9 Months Old Already

Yesterday it was officially 10 months. Hannah is growing so fast. I know mothers are always saying "Enjoy her, time goes by so fast." And I try to enjoy her, I really do. I try so hard, in fact, that I am always telling her to sit down and stop trying to walk. She laughs at me. Then hugs me. Then yells "At!" and takes off crawling at top speed to pet the cat.

Hannah's well check went great, as always.

Weight: 19 lbs., 8.5 oz. (65th percentile)
Height: 29 in. (92nd percentile)

Hannah had a big of a cold, so her vaccinations were put on hold at my request. Even with the cough and drippy nose, she handled the examination really well.

As I mentioned, she seems to be growing so much faster than I remember her brother or sister growing. She has no problem crawling and easily gets into 'second gear', as we call it, when she sees something she wants. Hannah's hand to mouth coordination is great, which is why I am always prying her mouth open to dig out bits of paper or Christmas tree pieces. She pulls herself up on everything and has attempted to stand in the middle of the room. Hannah loves to crawl up to me and either pull herself up or sit and wave her arms in the air until I pick her up.

Hannah's vocabulary consists of "Da-da", "Dander" (Xander), "At" (Cat) and the occasional "Jogie" (Josie). I think she is starting with "Ba-Ba" and "Otl" (bottle). When she forgets herself, she will say "Ma-ma" but it is rare and usually when I am gone. Doesn't that figure?

Wait, there was a 5-year-old post around here somewhere...

I'm not saying there is a post that is 5 years old, I'm saying there was a post about a 5-year-old. Did you blink and miss it? Xander is 5! And has been for two and a half months!

Part of the deal that I don't have a post for it yet is that it was a low-key birthday. A neighbor has two children with birthdays within a couple weeks of Xander, so she was kind enough to host a neighbor get-together for the birthday children. There was a round of "Happy Birthday" sung, cupcakes were passed out, and all the children ran amuck.

The next weekend we had family visit for a small party. Xander did keep asking when the other kids would come, so I was a little sad I didn't do a huge party with every kid he knows. Then Xander blew out the candles on his cake and all was well.

It might not have been the prettiest Captain America cake, but he loved it. I don't know where the Captain America love came from but I heartily approve of his choice in super hero.

Xander did have his 5 year well check with the doctor.
Weight: 54 lbs  (98th percentile)
Height: 44.5 in  (84th percentile)

He has had comments about being a big kid and, despite being the youngest, he is definitely not the smallest kid in his class. However, he eats healthy and is active, so the doctor was not concerned.

Speaking of being active, did I tell you about Xander playing soccer?

This was Xander's first time playing in an organized sport. I use 'organized' loosely. The team would get together and practice for a half hour and then play against the other team. It was basically a mass of boys chasing the ball up and down the field. At times it was hilarious. Other times it was frustrating because the other team would be super competitive or the parents would get a little harsh.

Xander loved playing soccer so much that he now insists on playing every time he is in the back yard. Despite not having any goalie in the league games, that seems to be Xander's favorite position to practice. He gets his gloves on and waits for me to kick the ball and then kicks it away or falls on it. I think he's good at it but that might be motherly love talking.

What else is new in Xander's world? It's hard to keep up. In the past year he has gone through things he loves like board games, Legos and Pokemon. The big thing right now is reading. He brought home a chapter book from school to read. He's four months into kindergarten and reading a chapter book! I love that he loves reading and is good at it but it does make me nervous for the future. I recall a certain brother who was reading Stephen King in high school (hi, Lee) and I've seen 8th graders reading the Song of Fire and Ice series and I don't want to worry about censoring material I find inappropriate for that age. I guess we will deal with that when we come to it.

Artistic Interpretation

Josie loves to draw and color right now. She learns most of what she knows by watching and listening to Xander. For instance, Xander learned to draw Mat Man last year in Pre-K. Josie was there for all of the practice and seems to remember most of it. Lately, at least once a day she will walk up to me with her hands behind her back and say, in a sing-song voice, "Mom, I have a surprise for you..." and she'll pull out a picture.

