9 Months Old

It's been long overdue that I make some updates on this blog...so I will start with Brecken at 9 months old. I really miss being able to write about life on my blog...and I do have to admit that facebook has taken a front seat to blogging. Mostly b/c it doesn't take very long to update my status...whereas I have to actually think to write on my blog! So it's a lazy Sunday afternoon & at the moment I actually have the desire to blog...so I will go with it!

To my Breckie Boy:

You are 9 months old & I can hardly even believe it. I took you into your 9 month dr. appn't on Friday & when I was checking out I booked your 1 year dr. appn't for March. I absolutely cannot believe that I am even thinking about the fact that you will turn 1 in 3 short months. It seems like you were just born yesterday. It seems like we just found out(with the shock of our lives) that we were pregnant with our 4th child. It seems like you should only still be a newborn. I don't want to even believe that you are my last baby. You are already doing so many things so quickly...somedays I want you to just sit still & snuggle with me. You are a sweet little blessing & I cannot imagine our family without you in it.

You are a big boy...to say the least. It is so hard to carry you around during the day. At your 9 month appn't you weighed in at 23 1/2 lbs 87 % & 29 3/4 inches 89 %. You are 2 full lbs bigger than your brother at this age...which puts you at the heaviest of all of our kiddos. Even Daddy is constantly complaining of how heavy you are! You are in mostly 12-18 month or 18-24 month clothing.

You still eat a lot!! Shortly before your 8 month birthday I stopped nursing you. You now drink 3 8oz bottles per day. One in the morning, before nap, & before bed. You still suck down every single bottle & have never not finished a bottle. In fact, most times you act like you could eat more!

You are now on all table foods & you love it! We ended the baby foods about 1 week or so ago. I cannot believe how much food you eat for a 9 month old! You typically eat yogurt or a banana for breakfast. This week I tried a waffle for the first time & you ate the entire thing! You usually also have a handful of Cheerios as well. For lunch you will eat an entire grilled cheese sandwich & some veggies. For supper you pretty much have whatever we are eating. You also LOVE applesauce...which is good in our house! You are pretty picky on new textures...although once you get over the first feel of a new food on your tongue...you will usually eat it. If you do NOT like something you will certainly let us know...& will even gag on it if you REALLY don't like it! You are able to let us know when you are full, as you won't let another bite enter your mouth. As the dr. said at your appn't...he doesn't get to being 90th% by eating small meals!!!!

You started officially crawling all over a couple days before Thanksgiving...so a little over 8 months old. You only gave us a few days of staying put in the living room before you were all over the house. Into the dog bowls, finding little fuzzies all over, etc. Our lives changed a lot the day you started to be mobile!! You now crawl REALLY fast throughtout the house & keep us very busy!!

You have been pulling up for awhile too...Mommy forgets at the moment when the first time was! That is a whole new challenge as well!! But fun! You are so content to go all over the house crawling & pulling up now...you are very content & happy.

You love to walk holding onto our hands. And last week you walked along the couch to get to the remote. It won't be too long before you are walking all over the place. I'm content though that you aren't!

You still LOVE taking a bath at night!! If you even hear the faucet turn on in the bathtub you crawl from wherever you are into the bathroom to try to get into the tub. And you get soooo excited! I have to admit that Daddy almost always gives you a bath. You move all over the tub, splash, & love to "swim". You almost always take 1 digger in the tub b/c you are so excited!

I love your chubby chubby roly poly legs & tummy. And your dimples are the best! You are so quick to smile & laugh. Although if there is somebody new you check them out first with a serious face before you will give them a smile.

You have the best deep laugh. You especially laugh when we tickle you...you are sooo ticklish! I never tire of hearing your precious laugh.

You learned to clap your hands about a month ago or so. You dance whenever music comes on with a big smile on your face. You love us to do the Indian call over your mouth & now you can do it on your own too. You give us kisses. You repeat us all the time. You say mammamama dadadada bababbaba.

Your nap schedule isn't very consistent simply b/c you have to go with the flow of the rest of the family. But you typically take 2 naps per day...one in the morning & one in the afternoon. Sometimes they are really short & sometimes they are really long. You usually go to bed around 7 or 7:30 pm & wake up between 6 am & 7 am. And once you are awake in the am you are awake...there is no snuggling with you to convince you to go back to sleep.

You now have 8 teeth...4 on top & 4 on bottom. Your 4th on top is just poked through.

