Max at 4 months

Today we (finally) had Max's 4 month check-up and Mason's 5-year check-up at the pediatrician.
Whew!  Two appointments at once is interesting......

Anyway, here are Max's stats (at almost 4 1/2 months)
weight: 15lb 3 oz (50%)
length: 26" (85%)
head: 42.6 (55%)
He got 2 shots and 1 oral vaccine.  It all must have kicked in tonight because at about 6:30, he didn't want to eat (really odd behavior from the boy that won't take a bottle) and just cried and cried.  Very unusual for him.

Mason's stats at 5 years old:
weight: 47 lb 2 oz (80%)
height: 44 1/2" (80%)
When do you go from saying length to height?  Just wondering......
Mason got the H1N1 mist today and suddenly has a cough.  I am blaming the crazy weather, but it is hard not to think that they are linked somehow.


Well, it is 9:30pm and I did not do my bible reading yesterday and have not started today's either.  Better get on that.  If I get too far behind, I know that I will not be able to catch up!

Wordless Wednesday

I've been picture heavy around the blog lately.... but here is one more to make you smile :)

 

Mason and his teacher, Mrs. Dillard

This woman is a saint!  She gives each student a hug each morning and I often hear her telling the students that she loves them.  She is patient and kind to a bunch (9) of 4-year-olds that I am sure push her to the limits at times.  But I have only heard her calm, sweet and collected.  I strive to be more like her. 

And, her classroom is awesome!  I want to be in preschool again!

Five!

5 years ago today.......  about to leave for the hospital to become Mommy

 

 

4 years ago......1 year old - "Where the Wild Things Are" pajama brunch

3 years ago .... 2 years old - party at the Little Gym

2 years ago .... 3 years old - the obsession with Thomas begins.  Our first train party

1 year ago .... 4 years old (Mason was about to tell everyone his special birthday surprise from mommy and daddy:  "Mommy has a baby in her tummy!")

today ..... 5 years old!!!!! 

Happy Birthday sweet Mason!  You hold a special place in my heart that no one else will ever have.  My first born - you made me a mommy.  You fulfilled my life-long dream of motherhood.  You push me, you stretch me, you amaze me, you frustrate me, you make me laugh, you make me wonder, you remind me how fun it is to be a kid, you bring out sides of me I never knew existed - like how much I enjoy soccer games (when you are playing, of course), fishing, running around just because it is fun, going down slides, playing legos, reading and making up silly stories, coloring, building new houses, learning.  You have such a sweet, sensitive heart.  I pray you never lose that but also that you learn to use it to glorify and serve God all the days of your life.

I love you Mace-a-Roni!

Mommy

Project life

Just a quick update so I keep up with this project.  Loving it, by the way!

1/17 - Wrestling with daddy on the floor.  What a great way to spend a morning!

1/18 - Sweet Maddox is getting so strong and is doing a great job holding his head up.  And, look at those sweet, chubby thighs!  And, the cute cloth diaper! :)

 

1/19 - Poor Max is struggling with teething.  This is how I see him most of the time - two fingers shoved into his mouth.  Hope they pop through soon and give him some relief!

1/20 - Nana and Maddox.  Her brown-eyed grandson.

1/21 - Always SO happy.... unless his gums hurt, of course!  Love that sweet smile!

1/22 - Curious Mason.  He is becoming such a big boy right before my eyes.  So curious and inquisitive.  He understands more and more about the world each day.

short update

Ok, here we go....
today's update will be short.  more later, i hope!

mason: 5 years ago today, eric and i were talking with my ob, family and close friends and trying to decide what to do tomorrow ... induce labor or go straight for a c-section.  ultimate decision?  c-section.  5 years, 2 more c-sections, 28+ hours of labor with baby #2, and failed vbac (vaginal birth after caeserean) later..... shouldn't have stressed it so much.  my body?  NOT made for babies coming out the conventional method. 
max and i took cupcakes to mason's school today for snack time.  kids loved them.  only one (not mason) complained that his did not have enough icing.  love love love his teacher.  good time!

miles:  well, he's miles.  more about him on another day. :)

max:  teething, apparently.  like two bottom teeth are ready to come through, naps not happening, screaming when he is put down (where did my happy, laid-back child go and when is he coming back???), not eating well, drooling and spit-up flying.  yeah.  what a weekend it has been!

me:  Bible in 90 days reading is going well!  I missed reading at all on friday, but read extra saturday and sunday and am almost caught up.  i have an extra 1 1/2 chapters to read today but plan to do that in just a few minutes while the house is quiet.  when today's reading is finished, i will have read through 1 kings 16.  wow!  25% of the way through and it has been awesome!  so proud of myself for sticking with this one!

well, max is up and screaming his little head off.  that would be less than an hour nap.  all day so far. lord help me!

