Thursday, July 12, 2007
Luke and Matthew's First Meeting.
Luke and Matthew met each other for the first time yesterday. It was so cute, they immediately grabbed each other's hands and held on tight. Then, as Jeremy says, Matthew tried to eat Luke! Not really, he was just a bit rough because he's quite a bit bigger than Luke--hey, he's got 4.5 months on Luke!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
New Discoveries!
Luke discovered his knees today. He's been lifting them up to his chest and in the bath tonight he was grabbing at them. Next it'll be his feet! How exciting!!
He is also now able to grab onto a toy that's on his chest and of course, he eats it!
The girls are getting along so well these days. It's so great to see them playing together and be in harmony for longer periods of time. It truly brings joy to my heart. The other day we went for a walk as a family. My mom always says, "why don't you take the kids for a walk??" Hmmmm...perhaps because it's darn near painful! The girls walk so slowly...and I feel bad hurrying them along because they're just being curious children, and I LOVE that...but when we're walking, I want to walk--especially when I've got a crying baby in the stroller! So we're walking, Luke is crying and the girls are exploring (they found some pretty beads in the grass) and this man says, "Do you have a wagon?" I said, "No." and he said, "Oh good...would you like one?". I said, "Sure why not!" So Abby climbed in and Savannah dragged her along for a good portion of the walk...and they both thoroughly enjoyed it. That is, until Savannah got tired of lugging Abby around and Abby decided after resting that she was just too tired to continue walking, then all you know what broke loose. Jeremy came along on his scooter and took ABBY (?!) for a ride and poor Savannah, after having done all of that hard work, started crying, "It's not fair, it's not fair to me". Poor little one. I felt so bad I had her climb in and I dragged the wagon WHILE pushing the stroller. Needless to say, I was so sweaty when we got home. It was a good walk when all was said and done though. It'd be nice if it could be a bit easier--no crying baby would definitely help, so I know the time will come soon for that.
But now that we have that wagon, the girls are constantly pulling eachother around. It looks like so much fun!
Michelle, Hallie, James, Kathryn and Matthew arrived today. For those of you who don't know, they're our WONDERFUL friends who used to be our neighbors. They lived 2 doors down from us for 2.5 years and then moved to Virginia. The girls absolutely adore Hallie (8) and James (6)...they're best friends. Michelle is also my best friend and our families got along so well. So they're out here for nearly a month for a visit. Michelle's parents live here in Novato. It's very exciting also because when they moved, I had just found out that I was pregnant with Luke. Michelle was about 4.5 months pregnant at the time with Matthew (8 months today!). Kathryn (2) was just a little pip squeak. So this will be the first time they meet Luke and we meet Matthew! And of course so much changes when a child goes from 1 year old to 2! I can't wait to see them! I spoke with Michelle today and they were just leaving the airport. She said they'd probably come over tomorrow because today was such a busy day, etc. A little while later Savannah came in the house and said, "Michelle drove by, she said Hallie and James would be over to play tomorrow." She said it so nonchalantly that I didn't really believe her. So I started quizzing her and it appeared that Michelle did indeed drive by and talk to the girls. When I spoke to her later she said that the girls were SO EXCITED when she drove up they were almost shaking! How cute!! She said that Abby is HUGE compared to what she was a year ago--she's definitely sprouted up! But then again, there is a huge difference between a 2.5 year old and a 3.5 year old.
Savannah has been contemplating who she will marry when she grows up. There is a new boy named Josh who she says she is going to marry. Then she said, "Who do you think I should marry: Josh, Drew or James?" Drew is a definite NO and I asked her, "Savannah, does Josh love Jesus?" and she said, "I think he knows God, but he thinks that Jesus is who made the ark. And he also said that the Bible we use for homeschool isn't really a Bible." So I told her, "You know, the most important thing when you're considering who to marry is whether he loves Jesus or not." and she said, "James loves Jesus!" and I said, "Yes he does" and she said, "Okay, I'll marry him." Whew...I'm so glad that one is settled!! Hahaha!! If only it were that simple!
