Joel's Milestones at 9 months

Just checking in with a little update on Joel. He's sprouted his first two teeth, lower central incisors. The right one popped through two weeks ago and the left one about 3 days ago. I can see his uppers are on the way, also. He's taken to standing on his own, squating and pressing up to stand. He's quite pleased with himself about this. He frequently picks things up and stands up and says, "Ha!" in his growly little voice.  He's picking up more words lately as well. So far his list includes, Dada, Mama, No-No, Da-Bah (the ball), and uh oh.  I think we hear Da-Bah about 500 times a day. The boy is ball obsessed already. He's also signing Milk still and we are working on Food and All Done as well as signing other words as I remember to do them. He can also say Hi and wave. It's really cute. He has a Rose Parade wave. :)

He's back to sleeping through the night 10-12 hour stretches. Thank goodness. I was struggling for a while there with the teething waking him up frequently.  He's started taking long morning naps and short afternoon ones which is interesting to me. The girls were always the opposite. That's about it. He has his 9 month well visit next week. We're a couple of weeks late, but that's ok. :)

Brave Brooke

Brooke climbed this obstacle at the park today all by herself. I was about 10 feet away, watching her, but tending to Joel. As she was climbing I reminded her to be careful, but not wanting to be overly cautious and stifle her, I left it at that. Kids need to take risks and learn their limitations. That's hard for me as a mom, but John reminds me often to let them be kids. Brooke made it all the way to the top and then, I don't know what happened. She just seemed to let go and down she came. Miraculously, she cleared the entire climbing apparatus and landed feet first. I watched as her knees buckled and she fell forward. I ran to scoop her up, afraid she'd broken her leg(s). The playground floor is a slightly springy material, but she fell from about 6 feet high.

I sat down with her on my lap and she was crying. I asked her what hurt and she said her knees did. We lifted her skirt to find she'd scraped both knees a bit. I asked if her feet hurt and she said no. The next sentence out of her shocked me, but I was so proud of her. "Mama, I want to try it again." I said ok and carefully set her down so she could walk back to the playground. The woman next to me commented, "Oh good. She can walk." That's how scary a fall she took.

We went back to the obstacle, this time with me behind her, but I didn't help at all. She climbed all the way up and made it to the top again. This time, she made it onto the platform without trouble. There was literally less than a minute of comforting from me before she was ready to tackle that mountain again. What a brave kid.

Do you even know what that means?

Brooke and Lainey have both hit the age where they are learning new words or phrases but not using them correctly. The results are so funny. Brooke is tacking "anyways" onto everything. "I can walk over here anyways." "Lainey is swimming anyways."

This exchange with Lainey today cracked me up-

L: Is Uncle Bobby coming to the mountains today?
Me: No, not this trip. You like Uncle Bobby, huh?
L: Yeah. He freaks me out.
Me: He does!?!?
L: What does that mean?

haha!

So funny

Last night as we drove home from my Dad's birthday dinner, Lainey said one of the funniest things I think she's ever said.  It was bedtime and we had some piano music going in the car to help the kids mellow out.

Lainey: "Mom?"
Me: "Yes, Lainey?"
L: "I think I have a lady bug in my pants."
Me: "Oh?"
L: "I'm going to sleep."

And she did.  John and I were cracking up all the way home.

Tracking milestones

I realize I've missed a few milestones for the kids, so here's a few things that have happened recently that I don't want to forget...

-Joel has been rolling like a mad man for about a month. And in the last two weeks has been able to hold himself sitting up.

-Brooke started cutting her eye teeth (finally!) about a month ago. They're about halfway in at this point.

-Joel has been sleeping 8 hours at night pretty consistently for the last month. Now just waiting for those 10-12 hour nights so that I can both get some sleep and get some downtime. :)

-Lainey had another dentist appointment last week and her teeth look great. She's done a great job at the dentist so far and we're hoping she's never afraid of it like a lot of people are. He says she'll need braces someday, probably around age 11. Time to start saving for that bill!

Joel's First sign

It's official! We thought he was catching on a few days ago. He proved it without a doubt tonight. Here's Joel at 5 months old (5 days short of 6 months) signing and understanding "MILK."

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First foods

Joel is really interested in eating with us now. I'm following more of a Baby Led Weaning model this time around. I did the same with the girls to an extent, but they got purees and cereals sometimes. I don't know if I'll do that with Joel or not. It's kind of a pain. ;) So far he's tried and liked, zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, and carrots!

