Here are some tidbits from the past week:
The boys have learned some new skills. Ben can climb out of his crib and can climb into the study. He has also learned how to open the fridge (and Wal-Mart and ShopKo are out of fridge locks...grr....). Matthew can now open the front door and let his little brother out. He can also unlatch the screen door part. Needless to say, I'm having LOTS of fun with all of this.
I bought the Brain Quest games for both of the boys, in their appropriate age groups. They know most of the answers, but it has shown me where I need to focus on some of their early learning skills. Ben's is supposed to help him with word skills. I ask him, "What is Max doing in this picture?" The answer is "Max is putting on his shirt." Ben's answer was, "He's putting on his shirt so that he can go downstairs and open the front door and then his mommy will say you get back in here right now!" Hmm.....I don't think Ben needs work in that area. We'll work on colors instead, because right now everything is green.
Anna decided to christen Matthew tonight with spit-up. Rob had her in the bouncy seat and was letting Matthew feed her. She upchucked all over him. I was laughing pretty hard, but Matthew was crying. Come to think of it, that's probably why I was laughing. As I took him upstairs to change, he kept saying "Ow! Ow!" Didn't know that spit-up hurts....
We're all suffering with colds right now, including the baby. Rob and I seem to have it worst. Anna has a cough, but it's not bothering her otherwise. Anna is also starting to get a more predictable pattern to her days. She has a nice awake time in the morning and evening and naps for two hours in the afternoon (and now overlaps the boys by one hour so I get some rest). She is also sleeping longer at night, but still wakes up for at least two feedings. I do not try to schedule my babies, but instead wait until they have their own schedule set up, then try to help them follow it, always leaving room for them to change it. I just think life's easier for everyone that way. I'm getting used to her noises at night, so that's been better. It would be nice if we had three bedrooms, but even if we had the energy to pack and move somewhere, we can't afford the rentals available right now. That's okay...we like our place. Maybe if we believe hard enough, a new room will grow upstairs.....
Oh, and we've discovered a new kids' show: The Backyardigans. I LOVE IT!!! I'd watch it w/o the kids, but that's because I'm a muscial junkie and this show is like a preschool version of a musical. I do think that the character Uniqua has the weirdest name I've ever heard of, but other than that it gets two thumbs up.
I need to go quiz Rob now. He has all three of his finals tomorrow. Fun, fun.....
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Out and About
The weather has been wonderful this week, but we haven't been able to get out and enjoy it much. At the beginning of the week, I couldn't walk too well for reasons I care not to divulge. And I'm a little nervous about walking with the three of them. We haven't cleaned off the double stroller yet, Ben hasn't been trained to walk with me yet, and I can't snap on the Snugli by myself. Hmm...guess I could teach Matthew to help with that one. We did do an evening walk on Thursday to Walgreens when Rob came home, which was fun, but haven't managed anything else.
Today, however, was different. The boys and I went to a Children's Fair at the high school. That was a lot of fun! Rob had schoolwork to do and Anna has a slight head cold, so they stayed home. I wasn't expecting it to be all that great, but it was awesome. There were tons of booths there hosted by every group imaginable (that deal with children), a huge inflatible slide, a bounce house, a petting zoo, and lots of craft tables. Pretty much every booth had a craft, but we managed to keep it down to three. We came home with lots of useful stuff, like a bike helmet, bike chain, toothbrushes and paste, vitamin samples, and info about children's activities in the area. We got semi-useful items, like pencils and stickers, and then things that are just plain space-wasters, like a survey about the public schools.
Matthew had fun on the slide (he had his shoes whipped off and was up the thing faster than you can blink), painted, made a tooth, held a baby chick, fed a sheep, played with all of the Discovery Toys he could, chowed on a cookie and milk, and had a blast. Ben stayed in the stroller, but he did get in the bounce house, ran away to the slide and was flabbergasted (it's just a little too big for him!), and was pretty quiet the whole time. Oh, they did get their pictures taken by the police department for a kid safety thing and that was funny. They were supposed to be weighed, measured, and photographed. The boys kept trying to do everything together, but the police men kept trying to call just one boy over. They finally got the boys separated to do each task, but it took awhile. It was too funny!
I can't wait until next year when Ben's older and can do more. I'll also take Rob so that we can let the kids conquer more of the craft stuff. Some of it was pretty cool, like planting a plant and cookie decorating, but way too messy for one mommy with two boys. We did run into Matthew's Sunday school teacher (she is an early ed prof at MBBC) and she said I was brave to have the two boys by myself. I think the braver mom was a friend of mine who had her one-year-old and some one else's 2 1/2 year-old and one-year old!
