Cibula Cousins

Our Cibula cousins came in for a quick weekend visit.  I had to add "Cibula" because Jack is very adamant these days about knowing which side of the family everyone is from- Cibula or Dumbacher?  I find that very endearing and very "Jack like".

It was cousin Larkin's birthday.  She made the trip up here to visit the American Girl Store.  We got to reap the benefits with some joyous cousin time.  

What was a very short visit was also very fun filled.  {for my kiddos at least}

Lucy couldn't keep her eyes off of the action-'more kids!' {if she could talk}.  Jack showed off his baseball skills in the backyard with Whit and Uncle Matt.  And he also watched a skateboard show down our famous hill just up the street.  {given by cousin Whit himself} My cautious Jack watched in awe.  And Maggie did what she always does-stole everyone's hearts with a tea party, a little dress up, and lots of Magpie smiles.

We topped off the evening with what my kids like to call a "silly night".  This is when they get to stay up past their bedtime and watch a movie and eat popcorn.  I'd like to call it a "Mommy is tired, Is that movie almost over?" night.  Sometimes I don't mid taking one for the team though.  In this case taking one for the sake of cousin time.

The kids piled up in the basement amidst air mattresses and suitcases and snuggled in for Madagascar.  That was a toughie...finding a flick all age groups would enjoy.  I do love how my little ones adore each other so much that they squeeze in on that recliner together.  Sweetness, I tell you.

Until another American Girl Store visit {or hopefully sooner}, we loved having you Cibula cousins.  Come back soon.  There is more tea and popcorn waiting for you.

Oops...Try It Again

If you read the post below, you may have noticed the video was "private".  Oops...I'm a newbie to You Tube.  {sad I know}

Okay, all is well.  I fixed it.  Try it again.

Too sweet to miss.  I promise.

A Very Important Person

Jack had VIP day at school this past week.  He had to choose one person to bring.  One person that was very special to him unlike any other.

Jack chose Maggie.

I tried to talk him out of out...encouragingly, of course.  "Maybe you should bring a grown up".  "How about... {fill in the blank with anyone I could think of}".  Followed by "Maggie actually doesn't get up that early". {VIP day started at 7:45 am.}

Jack would have nothing of it.  And I mean nothing.  "Maggie is my most important person."  "But Mommy, I love her." "I want Maggie and no one else".  How could I resist that?

So Maggie was it.  Jack's Very Important Person.

And this is how VIP day went...

Jack was elated to see Maggie when we arrived to his classroom at o'dark thirty in the morning.  He invited her to sit on the carpet with him.  He couldn't stop loving all over her.

He gave Maggie a guided tour of his classroom holding her hand all the while.  Recognize that poster?

Then it was time to introduce his VIP.  Jack took Maggie to the front of the room and the presentation began.

And because no picture could do this moment justice, here is the sweetest video that you just may ever see.



Did you catch the "My Maggie" at the end?  Be still my beating heart.


Maggie admired the artwork and writing that Jack presented to her...

...and then enjoyed breakfast with her very important brother.

Jack said his goodbyes to his Very Important Person in pure Jack fashion.  A good ol' over the top hug and lift into the air.  Maggie ate it up.

God knew what he was doing when he made these two siblings.  Nothing but love.  And I in return feel like a VBM {very blessed Mommy}.

100 Days

100 days of being in Kindergarten.

100 days of waking up at 6:40 am.

100 days of brushing teeth in the downstairs bathroom.

100 days of carrying a Batman backpack.

100 days of being an Eagle.

100 days in a class of 19 students.

100 days of packing a lunch.

100 days of eating it in a big kid cafeteria.

100 days of making new friends.

100 days of becoming a reader.

100 days of doing his best work.

100 days of homework.

100 days of coming home to an afternoon snack and an anticipated 30 minutes of screen time.

100 days closer to summer vacation.

100 days of missing him...dearly...

I Love Lucy: 5 Months

Happy 5 months baby Lucy!  Someone please stop the clock.  Actually I take that back.

This month has been a month of transition...trying transition.  Lots of sweet moments sprinkled in between though {only as Lu can do}.  I wouldn't have expected anything different while making the switch from a 3 hour schedule to a 4 hour schedule.  That's a lot to ask of a wee one.