I like to Move it Move it

I'm finally uploading hundreds of photos from our digital camera.  After the death of my laptop, our pictures have been wallowing on my camera for months because I didn't have a card reader or a cord to connect the camera to the computer.  Now that I have my new desktop computer and I found the right cord, I'm back in business.  I have lots to share, but it'll take me a while to get it all loaded.  I'm really wanting to try to post more on my blog than I do on Facebook.  Facebook is easy from my phone though, so it tends to take priority.  Anyway, I thought this video was kind of funny and shows the girls and their goofiness at dinner time.  Enjoy and I hope to be posting some back dated stuff over the next few days as I sort through all the pictures and get them organized. :)  This is from February 26, 2013.

Lainey is reading!

I have to be sure to make note of this day! Lainey started reading this afternoon. We were in the kitchen and she started to sound out words she saw on the stove. Soon we moved to the refrigerator magnets and other words around the house. OFF, MELT, LOW, GOD, HOP, LID, POT, TAN, PET. She was so, so proud of herself and that look was just too precious. She is 4 years, 4 months old and I can't believe we're already at this point. It seems like she was just a tiny munchkin yesterday.

Gems from Brooke

Trying to be sure I save the funny things the kids say. Here's some from Brooke.

"Everybody listen up! The mouse ran up the hickory doc!"

"I need to get dressed. The Bible tells me so."

Runs to John, crying, "Lainey took my ring!" John gets it and hands it to her. "Oh, I don't want it."

Mommy: "How old are you?"
Brooke: "I'm one!"
Mommy: "No..."
Brooke: "Oh, I two old."

Bath time!

All clean!

A Visit With Lexi

We had fun visiting Lexi on Monday. Lainey loves to ride and brush her. This was Brooke's first time on a horse and she was a little nervous. But she tried it because I asked her to and I think she did enjoy it a little bit. I miss having Lexi nearby, but I'm glad she's in a good place and being well taken care of. Here's a few pictures of the girls going for a small ride in the paddock. And one of Lainey brushing Lexi's tail.

Life as a family of 5

Life has been good with the addition of Joel. We are really blessed by all we have and for our awesome kids. There was once a time when I wasn't sure we'd have our own children. Three years of unexplained infertility that ended with the birth of sweet Lainey. It turns out that God just had better timing than we did. :)

Joel is just about 9 weeks old now. He's such an easy baby. He's sleeping about 5 hours a night with another 2-3 after that. He seems like he'll be sleeping through the night soon, but who knows. One of the things we prayed over him in the womb was that he'd be a good sleeper. Brooke was up every hour for her first weeks of life and didn't sleep through the night until she was 13 months old, so we are really praying for a better sleeper in Joel. He's smiling and cooing a lot now. He loves to sing along with Daddy when he plays his guitar. He's a super snuggle buddy and loves to fall asleep on my shoulder. He had his first shots yesterday. I decided to go with the recommended shots all at once. With the girls, I spaced them out. But with older sisters in preschool and Sunday school, there's so much more risk for him. Plus, the girls are pretty nervous at the doctor's office now because their shots came at every visit with extra ones too. I hope Joel doesn't get that fearful. 

Lainey is in preschool two days a week. She is learning a lot about sharing, making friends, playing, and exploring the world. She's taking an interest in learning to read too and has started sounding out words and spelling. She can add small numbers using her fingers and is pretty proud of herself about that. She loves her dance classes and watching movies. She's very excited about Christmas and still calls Rudolf, "Brudolf." She says some pretty funny stuff. Here's a few recent ones:

"I don't really like Superman, but I guess sometimes he saves the day."

"Brookie thinks his name is Doo-dolf, but it's really BRUdolf."

After I got upset with her for making me tell her to put on her shoes "so many times, I can't even count," she kindly offered, "Mommy, I can teach you to count."

Brooke is cracking us up these days. She's talking a lot and learning how to maneuver through her world. She's learned to pull a chair to counter to reach what she wants and if you don't go where she wants you to go, she'll grab your clothes and drag you there. She's very persistent. She loves to go to "Wham-ma's House" and to dance class. She wants to wear dancey shoes and fancy dresses everyday. She loves chicken and "Ween tandy." (Halloween candy.)  She's loving Christmas season and loves to watch "Doo-dolf" and look for lights on houses at night. One of my favorite things she says right now is asking may I be excused. It sounds like, " May yama le guzed?"

