Three Bees

Last night I had Oliver wear the bumblebee sleeper I got for Nadia in October 2008 when she was 4 months old. It's still a little big for Oliver. I'll wait a bit before I have him wear it again, but I think he looks adorable, as did our previous two bumblebees! Ian was 8 months old when he wore it. I had used Picnik to make the collage in 2010. That site doesn't exist anymore. Does anyone know of a free website for making photo collages (without a download)? The consignment shop closest to us is having a sale 40% off everything tomorrow, and Paul's parents are coming up to visit us tomorrow while Paul is at PSU (a week from today there should be TWO Dr. Kennedys in this house!). I'm hoping to get Oliver some clothing in size 3-6 month as he's a growing boy and won't be in 0-3 month clothes for too many more weeks!

This week I've been working on several things with Nadia - syllables, putting a period at the end of a sentence, writing, sounding words out, etc. Next month I want to start using a curriculum with her. I'll decide in the next couple of weeks whether I'll use Sonlight or My Father's World first (I already purchased both of them). I told her I wanted her to write a story today. One one paper she wrote "Jona ran awa from God." Jona sald on a bot." (translation: Jonah ran away from God. Jonah sailed on a boat.) On the second she wrote "Noa bilt a arc. A flud cam evrewar." (translation: Noah built a ark. A flood came everywhere.)

 

 

Nadia at 4 months old (10/31/08)

Thank you Thursday

I've had Nadia color or paint a "thank you card" many times before, but today was the first time that Nadia wrote the words "thank you." I told her how to spell "thank you for" on the first card, and she copied those words on two other cards. I then let her sound out and spell the other words. The first card for Grandma and Pop Pop said "thank you for pinc castle" (castle is on the back side of the page, and I forgot my plan to let her spell those words herself and told her there was a silent "e" at the end of "castle"). The card for Grandma and Grandpa said "thank you for Tangld" as they gave her a Rapunzel doll (that she calls Tangled) as well as the "Tangled" dvd. The last card is for Great Gram, and it read "thank you for Sindrala" (Cinderella). I thought she did a great job with her invented spelling!

Yesterday I noticed that Oliver's overalls (size 0-3 month) didn't reach his ankles. I thought it was time to get out the box of 3-6 month clothing to see if some of it fit him yet. I discovered I have very little clothing in that size for him because a lot of what I had from Ian in that size are short sleeve shirts and shorts. I did buy a few outfits at a yard sale in May. I have only ONE sleeper for him in that size - the bumblebee one that I got for Nadia in October 2008. The first outfit I tried on him was WAY too big. The second one fit him perfectly. In fact, it seems like it either shrunk or was missized as it seems the same size as the 0-3 month clothing he's been wearing lately. I wish I had known as he could have worn it at Christmas! I'm glad I went through that box before he outgrew it. Ian really liked the hat that went with the outfit. If I took the hat off Oliver's head, Ian was quick to notice and asked me to put the hat back on Oliver. I need to go to some consignment shops or clearance racks in the next week or two and pick up some 3-6 month outfits and pjs for Oliver! I have plenty of 3-6 month short sleeved onesies to put under his outfits, but that's about it.

I am happy to say that today I finally started to feel better after feeling really lousy for 6 days. I am not saying I feel back to normal, but I do feel myself returning to "the land of the living" as my mom used to say. This is a big relief because moms don't get sick days! I'm also grateful that Oliver slept 10 hours straight last night and took two nice naps in his crib today. Bless you, my child!

