Thoughts

I should really go private one of these days, so I can say what is REALLY on my mind. I thought about it a lot last year around election time when I got some stupid comments. But I ended up not going private because I have made so many great friends through the blog world and I don't want to miss these opportunities. But sometimes I think it might be worth it. If I want my kids to have these blog posts someday, do I want them to have the REAL me or the sugar-coated, leaving stuff out I really want to say me? Hm....

One thing I'm thinking about right now is I get a little annoyed when people think I'm judging them just because I don't do things the same way as them. Ok, so I breastfeed exclusively until 6 months and don't start solid food until then. So I don't let my kids cry it out, I make my own baby food, I cloth diaper, I cook healthy food etc. Why do I do these things? Because I think it's best for my kids and I want to do the absolute best job I can do. But do I think people are bad parents who DON'T do these things? NO. I do not care. I do think that everyone should be the best parent they can be, but as long as they are doing that I don't care how they parent. I won't elaborate any more than that, right now anyway.

Also, I bought John Paul several outfits for fall and winter at Kohls in 6-9 months. I ended up taking them ALL back! The kid is huge! I got size 12 months, which is a little big but not much. I can't believe my 5 month old is wearing size 12 months and my 2 1/2 year old is wearing mostly 24 months. She can still wear 18 month shorts and skirts. There's not one fat roll on this kid though, he's just solid and very long.

They are both consistently in bed by 8 these days, which is great. I'm getting some knitting time and just relaxation in the evenings with Ken. And a few times John Paul has slept completely through the night! Like from 8 - 6 or 7! I can't believe it. Madeleine did not do this until 13 months. Of course he probably weighs the same as she did at a year.

More posts coming up - Ken's blogworthy comment, Madeleine's drumming, and the kitty cat!

I'm Back!

I've been offline since Friday! I thought I would hate it but it actually wasn't bad. I missed reading everyone's blog though and I have a lot to catch up on. I also have several posts rolling around in my head.

On Friday, At&t was supposed to come out here and install uverse. They were supposed to be here between 11-1. They got here at 11:30 and I was pleasantly surprised. Then they messed around out back for a while. The inside guy came in and said there wasn't a good signal so they had to wait for the outside guy. I put the kids to bed and waiting a few hours. The outside guy came. A few more hours pass and I have no idea what they're doing, but I wanted to meet my mom at Kohl's and then get my eyebrows done for the church directory pictures the next day. (I got them threaded for the first time! Interesting! I'd go back for sure.) Anyway, finally the inside guy came in and said the outside guy didn't do his job, and they wouldn't be able to finish that day. So he plugged the internet and phone back in from our old provider and said someone would come the next day. So I got ready to leave. THEN, the outside guy came back and knocked on my inside garage door. He asked me if they had installed it. I said no (and I didn't want to say, "Because they said YOU didn't do your job.") so I said because they couldn't get a good signal. He said he just fixed the signal and he thought the inside guy just didn't feel like finishing up after being here all day. So he said he'd call his manager and send someone out that day. Then he turned off my internet and phone. What the heck. So I waited for 45 minutes and no one came. I've scrapped the Kohl's idea but still have the idea that I am going to get my eyebrows done. So finally I called At&t and they said that no one was coming, and they would have someone call the first thing in the morning. Then the lady asks if I've been very satisfied. I say NO. She means with the phone call. I say yeah ok. Then she asks me to go online and take a survey and say I'm very satisfied. HELLO, they turned off my internet.

Of course they didn't call the next day. Ken finally called in the afternoon and they said they couldn't come till Tuesday. After several hours here they finally got it done today. Good LORD.

So we go to our church directory picture on Saturday. I had made our appointment at 11:40, which is before their naps. We got there and waited 45 minutes to even get our picture taken. Then the guy is saying, "Say Popsicle!" "Say Monkey!" Madeleine's the only one saying the words and her mouth looked funny in EVERY picture. Then, we wait another 10 minutes with 2 hungry fussy kids and the guy tries to put the hard sell on us to buy some. Um, NO. I told him I didn't like any of them. We picked one for the directory and got our free 8x10 but I was not happy with them.

Luckily we had a great day on Sunday at the Arts festival in town. I'll post pictures as soon as my mom emails them to me! Hint hint Mom!

