4 months

The little big guy of the bunch is now 4 months. It's amazing how much he has grown and developed in just 4 short months. We are soaking in all of his baby love each and every day. A lot of this has to due with the fact that we are older wiser in comparison to the first two babies. We snuggle him for hours on end, laugh with him, sing and dance, and just sit in awe and stare at him as he learns about the world. There are days where I get nothing done because I am too busy holding and playing; and frankly, it doesn't bother me one bit. Because there is a baby in this house, and I'm busy :) 

The poem that says it best ends something like this...

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

and that darn poem makes me tear up each time I not only read it, but just think about it. 

At 4 months, Lincoln is: 

* learning how to grasp and put objects in his mouth. He can successfully do this often but gets frustrated if he misses. He prefers to grab stuffed toys in comparison to rattles/plastic; my sense is this is because they are much bigger (ie: easier to succeed).

* eats every 3 hours from 7am-10pm, taking about 5 ounces/time. Nurses like a champ, which has made pumping an easy task while I'm at work. Our freezers are beyond full of milk.  

* sleeps 10pm-7am each night, between us in a snuggle nest for safety. Catnaps throughout the day, usually awake no longer than 1-2 hours except at daycare, where he's too busy flirting with the staff to fall asleep. 

* loves to play under the Baby Einstein play mat, sit in the swing and have toys held in front of him. 

* likes to hear stories, his library is growing :) 

* doesn't much prefer tummy time, but can get his head up to 45 degrees. No rolling or movement and I'm very happy with that so far. Plenty of time for that. 

* wears size 6 mo clothes, and even some of them are snug/short. 

* wears size 2 diapers-Pampers and has a sensitive bottom like the other 2 did. Desitin Max is our best friend at every changing. 

* starting to dislike car rides unless he's well fed and sleeping. 

* found his voice last week and has been screaming loudly with glee ever since! 

* laughs like crazy when I take off his clothes (it must tickle his neck). He's the MOST ticklish on his chubby thighs, under his arms, and really all over his body!

* lets me slowly run my finger around his face as he stares at me while we snuggle. This goes on and on until I grow tired of the task or he falls asleep. So very sweet to watch his face twitch with a tickle and his eyes gently close. 

* loves his bath, will sit and chill a long time, or until he coughs or sneezes and ends up pooing in the tub and I have to quickly scoop him out :) 

* weighed in at....20 lbs today! Yes, that read TWENTY! Putting him in the 98th percentile. Height is 26.5", putting him in the 94th percentile. His squishy cheeks are the best and I'm reminded of that daily by anyone that we see. 

He is the best addition to our family and is loved so very much! 

Regan's 8th birthday party day

Regan gathered up 13 of her closest friends (and thankfully added her sister), and ventured to celebrate her birthday in this cold snap we've been having. To say that her friend's parents were THRILLED at the idea of a 2 hour gymnastics party, well, that's an understatement. This winter has been downright brutal. And every kid is itching with energy to run and jump and scream. 

And last weekend, these 14 girls had their chance! 

Our gym doesn't do parties, so she asked to have her party at another local gym. She later confessed that the whole reason she wanted to come here, is because of this aparatus, done especially with the birthday girl. Boy was she excited! (and now you can only imagine that Sid wants a turn). 

Click HERE for the video

Last year, I was brave enough to host her party at home. This year, with a new baby in tow and way too many germs being spread around, we were pleased as punch to let someone else take the reins of hosting. The staff at this place even told me to stop cleaning up at one point!, fine by me :) 

Ryan, Lincoln and I enjoyed watching all the girls have so much fun as they played, non-stop, for 90 minutes. Running around, yelling, flipping and jumping. They had so much fun. Best part, is there were NO tears!! How we managed to get away without any drama is beyond me, because let's just say, 8 year olds can produce a LOT of tears :) 

It was all smiles this year, including her cake!

Happy 8th birthday Regan! We love you to pieces!

Wheezing, ear infections and loads of antibiotics

Lincoln is starting early with doctor visits. I would have to look back, but I believe he wins the prize for earliest ear infection. 

Last week, as I held him, I noticed he was wheezing when he was breathing. And for a $10 co-pay, I opted to bring him into the doctor. I know enough to realize when a little one is struggling to breathe. 

She took one listen to his chest and agreed--wheezing. 

Immediately the doctor suggested an in-office neb treatment and an RSV test. 

Afterwards, she came back and said she had "good news and bad news". 

