later.  Life is good…gonna enjoy the rest of my day and weekend with my favorite guys!

View full post »

cole goes for a swing

He is so tiny :)

View full post »

Likes and Dislikes

Slowly, but surely we are adjusting to this parenting thing. Today Cole is 1 week old… I really hope that the rest of his life doesn’t go by as quickly as this first week did. Sure we had our cranky nights, frustrating diaper changes, worrisome “is he ever going to stop crying?” time, and plenty of awwww moments, but it’s something that we’re getting used to and soon we’ll be pros. One of the things that we’ve begun to take notice of are the things that he likes and dislikes. Here’s what we noticed so far:

Likes…

  • Crying (he does it enough that it seems he likes it)
  • Being outside
  • Warmth
  • Nursing
  • Snuggling
  • Comfort suckling

Dislikes…

  • Sponge baths
  • Getting his diaper changed
  • Hiccups
  • Messing with his feet (too many blood draws in the hospital)
  • Sleeping alone in his bassinet or crib

Here’s a photo of he and I doing one of his favorite things. I gotta say I love these moments.
IMG_6612

Speaking of likes and dislikes, what do you think about the new blog layout? There’s a poll at the bottom of the page or you can just leave a comment and give me your opinion.

View full post »

Baby C is Home

Yeah… it’s 4:30am and I’m awake… I get the late night shift for a couple of days. I’m not complaining… he’s fun to be around (when he’s not screaming and I can usually calm him down so I don’t spend too much time dealing with him yelling at me :) ). Here’s a little video that Melanie shot today shortly after we arrived home (I love the little bear feet!).

View full post »

More photos of Cole

I can guarantee that this is going to be a recurring theme :) Enjoy the photos.

PS. I will work on finding a better way to display a large number of photos… I know this isn’t ideal. For now you can click on the smaller gallery image to view a larger version of each photo.

PPS. I changed the presentation to use a slideshow instead. Let me know what you think of it.

[mbs slideshow=1]

View full post »

Baby name: Cole Gabriel!

Hello intrepid website visitor. We’d like to introduce you to our son Cole… all 6lbs 12oz and 21.5 inches of him. We’re quite smitten :)

colebirth_24

View full post »

Baby name: Fearghus?

Yes… another rejected baby name (though I can hear this one coming out of the mouth of a hardened Irishman… feeergooos :)

Picture 2

View full post »