We did, however, make some serious strides in the past four weeks.  Are we there yet?  Alllllmoooost...patience my friends {or at least that's what I continue to remind myself}

So this update on Lucy's fifth month of life is going to be a lot about the big change and the road to get there.  I'll also share some of those sweet sprinkles that we've had along the way.  Every post deserves some of Lucy's yumminess.  Don't you agree?



Eat

Okay, lord help me on this one.  Never have I ever questioned my milk supply like I have with this little gal.  One minute I'm thinking we are at the bottom of the barrel and the next I've diagnosed myself with a  really bad case of 'Mommy Guilt' and decided it's all just fine.

In response to this concern, everyone says, "is she content after a feeding?".  And the answer is yes. But {and this is a big BUT} if I offer her a 3 oz bottle afterwards she chugs it.  Actually, I could offer her a 33oz bottle and she would chug it.  Little Lu is not scared to eat.

So knowing the aforementioned facts and the obvious that we were transitioning to a four hour schedule {which means only four feeds a day}, I hit the vitamin store and stocked up on Fenugreek {I hate when those horse pills get lodged in my throat}.

Now on to that schedule.

I think it only fair to any baby {especially mine} to make this move slowly.  It doesn't seem right to me to suddenly make a baby wait an extra hour to eat.  So, I sat down with a note pad and a pencil {I needed the eraser} and sketched out a transitional four weeks.

It looked fabulous on paper.  I even showed Lu and she agreed by taking it straight to her mouth.

What I did was add fifteen minutes each week to the time between her feeds.  Which meant I also had to add 15 minutes to each wake time.  And somehow keep her bed time the same.  Easier said than done.

Lucy did fabulous with waiting on feedings.  That didn't seem to be a problem.  {the big problem comes later}

She is however, having an extremely hard time focusing on feedings.  She is turning and craning her neck the entire time just to make sure she isn't missing anything. {ouch!} And she's a popper...on and off, on and off.  All this and I nurse her in her quiet room {imagine if we were really in the midst of the Cibula action}

I have continued to supplement her nighttime feeding with a 3 oz bottle.  And get ready for a sprinkle...Lucy just started grabbing the bottle with both hands.  I have loved watching it go from two fist clumsily swatting at the bottle to ten little spread out fingers actually {semi}holding it {with Mommy's thumb supporting the bottom}.

Activity

With the transition, came an adjustment in activity time.  Each week I added 15 minutes to her wake time. So what once was an hour wake time will very soon be a two hour wake time.  I say very soon because we are getting there.

Lucy has three big activity times during the day and one shorter one in the evening.

She wakes at 8:00 am.  Her wake time after this feeding is only about 1 1/2 hours.  That's how it will remain until she drops her morning nap...in say about 14 months.  So this one is in place-we are there!  Her favorite activities during this time are watching her bigs eat breakfast {especially weekends when both of them are home}, her activity center {which is planted right in the middle of the kitchen floor}, and her bouncy seat {best view in the house to watch Maggie get ready for her day}.

Lucy's following wake time is after her 11:30 feeding {which is pretty set in place too}.  During this time Lu likes to go for walks, have tummy time with a blanket full of toys, or play in the playroom with Mags.  This wake time lasts about 1 hour 45 minutes.  Soooo close.  We are trying to make the stretch to two hours here.

But I must note some serious sweetness for Mommy here...I've got both girls going down for naps within 15-30 minutes of one another.  In another few weeks or so, they should both be 1:30 nappers.  Yay for that day!

Lucy's next wake time is after her 3:30 feeding.  This one can get a little crazy.  We pretty much wing this one here as of lately.  Jack is home {enough said, right?}  Maggie is waking up shortly after and I look like a human tornado.  Probably not fair to assess this one right yet.  She's only just gotten to this "wait until 3:30 to eat" in the past week or so.   It would be an understatement to say, 'we are still working out the kinks here'.  But my goal is to make this sibling time...one day.  Oh, and add rice cereal.

Her last wake time is after her 5:30 5:00 catnap {still working on getting that one to the proper 5:30 time slot}.  Lucy can wake from her catnap anywhere between 5:45-6:30.  We are definitely not at "goal status" quite yet.  Once awake we hang with the bigs and daddy for a bit and then we are usually up to the tub.