Updates - Bible in 90 days & Project life

Ok, my two updates.....
I am still up-to-date in my bible reading.  I have finished the first 18 days, which puts me mostly thru Judges.  E has been so encouraging and that really helps. I have been finishing my reading most nights and he has sat up with me while I read.  That helps so much!

And, Project Life.... I am not sure about the kits.  I got mine here.  The website said they will be available again 1/22, so keep watching that site (Misty and Tara!).

1/10 - Max has started getting active and getting control of his hands.  It is so fun to watch him start to explore the world around him!

1/11 - This shirt was one of my favorites on Mason.  And, the face Max is making (sucking on his bottom lip) is classic Mason.  Makes me so nostalgic and miss my biggest boy being a baby!

1/12 - This is about as close as Max will get to a bottle.  Silly boy just won't take a bottle - not milk, juice, water....nothing!  What's a momma to do???

1/13 - Laundry.  Laundry.  Laundry.  It is everywhere!  I try to keep up, but when I get behind and let it pile up for a few days, this is what a marathon session looks like.....

1/14 - Mason made Miles' lunch for MDO for me.  It included (lots of) Cheerios, a cereal bar, peaches, Spidey-treat and apple juice.  Everything was put into its own container and ready to go.  Sweet sweet boy helping mom and looking out for little brother!  He's growing up too fast!

1/15 - Not to be outdone, Miles shows off his brotherly love for baby Max.  Well, that and his super-cheesy "cheese" face for the camera! :)

1/16 - Happy 4 month birthday sweet Max!  I can't believe it has been 4 months already.  I was going to hold off on solids, but since you have decided to add a midnight feeding back into the routine, we decided it was time!  You are NOT a fan of rice cereal, but love apples.

Well, that is our week in pics.  Laundry is waiting for me, today's bible reading is not yet started, but it is a beautiful 70 degree day outside, so we are going to spend the afternoon the same way we spent most of the morning - outside!!!! 

Project 365

I really need a new project.
Not much is going on around the house these days... ha. 
Ahem.
I am doing Project Life.
The way it works is you take one picture (at least) per day, every day and do a quick journal about it.  I am really enjoying it and getting into the habit of taking a picture a day is proving to be the most difficult part.  Well, that and choosing just one picture from each day to include!
I am trying to capture shots that really will remind me what life with three little boys is like....the good, the bad and the ugly.  For example, today's pic is of my overflowing laundry - clean and folded, but still sitting on my counter tops.
I am really not doing this new project justice, but you can read more about it here.
In order to keep myself up to date, hre is my first week of pictures:
1/3 - my boys.  about to take down the tree

1/4 - harmonicas. a gift from Grandpa

1.5 -handsome boy

1/6 - project life arrives

1/7 - bedtime

1/8 - bedtime story with Daddy

1/9 - watching the "Puppy movie" - Airbuds

Day 10 of 90

I have completed the first 10 days of the Read the Bible in 90 days challenge.

I hesitated to post about it here or even tell friends or E about it.  I wasn't sure that I could do it and didn't want to have to tell people that I couldn't do it.  So, I kept it to myself for a few days to see how it would go.

I shocked myself because I truly enjoyed it. I felt that I was not just getting through each day, playing games and doing puzzles that are mindless.  I had a goal and adult reading to do each and every day.  I enjoy the challenge.  I enjoy reading the bible in larger chunks.  It honestly flows better and parts read more like a novel than I thought it would.

So, at just 10 days into the challenge (today is day 11 and I am about to get started on that while the house is still quiet), I have read all of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and through chapter 8 of Numbers. 

As a side note, let me just warn anyone wanting to read Leviticus, do not do so near, during or after meal time.  The sacrifices are pretty disgusting.  Maybe this will turn out to be a great diet plan too.....

Off to read Numbers 9-21:7   :)

Marshmallows

What I said:  Boys, do not eat the marshmallows off the art project.  They have glue on them. 

What I thought: Sigh.  If only that was the first time I have had to say that. I totally have to blog it though!

Playing catch-up and blogging about some randomness happening around here

Thus starts the blog post with the longest title I have ever used.  Get ready, this is a really random one.

