So New Routines

I am finally getting more sleep at night. AJU7 still isn't a great sleeper - waking 2-4 times a night - but I don't expect any different since her siblings were that way. But, what has made a huge difference the past few weeks is getting AJU5 to stay in her bed and not come to our room unless she sees a light on. The past two mornings, she has opened their door numerous times between 5:30 and 6:15 only to go back to sleep. I have also heard her in the night open it, but she isn't coming to our bed at least. AJU7 will sleep until about 6:15 or 6:30, and AJU6 will sleep past 6:00 if he doesn't hear us, so it is a lot better than the 5:15 they were trying to do. Weekdays are harder though. My husband is up around 4:30 to work out. He then leaves for work by 5:45. It is fine if AJU5 wakes while he is not in the shower or actually leaving the house. But, if she wakes at like 5:35, then I have to get up with her. Also, if she wakes when he is in the shower, I might have to get up.

I am also working out most afternoons while AJU6 (and normally AJU7) are napping. I am using the Kinect Your Shape 2012, and I am trying to get in 30-45 minutes at least a day. I started over a month ago, and I can tell I am in better shape. Unfortunately the weight isn't coming off, but at least I am in better shape! Maybe soon the weight will come off (12 lbs still to go). I guess that is one big positive of AJU7 not really eating solids yet (she spits them back out 99.9% of the time) - I am still her primary food source and hence burning more calories that way.

I am also having to be more diligent with cleaning up, as AJU7 is mobile. She isn't really crawling, but she can inchworm all around the house. She can almost make it up the step from the living room to the kitchen even. It won't be long until we really have to sort through the toys and hide the choking hazards...

Keeping Me On My Toes

AJU7 has decided to change things up a little recently. First, about a week ago, she decided she didn't want to sleep on my arm all night long (she starts in her bed, but she sleeps with me after she wakes the first time). She will let out a single cry, I slide her off my arm, and she is "good" for at least a few hours. I like having my arm back anyways, so it isn't a huge deal. It is just something new to get used to.

Yesterday she decided to scream like crazy when she was tired. Walking around with her in my arms slightly calmed her, but she didn't' want to fall asleep. In a moment of desperation, I just laid her in her bed. And guess what - she went right to sleep once I gave her her lovey and wrapped her in her blanket. She did this every time yesterday too. I of course like this as well because it means getting her to sleep is VERY easy. It gives me about 15 minutes back each time.

Finally, last week she decided she was just too big to be in the sling while shopping. I have been wearing her a lot more than I ever wore her siblings. With 3 kids, there just isn't room for a car seat in the shopping cart! Plus, she always woke up when I was getting the kids out of the car anyways, so the only times I would leave her in the car seat where when it was raining/snowing (which is rare around here - maybe twice in almost 6 months she has stayed in her car seat for shopping trips with all three kids). After having her fight me all the way around Costco, I let her sit int he shopping cart while we go our "Costco juice" (berry smoothie) and "ice cream" (frozen yogurt) on our way out. She was instantly happy! So, yesterday when we went to Costco, I just immediately put her in the seat with AJU5 next to her (and AJU6 in the back). She was content the whole trip. She wasn't as content last week when we went to Wal-Mart - only making it half way around the store without wanting to be held - though. I think it depends on how awake she is. So, I will continue to bring the sling with us for a few more weeks, knowing I may or may not use it.

On a Lighter Note - New Skills!

AJU5 and AJU6 both mastered new things this week outside, as we have taken some advantage of the warmer temperatures here.

First, AJU6 learned to climb to the top of the playground using the ladder. This means I don't have to lift him up anymore - something I do like. Unfortunately he thinks he can come down the ladder too, but his legs just aren't long enough yet. I am working on getting him to slide, but ours has a bump and a good drop at the end, so he doesn't like to slide alone (he has hit his head a few times when we have tried it).

