My baby girl is turning 5!

Brace yourself.  This is a long one.

Five years old.  Seriously?  Are you kidding me?  Somehow, the little princess in my life is already turning the milestone age of 5.  In less than one month I will be signing her up for kindergarten, as if the first day of preschool wasn’t hard enough.  She is certain that on the morning of her birthday (less than 1 week away – Feb 27^th), she will wake up and be bigger, smarter and ready to take on the world all by herself.  She often says things such as “When I’m five, I will be this tall” (as she reaches up to the 4 foot mark on the growth chart), “When I’m 5, this dress will fit me perfectly”, or “5 year olds don’t throw fits, when I’m 5, I won’t throw fits anymore, right Mommy?”  Somehow, someway, I fear that she may be exactly right (although, I pray the ‘no more fits’ statement is true!).  After all, it does seem like the last five years have gone by in the blink of an eye.  My girl is growing so quickly.  Time flies when you are having fun and it is evident that it won’t be long before I am looking at her beautiful face on her wedding day.  You may be thinking I am jumping a little ahead of myself, but I have quickly realized my babies will only grow up one time and I don’t want to miss a single moment of it!  Although daily life as a Mommy isn’t easy and is by far the most difficult job I will ever encounter, I am forever grateful that I am going to be able to focus primarily on just being a Mommy (and wife, of course!) for a while. 

As you can see, the next several days (especially February 27^th) are going to be emotional for me (not to mention that being 8 months pregers severely amplifies these emotions!).  She has taught me everything I know so far about parenting; she has been our little guinea pig.  She accepts Kevin and me for who we are and loves us in spite of our imperfect parenting (I pray I will still be able to say this when she is a teenager!).  She is such a kind-hearted and loving child.  I am amazed that she is MY daughter.  She is such a little blessing and I am certain that this world will be a better place because she is in it.  What an impact she has already made in my life within the previous five short years!

To my little Peanut,

My precious baby girl, oh how you have changed my life!  People told me over and over that there is nothing better in life than being a mother and while I believed them, I did not have the capacity to completely understand it until the day you were born.  I had so many emotions on that day, I was terrified, overwhelmed and exhausted, but none of this could hold a candle to the amount of love I felt for you.  I love your Daddy so very much, but I had absolutely no idea that I was capable of loving another human being as much as I love you.  To my surprise, the more I learn about you and the person that you are, the more that love grows.  You bring so much happiness into our lives, for which I am eternally grateful. 

I have learned and continue to learn so much from you.  This whole “parenting” thing certainly isn’t as easy as it seems and I admit that I screw up often.  For some reason, you still love me.  I pray that you will remember that you, too, are going to make mistakes in life and no matter what those mistakes are, I will always be your Mommy and nothing could ever change the love that I have for you. 

You are a smart and beautiful little girl.  Most importantly, you are so kind-hearted.  You somehow always say the right thing at the right time.  Today, for example, you looked at me while I was getting you out of the car to see the eye doctor and said “Mommy, you are beautiful.  Even though you are old, you are still beautiful.” It was just what this pregnant Momma needed to hear today.  My all-time favorite line you have said to me was when I was sad about the loss of my dear grandmother, you crawled in my lap, cuddled with me and said “Don’t be sad Mommy, you will see Mommu again one day, when you get to be with God.”  You tell me on a regular basis that you love me “infinity” or that you love me “all the way up to God, all the way back, all the way up to God, all the way back….” and you say it over and over.

Not only are you such a sweet little girl, but you are incredibly funny as well.  Every night, Daddy and I reminisce about something funny you said or did that day.  I love how you say things like “Mommy, that is gisgusting” when you don’t like something and how you tell me when I am “clever” or when something isn’t so “clever” (like when Daddy was trying to punish you).  When playing babies or house, the baby or kid is referred to as the “honey” (I think you get this from us calling you honey all the time).  You will so seriously say “Mommy, you are the honey and I am the Mommy.”  You really have no idea how much laughter you bring into our lives.