Here is yesterday's picture.

When I questioned Josie about the picture she explained that it was Mommy in the center and Daddy on the right. And everything else is where Daddy is running around.

Maybe I'll post the picture she made last week of Mommy the Monster.

I'm sure there are nooooo subtle messages in her pictures, right?

A Day in the Park

I can not get my kids to smile nicely for anything.

Except Hannah, she's our happy baby.

Show off!

The tickle bug attacks!

Poor Josie had the wind blowing her hair all day.

This is where Josie starts yelling "No! No pictures!"

And this is where Xander says "I think this was a bad idea" and asks for help to get down.

Required leaf throwing picture. Hannah did not enjoy it.

Funny story time! When we pulled into the park I pointed out a tree with beautiful fall foliage on the tree and below it. The weather was overcast but just bright enough to light up the spot. After 'hiking' the path and playing on the playground, we headed to the tree for a few more pictures only to find a professional photographer was set up in almost the exact spot. It made me feel like I was doing something right! After trying a few pictures and quickly realizing the kids were over it, I gave up. But the photographer was nice enough to offer a quick family shot while he waited. We'll see how it turned out when Chris emails him.

6 months and 3 years

Both Josie and Hannah have been in for well checks in the past couple weeks and have both been declared healthy. Yay!

Hannah at 6 months:

Weight - 17 lbs, 12 oz (82 percentile)
Height - 27.5 in (96 percentile)

Yeah, she's a big girl. But she's not chunky (except for those adorable chunky thighs), she is just outgrowing her clothes faster than I can plan for. Fortunately we still have all of Josie's old clothes and some are the appropriate size and season.

We have started Hannah on some solids. Xander and Josie have helped me to make 'mushy peas' and 'mushy carrots' which we froze in an ice cube tray and are stored in the freezer. I picked up a few containers of vegetables that I don't keep around the house or find hard to make into baby food. Feeding Hannah seemed to go well at first. She's been watching us eat and opening her mouth so I thought it would go well. Unfortunately, Hannah does not have swallowing solids down and has repeatedly gagged and vomited up her dinner.

Here is her first bite of solid food with commentary from Xander and Josie. (sorry for the small video, you'd think after two years I could hold my phone correctly while recording)

Most people say that Hannah looks like her brother, though I am hearing that less nowadays. Let's compare 6 month pictures, shall we?

Hannah at 6 months

Josie at 6 months

Xander at 6 months

The only thing I see is that Hannah still has a chance of getting curly hair since Josie's hair was still straight at that age.

And now for Josie's stats:

Weight - 30.8 lbs  (46 percentile)
Height - 37.5 inches (or 3' 1.5") (51 percentile)

So Josie is pretty middle of the road. Except for the hair, which is always mentioned. I try to always remember it's a compliment and not to be snarky with people who comment on it. I may or may not have video of her on a swing and another of her jumping around just because her hair is so fun. I won't bore you by posting them.

Back to the doctor visit. The doctor was impressed with Josie being totally potty trained, even at night. Believe me, I'm thrilled about it too. Josie did a great job doing what the doctor told her with the excpection of the Shy First 5. I just made that name up. For the first five minutes she always acts shy, hiding behind me and clutching my leg. Then she takes off to play. I think it's a game to her but I could be wrong.

Other than that I was given a hearty "keep up the good work" and sent on my way.

Ready to play Hockeyball

Beginning Kindergarten

Aw, Xander started Kindergarten on Monday!

Complete with a uniform!

And a Mario Kart lunch box!

Look at those happy eyes!

He was very excited and didn't miss a beat. Chris dropped him off and said Xander walked right in and gave one last wave over his shoulder. Chris called to tell me it went okay and that's when I finally shed a few tears.

Josie was excited for pictures and then excited when Xander left because she could finally get some attention without a big brother wanting to ask questions or make rules for a new game.

It's been surprisingly quiet around here.

Sickies Times Three

It all began on Sunday evening. Xander did not eat much dinner and just kept curling up in his chair as we tried to enjoy a dinner on our patio. He woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, which never happens. By morning he couldn't get off of the toilet. By Monday afternoon, he wasn't keeping food down and was rocking a fever.