That's where we're at right now. It takes three times longer to go anywhere and a lot more preparation to make sure life runs smoothly, but we have fun. The house is never clean and some days I barely get myself fed. The laundry is piled up, clean but not folded. :) Life is good.

Time to revive the blog

We have a new addition to the family which means we'll have to rename the blog. Joel Michael was born October 7th, 2012. He's two months old! I think I will start using the blog to track the kids' lives and growth. Kind of like a baby book. So here's my first attempt at blogging again... Hopefully I'll do better than I have the last few years. :)

Helping out the Startups

On June 7, 2012, Copeland Startup's heart stopped.  He was exactly 20 months old.  Copeland is the son of our dear friends, Will and Lauren.  Will and Lauren lived with us in Arizona for a couple of years as John and Will played baseball together.  The story is an amazing testimony of God's faithfulness and divine mercy. I can't do it justice, so if you haven't already been to the Startup's blog to read it in Will's words, please check it out. http://willlaurenstartup.blogspot.com

As of this date, Copeland has been hospitalized for 16 days.  Two weeks of that time were spent in the ICU.  He was transported by ambulance twice, helicopter once, and went through open heart surgery to implant a pacemaker/defibrillator.  He's had heart and brain MRIs, chest xrays, and blood tests.  He is now in a rehabilitation hospital relearning how to sit up, stand, walk, use his arms, regain his language abilities, etc.  The initial estimate on the time he will spend there is three months.  Will is no longer gaining a paycheck as he hasn't been working for 16 days.  In addition, their only car is in Texas (where Will was playing independent baseball), along with all of their belongings.  They are now in Atlanta and need to have their things shipped back to them.

Many people have asked how they can help the Startups in this time of crisis and great need. Praying for their family is the number one way you can help.  Another way is through financial support.  As you can see from the preceding paragraph, they have some big financial needs.  If anyone has ever even been on a trip to the ER without an ambulance, you know the astronomical cost of medical care, let alone ambulance rides and days in ICU.  Will and Lauren are amazing parents and amazing followers of Christ.  Their trust in God and faithfulness through this crisis has been inspiring to me and many people that I know.  They are humble and generous.  If you feel led, please consider donating to Copeland's medical fund.  Any amount would bless them tremendously.  Any donations made go directly to Copeland's care and needs. 

You can donate in one of two ways.  If you'd like to make a deposit into Copeland's fund, you can go to any Bank of America location and make a deposit.  If you are outside of Georgia, you will need an out of state deposit slip. Name: Copeland Startup Account #: 334034302802

Or you can click the donate link and make a donation through Paypal.  Just click the button below.  You can also send money through Paypal using the email address: copelandsfund@gmail.com

Paypal does take a small fee out of the deposits made through them, but it is a very convenient way to donate.  If you want to be sure your full donation without fees goes to the Startups, please go directly to a Bank of America to make your donation.

Thank you so much for all of your prayerful support for their family.  They are so grateful for the tremendous show of care and concern they have received so far.

Milestones and some pictures

I'm not good at keeping up this blog, but that's ok. I don't even know if anyone reads it, but it's nice to have a place to keep some notes about milestones and the like. Since my last post, Lainey turned 3 and we had a great party for her. We had fun on Halloween too, dressing up as a family with a "Tangled" theme. Brooke is growing and learning and making us smile all the time.

Lainey also started preschool. She says she doesn't like it, but she always seems happy when we pick her up. She's learning a new letter each week and learning to follow directions and share with classmates. She's doing great with puzzles, counting, and memorizing just about anything. She's in AWANAs and has learned about 10 verses so far.

Brooke is 10 months now and she's signing more now. Just yesterday she really started using "MILK" regularly. She's done it here and there, but now she'll sign it when you ask and when she wants milk. She's been signing "ALL DONE" for a while and she's also starting to sign "DADDY." She's less inclined toward communication than Lainey was, but she's more tactile. She seems to learn by doing and it's been fun to watch her grow and change. She is very close to walking. She takes one or two steps now between furniture and seems very, very proud of herself when she does it. No teeth yet, but they seem to be close. She is still not sleeping through the night which is kind of a bummer, but I keep reminding myself that this period of time is not that long in the grand scheme of things.

And now to some pictures. :)

Flynn Rider, Rapunzel, Mother Gothel, and the Flower

The Fearsome Duo

Somebody found a marker...

Getting ready to pick out our Christmas tree

Tree decorating time!