You are very loved & get a lot of attention from this family!! Your sissies especially give you a lot of love...sometimes more than you desire. If you are feeling smothered you simply push them away or let out a howl. We can already tell that you won't take any bunk from anyone. :)

You take a pacifier to sleep at naps & bedtime...but I don't really give it to you during the day. Daddy is quicker to give it to you when he's around. :)

You are sleeping through the night. You went through a phase in October when you were waking up at night...but then we found out that you had an ear infxn. Since then you've been fine. If you do wake up we let you cry for a couple minutes & you always fall back to sleep. We haven't ever given you a bottle in the middle of the night...we know you certainly don't need it & we don't want to create any bad habits.

You love your Mommy & Daddy. It's so sweet to see you light up when your Daddy comes home from work. You crawl right over to him so he'll pick you right up. And he always does. :)

You continue to be on the go at all times. Even when we pick you up you are pushing to get away & get down. You have a bad habit of pulling my hair & trying to suck my face at the same time. And you REALLY grab my hair...it usually comes out in a big clump. I think you think this is funny & gets a funny reaction from me...but ow does it hurt! When you are getting hungry or your teeth are hurting you start to suck on my face and sometimes even chew.

You are a blessing little boy & we love you!!! Happy 9 month birthday!

6 months old

I have about 10 minutes(hopefully) while Brecken & Kami are napping, Addyson is on quiet time, & before Cayden arrives home from school. My days seem to fly by...sometimes with a lot accomplished & sometimes with absolutely nothing accomplished! But...before Breckie turns 7 months old I am going to record some memories to cherish of my precious baby boy.

you are currently taking really good naps most days... 1 big nap in the am & 1 big nap in the pm. The last couple days I have started putting you in your pak n' play for naps instead of the swing & you have done really well. I am anxious to give the swing back to your auntie Kim so I can get it out of our bedroom! Previous to these long naps you were taking only 30 minute naps all day long. It was soooo frustrating for me & made for a very tiring day! Now that you are sleeping longer for naps I finally feel like I have some moments to breath & to spend with your siblings. :)

you are still sleeping in the pak n' play in Mommy & Daddy's room. We really haven't figured out who you are going to bunk with until we move into our new house. :) Because you are still in our room we tend to hear every little movement & cry that you make. Soooo...needless to say, you have been invited into our bed pretty much every night at some point. Most of the times it's Daddy who brings you into bed with us. He's a softie. But now you have been waking up quite consistently at 4:30 am every morning. And it has been taking us a LOT longer to get you back to sleep now...so last night was the 1st night that we decided to let you cry it out. Mommy & Daddy are sleeping in the living room for a couple nights while we readjust you to getting back to sleep on your own. Last night you cried for about 1 hour until you finally gave in & fell back asleep. Mommy hates this part...letting you cry. But I know that it is for the best & will make you a better sleeper in the long run. We have done this for each 1 of your siblings & they are all great sleepers!

you are just about to break through your 4th tooth on the bottom. We can always tell when you are about to get another tooth...you drool like crazy & sleep poorly at night.

you are rolling all around the room now. You used to love being on your tummy, but are now getting so frustrated by not being able to move & crawl yet. Rolling helps your frustration a little bit. You have to constantly be moved around when you are awake. You last about 10 minutes tops in anything.

you have been sitting up since you were about 5 - 5 1/2 months. You are such a big boy! You are learning to go from sitting up to being on your tummy when you want to reach something.

you sleep on your tummy. You look so sweet all curled up on your tummy. You usually take a pipe to go to sleep, but then you spit it out a couple minutes later. I don't think you'll be too attached to it.

you started eating rice cereal at about 4 months. After a couple weeks you started to show very little interest in it so we started you on baby foods. From the very start you have always eaten a #2 jar of food. Most times I think you would eat way more than that, but Mommy cuts you off after that. :) You are very interested in our food to say the least! You have seemed to tolerate most baby foods, but we have now learned that you do NOT like peas or green beans. You'll eat a couple bites of those & give a very yucky look, & then after that every time we give you a bite you repeatedly gag like you are going to throw up. So...we'll try those again in a couple weeks, but for now we've put those away.

you are starting to go longer in between feedings which is nice. I usually nurse you in the morning around 7 or 8 am. You then have breakfast(baby food fruit mixed with rice cereal) about 1 hour after. Just in the last 2 weeks I have started to give you a bottle for your second feeding. For awhile I pumped milk for that bottle, but now that you are 6 months I am just doing a formula bottle of 8 oz. You then eat lunch if we can get to it & you are interested. Most times you are. :) I then nurse you again around 4 or 5 pm. You eat dinner (baby food veggies) with the rest of the family. And get a 9 oz bottle of formula before bed, usually around 7:30 or 8 pm.

you are quite a vocal little boy! You have learned to screech very loudly when you want to be heard. And boy o boy are you heard! But I don't blame you one bit, you need to have a voice in this noisy family as well! When you see anyone going to the table to eat you start to screech until we put you in your high chair. And if we don't get to you fast enough you get very angry. You like your food to say the least! After you finish your baby food we give you the spoon to chew on.