 

 

Pizza, Socks, and more

Yesterday life started to return back to normal. We'd had a break for a few weeks from ballet, gymnastics, Cubbies, library time, etc. On Monday none of us left the house aside from walking to the mailbox to get the mail. Nadia has fully recovered from the bug. She ate house and home on Monday after not having much of an appetite for a few days. Paul and I still feel lousy. My throat has been very sore, which wouldn't be so bad except most of the time I have to use my voice with the kids (reading to them, singing with them, etc.). In the last few days I finished reading Socks to them. They both really enjoyed that one. Ian kept asking me questions about the baby (Charles William) and cat (Socks). I read a few chapters of Sarah, Plain, and Tall  but Nadia objected that it didn't have ANY pictures. I switched to The Courage of Sarah Noble which we finished today. My goal of reading at least 24 chapter books this year will be easily met. I think I could have made it at least 50. Today we started reading Ramona the Pest. I also continue to read many picture books to the kids each day, but we are really enjoying the new habit of reading chapter books at lunch. I wish I had started this sooner. Better late than never! Ian hasn't been as interested in the others as he was in Socks. I'm mostly doing this for Nadia's benefit, but I'll try to pick some in February that he'll also enjoy. I checked out The Hundred Dresses at the library today. I also checked out several books on CD's for Nadia to listen to in her room. I will definitely continue to do this because otherwise she doesn't stay in her room very long during room time (when Ian is napping). Today I brought home CD's of Beezus and Ramona, a Mrs. Piggle Wiggle book, and one that included the Sarah, Plain and Tall trilogy.

After ballet yesterday I picked up some pizza. I decided to just take the cheese off of Ian's slice. As you can see, he loved it! I know this wouldn't be a big deal for most kids, but seeing Ian hold a piece of pizza and feed it to himself is a HUGE deal for us. This morning they were the only kids in their gymnastics class so I decided not to assist Ian as much. I figured the teacher should be able to handle the two of them without as much of my assistance, especially since Nadia is very independent. There is one other girl signed up for the class, but she wasn't there today. Our outings yesterday afternoon and this morning messed up Oliver's nap schedule. Yesterday he had a feeding at 4:30am, and this morning he had one at 1:30am. They were hard on me since I have been feeling terrible as it is, but baby comes first! I am grateful that usually he sleeps 10-11 hours straight at night. Paul hasn't gone to PSU this week since he's sick. He did get good news today that his article (that he resubmitted a few days ago) will be published in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry! Woohoo! This was great news, as it will help him with his dissertation defense in nine days.

I love you, Oliver!

I decided this month to write a list of things I love about each child. Since Oliver turned 5 months old at 4:22am, I'm posting his list today.

I love...

1. how your face lights up when you see me if we've been separated a little while (such as when I'm changing your diaper after your nap)

2. your smiles  - just a kiss from Mommy can cause you to smile. You've been smiling for Nadia and Daddy for a a few months, and you started smiling for Ian a few weeks ago.

3. your laughter - usually I hear you laugh after I tickle you such as with my nose in your cheek, "eating" your belly, etc. Three days ago you laughed your little head off at something Ian was doing while they two of you were in the bathtub. I wish I had a video of that moment. Priceless.

4. your coos - I recorded a little video today to have a record of those sweet sounds. I love talking with you!

5. when you sleep in my arms at church on Sundays - pure bliss. If I didn't have other children or  housework to do, I'd let you take all your naps in my arms.

6. when you sleep in your crib - I am extremely grateful that you have been such a good sleeper the past two months. You take two naps most days. Every once in a while (like today) you take only one nap that lasts three hours. At the very least your naps put together total 2.25 hours, and sometimes they total 4 hours. The norm is about 3 hours altogether. At night you sleep an average of 10 hours straight. The least is usually 9 hours, and the longest (like last night) has been 11 hours straight. Thank you, thank you, thank you! As I've said to many people, my hardest pregnancy produced my easiest baby.

7. when you play in your gym - I am also grateful that you are getting better at playing in there a little bit each day so that I can do things like take a shower or cook dinner. I'm also starting to work more on you spending a little time in the high chair and exersaucer each day.

8. that you are gaining weight so nicely. You hit 11lbs three days ago, which put you at 2 tenths of one percentile (you'd been at 1 tenth of one percentile for a couple of months).

9. nursing you. I wish that I was able to nurse your exclusively, but I am grateful that the bottles haven't caused you to go on strike with nursing. The best nursing session each day is the first one in the morning. I love it.