Funny boy story: So the kids have been playing doctor recently. Matthew pulled out the stethescope and has been checking everyone's heart, then giving them a shot. Matthew and Ben also take turns being the sick one. What illness do they have?? Rotavirus! They have been pretending to vomit into buckets and have been pretending to change each other's diapers. I suppose when the main illness you had over the winter was stomach flu/rotavirus stuff, that's what you know!!
Anna does have her first cold. Thankfully, I talked to her pediatrician about the possibility of her getting one since all of us have been sick. He said only to call in if she has a fever. We've elevated her crib mattress, but that's about all we can do right now. She's still eating fine, sleeping fine, and hasn't missed a beat. She does cry a bit when she coughs, but I think it just scares her more than it hurts. Poor little thing!
Rob and I are both fighting this cold on top of being tired from baby care. I tried to quit last week but he wouldn't let me. Instead, he sent me out for lunch and shopping by myself on Monday. I'm working on goal-planning right now in a few areas of my life, so hopefully that will help keep me sane. That and velcroing the boys to the walls......
Today, however, was different. The boys and I went to a Children's Fair at the high school. That was a lot of fun! Rob had schoolwork to do and Anna has a slight head cold, so they stayed home. I wasn't expecting it to be all that great, but it was awesome. There were tons of booths there hosted by every group imaginable (that deal with children), a huge inflatible slide, a bounce house, a petting zoo, and lots of craft tables. Pretty much every booth had a craft, but we managed to keep it down to three. We came home with lots of useful stuff, like a bike helmet, bike chain, toothbrushes and paste, vitamin samples, and info about children's activities in the area. We got semi-useful items, like pencils and stickers, and then things that are just plain space-wasters, like a survey about the public schools.
Matthew had fun on the slide (he had his shoes whipped off and was up the thing faster than you can blink), painted, made a tooth, held a baby chick, fed a sheep, played with all of the Discovery Toys he could, chowed on a cookie and milk, and had a blast. Ben stayed in the stroller, but he did get in the bounce house, ran away to the slide and was flabbergasted (it's just a little too big for him!), and was pretty quiet the whole time. Oh, they did get their pictures taken by the police department for a kid safety thing and that was funny. They were supposed to be weighed, measured, and photographed. The boys kept trying to do everything together, but the police men kept trying to call just one boy over. They finally got the boys separated to do each task, but it took awhile. It was too funny!
I can't wait until next year when Ben's older and can do more. I'll also take Rob so that we can let the kids conquer more of the craft stuff. Some of it was pretty cool, like planting a plant and cookie decorating, but way too messy for one mommy with two boys. We did run into Matthew's Sunday school teacher (she is an early ed prof at MBBC) and she said I was brave to have the two boys by myself. I think the braver mom was a friend of mine who had her one-year-old and some one else's 2 1/2 year-old and one-year old!
Funny boy story: So the kids have been playing doctor recently. Matthew pulled out the stethescope and has been checking everyone's heart, then giving them a shot. Matthew and Ben also take turns being the sick one. What illness do they have?? Rotavirus! They have been pretending to vomit into buckets and have been pretending to change each other's diapers. I suppose when the main illness you had over the winter was stomach flu/rotavirus stuff, that's what you know!!
Anna does have her first cold. Thankfully, I talked to her pediatrician about the possibility of her getting one since all of us have been sick. He said only to call in if she has a fever. We've elevated her crib mattress, but that's about all we can do right now. She's still eating fine, sleeping fine, and hasn't missed a beat. She does cry a bit when she coughs, but I think it just scares her more than it hurts. Poor little thing!
Rob and I are both fighting this cold on top of being tired from baby care. I tried to quit last week but he wouldn't let me. Instead, he sent me out for lunch and shopping by myself on Monday. I'm working on goal-planning right now in a few areas of my life, so hopefully that will help keep me sane. That and velcroing the boys to the walls......
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Our First Sunday
This is the outfit Anna wore for her first Sunday at church. The dress (and matching diaper cover) came from a consignment store. The socks were from Uncle Andy and Aunt Melissa and the tights (or looses since they are not tight yet) were a Mommy purchase. We took quite a few pictures and this is the best one w/o a big brother in it. And when Rob told her to smile, she made a face and filled her pants instead. Silly girl! (More pictures will be posted on my Facebook page.)
