The Moll Family

Growing fast

2012-01-23T06:07:00.001-08:00

Pictures are a little out of order. . .

CJ and daddy playing in the yard

Evy's first visit with Santa...CJ was still scared!

Evy, Noah and Ethan (this was taken yesterday)

CJ and his new farm

Rylie, CJ, Kynzie and Evy (sorry, I haven't figured out how to turn the pictures!)

Well, Evy is now 2 months old...and growing like crazy (as you can tell from the photos, she's quite the little chunk!) We've made it through Christmas and New Year's without any troubles. Everyone is doing well.

Cliff has now finished teaching his first interim class. It went well, but was very time-consuming. Now one week off and back to the regular schedule. He's not on vacation, though. He always has research to work on!

CJ is doing well. He went once a week to the daycare at UWO during the interim so that I could have a day with Evy and could get some house work done. He had a really good time playing with all the other kids and supposedly he was well-behaved. No potty accidents, even in the new environment! CJ enjoyed being with all the many families around Christmas, and had lots of fun playing with all his cousins!

I have been enjoying my time off with the kids, and am a little sad to have to go back to work in 3 weeks. When I start back at work, I am going down to a 2-nights a week schedule instead of 3. I am really looking forward to that! I will have much more time with my babies that way.

Evy is doing really well. She is growing like crazy and is really a good little baby. During the day, she has lots of awake time, but actually lays in a crib a few times to sleep. At night, she has been sleeping in a crib at least part of the night, and often goes at least 4 hours between feeds. Of course, she has her bad nights, too! She coos a lot now, and smiles a lot when you talk to her. I absolutely love that! CJ thinks it's neat when she coos and always asks "what is she saying to me?" He loves to hold her and gives her lots of affection.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Evy went swimming for the first time. She did really well...we were there for a good 2 hours and she didn't make a peep. She kicked her feet in the water and floated around on a big mat just looking all around. I forgot the camera, though, so we missed out on those photos!

Sorry it took so long to get this out. We are going to the Dells in a few weeks, so hopefully I will get those photos out a little quicker!

Love you all and miss you!

meet evelyn

2011-11-20T14:01:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Nov 19th at 1238am, Evelyn Margot Moll was born. She weighed in at 8lb 10oz and is 20.5 inches long. She looks a lot like CJ did as a newborn, though is much chubbier. She's got light brown hair, about 1 inch long already. She's a bit of a crabby girl, though has been a little happier today. Last night she actually let mama sleep for a few hours in a row, and today she slept in her bassinet for 2 solid hours! She is nursing well, a huge step ahead of how her brother was at this age! Mama is doing well, a little sore, but otherwise fine.

Labor was fast and furious, much to my surprise. I really wanted an epidural when I hit the hospital doors, but I was already 9cm and she was born 30 minutes after I got to the hospital, so I was unable to get any drugs and ended up with a completely natural childbirth. From first contraction to birth was only about 4 hours and I didn't even really think I was in labor until about 10pm friday night. We were actually out to eat with friends and then were in Appleton shooting our bows until about 9:30. Fast labor is great in some ways, but extremely intense and I have to say I was a bit out of control. Cliff did really well and was very supportive through my craziness.

Evelyn is doing well and CJ seems to be very happy with her. He goes straight for her when he comes in the door to visit and likes to hug and kiss her. He has asked to play with her and says he would like her to go home with him. He has been very gentle and when she cried today he told me I needed to give her some milk! What a little helper! Mom and Dad have been staying with CJ and Cliff has been staying here with me and Evy (or Evie, as we are not sure yet how to spell it). Cliff's mom Lori has come to visit and Erica and the girls were here as well.

We will be heading home tomorrow morning, so hopefully the transition will go well. Can't wait for everyone to meet our newest addition!

CJ the dragon

2011-11-03T10:37:00.001-07:00

For Halloween, CJ was a dragon. He liked his costume a lot and had fun wearing it. We went to Festival (the grocery store) for trick or treat in the morning. It was cute...they went around to the departments and got treats related to that department. For example, he got an apple in produce and a string cheese in dairy. Then we went to our downtown celebration and did trick or treating at the stores. It was REALLY crowded, but CJ had fun. We met with some friends, so he wasn't alone. Mom and Dad went with us, too. Since both Cliff and I worked on Halloween night, we didn't do traditional trick or treating through the neighborhood.

Hope you all had a great Halloween!

4 more weeks and counting. . .

2011-10-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from the diaper shower Erica and Megan threw. Thanks!

34 weeks pregnant

"Grandma and the girls"

getting big!

My "diaper cake"

Me, Lori, Mom, Marge, Annie, Tami, Grandma, Shari, Megan, Erica

32ish weeks

my baby boy playing in the leaves

I am now 36 weeks pregnant, so I should have about 4 more to go. Things are still going well. Lots of crazy baby movements, sporadic contractions, but all around feeling pretty good. We put up the crib, which CJ asks if he can sleep in with "baby sister" when she comes. He likes to go upstairs and see the crib, and has grown attached to a small burp cloth that Lori made for the new baby.

Erica and Megan (for those of you who don't know, Megan is my cousin) threw me a very nice diaper shower with my mom's side of the family. It was so great to see everyone! Thanks to all for the diapers and wipes! And thanks to Lori (my mother-in-law), who made "baby sister" aka "november" (those are the names CJ gives her) some beautiful bedding!

Cliff has been busy hunting and he also put a deck railing up at the cottage. It was a lot of work, but it looks really nice.

Hope everyone is doing well! Hope to keep you updated as best I can with baby news. . .and I'll try to put CJ's Halloween pictures up asap after trick or treating this weekend! Miss you all!