Tuesday began poorly (nothing like cleaning up chewed up bananas from the carpet to start the day) but he was doing better by the end. Then Josie had lost her appetite and had also sprouted a fever.

Fortunately, Josie never developed the stomach problems that Xander did. By Wednesday they were both a little tired and cranky but not bad. Which was good timing since Hannah had her six month check up with the doctor that included shots.

So of course on Thursday we had the fun mix of the following: Xander developed a nice, croupy sounding cough and still had little appetite, fortunately he did not have a fever. Josie's fever reappeared with a vengeance and she also developed a cough. She was just exhausted and cranky all day. Hannah also developed a nice fever, though from the vaccinations or from germs I'm not sure.

So dealing with cranky, tired and sick children, stressing about school starting for Xander (I still haven't gotten his supplies or the rest of his uniform because we stayed home all week), stressing about school starting for me (new class with new standards and new book) and possibly getting some of the germs have lead me to waking up this Friday feeling exhausted.

This spreading of germs is what happens with children so I might as well get used to it. That or remember to douse the kids with hand sanitizer after they go to a trampoline party.

Vacation - Arkansas Edition

Beginning this year, Chris is required to take a week of vacation during the Fourth of July. While I'm a little annoyed being told when to take vacation, it is nice to have some time set aside each year for the family. At first we thought Chris could spend the time with his newest paver projects. We decided on a good, old fashioned road trip to Arkansas so the kids could spend time with their grandmother.

When I say 'old fashioned', I include the use of a portable DVD player in our air conditioned van as well as old cell phones used for gaming.

We did split the 12 hour trip down into two days (as well as on the return trip). That way we didn't feel rushed and any time we were frustrated we could pull over for a snack and stretch little legs.

Towards the end of the very first day, only thirty minutes away from our hotel, traffic slowed down and halted. We spent a couple hours playing I Spy, Peek-a-Boo, watching everyone get out of their vehicles (activities included sitting on lawn chairs, doing the Macarena and roller skating) and then traffic was slowly diverted off of the highway and onto side roads where the gas station was out of gas and running low on most food (fortunately we were good on both fronts).

We splurged on a suite for our stay in Little Rock and I loved it. Two separate bedrooms and two separate baths with a common room containing a small kitchen, table and sitting area. It had three televisions! And a fireplace! I was a little bit giddy and may have squealed a little. It was great to have a room separate from the kids, mostly because I'm a light sleeper and have enough trouble sleeping in a hotel. Fortunately, none of the regular hotel sounds permeated our room and, after fixing the vent so the air conditioning didn't blow my hair around at night, we all slept well.

On our first full day we all went to the Museum of Discovery for the kids to play (and because it was way too hot to spend the day outside). We played and explored, left for lunch, came back for more. By mid-afternoon Xander would run up to something, hit every button and run to the next exhibit. We declared him Ready to Spazz and left.

There was an entire setup of pipes, two stories high, that had air blowing through them. Kids would stick in kerchiefs and fluffy balls and watch them fly through the pipes and then get blown out at one of multiple ends.

Each evening we had dinner back at our room. It was nice to unwind there with a table for eating and not just a coffee table. Then Chris would take Xander and Josie out to the pool. Xander became a cannon ball champion, Josie did not like getting her hair wet. By the end of each day, the kids were tuckered out.

Our second full day was the Fourth of July. We didn't feel like trying to keep the kids up late or fighting traffic, so planned an easy day with firework viewings on the television that evening. That day, Chris and Grandma took Xander and Josie bowling. And, since no vacation is complete without a migraine, I stayed in the room with Hannah. Blech. But everyone else had fun!

How awesome are these shoes?

We decided to be tourists during our last full day. We began by going to the Peabody Hotel to see the ducks arrive at the fountain. That's right, a super fancy hotel that brings ducks down a red carpet to swim in the fountain all day. They make it a big deal with a man explaining the history and kids chosen to help out. We enjoyed it.