I'm glad to be back!

Random event = happy girl!

The other day we came home and there was a horse trailer parked across the street, and a lady was leading a horse around the vacant lot. It was sprinkling outside, but Madeleine and I went across anyway and I asked the lady if she could see the horse. She got to pet him and her eyes were just huge. Then I asked the lady if we could give him some carrots. She said he'd love it. So we ran home really fast and cut up several carrots and she got to feed him. She LOVED feeding him and just giggled when he took the carrot out of her hands. Then, the lady asked if she wanted to sit on him! She was THRILLED beyond words! She sat on him and the lady told her to hang on to his mane. Then the horse started walking around pretty fast, but the lady was holding on to her and the lead. She was not scared one bit. She loved riding him and is still talking about it.

(Of course I didn't have my camera with me, so these are from my phone.)

Thinking about food

For John Paul, that is! I'm kind of excited to start feeding him solid food. I'm going to try to hold out until he's 6 months, but if we start a week early it'll be ok - that is what we did with Madeleine. I really enjoyed making baby food for Madeleine, and I get to do that again soon! I actually picked up this great mini food processor thing today on freecycle, since our Magic Bullet bit the dust after months of continuous use. I think I'm going to start with bananas and sweet potatoes this time and just hold off on the rice cereal. Then I'll get to make him some fresh purees - all kinds of fruits and veggies for a while. It's so much fun to introduce them to new flavors! Hopefully he is a good eater like his sister. That kid loves so many things that kids don't normally enjoy I think. The kid ate half an acorn squash tonight, along with some great spiced lentils with carrots, onion, garlic and kielbasa over brown rice. She also loves artichokes, asparagus, and all kinds of fish. She eats anything we cook for ourselves. I hope she keeps this up!

Yesterday we went to a new Mom's group at a different church. They had babysitters in a room with a bunch of toys. As soon as she saw the toys she ran over and started playing. Almost all the other kids were crying because they didn't want their moms to leave. My girl did NOT mind that I wasn't there for an hour (we were just in the next room, but she didn't know that!) Later she said, "Mommy, all the kids were crying! I don't know why they were crying!" She did great and played well with all the other kids. I think she is developing some really good social skills and I'm proud to see that. She is kind and is good at sharing - most of the time! She really enjoys playing with other kids now. And I'm glad she feels so secure that she doesn't mind when I'm not there for a while.

John Paul on the other hand contributed several times to the conversation in the Mom's group. That kid is a talker!

Are you ready for some football??

Go COLTS!!!

5 months old!

We are mobile! John Paul has learned how to roll both ways really well. He really enjoys being on his tummy, even sleeping on his tummy most of the time now. He loves to push up on his arms and he can spin around in a circle. I never know where I'll find him in his crib when I get him up! I had the easiest time taking his 5 month pictures today. He is so smiley! They were all so good I had trouble picking just a few.

As you can see he is growing like crazy!

Where's your neck, John Paul?

I did end up getting the amber necklace. It seems to be working well so far. He had started arching his back and screaming like Madeleine did when she was teething, and also drooling all the time. Since wearing the necklace, he hasn't done that at all. No screaming in pain, no drooling. I think it's worth it so far, although he probably won't enjoy these pictures someday! Oh well, Mom's get to embarrass their kids, right? (Sorry I made you wear a necklace John Paul!)

Trying to fly.

He also found his feet and plays with them all the time, especially when I'm trying to change his diaper. It makes it a little challenging. He also sprouted a little more hair this month!

He is not sleeping through the night. On good nights he wakes up once, on other nights 3 times. At least he's sleeping in his crib full time now. He's getting really good at reaching for things and grabbing things, so I can't sit with him on my lap when I'm eating anymore (not very well anyway!) Speaking of eating, I forget when you can tell they're ready to start eating solid foods. Anyone want to refresh my memory? :)

Most of the time John Paul is in a GREAT mood. He smiles at everyone, and usually goes to everyone for a little while anyway. He starts to look around for me if someone else besides Daddy or Grandma is holding him. It's so funny, he is such a flirt. Last week at church this lady was sitting in front of us. She was just smiling at him the whole time during mass. After communion she said, "I know I'm a stranger, but do you mind if I hold him? He is just so cute and friendly!" I don't remember that ever happening before!!

