7 months

In the blink of an eye, our baby is seven months old. By and large, he is our easy button. He has the most calm personality and just goes with the flow of our crazy life. Sadly, he has had recurring ear infections, but even through those, he makes life with an infant easy. Who would have thought: an easy baby!?

At 7 months:
* Lincoln wears size 3 diapers in Huggies or Pampers. His rear doesn't seem to mind either. Once he's off antibiotics, he doesn't blow out and we are so thankful!
* Clothing is mostly size 12 months. He has a few 9 month summer outfits so we're squeezing into them quickly.
* Rides well in the car, playing with the toys dangling from the infant carrier. Soon we will need to get him into a convertible rear-facing car seat.
* Loves to be outside and watching all the cars. Such a boy!
* Enjoys listening to music, and at Regan's dress rehersal last night, he'd fuss everytime the music stopped!
* Still prefers toys that light up, but also loves loves loves balls. Again, a boy.
* He is a solid sitter.
* Still not really moving much. He rarely rolls and is no where near crawling. But I suppose when you have 2 very helpful older sisters, there's little motivation to move yourself!
* He loves to jump in his jump-up (I need to catch a video) and can move around (short distances) his walker/toy
* Lincoln will still snuggle in and nap in my arms but he is also a rockstar at going to sleep in his crib.
* he's a great sleeper
* Eats 2-3 meals of baby food (stage 1 and some 2)  plus nurses 5 times/day. He really dislikes green veggies and much prefers fruit. He'll let you know it too as he attempts to swat away food that he doesn't like.
* still spits up from morning til night everyday
* weighs about 23 lbs....gosh he's a big boy!

We love you Lincoln Ryan!

Grandma's house

We have some pretty crazy schedules these days and getting out of town hasn't been easy. But this weekend we were invited to my cousin's graduation party and were able to double the fun with an overnight at grandma Jan and Papa's.

The girls were pretty excited...partly because of those bunk beds with the built-in  ladder.  

While Ryan and my parents went golfing, the kids and I were lucky enough to hang out with my dearest friend and Lincoln's Godmother-Kari and her kids. It's never long enough but it's always fun to catch up in person. The kids all played at the park and were filthy when we left; a sign of a FUN playdate! Lincoln took a turn swinging too, giggling away at the fun.

My parents brought the girls up to Herman Monument, a favorite of theirs. Grandma promised them she would climb to the tippy-top (freakishly afraid of heights), but chickened out while visibly shaking on the way up.

I think she much preferred to play trucks with Lincoln instead, safely on solid ground.

Regan cried her eyes out at bedtime that she forgot her chapter book at home. Among the 3 + bags of items packed, seems like everyone forgot something! It's becoming challenging to leave home.

I would say Lincoln did fair-to-good on his first overnighter. He travels well in the car, much better than his sisters at this age. But he matches them in overnight sleeping while away from home. To put it in perspective, at home he wakes for his pacifier one time (on a bad night). At my parents house, he was up 10 times.

TEN

I'm surprised that I didn't have bags under my eyes here!

Between the tears of forgetting things and the lack of sleep, might be a while before another overnighter.

Siblings

Regan soaks in all the play time she can get with Lincoln. Each morning she'll take him from us and go play (boy is that helpful!). I think she's most excited to be finished with school soon (but not soon enough!) so she can spend more of her days beside him. 

She really does love this little boy. With her being 8, it's a different type of relationship than she had when Sidney was born. Don't get me wrong, she loves Sidney with all of her heart, it's just at age 3, she wasn't able to articulate it the way she is now. I can hear it in her voice and see it in her eyes that she is so very thankful to have another baby to love. 

Rolls and toes

This rolly-polly baby loves his toes. We take off his socks and he goes nuts with seeing them (although he plays with his feet through his socks too). He's fascinated with his new toy and tries hard to get them to his mouth. Unfortunately, those rolls make that pretty difficult. 

Penquin slide

Lincoln dislikes tummy time. So when we got this picture today from school where all the kiddos were in a circle doing tummy time, it wasn't difficult to pick out our son. The one in blue doing the penquin slide.

 

Looks awfully similar doesn't he?

Height

Regan's got some height on her.

She really always has, pushing the 90th percentiles throughout her 8 years. Recently though it's become more apparent just how tall she is. Doesn't help that her bestie is no taller than Sidney. When Katie comes to play, she borrows Sidney's shoes and clothes.

But then I noticed that Regan is going to quickly catch up with one of her favorite cousins...

 

It won't be long and she'll be stealing my shoes too! She's into a size 3 already and so proud!

Slow down that growing up, my sweet first born baby girl.



Lincoln lately

This babe is a gem. His coos make our hearts melt and his giggles bring us joy. He is the best addition to our family of 4 and we couldn't be any more in love. All of us agree he fits perfectly into our family.

