Monday, May 25, 2015

Conversations with Isaiah 06.007

Isaiah:  Mom, can we paint this bridge red?
Me: Uhh, why?
Isaiah: Because way far away, in a land, there's a bridge like this and it's red.
Me: You mean San Francisco?
Isaiah: Yeah!

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Conversations with Isaiah 06.006

Isaiah: Hey, Mom. Guess what? Father Pete and Father Ken said mass on Friday.
Me: Oh, yeah? How did that work?
Isaiah: I don't know. Oh! Yes I do! They both just....said words.

Conversations with Micah 03.004

Micah was singing along at the Alleluia on mass this morning. Did great on the "Alleluia" part but didn't know the verse. Instead, he sang out "Everybody poop now" (to the tune of Everybody Dance Now)

Friday, May 15, 2015

Esther @ 6 Months

Stats
17 lbs, 7.4 oz (75%)
25 1/4" (25%)

My sweet girl is 6 months old today!



Silly little Esther has been sitting for about 6 weeks, is practicing walking and now...is rolling over. Lol! She's got it kind of backwards and it cracks me up. It pretty much only happens when I put her in bed and she rolls onto her belly, often gets stuck, and gets super upset. The first time she did it she got so upset I though she was hurt based on the way she started crying. Nope, just on her belly (and spun 180 degrees...somehow!)

Sleep is a nightmare more often than not. Maybe I need to look into sleep training? I dunno. I didn't do it with the boys, and I don't do well with letting her cry. The thing is, the boys took good naps during the day. Miss Esther suuuuuucks at napping. I mean, seriously....30 minutes max. Occasionally she will sleep longer but when her sleep sheep turns off (after 45 minutes) she's up. I just downloaded an app on my phone the other day that will play white noise indefinitely. So far she's slept longer than 30 minutes....once. I'm thinking I need to do a combination of keeping her up a little longer between naps (so she's good and tired) and using that app on my phone. See if we can extend those naps. Longer naps less often, that's the goal.

Thankfully, sleep at night is pretty awesome.


Esther is definitely becoming very anchored to me. At this point there is only 1 person out there I can leave her with...and that's the lady that watches the kids while I do counseling. I guess I've left her with Miss Norma often enough now that Esther knows who she is. But this is creating problems. I had car trouble last week and left her with someone from church (ohmygosh thank God for that family...they sure helped me out!) and Esther cried until she passed out. Same thing when I left her with my mom last week. I'm getting worried about leaving her for court and when (if) I eventually start work. She's going to have a really rough time.

She still won't take a bottle buuuuuut....there's been some interest in sippy cups. I'm trying a few different kinds and she still won't sit there and drink much. She did manage to taste Micah's lemonade with a straw at a restaurant yesterday, so maybe I need to get more of those straw cups. At least there's interest there. I need to try it more regularly but I just...I can't remember to do it. Yet another thing that's going to be tough for her when I have to leave her at daycare. (Though, at the rate the job hunt is (not) going, she may be on solids before I start working.)

As for food...she wants everything! She will try anything that gets close enough for her to grab. So far she really likes lasagna, pickles, cheese, crackers, grapes, chicken and Cheetos. She does NOT like cottage cheese, eggs, or banana. I need to come up with a better variety of things for her to try. I grabbed a couple cans of fruit...she did NOT like the fruit cocktail but I haven't tried the peaches yet.


Esther got her first shoes a couple weeks ago. She still loves being outside and it's finally nice more often than not. The problem was, she wanted to walk around out there but the concrete was hurting her feet. So, shoes solved that problem. Earlier than the boys, for sure (but she also needs them more than they did!)

Esther's still working on walking. She loves being in the walker, and is finally starting to be able to move it forward a bit. There's a lot of backing into walls and getting stuck, still. I'm thinking it won't last much longer, though. The time she can stand on her own is getting a bit longer every day (it seems). Esther's also starting to be able to pull herself up, but only with my fingers. She hasn't really tried doing it with anything else. Know what? I'm okay with that. Kids get so much harder to keep track on when they really start moving on their own. So far, she still stays put.


Esther lost the last tiny bit of baby hair she had on the back of her head...but the rest is coming in pretty well. The bald spot on the back of her head is disappearing (thanks to sitting up and hair growth). Yay! But I had to say goodbye to her last bit of dark baby hair. Her hair is definitely darker than either of the boys' started. I mean, obviously Micah is a towhead, but even when Isaiah's hair first came in it was more golden than brown. Esther's hair is about the same color as Isaiah's is now. If hers darkens too, she's going to have some dark brown hair.


Speaking of her head...it's getting too big for her hair ribbons. I know I can get some more (when I have the money) but it's still sad that's she's growing out of her baby bows. Just like it's a little sad when she outgrows each size of clothes. But the hair bands are just a milestone that the boys didn't really have.