A few weeks ago I gave him a sippy cup with a soft spout and handles with water in it. He doesn't know how to drink out of it yet (and I know he doesn't need water) but he really enjoys holding the handles and chewing on the spout - he gets a little water out but not much. His favorite thing though, is to drink water out of a beer mug! I'll have to get a picture of that for sure!

He also can sit up really well in the double side by side stroller now, which I am really happy about! He is pretty good at sitting up too. He leans forward and supports himself with his arms.

We love you John Paul!

Just for fun, here is Madeleine's 5 month post.

Post office adventures

What a title - this is my life now! Today I had to go to the post office to mail two big packages. Of course my kids never take naps at the same time, so we didn't get to go until about 4:45.

Side note: yesterday I got a new rocking chair from my friend. It is FABULOUS. See, I had gotten a horrible rocking chair from a garage sale several years ago and was using it in John Paul's room. It was SO uncomfortable and had really hard arms and worst of all it squeaked when I rocked, so I couldn't even rock. I just sat there in the middle of the night getting madder and madder. This was NOT working out. Thank you M for the great rocking chair! Much better now.

Anyway, because I had gotten the rocking chair yesterday, I forgot to put the strollers back in the back of the van. When I got to the post office, I realized that I somehow had to get both kids and two huge packages in there without

A. Losing a kid
B. Losing a package

So, I put my Discover card and license in my pocket, John Paul in the hotsling, and instructed Madeleine to hold on to my pants while I tried to precariously balance the packages in the other hand opposite John Paul.

We made it to the door, then the counter, just as I was about to drop everything. I got them sent, then had to pick up a letter for Ken. I realized that I had forgotten the slip in the car. So we treked out to the car and got the slip, then came back in. By this time Madeleine had decided that she owned the post office and could go anywhere she wanted, hang on the poles, etc. So I picked her up and set her on the counter and stood right by her. It's not like I could hold her while I had John Paul in the sling. Then some lady comes over and says, "Ma'am, I can't allow you to put your child up on the counter." Ok then YOU chase her around while I'm waiting for this other lady to find my letter.

Anyway, we finished up and walked out to the car. I buckled Madeleine in her seat and gave her her milk. I walked around to my side and buckled John Paul in and then heard a CLUNK. Of course my kid had dropped her milk. On purpose. I decided I'd be nice and walk around and get it for her. So I opened the van door and walked around to her side, only to discover my drivers license on the ground on her side of the van. I totally would have driven away without it if she hadn't dropped her milk! Whew! Thanks Kid. :)

Hanging out at Grandma's

Ken was gone all weekend so we took advantage and spent some time at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We ate dinner outside and John Paul enjoyed the exersaucer for the first time.

And everyone else enjoyed the hot tub (or the tiny ocean, as Madeleine calls it!) The big ocean (pool) has been way too cold to get in most of the summer.

We also got a new kitty. More on that later. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Where does she come up with this stuff?

Last night we went over to Sarah's house for dinner. John Paul has decided that he wants to be in bed by 8, which is a good AND bad thing. Bad when we're out somewhere and he wants to be home and in bed. He doesn't cry very often but he does when he is tired! So on the way home he screamed the entire time. Madeleine tried to calm him down from her carseat. She said,

Oh John Paul, I know you want to be home. We're almost home.
Oh John Paul, I know you need your diaper changed. Mommy will change your diaper when we get home.
Oh John Paul, I know you want to drink out of Mommy's belly button. You can drink out of it SOON!

(I was dying laughing in the front seat!)

2 1/2

My little girl is 2 1/2 today! She is SO much fun. I never get tired of hanging out with her. She makes me laugh every day, and sometimes I can't believe some of the stuff she says. I have never seen a kid her age talk this well. She is getting so good at expressing herself.

She has a very strong, stubborn personality, which can be good and bad! Someone recently told me that the best advice they could give about raising a daughter was not to break her spirit. She said the world would beat her down enough. I am taking this to heart. She has a beautiful spirit. It's hard to raise a strong willed child like this sometimes but I think that if we can form her conscience correctly, she will be an amazing adult. I think she'll be a leader, not worry about what other people think, not feel like she has to be like everyone else, not give in to peer pressure. She has her own ideas and I love that - most of the time ;)

Every morning I spray her hair down with a spray bottle and she wants to spray herself in the face with it. Silly girl.

