Under the weather

Sadly, Lincoln has been sick for a good portion of the last 4 weeks. We try hard to prevent him from being exposed to anything, but our best efforts sometimes aren't enough. And so, he caught what we first thought was a bad cough. It moved to his eyes back mid-July and I brought him to the doctor for antibiotic drops. Those worked (temporarily) and his lungs sounded clear. 

A week later, he saw the ENT for a f/u on his tubes which thankfully were working well through this cold. 

Another week passed and he was back in for a  9 month well-child. Lungs, ears and throat still clear from his nasty persistent cough. Thanking our lucky stars that he was still happy through his coughing bits (and super thankful that no one else had caught it as bad). 

Another week passed and he suddenly spiked a fever....103.3 fever. 

We panicked a little, because that's a pretty darn high fever for an adult, let alone a baby. 

The on-call Sunday evening nurse said we could monitor him through the night but to bring him in Monday morning. 

He was looking, and clearly feeling, pretty rough. 

It was a pretty rough night for a week. 

The doctor who saw him spent a long time listening to his lungs and ended up with a diagnosis of bronchitis. He prescribed an antibiotic, and albuterol nebs and told us to use those antibiotic drops in his eyes again and more Tylenol. I felt like a pharmacy (oh, and Sid was still battling an ear infection herself so that didn't help!). He did not like the eye drops, nor the nebs and I'm pretty sure the med tasted yucky too.

Sadly, he had a pretty strong reaction to those nebs and I discontinued them after 3 different sessions. He clearly was anxious, screaming for about 45 minutes after they ended, and I sensed it was like I had just given him a shot of espresso. After consulting with a coworker doctor friend of mine, I called back into the peds office and confirmed he was reacting to the nebs. Poor buddy. We have yet to pick up the newest script and give that a whirl, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a bit nervous. 

We've pulled out our "A game" as they say, to keep this boy happy and move him over to the healthy side of life. As of yesterday, I think he's finally there, with the exception of a persistent cough that still won't go away and still takes his breath away and has made him throw up he coughs so hard. 

Here's to being even MORE diligent in keeping him healthy. Because clearly he struggles to fight off even just a minor cold. 

Happy he's feeling better and hope we can enjoy what is left of summer!

Watching our garden grow

We love our garden, the fact that it's a wee bit overgrown this summer, just shows I'm a tad too busy with Lincoln and the girls to care about weeds. I'm giving myself some slack this year. Afterall, my  mom has always told me "the dust will be there tomorrow" (reminding me to snuggle my babies and worry about the dust another time) and I'm expanding that quote to include the weeds as well :) Thanks mom! 

But we really do enjoy the beauty in our back yard. Can't take credit for it, the prior owners put it in and made it what it is today. We just get to reap the benefits. Although I haven't a clue what most of the flowers are and I'm still trying to figure out how to cut them back each spring/fall. I'm open for advice! 

Like this beauty....I swore it was a weed because I don't recall seeing it in prior years. But holy cow is it pretty! And they are growing in various parts of the garden, in no specific order. 

And then there are our raspberries. Which are back finally after some careful nurturing for the past 3 years. Unfortunately, I discovered spotted wing drosophilia larva in them... but only AFTER we had eaten loads of them. Yea, talk about disgusting. So for this year, they are a wash sadly.

Yesterday, Lincoln and I were walking around the garden, and I was pointing out various plants for him (he's been terribly sick and unhappy, but this game is fun for him). And we came across this cute little guy! 

He was so adorable! 

And then as we walked, I found this carcass too! EEEEK! It's the bones (and tail) of a squirrel. I raced to the other side and screamed for Ryan who thought it was a pretty awesome discovery and called for the girls to come check it out. 

Boys will be boys. 

a weekend with my bestie

I'm so lucky to have my bestie, Kari. She's beyond wonderful and supportive and everything a girl could ask for in a BFF. She's Lincoln's Godmother too, a testament of how important she is to us. The fact that she lives 100 miles away pretty much stinks....but I'm so thankful that we figure out a way to hang out every so often. Because frankly, text/emails just don't cut it! 

