Random Reagan Updates

Nothing super eventful has been happening with us, but I thought it was about time to post an update on the blog. A couple of weeks ago after FHE we had yummy brownie bars and took a few pictures of Reagan enjoying it to the fullest. Life is just so much fun with these sweet little ones around who really just love and enjoy the simplest things!
Here she is a little more serious about getting to work on the brownie :)
Reagan loves to get into the groceries before I have time to put away the non refrigerated items. I have to say I was quite impressed with her stacking abilities. It amazes me how much she grows and develops even from day to day. This wasn't even as high as she stacked them! She loves to keep herself busy with little tasks such as these. It's hilarious to watch her facial expressions-- you can just see how important the most random tasks are to her! I sure do love her :)
While I was out doing a little bit of Black Friday shopping, Erik took a few snapshots of Reagan with her new princess chair. She has always loved climbing into and sitting in her own special seat. I recently pulled out her old infant car seat to get ready for the new baby and she was always climbing in and out of it. A couple of her "friends" have their own chairs and everytime we go to play with them, she always takes over their chairs. We figured it was time for her to have her own chair. She loves it, of course! Erik was lucky enough to capture one of Reagan's "pretty" smiles. This is her smile when we ask her to. We haven't been able to get a picture of it until now. I just love it! I think she looks A LOT like Erik in this pic.
Another thing Reagan has been really big into is trying on mommy and daddy's shoes. She is just so proud of herself when she manages to get both on and slowly scoots around the house. It can also turn it to a very frustrating process for her too.

I just can't believe how much she is growing up. She is so verbal already at her age. Her recent obsession is the moon. Everytime we go out side she points excitedly to the sky, chanting "the moon, the moon!" It's hilarious how nuts she goes over it, especially when she can see it. It's become a part of her bedtime routine to go out on the balcony with Erik and talk to the moon. She also started saying I love you, which has melted both of our hearts. We sure do love you Reagan!

Fourth Year Rotations

We just wanted to let our friends and family know where Erik will be doing his rotations during his 4th year. We were blessed to have gotten all of his top choices and Erik feels really good about all of them. Here we go:

June 2008- Community Medical Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania (home to the show, The Office, of which we are big fans) I'm not entirely sure what the girls and I are going to do this month. It all depends on where we end up with housing. We'll probably be out in Idaho towards the end of June though.

July 2008- Millcreek Community Hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania. The girls and I will be in Idaho for the first part of the month for a family reunion. I know I'm going to be aching to see Erik so I'll probably make a trip out to see him.

August 2008- St. Mary's Health Care Services in Evansville, Indiana. It's a 9 hour drive from Des Moines to Evansville. If the girls and I are stationed here in Des Moines, we'll probably make a trip out to see him this month.

September 2008- Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Woo hoo! Fort Dodge is about 1 hour and 45 minutes away from Des Moines, which means we'll be able to see Erik on weekends.

October-Feb 2009- 4 month core spent at Detroit Medical Center in Warren, Michigan. We'll all be together for the core and will be staying in a furnished apartment there during the lovely cold winter months :)

Feb-April 2009- Still undecided on where he will do the rest of his fourth year. At least one month will be private practice. If we stay in Iowa he'll be doing it here in Des Moines. If not, then we'll be in Idaho or California.

May 2009- 1 month break before residency!

So, we're likely looking at doing residency in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa, or Michigan. Erik is really hoping to do his residency in Fort Dodge, IA based on what he knows about the program. Of course, he could change his mind once he goes to some of the other programs. I'm not looking forward to next year but at least it means we're getting closer to being done!

Beggar's Night and Trunk or Treat

For Beggar's night, Reagan and I went with my friend Olivia and her two kids to Valley West mall to do some trick or treating. It was pretty packed there. They had a lot of activities for the kids along with inflatable slides and to Reagan's delight, a giant Elmo and Cookie Monster, her two favorite Sesame Street characters. Once she caught sight of Elmo, she frantically made her way to the front of the crowd and just stared at him in awe while chanting "Elmo!, Elmo!" over and over again (quite passionately I might add).
When we came across Cookie Monster, she enthusiastically chanted "Nummy nummy nummy!" while holding out her arms for him to pick her up and hold her. She associates nummy with Cookie Monster because he eats nummy cookies of course!

By the end of the 30-40 minutes we were there, I was paralyzed with pain from constantly bending down and trying to keep her from grabbing all of the candy out of her pumpkin. I definitely won't be trick or treating with a little one without Erik when I'm 31 weeks pregnant. But, we had fun. Before I continue on, a little history for those who don't know, on why I chose to dress her up as a skunk. From Reagan's first week of life, Erik nicknamed her Skunk and it has stuck ever since. It just fits her. So a few months back when I saw the skunk costume at Old Navy, I couldn't resist. The pictures really don't do justice just how adorable she looked.
The following night, Halloween, was Trunk or Treat in the church parking lot. We arrived quite late, but just in time to show Reagan off and for her to get some goodies. Actually, we really are the ones eating the candy but whatever :) This time I made Erik take her around while I sat my whale of a body on our trunk to pass out candy. Apparently, I really missed out by not going around with Reagan. Erik said that everyone was just oohing and aahing over what a cute skunk she was. She actually kept her skunk hood on while she went around, which makes the costume so much cuter. We were quite proud and please as she said "Pea" (please) and "Tay Tou" (thank you) before and after she received a treat for most of the people she visited. Of course, that really won even more admiration from the members. I'm just sad I didn't get to witness it all. We can't believe how much she's grown up, especially lately.
For the ride home, we unwrapped a sucker for her to enjoy. Before Erik gave it to her she really wasn't too sure about it. Of course as soon as she took a lick she was sold. She had a meltdown when I tried to take the sucker away from her mouth for half a second while I strapped her in the carseat.