Just me and the little one

I thought it would be fun to ask Janie the same questions that I asked Gracey and Emily. 

 Since it is just me and Janie (and Buster) during the day, everyday, we have a lot of time to discuss these things in length.

Favorites: 
Food: Mom's milk
Game: Any game with Mom
Toy: Mom's hair clips, brushes...pretty much anything that Mom has
Thing to do:  Play with Mom
Book:  That one book Mom reads me
Color: Whatever Mom likes
Movie: Baby Einstein (I only say that because my mom desperately wants me to happily watch it while she folds laundry)
Song: "My Heavenly Father Loves Me," Mom sings it all the time
Primary Song: see above


My best friend is: Mom (occasionally Dad, but mostly Mom)
Other friends I like to play with: nope
Things I like to do with my friends: nope, just want to play with Mom
What is your pet's name?  Buster
What do you love most about him?  He lets me pull his cheek and fur
What people like about me:  They love my dimples, but I mostly only show them if my mom is holding me and I am happy.
Things I can do really well: Get my way with Mom

As you can tell she is a little attached...but I absolutely adore her.

Emily - Kindergarten

Pretty sure Emily has been waiting for this day since the second Gracey started school full-time 2 years ago.  She loved preschool so much and would have chosen to go every single day had it been an option.  It is finally her turn to go to kindergarten and not a tear was shed.  She did tell me prior to school starting that she was kind of afraid of missing Buster and me during the day, but I knew if that were true, it would only last a day or so.  I was right.  She loves school!

Favorites: 
Food: Broccoli
Game: Yahtzee
Toy: Dollies
Thing to do:  Hang out and watch tv
Book:  Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath (she can read it all by herself!)
Color: Pink
Movie: "Horton Hears a Who"
Song: Cupid Shuffle
Primary Song: I Like to Look for Rainbows


My best friend is: Fiona
Other friends I like to play with: Breyanna and Brooklyn
Things I like to do with my friends: Play and talk
What is your pet's name?  Buster
What do you love most about him? That he smiles
What people like about me: "I think people think I am kind to them"
Things I can do really well: "Mostly swim and run."  

Gracey - 2nd Grade

Little Miss Gracey is now in the 2nd grade.  Her teacher this year happens to be one of my good friends, and our neighbor, Mrs. Chickadonz. Gracey's first day of school was pretty exciting.  She knew right where to go and was eager to help Emily know where to go as well!

As tradition goes, here is this year's interview.

Favorites: 
Food: Tacos
Game: Yahtzee
Toy: Barbies
Thing to do:  Play at the park
Book:  Green Eggs and Ham
Color: Purple
Movie: Horton Hears a Who
Song: The Star Spangled Banner
Primary Song: I Love to See the Temple


My best friend is: Riley and Kaylea
Other friends I like to play with: Ashlyn, Ashtyn, Carma
Things I like to do with my friends: Pretend to be horses
What is your pet's name?  Buster
What do you love most about him?  I like that he can do cool tricks
What people like about me: "I think people think I am nice, kind, and I am honest at school."
Things I can do really well: "Swim, make farting noises, play games, play piano." (Dad jokingly thinks she should add "make my sister cry!"  

"Harry Potter's Tent"

Last Friday I stripped the girls bed sheets off to wash, thinking of how domesticated I was.  (Kidding!) They were washed and dried by lunchtime, but for whatever reason I got busy doing other things and didn't have a chance to put them back on the bed.  I swear, it had nothing to do with how much I absolutely HATE putting sheets back on the bunk beds. Lucky for me, the girls requested that Corky build them a fort to sleep in for the weekend.

Corky has some mad fort-building skills, but this one was up there as one of his best.  Using the bunk beds to get one side really high, he made it pretty cozy in there.  Using our large sleeping bag as padding, our girls were pretty comfortable.

The girls are bundled up in there somewhere.

It is nearly impossible to get a picture without them pulling these goofy faces.

Saturday morning after waking up, Gracey said this fort reminded her of the tent on Harry Potter.  She said, "You know Mom, the one that is totally huge on the inside!"

