Another week in the virtual books

Another week down and no time to write up a post. This may be picture heavy, but it definitely captures the feel of these early summer days. (Going backwards from yesterday.)

They got out their swimsuits and hit up the sprinkler. It was on a timer so after 20 minutes, the water turned off and the girls didn't really know what to do. Then, the dreaded mosquitos came out and we ran inside as fast as we could. I so hope that we can find a way to be outside without being eaten alive.

This week, we got this large contraption up from the basement storage for miss Amelia. With a few blankets tucked behind her, she was able to sit up and watch everything going on around her, which just tickled her pink. (Is that an expression? maybe not.) 

We have had the hardest time with sleep around here. I spend way too much time and much needed energy getting the older two to take naps, only to have bedtime be a nightmare. I have been keeping Josie (almost 4 years old) up two out of three afternoons and it has seemed to be better for her, so I thought I'd try it with Audrey (2.7 years old) too. She fights it just as much, although I think she needs more sleep than her sister. The day we skipped the naps went great. I was able to keep them busy with books, puzzles, and general quiet time, but the next day was absolutely awful. You could tell that they were both tired and really feeding off of each other. I watched the clock all day just waiting for the time to put them to bed because it seemed that there was no redeeming it. 

I have no idea what we are going to do long term. We are so consistent with bedtime. Same routine, not too long but not too abrupt. I honestly don't know what else we as parents can do to improve it. Josie is a huge instigator with pushing buttons and finds everything simply hilarious which in turn riles up Audrey no matter what we do to prevent it. Audrey no longer responds to us giving verbal warnings (Get back in bed, stay in bed, etc) and is always roaming around the room with Josie encouraging her while she stays safe in her bed. Like I said, instigator to the maximum. Besides the consistency, my next plan of attack is to have Amelia and Audrey share a room temporarily. I suspect that we'll still have struggles with Audrey for a while, but without her big sister to egg her on there is a chance she might forget to be so intolerable and might go back to her old ways of falling asleep sweetly because she's genuinely tired. I don't know how it'll be with Amelia in there since she does need to get up to eat, but it's worth a shot.

I got a few tips on facebook like skipping naps every other day and cutting naps short so they'd be more tired at night. It's a good idea, but with the struggle it is to get them to sleep, I'm not very excited about the idea of waking them up a mere forty five minutes later. We'll see how their attitudes are for the next couple of days and go from there I suppose.

I had high hopes of planting flowers around the yard this spring, but we need to do more landscaping for weed control and haven't had time to do that. To our delight and surprise, these lovely purple flowers popped up amongst the weeds and have been showing off all week. Both girls loved them as purple is the favorite color around here. 

I also planted a hydrangea close by from these beauties, but it doesn't look promising. Maybe it'll surprise us next year and come up strong.

Last weekend, the girls went to the lake and hubby went to the farm to help with cattle. We don't think it's the best choice to have the girls out there when this happens since they'd be stuck inside (safety first) and underfoot when things need to get done. Instead, their high energy was released at the lake where they did the usual: played on the swingset, walked around the yard, had a campfire and s'mores, visited great grandma, went to church (went much much much better this time. I was more prepared with new activities and a seating arrangement that kept the older two far apart with a sleeping (!) Amelia in my arms.), and a little bit of fishing off the dock. It was cold cold cold for most of the weekend but it didn't slow us down too much. 

This weekend, we've fought the cranky attitudes and rainy weather by preparing new meals and running a few errands. Definitely not too exciting. 

On the plus side, Amelia decided she loves pacifiers and also thoroughly enjoys rolling around a bunch so she's like a new baby. Smiles galore and much less anxiety when I walk away. At least one of them is cooperating.

Sum up of the last week: teeth, hikes, and flowers

Last week, Amelia gave us a big surprise by getting her first tooth at just 3 months 1 week old. Both of her big sisters had their first two teeth come in right around 4 months, so I just wasn't expecting this. Just when I was thinking that maybe a chiropractor visit was needed, I felt that sharp little edge in her mouth and knew why she was so disgruntled. And then a few days later, the second tooth made it's appearance. Suffice it to say, those days felt so very long. She clung to me, just me, the whole time, wanted to nurse constantly (but would puke up the extra milk since she just wanted the comfort, not the sustenance), and didn't sleep worth anything. I hope and pray that this isn't what it's like for the rest of her teeth, because it's going to be brutal if it is.

I should probably mention that within 20 minutes of finding her first tooth, she also rolled over on the freezer for the first time. I was putting on the Moby wrap to go for a walk so I set her down on the deep freeze (I do this all the time since this is where her carseat is when we get ready to go). She proceeded to just flip right over from front to back like it was no big deal. Good thing I was right there and she was lying so that she rolled across it, not off of it! We are now at the lovely stage where I can't set her down anywhere but the floor unless she's tightly buckled in. Since then, she's rolling in all directions (go big or go home I guess) and gets upset fast when she gets stuck, which is like every five minutes. This age has so many love/hate things going on.