You have always eaten big bottles. All of your siblings ate a 6 oz bottle most of the times, but you are just getting started at 6 oz & hate to be burped! At night you eat a whopping 9 oz!!!

I love your giant dimples on each cheek when you smile.

you love your bath! You splash & splash away & are constantly moving the entire time. You now take most of your baths in the big bath tub...sometimes with your sissies. Just last night your big sister Kami decided to pour an entire pitcher of water over your head. You were a little shocked, but didn't cry. I'm sure you'll get her back plenty when you get bigger!

your big sisters are ALWAYS rubbing your head every chance they get. Sometimes too much. :) They still love to hold you & talk to you & are so sweet with you(most of the times).

you are still continuing your physical therapy at Mary Free Bed on your torticollis. The therapist is impressed with your development but you still have about 10% weakness on your left side. Mommy takes you every Wednesday at 11 am. It makes for a very busy day taking you downtown. We also continue to do your excercises & stretches at home, as best we can. It's really hard to be consistent with all the goings on of our busy family. And you absolutely hate to do your stretches! And you are very strong, so it is hard for Mommy to do them with you alone. Mommy looks forward to when you are healed from this. :)

at your 6 month appn't you were a big boy: 19 lbs(75-80%) & 28 inches(91%). You are in mostly 9-12 month clothing.


you are very quick to smile & are very ticklish. Everyone in the house loves to hear you giggle when you are being tickled.

you are a very precious part of our family little boy!

The many faces of Kamryn

Our Kamryn is quite a character. One evening at dinner she was being extra animated, so I pulled out my camera to capture some of her "Kamryn expressions". She might have a future career in acting. :)

SWEET


SAD


MAD


FRIGHTENED


EXCITED


SCARED


SCARED


STINKER


WHO ME??


SWEET


O, & please excuse the messy face, it was afterall dinnertime, & there was no way in heck that I was going to edit all of that mess off her face. Well, maybe I thought about it, but now that I have 4 kids I'm smart enough to know that just isn't goint to happen! :)

Breckie boy

To my baby boy:

You are now 5 months old & getting so big already. It seems like just yesterday that you entered into the world & became a part of our family. I try so hard to jot down little tidbits about you so that I will remember how you were later in life. I think that most of them are written down on little slips of paper that I collect & save...maybe someday they will actually all be compiled into a baby book for you! Here are some of the things that make you special, Breckie boy!!

you have been rolling over for at least a month & a half now. You roll very easily from your back to your tummy, & are now rolling all over. You almost never stay on your back.

you love being on your tummy, & have been drawing your knees up to try to move for awhile. You get very frustrated at not being able to go anywhere. You do manage to inch yourself forward a little bit.

for the last couple weeks you have been able to prop yourself up with your hands while sitting up. You are able to sit up for a couple minutes all by yourself!

you continue to move around ALL of the time! You were always very active in my tummy, & continued to be this way since birth. You get bored easily & like to be switched around from toy to toy quite often.

you are very social. You smile so easily & love when people talk to you. Sometimes you will fuss if somebody isn't paying attention to you, & as soon as they talk to you you'll smile & be fine.

Mommy continues to nurse you during the day & you get one 9 oz bottle before bed. You get so excited when you are going to eat, it's so cute. You absolutely will not allow us to burp you until you've eaten about 6 ouces of your bottle, you scream very loudly & arch your back so it's impossible to burp you.

We started you on rice cereal at suppertime when you were a little over 4 months old. You were always hungry, so we decided to try this. Right from the start you scarfed it all down. After a couple weeks you decided that you didn't want rice cereal anymore so we started you on veggies. So far you have tried squash, sweet potatoes, & green beans...& loved them all. You are definitely a big eater already!

You got your first tooth at 4 months old & now have 3 teeth on the bottom. You look so cute when you smile with your little teeth.

Right about the time you started getting your first teeth is when you decided that you would only cat nap during the day. You went from taking 2 3 hour naps to only taking 30 minute naps all day long. This has been very frustrating & tiring for Mommy to say the least! You just don't want to miss out on anything!

You also decided that you would only fall asleep attached to Mommy. Even if you had just eaten an hour before, you would only fall asleep if I nursed you. Then as soon as I laid you down you would wake up. Mommy got smart after a frustrating couple weeks, & tries very hard not to do this anymore! You are very persistent little boy! And loud when you don't get your way! :)

You have the cutest deep dimples on each cheek that are impossible to resist! And you have a great big smile that lights up our life!