The TUB...her favorite activity of the day.  Another sprinkle...mmmm...love watching that  Lucy girl splash and kick water everywhere.  Pure preciousness.  And her latest?  Chewing on a wash cloth while I scrub her up.

In other activity news, Lucy is an amazing raspberry blower.  And saliva bubble blower.  Hence her rosy red rash on her chin.  She couldn't be more proud of herself when she makes that noise and I follow up with an imitation.  {insert adorable gummy smile here}

Lu is also a kicker.  Put her on her back and watch her go.  She will kick everything off of the changing table and if you're not careful she'll get you too.

In the past month, Lucy has perfected her grabbing skills.  Her favorite is my hair or my ears.  Once she's got a good grasp she pulls me down to be nose to nose with her sweet little face.  And she slobbers all over me.  Delicious Lucy!

Lucy has also become a Peek-a-Boo baby.  But, she prefers a modified version.  It's one where we swing our head around really fast to look at her and say some silly word in addition to the standard "peek a boo".  {insert that gummy smile again}  And her favorite song, hands down is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  Lucy's little eyes twinkle just like the song when she hears it.

All this activity can wear a baby girl out {especially when your Mommy keeps adding 15 minutes to it every week} and that leads us to...

Sleep

You may have guessed it, but this is where the problem in the transition has taken place.  I knew it would happen...doesn't mean I have to like it though.

Now don't worry, my lovely Lucy is still giving me 12-13 hours at night {or I probably wouldn't be writing this post right now}

Our biggest challenge has been in the way of naps.  This whole transition thing is really a Catch 22.  You want to add the 15 minutes to the wake times, but you have to be careful not to keep baby up so long that they become overtired/overstimulated and their nap suffers.

Hmmm...what to do? Basically, don't rush it.  And that's why we aren't quite there yet.  I was hoping to be by her 5 month birthday, but it looks like we need a few more weeks, maybe only one.  Time will tell.

There were days where her naps really suffered {especially that afternoon one}.  That is not at all my end goal.  So I had to step back and reevaluate.  And that's where I decided that a 1:00-1:30 window was okay for her afternoon nap.  Would I like it to be 1:30? Absolutely.  But, if, in this month of transition, I pushed Lucy too hard, it always backfired on me.  And we all know what follows afternoon naps...the evening....which is trying in itself.  No need to pour salt on the wound.

So basically Lucy has consolidated four naps to two full naps and one evening catnap.  Huge strides and definite progress.  We have still have a little shifting to go, but we are headed in the right direction.

Now...when we finally get there, I may be asking for someone to 'serioulsy stop the clock'.

Until then, one more glimpse of those baby blues that have a way of melting my heart...

Love you Lu and all of the slobber and bubbles that come with you.  Happy 5 Months to our "cherry on top"!

On My Nightstand

I thought I should explain where I've been lately.  {in case you are wondering}  

Well, I started reading again.  

If you know me, you know that's my addiction {along with Dancing With The Stars and The Bachelor}.  That's my morning cup of coffee.  My glass of wine.  For those of you who can relate on that level.  

I know I've returned to some sense of normalcy when I can read a novel again.  It took nearly 5 months, but I'm here.

So what's gracing my night stand these days?  The Scent of Rain and Lighting by Nancy Pickard.  

Okay, this where I must admit, that I started this book at the beginning of my Lucy pregnancy {yes, not lying}.  Stopped because of the nausea.  Started again mid pregnancy.  Stopped again because of the construction.  Started again at the end of my pregnancy.  And stopped, yet again, because of the unbearable exhaustion.

And that's when that nightmare thought of, "I'm never going to be able to read a novel again" starting creeping back into my head.  So I stuffed it in a drawer and gave up.

That thought was put to rest  about 2 weeks ago.  I started the novel again...with a fresh mind and finished it without stopping.

And it was good.  Really good.  There was a moment that I thought this is too predictable.  Oh, but was I wrong.  Crazy twist at the end.  The kind where I popped right up off of my pillow.

Do I recommend it?  Yes, for sure.  

And speaking of recommendations.  Thanks Erin.  I think it was about two years ago {pitiful, huh?}.  I'm back on the wagon though.  