2011-08-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

28 weeks pregnant. . .taken just today!

Four-wheeling with Daddy (and Grandpa Duane is to the side with his back to the camera)

CJ swimming this weekend

CJ fishing

CJ with great grandma Patterson

CJ feeding a baby sheep

Did I mention that I am super computer savvy. . .I couldn't get these to load with the text, so here are the pictures and the text was posted separately!

finally some pictures!

2011-08-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

Hey, everybody! So it turns out that there IS a SD card slot on Cliff's computer. . .it's just computer savy me who couldn't find it! O-well.

So. We have been busy with CJ playing, Cliff fishing and me working. I've gone up to the cottage a little, too, but Cliff likes to take CJ when I work a few nights in a row. Ever since Cliff caught that muskee he is obsessed with fishing. CJ likes it, too, but turns out he likes to throw Cliff's fish back in the water when Cliff is not looking. He was excited about having some eater fish a little bit ago, but went to retrieve them and found that SOMEONE took them from the bucket and freed them! He did admit to it when Cliff asked him.

We recently went to Minneapolis to visit some friends. Had a good time, but forgot our camera. We took a riverboat ride down the Mississippi, went shopping at Mall of America, went to Cabela's (who could pass THAT up in every city we go to?), ate at some fantastic restaurants, and hung out with friends. Cliff's new favorite game is Balderdash, which we played until the wee hours of the mornings. . .

Pregnancy has been going well, but I am measuring about 4-5 weeks ahead of schedule. Just had an extra ultrasound to make sure there isn't a problem. . .everything seemed to be fine, but baby has a large head and average body just like her brother. I also have a bit extra fluid. . .so my belly is gigantic. Baby looked healthy, though, just has a large brain! Night shift seems to have it's disadvantage while pregnant, despite the obvious of being more tired. . .baby has become a night owl. She's active during the day, but CRAZY at night. Often on work nights she is active almost nonstop between midnight and 6am. It actually seems to put the other babies to sleep when they are cuddling on my shaking belly at night.

CJ is doing well. He's going through a whining phase, but other than that he is great. He finally felt the baby move and now likes to rest his hands on my belly sometimes or lay on it. He often asks when she is coming out and who will help me when she comes. He always volunteers to help so far!

Well, I guess that's enough for now. As we speak I am watching CJ drive his F150 truck through the front lawn, telling Cliff he's gonna run him over and giggling. Funny little kid. . .

Love, Dana

It's a. . .GIRL!

2011-07-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well, the Moll's have been waiting something like 90 years for this. . .a Moll girl should be making her arrival at the end of November! Had our ultrasound a 2 weeks ago. Everything looks fine so far. As of now she's right on schedule for growth, although my stomach would beg to differ. WAY bigger this time around, but that's to be expected for my 2nd so I have been told. Sorry I still can't post pics (no SD reader on the Cliff's work computer and ours is still on the fritz). She has a name, but we're not blabbing until she makes her debut. At least we will try to hold out until then!

Another new arrival to our family. . .we are the proud new owners of a new vehicle. Our Honda Accord was needing some attention, so we figured we get rid of it and get something bigger for the expanding family. We now have a 2011 Honda Pilot (SUV). Up to 8 passengers, so we can have more kiddos, or just drive friends and family around with also having room for the 2 car seats. It's pretty nice to have the extra room. We were gonna get a used one, but newer used Hondas are hard to come by and we ended up getting a decent deal on the new one. It is black.

Cliff is pretty excited about his accomplishment last weekend. . .he caught a 40 inch muskee up near his parent's cabin in Eagle River. I guess that's pretty big, but he's excited about it cause he caught it on a (and I use my non-fishing lingo here) pole meant for little fish. Apparently this means that actually landing it was a big feat in and of itself cause they usually would bite through the line and the pole isn't made for that much weight. He thinks it was around 20pounds. Too bad no one had a camera with them! Now he's really excited about fishing, so we're going up to our cabin this weekend. . . CJ likes fishing, too. He plays with the minows, and takes the fish from you to the live well. He also kisses them! I won't touch the bait or the fish, so he's already a better fisherman than me!

Well, my breadmaker is about to beep with the dough for my homemade pizza tonight, so I should be signing off. Hope you all are well. Thanks for the comments letting me know at least a few people still look at my blog. . .

P.S. Katie Mears, email me sometime! I'd love to catch up!

P.P.S Miss you, too, Ann! Wish I could have been at the party, but had to work. CJ had fun! Hope to see you soon!

Love, Dana

anybody still look at this thing?

2011-07-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone. I know it's been a REALLY long time, but there is a good explanation. Technology sucks. Of the 2 computers we have both were out of commission for a while and the home computer (one is Cliff's work computer) is still out. Can't use it for ANYTHING now. For a while I could use it for internet, but I was unable to save any pictures because of the memory being full. Hence, the lack of recent entries. I did just now come to the conclusion that I should post SOMETHING, although pictures are what most people want to see...

So, for those of you that haven't heard, Cliff and I are expecting another baby in November. I am now 20 weeks pregnant and so far things have been going very well. Not nauseated, only puked a few times from some super-strong smells (I have the superhuman pregnangy nose, so smells kinda get a little strong sometimes). I've been tired, of course, but not like I remember being when I was pregnant with CJ. My biggest complaint is the acne I get while pregnant, so I am pretty lucky. Don't know the gender yet, should find out in about 1 1/2 weeks at out next appointment.