And the biggest news - AJU5 can peddle her own tricycle! She figured out how to go backwards a week or two ago. Her trike has a removable handle, and she had been practicing. But, there is only so much pushing her around in circles a mommy can take (especially with AJU6 walking around). Today she asked me to take the handle off and she made is across the concrete on her own (the length of our house). I bet she could have gone farther, but she changes activities A LOT these days.

I plan on letting the kids play outside a lot this spring and summer, and hopefully they will be pretty independent out there soon. I know I will still have swing pushing duties, but it will be nice to just sit outside and watch them like I get to do a few minutes each day already.

Wordless Wednesday - Birthday Present (Yesterday)

Growing Up

AJU6 turned 11 months old yesterday. That is right - in 30 days he will be one year old. In 29 days, he will get his first taste of cake (on Thanksgiving when family is already gathered together). And today, he got to go to the dentist for the first time - even before his big sister ever saw one!

Behind his two front teeth, it was black. Since his teeth are fairly thin, you could see the black through the teeth some times. A few weeks ago, I took him to his doctor because we were a little worried. Those same two teeth are shorter than the others, so we thought there might be a real problem. The pediatrician had no idea what it was. So, she recommended we take him to a pediatric dentist. And today was the day of the appointment.

And guess what - the blackness was almost 100% gone this morning. Maybe it was the waffles he has been engulfing the past week (he can eat a whole flax waffle plus some fruit at breakfast each day). Maybe it was the brushing I did (fairly vigorously) before we left. But it was gone. Luckily, the dentist had seen it before. It is some sort of staining, and probably caused by a bacteria. There is no known cause, although environment and genetics may play a part since siblings tend to have it. It can be scraped off, but it isn't dangerous at all. And his front two baby teeth are just short - nothing to worry about there.

The dentist office is pretty fun. They have a play area that AJU5 loves. They have a dog (the older partner's) that just roams the office freely. The cleaning stations are open, and the procedure areas are in glassed rooms so they don't look like closets or jails. So, I scheduled AJU5 for her first appointment. Hopefully seeing AJU6 "go through the motions" today will help. She wasn't too sure about having to stop playing so the dentist could see us. But, I did let her play after, so I think that helped. And she saw the dog (which really does just roam free) and got a toy, so she was content when we left.

How old were your kids when they first went to the dentist? Do you use a pediatric dentist or just a family practice?

We were going to just do the family practice, but 11 months old I think is too young to go to one of those. So, we are now on the pediatric route...

Behavior and Skillz

First for some AJU5 stuff:

The last three weeks I have taken her to AWANA without AJU6 (who has stayed home with Daddy). The first week was terrible. I had to remove her and punish her at least a handful of times. Last week was great - no punishment/removal. And this week there was only one removal. Now, she is definitely not comfortable with me leaving her yet, but she at least knows what is expected of her. She cried when I didn't follow her immediately last night (as I was wrangling another Cubbie from under a chair), but she participated in everything. I think it is helping that she is getting to know the workers/leaders and the kids in her group. They now rotate with the same group of kids every night, and her group is a hoot. There are three girls and five boys (I think - if I am not missing anyone), and they are an interesting mix. You have the extreme shy, the extremely outgoing, the young and adventurous, and the well-behaved.

It took AJU5 3 weeks to say her verse. And she still didn't say it all. She was supposed to saw "And Jesus increased in wisdom" (Luke 2:52). She got "increased in wisdom - Luke 2:11" (after I said and). But, the leader gave her credit. I don't know why she refused to say Jesus. She says it in Jesus Loves Me... And in other songs... Oh well.

***************************

Now on to AJU6:
The boy is walking. He can take over 20 steps in a row (with some squatting to play with with toys in the middle). He is "resorting" to walking more and more each day. Now I just need to find him some not-crazy-expensive shoes! He is currently about a size 3, but I am afraid he will grow right after I buy shoes. So, I don't want to spend over $15. Hopefully I can find something so he doesn't ruin socks (or have his feet turn black from store floors that need to be cleaned). He is starting to have a real personality, and I think he is about to actually say some words. He has made sounds like momma and dada ones or twice, so maybe soon he will say his first real word!