Good news: RSV was negative (whew!!, huge sigh of relief)

Bad news: RSV was negative (huh? why is this bad?)

There was no clear explanation for the wheezing. And so it was home-nebs for treatment. 

She took a look at the rest of him and noticed not one but a double ear infection! 

We had no indication he was battling this infection. He was happy, nursing great, sleeping fine and our all around smiley little boy. So in addition to home nebs, he's on a giant syringe full of antibiotics twice daily. And I say giant, because Sid too was battling an illness and had the SAME exact dose of antibiotic as Lincoln!! In fact, the pharmacist had to call back to the doctor and verify her prescription and then looked at me and said "it goes by weight. Clearly he's a big boy!"

Um, yea, 19 lbs 9 oz at just 3.5 months. 

Gosh darn, he sure makes that neb mask look cute :) 

He's doing great taking them, although I don't exactly believe they are working. He's 6 days into it and still wheezing the same.  

Snow fun

Although I for one am having no fun! I'm waving the white flag, surrendering to this cold, white snow and praying for warmer weather. 

Enough already. 

5 snow days for a metro school, this is unheard of! We are downright done with winter. 

But alas, we have had yet another snow storm and now onto another cold snap. Before it got real ugly out there, the girls played around the pool in those white drifts. 

Until Regan lost her boot in the snow and I was stuck inside giving Lincoln a neb treatment (more on that later) and Sidney wasn't strong enough to pull Regan's boot out of the snow. 

And so she sat and cried. 

And cried. 

And wailed until I came out to save her  (don't worry mom, she's fine!). 

Oh it'll make for some good laughs later

This morning, I looked into the back yard and saw the beautiful waves of snow, and wished they were waves of sand, created by the ocean...

The drifts are tall enough to be foot stools near the swing. 

And we have our own little mini avalanche occurring at the sides of the pool. 

Dear Spring, PLEASE HURRY!!!

"They"

Most days, Sidney is working hard at school and then comes home and we work her even harder. She's mastering her letters, sounds, writing her name "the kindergarten way" and figuring out numbers. This week, as she was practicing writing all of the letters on the white board, she pointed out each letter and whose name started with that letter (ie: N is for Natalie). She got to the letters R and S and said "hey mom, Regan and Sidney! They are right next to each other. "They" must have known we were sisters."

Yes dear. Centuries ago when the alphabet was created.

"They" must have known.

 

Regan's 8th birthday

Yesterday was Regan's special day. The big EIGHT! 

I happened to be the first person she saw in the morning and when I gave her a birthday hug and kiss she reminded me she wasn't 8 until 3pm. She's all into details, and knows that she was born at 3pm. But when she heard the word "present", she agreed to celebrate the whole day!

She was pretty excited for that purple lava lamp...she wasn't so excited that Lincoln bought her math flash cards :) I got the stink eye for that one. 

Since her birthday fell on a Saturday, we planned her family birthday party for the same day. She hasn't wanted a "themed" birthday party since she was 5 or so. Instead, she picks colors and then decides on a cake. This year it was the color turquoise and a smiley DQ cake. I scored a giant smiley face balloon too and really won her over :) Before the party though, she had to dash off to swim team practice where he really works her for 60 long minutes! 

Her party guests soon arrived and she had an awesome time playing with her fun cousins. Lincoln got the most attention though (sorry Regs), and was loved up by everyone. He seemed to enjoy himself with Paxton. 

And then cried a little so Harlow thought he would like to hold a dolly. 

My goodness are there a lot of candles on that cake!! She blew hard to get the sparklers out, and one kept relighting itself. We all know what that means.... :) 

Happy Birthday sweet Regan! I hope you had a fabulous day! 

Valentines

We shared Valentine's day with our 3 adorable Valentines.

Birthday eve

Our oldest is turning 8. 

Eight.

Holy smokes! Next thing I know and she'll be driving. 

Seriously, my sweet baby girl is wrapping up her "childhood". And I for one am not quite ready. 

Oh how I remember those sleepless nights, the baby who was born four weeks early and couldn't nurse, and who loved loved loved her swing. She was sweet and loveable right from the start. 

She was our busy toddler, getting into kitchen cupboards, toilet paper rolls and drinking mommy's coffee. She was the first of our babies to teach us about love and patience.

She was (and still is) a stellar traveler. Regan has been on 7 family vacations involving an airplane. From multiple trips to DC and more recent trips to California, she is easy going when it comes to all travel. Boy are we thankful for this!