Well that's all the update time I have. At least this time I included the girls and some photos of them as well! Oh, I should note: the other day Abby helped me juice about 25 limes and 15 lemons! She did most of it herself and did a WONDERFUL job! She is an excellent help in the kitchen! I have an electric juicer, but you still have to use a good amount of muscle to do it!
He is also now able to grab onto a toy that's on his chest and of course, he eats it!
The girls are getting along so well these days. It's so great to see them playing together and be in harmony for longer periods of time. It truly brings joy to my heart. The other day we went for a walk as a family. My mom always says, "why don't you take the kids for a walk??" Hmmmm...perhaps because it's darn near painful! The girls walk so slowly...and I feel bad hurrying them along because they're just being curious children, and I LOVE that...but when we're walking, I want to walk--especially when I've got a crying baby in the stroller! So we're walking, Luke is crying and the girls are exploring (they found some pretty beads in the grass) and this man says, "Do you have a wagon?" I said, "No." and he said, "Oh good...would you like one?". I said, "Sure why not!" So Abby climbed in and Savannah dragged her along for a good portion of the walk...and they both thoroughly enjoyed it. That is, until Savannah got tired of lugging Abby around and Abby decided after resting that she was just too tired to continue walking, then all you know what broke loose. Jeremy came along on his scooter and took ABBY (?!) for a ride and poor Savannah, after having done all of that hard work, started crying, "It's not fair, it's not fair to me". Poor little one. I felt so bad I had her climb in and I dragged the wagon WHILE pushing the stroller. Needless to say, I was so sweaty when we got home. It was a good walk when all was said and done though. It'd be nice if it could be a bit easier--no crying baby would definitely help, so I know the time will come soon for that.
But now that we have that wagon, the girls are constantly pulling eachother around. It looks like so much fun!
Michelle, Hallie, James, Kathryn and Matthew arrived today. For those of you who don't know, they're our WONDERFUL friends who used to be our neighbors. They lived 2 doors down from us for 2.5 years and then moved to Virginia. The girls absolutely adore Hallie (8) and James (6)...they're best friends. Michelle is also my best friend and our families got along so well. So they're out here for nearly a month for a visit. Michelle's parents live here in Novato. It's very exciting also because when they moved, I had just found out that I was pregnant with Luke. Michelle was about 4.5 months pregnant at the time with Matthew (8 months today!). Kathryn (2) was just a little pip squeak. So this will be the first time they meet Luke and we meet Matthew! And of course so much changes when a child goes from 1 year old to 2! I can't wait to see them! I spoke with Michelle today and they were just leaving the airport. She said they'd probably come over tomorrow because today was such a busy day, etc. A little while later Savannah came in the house and said, "Michelle drove by, she said Hallie and James would be over to play tomorrow." She said it so nonchalantly that I didn't really believe her. So I started quizzing her and it appeared that Michelle did indeed drive by and talk to the girls. When I spoke to her later she said that the girls were SO EXCITED when she drove up they were almost shaking! How cute!! She said that Abby is HUGE compared to what she was a year ago--she's definitely sprouted up! But then again, there is a huge difference between a 2.5 year old and a 3.5 year old.
Savannah has been contemplating who she will marry when she grows up. There is a new boy named Josh who she says she is going to marry. Then she said, "Who do you think I should marry: Josh, Drew or James?" Drew is a definite NO and I asked her, "Savannah, does Josh love Jesus?" and she said, "I think he knows God, but he thinks that Jesus is who made the ark. And he also said that the Bible we use for homeschool isn't really a Bible." So I told her, "You know, the most important thing when you're considering who to marry is whether he loves Jesus or not." and she said, "James loves Jesus!" and I said, "Yes he does" and she said, "Okay, I'll marry him." Whew...I'm so glad that one is settled!! Hahaha!! If only it were that simple!
Well that's all the update time I have. At least this time I included the girls and some photos of them as well! Oh, I should note: the other day Abby helped me juice about 25 limes and 15 lemons! She did most of it herself and did a WONDERFUL job! She is an excellent help in the kitchen! I have an electric juicer, but you still have to use a good amount of muscle to do it!
