Newman Kids News

Valentine's Day 2012

2012-02-16T14:03:00.000-05:00

We don't go crazy for Valentine's Day but I did try to make it fun for my kids. They woke up to find cards under their door made by me. I cut their waffles into heart shapes. For supper I set the table with candles and dimmed the lights. We didn't have anything fancy to eat just some frozen chimichungas, spanish rice and corn but I served lemonade with frozen strawberries to spice it up a bit. We each went around the table and said what we loved about each other. Dessert was cupcakes with little heart toppers I made. (The kids thought it was fun that I left Jay a card on his chair, which he found at suppertime.) I didn't take a blessed picture because I was just busy with all the prep and forgot! But I do love these precious babies so much and just wanted them to know how special they are to me.

Vienna's card

Squiggle of the week

2012-02-06T21:32:00.000-05:00

I love when Vienna brings home "Squiggle of the Week". She is so creative and she really stretched her imagination on this one. I probably would have done a mountain and cliffs. Obvious right? Well here's what Vienna said: "My squiggle is an ice-cream falling from the sky in the city with people eating it. It was good. It is pink with a cherry." Man, I love this kid!

The boys bonding

2012-01-20T21:46:00.001-05:00

Lance and Colin are 3 years apart and their age gap is closing in. They play together. Act silly together. They ride in the cart together at the grocery store.

They love each other show affection a lot! Makes a Momma's heart happy.

Today Lance was in time out for disobeying. And Colin sat with him.

A brotherly bond is not easily broken.

Content changing

2012-01-17T21:07:00.000-05:00

I have been keeping an online journal for the kids since Vienna was in the womb!
I keep a journal for each child in a Word doc and I print it out annually for their binders. To date, I have copy/pasted about 90% of those stories on here. As my children reach school age, I feel that out of respect for their privacy, I ought to change how I blog about them. Plus, Vienna will be 7 soon and Lance 5 so the milestones they reach have slowed down compared to the toddler years. I write various stories like cute things they've said to my struggles with them, and I doubt they want that posted for their friends to see, nevermind the whole wide world. I think the way I will proceed with this blog, is to share more event related stuff. Things we've been up to.
Like this! On New Year's Eve, we looked at photos and videos from the past year and had a fun dessert after supper!

I will continue to journal as I have been and emailing an edited version of it privately to friends and family interested in the details of our lives. If you want to be added to that, please let me know and I will add you.

I am honored to be raising such amazing kids and I love watching them grow and sharing them with you! I only hope my stories of them bring you a smile and some joy because keeping it all to myself just wouldn't be right!!!!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-29T20:52:00.000-05:00

The kids had a wonderful Christmas. It was quiet with just us and Jay's Mom. She was here Friday til Sunday and we had a great time with her. We went to church together on Christmas Eve. We spent Christmas morning lounging around and we had a yummy turkey dinner in the afternoon. The phone didn't even ring once! There was lots of joy and we enjoyed the simplicity of it all. So grateful that Jesus was born, although we celebrate God's amazing gift to us throughout the year! All the best from the Newman Kids to you in 2012!!!!

Our cheerleader

2011-12-17T10:46:00.000-05:00

Vienna joined cheerleading this year for the first time! It's thru Upward Sports which is a Christian sports league. They have flag football, soccer and basketball too all over the country. The church that hosts cheerleading is only 20min from our house so we signed up. I like the idea of a group that has age appropriate moves and music. I know the coaches and they are amazing ladies who love the Lord. They even lead a devotion time at the end. The practices are on a day of the week that is convenient and it's from 5-6pm so we can get home early enough for normal bedtime. She'll be cheering at the basketball games which are on Saturday so we can attend as a whole family. It really fit what we were looking for in so many ways. Vienna BEAMED at her first practice. She wasn't shy doing the moves as I thought she might be. Her confidence boosted and her joy overflowed. She cheered for me at the restaurant we ate at afterwards. She cheered before bed and then again as soon as she woke up! Here is our little cheerleader in her uniform:

Sparkly ears

2011-11-07T20:59:00.000-05:00

I got my ears pierced when I was 3 years old. I remember leaving the salon with only one done because it hurt so much. My mother bribed me with hot cocoa in order for me to get the other side done. (I was a sucker for chocolate even then). So I told Vienna ages ago that she could get her ears pierced when she was ready. No pressure from me!

Last week, she came to me telling me that she was ready to get them done. She asked if it hurt and I was honest and said it'd be like when she got her immunization shots: just a quick pinch and then it'd be over. She was game. So once the weekend rolled around, we went to Claire’s at the mall.

When we went in the store, a little 7 year old was sitting in the chair with one ear pierced, a red teary face, and a mother coaxing her to get the other ear done (which she eventually did). Oh great! Flashbacks to my childhood! But V was totally calm and certain of her decision. A little baby was next in line and when she cried I reminded Vienna how it was like shots at the doctor's office. Thankfully the baby calmed down and Vienna hopped in the chair for her turn. When the first one went in, Vienna stared ahead, got a little flushed and that was it! When she was done I asked her if it hurt more or less than a shot. Her reply: "It didn't hurt at all." Wow! I actually thought she might change her mind the last minute and she ended up being tough as nails!

Honest Lance

2011-10-19T18:07:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Lance didn’t finish his supper. He knows that when he doesn’t finish a meal he can’t have treats for the rest of the day. Vienna, Colin and I were upstairs and Jay and Lance were downstairs while Jay got a cup of coffee. Jay snuck a piece of chocolate and Lance asked: “Are you getting candy?” Jay said yes and Lance replied: “I can’t have any because I didn’t eat my supper.” Jay broke a small piece off and said: “Here, don’t tell anyone,” as he handed him a piece of chocolate. Lance backed away from Jay and said: “No I can’t have that. Mommy will smell it on my breath!” First of all HILARIOUS! But then I was so proud of my Lance for remembering our rule so I gave him a piece of chocolate to enjoy guilt free this morning. Gotta love that boy!

