...once again, it has been too long! so here it is...a smattering of recent photos, smiles, and going ons at our house....
first i must mention how thankful i am for a good stretch of sleep last night. a week or so ago luke was doing some nice long stretches (like 6 hours!) of sleep at night...which totally spoiled and teased me. and then for the past week he was struggling with some gassyness for a few days (thankfully it seems to be MUCH better now!) and then congestion with a bit of a cold (and perhaps a growth spurt...who knows!), and he was once again up every 3 or so hours. combine that with a cold and strep throat for me, and, well, it just isn't a good recipe. the night before last i got a grand total of less than 3 hours of sleep...and that was all chopped into half hour increments. but last night little man gave me a 5 hour stretch of sleep (he actually slept more like 6 hours...if i'd have gotten myself in bed the second i put him down). then i got a couple more hours of sleep after that; i kind of feel like a new woman...a new woman with a cold and the weariness that comes with a cold...but still a much "better" woman than i did yesterday morning!
one of my favorite pics from the last week...i think it shows how much he is becoming more baby and less "newborn"....isn't he handsome?
and while he isn't looking particularly thrilled here, it is a good "size" shot. that is a 3-6 month outfit...and it completely fits him length-wise. he can still wear carters brand 0-3 month, but any other brand and he is bursting the seams. and length-wise i think he will be out of any 0-3 month stuff very soon.
he had his one month well-child visit friday...here were his "stats"
weight: 11 lbs. 8 oz. (up another pound from his 2 week weight check...a huge growth considering he dropped below the 10 lb. mark before starting to gain weight again)--he is 95th percentile
length: 23 7/8 inches...percentile-wise he is off the chart...WAY off the chart!
head circumference: 15 1/2...75th percentile
looks like he might follow jilly's growth curve closely..."big" but tall and fairly "skinny"...although he does have his share of sweet baby rolls :)
the girls are still enjoying him...and now that she is feeling so much better, jillian is starting to show more interest in him. gotta love the sweet picture above where she is helping me feed him a bottle. but also gotta laugh and remember that just after the picture i needed to burp him...and that resulted in a laying on the floor meltdown from jilly...who just wanted to keep feeding her brother.
kate...perhaps the proudest of the big sisters currently
in the realm of returning to normal...we fingerpainted the other morning (and we even did it while both jilly AND luke were awake!). luke looked on in his bouncy seat, but jilly got to get her fingers dirty and have a go at painting. if you click and zoom on the picture you can see that she did get paint on her picture, but she also tried "tasting" it several times too. :)
it makes me laugh that on that particular morning i was able to settle everyone and paint, because that afternoon we tried riding bikes outside and it was a complete disaster! we'd had a lovely afternoon excursion. a friend of ours works at a local barn, and she had a storytime at the barn with another friend (a former children's librarian!) running storytime, plus a craft, and LOTS of time to run around, explore, and see live animals (horses, mini horses, goats, chicks, cats, a bunny, etc.). the time at the barn was fabulous...mostly because lots of our good friends were there to help with my "menagerie"....have i mentioned that we have the best friends ever! (and i totally forgot my camera, but i did steal a few pics from my friend jill's blog).
elizabeth and several friends pet "little caesar"
kate and her brennan-buddy check out a horse
anyway...after story time the girls asked about bike-riding..and honestly, i had told them no several days in a row (despite the fabulously warm temps)...and i just felt bad saying no again...so i broke out all the bikes. luke was sound asleep in his carseat. we had about 5 minutes of biking bliss. then kate was ready to take off around the cul-de-sac (but couldn't by herself because people insist on parking their cars in their driveway right where the sidewalk comes through...argh!) but i couldn't keep up because jillian wasn't really moving (and didn't want to be pushed)...elizabeth was upset because her bike tire was flat, so she had to settle for her scooter...and then luke started crying. EEEKKK! i have a feeling we'll be staying in the FENCED backyard for the time being when EVERYONE is awake and just mommy is home!
it is moments like the one above that i struggle most with...feeling like someone is always "missing out"...like elizabeth and kate can't just go ride bikes whenever they want because of jilly and luke...or like jillian doesn't get nearly as much one on one time...etc. but i realize that what they don't get from me, they get from one another...and, in reality, it is good to start learning the lesson now that we don't always get what we want the instant we want in (in spite of what this world would lead us to believe!).
