September Catch Up

It feels so good to have the time and energy to write on the blog again! August and most of September have flown by since Joey's arrival.  And in spite of my best efforts to cherish and recall every detail, sleep deprivation has left my mind almost a blur. 

The kids are doing awesome with Joey.  They never try to pick him up or hold him without getting help and permission from an adult.  Each of them takes some time every day to connect with Joey.  It is very sweet.

 

Joey was hit with cradle cap and baby acne in the same week.  The cradle cap caused his hair on top to fall out but left a lot of hair at the back of his head. Mommy couldn't take it, so we buzzed him all over.  He did great during his first hair cut.  Then he got his first sink bath.  It was a busy night for a three week old.

 

Our raspberries came on!  Our family looks forward to raspberry time every year.  This year Tommy has gotten in on the fun.  He's not a great picker but he is a great eater!

 

Our sunflowers bloomed too.  This little one is actually as tall as the others, but the stem has grown with a bend in it which puts the flower at Lily's height.

 

Annie can finally climb the trees on her own.  She is really happy about that.

Joey loves to be outside - as long as the wind isn't blowing too hard.  He tried hard to focus on the sunflower.

 Grammy and Grampy came on Labor Day to stay the week with us.  It was so nice having them here after being on our own for five days. Mommy needed the rest and Daddy was relieved to go back to work knowing we had extra help at home.  Annie got to attend an open house for her preschool.  She met her teacher and toured the classroom.  She was ready to start school right then, but she had to wait another five days.

 The girls have taken an interest in bottle feeding Joey.  He was still nursing up until September 10. All of a sudden he decided he decided that he'd rather just have bottles.  Lily did the same thing around the same age but I tried to push her to keep nursing which caused both of us a lot of stress.  I decided to follow Joey's lead and let him wean a little earlier than I had planned.  It is nice having so many helpers to feed him now.  But the weaning has been hard on Mommy physically.  Hopefully the pain will be over soon.

 Tommy is doing pretty well with not being the baby anymore.  He loves Joey and stops just to kiss him and touch him.  Tommy's language has improved 200% since Joey's birth.  He is speaking and repeating things all the time.  He still struggles with a few words, but he is really trying, which is a big improvement.  Our favorite things that he has a hard time saying are: popsicle - "pop-ki-nay", applesauce - "sauce", ice cream - "eye-cree", hiccup - "ho-back", mommy - "money", cracker - "crah-crah", Tommy - "tawney", bread - "bleah", and our favorite, cookie - "poo-kie".  He loves to drink juice, eat cheese and bread, and he asks for popsicles and ice cream all the time.  He's pretty much surviving on those foods with a few veggies, chicken nuggets, yogurts, and bananas or raspberries thrown in from time to time.

 We had a little family party for Brady's birthday.  Tommy wanted a piece of cake so badly he was crying for it before we could even sing Happy Birthday. 

 Joey just keeps growing and changing.  He doesn't like to be swaddled and sleeps better when his arms are free to rest above his head or next to his face.

 On September 8th, Annie got to attend her first day of preschool.  She was so very ready!  She told her teacher that when she grows up she wants to be a ballet teacher.  Her teacher is Mrs. Stirling.  Annie comes home every day with papers and projects from class.  She loves to show us what she made and what she's learned.  We're so happy she has this opportunity.  Her mind is ready to grow!

 Tommy and Annie started gymnastics on September 9th.  The first day, Tommy didn't want to participate and he screamed and cried for the first ten minutes of class.  He was upset that Mommy had taken his shoes and coat off.  Once we figured out the problem, we put the shoes and coat back on and he willing went into class.  When it was time for the trampoline, Tommy agreed to remove the coat and shoes in exchange for a turn on the tramp.  He was all smiles after that.

 Annie loves her class.  She is built for gymnastics physically and emotionally.  She loves to push herself and she is excited to get stronger again.  She has really missed gymnastics.

 Tommy keeps wondering why Joey likes pacifiers, so he decided to try one.  For a couple of days he walked around with a binkie in his mouth.  He must have decided they are not that great because he hasn't touched one since.

 Lily is getting interested in fashion and her looks (ALREADY?!?).  She was excited about this outfit and the hair do she instructed Mommy to create. 

Joey started filling out all of a sudden.  Look at those cheeks and thighs!

 

 Tommy likes to get a piece of bread, eat out holes for his eyes and then say "I see you" while looking through the bread.  He does it almost every time we give him a piece to eat.

 Lily started clogging too.  It was a busy week of activities and adjusting to our new school/activity routine.  For their first performance, the class is learning a routine to "Mele Kalikimaka."

 My neighbor asked me to help he with a rosette cake for her daughter's first birthday photo shoot.  I agreed.  I should have clarified what she meant by "help". Apparently it meant I was supposed to bake the cake, frost the cake, and deliver the cake.  It wasn't too difficult of a project.  But I did have some trouble getting the buttercream to stay put.  A call to mom and the addition of an egg white solved my problem.  My neighbor was delighted with the cake - and so was her baby.

 Joey turned one month on September 10th.  He is the easiest baby we've ever had. He is the perfect addition to our family.

 Daddy has been working hard to take care of Mommy and the kids.  He plays with the kids and takes them on walks and bike rides in the evenings so Mommy can have some quiet time.

 Lily brought home a cold from school.  All the kids got it, but Tommy had it the worst.  He kept wrapping himself in blankets to stay warm.  Sometimes the girls would help him.

 We took the kids out for an ice cream treat and night at the park.  The weather is beginning to change and we wanted to catch one of the last warm summer nights of the year.

 

September 13th was Grandparent's Day. Lily's teachers invited all the class grandparents to attend a special program at the school.  We didn't have grandparents close by so Mommy went instead.  Tommy was sad because we couldn't  play on the playground.  He cried a lot.  But we still had fun. Lily read us a story.  We called Grammy on the phone and interviewed her about her childhood.  Lily served us a snack of cheese and crackers with fresh fruit.  It was a sweet way to spend the afternoon.

 Tommy likes to snuggle next to Joey on our bed.

 Week two of gymnastics went much smoother for Bubba. He willingly went to class and he tried really hard.  He likes the trampoline time and obstacle course the best.

And that catches us up for the past six weeks.  The family has been so understanding of Mommy's postpartum time.  We're so thankful for all the help Puna gave us and for the time she was willing to spend away from Papa to help all of us.  It was a long and exhausting three weeks for her.  Then Grammy and Grampy came just in time for our first busy week of school and activities.  That helped Mommy catch up on rest and ease into our new schedule.  We're almost used to our new routine and new baby.  Through all the ups and downs of a new baby and new school year, we are finding our groove and counting our blessings.