In the past week or so, Esther's really become fascinated with the cats. I'm talking full-on excited baby when she sees them. The dogs don't interest her as much, maybe because they've been in her face since the day she came home from the hospital. Those kitties, though...they're awesome. Of course, they run away if I walk toward them with her so I have to do a sneak attack. Except for Spots, sometimes he comes up to her and walks away with a few less strands of fur.

Other things she finds very exciting: Peek-a-boo, bouncing, "flying", and her brothers!

By the way, in size 3 diapers. In 9 month clothes, 12 month are fitting though. Also, I randomly realized her ankles and Micah's ankles are about the same size (as measured by my fingers). Esther's going to outweigh her big brother pretty soon!



Comparing...

EstherMicahIsaiah
17 lbs, 7.4 oz (75%)17 lbs, 3 oz (50%)20 lbs, 10 oz (90%)
25 1/4" (25%)25 1/2" (25%) 28" (95%)


So Isaiah is still the undisputed king in the "big baby" comparison. Esther didn't grow a ton between last checkup and this one. I can't remember exactly when Micah's growth sort of...stagnated. I want to say around 6 months. Maybe Esther's going to stay tiny like her brother? Though, on the other hand, she's already trying to walk, and that's burning calories. We'll just have to wait and see.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Conversations with Isaiah 06.005

We were looking at some pictures that Pam sent us of little Felix...

Me: Do you know who Aaron is? He's myyyy
Isaiah: Brother!
Me: Yup. And he's your....
Isaiah: Uncle.
Me: And Felix is your...
Isaiah: Cousin!
Me: And he's my....
Isaiah: Grandson?

:(


Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Conversations with Micah 03.004

I'm working on filling out paperwork for preschool and one of the questions was "What upsets your child?" Since I couldn't think of anything (other than normal 3 year old stuff) I asked Micah what upsets him. His response? "Esther upsets me."


Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Esther @ 5 Months

My sweet little girl is another month older! She's such a cute little thing. I went out and bought her some clothes for summer lately and went up to 9-month. Hopefully that will hold her for most of the season...if it ever stays warm. Girl clothes are so much cuter than boy clothes! And there's more options. I'm going to avoid straight t-shirts and shorts for a while, I think!


Esther had her first Easter! Again...girl clothes are super cute! Her dress was adorable. She did pretty well getting passed around at Mynaw's house. Can I just say...it's funny to see Uncle Joel voluntarily hold a baby now when he was so nervous to hold Isaiah after he was born! Granted, newborns are not the same as a 4-month old...but I often remember Joel's comment of "I will crush him with my man strength" when I see him holding a baby.


Also, btw, completely missed Purim. Not that I've ever celebrated it, but it's the holiday celebrating the story of Queen Esther and how she saved the Jews. "For such a time as this...." and all that. (It's in the Bible, people!)


Little girl is still exclusively nursing. In fact, she will not take a bottle. I've tried...especially since the pediatrician keeps pushing us with the vitamin D, but it's just a no go. Even if someone else has the bottle (sorry Becca and AnnMarie!). I'm actually hoping I don't get a job until she can eat regular food and/or drink from a sippy cup. That will save a lot of tears when she has to start daycare. (There will be enough when I have to leave her...from both of us!)


She is starting to get super interested in what I'm eating. I've let her try a few things...oranges, apples, eggrolls, etc. You know, stuff she really seems to want. She pretty much just sucks on everything still so I'm not quite to where I'm going out of my way to feed her. Probably going to start that pretty soon though. I'm just going to do the BLW (I think it's called?) where I give her what we're eating. It worked really well with Micah! He will try about anything and eats a larger variety than Isaiah (who had jarred baby food). 


Esther has made some big strides in the past month. She's sitting longer and longer every day. Oh, it makes her SO happy to be able to see what everyone else is doing! Laying down / leaning back is no longer okay...usually it means instant tears! The walker and jumper are now our best friends. Actually, she will stay in her jumper for a good while most days, making it easier to fold laundry or make dinner. It also means she can participate in some things with her brothers.



Then, this happened recently. Yup, STANDING by herself! The picture is super blurry because she wasn't still and I was incredibly nervous she would topple over and hurt herself. But, she did it! Esther's been practicing walking too! Giant steps, lifting her little knees to her waist...it's hilarious! She will walk across the house (which is about all my back can manage) holding on to my fingers and taking those big, high steps. I've had one prediction  that she will be walking on her own by 7 months. We shall see.




Still nothing on the teeth front. They're coming...they HAVE to be. Her eyes, nose and mouth are all running. Ahh! But,  the pediatrician said what I thought were teeth are actually gum cysts (which babies can get and should go away on their own). Didn't know such a thing existed.

So, a lot going on for my little bit. Onward to six months!