You are an extremely routine child, which I blame entirely on myself.  Our clocks could be set to our schedules, from wake-up time to lunch-time to bed-time.  I think it makes you feel more confident about the days and what to expect.  Everything is routine for us, including what we eat for breakfast, the prayer we say before meals and even the last thing we say to each other before bed.  I giggle to myself when I think about putting you to bed tonight.  I tucked you in and you, so matter-of-factly, moved the pillow sham off the bed and laid the pillow next to you down, “because that is the way they (the extra pillows) always are”.  As I close your door, we repeat to each other “Good night, I love you, sleep good, ok, bye.”….in that exact order.  Bedtime wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t. 

I have to admit that disciplining you isn’t the easiest job I have ever encountered.  While you are a sweet, kind-hearted child, you are also VERY head strong.  You don’t back down easy and are not afraid to speak your mind.  You have a bit of a temper and get frustrated quickly when you can’t do something (sorry, baby, you got that from me).  It amazes me what a mixture you are of Daddy and me.  While these attributes make for difficult parenting, I am up for the challenge because I am certain they will serve you well as an adult. 

I could type for hours about all the things I love about you.  However, I want you to know (and I want to remember) all of the things you are doing and love to do right now. 

School:

-You have been writing your full name for quite some time.  Ms. Katie (your preschool teacher) has bragged many times on your excellent hand writing skills

-You know the sounds for every letter and are already starting to sound out words.  You can easily read words that end with “at”, “ed”, etc.  You are also starting to really take off on reading other words as well.  Likewise, you can also hear sounds/letters and tell me how to spell words.  You even already know how “th” and “sh” sound.  You are so close to being able to read; I think you may have some of the early books mastered before you start kindergarten.

-A favorite game right now is to ‘go shopping’.  We work together to write a receipt for the items we purchased.  You sound out the words, write them on the board, write the cost of each item and add up the total.  I love playing this game with you too! 

-You can add and subtract single digit numbers.

-You follow multiple step directions well.  Ms. Katie says your ability to listen, understand and follow 3 or more steps is great.

-I, of course, think you are a little genius (although I honestly have no idea what you should/should not know at this point).  You simply never seize to amaze me with what you know and what you can learn.

 

Activities/Play:

-You LOVE to play dress up, school, barbies, babies, put on “dance shows” and do any craft or cook any food (especially sweet things!).

-You really enjoy dance class and look forward to it every week. 

-You have played one season of soccer and it wasn’t nearly as fun as expected, but we are going to try again in the spring. 

- You don’t watch much TV, but when you do, you like a wide variety – from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to Good Luck Charlie.

Growth/Eating:

-As always, you are still an excellent eater.  I have never had to force you to eat vegetables or fruits.  You eat just about everything I cook for dinner.

-You especially love toaster strudels in the morning.  However, only Mommy can fix them just right – you have a morning meltdown if the icing isn’t spread perfectly or if they are burnt in anyway.

-Your favorite vegetable is broccoli, fruit is just about anything – but you have been eating a lot of apples lately, meat is chicken, dinner is tacos, pizza, or hamburger helper (I admit I am a bit embarrassed that you enjoy it so much -  you informed your entire class at your Thanksgiving party that this is what you were thankful for) and any dessert (just like Mommy!) 

-We go to the doctor on March 16 for your 5 year check-up.  I will make another post then about your height/weight, but you seem to be of average height and weight up to this point.

As you see, baby girl, you are nothing short of the joy of my life.  You, your brother and your soon to be baby sister are everything to both Daddy and me.  It isn’t easy being parents and every day certainly isn’t bliss, but we wouldn’t change a single thing.  On February 27^th, 2007, you came into our lives and made us “Mommy” and “Daddy” for the very first time.  What an amazing day that was.   God has blessed me beyond words by letting me be YOUR Mommy.  I love, Peanut.

Below are just a few recent pictures of my sweet girl.