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Lukes sleep has gone down the tubes. :(
Well, so much for my EXCELLENT sleeper! For the past week and a half or so, Luke has started waking up 2x during the night and fighting naps like you wouldn't believe. It used to take me about 5-10 minutes for him to fall asleep...I swaddle him, pat and shhhh him until he dozes off, then continue for another minute or so to be sure he's asleep and he'd be off for at least an hour. Not anymore. Now I do the same thing but he SCREAMS and SCREAMS until he finally falls asleep. Yesterday it took me 30 minutes to get him to sleep and he only slept for 40 minutes. It's extremely frustrating!! The days fly by and I feel like I haven't accomplished anything worthwhile in ages. I'm so thankful that the girls are playing together pretty nicely, and they have friends because I feel like the most negligent mother ever. It makes me so sad because I used to be able to do so much with the girls and now I barely have time to do anything. I know it's just part of having a baby and this stage will fly by, but I'm reminded of why I'm not particularly fond of little babies. Oh yes, they've got to be the sweetest, most adorable little critters ever, but man, why do they have to be SO difficult?? I'm really trying hard to enjoy this part of Luke's life, but I'm often finding myself really, really looking forward to the future. Yesterday we went to downtown Novato for a little stroll. There is an old fashioned candy store called Powell's Sweet Shop and we've been wanting to take the girls. It was a fun little stroll...we got to check out some other fun shops (they have a really cool toy store also! I didn't know about it, so I'm rather excited!) but Luke got fussy and we had to cut everything short. I was hoping that he'd take a little snooze while we walked, but no...he didn't sleep the entire time we were out. He was awake from about 3pm until bed at nearly 8. *sigh*. I know that in no time we'll be way beyond this stage and I'll look back with nothing but fond memories...isn't that the way it always goes? So I'm really trying to enjoy this...take in every inch of his sweetness...breathe in that sweet little baby smell, rub his soft, fuzzy head and savor all of those wonderful, gummy baby smiles. And OH how he smiles!
Yes, I'll do updates on the girls shortly as well...again, there's another area where I'm neglecting my poor little chickens.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Luke is SO strong!
Today Luke started pushing himself up on his arms and looking around like such a big guy! He was really having a good time as long as he could hold his head up and it was so adorable. It's always fun when babies have these big jumps in development, he couldn't do this yesterday and today he can...amazing little man!
I'll try to take a picture of him doing it and post it.
Today for his nap I swaddled him with his hand by his mouth. He was having a very hard time falling asleep, so I was hoping that'd help. I guess he slept because he was quiet for about an hour. I'm really hoping that he'll start sucking his fingers. He's a pretty easy going baby, but he's still a bit difficult to get to sleep at times, so anything would help.
**Updated**
The above photo isn't the best one I could get of him lifting his head, but the one where he had his head up the highest, he had a face on like he was really struggling! So this is the cutest/best so far!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Update:
Luke had his check-up today. He's almost 3 months and it has flown by! He's a healthy, wonderful little guy. He's 12lbs13oz and 24.5 inches long! He's GROWN a lot. He got some shots today and did really well with them (so far). He's able to lift his head up pretty well when he's on his tummy and hasn't rolled over yet, but he's grabbing everything he can get his hands on, and sucking his hands like crazy (he prefers the left).
Abby and Savannah are doing great. We're on day 4 of "official" homeschool. This week we've been studying the Sun and the letter "S". Abby still doesn't have the greatest attention span for "school", so she does some of the projects, and when she's napping, Savannah and I work on reading and writing. Savannah is progressing very well with both. We're doing a lot of character development learning alongside the actual school work. We're doing Bible (of course) and also God's Wisdom for Little Girls by Elizabeth George. I also have a book of character building that we'll probably start next week. Savannah is working on learning how to sit still and pay attention, she think that because it's mommy teaching her that she doesn't have to act her best at all times, but I am happy to report that the learning she's doing is definitely paying off. She's been making a conscious effort to be Helpful, Kind, Obedient, etc. Of course she still falls short (as we all do), but she's trying.