Best news for me, I could put off having to place the sheets back on their beds for 2 whole days!  :)

Another one bites the dust

Gracey lost her 4th tooth on May 10, 2012. Her front, left tooth has been loose for probably 6-7 months.  However, she barely would touch it to make it looser so it just sat there.  Finally the last few weeks it began being really wiggly on her own and that got Gracey a little more motivated to play with it often.

Thursday, I picked her up from school where she immediately handed me my Mother's Day card and flower.  She was all giddy and said she had another surprise for me.  I was thinking that it was another gift or something, and Gracey loves giving gifts and surprises so I didn't press too much. I just wanted to let her do her thing.  A little bit after we got home, she yelled for me to come see her surprise.  I walk in the living room and she is grinning from ear to ear.  I look around, looking for whatever it is that she is surprising me with, but didn't see anything. She started laughing and pointed to her mouth!  Her tooth was gone and I didn't even notice before!

She said that her friend from school, Damarius, tricked her into pulling it.  He said if she pulled it by the end of the day then he would give her $5.  When she actually pulled it, he said, "Gotcha!  I don't have $5!" (That story makes me laugh!)

She wasn't too upset about the money because she was too excited that she lost it at school.  If you lose a tooth at school, you get a fancy tooth box!

CherryBerry

It's no secret that I LOVE frozen yogurt, particularly the self-serve types that are all the rage these days.  On our trip home from Dallas, Texas a week ago, we stopped in Tulsa at CherryBerry as a treat/dinner.  We had a later lunch than normal, so the girls thought it was so funny that frozen yogurt was their actual dinner.  Every kids dream come true, right?

Because I am nursing Janie, I try to stay away from the dairy as much as I can, so I enjoyed a mango sorbet with a tiny bit of vanilla fro-yo.  Janie had a little taste of it and was unsure of it all.  I don't plan on adding any solid food to her diet for a few more months. But the little tastes here and there, and the faces she makes, is simply for our entertainment.  She is unsure of just about everything that we give her a taste of that isn't her normal meal of mama's milk.  

About 40 miles before we were home, Janie decided she was done in the carseat!  We decided to stop and fill up the gas tank and let her stretch her legs a bit.  She was all smiles then, but the second we were back on the road, she was mad.  

So I crawled in the back seat with her and let her suck on my finger.  Have you ever let a baby suck on your finger for an extended period of time?  Ladies, that is why the first few weeks of breastfeeding make you want to jump through the roof.  Those little babies sure can suck hard!  My finger was absolutely raw....but we made it home!

Weekend in Dallas

A few months ago, some dear friends from high school started planning a weekend trip to Dallas.  I knew that Janie would only be about 2 months old for the trip and I also knew I would be nursing her.  First of all, I didn't want to have to be the only one that brought a child.  My friends insisted that they wouldn't have minded, but I knew it would be somewhat of a burden.  Second, I didn't want to make the drive to Dallas all by myself with an infant.  I was afraid that a 5 hour trip would turn into an ALL DAY drive.

I kindly suggested to Corky that we all go down together, stay in the same hotel as my friends, and he could have a daddy/daughter weekend while I hung out with the ladies, still being available to feed Janie. Corky was game!

The whole weekend was wonderful.  Not only did I get to see some of my best friends but I still feel like I had quality time with my family as well.   I know for sure that my kids had a blast.  As we were packing up to come home Gracey said,

"Mom, are you going to do this every year with your friends?"

I said, "Oh, I don't know.  I wish I could, but probably not."

Gracey responded with, "Well I hang out with you all the time, and it is fun, but I had a really great time hanging out with Daddy!"

It was pretty sweet.

And just as sweet as my kids are, it was pretty sweet doing grown up things too.  We all got massages and pedicures, and eyebrow waxing.  And when we weren't doing our spa treatments, we were shopping or eating.

As much as we played, our age and lifestyles certainly showed at night.  We were all hunkered down in our pajamas, chit chatting and sleepy, around 11:00pm.  And when it was time to go to sleep, all I had to do was walk down the hall of the hotel and be with my family.

 It was so fun to catch up with these ladies.  I am so glad that we have managed to stay friends after so many years.

Easter Eggs

Kool Aid Easter eggs are all the rage on Pinterest this year, so I thought I would give them a shot too.  Unfortunately, the Walmart here in town is super lame and didn't have a blue kool-aid.  And I am super lame too and thought I was getting the lemon-lime flavor (for the green color) when I actually got strawberry kiwi (which is red).  So our colors consisted of reds, yellows, and purples. I can't blame Walmart on that one.