They we jumped on the trolley for a ride around. We were given some of the history but, unfortunately, the entire route wasn't open. But it was air conditioned!

Hannah wasn't impressed.

We had planned on seeing the Big Dam Bridge after that, however I'd caught a blurb on the morning news saying that it might be closed. Side note: I said 'Big Dam Bridge' as often as possible because I found it an amusing name.

Instead, we went to the splash pad to let the kids play. Xander ran through immediately getting soaked. Josie, again, did not want to get her hair wet. It ended pretty quickly because there was one area of the pad that was slippery and Josie took a good fall.

We also check out a local nature museum but by that time the kids were done and we just did a quick walk through.

It was a great vacation and I think everyone had a good time. Now we have to decide where to go next year.

Two Teeth

I have been regularly checking for teeth in Hannah's mouth. It seems like she has been drooling and chewing her hands for three months. So when Chris claimed he felt something sharp when Hannah was chewing his thumb, I was skeptical. I had just checked the day before with no signs of pearly whites.

Of course, Hannah would not cooperate with inspecting her mouth so we had to do the traditional 'hold the baby upside down to see the bottom gums.' And there it was, one shiny little tooth. That was one day after she turned 5 months. Less than a week later and the other bottom tooth has popped through.

It remains to be seen if she will grow fangs like her big sister did.

The Party at the End of the Rainbow

I planned so much for Josie's 3rd birthday party (want to see my Pinterest?) and then I forgot to take pictures of the big day. Ah, well, here are the details.

I decided on a rainbow theme for the party. For some reason, having a theme has become more and more important to me. Josie was enthusiastic about any theme I suggested so I decided to go with the easiest.

Decorations included a rainbow of streamers hung from the front porch. They were supposed to just dangle but it was gusty so it ended up that people walked under the rainbow instead of through it. Then we hung up two strings across the back yard with balloons to make a rainbow. I thought it looked really cool. Unfortunately, some combination of heat and wind kept making balloons pop, so only partial rainbows still hung up by the time guests arrived.

I made rainbow jello. I do wish I'd gotten a picture of it as it was dished out. And I made a rainbow cake! I did get some pictures of Josie with her cake. I made a little pendant instead of writing on the cake this time (which is now hanging in her room). It was too bad the gusty wind kept blowing out the candles before Josie did, so no wishes this year.

For the kids who visited, Xander helped me draw rainbows and suns on brown bags for favors. Inside included Skittles (taste the rainbow), a straw, a beach ball and rainbow stickers.

Josie had a great time with everyone that visited. She was so fun to watch open her gifts. Every one she had something fun to say like "I love it!" Most of the clothes she wanted to try on right then as well as the jewelry. She'd wander off holding a present and we'd have to call her back to open some more. It's nice that she isn't the type to open a present and throw it aside if she doesn't like it.

By the end of the party only the neighbors were left. So the adults chatted and we broke out the new Hello, Kitty sprinkler for the kids to run in.

The next morning we spent quality time trying on all of the clothes, shoes and jewelry before racing off to play with the toys.

Hannah at 4 Months

Hannah will be 5 months in two days, so here are the 4 month stats!

Weight: 15 lbs, 12 oz.
Height: 26 inches

Usually the doctor gives me a fancy handout with that data along with fun reminders about not giving an infant a hunk of apple with peanut butter on it. This time I didn't get one, probably due to talking about my possibly broken foot (it's not, by the way). I do recall that Hannah's statistics, including her head circumference, are all normal. So even though she seems like she is growing fast, it's just my mommy perspective.

I mentioned last time all of the things she is doing now. I have three things to add. Drool! This girl is a drool machine. No sign of teeth yet but I'm sure they are coming. The drool adds a certain dramatic flair to the raspberries she blows for everyone.

And she loves, loves, loves the jumperoo. If we aren't at home, someone needs to bounce her. Not constantly, mind you, just enough to keep her happy.

She also loves Peek-A-Boo. She isn't playing yet but loves it when I (or anyone) plays it with her. I spent some quality time playing it with her when we were stuck in traffic during vacation. It was much better than listening to her scream when she became tired of being buckled up.