Playing dress up in Mommy's shoes

Making cookies!

Mommy and Daddy's baby girl.  We love reading Bible stories together.

Pretty girl ready for the Nutcracker

Christmas Eve :-)

I just love this little face

Painting a tea set for the much anticipated Princess Tea Birthday Party!

Hayes turns ONE!

Where has the time gone?  Although extremely cliché, it seems like just yesterday that I was in the hospital, looking my sweet boy in the eyes for the first time.  What a special moment.  I often reflect back on this day and this moment with both of my babies and thank God that I have been able to experience it.  These are truly the best two days of my life and I am thrilled to know that I am about to experience it again.

Somehow, one year has already passed since the birth of my little monkey.  Things have been extremely hectic the previous few months, and as a result, I have been extremely delinquent in keeping up with my blog.  This is something that I regret on a regular basis as I love going back and reading the snapshots in time since this thing we call life seems to fly by so quickly.  So much has happened and so much is getting ready to change that the thought of catching up is overwhelming.  As opposed to continuing the procrastination, today I have decided to simply pick up with my tribute to the sweetest little guy in my life as he turns the milestone age of 1 year old!

To my sweet boy,

On January 7^th, we celebrated the one year anniversary of your birth.  Having you in our lives has been nothing short of a gift from God.  There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for picking me to be your Mommy.  You have a way of putting a permanent smile on my face as well as that of anyone around you.  You have an infectious giggle, of which I just can’t seem to get enough.  Because I could write and reminisce for hours about the joy I felt when you were born and the joy I have felt every day since, I think it will be best if I just talk about the many things you are doing now.

12 month check-up:

21 pounds = 25^th percentile
30 inches = 38^th percentile   

You certainly are not the biggest kiddo on the block, but you are healthy and growing just as expected!  I’m sorry to say that there is a good chance you will never be a NFL quarterback, you just don’t have the genes, sorry, buddy! 

 Favorite Words

-        “Kank-kou”: This was actually one of your first words and you always say it in the right context, which I must admit makes me very proud.  You are such a polite little guy.

-        “Apple”: You say this word so clearly and so stinkin’ cute.  You love to eat apples and love to say the word ‘apple’.  I’ll never forget the first time you said it; we were in the car and you just kept repeating it.  I know you were very proud of yourself, as you should have been!

-        “Mama”, “Nana”, “KK”, “Dada”: Although you are very capable of saying all of these words and we have heard each of them, you prefer “Mama”.  Typically, you call us all “Mama”, but on occasion you will say the right name for the right person.

-        “Bubble”: You really like the bubbles in the bath from the soap.  You repeat Mommy and Kate very clearly when we talk about bubbles in the bath.

-        “Ball”: You love balls so much, they are by far your favorite toy.  On the day of your birthday, Daddy brought in the balloons and you got so excited.  You started reaching for them and saying “Ball, ball, ball…”

-        Repeat many things: You really do repeat so many things and often very clearly.  For example, you have repeated the word “owl” and even repeated “silly boy” to Papa one day. 

 You truly never seize to amaze me with your language skills, such a smart little boy!

Things you are doing/Things you love

-        Walking: You just started walking everywhere a little over a week ago.  You are a very cautious walker and prefer to have your little reebok shoes on. 

-        Throwing balls: You love to throw balls.  Sometimes you hold them behind your head and just drop them, you think this is very funny.

-        Wash your hair:  You always like to try to do what Kate is doing.  One day, you just started washing your hair in the bathtub as Kate was washing hers.  Now, we will tell you to “wash your hair” in the bathtub and do just that!  Too cute.

-        Music: You love music more than anything.  You “snap” your little fingers (you have been doing this since about 9 months), clap your hands, sing yourself, dance… 

-        The Wiggles: Because you love music so much, you love watching The Wiggles.  I have never seen a baby at such a young age be so intrigued with a TV show and honestly I’m a bit embarrassed that I let you watch TV already, but you just love them so much.  5:00pm is your fussy time, every single night, so it has become your Wiggles time.  It is an instant soother for you as you snuggle with Daddy.