She is inquisitive and has the most unbelievable critical thinking skills....and this sure tests my patience! Her most adorable thin curls have now muted to a soft thick wave. 

I think one of her favorite places to be is aboard Papa's boat and hanging out at the lake. She looks forward to this yearly vacation each and every year. We've been doing this since she was a baby when we had to pack up that beloved swing and drag it along. We travel more lightly now :)

Her life is getting busier and our family time already decreasing as she races off to dance classes, gymnastic practice, ice skating lessons and swim team. She keeps us on our toes and forces us to make the most of any minute of time we have together. 

Time is going so fast. It seems like just a short time ago, we were embarking on this parenting journey for the first time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVE REGAN! 

We cannot wait to celebrate you this weekend!

3 beautiful blessings

These kids of ours make our days brighter, here's a little glimpse to make yours bright too:

Sidney is our spit fire. She can make believe like nobody's business: her barbies have been on a 2 month RV tour somewhere behind the couch near the curtains and Mickey Mouse seems to be in a plural marriage with several Minnies perched on top of Sid's ironing board. 

We don't ask questions.

Just sit nearby and listen to her imagination, but don't let her know you're listening, or she'll close up shop.

And then there's the baby of the bunch, with the biggest brown eyes that I have ever seen. He's been on a role lately blowing out diaper after diaper with some lovely smelling presents for me :) He'll let me hold him for hours on end, falling asleep in my arms. I can run my finger gently around his face and watch him slowly drift to sleep. And then wake up talking to me like I'm the best person in the world. When he flashes that beautiful open mouth smile, his eyes even shine. He sleeps between us at night and neither one of us are ready to let that go; his sighs and snores are wonderful background noise as we fall to sleep.

Oh this soon-to-be 8 year old is growing into such a beautiful person. Regan is an amazing helper with Lincoln, and is all around very motherly. As for getting  older, we're blessed with eye rolls and responses like "whateves" on a regular basis....this part I'm learning to respond to. She could write a book on how to tease and pick on a little sister. But we love her all the same. She is our guinea pig, being the first child, and so we are all learning.

At night I lay my head down and thank God for these 3 beautiful blessings.

Tummy time fun

I think he might be the first of our babies to (somewhat) enjoy tummy time and do more than smash his face into the floor. 

Kindergarten registration

Sidney took part in kindergarten registration last week. I can't believe our baby girl will be off to school next fall. Boy is she ready. For 3 years now she has watched her big sis walk into school, come home with stories of learning and fun, and now it's her turn. She simply cannot wait! So on her big night, she grabbed her name tag and fearlessly walked into the classroom filled with other little children, all eager to start. I had to pry her away from the fun at the end of the night, and now have to field the daily question "when can I start kindergarten?"

We love you sweet Sidney but please don't grow up so fast!

Flashback Friday

We're kinda missing the sunny skies of California these days....

3 months

Lincoln hit the 3 month mark today. It's a bittersweet moment, as it meant I headed back to work and he to daycare. He's did marvelous on his first day and was his happy-smiley self when I picked him up this afternoon. Technology has changed the way our daycare does things; and we now get updated via an app at each feeding, nap, diaper, play time, pictures and more! Unfortunately, he didn't sleep much at all today (there's a lot to acclimate to) and so he's pretty wiped out this evening. I don't mind the snoozing baby in my arms as I type though. 

So what is he up to at 3 months....

He's our A.M.A.Z.I.N.G baby. Simply put, he's easy. 

He eats like a champ, sleeps when he's tired, and just takes in the world around him. We "play" toys with him (aka: hold it in front of him to watch), and he adores anything with lights. Most often, the holder of the toy grows bored long before Lincoln does. He also enjoys being read to; we read the same 6 books over and over again and he is mesmerized by them. 

He has started laughing and this sound is heavenly! He's ticklish and will giggle and laugh with us for a long time. Sometimes Sidney gets carried away trying to tickle him and he gets upset....can't blame him. He loves to watch her, most often from afar, as she dances and runs and plays. 

As far as stats, nothing official this month. He's pushing 20 lbs and his length amazes us. He is one BIG baby! He's getting stronger so it's becoming easier to hold him (less flimsy head); although I commented today that it's strange to walk the halls of the hospital without 20 extra pounds in my arms. I feel so light! Carrying him in the car seat is quite the sight, I have to arch way back as we race from the car to the door in these frigid temps.

