Monday, October 31, 2011

Meet Jack

 The kids are getting older and, so, are more INTO holidays as they come around, especially Georgia, who I can already tell is going to be a little traditionalist like her mommy! So come Oct 1st they were ready to get a pumpkin! We managed to hold them off for a week or so, and finally settled on a nice, big, happy (cheap!) one that we all picked out together. Then they were ready to carve! But we know around here the buggies love the taste of pumpkin, so, again, we held off, till right before Halloween. Then we finally got to carve! The kids were hesitant to get their hands dirty, but Georgia eventually led the way in, as usual! She also was our designer this year, with the square eyes and big, happy grin (see her original design on the counter below). Jack looked quite happy on our front step when we were all done!






Monday, October 24, 2011

Picture of Three

Just so you know I'm not trying to leave my older two children out of the picture (pun intended!), here's a little unedited glimpse at what happens when I try to take a picture of all three of my kids together...
Ok- SHARE your baby sister! You might have to touch each other...

Need you guys to look at me...

Almost- Linc, you gotta look AT mommy...

Look at me AND hold still! And don't squish Rosemary- you are making her yell...

Maybe if you both give her kisses that will make her happy...

Nope- NO kisses! Now you're squishing her more! Just sit up and smile at mommy...

Got One!!! :)

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Rosemary: 4 Months

Dear Rosemary,
Mommy is late with your monthly posting- again. (sigh) But the reason is I spend the last free hour of my day holding a sleeping you, rather than at the computer. I'd rather snuggle up with you and enjoy my little baby than put you down even for this. I treasure these little moments so much. I've tried taking pictures of me holding you, but that's kinda hard to do yourself and they usually turn out looking fuzzy, so I just hold you close and mentally imprint the image on my heart. I've realized that with the third, and last, baby I am willing to give up just about anything to just hold your little baby self close in my arms, feeling that sweet joy and contentment that is so special between mother and child. That feeling is still there when you get bigger, but it's never the same as holding a tiny, vulnerable, reliant, precious baby. I just soak it in!
But enough mushy mommy stuff- let's talk about you! Because you are getting bigger by the day and realizing more and more about the world around you!
~Stats: We had a checkup this month and Doc said you are very healthy. Weight: 12 lbs 13 oz (32%), Height: 25 inches (78%). Still long and thin, but your percentages remain consistent, so that's good. You get five 6oz bottles per day, but rarely eat all of a bottle. You just are a fussy eater, like Georgia was. The Doc again reassured me you are healthy and won't let yourself starve!
~You may not like to eat, but you are a great sleeper! You love to sleep in long stretches. You like about a 1 1/2-2 hour nap in the morning, a short nap at lunchtime, a long 2 1/2-3 hour afternoon nap, and usually a little dinnertime snooze- then go right to bed after your last bottle (or whenever mommy finally puts you down after snuggling!), and snooze usually till your brother and sister come wake you in the morning, around 7am! I've been amazed how quick you've learned to put yourself to sleep- I can put you down awake and smiling, and you usually have no problem going right to sleep- with no paci! That part really amazes me! I am leaving one arm out of your swaddle a lot so you have fingers available to suck on.
~New tricks: I thought for sure you'd be rolling back to tummy by now- that was going to be your "new trick of the month". You are SO close! You get wiggling and get almost over- just one more shoulder holding you back! I think you're holding back on purpose b/c you really hate to be on your tummy- so why roll over onto it?! I am just fine with you waiting to go mobile in any way! You can still roll tummy to back, but often forget you have this skill and instead just get mad and try to smother yourself in the floor. So you only get limited tummy time!
~Vocal: You are quite a little blowfish! You tbbbbt at us all day long! It is really hilarious. You wake up doing it, you do it while trying to eat a bottle, you do it at the kids, in your carseat, etc etc. I'll often go to pick you up and your whole face is wet! Or- my face is wet from you!! We've all learned (the wet way!) to keep a couple feet radius when you get going!
~Playing- We have borrowed a playmat from a friend and you are loving it. You are really enjoying the ability to grab things and pull them to you- and of course put them in your mouth! You favorite is your elephant that hangs from your carseat. The kids love that you can play with toys now and try to be really helpful by bringing you LOTS of them! They make sure you are well entertained!
You have also started putting your toes in your mouth!! Yea!! The cutest thing babies do!! I love it! You are still mainly a finger-eater, but I'm hoping you'll try out those sweet toes more and more. There's just nothing cuter than a baby eating toes!
Another fun way you have started to play is by noticing yourself in the mirror. You love to smile at that cute baby and try to talk to her! You even like to watch yourself in videos on our phones. I can play a video of you to yourself over and over and you are just mesmerized by YOU!
~Personality: You continue to the the sweetest, smiliest baby ever. You share smiles with everyone and keep us all smiling back at you. You have made the transition to three kids probably the best it could have gone! I have also never seen a more ticklish baby. I can find a tickle spot on accident just by changing you or wiping off drool. Your little giggles are so funny! You are also very stubborn at times- like when you don't want to eat- and will yell loudly to make your point known. But thankfully you don't hold a grudge for long and don't usually yell incessantly, just enough so we know you're serious! You don't really like to sit, though you're getting pretty good at it, but would rather stand on our laps. Bout time to get the excersaucer out for you!
We know the time just keeps flying by and so we hug you and kiss you lots every day! We are soaking in every precious moment with our sweet BabyRosemary and can't wait to see what you'll learn next month!
love, Mommy
2 Weeks old
9 Weeks old
17 Weeks old

Friday, October 14, 2011

Pumpkin Farm


Last Friday the kids and I went on a field trip with Georgia's school to a local farm. It was a beautiful day and I loved watching my city kids run around in the open space! They chased chickens, pet goats and moo'd at cows- who moo'd back! They sat in the pumpkin patch and heard a story from a friendly farmer, rode on a hay ride and leaned way over the edge, climbed up big hay bales to the top!

It is times like this when I'm a bit sad that my kids will not have all this to grow up in, like I did. I may not have been a 'roping, riding, wrangling' kind of farm girl, but I did grow up with wide open spaces out my front door, ready for forts, bike rides across fields and adventures in nature. But I know there are still ways to share this part of my heritage with my kids. We'll just have to make it part of our own family traditions to drive out past where the sidewalk ends, out to where animals answer a little kid's call and wide open spaces invite running wild!
Georgia with our sweet friend Lily, cockadoo-ing at the rooster!



Our group listening to the farmer-lady read a story about a little pumpkin who wanted a sweet boy to take him home.

Miss Rosemary did awesome and liked the country air as much as her big sister and brother!



The kids ran thru a hay maze where there was a "surprise" hidden towards the end...
... a mini pumpkin! Georgia proudly showed me hers; Lincoln was already off to the next thing!







Lincoln's not telling the momma pig she is smelly-
he just thinks you should plug your nose this way to do a proper pig OINK!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Spittin' Image

Rosemary's newest 'sound' she has figured out is a "tbbbbbt"... allow her to demonstrate for you:




As Larry put it- it's like having a blowfish in the house. And she makes quite a mess. Like the excess spit-up wasn't enough- now everything in a five feet radius is wet too! The kids think it's hilarious. Until they get wet too! At least she looks REALLY cute doing it! ;)