We still like to hang out at Barnes and Nobles or Borders on Sunday mornings. She likes to do puzzles, color in her coloring books, or play with her sticker books. She talks to everyone who comes by, and the "regulars" love her. She loves books and we go to the library every week and get a new stack.

She LOVES her brother and I am SO happy about this! She hugs and kisses him all the time. She always wants to be with him. She loves the side by side double stroller and taking baths with him. She always tries to help when he cries, and still gives him her favorite toys - even her silkies! He loves her too, and she always makes him laugh. She loves this!

She is still pretty darn tiny! Today she wore a size 6-12 month skirt! I can barely keep 18 month shorts up on her, but they're way too short for her long legs. She wears 2T pants with adjustable waists, and usually 2T shirts even though they're too big. She has been taking a good 2 hour nap and going to bed around 9:00 - we put her to bed earlier than that but she talks and talks up there. Sometimes she'll call for us for some reason - she wants socks, a drink of milk, etc. If we don't make it RIGHT up there, when we get up there she'll say, "Mommy! I called and called for you!"

She loves helping me with everything, cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, getting the mail, and she is proud that she's such a big helper. She loves playing with her baby dolls, carrying them around, feeding them bottles, taking them for walks in her stroller. She loves tea party and playing with her "food."

She's getting better at listening... she knows if she doesn't there will be a consequence. For example, if she wants to walk next to me instead of going in the stroller, she knows she has to stay by me, listen and follow directions or she'll go in her stroller. She LOVES animals and had a blast at the state fair. This child has absolutely no fear of anything. She will try anything. She loves climbing, going down the slide, and swinging. She's a very hands-on child and likes to get dirty. She still LOVES Dora and gets to watch it twice a day - once when she wakes up and once after nap. She is learning quite a few Spanish words.

I don't think she is ready for the potty yet so we're going to take it easy on that for awhile.

Ken and I just love her so much and still talk every day about how adorable she is. She gets cuter by the day. We are so blessed to have her!

John Paul's first bath in the big tub

Last night I gave John Paul a bath in the baby tub in the sink, like usual. Well he started kicking his little legs. When he kicks, he lifts his entire lower half of his body and slams it down - I have never SEEN so much water in my kitchen!! It was all over the floor, the counter, even the window! So I decided to try this tub seat tonight.


At first he was a little apprehensive about the seat, but settled right in and enjoyed himself! Madeleine thought it was great having her brother in the bath with her, especially pouring water all over him out of the fish.

His faces crack me up!

I did the entire bedtime routine with both kids by myself tonight, which is trickier than it sounds. (Ken had band practice.) The trick with the bath is to get all of John Paul's stuff - towel, diaper and jammies in the bathroom so I could take him out and get him dressed and warm, then get Madeleine out and dry. Then I read them both stories in Madeleine's room and had to give John Paul a board book to chew on. Madeleine went to bed, then I took John Paul in his room, turned on his CD, nursed him and put him to bed. Ah, peace and quiet!

Ok I may have gone a little overboard with the pictures, but two kids in the bath, can you even THINK of anything cuter than this?

Today was my last day with Baby Megan. We will miss her! She sure was an easy baby. Today I got really brave and decided to go to Chuck E Cheese with my mom and Ava and all 3 kids. It was tricky but worked out well. It was Madeleine's first time and that kid thought she was in heaven. Her favorite thing was the tubes she could crawl around and the big curly slide. I thought we were never going to get her out of there! Ava was too scared to go with her! I also got to play a few games of skee ball with John Paul in the Moby wrap, and he enjoyed that! I can't believe I forgot my camera. We had a great time!

Good thing he's a sturdy boy.

Today John Paul was in his swing and Madeleine was talking to him. My cell phone rang, and I walked out of the room to get it and had a 30 second conversation with Ken. I hung up and looked back and HE WAS NOT IN THE SWING!

