In 2011, I am only making one resolution...
I resolve to slow my life down and enjoy the precious moments I have with my little kids. I resolve to cherish every spontaneous snuggle, kiss, and "I wuv you, Mommy". I don't want to get so absorbed in the hustle and bustle of life that I miss watching them grow up.
Goodbye 2010, you've been great!
Welcome 2011 and all the amazing experiences you promise!
Overall, Christmas was wonderful and magical and exhausting (especially for 35 week preggo Mommy) and we're already looking forward to next year.
On a baby note, Christmas was my unofficial goal, so Natalie is welcome to arrive anytime!
Dear Andy,
Thank you for being such an amazing father to our kids. As I type, you are in Jack and Molly's room making a "Cave of Darkness" and snuggling and making them giggle uncontrollably. You already told them that you missed them so much this weekend while you worked and asked them what they did today. You let them pick which pajama pants you would wear this evening and you encouraged them to pee pee in the potty. All this shows that you are an awesome daddy who encourages our kids to make their own choices, scolds when they make bad choices, shows them just how loved they are, and brings joy to their lives.
I can't wait to have another little baby with you in six weeks.
I love you.
Me
Jack...
Molly...
Molly's 18 Month Stats (Really, they are her 19 month stats because we are too busy to take her to the doctor!):
Weight: 29 1/2 lbs. (95th percentile)
Height: 33 1/4 in. (75th percentile)
She is growing wonderfully and you would never know she was premature. She has really started talking a TON lately. She says a couple sentences and fifty bajillion words. She likes books, music, Jack Jack, food, and trying to jump.
When she got her shot at the doctor, she cried and asked for Jack Jack. I love that!
I am not the type of mom that likes to buy my kids character clothing. We don't have many things Elmo, or Dora, or Clifford, etc. However, I did pick up a pair of pajamas for Jack at Once Upon a Child with Curious George on them. They are the old man style with a button top and pants and little monkeys all over them.
Jack HEARTS them...BIG TIME! He goes bananas for them. How appropriate.
He calls them "Curiousisis George jammies".
He throws a royal fit when he wakes up wet and he can't wear Curiuosisis George jammies again the next night.
He does little happy dances when we wash Curiousisis George jammies with the promise that he can wear them, tonight.
I would buy him another pair, but I don't want him to be That Kid in preschool who wears his monkey pajamas to class every day. Even though they would be too small by then. And you know he would...
In other news, Molly ripped seven keys off of our laptop keyboard... k, p, m, 2, 3, 7, l. I have no idea what that says about her personality. We're amazed that we found them all. I had visions of taking her to the Emergency room and explaining that we can't find the p. And then we would be digging through her poo, looking for it.
That s*** is bananas.
(My apologies to anyone who doesn't like a good Gwen Stefani reference)
That's all.
Molly says ALOT of words, but here are some of my favorites:
"ashes ashes down" == Ring Around the Rosie
"Baby" == as she points to my belly
"peeashe" == please
"caka" == cracker
"some more" == pretty self explanatory
"joosh" and "shoosh" == juice and shoes
"uv eww" == love you
Seeing her adorable little smile...
Getting them to sit still for just one second...
When he does this and then tells me his shirt is "broken"...
And making lots of messes...
These precious little pigtails...
We had our big ultrasound yesterday. The ultrasound went very smoothly. Baby was very wiggly and had his or her arms up around his or her head on my left side with feet lodged in Mommy's bladder. That didn't make the full bladder thing any more comfortable!
Most importantly, Baby is very healthy and measuring about two days ahead of schedule. Our due date is still January 24 and we have no reason to believe that I will not go full term. God truly answered prayer by making my placenta be where it should be. Hearing that good news was obviously a huge relief since we were very prepared to have placenta previa, again.
So, the ultrasound guy wrote down what we are having and sealed it in an envelope for us. As is our tradition, we took it outside to the parking lot and Andy ripped that sucker open. I have opened them in the past and then told Andy what we are having. This time, we looked together.
We are happy to announce that we are having a beautiful, healthy, little....
Molly (18ish months):
Jackson (28ish months):
Andy (327 months):
Pregnancy Update: Everything is going well. I feel great and the baby is moving around like crazy to keep up with his or her active brother and sister. We have our big ultrasound on Aug. 26 so we will hopefully find out what we are having. Andy and I both think it is a boy. A gender quiz I took online told me that I have a 50% chance of having a boy...
We will also find out if my placenta has behaved and is in the right place (hoping and praying for this) since the placenta previa last time is what made me have Molly so early. I dreamt last night that I was holding the chubbiest, cutest little baby boy, so maybe that dream is right. But, I've also dreamt some very strange things lately... This pregnancy is flying by!
This week, I decided to potty train Jackson. I researched the internet. I bought tiny little boy underpants (so stinkin adorable). I hit the Dollar Store and bought new books, flashcards, stickers, and a special basket just for beside the potty. We've been watching Elmo's Potty Time for months. We've been putting Jack on the potty before bathtime to get him used to it.