You siblings dote on you. Your big brother loves to talk to you & make you smile, & your big sisters love to rub your head & talk so sweetly to you. I have to say that you are very loved & definitely don't lack attention!

your were 16 1/2 lbs & 26 1/4 inches at your 4 months appn't. I believe 78% for weight & 88% for height. Currently I believe that you're at least 18 lbs at 5 months old. You are growing out of everything!!

you love your nightly bath, but it definitely isn't relaxing for Mom or Dad. You thrash around the entire time & kick your legs & splash all around. You love it! And you drench everything around!

In the last 2 weeks you have started to sleep on your tummy at night. It made Mommy a little nervous at first, but after rolling you over a couple nights, you would roll right back over.

You go down for the night at about 9 pm & sleep until about 7 am. Sometimes we have to put your pacifier back in if you are rustling around, & sometimes you even end up in our bed if we're too tired to deal with your crying. You sleep wonderfully then. :)

You have many nicknames: breckie boy, brecka boy, brecks, buddy boy. It's so cute when your sisters refer to you by these names.

you are very ticklish! You have such a wonderful deep giggle that is so contagious.

you have been going to physical therapy for a condition called Torticollis since 4 months old. Mommy has been taking you once a week for an hour long therapy session, & then we have lots of excercises & stretches to do with you during the day. Last week the therapist told Mommy that you were meeting all of your goals & that you would probably only need 1 or 2 more sessions. Mommy was so excited!!! This is definitely an answer to our prayers for you.

you love being outside, especially in your umbrella stroller. This always calms you when you are fussy.

You are a spitty boy, just like your brother was. Mommy has to change your outfit(& hers) a couple times a day. You especially spit when you are on your tummy.

You grab everything in sight. Sometimes we put you in your baby pod up on the kitchen table, but you grab for everything! You also like to grab people's faces/neck, & not so gently either. Sometimes we have to pry your fingers open you have such a tight grip! And many a times somebody in the family has gotten their hair yanked out as well. When you are getting hungry sometimes you will try to eat Mommy's face.

It seems as if I have written a novel, but these are the things that make you YOU. And we love everything little thing about YOU. YOU are a precious, precious gift little one. YOU are loved. YOU are God's child. YOU, Breckie boy, are my sweet little boy, & I love you.

Our life with 4 kids

So...I looked back at the last time I posted on my blog...March 10, the day before our Brecken was born. A lot has changed since then I must say. Our lives went from busy to crazy busy. At first I didn't really think there was much of a difference between having 3 versus 4 kids. And some days I still think that is true...others not so much! Laundry is a constant battle...& by constant I mean there is never a single moment that the laundry is caught up. And if I don't keep on top of it daily I end up with 4-5 baskets full to fold & put away. I think I could honestly hire someone full time just to do the laundry in our house! And the thing about having 3-4 kids is that at any given moment there is someone who is unhappy. If 1 is happy, the others are not...it's actually a very repetitive cycle. The thing about having 4 kids is that you never get enough sleep & almost never downtime! I think that is what I struggle with the most. No downtime...ever. With 2 kids I was able to coordinate their afternoon naps so I could at least get a mental break...with 3 kids I was still able to get a little bit of downtime while Kami napped...now with 4 kids it's almost impossible for Brecken to be on a "schedule" b/c he just has to go with the flow of the rest of the family. So inevitably whenever I get Kami down to nap Brecken is waking up. Somedays I feel like I have it all together...& somedays not so much! One thing I do know everyday is that I love each one of my beautiful kids so very much. Eric & I have been given 4 very precious gifts from God...they are wonderful miracles...each 1 is unique & special. And I am thankful each & every day for each one!!!

Funnies

Okay...just had to record a couple funnies before I forget them all.

Cayden came home from school the other day & told us that he wants to name his baby brother Ethan. We asked him why & responded with a huge smile on his face: "because, then our initials would be CAKE...Cayden, Addyson, Kamryn, & Ethan!!"
WOW!! I have to say that is pretty impressive!! It's also fitting because his favorite thing to eat is cake!

Today I had to stop by Kim & Jason's to get a couple baby items & Kamryn was in the car with me. As we pulled into their driveway Kamryn says "Mommy, don't hit TiTi & Uncle Jason's house...Daddy hit Titi & Uncle Jason's house last time". I laughed so hard!! About a month ago Eric dropped the kids off at my parents house & drove the back of the Durango directly into their brick house. It really did a number to the side of our truck...scraped it up & tore into the side above the wheel. He wasn't too happy...but I did manage to give him quite a hard time about it...since he thinks that I am the poor driver! :)

Okay..gotta run...kids are getting into things! :)

My Baby Girl

These are a few pictures of Kamryn from her 2 year old photo shoot in September. I have 100s of pictures of her from this photo shoot...but finally got around to editing some of my other favorites of her. She is sooo very full of vibrant personality & has always & continues to be quick to flash her dimpled smile!!