A Year In Review

I have found that 2012 was a big oxymoron for me. It has been very bittersweet.

Bitter in the fact that I was pregnant & exhausted for much of it, going through construction hell and back, Jack headed to Kindergarten, and I lost someone very dear to me.

Sweet in the fact that we were blessed with Lucy, we have a beautiful and functional home, and Jack is growing up wonderfully.

If I said that I had a great 2012 it would be half heartedly.  And I like to be honest.  But, in being honest, I must admit, there were some great moments.  Some trying ones too.  And lots of growing ones.

I approach 2013 with a very new perspective.  One I don't think I've ever had {part of that growing thing}.  I want to slow down.  I want to savor those moments...the great ones.  And I want to let the bitter ones go.  It's taking me 35 plus years to realize that life really does go by fast.  It's not a cliche.  It's the truth.

So seeing as how having three kids doesn't lend much room to "slowing down" literally, I want to do it figuratively.  I want {and will} slow down and enjoy the beautiful gift of my family.  And I'm really going to try not to sweat the small stuff.  Try...that's all I can do, right?

That being said, here is our annual year in review.  The bitter and the sweet...okay, mostly the sweet.

January : 

I went on a girl's trip in January with some high school/college friends.  It was wonderful to get away, to see old faces, and laugh.  But, I was pregnant {we hadn't made the announcement yet} and I was sick as could be and getting fat.  We went out to dinner and these were my fortunes...

I find these to be the foreshadowing of the bittersweet months ahead.

February: 

Yet again, newly pregnant.  Still sick and getting even fatter.  But, on that sweet side...Maggie fell in love with the princesses {especially Belle}.  And Jack fell deeper in love with Toy Story.

March:

By now everyone knew we were expecting number three.  And that's all she was to me until this point...number three.  Then in March that all changed.  We found out Lucy was going to be a girl.  Though shocked, I was selfishly excited.

April:

My house was torn to shreds from the outside in.  And I was feeling the same way.  I just wanted a place to live back {without tools, without strange men in and out of it, and without a pounding in my ear all day long}.  Maggie's new big girl room was the first room completed.  And I fell in love with it as did she.  I spent many moments in there just soaking up ONE complete room and it was pink *sigh*.  

Heaven...or at least what I imagine it will look like.

May:

Jack graduated from pre-school in May.  {I adore his baby fat in this picture-little did I know it would soon be gone}. And Grandma came to live near us.  I was losing my first born to Kindergarten, but gaining my Mom down the road.  Another bittersweet month.

June:

In June we took our annual beach trip with just our little fam.  We missed our friends dearly this year, but reveled in the time we were able to spend with just one another.  Our last as a family of four.

July:

Just in the knick of time our house was finished.  I spent an entire hot pregnancy under construction.  But, geez was I happy it was completed before Lucy's arrival.  And the best part?, not one regret.  I love the way our little cottage turned out.  Although, it was a long road to get there.

August:

Lucy arrived on August 23rd, 2012.  It was instant love.  That first moment when her cheek touched mine we were both at peace.  A glorious memory I will never forget.

September:

I was pretty much exhausted from the day Lucy arrived.  There was no running on adrenaline for the first few weeks with this one.  So the day we had her newborn session was a stretch in all things for me.  But, I got my first, and most beloved, picture of my three little ones.  Yes, three! And I will cherish this as long as I live.

October:

And though this might seem obvious...I chose Halloween for October.  For more reasons than the simple cuteness of it.  I want to remember my superhero loving Jack and princess adoring Maggie.  I want to remember the love and time that went into these costumes from a Grandma who now lives so close to us.  And I want to remember that even though their Mommy was exhausted to the core, my kids were still having a wonderful time this month.

November:

I am so blessed to have known this man and call him my Uncle.  And I am even more blessed that God made Lucy to bring us all together for one last time.

December:

This was my first time out {without Clay} with all three kids.  We survived and had an extremely merry time at that.  I felt very accomplished, loved and exhausted all at the same time.  That kind of sums up life with three these days.

I am hoping 2013 will be a little less of an oxymoron and more of a consistent "sweet".  I am hoping that I can hold true to my resolution.  And I am praying that we will all grow and cherish one another.