10. seeing how many smiles you bring about in other people. You are a little magnet. Strangers can't walk past you without smiling at you or making some nice comment about how cute you are. Even though you fit size 0-3 month clothing very nicely these days, I still get comments (even within the last week) from people that at first they thought you were a doll, but then you blink or something and they are surprised to find out you are a baby. When Pop Pop carries you around, he says you are a "chick magnet." Ha ha!

11. kissing your chubby little cheeks. Your cheeks are irresistable. I kiss them dozens of times a day.

12. your beautiful blue eyes. I'm the only one in the family who doesn't have blue eyes.

13. that I am number one in your life. I know it won't stay that way, but I'm enjoying it for now.

14. your soft skin. I also find your skin to be irresistable. I love to stroke your cheeks.

15. holding you. My arms feel so empty when you're not in them.

16. your cute little feet. You think it is oh so very funny when I stretch your leg so your foot touches your nose. I've been known to kiss your little toes, which your Daddy thinks is revolting.

17. your cute little hands. Even in the NICU you would grab the collar of my shirt with your left hand when I was holding you. You did that for a few months. Recently you've switched to hanging on to my hair instead. Also, when I'm nursing you or giving you a bottle, we hold hands (again with your left hand). If I don't hold your hand, you clench it very tightly. You've done that since the first time you were fed orally (when you were 2 weeks old). You want to hold hands far more than your siblings ever did at this age. I love holding your sweet hand in mine!

To quote the book that Nadia has asked me to read many, many times, "I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." As your big sister says, "I love you to the moon and back, Oliver!". Your Mommy, Daddy, big sister, and big brother love you dearly. We are ever so grateful that you joined our family!

On Time!

Today was the first time since Oliver was born that the kids and I made it to Sunday School on time! I was trying to get there early because I was teaching the 3rd-5th grade class. We weren't early, but we were on time. The downside of teaching was I put Oliver to sleep in a pack 'n play in the nursery. He got more sleep than he would have in my arms, but I missed holding him. I almost didn't go to church. Nadia came down with something on Thursday (cough, fever, etc.). Her fever lasted less than 12 hours. I came down with it on Friday, and I still have a fever more than 48 hours later. I ache all over, am very congested, have a sore nose from blowing it so often, etc. Paul came down with it last night. The reason I taught with a fever was because I missed last Sunday due to pink eye. I couldn't bring myself to call a substitute two weeks in a row, and also that would have meant my kids would have missed church two weeks in a row.

We got home around 12:45pm, and by 1:45pm all three kids had been fed and put in their beds for naps (room time for Nadia). I also crawled into bed. When Ian woke up about an hour later, I asked him to join me in bed, and he fell back asleep as you can see by the picture Paul took while we were sleeping. Ian and I got up when Oliver woke up at 4:15pm. I hadn't had a nap in a very long time. It was greatly appreciated in light of how lousy I feel and also the fact that Paul is about to go in "overtime" mode again for the next 11 days (meaning we'll hardly see him...he won't be coming home many nights during this time span even though his advisor is in Florida). All I can say is I can't wait for this to be over. I am so ready for him to be done with graduate school.

 

 

The Home Stretch

Paul turned in his dissertation to all four members of his committee yesterday. His defense is just 13 days from today. The end is definitely in sight. He went into school two days this week because he received the article back from Analytical Chemistry. One reviewer said to publish it "as is" and the second said he needed to revise and resumbit. Unfortunately, the editor went with the second reviewer. Paul's advisor said he needed to resubmit before his defense. Neither Paul or his two co-authors agreed with the second reviewer. Paul had to figure out which revisions to make and write an explanation as to why he didn't make the other revisions. His advisor (one of the co-authors) thought he was right on target with his explanation. Paul will start working for his dad beginning on the 21st. Please keep praying for a teaching job for Paul for next fall.