Photo by http://pawlukphotography.com/

Mystery injury

2011-10-16T11:00:00.000-04:00

On Thursday night, I had friends over. Jay was upstairs with the kids while I was downstairs with my guests. Suddenly Vienna yelled that Colin was bleeding. When Jay brought him downstairs, his face was covered in blood. It dripped on his arms, hands and legs. After we got the bleeding under control we saw that Colin bit his cheek near the corner of his mouth. There was a cut on the outside too. But Jay said he didn't fall. He was just sitting on the floor with his back turned to him. When he turned around there was blood everywhere. Jay was freaked out because nothing obvious happened and it was like a scene from a horror movie! Anyway, I took Colin to the doctor the next morning and although it could use a stitch, the doctor said that'd probably be more traumatic. We're staying away from acidic and salty foods and must make sure the wound stay cleans.

Can you see the hanging piece in his mouth?

The doctor said the tooth did not go all way thru. It looks like he banged his mouth on something. Maybe he leaned forward to get up and did it. We'll never know!

2 days after injury. Blurry but the best shot I could get. Turning white as it heals.

September is here...

2011-09-19T21:25:00.000-04:00

... yet it's almost gone.

Summer days are distant memories and the busyness of school schedules is back at our doorstep.

This little monkey is now in GRADE ONE! She said she wants to learn to read big words this year! She has a wonderful teacher and has adjusted well to a full day away from home.

And this little monkey boy is gone three mornings a week to preschool. He misses his sister but gets to spend more time with his little brother when he's home.

And lucky me... I get some precious one on one time with an amazing boy who is growing too fast!

I am loving my time with these beautiful kids.

My sister's wedding

2011-08-21T20:30:00.001-04:00

My sister got married on Aug.5th.

Vienna was the flower girl. Here she is holding my flowers.

She actually carried a basket filled with rose petals that she sprinkled like a pro. She even sprinkled some on the dance floor and it's looked really pretty in the pics of Robyn and Dave's first dance. My only beef about my beauty is that I paid $45 (with tip) for her hair and they did a poor job. It slipped out before she even walked down the aisle!!! We have very fine hair and the sylist knew this. In hindsight I have no idea why she did V's hair the way she did. Thankfully I had a brush in my purse so I just brushed it down and left the front braided. (You can see it falling out in the pic above.)

Lance was the ring bearer. He was so handsome in his suit. He got along well with the groomsmen. They know Dave from Rugby so they tossed a ball around at the photoshoot and included my boy. Good group of guys. As he walked down the aisle he smiled ear to ear. We put the real rings on the pillow so he had a very important job.

Colin was suppose to go down the aisle with Lance but there was NO WAY he would go. We didn't even bother to try the day of the wedding after he freaked at the rehearsal. This child is 15 months old and can't be forced to do anything. He looked so cute in his suit though. Like a little old man to me! haha!

The photos of V & L are from my sister's friend. I love their big smiles. And then old man Colin looking like his dentures fell out.

The kids danced and had a great time. Jay didn't take them home for bed til after 10pm (he then came back to get me). We had a great time celebrating Auntie Robyn marrying the now Uncle Dave!

Colin is weaned

2011-07-24T19:54:00.001-04:00

Colin last nursed on Thurs, July 21. He has been doing VERY well the past couple days. He was pretty grouchy on Friday and Saturday morning though. But we're smooth sailing now. He is SUCH a good boy. And oh so independent now. He'll be 15 months old in just 6 days, same age (1 day diff!) as Lance was when he was weaned.

Trip to Saint John

2011-07-16T11:56:00.000-04:00

June 28 – July 4, 2011.

We travelled to Saint John for my grandmother’s funeral. She was my Dad’s Mom, Vera Viola Melanson. Sept. 8, 1925 – June 29, 2011. My Nanabanana. You can read a post all about her here.

We left for Saint John at 6pm on Tuesday, (the 28^th) after getting the news that she was unresponsive, her kidneys had stopped working and her lungs were bad. I knew it was the end but hoped to get there to say good-bye. We stayed in Maine overnight to split the trip up. My Dad called me in the early hours of the morning as we slept in the hotel to tell me she passed. I was sleeping with Vienna who woke up and I told her that Nanabanana just died. Vienna's response was quick: "I hope she has a good time in heaven."

Although the reason was sad for the trip, we had a great time in Saint John. We saw lots of family, many meeting the kids for the first time.

Another first: Aside from when I gave birth to Lance and Colin and was in the hospital, it was the first time I didn’t sleep in the same house as my kids and wake up with them!! Jay, Vienna, Lance and Lopsi stayed at Greg & Noella’s and Colin and I stayed at my Mom’s for two of the four nights we were there. (We did this because my Mom has a cat and we can’t bring Lopsi over. And Colin slept so well at my Mom’s I didn’t want to move him. Plus Uncle Philip was in town at the same time so he used the extra bedroom.) Thankfully they only live 5 minutes away from each other.

Another first: Someone other than ME put Colin to bed! My Mom babysit 3 nights for us. Colin really loved his Gramma. I wonder if it's because we have the same mannerisms and baby voice! haha

Vienna & Lance made new friends with the kids next door and had a great time. Vienna even lost another top tooth on Canada Day, July 1st! The tooth fairy found her at Opa and Oma’s house and left her Canadian money!

All the kids were SO good in the van on the long drive. So thankful we have the DVD player. They also got a chance to play in the pool at the hotel on the drive home to CT. There was a lot of joy found on this trip considering it was for a funeral. I think Nanabanana would like that.