CJ is doing really well. I swear he's getting taller every day. He's having a good summer, especially since we've been taking him on 4-wheeler rides. He could spend all day on that thing (once we convince him to put his helmet on, which he never wants to do). There's a free zoo here in Ohskosh, so we have been there a few times and they also have a little train that you can ride for a dollar, and we all knwo how much he loves trains. . .

Cliff is doing fine. He has spent a lot of time remodeling the bathroom at the cottage. He has all the plumbing done and the walls back up. The floor is still plywood and the walls and ceiling are bare drywall, but at least it is usable now! Cliff's got some research to finish this summer, too.

For those that don't know, I have switched from casual to full time at work. All that was available was a full time night position, so I work 3-12 hour shifts a week from 7pm-7am. Work itself isn't bad, but I have to use more time at home to sleep during the day and my housework is lacking because of it. Oh, well.

Well, I think that about sums it all up. Miss everyone and hope you all had a great 4th of July!

2011-03-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

I have finally found the time to update this site. CJ is at the sitter today and I am in between sweeping and vacuuming. . .

Well, let's see. . .what has happened since Christams?

We have made a few trips to Lake Mills for McKynzie and Rylie's birthdays. The three kids have so much fun together!

I have been busy keeping house and entertaining the little one. It's been a little busier at work so I have actually been working most of my shifts for the last few weeks. I am also in the midst of applying for a full time job. I don't really want to, but with all the crap going on with our ridiculous govenor and the cuts he's making to government employee benefits and wages, we will be taking a hit next year on our finances. If I get the job I will just switch from a casual employee to a full time nights position at the same place I work now. It'll be three nights a week, but as soon as a two nights a week position opens I am going to try for that. Right now all that's open in my department is the full time position and I really don't want to switch hospitals. . .

Cliff is doing well. Spring break is next week so he is looking forward to that. He's been a little stressed this semester, not only having to deal with all the political stuff going on, but also he has two new classes this semester so he has a lot more work to do to prepare!

Now to the star of the show. . .CJ. He is as crazy as ever, a ball of nonstop energy and nonstop chatter-boxing. He is now in a twin bed after crawling out of his crib a few times. Doing fine there so far. Bed time is a trip. He usually stalls quite a bit and has a hard time settling down, so either Cliff or I have to listen to "what's mama doing? what's daddy doing? what's ruby doing?Are they sleeping? Where's grandma? Where's grandpa? Erica, Brian Kynzie, Rylie? I wanna go swimming!" and so on for anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes of nonstop questions before he finally quiets down! Potty training is up and going again. He is back to using the potty a few times each day, so hopefully that will continue now (last time he was doing great then refused for weeks to sit on the potty at all). He is doing awesome in swimming lessons. He jumps in, doesn't cry when I put him under, is paddling and kicking and blowing bubbles in the water. He has class with two little girls that he loves. They are in the second session together, so they are very comfortable with one another.

I suppose that's about it for us right now. Nothing big planned for the near future. . .just CJ's second birthday!

Hope everyone is doing well! Love you all!

Christmas and more. . .

2011-01-02T18:01:00.001-08:00

Christmas in Waukesha

All dressed up for a wedding in St Louis

]] "Driving" a 4x4

Christmas Eve at the Moll's

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! It's been a busy month for us. . .

We had a wonderful time visiting with my side of the family the weekend before Christmas. We celebrated with my mom's side on Saturday at my grandma's apartment in Waukesha. Then we celebrated with mom, dad, Erica, Brian, McKynzie and Rylie. The kids had a ball playing, as always.

Christmas Eve we were at the Moll's. We had a great time visiting with Jan, Lori, Grnadma K, Grandpa Henry and Eric. We dropped Ruby off there and came home, because on Christmas Day we started our drive to MO for our friends Matt and Autumn's wedding. It was a long drive, but we had a great time. We spent an extra day in St Louis and visited the Arch and we also went to Cabela's and Bass Pro Shop (guess who wanted to do that. . .) The ride home was rough for CJ, but we made it.

Nothing special for us for New Year's Eve. Cliff went to see FSU beat South Carolina in the Chic-fil-A Bowl (we don't have espn at home, so he went to BWW to watch it) and CJ and I just chilled at home and went to bed early.

CJ is a little spitfire. He loves his new train set and train table that we got him for Christmas. He spends a good majority of the day playing with it. He loves all things train, truck or tractor. His vocabulary is growing like crazy again. He is now putting a few words together to make his point. He is very convincing and if he doesn't get what he wants he throws a massive tantrum. Before the tantrum usually comes very cute begging of "please, please..." and he tries to bribe you with kisses. He also likes to ask you to follow him to the cupboard for constant snacks by asking "hand?" and pulling you into the kitchen. I think he's going to have a growth spurt soon.

Cliff is on winter break, but spends most of his time working on research. Nothing new with me. Hope the New Year brings happiness for all!

Dana

Halloween

2010-11-10T10:13:00.001-08:00

Halloween was fun. CJ and I went to Lake Mills and went trick-or-treating in their downtown with cousins McKynzie and Rylie. He did well considering he doesn't quite get it yet. McKynzie helped. The following day we went to Madison to the Children's Museum for their halloween party. It was fun, but VERY busy. We were going to go to Green Bay for the halloween party at the zoo, but ended up with a nasty stomach bug instead and spent the weekend sick. Sunday was trick-or-treating in Oshkosh and CJ helped his daddy pass out candy.

CJ spent this last weekend with grandma and grandpa (nama and bapa) Bavlnka while I worked in Sturgeon Bay helping redecorate with Grandma K. We had fun, but MAN is border hard to remove! I will never do that again!