This past weekend, while her kiddos were away, she joined our zoo for a couple of days. While the kiddos were whinning/crying, she pulled up the drive and I chuckled as I opened the door and said "welcome to our crazy zoo" and she replied "good, it'll feel just like home!". 

We had a wonderful time chatting, hanging by the pool, chatting, eating and chatting some more. With daily emails and text, I think Ryan is surprised that we have that much to even talk about in person :) 

Thanks for coming to visit, we love having you!
 

Regan's first pool party

A sign that our oldest daughter is growing up....she asked to have her "own" pool party this summer. Historically, we have invited family friends (where our kids are friends but so are we, the parents) to swim, or let the girls have 1-2 friends over to swim/play for the afternoon. 

But last weekend, we invited a bunch of Regan's dear friends to swim and 6 of them showed up for an afternoon of wild, crazy, pool fun! 

All of them had good swimming abilities, but Ryan/myself and Kari (who was visiting for the weekend), were still constantly counting heads to ensure we had 8 kids at all times. I think every minute we counted. No lie. 

There was a lot of screaming and squealing going on with that many girls in one backyard. And the weather couldn't have been better. Pushing 90 and hot/humid. Perfect doesn't even describe it! We had to be in the pool to be comfortable. Now that is my kind of weather!

Lauren has the most amazing cannonball. She even yelled "cannonball" every time she jumped off the board. Such a sweetie. 

With all that swimming comes snack time too. Mr. Freeze and frozen grapes do a lot to hydrate and refresh those adorable smiles.

There were a lot of pool toys floating around...which really just complicated the whole 1...2...3... counting business. But they played with everything that was floating around; so as much as Ryan despises all those things in there at one time, even he couldn't complain. They were having too much fun! 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we are so thankful for those wonderful friends of Regan. They are sweet, kind and polite. And the fact that they had no problem including Sidney made this afternoon even more awesome! 

I think we're in for many more pool parties that the girls call their own :) 

9 month comparison

Here they are, side by side. Our 3 beautiful blessings each at 9 months.
Some say Lincoln looks like Sidney, others say Regan.
I have to say he is a good mix of both of the girls and yet unique in his own way too. 

Lincoln at 9 months

Oh my word, Lincoln is 9 months old!

He's been outside as long as he was inside of my womb. Gosh this boy of ours warms our hearts like none other. He's sweet as can be and the easiest thing around. But I didn't want everyone to think he doesn't come without emotions....because he does. So I posted a few *emotional* pictures too.

Sure he cries, but not often and not for long. At least in comparison to what we knew before him (ahem...Regan and Sidney!). Those two were tough, especially Sidney. Talk about an emotional mess that girl was....maybe she still is a wee bit emotional!

Not Lincoln. He's calm and easy.

Almost all of the time.

And he has the biggest, sweetest, dark eyes on the planet. He flashes them at you, sometimes with tears and my heart simply melts.

But it doesn't take long and those crocodile tears disappear and he's back to being as happy as can be. His smiles come easy these days. And giggles are contagious. He's got a thing for mama and reaches for me when I'm around. Oh how I love this stage, the one where he desires certain people/things and lunges at them in hopes of succeeding. 

At 9 months:
* he's happy as can be sitting or laying on his back; very little movement on his part. he can twist around when laying on his back just by lifting and slamming his legs to the floor.
* enjoys standing, holding onto things and has started to break my back by taking steps while holding my hands. Sure glad we have Regan for this stage....her height will come in handy as he starts to really learn to walk!
* loves to be pushed in his swing, or sit with me and swing on our deck swing. I often will sing to him and he just gazes up at me while we swing back and forth.
* continues to nurse 5 times/day, or take a bottle that I have pumped of roughly 5-6 oz/feeding.
* eating stage 2 baby food plus puffs and yogurt melts. Eating more and more table food (fish, cheese---LOVES cheese!, bread, fruits, etc)
* has warmed up to the pool and gets right in and chills in his inflatable raft while chewing on dive sticks.
* is content playing with whatever is nearby....kitchen utensils, a random Tupperware cover, an unused diaper, you name it, he will examine it and ultimately clap it against his other hand and then the ground.
* recently started giving "five" and waving bye-bye.
* dishes out the best slobbery kisses we could ask for! like washing your face in drool!
* has 6 teeth. SIX! And he uses them all....sometimes while nursing. owie.
* naps 3 times/day: AM, PM and early evening, then down for the night 10pm-7am. Lately has been waking for his nuk. Still sleeping in the cradle next to our bed.
* wears 12 mo clothes and size 3 diapers (pampers cruisers are fitting great)
* weight 22 lbs 12 oz (so has actually lost an ounce in the last month!): 91st percentile
* height 29.5": 91st percentile. He is now 1/2 inch away from growing out of his infant car seats :(
* he is the sweetest, most smiley baby around and we love him to pieces!