But...along with her vibrant personality comes a very independent streak as well!! She is very willing to speak her mind to just about anyone...& she will definitely make sure she is heard.

Yesterday Addyson & I went to pick her up from her preschool...& before we even walked in the door I heard Kamryn exclaiming in a very loud voice to a boy next to her, that this was her blue marker!! I then heard sweet Miss Bonnie tell Kamryn to be nice. I commented to Addyson walking in that it looks like Kamryn is being a spitfire today. :) As I walked in Miss Bonnie & Miss Donna looked at me & started giggling a little bit. Both ladies mentioned that you can definitely tell that she has older siblings to contend with & holds her own quite well. Miss Bonnie went on to say that Kamryn was "growling" a bit that morning & so had to be reminded to use her words. That's our Kamryn!

I thought about it later that day & realized that I have never been in that situation with one of my children before. Both Cayden & Addyson were both quite shy in playgroup, & even though they are loud at home, would never "growl" at someone else away from home. I always worried that being shy they wouldn't speak their mind or stick up for themselves away from home...but that certainly is not the case with Kamryn. I imagine we might have other "worries" when it comes to her!! Possibly speaking her mind a little too much might be one of them. Good thing her teachers love her so much...and she always runs right up to each one of them with a great big hug before we leave...a hug that is always full of love & gusto!! I love her hugs & kisses & "I love yous".

So...a couple funny things that Kamryn has done or said in just the last couple days:

* Every night before dinner we sit down to say our family prayer, & Kamryn always looks so cute that Eric & I usually end up smiling across the table at each other or with tears in our eyes. She folds her hands & closes her eyes & sings our prayer so sweetly, & then ends it with a loud "Amen!" & clap of her hands
* Last night when we went to say our prayers she must not have started along with us & proceeded to get very angry & yelled "Hey, everybody, stop, wait for me!" We had to start our prayer over from the beginning so she could catch up. This kids just roll their eyes & giggle at her!
* Yesterday afternoon Kamryn was having some problems saying no with me. I had asked her to clean up the dirty paper towels in the living room 2 times. I gave her one last chance & she responded with a loud "NO". I then proceeded to take her to the time out chair. An hour later when Eric walked in the door the first thing she said to him was "Daddy, I got a time out". Eric asked her why & she responded "b/c I didn't pick up the paper towels & I said no to Mommy". After dinner Eric had to give her another time out for hitting him(which she never does). And then later she ended up with her first spanking from me for hitting me as well. I felt bad for spanking her...but knew she needed to learn that was not acceptable. After her time out & sorries I just stuck her in the bathtub for a good 1/2 hour to play. She always plays so good in there.
* Last night while Eric was putting Cayden & Addyson to bed she crawled up by me to watch The Bachelor for a couple minutes. She says "what you watching, Mom?" to which I respond "the Bachelor". "okay, Mom". Two minutes later she says "they said Uncle Jason on tv!!". Sure enough...the bachelor's name is Jason. She doesn't miss a beat.
* On the way home from preschool yesterday she says "mom, I sick". To which I ask her what hurts. "my throat hurts". This may explain the problems from the rest of the day. :) Or maybe that's just my way of explaining it. :)
* Last night when she was in the tub she was playing with her animals & started to talk about her thumbs. She then says "mommy, let me see your thumb. You broke your thumb playing ball". Uh...okay...yes I did...in grade school. She must have overheard my Mom & I talking about it a couple weeks ago. She then says "poor Mommy, you okay?".
* This morning she had her backpack full of toys, a hat on, & the bottoms to Addyson's new bathing suit on, & says "I going to the zoo to see all the animals...baby Jesus...Mary...Joseph....& uh, llamas". I laughed soooo hard & immediately went to write that one down. She is adorable!
* Today at lunch Kamryn was at the table with Addyson & Amelia(our next door neighbor). The girls were all joking about who they were going to marry & of course Kamryn was chiming in loudly as well. She says "I will marry baby Jesus & Joseph!"
* Kamryn is very imaginative & I'm pretty sure that she actually believes what she is pretending. One day she was pretending that their was an elephant in our house & she was throwing peanuts to him. But she wouldn't even go in the hallway where the elephant apparently was standing. She was very scared of him. She would throw him a peanut & then run to me with a frightened look on her face.
* She also likes to pretend that there are monsters in our house. All of a sudden she'll say "mommy, there's a monster in the living room". Or she'll pretend that there is fire somewhere in the house...and we will all have to look out where we're walking so we don't step on it.
* The other day she told me that I was TiTi(my sister), she was Kennidee, & Daddy was Uncle Jason. We then had to go to the mall to ride on the carousel & pay the lady money. We all had to sit exactly where we were directed & ride on the froggy or horsey.
* The girls will pretend that their baby dolls are Landon or Kennidee. One night they came into the kitchen & said "shhhhh, Mommy, the Landons are sleeping".
* Last week Kamryn & Kennidee spent the day at Grandma's house. When my Mom brought Kamryn home that night she had a few funny stories to tell about her. I guess when they were driving on the highway Kamryn asked about the Metro Health hospital. My Mom told her that was a hospital, to which Kamryn replied matter of factly "my Daddy works at a hospital". Okay...she's 2 years old!! My Mom couldn't believe it. My mom told her that this was a smaller hospital than her Daddy's. Kamryn then says "my Daddy only works at a big hospital".
* That same drive home they were on the highway again & Kamryn noticed that there was a big cross on the side of the road. She then told my Mom "that's where somebody died in the snow". Again...amazing.
* Along with her funnies she always gives the best hugs. She truly gives big, huge bear hugs that tell you that she really loves you. And she will walk up to me at least 10 times a day to hug me & tell me "I love you, Mommy". I love that. I love it too when one of the girls walks up to one another & says "I love you, sissy".