My girls thought it was way fun, and I loved how it didn't stink like vinegar.

There was much concentration going on, as you can see from the tongue.

And how can an evening of decorating Easter eggs be complete without the classic game of kool-aid poker, you ask?  It can't.

Gone Fishing

The Easter Bunny was so nice this year and decided to bring Gracey and Emily each a new fishing pole.  There is a pond on the golf course that the girls like to go to for an "adventure" every now and then. They also had heard that it was stocked with fish. Ever since they'd heard that they have been begging to catch something.

Easter evening, we (all 5 of us) piled into the golf cart and we head over with nothing more than the fishing poles, the little tackle box that came with the pole, and a pair of needle nose pliers for the "just in case."

It didn't take long before the fish were biting.  Unfortunately for Gracey though, Emily was the only one to successfully catch not one, but two fish.  Both fish were able to be put back in the water safely.

Corky has never been much of a fisherman, and I haven't done much of it either since moving away from home after high school, but we managed to help our girls figure it all out.  We had a great time doing it too.

I do not know why I was compelled to bend so far over in this picture,
but in case you are curious, Emily is saying, "Word!!"

The golf course is so beautiful this time of year and the weather is just as great.  I predict lots of evenings will be spent down at the pond.

2 month well check

Janie had her 2 month check up last Thursday, and her stats came as no surprise.  

Weight: 12 lb 8 oz (90%)

Height:  23.75 inches (90%)

She also had to get 3 shots....she was pissed!  Simple as that.

2 months old - How is that possible?

Today marks Doug's...errr....Janie's 2 months mark.  It has gone by so incredibly fast and I have to say, the transition has been very smooth.  She has made it easy.

Before she was born, Corky and I were preparing ourselves for a fussy baby.  We thought there was no way, after having Gracey and Emily be pretty good babies, that we would be lucky enough to have a third.  Would you believe me if I said she is our easiest baby so far?   She pretty much goes with our family's busy flow, and from day one, only fusses when she she is hungry or needing a new diaper.

 Yes, that is how all babies are, I get that.  But rarely does Janie get so wound up that as soon as one of those needs gets taken care of, she doesn't go back to her happy and smiling self.

She is really beginning to recognize certain voices and faces.  Just yesterday I was dropping Emily off at school.  I set the car seat down in the classroom while Em's teacher and a few students came over to say hi to Janie.  There were 3 people in Janie's face, but as soon as Emily went over there and began talking, Janie cranked her head right around to see her and started grinning ear to ear.  She knew Em well and it melted my heart.  She loves both of her sisters very much, and they love her.

Some exciting things that have happened for our little person - Just tonight she gave us her first bit of giggles.  I was holding her in my arms and giving her a good bounce while at the same time making loud laughing noises.  She was all smiles to begin with, but then would react with a little laugh after each bounce.  We captured it with the video camera and it is so precious.  

Even more exciting than that is what a great sleeper Janie is.  She has been consistently sleeping 8+ hours a night for more than 2 weeks.  She gave me a few full nights before, but they were sporadic.  Even then I wasn't complaining too bad, she only would wake up one time at night.  It seemed as soon as we got back from our trip to Utah, and she was able to sleep in her own room again, she has slept like a log.  I usually nurse her between 9:30-10:30ish at night, then she wakes up again as I am sending Gracey off to school at about 7:30, sometimes a little sooner.  Gracey loves it when she wakes up in time to play for a minute.  Janie almost always wakes up happy and not too frantic to nurse right away, as long as Gracey is making funny faces at her.

We sure do love her.  She has been a true joy for us all.  Other than it taking a little more preparation to get out the door with a newborn, and me being less productive because I get caught up in lots of snuggles throughout the day, she has been a very natural adjustment to our family.

I wish time could just stand still.

Flying West - with extra baggage!

After having my mom be in town for 9 days after Janie was born, I was really sad to see her go.  As this picture shows our goodbyes, I was not the only one!