Softball season wrap up

Regan's softball skills have grown exponentially this summer. We started this season with a hope that she would get her hands out of the dirt in the field and make some sort of contact with the bat. She squashed those ideas from our minds with her first game (no practices in this league, just games). At her first game, she got a hit and I squealed with delight as the tears flowed. Each game after that was just more and more exciting.

 

She got into a rut for a few weeks and was late on every pitch. Loads of strike outs.

We knew her potential was bigger so we worked hard. And got her (mostly) out of that rut.

She fielded balls, she threw hard (most of the time) and had her head in the game.

Leading up to the city-wide tournament which was held this past week/weekend.

At her first game (Thursday), we cheered as loud as we could watching each girl on the team hit ball after ball. My mom was here (helping paint but that's another post for later), and I think it brought back flashbacks watching me play ball.

And in the end, they lost 14-15.

One run.

Her second game was even more intense. They were up 7-3 heading into the last inning. The other team scored 4 runs to tie it up. Good grief! And so we went into international rule.....

 

And then Sidney decided she needed to use the bathroom. And it was urgent...#2.

REALLY!? Talk about timing.

Have I mentioned she takes forever in the bathroom? She does. So we went and I hung out just outside the door so I could still watch the game. But they lost. By one run. Shucks! Boy did they play their hearts out. And I couldn't be more proud of this team!

 

 

The coaches gave each girl a signed softball, an individual award and a medal to round out their season. Regan's award was "most line drives"....not a bad award.

They lost a lot of games, and won only 1 game this season. But they were just gaining momentum and then the season ended. It was a season of learning and a growing.

 

We are sure glad she gave this game another try. Despite the losing season, and an occassional bad call by an ump, she kept her head up and gave it her all. She never shed a tear over losing, or a strike out or missed ball. One might say she just doesn't care enough, but I'm going to let it ride. Afterall, she's only 8.  She has her whole life to get discouraged. This summer, she had life long lessons of team spirit, good sportsmanship and having a good time.

Way to go Regan!

 

 

As for Sidney, she lost interest this weekend in cheering on the team for over an hour. So she made a new friend and had this caterpillar stuck to her dress, check him out, he's huge!....

this is life

Life in our house can be crazy at times. With each kid needing their own type of attention, it's hard to keep everything straight. Regan has activities galore and that means practices, paperwork and parents/coaches to keep in touch with. Sidney is busy with field trips during her summer program and that means keeping track of what she needs each day (Regan has this same thing but they are going in 2 different directions). Sidney has loads of friends that she begs to have over daily, and we continue trying to prep her for kindergarten this fall. She is B.U.S.Y. And then there's Lincoln, who quite frankly, requires the most attention. There's feedings (breastfeeding is demanding I tell ya and I have fed him in some very not-so-conventional locations), diapers, bath time, playtime, milestones to reach, teething issues and he's in the thick of the attachment phase. But this life that we are living makes us so very happy. Each and every day. 

Because who isn't happy to watch a baby sleep....and a chubby baby at that. 

Or watch as your 5 year old takes over the responsibility of netting the pool (because she's a bit like her parents and finds it disgusting to be swimming with bugs or leaves)

And then squeal with delight when you see your kiddos having the best summer ever! 