He wears 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. Bath time remains a favorite and it wont be long before I'll be wet from his splashing!

He fits right into our family and we adore him so very much.

We love you sweet baby Lincoln! 

Regan's winter show

Regan has been working very hard on learning her dance recital dances. This weekend she finally got to show off all that hard work with her performances on stage. That girl loves being on stage, never has had an ounce of stage-fright. She smiles and truly enjoys herself; and for this we are grateful! It will take her far in life to have the confidence to get up in front of an audience. 

She performed in two recitals Saturday, and participated in one VERY long dress rehersal Friday night. This year was a bit different for us, I was tied up with Lincoln (literally) so Ryan had his first experience with all that dance business. He told me that he's had enough dance to last him many years :) We were able to gather up the troops to take in one of the recitals, yes, even Lincoln. He sat quietly on my lap for 3 entire hours as we watched dance after dance! Never made a peep and slept for only 30 minutes. He is, by far, the best baby ever! A friend next to me commented that Lincoln was less-antsy than her date! Sidney sits on the edge of her seat at these recitals, really getting into the dances. This show has a Black Swan villian theme and she is in awe at the performances. I think I had just as much fun watching her as I did the dances. We keep asking her if she wants to dance and she keeps repeating that she's afraid, and so we wait. This year her two BFF's were in the show though, and that has really made her think about joining. 

Here's a video of one of Regan's dances, she was on the wrong side of the stage and you can tell she's a bit confused (and then races to the right side towards the end). 

ENJOY! 

Cheeks

Lincoln has the most scrumptious cheeks. No one can control themselves when they see him; it's the first thing out of their mouth! And yes, mom and Cindy, you are correct in your guesses on the prior post....I'm on top, and Ryan on the bottom (clearly I had some big cheeks too!). 

Last week, it dawned on me that Lincoln would probably be able to use the Bumbo now. This is a piece of gear we didn't have for either of the girls, but we are borrowing from Ashley (THANKS!). I tried to put him in the bumbo, but clearly his chubby thighs match his cheeks because he didn't fit! Ash text me and said "shove him in there and snap a picture", so here you have it. Poor kid is shoved in the Bumbo, and in complete shock of this new view of his world! 

Don't worry, we figured out a better way to put him in there, and he now enjoys spending a few minutes in this chair....until we try to get him out. His thighs prevent him from being just picked up, instead the whole chair comes with him. This causes hysterical laughing from the girls as I try to pluck the chair off his rear end :) 

Love you Lincoln! 

Flashback Friday

Can you guess which parent is which baby? I'll give you a hint, Lincoln is in the middle. 

Life with 3 kiddos

One might think that life with 3 kids would have us looking like Regan in the picture below. Fortunately for us, my lack of blogging is only due to my desires to spend every second with those 3 beautiful faces. So what have we all been up to.....

Regan: She's about to turn 8 years old. Eight. Years. Old. Where oh where has that time gone? She is doing wonderfully in school, although continues to be a bit chatty. As for her activities, she really likes to try it all. She stays busy with dance (tap/jazz/ballet), ice skating lessons, gymnastics and most recently, is on the swim team. Those activities have us running all across the metro, but man alive, is it fun to watch. She will perform in a winter dance recital at the end of the month and it's one of my most favorite recitals to watch (it's the same show each year, but as the kids get older, the dances they perform change). She's really worried about not knowing her dances, so she's taking these classes seriously. Her skating ability has grown tenfold and she truly enjoys lacing up her skates. She's working on front handsprings in gymnastics and as I help her practice, I'm getting lessons in this skill too! As for swimming, it might be the most impressive sport. Maybe it's because Ryan and I can't do the butterfly, but watching her perfect this difficult stroke is incredible. When we have the chance to lounge around at home, she likes to watch movies, the Disney Channel, play on the iPad and create masterpieces on her rainbow loom. Ryan most recently taught her to scoot around the house using not one, but TWO scooters simultaneously. This is quite the sight and I secretly tried it today when no one else was around!  

Sidney: What can I say about this little spit-fire? She is just that, a full of energy, ball of fun, spit-fire. Shane said it best when he visited, the things that come out of her mouth are down-right funny, gut-busting hilarious at times....but someday it's going to get her in trouble! The other day we played a game together and I lost. She stood up, danced around (even whipped out a lasso dance) singing "I won, I won, I won.....you lost!" So much for lessons on being a good sport! 