God is soooo good, & although I have daily struggles with my kids that all Moms have & it is definitely the hardest job on this earth...it is also the most rewarding one. And with each "I love you" I can be reassured that God is good & will carry me through the good & the bad. Thank you, God, for these precious little ones.

Okay...so today after I dropped Addyson off to preschool I decided to go to the Biggby drive thru near our house. First thing...Kamryn knows exactly where the "coffe store" is & how to get there. :) I pull up to the speaker to order when I hear a voice say "tall mocha, decaf??". Uh, okay, yes, that's exactly what I always order. Wierd. So I respond with a yes & pull up to the window to pay. The lady there is smiling & I ask her if that's really sad that she knows what I order...that means I am there way too often!! I've developed quite a love for decaf mochas from Biggby's this pregnancy...it's almost like I need one in the morning to make it through the day. Eric often jokes on Saturday's if I'm grumpy that I haven't had my morning coffe yet. But it's so true! And Kamryn is so used to going for "coffes" with Mommy that when she makes drinks in her play kitchen she always makes up coffe. This morning after I picked up my coffe she said "listen to me, Mom, don't drink your coffe yet...it's hot!". So before I left Biggby's this morning I informed the lady that I would definitely NOT be telling my hubby about her knowing what I wanted!! At $4.34 a coffe times 3 times a week he tends to tease me a little about my expensive habit. Oh well...anything to get through the rest of this pregnancy!! :) I guess it's cheaper than expensive massages & pedicures!

Another funny story...a couple days ago I pulled up to the RiteAid drivethru pharmacy(by the way...thank heaven for drivethrus when you're pregnant & it's cold out). The pharmacist came to the window & says "hi Kelly". Uh...okay. I'm pretty sure that says we go through way too many medications in our family. And the sad thing is that I hadn't been to this particular pharmacy in over a month!

January highlights

Life is moving at an incredibly fast past again...so I will try to "catch up" on some highlights of the last couple weeks.

*On January 5 the kids started back up with their schools...they were all ready to go back...but I was not. I really enjoyed the slower pace of just hanging around the house with the kids & only going places we wanted to go. Being back in the car again every morning was hard to get used to again!

*The kids are finally starting to get over their coughs/colds that started the last part of xmas break. Cayden had a horrible cough over break that kept him(and us) up coughing pretty much all night long...he would cough so hard that he would throw up in his bed. Poor guy. I felt so sorry for him. We tried everything to make the cough better...hot steam in the bathroom, his inhalers, benadryl, to finally putting him to sleep sitting straight up on the upstairs couch at night. That finally seemed to do the trick. By the time school was back in session he was sleeping through the night again but still getting his energy back. He told me that a couple times he fell asleep on the bus on the way home.

*Kamryn also had a horrible cough last week as well. One day it was so bad that she could only get out a couple words & then she would go into a horrible, raspy, barky cough. She had trouble keeping things down as well...so we stuck with light foods for a couple days. She would pretty much cough all night while she slept through it...but a couple times Eric would lay straight up on the couch with her to sleep.

*Cayden started up basketball practice this past week. His team name is the Rams & he is soooo excited!! He is playing for a christian organization which is nice. At practices they do devotions & learn a memory verse...which Cayden thinks is too cool. He has practice every Thursday evening & has his first game this Saturday.

*Eric officially started his new job at Spectrum on January 5 as well. He is attending a lot of meetings so far to meet all of the people he will work with & to better know what he will be doing. He is enjoying the slower pace of his job so far!!