and i have to also remember that we are having plenty of fabulous moments...some all together...some with each little one individually. we enjoyed a family walk to an italian restaurant close to us one gorgeous evening...we've had pizza and movie night...we've done lots of running and playing in the backyard...we've puzzled and read stories. the big girls and i are working our way through "henry huggins" right now. jilly is smiling and giggling and attempting to use words more and more often. life is full...full of blessing, full of chaos, full of moments to cherish and remember. i have to admit, i'm even laughing (kind of!) to see jilly hitting that, "i didn't get what i want so i will throw myself on the floor" stage...only because in the midst of all that is going on, she has to be so deliberate. she looks to see if i am watching, throws herself on the floor, looks to see if i am still watching, cries, kicks her legs...looks again to see if i am watching...realizes it is not working...and, typically, gets up and goes about her business.
"but mom...i'm a princess...don't princesses get whatever they want the instant they want it!"
but see...she is much happier!
and we enjoyed the spell of unseasonably gorgeous weather...and are now trying hard to appreciate these last bits of cold before spring TRULY arrives....chicken barley soup is thawing as i type...add some cornbread and we'll have a comforting dinner. :)
after a taste of playing outside that is truly all jilly really wants to do! she stands at the door or window and points, looks longingly, brings us her shoes....soon sweet girl...soon!
in the meantime lets make brownies. jilly enjoyed helping stir (especially since her sisters were at school and luke was sleeping...so she didn't have to share the job or my attention with ANYONE else!). and, yes, she was completely beside herself and distraught when i didn't immediately let her eat the bowl of chocolate!
and, finally, we finish out the pics where we started...with luke. here is our little man after his bath...he isn't such a fan of the bath itself...but he does like the snuggling up in the towel part.
and that is just a few snippets and smiles...there is so much more...
like the fact that i haven't had to cook dinner since pretty much the week before luke was born. we had hot meals delivered for an entire month...and now that those have run their course we are breaking into the dozen or so freezer meals friends delivered to MOPS before luke was born. we are so beyond blessed i don't even know what to say about that...it is totally humbling how much people chose to tangibly love us through the provision of food. i have, however, in an attempt to find "normal" done a bit of baking here or there...and made some sloppy joes to deliver to a friend. but seriously...i haven't prepared food for MY family in so long.
...like spending part of a sunday afternoon with my libber-girl...shopping for spring dresses...and hitting the mcd drive-thru for ice cream cones and then driving around with the sunroof and windows wide-open delivering clean dishes to the homes of those blessed friends who brought meals.
...like playing animals with jilly...and hearing her attempt various animal noises.
...like how mike and i have been obsessed lately with "texas caviar"....i just can't get enough...i blame it on my friend kim...but, really, i don't mind...there could be worse cravings in life.
...like spending a monday morning with my sweet friend nancy and her four kiddos after dropping libs and kate at school. i just had jilly and luke...and it was a sweet time to just chat and enjoy being together for a bit.
...like the abundance of hand-me-down boy clothes we've been blessed with...i spent some time this weekend going through, sorting by sizes, boxing them, etc...and oh my!
...like the book i finally got my hands on, "one thousand gifts" by ann voskamp...it is seriously amazing...you really should check it out. i am being challenged...in great ways...challenged to think differently, to look at the world around me with more grateful eyes. amazing...truly amazing. and i leave you with a couple quotes....
"In our rushing, bulls in china shops, we break our own lives. Haste makes waste...'On every level of life, from housework to heights of prayer, in all judgment and efforts to get things done, hurry and impatience are sure marks of the amateur'."--Ann Voskamp
first i must mention how thankful i am for a good stretch of sleep last night. a week or so ago luke was doing some nice long stretches (like 6 hours!) of sleep at night...which totally spoiled and teased me. and then for the past week he was struggling with some gassyness for a few days (thankfully it seems to be MUCH better now!) and then congestion with a bit of a cold (and perhaps a growth spurt...who knows!), and he was once again up every 3 or so hours. combine that with a cold and strep throat for me, and, well, it just isn't a good recipe. the night before last i got a grand total of less than 3 hours of sleep...and that was all chopped into half hour increments. but last night little man gave me a 5 hour stretch of sleep (he actually slept more like 6 hours...if i'd have gotten myself in bed the second i put him down). then i got a couple more hours of sleep after that; i kind of feel like a new woman...a new woman with a cold and the weariness that comes with a cold...but still a much "better" woman than i did yesterday morning!