Silly girl

Reading books in the ladybug tent together.

Peek-a-boo!

I can do it too!

Boo!

This sweet hen was Lainey's buddy today when we went to ride Lexi.

The hen was so quiet and gentle. Lainey was smitten.

That's all for today! I would promise to update more, but I know I can't keep that promise. I will try though. :)

Oh no... 3 months later!

Wow, I've been behind on blog posts! I'll have to pull together some pictures and videos soon. We've been overwhelmed by life lately. Between travel and getting back into the groove of life at home, I feel like we are just now getting settled back into a rhythm. Brooke is still not quite sleeping through the night. She'll grace me with 6 hours in a row every so often and it's like a breath of fresh air! Most nights it's still every 3-4 hours. We will get there soon though. She's hitting some big milestones right now and I'm certain it's not helping her sleep.

She started scooting about three weeks ago. It sort of looked like an army crawl with one foot pushing and the other hip scooting to catch up. Just in the last week, she's upgraded to a real crawl, belly up and all. She's not too fast yet, but she knows how to get around to whatever she really wants. She's fun. She's really kicking in with the talking now. She says Mama all the time. She'll say Dada and La-La-La too! So cute! Lainey loves it when she calls her La-La. No teeth yet for this little one and I don't really expect them for another two months or so, despite the massive amount of drool she's able to produce.

Lainey is cruising along toward three years old. This includes dressing herself and choosing her own clothes, (mostly) brushing her teeth (we do a once over after she's done), emptying the silverware from the dishwasher, and talking back. :) That last one is a new development that I'm told is a very 3 year old thing. We're working on it. :) She's in dance class again and she really loves that. She is also going to start preschool in about a month! Holy cow! I can't believe I have a preschooler.

Hopefully I'll get my act together and get a new video posted. I've had requests for a chat with Lainey again. We'll try to do that this weekend. :)

We are in the midst of more travels. We are on trip 3 of 3 with just me and the girls. It's been... interesting. Lainey is in the throes of the terrible twos. And they really can be terrible sometimes. I've had to up my game as disciplinarian with her. It's not fun, but after a couple of weeks of a little more tough love she's really doing better. Not perfect by any means, but better.

The biggest challenge has been sleeping. We have all been sleeping in the same room for the last few weeks on and off. That is a big challenge for Lainey. She is a dark room, no noise, no distractions kind of sleeper. She's been sleeping a lot less because of the sleeping arrangements and that really does not improve behavior at all. We are now at my mom and John's house where she can sleep in her own room. She's doing so much better. She now wants the door open with a little bit of light to fall asleep. And now she is staying in bed when she's told, so that helps so much. Wake up time has been creeping earlier and earlier which is tough on this night owl. But in some ways I actually enjoy waking up earlier and getting my day started. If only Brooke was sleeping through the night and I was rested!

And that brings me to little Miss Brooke. This little munchkin is such a happy little girl. She is all smiles and giggles these days. It's awesome. She seems to be a much more expressive baby than Lainey was. When she's happy, you know it. When she's not, you know that too, but fortunately that's not too often unless she's overtired. She's a much bigger baby than Lainey. She's wearing clothes now that Lainey wore at one year and beyond. It's kind of funny to see such a young baby wearing the clothes Lainey walked in. She's off the charts for height and 93% for weight. And while you'd think that means she should sleep through the night, it actually means she's up every 3 hours round the clock. We're getting through it though. When we are home next month and I have a tag team partner again I'd like to try to night wean her a bit. We are in survival mode right now.

Brooke's milestones so far:

-Found her toes last week.
-Rolled tummy to back two weeks ago.
-Rolled back to tummy last week.
-Grabbing toys and reaching for things with more dexterity now.
-Lots of baby babble.

Lainey's recent milestones:

-Two year molars finally broke through! Uppers in late April, lowers in mid-May.
-First dentist appointment! She saw my cousin's husband, Dr. Jeff on our trip last week. All looks good, but she has some decalcification on her upper eye teeth, possibly from a fever during development.
-She surprises us almost daily with her vocabulary and knowledge of concepts (like that she can get away with things if adults aren't watching and asking us to leave).
-If it's a princess, she loves it. Sleeping Beauty is her favorite, but she's going to be "Purpunzel" in the purple dress for Halloween when she turns 3. :)
-Favorite word that she doesn't say correctly, "Leegotard"

Making shortcake with Grandma

Strawberry shortcake time!

Jammie time