Abby is starting to respond a bit better to discipline. We've had some talks, and I've read an excellent book, which I HIGHLY recommend called, "Don't Make Me Count to Three" by Ginger Plowman. It's about scripture-based discipline and using the rod AND reproof. Something that just clicked with me is that when Abby is carrying on after her spanking, she's not showing repentance. So we're working on that and I let her know that if she keeps screaming, she's not truly sorry and we'll have to do it again until I know she truly IS sorry...and she's not doing it anymore. Praise God! I hope that she really is repentant, but at least this is a start in the right direction.
Our neighborhood has totally emptied. We have had 6 of our immediate neighbors move in the past month...and there are 2 more on their way out. It's pretty weird. There have been HUGE moving trucks all over the place. Most of the girls friends are gone, but I can't say that's necessarily a bad thing. It'll be interesting to see how things change as we get new neighbors. There are some issues with some new ones we've gotten. I think it must be because we're the closest house to the playground, and everyone must think that we're just an extension of the playground. No matter what it is, if anything is left outside, the kids think it's fair game for them to do whatever they want. I've had to limit what the girls can play with outside because everyone LOVES to play, and no one wants to clean up, and it's not fair to my girls to make them clean up the mess from all of the children in the neighborhood. It's quite frustrating. So if you think about it, please keep us in your prayers for our new neighbors. We stand to get new ones in the house attached to us and also in the house that we share a side yard with. So it could be interesting! Only the Lord knows what is best for our neighborhood, and I pray that He brings us wonderful neighbors that share our values...that would be good.
Speaking of neighbors, only 18 days until the Petie's come for a visit...not that we're counting or anything! Hahaa...we're all very much looking forward it. For those of you who don't know (if anyone is actually reading this), the Peties were our neighbors here up until last year. Our families completely bonded and I definitely consider them our best friends. Our children get along so well, they homeschool, they're Christians and we even have similar senses of humor, which always makes it more fun! They moved to Virginia last summer after Jonathan (the husband/daddy) graduated from O.C.S. (Officer Candidate School) with the Coast Guard. Michelle (wife/mommy) was pregnant at the time with #4 and I found out I was pregnant just before they moved away...so this will be the first time we see each other's little boy's! How fun!! I'm very excited!
We've been invited to dinner at another neighbors house tonight (Jeremy has been out of town since Saturday and comes home tomorrow) so I must be going. Luke is snoozin', I think his trip to the doctor wore him out today...poor little guy!
Anyway, that's the scoop for now...I actually have a couple other posts I've started but haven't completed...so I'm debating whether I should post them or not...we'll see. But keep checking back, I do update from time to time! :)
Abby and Savannah are doing great. We're on day 4 of "official" homeschool. This week we've been studying the Sun and the letter "S". Abby still doesn't have the greatest attention span for "school", so she does some of the projects, and when she's napping, Savannah and I work on reading and writing. Savannah is progressing very well with both. We're doing a lot of character development learning alongside the actual school work. We're doing Bible (of course) and also God's Wisdom for Little Girls by Elizabeth George. I also have a book of character building that we'll probably start next week. Savannah is working on learning how to sit still and pay attention, she think that because it's mommy teaching her that she doesn't have to act her best at all times, but I am happy to report that the learning she's doing is definitely paying off. She's been making a conscious effort to be Helpful, Kind, Obedient, etc. Of course she still falls short (as we all do), but she's trying.
Abby is starting to respond a bit better to discipline. We've had some talks, and I've read an excellent book, which I HIGHLY recommend called, "Don't Make Me Count to Three" by Ginger Plowman. It's about scripture-based discipline and using the rod AND reproof. Something that just clicked with me is that when Abby is carrying on after her spanking, she's not showing repentance. So we're working on that and I let her know that if she keeps screaming, she's not truly sorry and we'll have to do it again until I know she truly IS sorry...and she's not doing it anymore. Praise God! I hope that she really is repentant, but at least this is a start in the right direction.