On January 19 I want to go mattress shopping. I've always had trouble sleeping on our mattress while pregnant, but this time I'm still having trouble 5 months after giving birth. I rarely get any sleep after 5am because my back hurts so much. The pain has gotten so bad that I'm willing to splurge on a Tempurpedic matrress. It seems the wrong time for a big expenditure considering my employment is ending on January 27 and Paul doesn't have a permanent job yet, but sleep is very important. I can't catch up on my sleep because I can't get more than 7 hours of sleep due to the pain. Considering this mattress (that we've had for 12 years) has been doused with amniotic fluid twice and blood once (still can see the stains from May 30), I think it's time for a new one. I fell in love with the Tempurpedic ones at the Ronald McDonald House in Hershey in April. Those were comfortable even while pregnant! Of course our mattress is far better than the ones I slept on in the hospital. The labor beds (when I was on the 8th floor) were the worst. Oi vey. Those were not made to be slept on for multiple consecutive nights by an antepartum patient. If Paul had the time to spare, I'd go shopping asap, but I know he doesn't have the time to spare as this is the first year in our marriage that we didn't go on a date the week of his birthday. I was starting to line up a babysitter, and he told me not to bother. :(

We brought the high chair from the basement and had Oliver sit in it for the first time at dinner tonight. He was slumping over to one side or the other, but he was content. I want him to get used to sitting in that while we eat our meals as in four weeks I'll be introducing solid foods. I'm also hoping this might help him improve his sitting skills.

Another goal I had for Ian for 2013 (that wasn't on the list) was that he could wake up in a better mood. He always cries when he wakes up - whether he has a short or a long nap. Usually I'd hold him and comfort him and try to calm him down, but I decided enough was enough. As of yesterday he has to stop crying if he wants to come downstairs after his nap. I'm hoping that if I keep enforcing this that in the near future he'll break the habit of automatically bursting into tears when he wakes up from his nap although he's had this habit for more than a year so it might take a little while to break it.

All of these pictures were taken on Thursday. Nadia wrote "Happy Birthday Daddy" all by herself! This week she learned her last two letters - R and S. She can now write all 26 capital letters! She usually does a better job with "B" than she did for his card. The hardest one for her to learn was definitely "S."

Thankful Thursday

1. The kids have really enjoyed the snow. It snowed last Wednesday here in PA while we were in MD. The kids obviously missed that snow, but it snowed again on Saturday (6 inches), and they've been enjoying that snow the past few days. Ian says to me "I want to go snowing" which means he wants to play in the snow. Ha ha! I'm also grateful that Paul helped them build two snowmen on Tuesday. If I had been in charge of that activity, they wouldn't have turned out as nice. I was only responsible for helping the kids decorate the snowmen (eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons). I don't actually enjoy being out in the snow (except if I'm skiing) so I am grateful when Paul goes out as then I can stay in the warm house with Oliver. I'm also thankful for the fence, which means Nadia and Ian can play in the snow in the backyard while I'm inside.

2. We received so many nice gifts last week! My three favorite gifts were my telephoto lens, video camera, and Steeler pj pants. The pj pants will get the most use of all the gifts I received! I also was given two necklaces, and I wore one today, and I think it looked very nice!

3. We were able to spend time with our extended family last week. We probably won't see my sister and her family again until next Christmas. I wish we could see each other more often, but I am grateful for the 3 days we did have together.

4. Neither of our teams made the playoffs this year. Bummer. The upside is that I called and cancelled our cable tv yesterday. Having a shortened football season saved us some money. We'll sign up for cable tv again next September. Paul got to see EVERY single Giants game even though we didn't have the NFL Sunday Ticket this year like we did the last two years. All but one of my games was aired.

5. Cheri watched Ian yesterday while I took Oliver for his Synagis appointment. Nadia went with me as we also stopped at Walmart to select something in place of the duplicate Tangled dvd she got for Christmas. I am very grateful for Cheri's help!

6. Today is Paul's 43rd birthday! I am very, very thankful for him! I invited Paul's parents to join us for dinner. Paul picked spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread, green beans with almonds, and Heath cookies for his birthday meal. The kids both made cards for Daddy. I am very blessed to have a husband who loves me very much and is a wonderful father to our three children.