His big sister decided she was going to try to pick him up, and dropped him on the floor. I gasped and picked him up and THEN he started crying (I think I scared him.) He cried for about 2 seconds and then started laughing at his sister. Madeleine got a very stern talking-to about not picking up her brother. (She only weighs about 8 pounds more than him!) I think she got it - and I have to make sure he's strapped in every time now! Don't worry, he is fine. I almost had a heart attack, but he's fine! I guess this will be a good story to tell them someday!

John Paul has spent the past 3 nights in his crib, and has taken several naps there too. I think he's getting a little more used to it. Today my friend gave me a "Baby go to sleep" cd - it's music with a heartbeat in the background. I nursed him upstairs with it playing, then put him in his crib, and he was asleep by 8:30! That's great for us!

I never thought say this....

But I need help picking out a necklace for my baby boy!!!

Go here and vote for what color you like!

http://hyenacart.com/inspiredbyfinn/index.php?c=19

On teething and sleep

It's not bad yet, but we've had to give him a few doses of Camilia - that stuff is awesome. Has anyone had any success with Amber necklaces like these? I have heard some good things about them.

Oh the sleeping issues. I'm working on getting John Paul used to his crib. He does NOT like it. He has to be fast asleep before I dare try to put him in there, or he'll start thrashing around and wake himself up. So usually I feed him around 8, put him in his swing and he falls asleep. Then I move him to his crib when I go to bed, and he'll sleep there maybe 3 hours before he gets up. When he gets up I go in there to feed him, but he wakes right back up when I put him down again. So he usually ends up in bed with us and I can. not. sleep. with. him. in. the. bed. I always end up with about 3 inches of bed space and he's smashed up against me. Either that or he lays there kicking and kicking his strong little legs. I've let him cry a little in his bed but he doesn't just fuss and go to sleep, he cries and it escalates until he's screaming. I've tried swaddling and that helps a little. I've tried laying him horizontally and that helps a little. I hope he gets used to it soon!

Funny girl

Today Madeleine woke up CRYING and crying, saying she wanted her tea set. Last week she decided she didn't want to go on the potty, so she didn't get her tea set. So I asked her if she wanted to try big girl underwear today, and she said yes. She picked out a pair of Dora underwear and did. not. have ONE. accident today. And we were outside, playing on the swingset and sandbox, had friends over, and even went to the grocery store. She did perfect. So she got a tea cup and we all had a tea party, complete with music, after supper. She says she does not want to wear diapers anymore so we'll see. I'm not going to push it.

So today my friend came over and she was "racing" Madeleine for bites at lunch. Madeleine does not like to eat all that much, so we have to find ways of getting her to eat. This worked great! My friend kept saying Madeleine "beat" her. When she was eating supper tonight, she looked at Ken and said, "Daddy, will you beat me?" HAAAAA!!!

I explained what she meant and he did it - and she cleaned her plate. She kept saying, "Daddy, will you "beat" me AGAIN?" :)

I hope this phrase doesn't come out in public...

Hanging out with friends

Cousins Eli and Jude. My mom and dad had 4 grandchildren in less than 2 1/2 years!



Ava and Madeleine at the playground - isn't this a cool swing?? (Cathy thanks for the shoes!)


John Paul the huge baby and Baby Megan who we are watching for a few weeks. She is SOOOO sweet and an easy baby! Look how tiny she is! She got baptized this weekend and her little head still smells like chrism. I love that smell.


Kateri and John Paul.... hm, can you tell these kids are Catholic by their names? :)

Will and John Paul hanging out at story hour - they are 4 days apart and if you can believe it, Will weighs almost 2 pounds more! We have some big cute boys!



Will and John Paul go way back :)

4 month appointment

I have one big boy!

He was 16 lbs exactly, and 27 inches! This kid has grown 6 inches in 4 months!! No wonder none of his clothes fit! He's too long!

So he's in the 75th percentile for weight and 97TH for height!! What the heck, only 3 percent of babies are longer than him? We do have some height on both sides of our family though. The nurse practitioner who we saw today (Dr. J was sick) said he looked long and lean, and that he was very strong and mature for his age, and looked older than 4 months.

Also, he just started rolling over. The first time he rolled was on Friday when I got their pictures taken. The photographer put him on his tummy and he rolled right over. Then he did it again today. She said he looked great in every way, and that he'd probably want to start solid food before his 6 month appointment and that was fine. She said try to wait til as close to 6 months as possible. He's obviously growing just fine so far!