Our neighborhood has totally emptied. We have had 6 of our immediate neighbors move in the past month...and there are 2 more on their way out. It's pretty weird. There have been HUGE moving trucks all over the place. Most of the girls friends are gone, but I can't say that's necessarily a bad thing. It'll be interesting to see how things change as we get new neighbors. There are some issues with some new ones we've gotten. I think it must be because we're the closest house to the playground, and everyone must think that we're just an extension of the playground. No matter what it is, if anything is left outside, the kids think it's fair game for them to do whatever they want. I've had to limit what the girls can play with outside because everyone LOVES to play, and no one wants to clean up, and it's not fair to my girls to make them clean up the mess from all of the children in the neighborhood. It's quite frustrating. So if you think about it, please keep us in your prayers for our new neighbors. We stand to get new ones in the house attached to us and also in the house that we share a side yard with. So it could be interesting! Only the Lord knows what is best for our neighborhood, and I pray that He brings us wonderful neighbors that share our values...that would be good.
Speaking of neighbors, only 18 days until the Petie's come for a visit...not that we're counting or anything! Hahaa...we're all very much looking forward it. For those of you who don't know (if anyone is actually reading this), the Peties were our neighbors here up until last year. Our families completely bonded and I definitely consider them our best friends. Our children get along so well, they homeschool, they're Christians and we even have similar senses of humor, which always makes it more fun! They moved to Virginia last summer after Jonathan (the husband/daddy) graduated from O.C.S. (Officer Candidate School) with the Coast Guard. Michelle (wife/mommy) was pregnant at the time with #4 and I found out I was pregnant just before they moved away...so this will be the first time we see each other's little boy's! How fun!! I'm very excited!
We've been invited to dinner at another neighbors house tonight (Jeremy has been out of town since Saturday and comes home tomorrow) so I must be going. Luke is snoozin', I think his trip to the doctor wore him out today...poor little guy!
Anyway, that's the scoop for now...I actually have a couple other posts I've started but haven't completed...so I'm debating whether I should post them or not...we'll see. But keep checking back, I do update from time to time! :)
Monday, June 4, 2007
Quite the Monumental Day!
Luke was 10 weeks old yesterday and last night he SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!! WoooHOOO!!
I'm still so amazed that the Lord would bless us so tremendously with the baby I had prayed for. From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I started praying that the Lord would give us a baby that would fit right into the family. One that wouldn't be too disruptive to the status quo and that wouldn't kill me with lack of sleep and frustration. God is SO good! Luke is such an angel baby. Not only did he sleep through the night, but today he also gave me his first real laugh! And I was lucky enough to get it on video! I'm trying to post it on youtube, but I have to make the file smaller, and I'm not sure how to do that with a video. Luke is still eating well and is already 13lbs! He's a big, healthy, strong, happy guy!
The girls are doing well. They're still adjusting to the disruption of a new baby which is leading to some disciplinary issues, and it's a struggle...but by God's Grace, we'll get through and be all the better for it. It is difficult at times though. Savannah seems to be doing much better than Abby, even though Abby adores her baby brother (can you say, "Elmira"?..."I want to hug him and squeeze him and love him...") I know that it's hard for both of them not having me as much as they're used to. I'm still having difficulties with her and her hitting/temper. I really don't know what to do with her. She has such a short fuse and she's quite volatile! Today she was taking a toy away from the neighbors child and he was fighting for control of it...she screamed at him and then grabbed his face. Needless to say, she lost outside privileges for the rest of the day. But even with spankings and time-outs, the behaviors don't seem to change. Any suggestions?? Savannah's issues are a bit more subtle. Of course she misses mommy time, but I think she's just at a better age...she's learning to be more independent anyway, so it's not such a huge deal...but her problem is with instigating. There's a very fine line between being helpful and being a snitch. I appreciate her "help", but the tattling gets old. Both of them bicker like mad as well. Other than that (hahaha), life is GRAND!! Actually it's not so horrible, but there are definitely days that I feel like an absolute failure. I guess that's the nature of being a mommy...hopefully I'm not alone in this, but I actually feel like a failure more times than not these days. I know it's due to my lack of time and more demands on me...but it's very difficult.