Lori and I took a Thai cooking class monday. It was fun and I liked probably half the food the class made. Tonight is thai left-overs, so we'll have to see if Cliff likes it, too.

Cliff has been doing a lot of hunting. He got a 6 point buck down near Omro, so he's happy about that, but they coudln't find it for a few days so the meat is no good. That sucks. We've been eating a little bear meat. I don't love it, but I like it better than venison. Cliff really likes it.

This weeknd we're just going to chill at home, then next weekend I am spending "widows weekend" with Erica again. Both the husbands will be out hunting, so we're gonna party (as much as you can with 3 kids between us).

That's about it for an update. Miss y'all!

18 months

2010-10-21T15:21:00.001-07:00

CJ's first finger painting

Didn't really like being thrown in. . .

Driving his car in the leaves

Cliff's bear (since I couldn't post it last time due to technical difficulties)

Hello, everyone! Well, fall is here and Halloween is around the corner. Sometimes I can't believe how fast time flies. . .

CJ is 18 months now. He just had his routine appointment and is 24 1/2 pounds (30th%), 32 1/2 inches (50th%) and his head is 85th%. Guess he needs room in there for all those brains! This is about the curve he's been on for a while now. . .skinny with a big noggen! Oh, well. What's new with him? His vocabulary has exploded. He seems to come up with new words every day and copies a lot of what we say. Last night I swear he repeated "I love you" to Cliff when he was going to bed. We're also working on potty training already. He has been struggling with diaper rash since he was a couple months old, so as soon as he started showing interest in the potty, I started working with him. It's been 2 2/2 weeks so far. Each morning we sit on the toilet after he gets up and he has pooped on the potty each morning except for 4. Hope this trend continues and we can start working on other times of day. I know he's young, so my hopes aren't high, but it would be awesome if we could get him out of diapers sooner than later.

Nothing new with Cliff or me. Still no deer for Cliff. He did get his bear (I think I wrote about it last time) and we just got the meat back. I don't love it, but I will eat it, which is more than I can say for venison. Cliff is also hoping to get a coyote this season. As for me, nothing new. Just looking forward to doing some Halloween stuff with CJ. I'll make sure to get some pictures of him in his costume for y'all.

Hope everyone is well and is staying warm this fall. I heard there's a possibility of snow in our near future. . .we'll have to wait and see!

You thought I was bad about blogging before. . .it's been forever this time!

2010-09-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

CJ dressed up for the rain (not really, those are mama's boots!)
CJ spent a long time doing this. . .can you guess what it is? He's cleaning his vacuum cleaner!

CJ anf cousin Kynzie at the park

CJ and cousin Kynzie on the boat

Well, it's been a busy summer. We've been gone many weekends up at Cliff's parents' cabin or at my parents' house or meeting up with friends in Minnesota or babysitting McKynzie for a few days. . .you get the picture. We've not had very many weekends at home, and have been busy during the week, too. When I do have time, Cliff is using BOTH computers to run programs for his summer research projects. . .

Anyway. We've had a great summer. Cliff has been working on his research and also working to bait for bears up north. Hunting and classes start this week wednesday. He's looking forward to both. After bear season is deer season, so I'll be a hunting widow from now until deer season is over. At least I know I'll see Cliff Mon-Wed since those are the days he teaches. Tuesday nights he has to go all the way to Steven's Point to teach his master's students.

I have been busy being mama and working a little. I have been spending my friday and saturday mornings dragging CJ to rummage sales. I have found some really good deals! I will be sad when winter comes and there are no more rummage sales!

And for the most exciting member of the family. . .CJ. CJ is growing and changing all the time. He now has about 10 or so words and he is still constantly chattering. He's got 5 1/2 teeth now. He's a huge handful and is always on the go. He climbs on everything, including the kitchen table. When I caught him, he was just about to hang from the light fixture! He loves to play outside and constantly goes to the door, points to the handle and asks for "more" and wants his shoes on. He also loves music and loves to dance. He jumps, shakes his butt, spins and screams with delight to anything that makes music (including when Cliff's phone rings because it has a musical ringtone). He can now reach some of our door handles and has figured out how to open the back patio door. He also learned to open Grandma and Grandpa B's screen porch door. CJ loves to be around other kids and always finds an older little girl to lead him around and play with him when we're out at the playground. Too bad none of them are old enough to babysit!

We had the pleasure of watching McKynzie for a few days this summer while Erica and Brian took Rylie to Cape Cod to celebrate Erica's 30th b-day. Kynzie and CJ LOVE to play with each other and we had a great time. We went to parks, the zoo, an amusement park, and we took the boat out on Lake Winnebago. The kids had a blast!

We took a trip to MN to the Mall of America to visit with out friends Matt and Autumn and their son Adam. We met there since it is halfway between Oshkosh and Grand Forks, ND where they just moved to this summer. We had a great time hanging out with them and CJ and Adam played really well together, even though Adam is 8. We also took our first trip to IKEA.

Hope you enjoy the pictures and hope that everyone is enjoying their summer as much as we are! Miss you all!

Busy June

2010-06-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

CJ playing with Aunt Sharon's dog Laddie

Driving Grandpa Jan's boat last weekend

Camping in Eagle River

Cliff's 28th birthday

Hello everyone! It's been a busy June. . .

We had a wonderful time up in Solon Springs at my cousin Tyler's H.S. graduation party. CJ got to meet a lot of family members that he had never seen before. . .We had lots of fun with the family!

Last weekend we went to Eagle River to go camping in Grandpa Jan and Grandma Lori's camper. We went fishing twice and CJ liked the boat rides. He also enjoyed touching the fish that his daddy caught!