He loves to "pee pee in the potty". But, he hasn't actually pee peed in the potty yet.
Day one he had several accidents in his underpants and he definitely does not like wet underpants (who does?). He also sprayed himself in the face with the carpet cleaner (Mother Of The Year Award is mine!) but he's fine.
Day two, he just didn't pee all morning. He kept his underpants dry but didn't pee in the potty either despite the twenty times I put him on it in four hours.
Some people would get frustrated by now. I consider it progress.
We told Jack that we were going bye bye last night. After he made sure we got all the stuff we needed ("shoosh" "cup" "Mowy") we left. He requested we go to "Mamma and Pappa's house" but we told him we were going to dinner, instead. He then proceeded to tell us to go to the "dinner house" (restaurant).
We went to the Chinese Buffet place which has to be the best place to take little kids. There's no waiting for your food and they have so many choices. The kids pigged out on chicken, pineapple, rolls, jello, and "all clean" (ice cream). Healthy, I know.
The old ladies at the table beside us complimented us on our beautiful children and how well-behaved they were. They really were very good and they sure are beautiful, in my humble opinion.
Jack counts from one to thirteen. He only counts to thirteen because he counts the steps as he goes up and down them. We only have thirteen.
He says "seny" for seven and "eleny" for eleven.
I forget these things too fast so I thought I should write it down. That's all.
I had my first baby appointment on Monday and everything is just fine. We had an ultrasound to scope out my scar tissue from two previous c-sections, but I got to see our cute little fetus, too. There is only one baby in there and his/her heartbeat was a healthy 143 bpm and measuring 6 weeks 4 days (I was 7 weeks). Everything looked great and we're so happy for our healthy little peanut!
Baby is still making me incredibly sick all day long but I have some heavy-duty anti-naseau drugs and a cool wristband thingy that are supposed to settle my stomach. Best of all, I have a very helpful husband home on vacation who lets me sleep in!
Molly (15 months):
Baby #3:
All is going very well in our world and we're looking forward to summer, going away for our 5 year anniversary, no more morning sickness, and watching the kids play and grow.
Three is...
We're excited and feeling very blessed to be welcoming another new baby. I'm still feeling okay and Jackson knows that there is a baby in my belly. However, he also thinks there is one in his, too.
(If I have to write a whole #4 post, Andy may faint!)
Jack (22 months):
Sweet little Molly girl,
The night of your birth was a scary blur of events. As we drove to the hospital, I prayed over and over that you would stay in my belly for just a little bit longer. I didn’t think you were big enough or strong enough to be okay. I cried on the way to the hospital because I was terrified and your daddy just held my hand really tight and drove really fast.
The doctor decided that we were going to meet you in person that night and my prayer changed. You couldn’t stay in my belly any longer so I prayed over and over that you would be okay. I prayed that you would be big enough and strong enough to be okay. Your daddy was doing his own praying and he kept holding my hand really tight.
You made your grand, little, appearance and we were surprised to find out that you weighed almost one whole pound more than they thought you were going to weigh. You had fuzzy, dark hair and long arms and legs. After the neonatologist checked you over, he held you up for us to see and made you wave your little hand at us. You were here and you were healthy and we didn’t have to worry about you. I didn’t have to worry that you wouldn’t be big enough or strong enough. God was and is big enough and strong enough for you.
You were beautiful but so tiny. We could only reach into your incubator to touch you so I stroked your soft, newborn skin and cried the first time I met you face-to-face. Later that day, I was able to hold you for the first time and you felt so right in my arms. We had to learn how to manipulate all your tubes and wires and keep you warm while you were out of the incubator. I felt like I was just borrowing you from the nurses and that I didn’t know how to care for you.
Your stay in the NICU was hard for me. I cried a lot and it was exhausting, both physically and emotionally. I dreaded leaving the hospital without you. The car felt so empty as we drove home. But, you should have seen everything that happened at our house while we were at the hospital. Uncle Kyle painted your pretty room. Aunt Keely and Aunt Carla cleaned (and cleaned and cleaned) and put Mommy and Daddy’s room back together after the carpet was installed. Even though I was sad that you weren’t with us, I was so happy to see all the stuff our family did to welcome us home.
The day you came home,after ten days in the hospital, was so wonderful. It was chilly and rainy outside, but it was full of sunshine for me. You were home where you belong.
Molly, you are such a beautiful little girl. You giggle at your daddy and your face lights up whenever you see him. You love to be tickled and “boo”ed. You love to have clapping competitions and to steal your brother’s Blue Puppy. You bury your face in our necks and snuggle for brief, precious moments and then you want down and to go go go. You have striking blue eyes and the prettiest smile. But, more importantly, you are a joyful and loving baby and that makes you beautiful.
This week, I definitely did not:
Everyone says I will miss these kid-filled, mess-filled, sickness-filled, cheesy-popcorn-filled days. They're probably right.
So much that I fall asleep in my coat and hat!