The days are long, but the years are short.

Happy 2013.

Eighteen

Eighteen days of winter break {aka no school} has nothing on us.  

I have loved having my kids home.  I seriously mean that.  I am mourning tomorrow when Jack is back to his "real world".  

He is ready.  I could see that yesterday.  But selfishly, I feel like it's going to be the first day of Kindergarten all over for me {and Maggie}. Even Lucy has gotten use to the extra little voice around here. *sniff sniff*

We had a great time though.  We stayed very busy, whether at home or away.  The holidays and family certainly filled a lot of the time.  But, so did our other just "being a regular family" activities.  

We went to Catch Air {per Maggie's request}, Lego Land {per Jack the lego maniac's request}, the library, to get haircuts, the Doughnut shop, and the Dollar Store.  We had two all boy playdates and one sleep over with Sophia.  We even pulled out Mommy's January teaching box and made snowmen art and read lots of winter books.

And then we entertained ourselves with the simplicity of home...

The kids loved bubble baths in our big tub.  They even took a few showers in our bathroom.  They sprayed each other with the hand held spout, screamed and giggled...until it got a bit out of control....expected.

We played outside as much as we could {we had dreary weather for dayyyys}. So the opportunites were few and far between.  But when we did, we especially enjoyed trying out our new gifts from Santa.  I even got to try mine out...a new zoom lens!  Woo hoo!

Maggie played lots of dress up.  Like this day when she dressed up for the rain, but never actually went out in it.  All that work getting suited up wore her out, I guess.

When Jack wasn't doing Legos, he was doing science experiments.  This was his paper mache volcano that really erupted with vinegar and baking soda.

Lucy got to try out her new activity center {thanks Uncle Mike!}.  She is still trying to figure out how to operate it, but she definitely loves a new place to be.  Especially since she is almost in standing position {just about another inch}. I threatened the big kids that I was going to get each of them one for Christmas next year...since they COULD NOT keep their hands off of it.  

And yes, Maggie is dressed up, once again.

Okay, so I've started my countdown until our next school break.  MLK, JR Day...15 days away...

RInging In Two Thousand 13

I once heard that New Years Eve is when parents live it up...until about 10:00 pm.  Well, that is partly true for us.  Except we didn't even make it until 10:00.

We did however have our own little celebration and were up later than usual.  The venue was our backyard.  The guests were Clay, Jack, Maggie, and me {little Lu was already in dream land}.  And the "living it up" included smore's and fireworks.

Possibly one of my favorite New Years Eve's to date.  {and this where Daddy deserves props--it was all his plan AND he did all of the shopping}.

Jack also said it was, "his favorite New Years evvvver"! *smile*   And then he recanted and said, "well, actually, 2014 probably will be, because Lucy will be with us too".  *even bigger smile*

Maggie enjoyed her family and the sweet treats, wasn't so sure about the fire and fireworks, and then turned in by 8:15.

Jack, however, stayed up until "midnight".  Luckily for me, he doesn't know that midnight is 12:00 am.  He's got the clock and time to the hour pretty figured out, so if he had, my little white lie wouldn't have worked.  He went to bed happily, all the while thinking he made it until 2013 {unlike his sisters}.  I'm not a big advocate of lying to my kids, but the bounce in his step {all the way up to his bedroom} was so worth it.


Daddy gave the all important lesson on roasting marshmallows.  Love our new fire pit from Grammy and Grampa.

I have no fears of Maggie growing up to be a pyromaniac.  One worry to mark off of my list.

Yum...the reward of smore's was so worth it.  Even the mess that Maggie had me clean off of her hands after each bite.

And wouldn't you know my camera ran out of batteries right at the start of the show?  How I wish I had a picture of Jack dancing around with his sparklers.  I made a mental click {I refuse to ever forget that...adorable!}

Maggie tetter tottered with the idea of holding a sparkler, but got cold feet at the hand off every time.  Probably a good thing.  My fleece has a giant burn hole in it from the one {yes, it only took one} sparkler I did. Yikes...didn't know those things were so dangerous.  Thank goodness this was New Years Eve and not the 4th of July and I was fully robed.

Happy Two Thousand 13 to everyone.  I hope you were able to "live it up" with the ones you love too!