I have been working a lot because it has been very busy in our unit. We haven't reached our average for number of births this month, but the last week and a half have been CRAZY. All this month's babies are trying to be born at once!

Cliff is still working on his summer research papers. We also celebrated his 28th birthday this week. We were at the campsite for father's day and his birthday. He had lots of fun fishing and caught quite a few perch and a nice walleye. It was a nice way to spend his birthday.

This weekend Cliff is going to a gun show and we have a birthday party tomorrow night for a friend. Next weekend we're out of town again. . .summer is a busy time!

Hope everyone is well and that you all are enjoying your summer. Love you and miss you!

1 year and counting

2010-05-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I have to apologize. . .I thought for sure I had already posted CJ's 1st birthday pictures. Turns out I am behind more than I thought!

We spent CJ's birthday with Grandma and Grandpa Bavlnka then spent the next day with Grandma and Grandpa Moll. There were cupcakes, presents and toys galore. CJ was very unsure about getting messy with his cupcakes, and when his hands and face were covered with frosting and cake he got a little uneasy. He hated his bath that followed (we're still working on bath time) but had fun opening presents after that. All-in-all it was a good day. Not to mention that the day BEFORE his birthday, he decided to take his first steps! He quickly became a pro at walking and hardly ever wants to do anything else. By now, he's so independent that he won't ever hold our hands or let us help him. The way he walks is pretty cute. . .his holds his hands up in the air (for balance, I guess) at about shoulder level.

We've been doing swimming lessons at the YMCA together, and he's gone from being quite scared to being excited when he sees the pool. He hates the life jacket, though, and cried the whole time he had to wear it at lessons.

The other pictures posted are from this weekend at the NEW Zoo in Green Bay. We actually got to feed the giraffes, though I had more fun than anyone else, it seemed. It was pretty cool. CJ is still a little young to enjoy the zoo, but we had fun anyway. We are looking forward to going to the Milwaukee Zoo sometime this summer.

Cliff is done for the semester and has survived his first year of teaching at UWO. He's looking forward to a little more free time this summer, but has 2 research projects to work on.

Nothing new with me. Life is good but uneventful except in anything CJ related for me. I am working a little and getting a little more comfortable with my new job, but that's about it.

Looking forward to our upcoming party with the Bavlnkas. . .most of that side of the family has not met CJ yet! It's also been a long time since I have seen anyone. . .It should be fun.

Well, I better wrap this up, CJ is getting antsy. I miss you all and hope everyone is well!

A new look for CJ

2010-03-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone! It's time for another addition of the "Moll Family Blog". . .

Things are going well here for us. Cliff is getting ready to have a week off for Spring Break, I am getting ready to start my first shift off of orientation at work, and we just welcomed a new niece to the family. Baby Rylie Elizabeth Neis was born on March 9th at 1339. She was 9#7 oz and Erica was only in labor a few hours. I tried to make it for the birth, but was too late. Way to go Erica!

CJ is growing and changing so much. He had his first haircut at 11 months old because he had to tilt his head to see past his bangs (they were down to his chin). We cut about 3 inches off and still kept it long. He looks like a different kid and looks so much older now. His hair looks kinda curly still, but I don't know where he got that from. He isn't walking yet, but is standing for longer periods and is now really fast at both crawling and cruising the furniture. He pushes the kitchen chairs around the kitchen now, so maybe he'll be walking on his own soon. There's no "mama" or "dada" yet (at least not with association of what he's saying) but last week CJ started saying "hi" and waving at people (and objects, his reflection, Ruby, etc.). He seems to understand that it's a greeting and says it at appropriate times. It's really cute.

There's not much else new here. Great weather the last few days and no more snow on the ground. . .although the weatherman said there could be some snow this weekend. I don't think anything is supposed to stick, though. Yay Spring!

I miss you all and hope this finds you all well!

10 months old. . .

2010-02-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone!

Well, another few months and baby CJ is growing like crazy. He's teething. . .looks like he'll have his first tooth (or teeth) soon! He's into everything, crawling and pulling up on anything at least a few inches tall. Not walking yet. . .

I was hopeful that CJ was beginning to sleep through the night, but to no avail. He's back to being up 1-2 times most nights. . .oh, well.

We recently had a weekend in Wisconsin Dells with my parents, Erica, Brian and McKynzie. We had lots of fun at the indoor water parks and hanging out in the cabin we rented. Mom and Dad even let Cliff and I have a date night. Very nice! We did hibachi and went to a movie. It was good to get out for a night alone.

Cliff has just started his second semester of teaching. He even has a masters class he teaches in Green Bay. He had a nice 7 week vacation and is now back to the grindstone. During his vacation he worked hard on preps and on research. We also took a trip to FL for Cliff to defend his dissertation. He is now Dr. Moll! We had a great time hanging out with our FL friends while we were in town.

I am going to be off orientation at work soon. I am looking forward to being on my own, though I'll need a little help sometimes with some of the paperwork.

As always, I hope everyone is well and we miss you all!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone! I finally have a few minutes to update y'all on what's new with us. . .

The last 2 months have been busy. Lots of family get togethers and time spent with CJ. I am orienting at work, trying to do at least 1 shift each week. Cliff has been watching CJ when I work and so far things have gone well for them together.

Cliff has been working hard on finishing his dissertation and finishing the his first semester of teaching. We are going to FL in early January to defend his dissertation and then he will finally be done! The semester went well, but Cliff is a hard teacher and expects a lot of his students. Some appreciate that, while others just want easy As.