SUMMER IS HERE!

2011-06-21T21:32:00.000-04:00

Vienna finished kindergarten on Friday. YAY! Carefree schedule! Relaxing and lazy days. I am taking FULL advantage of this and enjoying the simplicity of life!

Today is the first official day of summer so I got the sprinkler out for the first time. Colin saw the water but didn’t think much of it and walked straight into the spray. He cried and then two seconds later he smiled and waved his arms around and wanted to play in it. The sprinkler was one of those crazy caterpillars with many arms. They tend to randomly spray so they got Colin in the face a couple times. He’d cry hard and walk away then when he realized he was away from the spray do it all over again. After a couple rounds of curiosity, happiness then tears, I took him in the house to change and warm up. It made for some really great photos!

Every day I want to plan at least ONE fun thing to do. Simple stuff that doesn't necessarily have to take a long time. Yesterday I got the chalk/paint out for the kids and we did bubbles. Today was the sprinkler. I just want to make sure we do something every day otherwise I could get lost making cards or cleaning/organizing if I don't plan.

Look at leapin' Lance loving life! He loves his bubble rocket!

Happy summer!

Two cute Lance stories

2011-06-12T14:54:00.001-04:00

Lance got annoyed with his sister this morning and exclaimed: “Vienna Newman Edward!”

And earlier I let the kids pick a candy out of our treat bin. He pointed to one and said: “What is that?” I replied “Smarties”. He replied, “I don’t want those. I’m already a smart boy.”

Memorial Day weekend

2011-05-31T11:26:00.000-04:00

We had a great long weekend. Jay had to work on Sunday but he had Friday and Monday off. We went to the Aquarium on Friday. We haven't been there in over a year and it was Colin's first time.

We had a great day. The weather was gorgeous and we were all together! We've visited the Aquarium many times in the past but we experienced something new and amazing this visit... one of the beluga whales interacted with us! It seemed to be annoyed with Lance and kept opening its mouth and darted towards him. We caught it on video too - so cool!

On Sunday we had our good friends come hang out and they stayed overnight so we could spend all Monday together too. We had a campfire, ate smores, had devotion time, went to the beach, went letterboxing (treasure hunt) and went to McDs for snacks and indoor fun. It was a jam packed weekend and lots of fun. It was filled with the stuff that makes life great... enjoying good company in God's creation.

For we walk by faith, not by sight. ~2 Corinthians 5:7

"Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?” ~C.S.Lewis

My baby is 1

2011-05-01T20:58:00.000-04:00

Colin's first birthday was yesterday. We had a party at our house with Jay's Mom's side of the family. It was their first time seeing our house and we had a great time!!! Our resident fox family even played in the woods at one point as a source of entertainment while everyone watched from the back deck!

Jay's Mom came thinking it was a party for her grandson but little did she know that my sister-in-law and I had planned the party to be also for her! She turned 60 earlier in the week so we did a combo party. We actually based the lighthouse theme for her. Once everyone was here, we showed her "Colin's" birthday cake but it was for her. Then everyone yelled surprise! We had a slideshow playing on the TV so she was wondering why there were so many pictures of her on there. (It was a mix of her and the family.) haha!

My sister-in-law seriously should be a party planner or professional decorator. She has talent beyond talent and helped so much to pull this off! We bought Andria sixty gifts for her 60th birthday since she buys so much for us. We laughed and called it payback! We had an italian themed menu because it's Andria's favorite food. The cake was bought at a local bakery that was so beyond tasty! I love how the baby's cake coordinates... whale tail, whale cake... get it? LOVE IT!

Nana was a happy girl!!! She received many gifts from the whole gang and we appreciated everyone's generosity! Meanwhile, Colin was pretty happy tasting cake for the first time. He hadn't had anything like this before... no sugary sweets til now!

We had a great time celebrating. The weather was beautiful too. Couldn't have asked for a better day to celebrate this amazing little boy and his Nana.

Updates on Colin

2011-04-19T08:05:00.001-04:00

Well my boy is growing faster now than I can record and keep track! Just this morning I was sitting on the floor with Vienna on my lap giving her some hugs. Colin came over clearly wanting up and for the first time pushed his sister’s face to tell her to get off! Didn’t want to share his Mommy! We all hugged together and then he lost interest and left to play. But I’m sure it’ll happen again. Such is the age.

Just last week he displayed his first little temper tantrum when he was pushing his walker/car around and got it caught up on something and couldn’t move. He just cried and grunted in frustration. He’s only done it a couple times but it happens when he’s tired. I got it on video too.
Colin can roar like a lion. It’s a new thing and at first he could only repeat the sound. When I asked him what a lion said, he’d make the cutest sounds TRYING to roar but couldn’t quite figure it out. But as soon as I roared he growled right back at me.

My almost one year old is just about walking. He takes multiple steps here and there but still chooses to crawl most places.

Colin is such an easy going baby. He is just the sweetest kid and I love to be around him. He is a decent eater but a touch fussy. He uses his “all done” sign regularly and this saves much frustration. But sometimes rather than signing, he’ll look at me and while maintaining eye contact, he’ll subtly drop his food on the floor. He likes to feed the dog and does it such a sneaky way! It’s naughty but I think it’s sooo stinkin’ cute!

Colin went to the zoo for the first time on April 15^th. He did so well for missing his naps. He loves being outside and loved looking at animals. He was a happy guy and the kids and I had a great time together!

Spring break is here!

2011-04-17T13:24:00.000-04:00

Spring break has started and we're trying to take advantage of the gorgeous weather when we can! (You know, when it happens! haha - what unpredictable weather we have!)