Lincoln is our happy go-with-the-flow kinda kid. He just eases into each situation and does what needs to be done: eat, sleep, play and poo. Wherever we are, that's his nature. I drag him along to gymnastics and the fellow moms all comment how sweet he is (one mom purposely sits behind me each week so she can stare at him and long for her own newborn again). We bundle him up and he tags along to bi-weekly softball games where he naps in my arms and blows out his diaper. I have now mastered changing blow-out diapers in the front seat of my car with 40-50 degree temps. Thanks son.

He's in love with this spring weather as much as we are. Teaching him all about the trees and the sounds of spring while we walk through the neighborhood or sit in the backyard. I'm sure the neighbors think I'm losing my mind as I talk to him like he's really understanding.

 

He can sit and play with toys. He is learning to play 'catch'. Well, we call it catch. He'll try to grab the ball and it rolls towards another person. We cheer and toss it back.

 Repeat.

 He thinks this game is hilarious and will play with whoever sits near him.

Lincoln still loves to jump like crazy in his Johnny Jump Up.

He nurses like a champ and dislikes veggies. Stinker will gag on them until we stop. We've all started clapping and hip-hip-hooray'ing at each bite so he'll keep eating. Double stinker.



We head over to see our trusted ENT doctor (Ears, Nose, Throat) to assess the need for tubes later this week. With 4 infections (one extending out to make it seem like a 5th) in just 3 months, he's due for a break. I worry about his hearing and I don't want his speech to be affected long-term. But at the end of the day, he's our sweet, most adorable, affectionate baby and we are all so in love with him!

Sweet Sidney

Our sweet Sidney. At 5 1/2 years old, she is such a treat! Ryan took her on some errands last weekend, and I received a text that said "she won't stop talking!". That about sums her up. I recall being out with her and Lincoln recently and an innocent bystander was watching our chaos and commented "you have your hands full", I politely replied that "sometimes it's hard to stop and think with her constant ramblings."

Maybe she'll work in sales someday.

She even talks in the bathroom! And not to herself, she makes one of us go WITH her into the bathroom so she can keep talking. Over the weekend we were out for lunch and she had to do her business while us girls were together in one stall. I finally said "less talking, more pooping please!". Regan cracked up, having never heard me say that before.

She's afraid of her own shadow. No kidding. That girl begged to sleep on the top bunk in Regan's room. And so we swapped out all the blankets, stuffed animals, books and security blankets. And then she flipped out that there were shadows on the ceiling (from the ceiling fan) too close to her head and we had to bring all the blankets, stuffed animals, books and security blankets back into her own room so she could sleep.  

And then she sees an ant and screams for her life as though she's being attacked by a black bear. Bugs give her the willies.

She won't go upstairs to her own bedroom to get clothes, toys, etc because "I'll be all alone up there".

And yet she's upset with us for not letting us see the new Angelina Jolie movie-Malificent. Yea right kid, I don't need you with nightmares every night for a month.

She's silly and busy. In fact, she's been busy from the start. We weren't able to sit still when she was a baby, constantly having to move. And she hasn't slowed down since.

Her teacher recently told me during conferences that she has blossomed into a very kind, sweet 5 year old. Boy that was music to our ears! She had a streak of being a little rude, er, standing her ground when it came to playmates. But now she's more of a go with the flow kind of friend. That will take her far in life.
She's a gem of a sister, always wanting a play mate out of her sibling, but kicking out any nearby adult so she can make-believe without an audience. She's technology-savy and adores the iPad and iPod play. She remains our excessively warm child and loves that this mama picks out short sleeves to wear most days. And although her hands and feet feel like icicles, she claims to be hot.
We love you to pieces sweet Sidney!

Regan

Our dear Regan. Where to start....

Let's start with the not-so-awesome end of things. This girl is sassy. Bordering on being a "Fire-breathing dragon teenager". Seriously. In the midst of trying to teach her something, she can flip the switch and take the "know it all" stand. And from there it spirals out of control.

 

 

She knows everything. And she is always right. No changing her mind. She might ask a question, say "do you think the sky is more blue or more white". We respond with our answer and she will immediately tell us we are incorrect and that she, in fact, is right. Or the other day, we went for a walk and the hill was pretty steep so we warned our oh-so-clumsy children to be careful and walk down, not run. She instantly started running. I'm guessing the teenage years are going to be fun with this one.  

This morning Ryan asked her not to brush her hair in the kitchen (he gets a little grossed out by the trail of excessive amounts of hair). She continued to brush. And brush. And brush. Despite his multiple requests.

Oh she boils our blood!  

And then there's the constant picking on her little sister. Comes with the territory of being the oldest I suppose, but man alive, she is relentless! If Sidney wants to play with her, Regan is known to purposely ignore her and wander through the house with Sidney whining behind her "play with me Regan!". It's fun to be "wanted" in her eyes. Grr that makes us upset!

 

But what about her sweet side?

She is very sweet, and loving, and caring. She loves to help with Lincoln and most importantly wants to hold him. All 22 lbs. It's becomming a little much for her to carry him right now, but she'll still try. And she wants to make him laugh too. When Regan and Sidney are playing nicely together (yes, it happens despite what I just wrote above), it's the sweetest thing to listen to; all their make believe play with barbies, sand box toys and made up games. They can be best friends and it melts our hearts.

