8 Months!

Maggie-girl is 8 months old. She is pretty much crawling now. She will sometimes revert back to her inch worm scoot, but most of the time she crawls. She is attempting to sit up, but is very unstable.

Maggie celebrated her first Halloween by staying home with Grandma Berger in the nice warm house while the rest of us went trick or treating. She was definitely in a good place.

She is learning to like baby food. We had our first success with yellow squash and rice cereal. We have had success with carrots and peas as well. She has also learned to like apple sauce. Thankfully, feeding her is less of a battle. I am not sure how long she will tolerate baby food. She loves to have little bites of our food. At Chase’s birthday party she was getting tastes of chocolate cake. She was getting angry when I would take a bite and skip her. She thought it was all for her. LOL!

We think this girl has a sense of humor. She loves to laugh and finds things to be hilarious. She is almost always happy even when she is very sick. She is loud and talkative. She seems to be taking after big brother Chase in her personality. We think we have another ham on our hands.

Appearance: She hasn’t changed much! We think she is cute as can be of course . Everyone thinks she looks like either Chase or Parker. We think she is a good mix and looks just like Maggie!

Sleep: She is still loving her crib. She wakes up about once a night around 1:00-3:00 AM to eat. She takes a morning, afternoon, and sometimes an evening nap. She seems to be dropping her evening nap and heading towards 2 naps a day.

Diaper Size: Still in size 3.

Clothing: She wears mostly 12 month clothes, but and some 18 months. She has small feet and wears 6-12 month shoes. We got her the most adorable, warm Robeez boots. CUTE!! She runs cold, so she wears a t-shirt and 2 pairs of jammies to bed.

Height: Not sure

Weight: We weighed her at home and she was about 18 pounds.

Head Circumference: Not sure

Eating Habits: She is still nursing well about every 3 hours. She also get one bottle of formula at night now. See the rest of the update above.

Development: Crawling, learning to sit up, laughing and talking LOUDLY, loves to chew on everything, loves toys and remotes, loves her brothers, and loves her mom and dad. She is beginning to have separation anxiety. We usually get called up to the nursery at church after about 30 minutes. She is fine for a little bit, but then gets very upset. We are going to keep working on it though. We need to hear a sermon every once in a while.

7 months

Here is Maggie’s 7 month update. She is really starting to move. She is trying to scoot and it resembles an inch worm. She is more proficient at going backwards. It is kind of funny to watch. She can definitely get places, and is on the move. She is also starting to do “rocky-rock” as we call it. She gets up on her knees and rocks back and forth. Parker did the same thing, and that is when we named it . It looks like she will scoot and crawl before she will sit up. She is very unstable on her bottom.

She loves her brothers! They can always get her to laugh and giggle. She loves to watch them play. She is starting to talk (growl and grunt at us). She is very curious about everything. Chase told me “we should just call her curious because she wants everything.”

She has had a really bad cold and cough. She sounds awful. One of the problems with being a younger sibling. You get everything the older kids get. Guess she will have a strong immune system.

Appearance: She is still very long with most of her length in her legs. She has very long legs. She must take after her Grandma Green. Her hair is growing very slowly, but looks to be reddish brown. She has very blue eyes. She is such a mix of her brothers in appearance, but you can definitely tell they are all related.

Sleep: She moved out of our room to her crib. She loves her crib! We put her pink blanket down and tied it to the crib slats. We left one corner undone so she can grab the fringe. She sleeps in that corner, on her side, holding onto the fringe, and sucks her thumb. Pretty much the cutest thing ever!! She wakes up once or twice a night to eat and then goes right back to sleep.

Diaper Size: Still in size 3.

Clothing: She wears some 9 month clothes, but mostly 12 months. 

Height: Not sure

Weight: Not sure

Head Circumference: Not sure

Eating Habits: We tried solids with her. We have tried baby oatmeal, rice cereal with water, rice cereal with breast milk, rice cereal with formula, rice cereal with apple sauce, and plain apple sauce. She isn’t having any of it! She acts as if it is totally revolting. We are questioning if she is our kid. Food-revolting!?!? Just kidding, but it is kind of strange. We are just going to give her some time. I am sure she will come around. She is still nursing well about every 3 hours. She also get one bottle of formula at night now.