Speaking of demands on my time and all, we'll be starting homeschooling very soon. I'm aiming for no later than the beginning of next week...I've still got some loose ends to finish up, but yes, we're starting at an odd time...but what the hay? There is no reason NOT to start now. We're going to start out slow, doing the basic stuff--mostly getting into a routine and all--but we will be following a simple curriculum and I'll be using it with both Savannah and Abby. Since Savannah is a bit advanced for Kindergarten, we'll just be doing more advanced stuff with her and a little easier for Abby. We're using a curriculum called My Father's World. And I'm not using the ENTIRE thing, we're doing our own stuff for handwriting and reading. We'll also be implementing calendar stuff, chores, manners and domestic stuff (ie: sewing, crocheting, etc.)...of course some of this stuff is what we'll get to eventually. I have this whole vision of what I'd LOVE to be doing, but often the reality and the fantasy are very different.
Well, enough of this...life beckons and I must be signing off for now. I hope to be here again soon!
I'm still so amazed that the Lord would bless us so tremendously with the baby I had prayed for. From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I started praying that the Lord would give us a baby that would fit right into the family. One that wouldn't be too disruptive to the status quo and that wouldn't kill me with lack of sleep and frustration. God is SO good! Luke is such an angel baby. Not only did he sleep through the night, but today he also gave me his first real laugh! And I was lucky enough to get it on video! I'm trying to post it on youtube, but I have to make the file smaller, and I'm not sure how to do that with a video. Luke is still eating well and is already 13lbs! He's a big, healthy, strong, happy guy!
The girls are doing well. They're still adjusting to the disruption of a new baby which is leading to some disciplinary issues, and it's a struggle...but by God's Grace, we'll get through and be all the better for it. It is difficult at times though. Savannah seems to be doing much better than Abby, even though Abby adores her baby brother (can you say, "Elmira"?..."I want to hug him and squeeze him and love him...") I know that it's hard for both of them not having me as much as they're used to. I'm still having difficulties with her and her hitting/temper. I really don't know what to do with her. She has such a short fuse and she's quite volatile! Today she was taking a toy away from the neighbors child and he was fighting for control of it...she screamed at him and then grabbed his face. Needless to say, she lost outside privileges for the rest of the day. But even with spankings and time-outs, the behaviors don't seem to change. Any suggestions?? Savannah's issues are a bit more subtle. Of course she misses mommy time, but I think she's just at a better age...she's learning to be more independent anyway, so it's not such a huge deal...but her problem is with instigating. There's a very fine line between being helpful and being a snitch. I appreciate her "help", but the tattling gets old. Both of them bicker like mad as well. Other than that (hahaha), life is GRAND!! Actually it's not so horrible, but there are definitely days that I feel like an absolute failure. I guess that's the nature of being a mommy...hopefully I'm not alone in this, but I actually feel like a failure more times than not these days. I know it's due to my lack of time and more demands on me...but it's very difficult.
Speaking of demands on my time and all, we'll be starting homeschooling very soon. I'm aiming for no later than the beginning of next week...I've still got some loose ends to finish up, but yes, we're starting at an odd time...but what the hay? There is no reason NOT to start now. We're going to start out slow, doing the basic stuff--mostly getting into a routine and all--but we will be following a simple curriculum and I'll be using it with both Savannah and Abby. Since Savannah is a bit advanced for Kindergarten, we'll just be doing more advanced stuff with her and a little easier for Abby. We're using a curriculum called My Father's World. And I'm not using the ENTIRE thing, we're doing our own stuff for handwriting and reading. We'll also be implementing calendar stuff, chores, manners and domestic stuff (ie: sewing, crocheting, etc.)...of course some of this stuff is what we'll get to eventually. I have this whole vision of what I'd LOVE to be doing, but often the reality and the fantasy are very different.
Well, enough of this...life beckons and I must be signing off for now. I hope to be here again soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)