We did have a nice Sunday with the whole family at church. Anna made it about five minutes into Sunday school before she woke up and I had to feed her. We spent the rest of the hour in the baby nursery. She was awake but happy so we staked out a spot in the back of the auditorium and waited for the service. She was introduced by Rob and the pastor and then two stanzas into the first hymn started to get fussy, so we went back to the nursery so she could stretch. I think I'm just going to start putting her in the nursery b/c there are only two babies in there regularlly and both are pretty independent, so Anna would get plenty of attention. It's also a little easier to leave babies earlier when they are bottle fed. I'm going to try her on Wednesday and see how it goes. One of my friends is working in there so I feel comfortable leaving her.
She was thoroughlly cooed over. So far, she looks like me, she kind of looks like me, she looks exactly like Matthew, she favors the boys, and she is the spitting image of Rob, depending on who you talk to. It really got quite humorous after awhile. Everyone said she was pretty, so I guess it doesn't matter who she looks like.
Even though I heard very little of the service, it was good to get out. She and I stayed home again tonight and I managed to get the dishes done. (That's my daily accomplishment right now.)
Funny story: Last night we went to Wal-Mart. Anna needed to eat, so we staked out a bench. Various people went by commenting on her and asking questions. The best was a lady who stopped and said, "OH! What a beautiful blanket!" (Blanket??) She's making an afghan for a friend who's having a baby and was admiring Anna's. Never once did she comment on the baby...just the blanket. I have to write that one down in Anna's baby book.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Things I Have Learned
This week has been a whole new learning experience for me and I would like to share The Things I Have Learned Being a Mother of Three Children Under Four.
1. My husband no longer comes home and says, "Hi, honey. How was your day?" He says, "What did they DO to you?"
2. All three children will be hungry/thirsty at the same time. The ones that can hold their own beverage will not ask for one, however, until the baby is being fed.
3. Both children in diapers will need a change at the same time while the potty-trained one uses the bathroom. Mommy will also have to go, but will have to wait several hours until they are all napping.
4. Speaking of naptime, it will overlap by mere minutes, thus leaving Mommy with little naptime. Unless she takes the baby to bed with her, thus resulting in waking up sore in several places at once.
5. The oldest is big enough to feed the baby so that Mommy can get supper ready. (A great benefit to bottle-feeding, I might add!)
6. Any poor, unsuspecting adult who calls my home will get stuck on the phone so I can hear an adult voice. Except telemarketers. I still hang up on them.
Okay, so it's not all bad. I love having three kids so close in age. They are darling and the boys are more enamored with Anna every day. They love talking to her when she's stretching and she seems to want to talk back. I love talking to her as well. She keeps making pleasant expressions and seems close to smiling already. She's such a little darling and gets showered with lots of attention around here. It's nice to have someone that doesn't need to be shooed out of the coat closet, dragged off a sibling, or kept off the counter.
I haven't forgotten the boys--we're having fun together. Anna took a nice, long nap this afternoon and we were able to read our way through a stack of books. Yesterday we baked a special treat while she napped. Ben and I danced to some music for awhile today and Matthew and I have our usual chats daily.
I've been giving myself pep talks that go like this: The first week is the hardest. This will get easier. They won't be helpless forever. Yada, yada, yada. I think I'm starting to believe myself.
And I still have a smile on my face at the end of the day.
1. My husband no longer comes home and says, "Hi, honey. How was your day?" He says, "What did they DO to you?"
2. All three children will be hungry/thirsty at the same time. The ones that can hold their own beverage will not ask for one, however, until the baby is being fed.
3. Both children in diapers will need a change at the same time while the potty-trained one uses the bathroom. Mommy will also have to go, but will have to wait several hours until they are all napping.
4. Speaking of naptime, it will overlap by mere minutes, thus leaving Mommy with little naptime. Unless she takes the baby to bed with her, thus resulting in waking up sore in several places at once.
5. The oldest is big enough to feed the baby so that Mommy can get supper ready. (A great benefit to bottle-feeding, I might add!)
6. Any poor, unsuspecting adult who calls my home will get stuck on the phone so I can hear an adult voice. Except telemarketers. I still hang up on them.
Okay, so it's not all bad. I love having three kids so close in age. They are darling and the boys are more enamored with Anna every day. They love talking to her when she's stretching and she seems to want to talk back. I love talking to her as well. She keeps making pleasant expressions and seems close to smiling already. She's such a little darling and gets showered with lots of attention around here. It's nice to have someone that doesn't need to be shooed out of the coat closet, dragged off a sibling, or kept off the counter.