Development: I mentioned some of this above. She LOVES her thumb. She sucks it all the time now. We love it. She is just a joy, and we are so grateful for our sweet, happy little girl!

Happy Veterans’ Day!

New Wall Hanging

I have seen these floating around the Internet and loved the idea. It is such a helpful, simple tool to remind our family of the things that we believe, value, and strive to live out day in and day out.

I was thinking that this would be great to teach and instruct the kids. It has actually helped me in times of temptation when I think poorly of someone or worry about something. I need things like this around me to renew my mind and help me to do right. Simple but powerful!

Schedules and Routines

…oh how I love thee! I have a mental schedule for everything in my life-exercise, cleaning, laundry, eating/cooking etc. With the addition of our precious Maggie they have all been thrown out the window. For me, I think that schedules and routines have become almost presumptuous. Let me explain. I want to know that if I clean the bathroom from top to bottom on Friday that I will be able to clean the bathroom in the same exact way at the same exact time the next Friday. Instead of enjoying the fact that my bathroom is clean this Friday I worry about the next time I will get the bathroom clean. Will I be able to fit that in next Friday? Will I be able to clean the walls and scrub the tub? Will I just have to do a quick wipe down? Yes, these are the things that go through my mind. It is just ridiculous and petty, but it is very real to me. I do this in most areas of my life. With exercise, I go and run 3 miles. Instead of being satisfied I start planning and worrying about how I will fit the next 3 miles in. With cooking, I don’t enjoy the fact that I made dinner tonight. I worry about how I am going to get it done on Thursday.

God does not promise us a predictable schedule. He wants us to be focused on today:

Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are? 27 And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? 28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! 30 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, won’t he clothe you even more, you people of little faith? 31 So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

Schedules and routines can be so helpful to remain organized. However, for me I need to learn to revel in the hourly and daily successes and not worry about all I have to get done tomorrow, the next day, or next week. For this time in my life I need to let it go! Lord, please help me to be able to focus on today and not worry about tomorrow!

First Swing-10/09/11

Maggie went on her first swing yesterday. First of many I am sure:)

Barbie?

"Let's play Barbie. We can beat each other up." That is how boys play Barbie. Lol!

Bro-mance

Chase is doing really well with school. I love his teacher. She expects respectful behavior on all levels from the kids. They are to respect her, each other, and school property. They have a strict routine, and the kids thrive while adhering to it.

Chase has made some friends at school. He is very outgoing and friendly. He will play with anyone. I love that quality about him. However, he has made a good friend at school. His name is Roberto Carlos. He is such a sweet and kind boy. They can't wait to get to school to see each other.  The teacher has to separate them because they talk to much. She told me that they come to her and ask I'd they can try to sit together, and she let's them try. She said she usually has to end up moving them, but she likes to give them an opportunity to try:) We were teasing that the boys have a bro-mance going on. It really is fun to see him make friends!

6 Months-Already!?!

September 18th means that our baby girl is 6 months old! How did that happen? She is as amazing as ever besides her affinity to party during the middle of the night. She is rolling all over the place! She can move from one side of the room to the other by rolling.

We have a new nickname for her. We call her “Big Baby.” Think the doll from Toy Story 3. If you can imagine that doll before it was all tattered and torn, Maggie looks very similar. We also call her Mags, Maggie Doo, Sweet Darlin’, and the Ga-Doo (Daddy’s favorite).

Appearance: She is long and thinning out a tad. She has little feet and tiny fingers. She is definitely a mix of her brothers with a girly twist. We think she resembles Chase’s pictures the most though.

Sleep: She is waking up 3 to 4 times per night. What a stinker! She wants to eat and then goes back to sleep, but it is still really hard on me. I think she is hearing us and knows that I am right next to her. The time is coming for her to be moved out of our room. We got the boys bunkbeds, so she will soon be in her own room. She is still taking a long morning nap, a long afternoon nap, and a short evening nap.

Diaper Size: She moved to Size 3 diapers in the middle of August.

Clothing: She is still wearing 9 month clothes. We had to buy her 12 month jammies. She already outgrew the other ones. Crazy!