-        Pouting: When you are mad or sad, you instantly start to cry and put your head down on the floor (imagine you sitting on the floor and literally folding in half to put your forehead between your legs).  It is so incredibly pitiful. 

-        Pots/Pans/Sippies: You love to play in the sippy cup drawers and with the pots and pans.  It keeps you very occupied while Mommy cooks dinner. 

-        In/Out: You love emptying boxes/drawers/cabinets/etc. and then filling them back up again. 

-        Pretend Eating: You love to play with the pretend food and pretend you are eating, you even make the sounds!

-        Sign language: You use several different signs to tell me what you want, including “more”, “eat”, “milk” and “all done”.  Your favorite; however, is “eat” and you use it for more than just eat.  I think you are using it to tell me other things as well, such as you are thirsty, you want a paci, you want to brush your teeth…essentially anything having to do with your mouth.  This can be quit confusing for Mama!

-        Books: We read books every night before bed, but the only two you are ever really interested in is Good Night, Moon and I Love You Through and Through.

-        Snuggle: You are such a sweet little snuggle bug before naps and bedtime.  It is by far my most favorite time of day, snuggling up with you as I rock you sleep.  Melts my heart every time.

  

Sleep Habits

Bedtime: 7:30/8pm – 7/7:30am

Naps: 2/day – 9:30-11 and 2-3:30

Eating

3 meals and 2 snacks/day (No more bottles!)

-        Not a big fan of milk, but will drink it with a little chocolate (just like your Mama!)

-        You love all fruits and vegetables (your favorites include banana, peas, squash and zucchini)

-        Not a big fan of meat

-        You love yogurt (yo-baby banana flavor) and cheese sticks

-        You prefer to eat things that are bigger and you can hold yourself, but especially anything that Kate is eating.

-        All in all, you are a great eater!

My little monkey, this previous year has been wild and crazy, but absolutely wonderful and joyful because of you.  You bring such joy to Daddy, Kate and Mommy.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for such a special little man.

And now to share some of my favorite pictures of my little monkey from the previous year, including those from his birthday party festivies!

A Family of FIVE!!

The day was Monday, 22August2011, and I don’t think I will ever forget it!  I had been feeling rather sluggish for a couple weeks, but didn’t think much about it.  As all of you Mommy’s out there know, we don’t get to utilize “sick days” when we don’t feel well.  Those little pint size people in our lives have needs, regardless of how we feel!  However, this particular Monday was a completely different story.  I woke up to the sweetest sound of a little guy babbling “Mamamama”.  Hayes and I were able to get a little bonding time in over breakfast before the sun came up.  After breakfast, my little 18 pounder and I headed upstairs for yet another diaper change.  As I was buttoning that little sleeper back up, I started to feel light headed and extremely weak.  I immediately took him into our bedroom, sat him next to a sleeping Daddy and instantly fell into the bed myself.  Kevin actually ended up taking off work that day because I felt so bad I couldn’t get out of bed without getting sick or passing out.  Strange, I thought.  I have always passed out easily when pregnant, but this must be food poising because I couldn’t possibly be pregnant….I had just had a period, after all.  Kevin took care of the kiddos and I was able to finally get a few hours of sleep.  I woke up and felt great.  “Hmmm, maybe I was just extremely tired and my body was telling me I needed to catch up on some sleep before moving on with my day.”  This is the completely irrational thought that went through my mind.  For the most part of the morning and early afternoon, I felt pretty good.  We took a family trip to Lowes later that afternoon, although Kevin had to drive separately (don’t remember the exact reason).  On the way home, Kate was her usual chatty self and as I listened to my little princess tell me an elaborate story, I started to feel light headed and weak again.  So, what do I do, I call Kevin…as if he can make me feel better over the phone.  He tells me to pull over until it passes or until he can get there.  I pull over and then call my Mom.  What does she say?... “Are you sure you aren’t pregnant”.  “Absolutely”, I say.  The worst of it passed and I decided I could make it home safely.  As sure as I was that pregnancy was not the source of the problem, something (or someone….) told me to pull over at Walgreens to pick up a pregnancy test.  So, here I go, still feeling a little weak, two kids in tow to buy a pregnancy test.  I was certain the cashier thought I had lost my mind.