*We finally received our first paycheck in a month!!! We hadn't gotten a paycheck since middle to end of December!! Hooray!!

*We are all enjoying not being in the midst of busy season for the first time in 11 years!!! It seems so strange...but a wonderful strange!! I just said to Eric the other day that it seems like January is just flying by...I've never, ever said that! Usually January is Eric's busiest time in busy season & we almost never see him on the weekdays as well as the weekends. Not to mention that he was always exhausted by the weekend as was I for taking care of 3 kids all by myself 24/7. It's so wonderful to have him home.

*We've received record cold temps since last week. It has been so cold that the kids can't even go outside. Finally yesterday was in the low 20's, so Eric took Cayden & Addyson sledding in the afternoon. They had sooo much fun!! They took the snow tube which goes really fast. Both kids went twice with Eric & then the rest of the time went by themselves. I enjoyed the afternoon reading a book while Kamryn napped...nice for me too!!

*I am getting bigger & bigger by the minute it seems...and very uncomfortable. Our baby boy moves constantly!! The kids are getting anxious for him to be born...especially Addyson. I am now 31 weeks & have a dr. appn't today. Yesterday I was having some contractions which made me pretty uncomfortable & worried. I will talk to my dr. about that today. I have to wear my brace from the time I get up in the morning until before bed...it helps to support my belly...but it is also very uncomfortable as it digs into my evergrowing belly. Pray for health for me & our baby. :)

*Last night I was pretending to cry b/c Kamryn said that she was a Daddy's girl...she comes up to me to plant a kiss on my cheek & make me feel better & says "don't worry, Mom". Okay...she's only 2. She likes to pretend that she has a baby in her belly & tells us "put your hand on my tummy, feel my baby move". She is definitely 2 going on 5!!

*We received a WII from Eric's parents for Christmas which has proved to be great fun!! Cayden especially loves it!! He has a record score in bowling of 193, which he is proud of...Daddy hasn't even been able to beat that yet. He loves pitching & hitting in baseball too. I can't wait to play against the guys once our baby is born & I'm mobile again!

Cayden's 1/2 Birthday

So today is officially Cayden's 6 1/2 year birthday!! Normally we don't celebrate 1/2 birthday's...but at school the kids with summer birthdays get to celebrate their 1/2 birthday instead. Cayden requested that I make sugar cookies for his celebration...so last night I came up with the idea of making silly face cookies. I baked & frosted all the cookies & then requested the help of my wonderful hubby to draw the faces on the cookies. They turned out soooo cute!!

Today I brought the cookies along with baggies of goodies in to Cayden's class. He was so excited to celebrate along with his class! When he got home he was greeted with pictures from Mom & Addyson on the door along with a great big, long hug from his excited sister, Addyson. And he actually accepted his little sister's hug with a big smile on his face!!

Happy 6 1/2 birthday, buddy!!

It never fails...

that even when I think that I'm actually going to get out of the house on time...something happens to put an end to that. This morning I gave the girls a bath together in preparation for taking Addyson to dance class. I looked at the clock...oh good, it's still only 9:40...plenty of time to get everyone ready before departure time of 10:10.

Yeah right!! After the bath I wrap the girls in their towels & Kamryn as usual runs into the living room away from me, thinking she is too funny. Fun stuff! Seconds later I arrive into the living room to find that she had peed all over the carpet. Ugghhh. No time to clean that all up now...so I wipe it up as best as I can & plan to attend to it later. As I'm helping Addyson get dressed Kamryn tells me that she wants fishy crackers, to which I respond "no". Seconds later I hear the pantry open, thinking that she's going to get fishies anyway. Whatever. I run to get myself dressed when Addyson runs into the room to tell me that Kamryn is eating marshmallows. Ya know...I didn't really care at that point...as long as she was being quiet & not getting into anything else in the house. At least she had already eaten a healthy breakfast!! Okay...so it's time to leave...& my independent little Kamryn would like to take her beloved bear, baby, & baby basket with her in the car. Normally I don't let her get away with this...but I simply didn't have the time to fight it. So we all piled into the car...Addyson, Mom, Kamryn, bear, & baby...

at 10:15 am. Not too bad I guess...considering!! :)

30 Weeks...

So I have finally hit the 30 week mark in my pregnancy. I feel like up until now this pregnancy has gone really fast. Now I am starting to slow down & feel the pain of the last couple months.