one of my favorite pics from the last week...i think it shows how much he is becoming more baby and less "newborn"....isn't he handsome?
and while he isn't looking particularly thrilled here, it is a good "size" shot. that is a 3-6 month outfit...and it completely fits him length-wise. he can still wear carters brand 0-3 month, but any other brand and he is bursting the seams. and length-wise i think he will be out of any 0-3 month stuff very soon.
he had his one month well-child visit friday...here were his "stats"
weight: 11 lbs. 8 oz. (up another pound from his 2 week weight check...a huge growth considering he dropped below the 10 lb. mark before starting to gain weight again)--he is 95th percentile
length: 23 7/8 inches...percentile-wise he is off the chart...WAY off the chart!
head circumference: 15 1/2...75th percentile
looks like he might follow jilly's growth curve closely..."big" but tall and fairly "skinny"...although he does have his share of sweet baby rolls :)
the girls are still enjoying him...and now that she is feeling so much better, jillian is starting to show more interest in him. gotta love the sweet picture above where she is helping me feed him a bottle. but also gotta laugh and remember that just after the picture i needed to burp him...and that resulted in a laying on the floor meltdown from jilly...who just wanted to keep feeding her brother.
kate...perhaps the proudest of the big sisters currently
in the realm of returning to normal...we fingerpainted the other morning (and we even did it while both jilly AND luke were awake!). luke looked on in his bouncy seat, but jilly got to get her fingers dirty and have a go at painting. if you click and zoom on the picture you can see that she did get paint on her picture, but she also tried "tasting" it several times too. :)
it makes me laugh that on that particular morning i was able to settle everyone and paint, because that afternoon we tried riding bikes outside and it was a complete disaster! we'd had a lovely afternoon excursion. a friend of ours works at a local barn, and she had a storytime at the barn with another friend (a former children's librarian!) running storytime, plus a craft, and LOTS of time to run around, explore, and see live animals (horses, mini horses, goats, chicks, cats, a bunny, etc.). the time at the barn was fabulous...mostly because lots of our good friends were there to help with my "menagerie"....have i mentioned that we have the best friends ever! (and i totally forgot my camera, but i did steal a few pics from my friend jill's blog).
elizabeth and several friends pet "little caesar"
kate and her brennan-buddy check out a horse
anyway...after story time the girls asked about bike-riding..and honestly, i had told them no several days in a row (despite the fabulously warm temps)...and i just felt bad saying no again...so i broke out all the bikes. luke was sound asleep in his carseat. we had about 5 minutes of biking bliss. then kate was ready to take off around the cul-de-sac (but couldn't by herself because people insist on parking their cars in their driveway right where the sidewalk comes through...argh!) but i couldn't keep up because jillian wasn't really moving (and didn't want to be pushed)...elizabeth was upset because her bike tire was flat, so she had to settle for her scooter...and then luke started crying. EEEKKK! i have a feeling we'll be staying in the FENCED backyard for the time being when EVERYONE is awake and just mommy is home!
it is moments like the one above that i struggle most with...feeling like someone is always "missing out"...like elizabeth and kate can't just go ride bikes whenever they want because of jilly and luke...or like jillian doesn't get nearly as much one on one time...etc. but i realize that what they don't get from me, they get from one another...and, in reality, it is good to start learning the lesson now that we don't always get what we want the instant we want in (in spite of what this world would lead us to believe!).
and i have to also remember that we are having plenty of fabulous moments...some all together...some with each little one individually. we enjoyed a family walk to an italian restaurant close to us one gorgeous evening...we've had pizza and movie night...we've done lots of running and playing in the backyard...we've puzzled and read stories. the big girls and i are working our way through "henry huggins" right now. jilly is smiling and giggling and attempting to use words more and more often. life is full...full of blessing, full of chaos, full of moments to cherish and remember. i have to admit, i'm even laughing (kind of!) to see jilly hitting that, "i didn't get what i want so i will throw myself on the floor" stage...only because in the midst of all that is going on, she has to be so deliberate. she looks to see if i am watching, throws herself on the floor, looks to see if i am still watching, cries, kicks her legs...looks again to see if i am watching...realizes it is not working...and, typically, gets up and goes about her business.