I was suddenly missing my family in St. George more than usual.  Corky, being a loving and supportive husband, said, "Let's ride this train of emotion and book some flights for Spring Break.  Hurry, before the cheapskate in you talks yourself out of it!"  I had been so weepy and emotional, and hyper-sensitive to the fact that babies grow up so darn fast, that I thought it was a great idea.  I really wanted to meet my new nephew Brooks and I wanted my family to meet Janie before she got any bigger!   I know each stage of a baby is oh-so-precious and special, but there is something about that brand-new-baby stage that you have to actually feel and snuggle in your arms to understand.

So we booked our flight and hopped on a jet plane.

As we walked down the terminal, I could hear peoples sighs of relief as we continued walking past their gate.  Once we got to our gate and waited, it was very noticeable that people were looking at our family of 5, including a newborn, and hoping we wouldn't be a disruption on their precious flight.

On Allegiant Air, unless you pay extra, it is open seating.  We always choose to go cheap and just do open seating, especially since having passengers under 12 years old we get the luxury of boarding first.  So we board the plane, me and the girls on the row with 3 seats, and Corky on the row with 2.  I passed Janie off to him to be held for a few minutes and she was quite the passenger repellent.  Finally a guy sat next to Corky because it was truly the last seat on the aircraft.  Luckily this guys was cool and was excited for his own daughter to be born soon.

I must say, all three of my kids were a dream.  My older girls watched a movie on the ipod, played with a couple of small toys, and took turns sitting by the window.  Janie was beyond well behaved.  She didn't sleep at all but was awake and alert the entire time.  After I nursed her during take off, all she wanted to do was stare at the lights.  Passengers around us I think eased up a bit when they realized how sweet her little personality was. Some grandmas were making googly eyes at her, another lady stated how she missed her sons being young, and a group of bachelors (heading to Las Vegas for a bachelor party) told us twice, that our kids are the best behaved kids they've ever seen.

This proud mom sure was relieved when it was all over, but I don't know that it could have gone any smoother.

One funny thing though.  As we were coming off the airplane, the tone of the passengers completely changed.  Those who were waiting to board the plane for the next flight were full "Oh how cute!" and "What a sweet little baby!"  I would bet a million dollars that they only could honestly say that because we weren't on their flight!  Even the people on our own flight didn't even look us in the eye until the flight was all said and done and our girls were behaved, then it was all smiles!


Some people.

The Staff

I wish I had a picture and names of the entire staff that helped me while I stayed at the hospital.  I can't say enough about what a pleasant experience it was.  Sure, the discomfort of my abdomen being sliced open sort of sucked, but as far as being taken care of by others, I definitely was. 

My night nurse was the best!  She was so so so sweet.  She would leave me alone and let me rest if I needed that, or come in my room to help me with the slightest thing.  She would take Janie for a couple of hours if I requested some more sleep, then bring her back to me when it was time to nurse. There was another night nurse on shift that was great too.  She wasn't assigned to me but she would still come in and visit with me, encourage me when I slowly walked the halls, and made me feel like I was actually fun to be around, and not temporary cripple that I actually was.  I know all nurses are SUPPOSED to be kind and helpful, but mine really were.

Here is one of my nurses helping the girls listen to Janie's heartbeat.  She was very patient as the girls kept wanting to hear.

My doctor, Dr. Soheai.  She was great.  Some say she is overly cautious but I like overly cautious.  It is way better than being not cautious enough.  About half way through my pregnancy, I went to her with a long list of concerns.  Literally, a page long list of handwritten notes that I wanted to talk to her about.  I was ready to take my business else where if my questions weren't answered in a way that made me feel comfortable.  Of course, plenty of my concerns were due to my mad paranoia that I was experiencing at that time, but she really put my mind at ease. 

I am so glad that I stayed put.  I don't think I could have handpicked a better staff to have been a part of, and made my experience as good as it was.  From the receptionist at the front desk of my doctor visits, to the medical assistants that weighed me each time.  From the radiology technician that did my weekly ultrasounds that happens to be a close friend of ours from church, to the surgeon that assisted Dr. Soheai, who also happens to go to church with us (and is married to the radiology tech that I just mentioned). From the nurse anesthetist that was so careful and precise with my spinal block, to the O.R. techs that helped me relax before the operation.... I am so grateful. 

Living in such a small town and delivering in such a small hospital, there naturally were concerns.  However, having faith in the abilities of the professionals that took care of me proved to be the best decision this time around.