You can't really see it, but it's there in all of it's painful glory

Last weekend, we headed to the lake to spend time with my parents. Right away on Saturday morning, we headed out to Glendalough State Park to hike on our favorite path. The hike is 3.5 miles, so we didn't do all of it. Instead, we turned around at about 1.25 miles, had a picnic, and then (accidentally) went for a swim. Well, Josie went for a swim. She was quite shocked when she tripped in the water and ended up soaked from head to toe. All she'd wanted to do was wade with Audrey and Grammy... :)

Josie was able to hike all of it without any complaining. Even after getting soaked, she just changed into Audrey's back up clothes and continued on her way. This girl has quite the appetite for exercise and activity. I'm so thankful that I don't have to fight her on this and that she seems to truly enjoy it.

Audrey on the other hand just doesn't love it. She slumps her little shoulders over and sulks if she's feeling tired (or bored or hungry or ____ ). She constantly asks to be picked up, but then wants down so she can set the pace - as slow as she can stroll no matter how fast the rest of us are going. Part of it is her age, but I do think it's part of her personality. She's pretty laid back and doesn't seem to think we need to hurry to get anywhere. Hubby and I talked about it and know that we have to really make an effort to keep her moving and keep it fun so she grows into it as she grows up. So funny how different these girls are.

Don't they look cute wearing their granddaughters' backpacks? We had to load the picnic food in something and they were just a little too heavy for the little girls

  

So many emotions when you are two

That night, hubby and I snuck away to have a date night while we had built in babysitters. (Quite the perk of staying with my parents!) We went to Zorbaz and had a huge appetizer of nachos with a pitcher of beer while we sat right by the water. It was pretty perfect. No bugs yet, entertaining people to watch (who doesn't love to people watch?) and a breezy evening with just enough sun to keep us warm out on the patio. Hopefully we can do this again before the summer is done.

My date and my view

On Sunday, we got up and out early enough to go to church in town. At our church, the girls go to what is equivalent to Sunday school part way through the service and stay with us just for the music and prayer before the message and the music at the end. At this church, we didn't want to put them in Sunday school since we don't know anyone (not really comfortable sending the kids off with strangers) and don't come regularly. I don't think the girls knew what to expect and still had a lot of energy built up from who knows what. They kept us on our toes, even with the fun bag of books and coloring materials. Next time we go (this coming weekend) I think I'll have to pack a different bag of unknown goodies so they have more to keep them busy and quiet. Amelia, of course, needed to be held while standing so I wasn't much help with the older two. Hopefully, now that they have experienced it once and it is more "known," it will go better the next time.

After church, we stopped in to briefly say hi to my grandma and then headed back to the lake. We expected rain all day but instead had cloudy, cool weather perfect for outdoor playing. Josie was constantly requesting to play outside, so we spent time on the dock, playing in the "forbidden forest," and playing on the little playground. It was a great afternoon and evening.

That can't be good for the future of this egg.

On Monday, it rained and rained so we hit the road to a town nearby that had quite the amazing toy store. The kids were enthralled and got to have a treat of frozen yogurt, and I got some birthday and Christmas ideas. I ended leaving with a puzzle and a card game accessory (for little hands to hold all of those cards, we have one already but two girls means there is always a fight). It was a good time waster while we waited for the rain to pass.

It finally did just before we were ready to go home. Quickly, we sent the girls outside for some fresh air and room to run, and they ended up looking for treasures (rocks and sticks) so they could build a house. I don't think they made a lot of progress, but at least they were outside.

This week, we spent time at a few different parks, got a tour of a garden nursery, and got to visit with my good friend Emily who was passing through town on her way back to Texas. Josie and Audrey went outside to play while she was here and came back in with a huge bouquet of dandelions (always) just picked for her! It was sweet. She was touched (or at least acted like she was wink wink).

Look at that crazy hair and wacky smile (Josie's, not Emily's who looks much more put together), but even more impressive, look at those dandelions!

After all of this activity, we were long overdue for a day at home. Wednesday was a tough day attitude-wise, so Thursday we hunkered down. The only time we left the indoors was to walk over to say a quick "Happy birthday" to Grandma before practically running home to beat the incoming thunderstorm. I think we all feel refreshed and ready for another fun weekend at the lake now. :)

How we all felt on Wednesday after all the crazy activity and outings

Amelia Jane - Three months old

Another month has quickly passed by with this little lady. We have a wonderful routine down now and each day is a lot more peaceful and enjoyed (as much as can be with three girls under four). Amelia is a happy little baby, no longer a newborn yet not even close to toddler (thank the Lord, Mama isn't ready for that kind of talk yet).

  

We had her two month check up this month (a week late, so the stats never made it to her two month post). She weighed 12 lbs 5 oz and was 25 inches long. That put her at just over 50% for weight and a whopping 97% for height. I wasn't a bit surprised by this. Her 0-3 month clothes still fit fine (which does surprise me), since she is long but not filling them out at all width-wise. Well, they were fitting fine until this week. I'm slowly putting away outfits here and there but we aren't jumping right into the next size. Most of it is very summery and the rainy, cool weather gives us a chance to get one last wear out of a lot of her winter clothes. A friend gave us a bunch of hair bows that she had made and never sold, so now we have a ridiculous amount to choose from and dressing her is still ridiculously fun.

She's eating well. Breastfeeding continues on painlessly and efficiently. She is faster now that she's a little older and there is a lot less over-production so that helps keep it quick and with less mess. I'm not sad that I don't have to have two or more burp cloths around at all times! I do get paranoid about my supply since it isn't as obvious. She also sometimes just seems to want to nurse for comfort even when she isn't hungry anymore. It's hard for me to not worry and try to "fix it" because when I look back at my time breastfeeding Audrey, there were signs that it wasn't quite right and things I could have done differently to prolong milk production.

Amelia still has a lot of dirty diapers and is growing just fine, so I just need to chill out. She just went through a growth spurt when she wanted to eat more often, but my body adjusted and now it doesn't seem to be an issue. Each kid is different and so far it's going fine. She has started to play with my shirt as she eats and I've been enamored with watching her little eyes light up when she takes in the textures and colors. I'm so thankful for this part of being her mom.

There has not been any rolling or even hints of rolling yet. So far, she has been happy alternating between tummy time and back time by me turning her. She doesn't get upset on her tummy now that she is strong enough to look around. If she can see her sisters, she is entertained for at least four times as long. If nobody is around she will only hang out for a few minutes before getting worked up. It isn't the easiest to get chores done if the big girls aren't around to keep her attention. She get to "help" in the kitchen a lot by being in a sling or having me wear her with the Moby wrap.

The car seat is no longer a problem. Each month has gotten better and now she'll happily sit in there and look around even if she's not moving. I've learned to leave her in there as long as she is happy. Then, once she starts to fuss, I take her out and hold her. Again, once she fusses, she gets moved to the floor on her tummy, then her back. This little routine gives me about an hour to do whatever (visit with someone, sit in church, etc). I do like predictable patterns like this that I can count on.

She still won't take a pacifier (I've given up trying) and switching positions is the best way to soothe her when she is fussy.

She is still reminding me of Josie with her behavior, always looking around with huge eyes, taking it all in. She will try to look around me if I try to make eye contact with her when she's getting tired or is really fascinated by her surroundings. Josie did this all the time too. She also loves to stand and has really strong legs already. All three of the girls did this so young...something in our genes I guess! I wouldn't be surprised if she starts sitting up or standing before she rolls over...

She happily shares her dimply smile with anyone and everyone now, and even tolerates others holding her for longer stretches of time. She will get in moods where she is just chatty and will coo and grin at me while we "talk" to each other. I haven't seen her do this too much with others yet, although Josie has gotten her to do it a few times. Jo has a lot more patience than Audrey so she gets the results. ;)

Just last week (right before she turned three months), we started having her sleep in her room. It's gone great! She just coos or grunts a little when she wakes up to eat (still just once around 4-5:30) and falls back asleep quickly when I sneak out of the room. My favorite part is that now when she wakes up, she just looks out the window, plays with her hands and Snuggie (if she gets her hand/s free which is more often the case than not), and talks to herself. I can hear her and tell that she's happy so I have time to get a few morning things done, usually getting the big kids ready or at least on the path to getting ready. It has helped our morning routine tremendously. When I go in to get her, she's still happy and I get the biggest grin of the whole day. She is so happy when she wakes up. I'm always excited to go get her instead of hubby doing it because I love seeing that huge grin.

She is still in the smallest size for her cloth diapers but they are working great. She doesn't have many rashes and they don't leak very often. She did have a ridiculous blowout the other day but that hardly ever seems to happen so it really sticks out in my memory. We are exclusively using the Flip diapers unless we are doing laundry. I just don't like the old pocket diapers we started with. They are stretched out and always end up leaking.

These three girls are so fun to watch. When Amelia is on the floor, the big girls will take turns playing with her, giving her toys and kisses like crazy. 90% of the time, they are gentle and sweet. I still like to be watching just in case, but usually the roughness I see isn't intentional and doesn't actually upset Millie. I'm just worried that it will escalate. Josie continues to be such a great helper with her and will lay the blanket out or get toys for her to reach for (she doesn't really yet, but that's the goal) all the time.

We added a few more nicknames this month. We often call her Millie McGee, Mila girl (my favorite), Mildred, Malificent, Milbert (daddy's favorite), and Boppy baby (Josie's favorite). Audrey still prefers A-Mee-lee-a all sounded out when you ask her what her name is. We also still call her Millie Vanillie, Amelia Bedelia, and our family version, Amelia Be-deyle. Ridiculous amount of nicknames, I know.

 As far as naps go, she still take four naps (the other girls never ever took this many naps!) and it's working out well for us. One around 8-9, another from 10:30-11:30, a long one from 1-3:30, and a shorter nap from 5-6. There is wiggle room with all of them, which is why it works so well. As long as we are within a half hour or so of each of those, she's happy all day. If we push it (like skip the last one which happens when we go to Missional Community on Tuesdays or Sunday mornings when she skips one of the morning naps) she will be pretty fussy and fights sleep a lot more. Part of that is because it's hard for her to fall asleep in our arms instead of wrapped up in her bed, but she still does okay with it. I think she's getting more adaptable as she gets older, which is a little surprising. I didn't expect her to do that, but I'll take it!

I usually wrap her up, start the mobile music, turn on the sound machine, lay her down even if she's fussing or crying and then leave the room. She usually stops crying in under two minutes. If she doesn't, I sometimes go back in to feed her (once in a while she's just still hungry) or change her diaper (once in a while she is fussing because she just filled her diaper) but most of the time, she just looks around before going to sleep. I'm so thankful for this simple routine! I can't imagine having a longer more drawn out routine with having big kids that need me too.

Here is the comparison picture of all three girls. Amelia first, then Audrey, then Josie. Audrey and Josie still had long dark hair at this point and you can't see Amelia's hair in the front, so she looks quite different. In these pictures especially, I think Amelia and Audrey share the same smile. She's still pretty close in size with Josie. Notice how long her legs are, though, even all curled up! Her skin tone also seems more like Josie's than Audrey's (who always had such white/pink skin).

Amelia is so good for my heart. She is truly a huge blessing to our family. I wish I could express how much joy she brings each of us every day, but you'll just have to take my word for it. It's a lot. :)

Grammy's concert

This weekend was filled with high's (picnic and bonfire in our back yard for the first time, dinner with family to celebrate a birthday, time with more family today) and lows (too late nights causing some serious attitude and not so fun discipline that made both hubby and I want to run away).

So let's go back to Monday and talk about Grammy's concert instead!

Since Grammy will most likely retire next year, we knew we had to go to this last concert for this year... there are only a few left! The stage band and singers group performed all of their songs from the year that were perfected the week before on a week long tour. They were polished, entertaining, and sounded great.

The girls are at a better age than last year for sitting still through a whole concert. All except that little one (ah hem). Josie was clapping along, pointing out instruments, and sitting attentively. She even took "notes" on the little desk that was attached to her chair. Audrey was squirmy as always (her cue that she's tired) but still did pretty well and lasted through the whole concert thanks to a bag of books and coloring materials. 

Amelia was quietly watching and listening for the first half but then got over tired and needed to be held and bounced, so I wrapped her to me and stood on the side so I could keep moving while still watching. She refused to sleep but instead listened closely with big eyes. This brought to mind a flashback of Josie, who would never sleep in public and always had to be looking around and taking everything in. Amelia did finally fall asleep towards the end, though. She's been showing a lot of signs that her personality is a lot like Jo. Let's pray that we can handle two strong willed kiddos, k? K, thanks.

Before the concert, we rushed down to Wahpeton/Breckenridge to eat at the Wilkin, a family favorite bar and grill that we never get to eat at since we are never in town anymore. It was fabulous as always and we left totally stuffed.

Often times, when the stage band is performing they'll have one or two songs that has audience participation. Usually, it's family or friends of the performers, and this year my two little ladies joined Grammy on stage to play a few percussion instruments. I could not believe my eyes. Shy little Audrey had no fear at all and Josie seemed unsure but lasted for the whole song. My eyes were locked to the stage the entire time, I never thought they'd go in front of all of those people! At one point, Josie turned around and tried to give her instrument back to Grammy. I think she was saying, "I'm done now," but she wasn't heard and the other adults encouraged her keep playing The look on her face when she turned back had me almost running up there. For just a brief moment, she looked absolutely panicked and I thought she was going to cry. I don't blame her, being on stage like that can be scary, but thankfully she pulled through. She was pretty pleased with herself later when I asked her about it.

I have a lot of memories of going to concerts as a child. Obviously, our family went to all of my mom's concerts, but she also made a point to expose us to other kinds of music and it really broadened my musical horizon. We went to barbershop shows, musicals, plays, and orchestra concerts, plus more that I'm not remembering right now. I hope we can instill a love for performances and music in our ladies!

I got to listen to the girls "performing" a bunch of the songs that they remembered for the rest of the week. I didn't mind. :)