On the Move

AJU6, at 10 months 1 day, took his first steps last Monday. Since then, he has increased to 5-6 steps in a row before falling down. The boy is definitely going to beat his sister to the independent walking stage, since she didn't get there until 13-14 months.

He has also learned to clap and has started to use it to get our attention. If he is done eating and has started to exit his chair, he claps half the time to "inform" us of his accomplishment.

It is fun to watch him grow. He is definitely doing things differently than his sister, and I bet part of it is because he has a role model. The other part is that he is boy.

AJU5 is a hoot these days too. She was "performing" for her daddy last night - singing songs for him to record. Her two favorites right now are ABCs and the Cubbies song. Now if only she would sing the Cubbies song at Cubbies class...

Sleep hasn't improved much. AJU6 can't have too much diary or his belly gets upset. And he doesn't like meat, so his diet is fruits, veggies, and starches mostly (and bm). None of these things really fill him up. So, Luckily he gets that one big stretch of sleep at night OR does 3 hours stretches. So, I am not a complete zombie.

Well, this post just went completely random... Maybe next time I can stick to my title :)

I guess someone made a mistake

AJU6 is now 9 months old, and he is as active as can be. He can stand on his own, and just this weekend figured out how to push a toy around while standing. I wouldn't not be surprised if he was truly walking before a year.

At his check-up, he weighed 15 lbs 11.25 oz and was 27 inches long. I didn't look at the growth chart too quickly, but whoever plotted it must have been wrong. Our pediatrician said he was 25th percentile in weight and 10th in height. But, he weighs less than his sister did at 9 months, and she was 10th percentile in weight! I checked online, and it shows him less than 5th percentile. Part of me wonders if the number they wrote on our paper is wrong, as he doesn't look that skinny. It actually looks like he is a little chubbier than he was at 6 months. But I don't know. He is healthy and that is all that matters.

He isn't a talker just yet, but either was his sister. Neither of them waved, but I think it is more because we aren't wavers around here. I often wonder why that is always one of the milestones they ask about - I bet kids in other parts of the world don't wave either. But again I know he understands us and he is communicating in his own way. You should see how he reacts when he sees his crackers! He is definitely telling us that is what he wants.

Enough of the rambling. It is just one of those kind of days. First day of the Fall term, stayed up too late last night, and have been busy all day... But, all is good :)

Wordless Wednesday - Friday Evening "Activity"

Just Hanging Around...

Nothing too exciting going on over here. I spent a good portion of last week preparing for a scrapbooking night last night at church. I had fun but only got 4 pages done.

AJU6 is crawling all over the place. He went up four stairs on our main stair case the other day. Luckily he doesn't go near the stairs while we are upstairs or while we are in the family room. I only have to worry about the stairs when we are in the living room right now. And, yesterday and today he has decided to go down the hall instead of up. But, I don't know if that is better or not. The end of the hall is a one step down to the family room. And the stair is 2/3 tile, 1/3 laminate over concrete. So yeah, I don't want him trying them one either!

Oh, and the boy turns 7 months old today. Time is flying! He has finally started to like solids. He is often not satisfied with nursing and DEMANDS something else to eat. Currently we are working on a pea/apple/brown rice combo. I was able to "top" him off with some banana yesterday, and he ate that with out a fuss either. Oh, how much has changed in a month!

Well, off to help AJU1 organize the garage/tend to the kids. We got our outside storage shed operable last weekend, so now we can start using it! Hopefully we won't just get more stuff to fillt he garage....

Escape!

AJU6 is now officially crawling and going up steps! He is ahead of his sister for sure - as she didn't start crawling until she was this age, and then it took her a few weeks to master the stairs. This weekend he mastered the one step between the dining room and living room. Today, he made the two steps from the living room to the entry. I had run upstairs to get something, and when I went downstairs to see why he was fussing, I found him in the entry trying to headbutt the post for the railing. Luckily he is still slow at crawling so we haven't had to break out the baby gates just yet!