* I very rarely have horrible migraines anymore...thank goodness...those were really quite debilitating.
* I feel like my belly cannot possibly get any bigger than it is...and I still have 2 more months to go...not good. :) This has been quite typical with every one of my pregnancies though, at about 7 months along I look like I'm ready to give birth.
* The last couple weeks I've been in quite a bit of discomfort. In the spot in my belly where I don't have any stomach muscles I have a lot of pain...it feels like my skin cannot possibly stretch any further. By the end of the day I am really feeling it. It's so hard to do everyday tasks like picking up, going up stairs, bending. I know I do way too much...but really, as a Mom of 3 small kids do I really have a choice?? Yesterday I did around 8 loads of laundry & by suppertime I couldn't even stand up to cook dinner. Eric is always telling me to go sit down...but I am so torn...I want to be able to do things but I am physically incapable. Simple things that most people can do in pregnancy are so very hard for me, and it gets discouraging.
* Sleeping at night is already becoming very difficult as well now. I'm convinced that this baby is going to be very active...as he moves pretty much all the time! And at night he balls up on whatever side I'm sleeping on. Turning over to the other side at night has to be quite a sight...good thing Eric is sound asleep every time that happens!! :)
* I do still love to feel the baby move...I wish I could see inside my belly to know which part was moving or kicking me. What a miracle! This is the one part of pregnancy that I will miss.
* The kids have so much fun feeling the baby kick!! Last night Kamryn had her hand on my belly & felt the baby kick really hard 3 times in a row...each time she laughed so hard!! It was really cute. A couple times when I was holding Cayden & Addyson on my lap they felt the baby kick their back from inside my belly. They thought that was the coolest thing! Cayden always teases me that I'm really having a basketball. :)
* I'm 30 weeks & I just went into the lab to take my glucose test...which is supposed to be done at 25 weeks. Little late on that! I guess that's what happens with your 4th child. I'm not really too concerned either, as I haven't had any problems with the rest of my pregnancies as far as that's concerned.
* At 30 weeks I weigh about 142 lbs...which means I've gained about 26 lbs so far. I'm still not really all that hungry most of the time...although I do have some spurts where I crave chocolate.
* At 35 weeks I will be having another ultrasound to check the size of the baby. All of my babies have been pretty big...so if needed my dr. will induce a little early. Thank goodness!! Cayden was 7lbs 11oz born 3 weeks early...Addyson 9lbs 5oz born 1 week early...Kamryn 8lbs 6oz born 2 weeks early.
* Since I am counting 37 weeks being full term :) I really have 7 weeks to go. I know that's a little odd...but it truly makes me feel better to think of it in those terms. I am so anxious to meet our little one & to hold him in my arms.

Cinderella

Here are a few pictures of Addyson during Christmas Break in her new Cinderella outfit that she received from Cousin Lisa. Addyson loves playing with princesses & dressing up like a princess...she is such a girly girl!! She is also a very big helper. Whenever I ask her to help me out by cleaning or even to pick something up that I have trouble bending over to reach :) she always does it with a smile on her face. She is always helping out her little sister as well...putting away her jacket & boots when we get home, helping to wash her hands. She is sooo excited to have a baby brother to take care of as well!!

Last week I had a big talk with her about being old enough to hold our baby by herself & help out...and she was sooo excited!! She even informed TiTi(my sister) last week that Mommy told her that she can hold babies while standing up...and she also informed me when she got home from TiTi's that she held Landon standing up. She will make a wonderful Mommy someday I hope!!

Here are a couple pictures of our little Cinderella...and if you can believe it this was not planned. She happened to be dressed up in her outfit while we were cleaning the house on Christmas break. While she was sweeping I realized that she looked just like a true Cinderella!!!! :)



Just for clarification though...in case she looks back at my blog much later in life & thinks she is concerned with being clean...this she is not. Addyson has always had a knack for getting her entire face messy with everything she eats! And as for her room...well, let's just say that it pretty much looks like a tornado hit it at all times. And that is just how she likes it!!

So today after church we all went to Family Fare to get some much needed groceries & some lunch to take home. The kids seemed to be extra hyper today in the store for some reason. Cayden & Addyson were chasing each other down the aisles & Kamryn was running away from us singing Jingle Bells quite loudly. Eric & I just wanted to get home to eat & rest. After awhile a lady comes down the aisle smiling nicely & says to me "I bet you hope that baby stays in your belly for awhile longer!".

When we go out for dinner or to the stores we get a lot of smiles & stares. So here is my question of the day: are people staring at us because A. our kids are really cute B. they think we are truly insane for having 3 kids under 6 with one on the way C. they are looking at the enormous basketball I have in my belly or D. all of the above

Sometimes I can hardly even believe it myself that soon we will have 4 kids under 6...ages 6, 4, 2, & newborn. Yikes!!

But in all honesty... I can't wait to see & hold our precious baby boy in a few months...then it will all be worth it. I am already getting anxious for his arrival. Wondering what he will look like, how big he will be, praying that he will be healthy.