Height/Weight:

Height: 28 inches (98th percentile)

Weight: 17 lbs. 5 oz.  (75th percentile)

Head Circumference: 17 inches (75th  percentile)

Eating Habits: She still eats every 2 to 3 hours. I have tried giving her a bottle of formula at night before bed I hopes that she will sleep better. It really hasn’t helped. I think she needs the extra milk though. I tried rice cereal, and she hated it! We will be working on adding solids to her diet this next month.

Development: Like I mentioned earlier she is rolling everywhere. She pushes up on her hands. She is noticing if a stranger is holding her now and is not too sure about it. She is chewing on everything and drooling quite a bit. Maybe some teeth are on their way. She sucks her toes and almost curls into a ball while doing so. Love it! She is still a thumb sucker. She is grabbing at our cups and she pinches our faces now.

Five Months!

This update is super late, but better late than never. She is still growing like crazy. The biggest change from 4 months is that she started to soothe herself by sucking her thumb and holding her blankie. It is the cutest thing to watch. When we lay her in her bed, she almost immediately rolls on her side, grabs her blankie, and puts her thumb in her mouth. ADORABLE! I have never had a thumbsucker, so this is new territory for us. I think it is so cute now, but someday I will probably not think so. I am going to enjoy it for now
She took her first trip to Trinity Center in the outside world. Janna and I were about 8 weeks pregnant last year and SUPER ill. It was a much better trip this year. Maggie and Jake spent most of the time with the Grandmas in their cabin while we entertained the older kids. It was non-stop fun! Swimming, hiking, fishing, eating, mini golf, and family time. It was a blast! We already have our cabins reserved for next year!

Appearance: Not much has changed. Her hair is growing so slowly. It looks like it will be strawberry blonde. She is nice and plump with lots of pinchable rolls. Love it!
Sleep: She is on a pretty regular schedule. She wakes up once or twice. She gets up for the day around between 7 and 8. She is back down for a nap within an hour. She takes long morning naps lasting about 2 or more hours. She only awake for 1.5 to 2 hours max. She is then ready for another nap. This pattern lasts all day. She finally is ready for bed around 9 or 9:30.
Diaper Size: She is still Size 2 diapers. 
Clothing: She is in all 9 month clothes. She is a big girl!
Height/Weight: Nothing new to report.
Eating Habits: She still eats every 2 to 3 hours. I am breastfeeding her. She is a great eater.
Development: She is still very happy! She loves to smile and laugh. She is on her tummy more to play. She squeals and screams quite a bit. She will roll sometimes, but is still pretty safe on a bed. She is not showing much interest in crawling. We started putting her in the Johnny Jump Up. She loves it! See video below. She gets lots of good exercise

9/11/2011

We will never forget!

Chase's First Day of School

Chase had his first official day of school on August 15th. He was very excited to go. My Aunt Karen, Emily, and Valerie came over to be with us his first morning. They stayed home with Parker and Maggie while I took him to school.

When we got there, he was eager but also wanted me to stay with him until the last moment. He had a big smile on his face. He did a good job listening to his teacher and standing in line. Not an easy thing for an active 4.5 year old :) As the teacher told the kids to say goodbye to us, he ran over and gave me a big hug. So cute! I felt a twinge of sadness leaving my boy in someone else's care. However, I felt mostly ok with the whole idea.

I went back to pick him up with Bridget and Parker. He was SUPER excited to see us all. He said he had a good day, but didn't want to talk too much about it. He was too excited about our plan to go swimming after we left school. I asked if he behaved, and he said he only had a "few troubles." He said he talked a little bit and played in the bathroom. Not too suprising :)

Last week was a big week for us. Chase started school and Abe went on his first business trip. Abe left early Tuesday morning before the boys woke up. They woke up looking for him. My mom showed up later and watched the kids while I dropped Chase off. He looked a little overwhelmed walking in by himself, but he was ok. He was ok when we picked him up as well. That night my cousins came to stay with us which was super exciting.

Wednesday morning we woke up to Emily and Valerie here, and the boys were so happy to have them here. They played non-stop with them. Amazing amounts of help! The only problem was that Chase did not want to leave the fun. He cried and went and hid. So sad :( We got him ready and headed out to grab some lunch. He wasn't happy when we left, but we prayed for him. He had a good day, and was totally fine when we picked him up.