I ran to the bathroom to take the test as soon as I walked in the door, I couldn’t wait for Kevin to get home (yes, I could be the most impatient person on the planet).  My heart was racing as I waited for the results.  I have taken many pregnancy tests over the last 5 years and the only time my heart has raced in anticipation were the three times I received a positive result.  Ironic.  I went back to review the results and sure enough, there were TWO, count them TWO lines.  A huge grin suddenly covered my face.  Really?  Another tiny miracle is already growing inside me?!  Kevin walked in the door only a few minutes later and I just looked at him, still smiling, and said “Guess What?”  The test hadn’t convinced him, he was certain the second line wasn’t bright enough and he needed a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.  Luckily, I bought a value pack of tests, which included one additional digital test.  The problem was that I couldn’t pee again!  An hour or so later, I was finally able to take the second test and sure enough, it had a very obvious “YES”.  And so it is…a family of 5 we will be!

I called the doctor the next day.  He immediately scheduled blood work and an ultrasound due to my previous miscarriage.  The blood work came back great, but my hormone levels were really high.  Could I be pregnant with twins?  Oh my, did God really trust me with that many kids?  The day of the ultrasound, I tell the technician that I think I am about 4.5 weeks, based on my last period.  She proceeded with the ultrasound and we were able to see this precious little miracle (only 1…shew!) AND a heartbeat!  I remember thinking, “are those little arms I see already?”  About halfway through the ultrasound, the technician says “I think you are a little farther along than you thought”.  I was 9.5 weeks…wow!  This would explain the high hormone count.

We had another ultrasound on November 8th.  Kate went with us to find out that we have a very HEALTHY baby….GIRL!  The excitement on Kate's face when she found out was absolutely priceless.  She jumped up and down, she was so thrilled.  The first thing she said was “I am going to have a brother AND a sister, just like Dora!”  Kevin's first response was "Oh my, 2 weddings!".  Most importantly, I am thrilled that this sweet gummy bear is healthy, but I must admit that I am really looking forward to more bows, barbies and dance shoes!  This sweet girl will be the perfect completion to our family.

Honestly, there are days that I am still in shock that we are going to have another baby.  Kevin and I had already decided that we wanted a third baby and we knew it was a possibility that it could happen quickly.  However, based on our history, we anticipated the process to take much longer.  God, on the other hand, had much better plans for us!  Could it really be that we are being blessed with THREE healthy babies?  Will it be easy having a 5 year old, a 15 month old and a newborn?  Absolutely not.  Will things be extremely hecitic and maybe a bit on the crazy side around our house for many years to come?  No question about it.  Are Kevin and I a little nervous about how we are going to do this?  Absolutely.  But I wouldn’t change anything.  I will enjoy every sleepless night and hectic day because all three of these babies will bring me more joy in my lifetime than any one person deserves.  I’m not sure why God is blessing me with three tiny miracles, but I couldn’t possibly feel more grateful.   

20 weeks (now I am 23 weeks!)

Girl Fun

I have failed to blog about a couple of the fun things I have gotten to do with my little princess lately, to include: a “Girls Day Out”, a “Slumber Party” and Disney on Ice!  In an attempt to catch up on my blogging, here is what is likely to be a long post summarizing all of these fun activities!