He can also pull to a kneeling position to play. He loves a toy chair we have, and he will either kneel or get into the push-up position to play with it. It is the first thing he goes for in their room when I put him on the floor. I don't think it will be long until he truly pulls himself up to a standing position. Then, the fun will begin. Well, it already has, but I am expecting more falls and tears once he gets higher up!

Moved

AJU6 moved rooms this weekend. He is now sleeping in the guest bedroom. And I think I like this.

It all started when he slept terribly a few nights in a row. I think it was Thursday night that he cried and fussed for an hour- and nothing I did helped. So, I decided to move him to the guest room. That way only one of us would be awake with him, instead of two. So, Friday he made the big move to his own room. I start the night in our bed, and when he wakes I go deal with him. Sometimes I go back to our bed, some times I sleep on the guest bed. Sunday night I figured out what was actually the issue most likely - he is working on his top teeth! I thought it was his belly (we just started solids), but Motrin did the trick Sunday night. Since then, he is sleeping a lot better (with a dose of Motrin at night if he is being fussy). He doesn't want to co-sleep anymore, so I just put him back in his pack-n-play after he eats. Half of the time he wakes just because he needs his pacifier back. He only needed to eat twice last night, and I was very happy about that!

He is also on the move these days! He is a master of the reverse, and can now creep forward. He gets into a push-up position, and lunges forward most of the time. It isn't very affective, but it does get the job done sometimes. He just needs to get the coordination of the arms and legs, and he will be crawling. Then I will have my hands full...

Feeling Good!

First, Jersey #2 is feeling pretty good. She even startled the nurses this morning by getting out of bed all by herself (and tried to get back in alone too, but they caught her). She is really recovering well from everything, but there are still a few hurdles to cross before she can come home!

Second, a friend and I have been walking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It has been great. The walking is making both of us feel better, and having a chance to talk to another adult is also nice. We stop at the park near the end to let the kids play, so there is an added bonus for AJU5 there.

In other news, AJU6 can now roll over. This is a mixed blessing. First, once he crawls he will be truly mobile (and he is getting close). Second, when I lay him down to sleep, he rolls over. And of course he doesn't want to sleep on his stomach, so he cries. I had to flip him three times this afternoon before he finally fell asleep. At least he isn't cranky like he was yesterday. What ended up being a 2.5 hour visit to the service shop for my car got him off schedule. He was cranky as all get out yesterday afternoon - refusing to eat because he was so tired but refusing to sleep because he was hungry.

What has been making you feel good lately?

Genius!

Not me - AJU6! This boy is hitting milestones early, and I am loving it! Sunday night (at 6 wks 3 days), he rolled from his belly to his back on a hard surface. He had rolled off of me many times in the past, but this time he was on his blanket on the middle of a table with adult witnesses other than me! Then, just a few minutes ago I saw him holding one of his toys1 It is attached to a playmat, and he had a good grip on it. Now, to top this off, he didn't need to eat for 6 hours last night! I did have to give him his pacifier after about 2.75 hours, but that was all I had to do! And he was doing this in his bed (in the boppy pillow of course) - not ours!

He is definitely different from AJU5. I think some of it is because my life is more flexible than it was when she was this age. I don't have to go to work every morning. We aren't spending all of our nights remodeling a house. So, instead I can cuddle him a lot more. I think this is making it so he is ready to sleep at night instead of wanting more snuggle time. I can feed him every hour for 3 hours before bed without a worry.

Now, the downside of this is that he may become mobile earlier... I love it when they can play with you, but mobile means a whole new level of mommy-stress! It is so much easier when you can lay them down somewhere and not worry about them moving!

AJU5 crawled at 6.5 months... let's see when AJU6 does...

Wordless Wednesday - Birthday Pictures

Early birthday cake (6 days early)Blowing out the candles

Digging in

Birthday Cookies

The Lick Method

And the little guy...

Two!