Thursday morning was another rough day. He was missing his Dad, and we were still having lots of fun at home. He said he didn't want to go, but we just kept on going. I walked him into school, and he was not happy. It breaks my heart to leave my sad little boy. After getting in the car, I totally fell apart. I just prayed and asked the Lord to calm his little heart. The Lord heard my prayers. His teacher reassures me he is totally fine within in minutes of me leaving. Abe came home that night which was a huge blessing!! The boys were so happy to see him not to mention me :)

Friday we woke up with just our family in the house. We had a calm morning. Chase got ready for school and was totally happy and ready for school. I dropped him off without one problem. Such an answer to prayer.

Chase's first week of school was filled with ups and downs. We made it, and the weekend was so refreshing and a nice break from the school schedule! Phew!!

The Bouncer

                                                  Here is our girl getting some exercise!

Do I really look like that!?!?!

 

With all three of my pregnancies I have gained about 35 pounds. I lose the first 20 pounds really fast. Usually within a week or 2. The last 15 come off soooo slowly. It is hard work. It also has gotten more difficult to lose with each pregnancy.

For me it is always a shock to see a picture of myself when I am carrying extra weight. On an everyday basis it is difficult to see, but a picture sure makes it all clear . This week I saw a picture of myself in a swimsuit. Let me just say I hardly recognized myself. It is time to get to work.

My eating is decent. I could definitely cut back on some junk food, but overall my eating is pretty good. I need to get to exercising. I started yesterday, and I hope to get back into running. I hope to get back to my normal self. I refuse to be a person who lets themselves go after having babies. I have too many examples in my life of people who have returned to normal after many pregnancies. I know it can be done, and I have done it twice already. I am ready for round 3!

My goal is to be “normal” by Christmas. Hopefully, I can reach my goal

California State Fair-2011

My family has been going to the State Fair for almost 20 years. We haven’t missed too many years. We really like the exhibits and the livestock. When my brother and I were younger we loved the rides as well. Since having kids our State Fair experience has changed dramatically. We barely fit in the Livestock part and spend most of our times at the rides.

Abe and I skipped last year and my parents took Chase. We almost didn’t go this year, but Abe spoke up and mentioned that he wanted to go. My Grandma watched Maggie for us, and we went last week. It was so nice to know that Maggie was in a safe, cool place. It is not the best place for a newborn. Thank you, Grandma!

We bought the kids unlimited ride wristbands. We were debating whether or not we should get one for Parker because he is risk averse and not a daredevil. We ended up getting him one, and boy were we glad we did. He had a blast!! He didn’t want to leave. He wanted to ride the whole time. It was so fun to watch Bridget, Chase, and Parker have fun! We saw a little livestock and watched a showmanship contest for cattle. We had perfect weather! The only downside was that my mom and myself were quite sick. We are looking forward to going back next year totally healthy!

 

4th of July 2011

We had a wonderful 4th of July. The weekend started out roughly with Parker getting sick on Thursday. He had a high fever with a cough/cold. Saturday we had is birthday party with my family and Chase left that night with a high fever and feeling terribly. We stayed home from church the next day and the kids recovered. We were somewhat ready for the holiday on Monday. It was VERY hot, so we knew it might be kind of rough with kids who were not 100%. Thankfully, we had a good time. We went to the parade with family and enjoyed lunch with everyone. We headed out around 1:30 for naps. We were more than ready to get in some air conditioning.

We had planned to go watch fireworks at the levy in River Park, but the kids weren’t up for it. We went to the Costco parking lot near Cal Expo and got to see a few fireworks. It was late, our kids were tired, but we had a great time! We hope to make it to River Park next year!

Uncle Brandon, Aunt Janna and Maggie Doo

Grandpa, Grandma, and Jakey-Poo

Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Bridget, and all the grandchildren

Bridgey and Jake

Grandpa and Mags

Me, Jake, and The Boys giving kisses to Jake

 

Chase and Tyler

Kids on the Fire Engine

In the parade

Waiting for fireworks-it had been a long, hot day!

Parker’s Parties

We had two parties for Parker. We do one party with each side of the family. It is really too big to do just one party, so he gets two . At the Green party we celebrated Parker, Summer, and Ben’s birthdays. We had a blast at both parties. We have great families! Here are some pictures: