Easy Does It...

And, this is what the baby was doing when the chair tipped over and the metal bar landed on her FACE. She is so light I never thought about it tipping over! She was fine but she has a little bruise and swolen eye. What IS it about babies getting hurt that can drive you to near panic so fast! Poor thing. I noticed her little banged up legs in the tub tonight. She has always been such a go getter. Chasing after her big sissies, trying to do everything. She could climb stairs like a mad woman before 8 months and is currently trying to walk down stairs like an adult. She is much better about putting things into her mouth though and that is such a relief. She remains, the love of this entire family's life!

Love affair with little man...

Well, I have had a crush of sorts on my friend's little boy for some time now. I just haven't had as much time as I'd like with her or her sweet kids, but the other day I got a little more time with her little arrows. I have decided that this kid is the boy I never had. He is all sweet and totally a challenge to win over. Perhaps my inclination to have a bent for the challenging in the male department makes me all the more succeptible to his inevitable charm. Actually, he wasn't that hard for me to win over...And like all good love affairs, I never see the "bad" side of him which his obviously crazy mom "claims" exists. Kind of like the Bermuda Triangle... you hear about it, read about it, but when you go there...calm waters.

But anyway, I like him and he likes me. Or so I like to think.

And also like any good love affair, one person THINKS the other actually truly likes them. Lol I'm afraid he's got me hooked with his little self! (a southern term)

How did you know that?

My eldest, S informed me today of the "kid's code". Evidently they have us parents pegged. When they want to watch a movie with us she said they watch us begin with some enthusiasm. Then as our attention wanes, we get up and they say "Where are you going!!!!" To which we reply, "Just to get a drink, I'll be right back."
Then we just quick and check our email while we are near the computer, which turns into (she uses her fingers to "air type" while making typing sounds)
Then they come in and say "Mohhhhhmm!" To which we (I) evidently reply,
"Don't hound me, I'm coming!"
We then return to the movie somewhat LESS than enthusiastic and watch for awhile until we finally venture off to whatever.
Hmmm, sad but true I'm afraid.
:)

Kate the Great

Ok, so I'm a little biased. But Kate is such a beautiful child. She has just recently broken out of her shell. She will interact with everyone and seems SO sure of herself. She bangs around doing as she pleases totally confident in herself and her surroundings. I love how when we pull back into the driveway after being away, she gets a big smile on her face. "We're home!", she seems to think. Holding her tonight in her room about to lay her down she was holding me tight and resting her head on my shoulder. Nothing new. But I told her, "I love you" again and again not wanting to miss one time saying it...as if tomorrow may not come or there may not be time...Daddy had extra good time with her today and she showed off her skill by letting him teach her to say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8! "Such a smartie!" he says. After the pain of the m/c subsided, I began to think that it was perhaps good that we had more time with her as a baby but as she grows and grows and I realize for the fourth time that time stops for no one...not even one as miraculous as her, I realize that if there were always another baby in the house, it still could never be too much.

I got a new pair of shoes!

Bought Kate's first pair of "real" shoes today. She loves them. I can't believe we took her to TN without any shoes! Poor kid! I give it two days before one or both are lost...

Baby names???

Here is a hilarious email a dear friend of mine sent to me...reprinted with permission!


Ethan came to me the other day and told me he had chosen the names for his four sons. Of course, I immediately swell up with pride assuming he might mean Matthew, Mark, Luke and John maybe. But no, he wants to name his first son "Jack Sparrow Bailey" and then next "Davy Jones Bailey" and then one after one of the Jonas Brothers and then I couldn't remember the other one or I'm not sure he actually told me. But the girls just said that it was "Willie Wonka Bailey". My comment to David was that we might have a bit of a problem here.

That's not QUITE what I meant...

R just said the cutest thing.
I was telling them we had to get up early as we are going to the Farmer's Market for the first time.
Lauren squeals, "Farm? Farm? We're going to a farm?!"
"No" I say, we're going to the farmers market.
"Yeah," R says, that's where you get really cheap things for outrageous prices!"

Is it all mine???

Yes Kate, comprehensive curriculum IS exciting!

Happy Kids

Just needed to see a happy picture and wanted to leave everyone else with one too. :0)

water play

We've been discussing activities for the baby that would keep her interested and occupied that were good for her brain. As we prepare for a new babe, we need to be more efficient with our time and energies. Less computer, less movies, less "free" time. Sound mean? Nah, it's just real life. We must be good stewards of our time. Finding activities for K is fun and can be exciting. Albeit maybe just for her, but we all need to stimulate her little noggin. Here she is in water play. Handing her different items to play with and keeping a close eye on that on/off handle! She loved it and water play has become a big part of her life. She has hose water play off the front porch, baby pool water play on the side of the house, bathroom water play in the sink and the newest one, kitchen water play. That one is the hardest to prepare for. The sink has to be cleaner for her than it does for the dishes! Sheesh!

Role Play

I love the games the girls play. This my dear R and her fantastic "Acki Rice" look. (what IS acki rice anyway?)

"African woman carrying basket of goods" sort of thing. I just was going to put the baby down and S ran in, "No!" she exclaims, she needs to come outside and play with her sisters! And out they go. They must have needed a baby for the game. That is one lucky kid.

Chancho!

Well, Kate lived up to her nickname yesterday by PARTYING DOWN at Habaneros. We took her there for dinner after a day of shopping and it was Mariachi night! We were seated and they were playing at the table next to us. It was tenuous for a moment as she stared wide eyed at the incredibly LOUD music.
Which way would this thing go?
I mean, if you wanted to say something to someone you literally had to YELL.
Well, thankfully she decided she loved it and proceeded to stand up on the seat and dance her little bootimus off. She waved her hands and shook her thing and clapped and clapped when they finished each song.
Now just WHO do you think the star of THAT show was??
She ate guacamole, spanish rice and a bunch of carnitas. (pork)
On the way home she let out a big (ahem) burp and smiled and wiggled all the way home.
She needed a bath and a good nursing and off to bed she went.
She's learning to keep up with Grandma!

Heaven's Hugs

Heaven's hugs are what K gives me before bed. It started when I first started the dreaded, putting- her-down-to- bed. (hear attachment parenters gasp and unsubscribe simulatenously)

I would go to put her down, ok, LAY her down, she is after all NOT a pit bull. And she would wrap her little arms around my neck and lay her little head on my shoulder and squeeze.
Ahhhh, can you say juicebox????? (her latest nickname by S)

So I stole those hugs as many times as she would give them and I would just hold her, sometimes for as long as 5-10 minutes swaying back and forth by her crib as she dozed off, yes, BEFORE I layed her down. (hear baby schedulers gasp and unsubscribe simultaneously)

She still hugs me now but for REALl and not just to try to stay out bed. She still hugs me before bed but I have found that I can lay her down directly just as easily.

But really now, do I have to????

Bathroom Humor

Don't worry. Not near as bad as it sounds.
This post could run the gamut from love of a baby to things-we-really-would-rather-not-talk-about but I shall try to be concise. You DID hear me say try, didn't you?

K is such a sweet baby. I have just officially breastfed her longer than the other 3! I was going to stop when she turned one...but two seems just 12 short months away!
So this whole attachment parenting thing, (which I didn't think I was but M says I am) is really just parenting. I tried to sling her...she never really took to it like some babies. I nurse her. (that's attachment parenting??) and she slept with us until it became too dangerous for her.
N-E way, she follows me from room to room which I think is SO CUTE until of course I want her to sit for ONE second why I off to the (ahem) secret place.
I try to get up without making any noise (squeaky computer chair, squeaky wood floors, squeaky joints) and sneak away. Yeah, RIGHT.
So, I scoop her up because if I try to outrun her she'll cry. Yes, I admit it. I have tried to outrun my own baby. I am not proud of it.
Off to the secret place for a quick, well, YOU know.
I am now calling it the secret place because it is the one place I really do not want her. Too many unspoken (shudder with me now) g-e-r-m-s. Even though the bleach makes regular stops there. When she finally makes the cut and gets in there with me she whispers (daaaaaa,daaaaa) with eyes full of wonder and a look like that proverbial cat.

Well, today she discovered the amazing bathroom tissue roll. With eyes as proud as a new papa holding his first son, she RIPS off a piece and hand it to me triumphantly!
"Look, what I have done!" "For YOU, you lucky mama!"
I immediately realize that this is one of those moments where I should immediately put a stop to a beginning bad habit. But she is soooo cute when she does it. So I keep taking the little torn off pieces all the while issuing lilting "thank you's"! My next thought of course is that she will eventually find the END of it and pull, which of course she does before I can even finish that thought and I can see Michael Pearl now, shaking his head and clicking his tongue.
Should have nipped that in the bud Mrs. Clunn. NOW see what you've got? A baby who thinks it is OKAY to pull the bath tissue roll end until it becomes long enough to wrap around one's neck and ride in a convertible with it flowing behind you like that blonde in all of the white scarf convertible commercials.
Sigh, but she's soooo cute.
Gotta run and play 52 tissue pick up. Did I mention she's cute with a tissue box too?

First Play Date

We watched a friend's 11 month old and 4 year old yesterday for the day and K had a great time. She was such a show off and loved "showing" the little guy her digs. It is so cute to watch them interact. Well, SHE interacts. He mostly just looks at her like, "Who IS this crazy baby?"

He was SO easy to watch (never cried) and I can't help but think of how she would scream the entire time if I ever tried to drop her off anywhere. Don't know whether that is good or bad, but I'm going with good!

Don't Turn your Drama into Trauma

I have coined another phrase.
After R expresses boredom with the Math-U-See since it is on L's level, and I am making her and S sit through it and teach Lauren from the beginning, I decide I'll give her a lesson of her own in math.
So I grab "her" math book off her shelf, flip to the last done page and issue her the next. As she expresses some frustration I JOKINGLY say, Oh, so you are BORED with the baby Math-U-See, blah, blah blah.
When I see she is really serious and the tears are coming I decide to re-examine the situation.
Whoops.
The math book I grabbed was S's OLD book that I had placed on R's for use this year. I thought it was hers and flipped to the back where S had left off.
After apologizing profusely, I do realize she has completed the entire page after all.
So while she is having a breakdown of sorts, the work is pretty easy and she is just dramatizing to the point where it is becoming traumatizing.
Out of the blue I say, "Don't turn your drama into trauma"
And we all do that as women sometimes don't we?
Poor thing.
I bet she shows more interest in Math U See tomorrow.

Birthday Pics

Happy Birthday!

Yay! Success! One year old and we are still

LOVING you! Lol I guess we'll keep you! Tee hee!

One Day to Kate!

One day to Kate!
Everyone is getting excited. Kate will be one tomorrow.
We got Sloan some baking pans and some tips for her first three teired cake. The recipe sounds delicious. Her first "from scratch" cake too! Calls for cornstarch and unsalted butter and sour cream! I hope it comes out perfect for her...
We are making dark chocolate, yellow and swirl cupcakes to take to church. We are going to pipe some frosting in the middle as a surprise. We bought cute little toothpicks with colored flowers on them to stick in and may spell out Happy Birthday Kate on them (one letter on each)
I am also making my incredibly easy chicken enchiladas and hope that Kate will behave long enough that I can get to stay at church. I have had to come home a few times because church starts at 10 and her nap is at 10:30. She will not sleep there and it sometimes ends up in a wrestling match until I throw up my hands and come home.
I am thinking of waking her an hour early so that she will be REALLY tired when we get there. But if it backfires and she STILL won't sleep I'll be in real trouble.
Happy Day before your birthday darling! We are SO in love with you!

Countdown to Kate...

Kate is getting so big. I cannot believe she is almost one already! Where did the time go...IT has been so amazing having her in this beautiful place with these wonderful Mom's. At this age, having another one has been so different, definitely even better I would say! SO much more patience. Lol

THe girls are planning quite the party for her. Since we turned to homemade family birthdays we have enjoyed them somuch more. I tried to tell them not to overdo it but there is not stopping them I'm afraid. S is making the cake, L is handling the decorations and R is handling the presents. One year old....and never would I have thought we would be having more. IF I get to have five, I may just keel over with happiness.

It really can get under my skin when someone "wishes" a boy on me like it is some kind of curse. "Oh, just WAIT until you have a boy", "I can't WAIT until you get one" "Then you'll see!"

As if you "girl"children just were born all nicely disciplined and well behaved! Ridiculous. Boys are different but they are not born to test parents any more than girls were. They were born to be a blessing and for God's good pleasure. The smae as you. Boy or girl, we want more too!

(admittedly, the idea of a boy is a little frightening!) But after four girls, who can blame me!

We'll get what God decides and that, as they say, is that!