I haven't forgotten the boys--we're having fun together. Anna took a nice, long nap this afternoon and we were able to read our way through a stack of books. Yesterday we baked a special treat while she napped. Ben and I danced to some music for awhile today and Matthew and I have our usual chats daily.
I've been giving myself pep talks that go like this: The first week is the hardest. This will get easier. They won't be helpless forever. Yada, yada, yada. I think I'm starting to believe myself.
And I still have a smile on my face at the end of the day.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Finding a new normal
I'd love to say that life is going back to normal, but it's not. We're finding a new normal with this new little one in the house. Rob went back to work today, so our schedule will remain the same in that regard. We're just feeling our way around.
I'm feeling better and am handling the dishes now. Yipee. Rob's still doing the heavy lifting (laundry) and other chores, but I'm trying to take over what I can. I actually cooked a meal today (one of those bagged skillet meals) and that was nice. We still have a few friends bringing us meals this week, so that is very helpful. I do have several lingering pains (and some new ones) so I'm not out of the woods yet. I went to the library on Saturday and pretty much exhausted myself doing nothing. I did drive to Walgreens today and discovered that I'm not ready to drive yet. It's good to know these things.....
Miss Anna is a lot of fun. She's a good baby, but a VERY NOISY BABY!!!! She does cry a bit upon waking and then calms down (I tend to do that, too....you know, consciousness...that annoying time between naps) and cries for bottles, but I'm not talking about that noise. She makes a lot of noise while sleeping. She stretches, and grunts, and groans, and it goes on forever. Just when I'm about to haul myself out of bed to see if she needs to burp or needs her pacifier, she quiets down. And then she's so quiet that I have to make sure she's still breathing!
Ben flipped his first pancake on Saturday. Left-handed. (If Jasmine is reading this, I'm sorry!) We were all pretty impressed. He was very proud of himself.
Matthew and I are trying to find time to read again. He is such a good memorizer of books that if I'm busy, he'll "read" a book to Ben, almost word-perfect. Rob got a session of that on video tonight. He also asks us constantly what words start with. He's pretty good at remembering them and can identify several letters now. I'm amazed that he's even interested now....he's been pretty resistant to any form of learning letters until recently. Ben does this as well, but to him everything starts with "a." And as long as you ask the right questions, he gives the right answer every time :)
So, we're progressing on finding our new balance. The boys haven't seemed to miss a beat having a new baby here. Rob and I have gone back into baby mode (which we love...except for the lack of sleep part.) It's just another fun adventure!!!
I'm feeling better and am handling the dishes now. Yipee. Rob's still doing the heavy lifting (laundry) and other chores, but I'm trying to take over what I can. I actually cooked a meal today (one of those bagged skillet meals) and that was nice. We still have a few friends bringing us meals this week, so that is very helpful. I do have several lingering pains (and some new ones) so I'm not out of the woods yet. I went to the library on Saturday and pretty much exhausted myself doing nothing. I did drive to Walgreens today and discovered that I'm not ready to drive yet. It's good to know these things.....
Miss Anna is a lot of fun. She's a good baby, but a VERY NOISY BABY!!!! She does cry a bit upon waking and then calms down (I tend to do that, too....you know, consciousness...that annoying time between naps) and cries for bottles, but I'm not talking about that noise. She makes a lot of noise while sleeping. She stretches, and grunts, and groans, and it goes on forever. Just when I'm about to haul myself out of bed to see if she needs to burp or needs her pacifier, she quiets down. And then she's so quiet that I have to make sure she's still breathing!
Ben flipped his first pancake on Saturday. Left-handed. (If Jasmine is reading this, I'm sorry!) We were all pretty impressed. He was very proud of himself.
Matthew and I are trying to find time to read again. He is such a good memorizer of books that if I'm busy, he'll "read" a book to Ben, almost word-perfect. Rob got a session of that on video tonight. He also asks us constantly what words start with. He's pretty good at remembering them and can identify several letters now. I'm amazed that he's even interested now....he's been pretty resistant to any form of learning letters until recently. Ben does this as well, but to him everything starts with "a." And as long as you ask the right questions, he gives the right answer every time :)
So, we're progressing on finding our new balance. The boys haven't seemed to miss a beat having a new baby here. Rob and I have gone back into baby mode (which we love...except for the lack of sleep part.) It's just another fun adventure!!!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
An Update
Well, Miss Anna is 12 days old now and it feels like she's always been part of the family. We are enjoying her tremendously. She is a delightful baby, very beautiful, and a joy to all of us. I though I'd give an update based on each family member adjusting to our newest member.