I took the kids to the zoo. I had asked about 4 friends to go with us but no one was available. So I decided I would make it a Newman fun day. I'm so glad it was just us! Because I didn't have a friend to talk to, the kids had no one to interrupt. I was able to give them my FULL attention. We talked and laughed and walked at our own pace. It was a gorgeous day and a lot of fun!!!

I managed to get some great pics too. I used the photo above to create a new blog title. And below is another good one. I am really trying to enjoy the simplicities of life and being with these three certainly helps!

Silly Lance

2011-04-04T10:35:00.000-04:00

Lance brings me so much joy each and every day. I took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese on their birthdays just for food and to play. Lance had fun trying to get a picture in the booth they have and I laughed each time he brought the photo over to me! He tried and he tried but just couldn't get centered long enough for the photo.

I love his persistence. He didn't get frustrated once. He has a great attitude about life. Love this cuddly monkey!

Happy Birthday Vienna!

2011-03-30T06:00:00.017-04:00

6 years ago today, I was blessed with an incredible little girl.

She makes me want to be a better person.

And I am so beyond grateful to have her in my life.

Forever my special monkey girl. hehe

Vienna and I this past weekend at the ballet.

These are our longest days but our shortest years...

And I feel time slipping away.

I love her so much.

How I pray she grows to be joyful & never loses her spark for life.

She has much to offer this big wide world.

I'm so blessed to have the privilege of watching her grow.

Happy SIXTH birthday my Vienna Angel. ♥

Colin: Tooth # 8 & 9

2011-03-29T19:42:00.000-04:00

The day after my last writing, Colin’s molar poked thru his gums. That’s tooth #8 on Mar.25. Today I saw that tooth #9 arrived – the bottom one on the right. He had 3 on the bottom since mid-Feb! Now I know why he was a bear yesterday.
He’s been standing up A LOT in the last 3 days. He holds onto any toy and just stands up. He often then lifts the toy! His balance is pretty good and tonight he took one itty bitty step for the first time without hanging on to a thing!

Colin has been getting into everything. I no longer can do what I want while he plays next to me. He manages to find ANYTHING he shouldn’t! Cords, movies, wood chips, fireplace poker, drawers, dog water, etc. Thankfully he doesn’t freak out when I redirect him but I have to stay alert with him now. This is the age where it’s easier to go out and do things than be at home. Can’t wait for the weather to get warmer! Even just slightly. 40F is too cold for the baby to be outside just yet.

Brothers

2011-03-24T19:46:00.000-04:00

A new relationship is developing between Lance and Colin. Lance talks to him more these days and I caught him making Colin laugh in the car on Tuesday. Typically Lance just did his own thing and it was always Vienna who entertained Colin. But I’m catching the boys growing closer and it makes my heart soar, they are so cute together!

Just laying together before bedtime. Colin thought it was funny to be in Lance's bed!

Colin has his left side molars coming in, both the top and bottom. They are just about thru.

Since I sleep trained him (see previous posts), he has only woken up 3 random nights. I have contributed that to the molars so I have comforted him in my room and then returned him to bed so we don't go back to our old habits/routine of night waking.

Joy joy, he's my boy! Love all my monkeys!

Vienna loses tooth 2 and lots of hair!

2011-03-08T18:49:00.000-05:00

After the first tooth fell out, the loose one beside it leaned over into the hole. It was really loose too but she didn’t want to pull it. We went to the dentist today and the dentist gave her a little mouse to put her teeth in for the tooth fairy. On the way home she played with that bottom loose tooth til it came out! Nothing like a little motivation!

Vienna also went to the hair dresser today. V’s hair was too long to put up in cute styles and I found I was doing the single long braid or a ponytail over and over again. Plus she didn’t like me brushing it out. When we got to the salon I mentioned it was a shame we couldn’t donate it but I couldn’t wait for it to get long enough for 10 inches. She knew of an organization that only needed 8 so rather than waste 5 we cut more than planned and will donate it. Vienna looks beautiful but since it’s so short, we went shopping for some cute hairbands with flowers so she can still feel really girly. I look forward to styling it tomorrow for school. So much easier!

Sleep training Colin night 3

2011-03-03T14:54:00.004-05:00

Colin was in his bed 7pm-6am. He woke up 2x and cried but I didn't go to him right away and he didn't cry for long. I was in my bed for a full 8 hours STRAIGHT last night. I am so proud of my baby. He's doing a great job!

He actually woke at 5:30am but I refuse to go in before 6am. Once 6am rolls around, I turn on the hall light to indicate it's time to get up. This is how Vienna and Lance know they can come out of their rooms too. If they wake up before the light is on, they know they have to stay in their rooms. This gives me the chance to shower, etc knowing they aren't roaming the house or calling out to me. (They are allowed to come out to pee but return to their rooms.)

I started this hall light trick when Vienna was much younger and Lance was a baby. I didn't want her yelling out to me when he was sleeping.

Sleep training Colin night 2

2011-03-02T06:37:00.000-05:00

Colin slept 7pm-6am and woke at 1am. I did NOT nurse him. Just stood and cuddled him a minute. Gave him kisses. Said I loved him and ‘night night’. I walked away and he only cried about a half hour so I didn’t have to go back in. Hard to NOT nurse him but progress is a sweet sweet thing.

Sleep training Colin

2011-03-01T06:39:00.002-05:00

Colin has only slept through the night a couple times and they were just pure random luck. I didn't even sleep well those nights because I woke up anticipating him to wake up! He goes to bed around 7pm and first wakes between 10-11:30pm. Jay and I joked that he was my alarm/reminder to go to bed. I’d go in and nurse him a few minutes and lay him back down somewhat awake. I started putting diapers on him that were two sizes bigger just so I wouldn't have to change him. Quick in and quick out. He’d always wake up around 2am, and sometimes again around 5am. Then up for the day between 6-7am. This has been pretty consistent and there are some nights with a 4^th wake up. If I ignored his cry, he’d go on and on so I figured going in for a few minutes was easier and faster. Colin is 10 months old now and I feel confident that he’s ready to sooth himself back to sleep. I was reluctant before because of teething and since it was a minimal inconvenience, I wanted to sooth him. But now I feel that he needs to learn the important skill of being able to fall back to sleep on his own.

Last night was night one of training. I went to him at midnight and nursed him as normal. At 3am he woke, I went to him and rocked him while standing giving him kisses. I said “night night” and walked away. Oh was he mad! He sat right back up. I laid him back down and left. He continued to cry for a half hour. I went back to him. Picked him up and rocked him again saying nothing. Put him back down and went back to bed. He cried off and on until 4:10am (the last time I was conscience and looked at the clock). It’s now 6:30am and he’s still sleeping and I’m showered and ready for the day. Praying tonight goes better.

(My fav go to book about sleep is "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth, MD. Found a link here with the whole book online. You can look up specific info based on the child's age.)

Crawlin' Colin

2011-02-25T10:06:00.002-05:00

Today is Colin’s first full day of crawling. He crawls like a monkey and not up on his knees. He started last night and today he’s been all over! He goes after an object with purpose and is fast! Til now he was just sitting and turning to get around a little.

He also started clapping his hands this week.
I think his molars might be coming in soon because he had a mysterious fever for 2 days last week and he puts his fingers in his mouth way at the back. Time will tell.

Colin loves his big brother. The age gap is closing in!

Colin's first haircut

2011-02-18T21:41:00.003-05:00

Colin played peek-a-boo with me all by himself yesterday for the first time. He used his blankie and pulled it and down over his face. So cute!

We went to the doctor today for his 9 month check up. Colin is 17 lb 13 oz. He is still on the same growth curve although on the bottom of it now but the doctor had no concerns. He didn’t get any shots because he had a fever of 101.3F when we were there. I’m hoping it’s just from another tooth and not a bug. He’ll just catch up with his shots at his next well baby visit.

Colin had his first haircut today. He was a good boy and just sat on my lap while the girl cut away. He looks so much older now but at least he doesn’t look like wild boy anymore. His hair was out of control!

He are the before and after pictures. He looks so tired and sad. He missed his afternoon nap because of the doctor appointment AND he had a fever. Poor guy.

Tooth fairy

2011-02-14T19:32:00.001-05:00

I wrote earlier when Vienna was still up. We put Vienna’s tooth in a baggie. At bedtime she tidied up her room but her toy bin wasn’t in the right spot. I moved it to where it was suppose to be while Vienna explained that her tooth was in it. I asked why and she said that she didn’t want the tooth fairy to find it because she wanted to take it to school tomorrow. That girl cracks me up!

Vienna lost her 1st tooth!

2011-02-14T18:08:00.001-05:00

Vienna lost her first tooth tonight! I’ve been checking how wiggly it is each day. It was hanging by a thread so Jay told her that she could probably just pull it out... so she did! Vienna was soooo excited! Her eyes were so bright and she ran to the mirror to check out her new smile. She said: “I look different now!” She sure does! She’s very excited to tell her friends all about it at school tomorrow.

Clarification

2011-02-09T21:30:00.002-05:00

LOL... I had a couple friends comment on the pizza. I should clarify that I just pinched off some dough and sauce for him in pea size amounts. No cheese or hard/chewy crust. Colin is just moving from pureed foods and foods that dissolve (cheerios, puffs, etc) to this new menu!! He wants to be a big boy.

Colin is a changin'

2011-02-09T19:05:00.001-05:00

Ever since Colin turned 9 months old just a week and a half ago, he has grown like crazy! He still isn’t crawling but he does lean from a sitting position to reach anything he can get. He also started pulling himself up onto his knees and sometimes, if he has someone to guide him, he can get to his feet. It’s wild!

Today he grabbed stuff off the coffee table for the first time. Child proofing has officially begun! He isn’t interested in eating pureed baby food either. This week he’s had rice cakes, pasta, and pizza. What a jump and so suddenly! He doesn’t gag as much anymore but he definitely is on the sensitive side. Little man is so curious about the world now.
Two more teeth are working their way in this week. I expect to see #7 and 8 soon. He has such a great toothy smile.

Vienna the reader

2011-02-02T09:58:00.003-05:00

Vienna's reading is really taking off! After rest time, she had those happy eyes as she told me she was able to read a long story all by herself! I got her to read it to me and I only had to help her with a few words. Oh English, why must you be so difficult!!! ie. would & wood. She'd read so much better if it weren't for strange words that you can't sound out!

Here she is reading to her Daddy after supper to show him her latest accomplishment! And her first book is....

Laughs

2011-01-31T15:02:00.002-05:00

Babycenter is a great resource. I get emails with different milestone information about the kids. Here is one I received today for Lance's age. I wonder if that includes potty talk! He finds it hilarious, which is how I got him to smile during his photo shoot. (I don't normally tolerate it and he does it DAILY! Maybe I should have potty talk time or something like that. haha - half joking here!) Any thoughts out there about potty talk??

Research has shown that children who like a good laugh are more creative, have higher self-esteem, and get along better with peers. Nonsense songs, animal sounds, and lots of crazy gestures bring out a child's giggles — and that's good. Taking advantage of your child's sense of humor can help make hard days run more smoothly.

The Lancer

2011-01-28T13:55:00.003-05:00

My big boy will be 4 in March. I don't know where the time goes but I wish it'd slow down some. Just can't get enough of this funny, caring, sensitive, yet BUSY BOY!

Today Lance announced that he had “sparkle-ees in his foot and it hurts”. I think that’s the cutest description I ever heard of a foot falling asleep!