Easily Amused

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

4 months old!

My baby is 4 months old today! He is the most smiley baby I've ever seen. Ken said last night that Madeleine was a happy baby, but John Paul takes it to a whole new level! Every time he sees someone looking at him he breaks out into a huge smile - his mouth open wide and his whole body into it. He is just so adorable! He has big blue eyes that everyone comments on. And a few little scraps of hair that can't decide what color it's going to be. He is BIG and strong and very wiggly. He's pretty hard to hold sometimes because he just slides and wiggles all over the place.
Here's the Johnny Jump Up I put up today for the first time. He did pretty well! Still a little wobbly but he lasted about 10 minutes. Madeleine was pretty fascinated with it as well. There had to be a new rule instituted today: No swinging your brother.

I can't believe it, but he's getting his two bottom teeth! I can see and feel two tiny points on the bottom. Also he rolled over in our bed today. He might have been on his side though and ended up on his tummy so I don't think I'll count this as his first roll. He always has his hands in his mouth, but hasn't really found his thumb yet. I keep hoping.

He's hanging out with our favorite seminarian, Dominic, who has been praying for Madeleine and John Paul since they were conceived.

And Father Joshua, who had a "vocation talk" with John Paul tonight :)

Lately he's been loving hanging out in the sling. We went to the state fair and I carried him in the sling almost the whole time. When he's in the sling (or nursing sometimes) he loves to hold my hand!! I think this is just the sweetest thing EVER!

He absolutely refuses to sleep in his crib. I have totally spoiled him by letting him take his naps in the swing. I've tried about 10 times in the past week to get him to sleep in his crib but he always wakes up, and then is cranky because he doesn't get a good nap. So at night he's still in the cradle and for now he's taking naps in the swing. Hopefully he'll get used to the crib soon though! I've instituted the dream feed - where I pick him up and feed him when I go to bed - and he's been sleeping until about 5:30 or 6:00, which is fantastic.

Even when he's tired though, he is usually in a good mood and generally a really easy baby to get along with. Not to mention adorable.

He absolutely LOVES his big sister! And she loves him! I'm just so happy about this. If he cries she always tries to make him smile. She gives him toys and talks to him while I change his diaper. She always likes to sit by him and talk to him. Lately she comes up and says "Hi Little Thing!" Or she'll shake his hand and say "Nice to meet you John Paul!" I love the blog because I can look back and remember.

He laughs out loud all the time and is really ticklish. He loves to play Pat-a-cake too. He's really good at church every week. (His sister could take a lesson!)

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful little son!

Knock me over with a feather.....

Today I got up early today, came downstairs and set this up on the table. Madeleine sits where the placemat is (obviously) so she got to look at it when she ate her meals. When I went to get her, I told her I had a special surprise for her downstairs. I showed her the tea set and told her that every day she kept her pants dry until Daddy got home, she got to choose a piece to keep and play with at her little table. Her eyes got big and I asked her if she wanted to try it. She was really excited and said YES! Then when she was eating breakfast, I asked her which piece she was going to choose today if she kept her pants dry all day and used the potty every time. She picked out one of the teacups she wanted. I set up her table and even made her a little tablecloth. She couldn't wait to play with that teacup.

So, this morning she went a few times on the potty, without me even telling her. I thought maybe it would work for a little while and then she'd forget. NO. She went the ENTIRE DAY with ZERO accidents!!! I cannot believe it!! She was SO proud of herself too. She was even dry for her nap.

So when Daddy got home, she got to get her teacup. Then she sat at her table and played with it for quite a while. She has her eye on a saucer for tomorrow. Now I KNOW she can do it! I really hope this is it. Isn't this a pretty set for a little girl??

Baby Megan was here for a while today, so that's another reason I'm shocked there were no accidents today. And I was also pleasantly surprised at how helpful she was. I didn't even want her to take a nap! First I fed Megan and John Paul was crying in his swing. Madeleine kept going over and talking to him and making him smile. Then I put Megan down in the bouncy seat and fed John Paul. Every time Megan's pacifier fell out Madeleine would put it back in for me. She is one great kid.