Oh Miles!  I know that I say it several (dozen?) times a day!  Yesterday, it came from Miles' Mother's Day Out teachers.  He gets a "Here's What I did Today" paper each school day.  It lets moms know if your child ate, slept, helped out, etc.  It has an open spot at the bottom for "Additional Teacher Comments".  I have had some interesting ones through the years from both Mason and Miles' teachers.  Yesterdays:
"Oh Miles, :) he is such a Comic Relief that is much needed through out the day! :)"
That is verbatim.  Including the caps on Comic Relief.  Not sure if I should be happy, flattered or punish him for something crazy he did!

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Mason has picked up on the fact that E and I spell things that we don't want him to hear us talk about.  Such as:
E: Should we take the boys to the p-a-r-k? (Yes, we always call the playground the park.  It is much shorter to spell.  We started that when Mason was little and will always call a playground a park in our house.)
K: Lunch at c-h-i-c?  (That is our shorthand for Chick-fil-a. We go to the same couple of places and are apparently lazy in our spelling. :) )

Mason's school doesn't start back until today and since he only goes on M-W-F, he will start tomorrow. Can't wait.  I mean, I enjoyed a little one-on-one time with my eldest yesterday.  Really, I did.  He is easy-peasy when Miles is not around. Anyway.  So, yesterday, on the way to pick up Miles from MDO, Mason told me "Let's go to x-w-e-l-m after we pick up Miles." 
Me: Where do you want to go? (laughing because I know he's picked up on the spelling)
M: To the park. m-k-w-z-a
They get too smart too soon in my world!
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And,just because I don't want to leave him out, Max is doing awesome.  He loves his brothers and is getting big so quickly!  He has started spitting up a crazy amount in the last couple of weeks.  Reminds me of Miles. (I know.  I know.)  The good news is that it does not seem to bother him in the least.  I am doubting myself about it though wondering if it is a normal amount of spit-up for a baby (and maybe Miles' was too?) and I am just overreacting or if it is truly a lot of spit up.  Anyone have any thoughts?
Miles goes for his 4-month check-up later this month and Mason has his 5-year check-up at the same time.  I have never taken two boys for appointments at the same time.  Should be interesting.  (I have taken 2 boys in at one time, but only one would have to been seen at any given appointment.)
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I also have a meeting tomorrow for the class I help teach at our church.  So, I am going to take Miles to the Adventure K1ds Playcare center near our house.  I have heard good things about it.  I am anxious to see how he does.  If MDO is any indication, he will provide Comic Relief. :)
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Mason and Dylan are going to do private swim lessons at the Y this spring again to get them ready for the summer season.  I am going to do a mommy-and-me class with Miles in the spring as well.  In summer, he will be 3 and able to get in the pool by himself.  Can't wait to see if he is as good a swimmer as big brother.  Also anxious for him to actually be able to swim when he launches himself off the steps or side of the pool when I have a baby in my arms and am NOT ready to catch him!

It is going to be a crazy start to the year!
I think I need a nap!
But, I have bible reading to do.  I got about 5 chapters ahead yesterday.  That should help! :)

Have a great day!

2010

I can't believe it is 2010!  So many thoughts and pics to post from the holidays. 
But, for today I am just going to do a short list of things I want to accomplish in 2010.
That way I can go back at the end of the year and see how I did.

It is a short list.  But, with 3 busy boys and a life that is about to get even busier (more on that later in the month), I need short lists.

1.  Spend more time with my God. In doing so, I am reading the entire Bible through.  In 90 days.  Crazy? Maybe.  Serious?  Absolutely.  I just finished today's reading.  So far this year (4 days) I have finished Genesis.

2.  Spend more time with my family.  I don't want to just be in the room or house with my boys.  I want to be more consistently on the floor with them.  Building train tracks, playing cars, playing games, reading books, doing puzzles, doing nothing (yeah, right....!) just being together.  I don't want to just go along through life with Eric, I want to enjoy life with him by my side.  I want to talk more, share more, be one.  I want to know my nieces and nephew better.  My sisters-in-law better.  My brothers (as adults) better.  These are the relationships that go with stay with me my entire life.  (Sorry family!  You are stuck with me till the end!)

3.  Spend more time with friends.  Again, intentional time.  Talking.  Sharing life.  Being accountable to each other and holding each other to higher standards.  Asking the hard questions and being ok with being asked hard questions.

That is about it.  Simple.  Concise.  Achievable.