Love this boy beyond words. So glad to have him in my life.

Vienna's loose teeth

2011-01-23T15:28:00.000-05:00

I checked on Vienna’s loose tooth today to discover that she has FOUR loose now! Top two and bottom two. She doesn't wiggle them much (at least around me) so I have no idea when they’ll come out but I did a photo shoot with her today. I figured it was the last time I’d get a perfectly sized smile until she’s a teenager and grows into her permanent teeth. Why does this milestone make me so sad?! (She'll be 6 in March.)

Colin's cold

2011-01-21T16:47:00.002-05:00

I forgot to share this picture from the photo shoot. My big boy is now 9 days away from being 9 months old. Stop the time! Holy tomoly it goes by fast!

Poor Colin has his first little cold. He has a runny nose and isn’t happy go lucky as he normally is. Yesterday was the first day with boogies and he squished his nose up and breathed in and out quickly. He is so cute!
I gave him a bath Saturday and for the FIRST TIME EVER he stopped crying in the water. He cried when he first got in but splashed the water a little with his hand and he had never ever done that before!! The water was higher and kinda of soapy from Vienna and Lance who were just in the tub. Jay got them out and I told him to not drain the water because Colin had a big messy poop. I just used that water to clean him (well after cleaning him off with baby wipes first). Maybe that’s the trick - murky water! I think I’ll bathe him with Lance next time and see how it goes.
Colin isn’t crawling yet. He likes to sit and play and as of the past couple days, he’ll lean forward like he’s going to crawl but that’s about it.

Vienna's first loose tooth

2011-01-14T08:34:00.005-05:00

When Vienna said her tooth was pointy this morning I thought she had discovered an eye tooth or something. I asked her what she was talking about and she said her tooth felt curved. Interesting description! haha! So I asked her to point to which one. It was her bottom front tooth on the left. I put my finger on it and ta da! I immediately got teary eyed and told her that her tooth was loose!!! She got big happy eyes and said: "I'm going to get money!" So funny!

She was so cautious eating breakfast this morning so I told her that eating might be tricky but to bite from the other side. She was so cute and as I watched her, I remembered how I used to play with my loose teeth too! Feeling the jagged edge where it lifted off the gum and sometimes I poked my tongue. I hope she's not like me though... Mom said I pulled all my teeth out before they were ready.

*sigh* my big girl.

8 month photos

2010-12-31T22:01:00.003-05:00

I finally took a few minutes to take some posed shots of my baby boy. He turned EIGHT MONTHS old yesterday. I wanted to have some nice pictures of him to frame. Poor 3rd child is seriously lacking framed presence in my house.

I can't even tell you how much I love this boy. He has changed me so much - my whole view of being a mom. I am going to take some time to blog about it on my blog another time and share the whole story about him, but for now, I'll just leave you with my favorite pictures.

Beyond grateful to have this child in my life. Beyond grateful to have three amazing children in my life actually! 2010 was filled with wonderful chats with V, cuddles with L and smiles from C. Looking forward to what's next...

Happy 2011!

Another tooth

2010-12-30T08:16:00.002-05:00

Tooth #6 arrived on Tuesday (2 days ago). Top one to the right of the center ones. Also I gave Colin Cheerios for the 1st time yesterday. He loves them! He also ate peas for me last night which he hadn't liked before. He's eight months old today!!! I might do a little photo shoot with him later. :o)

Drawings by V

2010-12-19T14:47:00.003-05:00

I love Vienna's artwork. It makes me smile so I thought I'd share. She is doing great at sounding out her words too!

And here is a ballerina on stage! She draws things right from her mind. She is so good!

L.A.N.C.E.

2010-12-12T19:43:00.002-05:00

Lance spelled his name out loud to today for the first time! He was really proud of himself. And so was I! Gave him a big high 5 for that one!

I also noticed this weekend that he called Vienna by her name when they were playing, rather than simply "sister" (which always sounded more like "sidder"). A sure sign of growing up! ... Although he did call her sister after I said "Tell your sister supper is ready." But I'm sure that will phase out soon. *sniff, sniff*

JOY!

2010-12-10T15:08:00.002-05:00

JOY to the world! The Lord has come!

Let earth receive her KING!

I updated the kids' pics on the right... The one of Colin above is different than the one over there because I love both pics! Smile or cute tongue poking out?! Hard to choose. I couldn't get the Y in front of him so it's on the tree. I don't like the inconsistency but he eats it otherwise!

Hope you are JOYful! We are!

Vienna's writing

2010-12-09T15:33:00.002-05:00

Wanted to share another sample of my girl's writing! Look at her sounding out words! I am so proud! She got her first home report yesterday and is doing GREAT! The teacher said: "She is a polite and kind little girl who is a leader in our classroom community." YAY V!

Road trip to Canada

2010-12-07T13:23:00.004-05:00

We went to Saint John from Nov.23-29th. We decided to go up because my maternal grandfather had a colostomy and was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. We didn’t want to wait until the Spring to go up and we had some time over Thanksgiving to go. Plus it was Colin's first road trip and he had the whole family to meet!

It took us 11 hours to get there because of frequent stops in the beginning. Sadly Colin was having a hard time pooping and had a little rash on his bum so he cried because of that. We stopped often to change him. Once we passed that hurdle it was smooth sailing. In Saint John, Colin met lots of family and he was amazing! He napped in his Ergo carrier, in the van or in my arms. He slept in his pack and play whenever we were at my Mom's. I brought the white noise machine and his blankie and he was fine! He only cried when he had a need (like always). I didn’t need to be so afraid of traveling after all! Colin is a sweetheart and such a good easygoing boy!