Streetcar Ride

Each summer we head down to Lake Harriet not only to take in the sights and sounds that this beautiful gem has to offer, but also to experience the Streetcar. And each ride, we learn something new from the volunteers as they educate us about when people actually used them for transportation so many years ago. This ride, they explained all about the "bells and whistles" and how they use them to communicate with each other as the car could be filled with over 80 people and screaming/yelling wouldn't be effective. Pretty interesting stuff. 

This ride was Lincoln's first ride, and I think he LOVED it! As we waited, I took some pictures of him looking up and down the tracks for the "train". He's a boy in every aspect of the word. 

Once aboard, he was all smiles as we chug-a-chug-a'd along the tracks. Each time, the girls seem to enjoy it just as much as their first ride, and I think Lincoln will follow suit. 

Here's to making memories!

Valleyfair 2014

We did our annual Valleyfair outing this week. And it proved exciting once again. At 54", Regan is now tall enough to go on virtually every ride and did so without hesitation. New for her this year was Steel Venom and Power Tower. She has already loved all the roller coasters for a year or two. We don't have to force her onto rides, there's no "strong encouragement" on our part. In fact, I tried talking her out of Steel Venom! Oh, but she loves them all. And it makes us proud and excited about her growing up. She got off Steel Venom and was pretty shaken; not eager to go on it again that day, but said she'll do it again next time!

 And while the adults took turns taking Regan on rides (thank you Jamie, Ashley, Logan and Ryan), I spent the bulk of the day chasing around with these 3 (plus Harlow and Lincoln). I had two grandmas to help so it really wasn't much work at all. Unfortunately, Sidney wishes that she was tall enough for the coasters, but it'll be a couple of years I think.

Thankfully, I think they still had a ton of fun!

Lincoln was content in the stroller throughout the day. We took breaks in the family center to change and feed in their private rooms (that was an awesome discovery!). He was all smiles after scoring Ryan's water bottle and played with that thing patiently for probably an hour. 

We can't be sure if the girls like the rides or the jumbo Icees better. Honestly, they get them every year and this time, each got 3 refills! We don't tell them that Ryan and I sneak a drink while they are on rides :) Shhh!

Harlow and Lincoln took it all in. I couldn't resist taking a quick picture as Harlow tried to hold Lincoln's hand from the stroller. Gosh they're some cuties!

Paxton and Ryan were twinsies for the day, both dressed in orange shirts and navy shorts. I think they planned it :) 

This crew is getting older and older and it has been a treat to watch them have more and more fun each year. While I took Regan on the Corkscrew, she asked a question that I knew would be coming soon: "when can I go to Valleyfair with friends?". I'm guessing it'll be coming sooner than later. 

Thanks for another great day at Valleyfair! 

Water park

The weather has been cooperating lately and today was the long awaited water park day. The girls were ecstatic! Ready to roll at the crack of dawn. They had to mind their behavior during Lincoln's post op visit and hearing exam first. With that under our belts, we were off! Ryan was beyond sad to miss this day, but loved all the pix and video I sent him throughout the day. These kids of ours make me so proud, and I can honestly say it was a very relaxing FUN day at the waterpark!

Lincoln played at first but was ready for a nap and snuggled in. I had no choice but to cover him up and nurse him on one of the lounge chairs as he drifted to sleep. I text Ryan and told him what I was doing and he responded with a...."gotta do what ya gotta do. Hopefully they kick u out and we sue for millions."

Sorry daddy, don't quit your day job! 

And while we were doing that, Regan took a stab at the high board! Not to fret, Sid quickly followed!! Click HERE (no sound). I did not think she would jump...but that girl is brave I tell you! 

I think I made many parents jealous with this cutie sleeping peacefully. I smiled as I remembered seeing similar sleeping babies 5 or 8 years ago, only wishing our girls could be more flexible to allow outings during nap time. It took a little work to get him to sleep, but he napped like this for two whole hours! My rockstar. 

Regan had a lot of fun on the cool zipline. Sid isn't tall enough and she has a long ways to go to reach 50". But no doubt she'll quickly try as soon as they let her! Click HERE to watch Regan. 