7. Last week when I was balancing the checkbook, I discovered I had been paid once in December! I thought my last paycheck was in October, but I was paid on December 14 for 3 days (Thanksgiving). Half of that paycheck went toward health insurance as they deducted 8 weeks worth of health insurance premiums. I had assumed we'd be getting a bill in the mail for that. It was a pleasant surprise to have it covered already. Now I'm curious to see if I'll get any paychecks in January.

Our New Routine

In 2011 I organized my goals for the year through a new schedule. I was thinking about my schedule as I was writing my goals for 2013 yesterday. This is by no means set in stone, but here are my thoughts at the moment.

6:00 - Either Oliver or Ian usually get me up sometime around 6:00am (today it was 5:00am, but thankfully that's not the norm). In 2011 I was planning to exercise at 6:00am. I have no such desire at the moment. I am not planning to fit exercise into my schedule until the weather is nice enough for us to walk to the park even though I'm trying to lose weight.

7:00 - Breakfast and calendar time - I'd like to start adding in a discussion of the weather. I put Oliver in his gym while the kids are finishing breakfast and this gives me a chance to get dressed and possibly do a little housework.

After breakfast, the kids get dressed. Except for Sundays and Wednesdays (when we're rushing out the door), I'd like to have music time and read some picture books in addition to the kids having some play time.

While Oliver takes his morning nap (which sometimes is his only nap such as yesterday he napped from 11am-1:30pm and then was up until 8pm), this is my best opportunity for "schoolwork" with the kids as well as doing crafts.

Noon - Lunch and I'd like to start a habit of reading a chapter book to them while they eat

1:00 - Ian goes down for a nap, and Nadia has room time (yesterday she actually took a nap in her bed for the first time in months). It would be good for me to get a little housework done if possible while taking care of Oliver. Ian's naps vary greatly in length, but I'd say the average length is one hour.

If Oliver takes a second nap, that is definitely prime time for cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc. It's also a good time for me to do a puzzle or play a board game with Nadia and/or Ian.

5:00 - Dinner and after dinner we watch a DVD. Paul plays with the kids after the DVD until it's time for  bed. The kids help clean up before we go to bed. At 7:45pm we head upstairs to brush their teeth, have Ian go to the bathroom, put pjs on, have devotions, pray, and read one story.

8:00 - Nadia and Ian go to bed. Oliver goes down sometime between 8-9pm. After the kids are down I have time to blog, catch up on email, plan menus, write lesson plans, spend time with Paul, etc.

10:00 - I go to bed. I'd be going to bed sooner if Oliver wasn't sleeping through the night. Let me say it once again. I am sooooooooooo grateful that Oliver takes 1-2 naps in his crib and sleeps through the night. Bless you, my child!!!! I used to sleep an average of 9 hours a night, and the last couple of years it's been 8 hours a night. I rarely get more than 7 hours of sleep these days. If we have a fourth child will I be down to 6 hours a night? Sometimes I feel tired with only 7 hours of sleep, but most of the time it's fine.

On Sundays we leave for Sunday School at 8:40 and get home about 12:15. On Tuesdays we leave for ballet at 3:30 and get home at 5:15. On Wednesdays we leave for gymnastics at 8:30 and get back around 11:30. Nadia had Cubbies from 6:30-8:00 on Wednesday nights, and I have choir rehearsal from 7:00-8:30 that same night.

Although this might be the general plan, flexibility is KEY. Oliver only slept 9 hours last night. His norm is 10 hours, and the longest he's slept is 11 hours. Usually if he gets up too early, I put him back down after feeding him (which takes an average of one hour), and he'll sleep another 60-90 minutes. I don't count that as a nap. That was my plan this morning since he got up at 5:00, but Ian woke up at 6:15, and Paul had left for PSU a couple of hours before that. Ian needs to be cuddled when he first wakes up or he screams and cries. Normally it's easy to cuddle him because Oliver is in his crib. That wasn't the case this morning so Ian screamed to the point I thought he would throw up (even though I told him I was trying to put Oliver back to bed), and all that screaming made it impossible for Oliver to get back to sleep. Fun times! I finally threw in the towel, and kept Oliver up until 7:30am. That's very early for his first nap! Usually his first nap starts between 10-11am. In light of his Synagis shot appointment at 10:45, maybe it's for the best that he took a really early nap today.