He doesn't even cry in the van unless he needs a new diaper or is hungry. When he’s awake, he plays and when he’s tired he just falls asleep. I never had a baby like this and I am soooooo grateful!

While away Colin learned to roll over from his tummy to his back. He’s more comfortable playing on his tummy now and even scooted backwards sliding his legs under Opa & Oma’s couch. He also got his 2nd tooth on the bottom. Since we got back tooth #3 and #4 made their debut. #5 is about thru! Poor kid!

We traveled home on the 29th and were on the road 13.5 hrs that day. We stopped in St.Andrews to visit Colin’s great-Grammy Newman. She was so excited to see the kids and we were happy Colin got to meet her. She and my grandmother are both 85 and their bodies aren't what they used to be and they can no longer live alone. It was so nice that they got to see their great-grandchildren. (My grandmother lives in an in-law apartment at my Dad’s house but has nurses who come in for 3 hours in the morning and 3 in the evening to care for her.)

On the drive home we stopped to eat at McDonalds and Denny’s and Colin sat in a highchair at both restaurants. This was his first time doing that. He is growing so fast. Jay and I are amazed at how calm and happy he is. He makes parenting a true joy. He makes me want to cry with happiness sometimes when I look at him. I am so grateful to have this boy in my life. Beyond grateful!

Since we returned, I started giving Colin fruit with oatmeal mixed in for breakfast and vegetables at night. He loves to eat.

Lance did great in the van. Glad we have the DVD player! He slept in a regular bed at my Mom’s. It was the first time that he didn’t use the pack and play. (We haven’t traveled since Aug 2009!!). I had him and Vienna together in my sister Michelle’s double bed and although they talked a lot, overall it went really well.

Lance was the entertainer while away. He’d sing on command and smiled and was so cute and fun! My favorite memory was when we were in St.Andrews to visit great-Grammy Newman. We were in the activity room waiting for her and when I saw her walking down the hall, I pointed her out to the kids. Lance ran towards her and gave her a big hug saying: “Hi Grammy. I missed you.” I had tears in my eyes because he is so tender hearted! He was named after her husband Edward (Lance's middle name). Lance always has something to say… introduces himself: “I’m Lance Newman. I’m three.” Or he’ll mention his little brother. He has lots of cute one liners and facial expressions and gestures to go with them. I really love this little boy and am so grateful to have him in my life.

Vienna missed 3 days of school although one was a shortened day due to the holiday. V traveled well and family commented on how well her speech has improved. That was encouraging to hear! V was pretty shy with everyone but made herself comfortable everywhere we went. She decorated gingerbread men and a gingerbread house with Kinny and Oma. We had turkey dinner with Opa, Oma, Philip & Kinny. We had a good time visiting family but we even squeezed in a movie. We went to see Tangled with Oma. It was our first 3D movie and it was really cute.

We had much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving and enjoyed spending time with family we don't see too often. So glad we went up!!

New background and blog title

2010-12-07T06:54:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas! For those of you following my blog thru a reader, I have updated the background and added a new title that has our latest family photo. This is only available on my blog for my faithful readers, and isn't on Facebook. (At least not til I know my family rec'd their Christmas cards.)

JOY to you,

Mary

Quick update

2010-12-05T18:52:00.004-05:00

We returned from a week visiting family in Canada last Monday. We have been beyond busy but I have lots to share. So stay tuned for that this week!

As for my baby Colin, he turned 7 months old last week and sprouted FOUR teeth in one week! Tooth #5 is about to make it's debut... the slit has opened but I don't feel the sharpness yet. Poor little guy.

More soon....

Comparing VLC at 6 months

2010-11-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

Just comparing my kids at 6 months. As far as size, they are all diff! V was in the lower percentile for age. Lance in the 90th and Colin in the 50th. Proof that all babies are different! (I nursed them all.)

They sure look alike - no doubt they're siblings but I think V and C look the most alike. They have the same round face. This pic is deceiving because they have the same eyes too. Lance has a lower brow. L & C have the same nose and ears. V had the most hair.

I am really enjoying all my kids at their various ages.

I love Vienna at age 5 because I love talking to her. I love her sparkling eyes.

I love Lance at age 3 because he is full of life and humor and cuddles and giggles.

I love Colin at age 6mo because he is responsive and social but can't get into trouble yet. No discipline/training - just pure loving on him.

Thanksgiving is coming and more than anything, I am thankful for my family. These babies have taught me much about life and about myself... and more than anything about the love our heavenly Father has for us.

Colin is 6 months old

2010-11-06T11:24:00.003-04:00

Colin had his 6 month check up Thursday. He is 16 lbs and still on the same growth curve - 50th percentile. He was so cute during his appointment smiling at the nurse and doctor. When the nurse came back to give him his shots, he was smiling at her trustingly. When he got the first one, he just looked stunned but the 2nd one made him cry. He stopped as soon as I picked him up; my brave little boy!
Colin has been sitting up with support more lately and can hold himself for minutes at a time.
I gave Colin those baby puffs this past week for the first time. He does well as long as they at the front of his mouth. If I put one in his mouth too far back, it gags him because it just sits on his tongue.
Here he is in his cute little monkey sweater that Vienna once wore too. (Lance was too big to wear it by the time it got cold. It's too short in the arms but I don't care because I love it.)

And the back. Awww.... hehehehe!

The tooth

2010-10-26T13:41:00.002-04:00

Can you see the little tooth on the bottom? I think you can click on this picture to make it bigger:

This boy will be 6 months old on Saturday!!!!! One of the best things that ever happened to me! Love him so much. My observer... my music lover... my talker... I love getting to know him. He's a pretty cool Colin dude.

Colin's 1st tooth!