I think this smile across Lincoln's face says it all. We had a great day! 

Summer time fun

 I'm spending this week pretending to be a stay-at-home-mom. And I'm LOVING every minute of it! Don't get me wrong, I adore my career. I have an amazing group of coworkers who don't bicker over the color of their cup at lunch, and I work with some incredible patients who don't whine when it's time for bed. 

But at the end of the day, spending time with these 3 is what Ryan and I live for....

Today we headed down to a nearby lake for some pictures, a climb on the trees and a nice walk (let's face it, even in this cool summer weather, it's still nice to be outside!). 

In between some hacking coughs, I managed to get some pretty adorable pictures of Lincoln. Ryan reminded me that although we hate to see Lincoln sick, we have got to catch him coughing on a video. He sounds exactly like an old man when he coughs. A drawn out, long hack to end his coughing fit. And if I catch it on video, I'll upload it for your viewing :) 

But man alive, he is miserable :( 

We don't have a real climbing tree in our yard; the girls have tried the only tree that is an option, and they can't get very far...yet. But they adore these 3 trees that are near the waterfalls at the lake. It's a perfect fit for 2 very inexperienced climbers....although I'm pretty sure Grandma Jan would have a heart attack with them a few feet off the ground :) Not to worry, they hang on tight and I'm never very far away. 

I simply adore pictures around this area. The bridges make a wonderful spot to sit and snap away, with the falls running in the back. We were so sad when this entire bridge was underwater from the recent rain. I wasn't sure everything would survive and we were all very happy to see that the water had completely receded. 

I dodged the runners on their route around the lake as I took picture after picture. Lincoln sat patiently but wouldn't flash me his adorable smile. So I'll take his sweet grin instead.  

That blue sky and big puffy clouds were sure pretty and our sassy 5 year old can sure strike a pose. The sun was shining perfectly, just not quite warm enough for our liking. Holding out hope that tomorrow brings warmer weather. But not to worry, I'm sure we'll find plenty to do exploring these great cities. 

Happy summer!...even if it was only 64 this afternoon. 

Lake Harriet

Despite having to dig out the sweatshirts in the middle of July, we're making the  most of this stay-cation week. Yesterday we ventured down to Lake Harriet to take in all it has to offer. This time it was a picnic lunch, meeting new friends on the playground, and a snack near the water.

To the girls, it never gets old just sitting on the edge and watching the ducks. We reminisced about the time that Regan dropped her shoe in the lake (notice in the picture below that they are well behind her this time!), and then we giggled about the time that Ryan dropped my camera in the lake!! Slipped right from his fingers. 

Yes, it's chilly for July, but we're making more memories. 

Lincoln is quite under the weather, and we had just left the pediatrician's office. He gladly let me push him in the swing while the girls played at the playground. Within 15 minutes, he was sound asleep. 

As I was taking some pictures of the girls, a wonderful lady offered to include me in the photo op. We took her up on the offer (even though I was not exactly picture ready!), because it's not often that I actually get IN the picture with all 3 kids! Thank you to this stranger!

My dearest Regan was climbing around like a crazy lady and saw me pull out the camera. She quickly posed (for all of 10 seconds) and let me snap a few of her with the wonderful green trees as her back drop. Oh how we love a (usually warm, often muggy) Minnesota summer. 

Chubby happy baby

When Lincoln was born at 9lbs 6oz, we heard lots of comments about his adorable chubby cheeks. Well, his rolls continue to get cuter. 

People now comment about 1) his big brown eyes. They really are big. Really big! And deep dark brown. 

2) his chubby cheeks. 

and if they are lucky enough to see him in shorts....3) his chubby chubby rolly polly legs.  

Last night, as I went to change him into his pajamas, I couldn't resist those rolls. So we had a little photo shoot right there in our family room. 

Occasionally someone says they think he is thinning out a little.....

He's getting longer by the minute so those rolls might actually be shrinking. 

Gosh darn is he the cutest chubby baby around! 

And so stinkin' happy! 

We love you Lincoln!