Regan is an amazing student. We don't have to worry about her, and this is a blessing. Especially with a new baby this year. She excelled in her recent standardized testing, so much that we got a note home from the teacher. When she puts her mind to a task, this girl can move mountains. At night lately, she will crawl into bed, say her goodnights and then flip on her flashlight and read for 20-30 minutes. She's finishing chapter books in record time.

 

 

And then last week was her mile run test. The dreaded mile run, "mom, it's sooooo hard". With some encouragement to run with an althetic-minded friend, she finished in time to obtain the National Fitness Award! 10 minutes 23 seconds. Keep in mind this is the same child that opted to walk the mile last year and finished somewhere around 18 minutes. To say we were proud doesn't even describe the feeling!

 

 

Last night she had her first softball game of the season. I had little expectations; last time she played (two summers ago), she went ALL season without a hit. That was a very long season. So you can imagine my surprise when her first at bat she swung and cracked a perfect hit! Yes, I was that mom on the sidelines crying. Full blown 'proud mama' tears shooting down my cheeks. Way to go Regan! Now if we could just get your behavior in line with your sweet personality, life would be easier.

Love you sweet sassy oh-so-challenging little girl!

Mother's Day 2014

I am blessed to be able to celebrate Mother's Day. These three darlings of mine aren't always angels, but I love them every second of every day. They are our everything and I am so proud of each of them.

On this mother's day, I was showered with lots of homemade cards and gifts. And each one makes my heart melt. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for a husband who wrapped up a beautiful 3 ring necklace and a beautiful bouquet of flowers too, but aren't these cards heart-warming?!

We spent the day together as a family of FIVE and explored Minnehaha and the nearby Japanese Gardens. The  girls loved hiking and we definitely have to return when we have snacks and water and more time to explore the great trails. 

Each of these kids bring so much joy to our lives. Regan is so studious and sucks up information like a sponge excited to tell us something new she has learned; Sidney is a hoot and makes us laugh daily with her stories and comments; and Lincoln is our smiley, happy, snuggle bug who wants nothing other than to give me hugs and kisses! 

I wouldn't be where I am or who I am today if it weren't for my amazing mother. She had an amazing ability to teach me how to be my own person, to find my own place in life and is a wonderful friend to me today. I don't have many pictures of us when I was a baby, clearly she was more often behind the camera. But I love this picture, because it shows how much she loved being a mother. I can appreciate the feeling she shows here: that proud mama moment. And it is an amazing feeling! Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! 

ANOTHER ear infection

Saturday evening wasn't a great time for Lincoln. He was screaming and we could tell something was wrong. After some searching around online for an open urgent care that would treat a baby, I drove him to a nearby hospital/urgent care. Within an hour of leaving the house, we were back on the road with a yet another antibiotic for his fourth ear infection. Poor baby was not happy, though I'm happy to report he was much better within 12 hours. This picture sums up how we were all feeling that night:

 

Art show

Regan adores art. Always has. It's an activity we can almost always engage her in. She loves pencils, colors, markers, chalk, paint, oil pastels, etc. But we're finding that our art cabinet is over-flowing with "stuff" and she can't seem to start and more importantly finish, any project at home. However, in school she is doing some amazing work. Given her love of art, we weren't super surprised when we got a note home from school last week that her art teacher was putting a piece of Regan's work in the upcoming art show. She was over the moon excited and we were very proud of her! 

The art show had a "Grand Opening" with a recognition and reception on Monday evening so she soaked up the whole being on stage.

Grandma Monday meant Grandma Jan got to join us at the reception which was a treat too :)

Uncle Ben offered to buy her art work too....we'll have to see what Regan is going to charge him! Congratulations Regan, we are very proud of you and your fish!

First Communion

Regan celebrated her First Communion last weekend with a wonderful mass and a gathering at our home. 

She looked gorgeous in her long white dress. The little boy standing behind us as we lined up had a father who chuckled and commented to Ryan that she looks like a bride. Ryan laughed and then wanted to cry as the father asked him if we were saving up :)

Goodness does this little sister look up to her. Sidney was in awe at how pretty her big sis was, and admired all of her bling: a real pearl necklace from Uncle Ben, gold cross earrings and a birthstone ring. She's one lucky girl in Sidney's eyes.  

We seized the opportunity to quick take a family picture before church. 

Our little family sure has grown since Regan's baptism nearly 8 years ago. 

Our church celebrates First Communion on both Saturday and Sunday so here's the smaller of the group from Sunday. 

Regan perked up when she found out that getting a First Communion meant a party, and CAKE!

We are so proud of her and all the work she has done to prepare for this special day. She was nervous the night before and anxiety continued til the moment she walked up for her communion. In a last minute decision, and only after verifying that "taking wine in church isn't bad, right mom?" (she didn't want any jail time), she tried the wine. Pretty disgusting evidently as shown across her face!

Congrats Regan. We love you!