First, AJU5 is two today. Just over 2 years ago, she was born (i.e. 2 years and some minutes). She is getting so big, but it still feels like yesterday that she was born! We decided to skip the party this year due to AJU6, but she has already had cake. I am going to get her some cookies today, and her friends are coming over for a little bit this afternoon. So, it won't be without celebration.

In the future, I plan on doing one party for both kids. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all of the other stuff between them, I have a feeling it will be easier to just pick one day and have one party! Plus, this way we won't have to deal with jealousy :) We will probably celebrate both birthdays with our families when we visit them for the respected holidays too, so it will only be their actual birthday that will be separate.

Today is also the first day I have both kids by myself. AJU1 has worked 4 days since AJU6 was born, but those were while his mom was still here. There are only 9 work days left for him this year, so hopefully we will survive :) Actually, it has been pretty easy so far. AJU5 woke around 6:15. AJU6 was also stirring during this time, so we all got up. After a little melt down because AJU1 was a t work, we headed downstairs. AJU5 wanted a waffle first thing, so she ate that while I started to feed AJU6. Then she was ready for her two morning shows (one Curi0us George and one W0rd World) . I fed AJU6 and then got him down for a nap. I was able to sneak upstairs and get into the bathroom before AJU5's shows were done. So, I got a shower - before noon! AJU5 met me at the bathroom door and led me downstairs. She wanted another show. I said no (saving them for feedings later), and she melted again. She asked to go to bed, so I put her in bed (knowing she wouldn't sleep). She played for a good hour in her bed! I was able to get some work done before AJU6 woke to eat some more. When she got up, she headed to find AJU6. He had of course moved since she went to her bed, so I had to assure her he was still in the house. She then proceeded to bring my his things. She ended up putting six blankets on the little guy. Luckily, she took to the fact that he would get hot with all of those blankets and left him with just two receiving blankets. Then she colored for a while before asking to go to bed again. And Again, she isn't sleeping. She is talking and singing. But, it is about nap time (within 30 minutes), so maybe she will eventually just crash...AJU6 is acting fussy. I don't know if he is hungry or just not happy... I will have to see here soon...

Expect a post with pictures in the next few days!

Hair Cut

So, I cut AJU5's hair tonight. There are no pictures of the cut in progress. unfortunately. First, the camera was upstairs (and the hair cut took place outside/downstairs). Second, it took lots of work on the part of my husband and I to get her to stay still long enough to make a snip!

As for the results, I need to fix the bangs a little still. The rest doesn't look any worse than it did before for sure! It might even look better. All in all, it was a pretty good first hair cut.

Now, do I like the cut? Well, I am not a fan of bangs, but her hair was BAD in the front. The back grew out a lot earlier and faster (she was born with male pattern baldness we say). The front section was just at the annoying length - in her eyes all the time, etc. It was getting to be a pain to keep clips in (she pulls them out), so I went with a really thin layer of bangs that one day I will just let grow out. They did end up slightly shorter than I wanted, but they aren't bad at all. As for the rest, I was dealing with about 4-5 different lengths (visible). So, I got it down to 2-3. That means that even if it all isn't the same length, it looks more kept!

Pictures to come at some point of the post-cut look...

Words

Here are the words AJU5 currently uses:
Dada (Daddy)
Bye (Leaving the Building)
Juice (Wants a drink or food)
Choe (Shoe)
Done (Done Eating - doesn't always sound like done, but the d is there - include bye hand movement)
MaMa (Mommy - sometimes with a b sound)
Ball (I don't know if the l sound is always there though)
**Mo (More - as in More Food Please)

Here are the words we think she might have:
Ba (Bath - includes splashing hand movement)
Blankie (Blanket)
Thank You
Friend's Name
Uh (Up - working on the u sound/p added)

When she went for her 15 month check up back in March, I said she had 4-5 words. Looking at the top list, she might have had all but ball down by then actually. But, if you don't write them down, it can be hard to count!

She is a big talker though. She has lots of conversations with herself and us. It just isn't in English! She definitely can make lots of sounds, so I am not too worried there. She does refuse to talk on the phone if someone is on the other end though! She will play talk all day long, but as soon as someone is other the other end, she is as quiet as a mouse...