We Have a Roller

Hannah is growing so fast. I keep thinking of Xander and how he seemed to take longer to get to each milestone. However, with Xander I was home full time and did not have any other children to look after. With Hannah, I returned to my part time job to finish off the school year and spend lots of time with her two older siblings. With other things vying for my attention, I suppose it is only natural for things to fly by.

In the past couple weeks Hannah has become very good at a few things.

First, grabbing. All of the necklines of my shirts are stretched out and the only reason I don't have a bald spot on my head is that I keep my hair in a ponytail. (True story: I had my hair cut yesterday and I specifically said to leave it long enough to keep in ponytail for when I hold my baby.)

Second, laughing. Hannah has been a smiley baby and now she has the loud baby laugh to go with it. Sometimes it takes tickling her, sometimes it takes Xander and Josie making funny faces, sometimes it just takes someone laughing. Then she lets out her guffaw which makes us laugh which makes her laugh more. It's a viciously cute cycle.

Third, finding her toes. This goes with grabbing but I figure bending her legs up and grabbing her feet are two skills combined. Anyway, I think it is one of the cutest stages of babydom. I could watch her wiggling around, rolling her legs up and trying to fit those little toes in her mouth all day.

Finally, she started rolling. This weekend she made a few good attempts to roll from her back to her belly but she couldn't get her arm out from under her and ended up falling back. This morning I put her on her mat and walked away to say good bye to Chris and help Xander and Josie finish getting ready. When I came back a few minutes later, this is how I found her.

Hey, Mom, in two minutes I'll get tired of my belly and yell for help.

Nobody was there to witness it, so there is a small chance that one of the cats rolled her over.

The Second Haircut

It has, shockingly, been over a year and a half since Josie had her first haircut. We've all had so much fun watching the blond curls grow, why cut it? Well, it's finally gotten to a point of looking unruly and a little unmanageable. When her hair was wet it reached nearly halfway down her back but dry it came to her shoulders. Every morning was getting to be a fight to get through the tangles. And the back had drastically different lengths to the curls, it couldn't even pass for layering. Josie was even asking to get her hair cut.

I tried to take a 'before' picture but Josie was dancing and could not seem to stand still, so here's a video.

We have been cutting Xander's hair at home but I was not going to attempt trimming Josie's hair. I made a few phone calls and decided to go to Cookie Cutters. Surprisingly, I had to make an appointment but I'm glad I did. When we arrived Xander took off to the slide (they have a small indoor play area). Josie was immediately brought back for her cut and offered the choice of where to sit. She decided she wanted the airplane where Tangled was playing. When I checked on Xander, he had found Lego Star Wars and was happily playing away. So I sat down with Hannah where I could keep an eye on Xander and Josie.

Josie's hair was sprayed down and trimmed to even it out followed by getting her hair dried. She didn't didn't seem to mind any of it. The stylist said Josie did a good job of following directions and other clients and stylists were complimenting her hair. As easy as that, we were back in the van heading home.

Her hair looks nearly the same, just a little shorter and a lot curlier. Hopefully she won't get as hot running around outside since the back is off of her shoulders and neck. It's definitely easier to comb through in the morning!

Magic Isotope Ball Bounce

Chris, along with Xander and Josie, invented a new game called "Magic Isotope Ball Bounce." It began when Xander and Josie received pink rubber balls from friends. Somehow Chris channeled Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) to create this game.

It begins with someone holding the ball. Then someone else yells "Magic Isotope Ball Bounce!" The person with the ball then runs and throws the ball at the slide.

 

Remember, this is a children's game.
 

 Then there is a mad scramble to catch the ball. The person who does catch it needs to run around with their arms up in the air until someone else yells "Magic Isotope Ball Bounce!"

Xander and Josie love this game but every once in a while there were some complaints. They did have to come up with a rule for a tie when two people grabbed the ball at the same time.

 Overall, everyone got a kick out of it.

(sorry the formatting is wonky, I can't quite figure out what is wrong)