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!