How many words does you child have? Are they big talkers or the quiet type?

Fourteen Things...

AJU5 is fourteen months old today! Can you believe it? Here are fourteen things about her:

1. She likes to disect her food. The specimen so far have been granola bars and pizza.
2. She prefers to be barefooted but will accept socks and shoes if she is walking around enough (or just plain forgets she has them on).
3. She hates me doing her hair. Luckily, I am still stronger than she is and can distract her long enough!
4. She loves to put things around her head - lanyards, bags, clothing, what ever else she can find. I have to make sure and remove said articles before leaving the house or putting her down for a nap.
5. Another one of her favorite hobbies is leading us around the house. Although she can get to all of the places on her own, she prefers to have a finger and lead us!
6. She has re-found the love of eating paper. She ate part of a cardboard puzzle pieces and gnawed on books until we took them away.
7. She sleeps! It has been almost two weeks of success - oh, how I love my sleep!
8. She has an ever-changing food preference scheme. She loves pretzels and then won't eat them. She loves green beans and then she refuses them. It is so hard to determine what she wants to eat!
9. She doesn't have many words that we understand. But, she is very clear in what she wants. She leads us to where it is and points. If it isn't what she wants, she will refuse it or give it back. Now if only she would use the words so we can avoid the guessing sometimes...
10. She can drink out of a straw. Unfortunately, she also prefers to pull the straw out of the cup. So, she doesn't get too much practice. But, at least we can take her to restaurants and not worry if she is out of milk!
11. She will play in her crib for a while if she is tired but not sleepy. This makes it hard to determine if she has actually slept though.
12. She is a sound sleeper most of the time. I left my cell phone in her room while she was napping (accidentally), and AJU1 called. It beeped every few minutes to tell me of the missed call, and she didn't stir! I can also move her from the car seat or stroller to her bed most of the time. But, if I open the door at the wrong time, she wakes up!
13. She does not like it when certain doors are shut. She will lead you to the door and push until you open it. She can also open and close her door (as long as it isn't latched).
14. She is not a fan of the toilet. After a few too many code browns in the bath tub, I bought a toilet seat (there are warning signs). Unfortunately, she refuses to sit on the toilet. Hopefully this will change in the near future!

AJU5 is getting better I think. She is definitely more willing to play on her own. The cough and runny nose are still present though. AJU1 is now getting sick as well. Hopefully they will both be better soon!

Happy Valentines Day!

AJU5 one year ago!


AJU5 on 2/4/09 (JcPenney Portrait - more of these to come!)

Yeah, I didn't want to sleep all night last night...

Hi. It is AJU5 here - as I have commandeered Mommy's computer to type my own post.

I did not sleep through the night last night, but Mommy wasn't too upset with this. I woke up at 10:30 and then at 4am. Then I slept/played in my crib until almost 7:30. So, Mommy did get a good night sleep. I highly recommend letting your Mommy and Daddy get a good night sleep guys (Jack, Paige, Wesley - I talking to you!). As Dean, Nathan, Kara, and your older brothers can attest to, when Mommy and Daddy get a good night sleep, they are in a better mood!* Mommy didn't get nearly as mad at me for throwing food on the floor this morning. Mommy and Daddy were both happy to play with me yesterday afternoon. I even didn't get into as much trouble when I emptied out the cabinets yesterday. I definitely recommend it!

Also, walking is kind of fun. Just make sure the area around you is clear of legs when you go to sit down. Sitting down on a 5 year old's leg is not easy - you are likely to fall backwards and hit your head. This is especially not fun when there is no padding on the floor! Luckily Mommy was there to pick me up and hold me.

* I know I forgot some of my friends in this post. If I forgot you, I am sorry. Please identify yourself so I don't forget you next time!

** Pictures and Video to come when Daddy removes them from the camera (he has to do it on his computer - which Mommy doesn't have the password to).