CJ is growing like crazy. He has his 9 month check up coming up next month. His biggest new skill is that he can sit up from a lateral position on his own. He stands with little support while holding on to something, but can't pull himself up to stand yet. He hasn't started crawling or walking, but that doesn't slow him down. . .he just log rolls to where he wants to be. He has 1 little tooth bud, but nothing has come all the way up yet. Also, his attention span is growing. . .he can entertain himself for longer periods . Oh, and the biggest thing. . .he is sleeping through the night some nights, and when he doesn't make it all night he only gets up once. This is HUGE! I am finally getting a little sleep!

That's about it. I have attached some pictures. They are from his very first photo shoot last month.

Hope everything is going well with everyone. Happy Holidays!

2009-10-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the typos in that last post. I didn't look through it before I published it. Ooops!

Finally

2009-10-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hey, y'all. Sorry for the delay. CJ and I have been sick (now Cliff is getting sick, too) with colds and I haven't had time to write.

At his month visit, CJ was 19 pounds even and 27 1/2 inches long. He seems to be doing well and has met all his milestones except he still doesn't roll over from his belly to back. He is getting stronger and likes to stand up with support. He sits up really well, too. The bad news is h still isn't sleeping well at night. He gets up every 1-2 hours to eat and momma is getting pretty tired. The good news is he has been better about naps for the last week or so. He fusses a little, but seems to go to sleep better and sleep longer. Of course he is sick, so maybe it won't last. . .

To my FL friends. . .did you see on the weather that it has already snowed here? Nothing that stuck, of course, but last week we had snow flurries and in the morning lately there has been frost on the ground. Jealous?

I started orientation for my new job (a casual position at my old place of employment). So far, so good. A lot of the people I used to work with are still there, so that will be fun.

Nothing else going on. Cliff is still enjoying teaching and he's getting closer to finishing his dissertation. I can't wait until that's done! Probably next month.

Hope everyone is doing well. Keep in touch!

Dana

PS. I did have more pictures, but I can't get them to load. Sorry!

No time

2009-10-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a while. . .and it's gonna be longer. No time to write, but here are some new pictures. I'll post asap with some updates!

We're here!

2009-09-07T07:24:00.001-07:00

CJ with cousins Ethan and Noah

CJ with cousin McKynzie

Window cleaning

Hello all! We're finally in WI and are getting settled. We closed on 8/20 and promptly moved in. Our stuff was delivered the following Monday, so we basically camped out in our new house for the weekend. My parents were here to help unpack, and they cleaned the house for us, too!

Since then, we have been visiting with family and friends and trying to unpack. We still have a lot of boxes to unpack, but we're not in a hurry. Thanks to all who helped us with this big endeavor!

Cliff has been doing some school work prep and orientation work. We have a picnic for the new faculty on Tuesday and then Cliff starts classes on Wednesday. He says he's not nervous. . .

CJ is doing fine. He's taking some time to adjust to the new house and has been meeting lots of new people and visiting with lots of family. He's getting up a lot at night lately, which has been hard on momma. We're doing some nap training and he often goes down without fussing now. Of course, some days he cries and cries. He still hasn't rolled all the way over, but he can put his weight on his legs to "stand" if we hold him and is almost sitting up by himself.

I have been offered a casual position in Labor and Delivery at Aurora, my old stomping ground. I don't know the details yet, but should know more within the next few weeks. Other than that, I have just been having fun being a momma and visiting with everyone for the last few weeks.

Ruby is adjusting well. She likes the big house and the glass patio door that she can see out of. She sits by it almost all day and watches the animals. She isn't afraid of going up and down the stairs anymore, but sometimes she barks at us to come remind her how to get back down!

That's all the news for now. Hope all is well with everyone. I miss all my Tallahassee peeps!

Love, Dana

4 months

2009-08-06T04:54:00.001-07:00

Hello all!

Sorry it's been a while...

CJ is 4 months old now. I almost can't believe it. He's 17 pounds (75th percentile) and 27 inches long (97th percentile). He rolls over to his side, but hasn't mastered the full roll over yet. He still talks and shrieks up a storm. Now he also blows bubbles. He gives momma big kisses and smiles a lot, too. We got the okay to start rice cereal, so we'll be doing that soon. The doctor said since he's such a big boy, cereal might help him sleep through the night. He was doing very well, but as soon as I started back to work, he started getting up at night again.

The countdown to the big move is almost through! My last day at work is the 12th, and we move out on the 17th. I can't believe it's almost time! We're so excited to move home and get into our new house!

Hope everyone is doing well! Can't wait to see y'all!

Dana

3 months

2009-07-14T05:41:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Everything is going well here in Tallahassee. It's 1 month until the big move, so we're getting very excited. Cliff is still working hard on his dissertation, but now he's also Mr Mom when I'm at work. He's doing a good job so far.

CJ is "talking" up a storm. He coos and squeels and yells. He seems to like to hear his own voice! He rolls to his side, but has not rolled all the way over again since the one time at about 6 weeks. He's a fun little guy.

I've been back to work for 2 weeks now. My first few days were pretty exciting. I had to deliver a baby myself in the bathroom on my 2nd day back!

We leave Tallahassee on August 17. Chad is coming down to drive one of our cars home for us. We close on our house on August 20th. Can't wait!

Hope all is well with everyone! Can't wait to see you all soon!

Dana

8 weeks

2009-06-07T05:59:00.000-07:00

Just some new pics of the little guy. . .

At his 8 week appointment, CJ weighed 11lb15oz and was almost 24 inches tall. He's in the 50th percentile for weight and height. He's got an umbilical hernia, but the doctor said most times they fix themselves and so we shouldn't worry. If he still has is at 2 years old, they start thinking surgery.

We're doing well. CJ is sleeping through the night on most nights. He doesn't sleep well during the day, but at least we get some sleep at night! He laughs and smiles a lot now, so it's a lot of fun to watch him and interact with him.

Our financing went through on the house, so now all we're waiting for is the home appraisal. We can't wait for the big move!

That's all for now. Miss you all!

Finding a home and a growing baby

2009-05-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I know it's been a while, but I finally have a few moments to update the blog while the munchkin is sleeping.

Well, we spent a few weeks in WI with the dual purposes of spending time with family and trying to find a new house. We succeeded in both areas. We had a great time with both sides of the family. We also bought a house! It's in Oshkosh, about 5 minutes from campus. It has a wooded back yard, even though the house is in the city. The lot is naturally fenced with woods in the back and large cedar trees in the front and on each side. It's very private and green. The 3BR, 2 1/2 BA home is only 4 years old, and is covered in light hardwood and cherry colored accents. It's two story and has a 3 car heated garage. We're very excited!

CJ is growing like a weed and is finally getting chubby. He's doing well, sleeping 4-6 hours a stretch at night. He coos and smiles now, which is so much fun! He rolled over once already, but has yet to repeat the performance. We have his 2 month check up next week, and I am sure he's going to weigh close to 11 pounds. Dana is still off on maternity leave and enjoying her time with him.

Hope all is well with everyone! Gotta go, it's time to feed the baby!

3 weeks

2009-04-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Just an update and some new pictures. . .

All is well. Baby Cliff is doing well and growing well. He's still tall and skinny, but is visibly gaining weight. He has his fussy times, but is increasingly awake and alert without crying. He's a good boy.

My parents were here with my sister and neice for a week to help me with cooking and cleaning and visit the new baby. We had a great time and it was very nice to have the help after coming home from the hospital. McKynzie is a very cute little girl and Cliff had fun running around with her.

Jan and Lori (Cliff's parents) are here now to help also. We spent a few days with them in Orlando at the time share (just relaxing and eating) and then Cliff and I came home and they stayed in Orlando for the remainder of the week. Now they're here at our home for a few days helping out.

We're still waiting for our home loan to be approved so we can plan our trip home for house hunting.

Well, that's it for now. Hope all is well with everyone. Miss you all!

It's a Boy, continued. . .

2009-04-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well, we've spent one night at home and so far so good. CJ kept momma up a lot, but that's to be expected. We are having some feeding issues, so nights are a little long right now. Hopefully they will be resolved soon and we can go back to breastfeeding. Right at this moment, Cliff, CJ & Ruby are all sacked out on the recliner napping. I actually had time for a shower!

I think some people wanted labor and delivery info, so skip this paragrah if you don't want details. . .I went into active labor wednesday around 4pm, after having irregular contractions since the evening before. I actually started "early labor" at work but didn't tell anyone. Walking and being active is good for you at that time anyway. I stayed home until about 10pm when we went to the hospital becuase I couldn't take the intense pain of my back labor any longer. I was 4cm at that time so they admitted me. I didn't want an epidural at first, so I did the tub thing and tried to hang in there. I ended up asking for my epidural around 2 or 3 am when I was 7cm, but couldn't get it for another hour because they had just called an emergency c-section on someone else and anesthesia was not available for me. I got a little crazy, but had lots of support. Cliff did really well with me and didn't take it personally when I yelled at him to stop touching me a lot. I was very impressed with him. After I finally had my epidural I was happy and slept off and on until it was time. I only pushed about 40 minutes, for which I am very thankful. I think that was actually the hardest part for me.

CJ and I are both doing well. I am feeling a little more like myself, though still a little sore. CJ is a good baby, but has had a temper like his dad from the very start. When he wants something his wants it NOW, so he goes from sleeping soundly to screaming and impatient to be fed. There's no "quiet alert" phase for my little man! That's part of our feeding problem because he won't calm down enough to concentrate on breastfeeding. I am working with some lactation nurses so we hopefully won't have to bottle feed for long.

Well, I better get going. Maybe I can catch a nap before the boys wake up!

Love you all and wish all is well with each and every one of you! Enjoy the pics! Hope naked baby pictures don't offend anyone!

It's a Boy!

2009-04-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

Pictures to come. . .no time at the moment. . .

Cliff Randall Moll, Jr "CJ" was born 4/2/09 at 11:14am. He was 7lb 15 oz and 21 inches long.

Mom and Baby are doing well.

More to come tonight or tomorrow!

Love, Dana

38 weeks

2009-03-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

Well, Baby CJ has finally decided to do the right thing. . .he has flipped into the head down position! He did it on his own, so we didn't have to have the version. Yay!

The ultrasound pictures are of the bottom half of his face and his foot. He's got chubby cheeks and big lips. . .we also know from the previous ultrasound that he has lots of hair. I can't wait to see him in person!

Nothing else new. . .Hope all is well with everyone!

Dana

36 1/2 weeks

2009-03-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

Hello all. Here's a few pictures. Sorry it's been so long. . .

Everything is still going well but CJ is still breech, despite the MANY MANY MANY things a I have tried. I have an appointment with my doctor in about a week and he says we'll talk version at that time. Oh, well. The pregnancy has been so easy in all other ways, so I can't complain too much! CJ is already a big boy, weighing in at 6 1/2 pounds by ultrasound. I wouldn't have thought any different from a Bavlnka baby!

Cliff and I are busy with house hunting duties. It's a lot of work to buy your first home and is difficult to do when you live across the country! Thank goodness for the internet!

Hope all is well with everybody! Miss you all!

32 weeks

2009-02-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

Hey, y'all. Here's a new belly pic. . . I am 32 1/2 weeks now. Everything is going well so far. So far, CJ is still in a breech position. By 34 weeks, 90% of babies will have moved to head down, so he's got 2 more weeks to go before we get worried. If he has not flipped, I'll be seeing an acupucturist for "moxabustion" which is supposed to encourage breech babies to flip. If he STILL doesn't flip, we'll be talking with my OB to schedule a version (where the doctor tries to flip the baby from the outside). It's not pleasant for the mommy, so I hope he just flips on his own.

No other news. Cliff is still working hard on his dissertation and is teaching this semester. Ruby is doing well and has fit in well with our little family.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-16T06:55:00.000-08:00

Well, 2008 is over and the New Year has begun! We had a great time in WI for Christmas and came home with a truck load of baby stuff (and of course some great Christmas presents). Now we just need to get it all organized and set up the nursery! That's my project for the next couple weeks. . .

The above picture was taken the Saturday after Christmas, so I was about 26 1/2 weeks.

No news here on the homefront since the last blog. Hope all is well in the New Year for everyone!

-Dana

More big news. . .

2008-12-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Well, he's been working really hard and it has paid off. . . Cliff received and accepted a job offer at UW Oshkosh! We'll be moving home in August and he'll start teaching in the fall. Because of his health problems and his two surgeries this year, Cliff wasn't planning to graduate until 2010, but when he heard UWO was hiring, he applied right away. He has talked with his advisers and they are going to work with him to graduate early. He'll have to work very hard, but I know he can do it!

On another note, we also expanded our family. No, CJ has not been born yet. . .he just has a sister. Her name is Ruby. She's a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. She's 9 months old and is already house trained and crate trained and sometimes sleeps through the night. She's a very cuddly and friendly. I surprised Cliff with her for Christmas and he is very happy.

We'll be in Wisconsin for Christmas this year and are looking forward to seeing the family.

Hope everyone has a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season!

-The Molls

New pics, big news. . .

2008-11-08T05:55:00.000-08:00

IT'S A BOY! We have had two ultrasounds to confirm it. Our big formal ultrasound was yesterday and so far everything looks great. We got some really cool pictures and were even able to count his fingers and toes. It was pretty amazing. Here's a new baby picture. . .

2008-10-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

Someone told me that the last picture didn't do my expanding belly any justice. Here's a new one. . .

October

2008-10-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hey again, everyone! It's time for a little update. . .

Cliff had his job interview for UWO last week and he thinks it went well. We're waiting for a call to schedule his campus interview. If they want to offer him the job, they'll do so after the campus interview. He has to prepare a presentation on his dissertation to give while he's there and they'll judge him on that and the previous interview. If I'm lucky, I will be joining him on that trip for a mini vacation. We'll post again when we know more!

Well, the baby bump is growing. I've posted a picture of my expanding belly. I am now 16 weeks pregnant. Still nothing to complain about. . .pregnancy has been very fun and easy for me so far. Just a few days of headaches around 14 weeks (to be expected) and I am still very tired all of the time. I haven't felt any movement yet, so that's the next big thing I'm waiting for. Also, we have our big formal ultrasound in November. We are going to try to find out what variety of Moll baby this is! Any hunches?

Hunting season just opened today for archery, so I will be a hunting widow (as they say) again for the next few months. Cliff is out in a tree stand right this minute. . .

That's it for now. Feel free to post comments if desired. I'll try to write sooner next time. . .I have't been granted much computer access lately since Cliff has been working so hard on job and dissertation stuff!

Love, as always,

Dana

Our first blog

2008-09-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! Welcome to the new Moll Family Blog. We thought this would be an easy way to communicate with all our friends and relatives and share pictures.

Well, it's been a busy year. . .Cliff is doing well in school. He finished his PhD classes, passed his comps, and is now ABD (all but dissertation). He's working hard on his dissertation essays and is preparing for a job interview next month with UW Oshkosh. Yes, it's possible we'll be heading back home soon! He was planning to graduate in 2010, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to go back to WI, so when he found out about the opening at UWO for 2009, he decided to go for it. If he doesn't get the position, we'll stay here another year and continue with the original graduation date.

Cliff has also had 2 surgeries this year. In April, he had to have his entire large intestine removed due to the severity of his ulcerative colitis. He has an ostomy now. In August the doctors tried to reverse the ostomy and put things back together, but were unable to complete the surgery as planned due to some complications. Dr Rout said he'd try again in a year. Cliff is disappointed that he has to keep the ostomy, but he is taking it well.

The week we returned from Gainesville after the 2nd surgery, Hurricane Faye graced us with her presence. About a quarter of our neighborhood was flooded, and we had to be evacuated in a boat! The only way in and out of our neighborhood for a few days was a boat, or a foot trail through the woods. They eventually made a temporary road in the highest part of the subdivision so people could get in and out. We were without power for 4 days. Fortunately, our house is on the high ground and we did not have any flood damage. We stayed with our friends for a few days and were able to save most of our frozen food, thanks to their big deep freeze.

Dana is still working at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in Labor and Delivery. She loves her job, although it can be very hard. She has delivered 11 babies herself thus far, without the attendance of a MD.

And for the REALLY BIG NEWS. . . We're PREGNANT! The baby is due April 1, 2009. We have seen the baby on ultrasound twice and have heard the heartbeat. We're very excited. We'll use this blog to keep people posted and to share photos.

Well, that's about it for our first blog. We'll keep everyone posted on baby news and job news!