Baby Turned One

My baby is one. She could not be sweeter or cuter. She's nowhere near learning to walk but has started to pull up and can support her own weight briefly. I love that she is growing up a little more slowly than other babies her age so I can enjoy each stage more. She's a delight to watch as she interacts with her big brothers, scoots as fast as she can to greet her daddy or lifts her arms to be picked up by mommy. Her favorite breakfast is yogurt, banana and cheerios. She is also starting to eat pancakes and eggs. For lunch she eats baby food, rice crackers and applesauce. Dinner is sometimes the same or we add in a little bit of whatever we're eating.
We had a great time celebrating her first birthday with everyone on both sides of our family. I decorated in pink and purple with a butterfly theme. It was so fun to be girly!
Lots has been happening in this family in the last two months...my sister in law got engaged and is planning a December wedding...one of my sisters and her family left for the Philippines for two years...my hubby got a new position at work that starts in August...Levi has graduated from Safety Town and moved up to Red Fish in swimming lessons...Ian is finally potty trained...my brother and sister in law gained permanent legal custody of their foster son and they are expecting a new little boy in September...and probably lots more news that I'm forgetting.
This week both Levi and Ian are going to VBS where they are taking an Egyptian adventure. Next week Levi will be going to a day camp at another church while I attend a ladies' Bible study. The following week we are going to a Bible conference for our family vacation and by the time we get back...it will be August! Whew. Can't wait to see what's next.

Seven Months

This blog wasn't supposed to be all about babies but here's an update on Sadie anyway!
At seven months she...
*wears 12-month clothes
*weighs around 20 pounds
*has two teeth coming in on the bottom
*sits up by herself
*sleeps 8+ hours per night
*takes 2 naps per day
*eats Stage 2 baby food twice per day
*nurses several times per day
*enjoys riding in the car
*says "hi" and "dada"
*plays with rattles, teething toys, keys, etc.
*sits in her swing occasionally
*sits in her Bumbo chair at most meals
*likes to play peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake
*watches movies with her brothers
*laughs, coos & squeals with delight often
*melts our hearts daily!

Six Months

Our little baby is growing up! She was six months old on Christmas Day and weighed about 18.5 pounds. That puts her in the 75-90th percentile for weight. She is quickly outgrowing her 6-9 months clothes and getting ready for either 9-12 or just plain 12 mos. clothes. We started feeding her rice cereal yesterday and she loved it! Once she figured out where the food was coming from, she opened widely and let me shovel it in. She's also learned to sit by herself now. I still have to spot her, but for the most part she stays upright. It's nice to be able to sit her up in the laundry basket with some toys and let her entertain herself. I don't think she's ready for a high chair yet but the Bumbo works fine for most things. Sadie's sleeping is going pretty well too. She goes down around 11 or 12 and sleeps until 8 or 9, depending on how loud the boys are. After breakfast and a little playtime, she's ready for a morning nap that lasts 1-2 hours. She's up for a while and then back down in the early afternoon. I think she would go to bed earlier if it weren't for her pesky 8 p.m. nap that pushes off bedtime for another couple of hours. All in all, she's an extremely easy, contented baby who keeps us smiling and laughing every day.

Miss Sadie

I never did blog about our brand new baby daughter. She caught me by surprise as I had been expecting her to be a boy. In fact, I entered into marriage believing (and accepting) that I would only ever have sons. I came to this conclusion based on my husband's family history that is predominantly male...one uncle even had 7 sons and 1 daughter. I called the baby "he" all during pregnancy and it took a few days after she was born for my husband and sons to get used to saying "she" and "her." We didn't spend much time on choosing a girl's name because I truly felt we wouldn't need it. In hindsight, I wish we had, but now our Sadie Loise is in our arms and she has been an amazing blessing already.

She was born on her due date, in the afternoon, just as I had dared to hope. She weighed 8 pounds even and came complete with a full head of dark hair. She immediately reminded me of her older brothers, who adore her. They both love to give Sadie hugs and kisses several times a day. Levi already tries to teach her things such as how to share and play with toys. He's a thoughtful and doting big brother. Ian has learned the rules of not feeding the baby or pushing her carseat. Sadie miraculously sleeps through most of their noisiness during the day and they, even more miraculously, sleep through her screaming fits at night.

Sadie has been a great sleeper from the get-go. In fact, it was hard to wake her long enough for feedings in the beginning. She still naps most of the day away and sleeps for 4-hour stretches through the night. Normally when she wakes up she doesn't cry. She just stretches, looks around and quietly waits for someone to notice her. Sometimes I catch her smiling at her own joke. But more often she smiles wildly when we talk to her. And then she talks back and makes the cutest little faces. She's too precious! God is so good to make babies so cute. I'm trying to enjoy every minute of her, which isn't hard, but I still feel like I just can't get enough baby-loving until she will be grown up and out of this stage.

20 Weeks

I'm 2 days away from being halfway through my pregnancy--yahoo! Tomorrow is the BIG ultrasound. I'll post if there is any big news and maybe a picture or two. Next week I'll find out if I've gained the 5 pounds that I think I have. We don't have a scale so I just have to wait.

Ian's 2-year birthday is right around the corner. To prove what a big boy he is, on Friday he peed in the potty! He hasn't done it since, but I still have hope that he will be trained before the next baby arrives. If there is any time between when Ian gets trained and #3 is born, it will be the first time in 4.25 years that we won't be changing diapers!

Levi is enjoying his winter line-up of activities...On Tuesdays he goes to the library for storytime and crafts. On Wednesdays I go to a ladies Bible study while he enjoys playtime with another boy his age. On Thursdays we go to the recreation center for gym time & swimming lessons. Sunday brings Sunday school, of course, and Awana Cubbies in the evening. He's starting to recognize letters as we drive around, and he points and yells about them in the store. We're still debating about sending him to pre-school in the fall or just waiting for kindergarten.

Next month I'm planning to accompany DH on a business trip to Florida. I'm so excited! It's going to be a short trip but I'm looking forward to quality time with my hubby and alone time while he's at his seminar during the day. Here's hoping the boys will sleep for Grandma M!

Good-bye 2008

I am a bad blogger. I guess that much is obvious. So, Obummer is the president-select. I still hold a glimmer of hope that the SCOTUS will do its job and define "natural born" once and for all and that Mr. Kewl will not qualify...but I suppose that's just pie in the sky.

On a more cheery note, baby #3 is on the way. I am almost 15 weeks along now. Things have been going great and sometimes I even forget for a minute that I am prego. My next midwife appointment is in 2 weeks. I will probably have an ultrasound around 20 weeks but we've decided not to find out the gender this time. Just trying something different. If we have a boy, of course I have all the clothes and toys we need. If we have a girl, my sister in law has promised me the use of her daughter's clothes that have been very gently used, if at all.

Oh, and on another cheery note...my hubby has been verbally offered a position on a cancer research grant when he graduates. We will be staying right here on Detroit Rd for at least another 2 years and finally be living above poverty level! God has been very good to take care of us during all these years of school and to provide the promise of employment 8 months before it is even needed.

As it is December 31, I officially bid farewell to 2008 and welcome in the new year on my blog. Cheers, everyone!

She's Here!

My niece Reagan Elizabeth Reader was born today around 9 a.m. She weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces and is 21 inches long. She was delivered by c-section because her mother had not dilated more than 3 centimeters after 16+ hours of contracting and the baby was not tolerating it well. Both are doing fine now and here she is on her first day with grandma.