Sid keeps us busy with gymnastics and swimming also. She is working on handstand bridge kick-overs and her little body is incredibly strong and flexible. She's a ball of muscle that girl. During swimming, she works on front crawls and side breaths. It's a must for her to be a confident swimmer this summer and she's well on her way. She is our active child, with endless energy and an attitude that has us asking "where did she get that from?".  She has an amazing imagination; so much that even Regan begs to play with her during imaginative play. Her favorite toys currently are fairies (Tinkerbell and friends) and Barbies...or better yet, combining these two loves of hers.  

 Lincoln: he's what we have been told is called "the take-along baby". You know, the kid that you 'take along' to all those activities for the above children. And he is quite the sport. He rarely fusses and is just a happy, easy-going baby. I've said it a hundred times, he is our easy-button. When we have the chance, one of us is snuggling him on the couch. I have logged hours on end just cuddling him. I don't ever want to look back and be sad that I didn't take enough time to snuggle or cuddle. He will fall asleep in my arms any chance he has and I simply love it. At swimming, at gymnastics or wherever we are, he's in my arms. Eventually he wears tired of the action in front of him and gently falls asleep. He's busy working on tummy time (pictured below) and is our shining star at this skill. He also smiles and laughs and coos like nobody's business. I honestly hold conversations with him of back and forth cooing. Ryan thinks this is beyond hilarious, listening to Lincoln coo and talk for a very long time. 

so there you have it. An update on the kiddos. We are happy, we are healthy and we are enjoying every second of life with our newest member who seems to fit right in around here. 

2 month stats

Lincoln saw our lovely pediatrician yesterday for his 2 month appointment (he's actually 2 mo 10 days). I had hoped to bring only him to this appointment, but with the recent cold snap, Regan didn't have school and had to join us. Turned out to be a good experience for her, she really has a motherly nature to her. As the nurse gave him shots, Regan held one hand and sincerely said "I wish I could take the shots for him". Melted our hearts. He screamed his lungs out and took a while to calm down, but was his happy, usual self the rest of the day. 

Doc says he's doing great, right on track developmentally and is one good baby. She had to do a double take at his stats though, no lie. She actually said "is that right?!" when she rattled off his weight...drumroll please....17 lbs 5 oz!! That puts him in the 99th percentile! It's no wonder my back aches daily :) (The girls were both under 12 lbs at this age). Length is 24.9 inches, putting him in the 94th percentile! 

He's wearing mostly 6 mo clothes, no wonder! 

Lastly, he started giggling this week! Most adorable sound ever!!

Cold days

It's not snow days we are having lately (those would actually be FUN). It's 'cold' days. Downright freeze your butt off cold. So cold that we haven't been outside in 48 hours. And to say we are going crazy is putting it lightly. Neither of the girls have been to school since before Christmas. 

To pass the time, we are playing with toys, jumping rope, creating with play dou, making cards, baking bread, cleaning the house, emptying closets, having dance parties and singing karoke (on a side note, I'm not sure if I could ever again listen to Demi Lovato sing "Let It Go" without cringing....). 

Ryan and I really strive hard to limit the girls to the recommended "no more than 2 hours/day of screen time"; but when we've been inside for 48 hours, with a newborn who needs to nurse every 3 hours, we caved. 

 Because I needed a break from the whining, fighting and screams. 

But today I got the crazy idea to do some cold weather experiments. First up: the boiling water tossed into the cold air. Now this one was mighty cool in the girls' eyes; and I rank right up there on the cool mom scale now, but I have a pretty burn on my wrist for my efforts. Dang! I dropped the pot after tossing the water into the air, watching it evaporate (except for the cup that splashed up onto my wrist).

Next up: how long does it take to freeze a wet t-shirt. Regan grabbed her iPod and timed this one. We could literally watch the wet t-shirt flapping in the wind get stiffer and stiffer until I was sure it was no longer moving. Regan read aloud the time: 2 minutes and 3 seconds. Holy that is cold!

Our last experiment idea was given to us by my brother and we'll have to wait for the results until tomorrow. We currently have a sealed bottle of water sitting on our deck, which I would assume will freeze, but he tells me otherwise. I guess we'll find out in the morning. Until then, I need to go find some burn cream for my wrist....

Baby smiles!!

Isn't it the most adorable sight!? Even the girls are snapping pictures of him left and right at these lovely grins :) Our handsome happy boy!