Rob: Rob is, of course, the best daddy ever. He adores babies, his in particular, so he's having lots of fun with her. He has been splitting the night stuff with me mainly because I could not haul myself out of bed until recently. I'm starting to take it over more now, so he would be getting more rest, but he's spending the wee hours of the morning getting caught up on schoolwork. It's been so nice to have him home from work. He managed to get his desk finished and upstairs (with lots of help from the boys) and is keeping up with housework. We've had several meals brought in, so he hasn't had to cook that much. He's a terrific cook but it's nice that he hasn't had to spend a lot of time in that department.
Matthew: He is such a good big brother! He loves his little sister and has taken to calling her "The Princess." "Does the Princess need a diaper?" "Awww, the Princess is hungry!" And my favorite, "I can't hear the T.V! The Princess is crying!" He loves to hold her and help feed her. He even handled a diaper change! I think they might just be buddies when she gets bigger b/c she seems to love him, too!
Benjamin: He also loves his sister, but is less interested than Matthew. That's understandable...he is younger. I also have not let him hold her yet b/c his cold is still pretty bad. But, he loves to help fetch diapers and wipes for me and will talk to her a little.
Anna: Sweetheart! She and I did give up on the nursing adventure, especially since the last time I tried to feed her she latched, then said "uh-uh" and cried for a bottle. Oh well, at least she lasted longer than the boys. She was at a high risk for abnormal jaundice b/c our blood types don't match and the nurses at the hospital said that drinking all that formula probably helped keep her healthy. She is a funny little noisemaker and sounds like a cross between a velociraptor from Jurassic Park and Chewbacca from Star Wars. Rob likes messing with her to get her to make noises! We' ve had a few sleepless nights simply because she just likes to be awake when we want to sleep. She's an easy baby so far and not prone to needless crying.
Me: I'm healing pretty well. I can't seem to shake these headaches, but I think they are sinus headaches so I'm going to try some Sudafed. Most of my aches and pains have dulled and I'm getting around the house pretty well. I went out to Wal-Mart today after a doctor's visit and that was enough. In my home, I'm the queen again and able to do light housework. It'll be a few more weeks before I'm up to outside stuff, but that's okay.
That's us! We're doing pretty well and having a good time with our new little one.
Rob: Rob is, of course, the best daddy ever. He adores babies, his in particular, so he's having lots of fun with her. He has been splitting the night stuff with me mainly because I could not haul myself out of bed until recently. I'm starting to take it over more now, so he would be getting more rest, but he's spending the wee hours of the morning getting caught up on schoolwork. It's been so nice to have him home from work. He managed to get his desk finished and upstairs (with lots of help from the boys) and is keeping up with housework. We've had several meals brought in, so he hasn't had to cook that much. He's a terrific cook but it's nice that he hasn't had to spend a lot of time in that department.
Matthew: He is such a good big brother! He loves his little sister and has taken to calling her "The Princess." "Does the Princess need a diaper?" "Awww, the Princess is hungry!" And my favorite, "I can't hear the T.V! The Princess is crying!" He loves to hold her and help feed her. He even handled a diaper change! I think they might just be buddies when she gets bigger b/c she seems to love him, too!
Benjamin: He also loves his sister, but is less interested than Matthew. That's understandable...he is younger. I also have not let him hold her yet b/c his cold is still pretty bad. But, he loves to help fetch diapers and wipes for me and will talk to her a little.
Anna: Sweetheart! She and I did give up on the nursing adventure, especially since the last time I tried to feed her she latched, then said "uh-uh" and cried for a bottle. Oh well, at least she lasted longer than the boys. She was at a high risk for abnormal jaundice b/c our blood types don't match and the nurses at the hospital said that drinking all that formula probably helped keep her healthy. She is a funny little noisemaker and sounds like a cross between a velociraptor from Jurassic Park and Chewbacca from Star Wars. Rob likes messing with her to get her to make noises! We' ve had a few sleepless nights simply because she just likes to be awake when we want to sleep. She's an easy baby so far and not prone to needless crying.
Me: I'm healing pretty well. I can't seem to shake these headaches, but I think they are sinus headaches so I'm going to try some Sudafed. Most of my aches and pains have dulled and I'm getting around the house pretty well. I went out to Wal-Mart today after a doctor's visit and that was enough. In my home, I'm the queen again and able to do light housework. It'll be a few more weeks before I'm up to outside stuff, but that's okay.
That's us! We're doing pretty well and having a good time with our new little one.
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