"but mom...i'm a princess...don't princesses get whatever they want the instant they want it!"
but see...she is much happier!
and we enjoyed the spell of unseasonably gorgeous weather...and are now trying hard to appreciate these last bits of cold before spring TRULY arrives....chicken barley soup is thawing as i type...add some cornbread and we'll have a comforting dinner. :)
after a taste of playing outside that is truly all jilly really wants to do! she stands at the door or window and points, looks longingly, brings us her shoes....soon sweet girl...soon!
in the meantime lets make brownies. jilly enjoyed helping stir (especially since her sisters were at school and luke was sleeping...so she didn't have to share the job or my attention with ANYONE else!). and, yes, she was completely beside herself and distraught when i didn't immediately let her eat the bowl of chocolate!
and, finally, we finish out the pics where we started...with luke. here is our little man after his bath...he isn't such a fan of the bath itself...but he does like the snuggling up in the towel part.
and that is just a few snippets and smiles...there is so much more...
like the fact that i haven't had to cook dinner since pretty much the week before luke was born. we had hot meals delivered for an entire month...and now that those have run their course we are breaking into the dozen or so freezer meals friends delivered to MOPS before luke was born. we are so beyond blessed i don't even know what to say about that...it is totally humbling how much people chose to tangibly love us through the provision of food. i have, however, in an attempt to find "normal" done a bit of baking here or there...and made some sloppy joes to deliver to a friend. but seriously...i haven't prepared food for MY family in so long.
...like spending part of a sunday afternoon with my libber-girl...shopping for spring dresses...and hitting the mcd drive-thru for ice cream cones and then driving around with the sunroof and windows wide-open delivering clean dishes to the homes of those blessed friends who brought meals.
...like playing animals with jilly...and hearing her attempt various animal noises.
...like how mike and i have been obsessed lately with "texas caviar"....i just can't get enough...i blame it on my friend kim...but, really, i don't mind...there could be worse cravings in life.
...like spending a monday morning with my sweet friend nancy and her four kiddos after dropping libs and kate at school. i just had jilly and luke...and it was a sweet time to just chat and enjoy being together for a bit.
...like the abundance of hand-me-down boy clothes we've been blessed with...i spent some time this weekend going through, sorting by sizes, boxing them, etc...and oh my!
...like the book i finally got my hands on, "one thousand gifts" by ann voskamp...it is seriously amazing...you really should check it out. i am being challenged...in great ways...challenged to think differently, to look at the world around me with more grateful eyes. amazing...truly amazing. and i leave you with a couple quotes....
It starts to unfold, light in the dark, a door opening up, how all these years it's been utterly pointless to try to wrench out the spikes of discontent. Because that habit of discontentment can only be driven out by hammering in one iron sharper. The sleek pin of gratitude."--Ann Voskamp
"Hurry always empties a soul."--Ann Voskamp"In our rushing, bulls in china shops, we break our own lives. Haste makes waste...'On every level of life, from housework to heights of prayer, in all judgment and efforts to get things done, hurry and impatience are sure marks of the amateur'."--Ann Voskamp
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5 comments:
so happy to read about all your smiles and the things going on your life. the girls are getting so big. and luke, too. he looks so much like mike in that first picture. he is just precious. and the ann voskamp book...oh my goodness!!
Amanda - how great to get this authentic peak into the busy mama of four littles. :)
You are doing so fabulously. It has its overwhelming points doesn't it? - Good and bad.
I had to laugh over Jilly's new found fit-throwing tactics. :)Kai does the same thing: "Are you watching this drama? Is it worth it?"
Wow, you amaze me Amanda! You are doing it! Four kids! Wow, wow, wow. I just can't imagine. But was blessings they are all! You are such a good Mom...love to you!
Your life really is lovely, Amanda, in spite of all the tiredness and little girl drama and all the ick that doesn't make it onto a blog! What a treat to have this peek into your family's daily comings and goings. Love the photo of Jilly fingerpainting--she looks SO mischievous!!--and how solemn and somber Luke is in all his photos. He clearly knows what a heavy load he carries, being the only boy (besides Daddy) in the family. Hugs to you!
Okay, I just love your story about the bike ride attempt because that is SO something that would happen with us! The pics of Luke are precious~he's already changing so much!
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