Goals for 2013

1. Vacuum, dust, and clean the bathrooms more regularly

2. Lose at least 18 pounds

3. Teach Oliver to eat solid food

4. Serve vegetables at least 4 nights a week and fruit at least once a day

5. Continue to help Nadia learn to enjoy a wider variety of foods

6. Continue to help Ian learn to feed himself a wider variety of foods without fussing and crying

7. Help Ian learn to identify all the uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet as well as the sound each letter makes

8. Teach Nadia how to read

9. Read picture books to the kids every day

10. Read at least 25 chapter books to Nadia

11. Read at least two books on photography and apply the knowledge gained to improve my photography skills

12. Take the kids to Sesame Place for the first time this summer

13. Take a family vacation to Florida in the spring that includes a day at Disney World

14. Nurse Oliver until he's at least 12 months old

15. Regularly try new recipes and create a monthly meal plan

16. Teach Nadia to count to 100

17. Help Nadia develop her handwriting, drawing, coloring, and cutting skills

18. Begin to teach Nadia basic addition and subtraction skills

19. Continue to work on the concepts of yesterday, today, tomorrow, the days of the week, seasons, and months of the year with Nadia and Ian

20. Continue to work with Nadia and Ian on their patterning skills

21. Assist Paul in applying for jobs until he is offered a job that will make use of his Ph.D.

22. Continue to teach Ian and Nadia to use good manners

23. Continue to teach Ian and Nadia to share and be kind to each other

24. Help Nadia keep her room neater (we cleaned it today)

25. In September start teaching Nadia how to behave in a worship service (no more Wee Worship for her)

26. Continue to teach Nadia and Ian to obey immediately with a nice attitude and not throw tantrums when they don't get their way

27. Help Ian learn to follow the instructions at gymnastics without me needing to follow him around the gym

28. Take at least one video of each child every month. I have been doing pretty well with taking pictures, but I've not done a good job with taking videos regularly. I recorded Oliver's first video today!

29. Since we'll hopefully be moving within the next 8 months, I want to start the process of purging now so it will be easier when it's time to start packing. The first thing I am going to do is go through Nadia's clothes that are stored in the basement and select some to offer our neighbor (who has a 2.5 year old daughter).

30. Over the next few months I want to become more organized with homeschooling (get into a routine, write lesson plans) as Nadia will be starting Kindergarten in the fall!

31. I want Nadia and Ian to start learning Spanish this year.

32. Nadia needs to quit sucking her thumb.

33. Do at least one art project with Nadia and Ian every week

34. Trust that God has a good plan when I'm tempted to feel anxious about Paul's job search

35. Take Nadia and Ian to swimming lessons this summer and take all three kids to the pool regularly

36. Start having Ian memorize Bible verses

37. Spend more time in prayer and the Word each week

38. Have Nadia and Ian participate in t-ball and soccer

39. The first time I nurse Oliver each day goes really well (he nurses for an average of 30 minutes). In general I have a lot of angst related to nursing. I could easily burst into tears every day over the bottles of formula. My goal is to somehow stop letting this bother me. Of all the goals on my list, this one seems the most challenging.

40. I want to be more patient with Nadia and Ian. I always considered myself to be a pretty patient person, but the last four months I've seen that I need to grow in this area.

Last year I only listed eight goals, which seems more reasonable, but this is a rather varied list and many of them will be works in progress for years to come. In reality, I have far more goals in mind for the kids, but I didn't want my list to be too unwieldy.

P.S. I haven't been giving photo credits the past few days. All of the ice skating photos were taken by Wendy (on her camera). All of the bowling photos were taken by either Wendy or Susie (on my camera). Several other photos were taken by Wendy. The only photo I took in this post was the last one, which I took today

Happy New Year!

Oliver's first video - 4 months old