Girls Day Out

The weekend of October 15^th, we went to Mt. Sterling for a long weekend with family.  Kate idolizes Madi, more than I could possibly explain.   The wonderful part is that Madi is absolutely wonderful with her, regardless of the 7 year difference.  I thought it would be fun to take the girls for a day of shopping, lunch and pedicures.  Madi had a soccer game that Saturday morning in Lexington, so it worked out perfectly.  The girls and I loaded up and went to the soccer field for an hour or so and then hit the mall (per their request – I gave them the choice of Hamburg or the Mall).  The girls shopped in every children’s clothing store at Fayette Mall until they found the perfect matching outfit.  As soon as we walked out of the store with our big purchase, they were ready to change their clothes.  So, we found the nearest restroom and did just that before continuing on with our day.  As any girl would know, the outfits were not complete without a necklace and bracelet.  Kate vividly remembered a set from one of the multiple stores we went to.  Of course, we went back and bought the necklaces and bracelets (which clearly did not match, but who cares!).  Next up was lunch, anywhere they wanted to go.  I pushed for PF Changs, Kate chose McDonald’s and Madi chose Applebee’s.  Since my vote didn’t count, we decided to go with McDonald’s or Applebee’s, whichever came first as we drove to Hamburg.  Applebee’s it was!  The girls finished off their matching lunches with an oreo milkshake and then we headed for the nail salon for some pedicures.  The color of choice was bright pink (of course!) with a snowflake design on the big toe and polka dots on the others.  Believe it or not, it looked pretty cute!  It was an absolutely wonderful girl’s day out.  I have to admit that I enjoyed myself just as much as they did!

SO Cold

Beautiful Girls!

Slumber Party

One random day, Kate decided she wanted to have a slumber party.  Although she really wasn’t sure what a slumber party was, it seemed like it could be a lot of fun!  We were sure we could give her the experience of a slumber party and thus the planning was underway.  The festivities would commence on a Friday evening (in true Slumber Party fashion).  As Kevin and I worked that Friday, Kate and Nanny prepared all day for the celebration that was about to occur.  They created games, set up a music and dancing section and even cut up fruit for dessert….all the true necessitates for a slumber party.  That night, we ordered pizza and the fun began.  We ate on the floor in the party room (her room), played pin the tail on the donkey and did A LOT of singing and dancing.  We all truly enjoyed ourselves – all of us!  Even Monkey got in on the action – he did a little singing and dancing too!  This simple, easy night turned out to be a blast.  I don’t think I have laughed that much in a really long time.  Having kids gives you the chance to be a kid again yourself.  It was nice to completely forget about all of our daily worries and just act silly with the kiddos!  It really is fun being a kid J

Daddy and his princess (Notice the many outfits
throughout the night)

Kate playing pin the tale on the donkey...finlly not cheating!

Monkey having fun

Dancing!

Disney on Ice

We were blessed that Kate made such great friends during her two years at Goddard.  The parents of all the kids are enjoyable to be around too, which makes for some great play dates.  Even though Kate doesn’t attend Goddard any longer, we still love getting together with our friends.  So, “Disney on Ice: Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Adventure” came to Cincinnati and we all decided to take the kiddos!  We have taken Kate to Disney on Ice before, and as we always do, we let her pick out one completely useless, expensive toy before the show starts.  Kate chose binoculars.  Really?  I was convinced she didn’t even know what she was picking.  Much to my surprise, she said to Kevin “Yes, Daddy, I know.  You look in them and you can see really far.”  I stand corrected.  The binoculars it was.  Luckily, it was the cheapest piece of crap toy they were selling (can you sense my bitterness?).  Off we went to our seats, where we would meet up with all of her friends.  She was thrilled to see them all, even her favorite teacher, Miss Natalie was there!  I have to say; however, that Clare sitting next to her was the highlight of the day (well, maybe it was a close second to all the junk food she got to eat…popcorn, cotton candy…)!  The skits presented in the show were from The Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid – none of which Kate has ever seen (she doesn’t have the attention span to watch much TV).  But, I don’t think the show really mattered.  Being able to experience this with her friends made it perfect.  I love taking her to these shows and am excited for when Hayes is old enough to enjoy them too!

Binoculars are backwards :)

Kate and Clare!