2010-10-21T20:02:00.002-04:00

Colin got a tooth today! I felt his gums this morning and there was nothing but I felt the lower left one at bedtime tonight! Little stinker came thru today. Colin seemed proud when I touched it and talked to him about it!

Today while Lance was at school I took Colin to run some errands. I can’t belive what a good boy I have. He really likes the car and sleeps well in it and I thank God regularly for this! Vienna and Lance did not like the car and I appreciate little Colin so much! We live 30 minutes from Lance’s preschool and when I put the boys in the car, it’s almost like Colin knows where we are going and happily drifts off to sleep. When he’s up, he just looks out the window. I almost don’t want to say it out loud and jinx myself!

I gave Colin a rare bath tonight and again he screamed. He is either afraid or hurting... that’s the cry he does! I have no idea what it is but that child HATES the bath tub. Thankfully he doesn’t get too dirty and sponge baths work for him. I have never seen or heard of this before! Anyone else out there have this issue?

Something that Colin does that cracks me up, is lean in towards me to smell my breath. That kid doesn’t miss anything! No matter what I eat, if it’s on my breath he gets a wiff and leans in to smell more. And he does this all the time. He definitely is interested in food! I hope he becomes a chef!

(I posted this on my APE blog first by mistake instead of here - the kids' blog - my bad! So reposting to the right site.)

Pumpkin pumpkin banana eater

2010-10-20T21:29:00.002-04:00

Tis the season for pumpkins. We went out together to pick up our pumpkins early last week (hence the new photos in the blog title and side bar) and painted them a couple days later. Vienna and Lance loved this project. Just some paint and foam stickers. Our front porch looks beautiful. (We also plan to carve a pumpkin on the 30th at our friends' annual Pumpkin Day!)

And last week Colin got to eat bananas with his fancy food trap thingie ma bobber. Great invention! He loved it. Too bad he can't hold it very well! He kept dropping it and I had to wiggle it back into his fingers. He's so precious and will be 6 months old on the 30th!!!

Vienna sounding out words

2010-10-15T15:09:00.002-04:00

The purple writing is Vienna's attempt at sounding out and spelling the words in the picture. The teacher spelled them for her afterwards. I love this so much! My girl may be getting the spelling wrong but she makes sense to me! haha! Who needs vowels anyway?!

Lance's 1st dentist visit

2010-10-13T14:48:00.001-04:00

Lance went to the dentist today for the first time. Before we left I told him what to expect and said they’d show him their tools. He replied: “Do they have a wrench? And a screwdriver?” haha!
He let the hygenist do all that she had to do and he was very interested in everything. I took him to a children’s dentist and they were great with him. Very patient! He got to play with the tool that blew air and sprayed water. He loved it!
He has great looking teeth! The only issue is a worn spot on a top tooth probably because he bites his nails! (They said there was no concern but they’ll watch it.) He got his little bag of stuff including a Buzz Lightyear toothbrush. He even picked a sticker for his sister who was at school.
It was a successful first visit!!

Vienna's drawing

2010-10-10T17:59:00.002-04:00

I never know what this girl is going to bring home from kindergarten. I love this picture that she did of Ariel's sister. I thought it was the famous mermaid herself but V clarified for me. I should have known from the color of her hair. But she's on the rock... that's such a famous part of the movie so I'm sure you understand why I was confused.

Colin eating and other stuff he's doing

2010-09-26T13:50:00.004-04:00

This "lucky duck" tasted rice cereal for the first time last night. He wasn’t overly impressed or disgusted. He gagged only once and otherwise did ok as he tried to figure it out.

I nurse and he doesn’t take bottles so since he’s almost 5 months old, we’ll go right from breast to sippy cup. He had a couple sips of water in one Friday night. Again he wasn’t overly impressed but we’ll keep practising.

Yesterday Colin cried in reaction to Lance crying. I might have a sensitive boy on my hands.

He’s been watching Lopsi a lot lately. He is almost shaking while watching her so I’m not sure if it’s fear or excitement! Jay got Lopsi hyper while holding Colin and he started crying. Poor little guy. He’s just so precious.

When he cries, I just sing to him and he stops right away. “His song” is to the tune of Rubby Ducky by Ernie of Sesame Street. I sing:
Colin baby, you’re the one.
You make my life lots of fun.
Colin baby, I’m awfully fond of you.
Boo Boo Be do.
Colin baby, joy of joys.
You’re one of my favorite boys.
Colin baby, I’m awfully fond of you.
Boo Boo Be do.

And it's true... I'm pretty fond of this little guy.

Icky sicky V

2010-09-25T19:46:00.002-04:00

Yesterday (Friday) Vienna had a rare nap. When she woke up she complained of a headache and she felt really warm. She had an armpit temp of 101.2F. She also talked like she had a swollen throat and I felt that her tonsils were enlarged. She got up once thru the night complaining of a sore throat. I’ve been giving her acetimonophen and ibuprofen to control the fever and pain. I took her to the doctor this morning and he said it was just viral after a strep test came back negative. I pray that she gets better fast and gets to go to school on Monday.

Lance started preschool

2010-09-16T20:44:00.004-04:00

This boy was ready for preschool! He started last week and is in the same program Vienna was in. He leaves me two mornings a week and so far so good! He loves it! I told him I'd miss him and he said to me: "I'll miss you Mommy because I love you. But you'll come back." Oh so smart and growing oh so fast!

Here he is holding a poster we had to make to tell the teachers a bit about himself. We included a family photo, Lance playing with bubbles (I added cute bubble stickers to his picture - haha), and Toy Story stickers. Vienna helped us with this project too. She enjoyed telling Lance what to expect.

I feel good letting him go. It's a Christian program so things we teach are reinforced at school and vice versa. He walks in the school with confidence and I'm so glad he's with such wonderful teachers and little friends. I know half the kids thru church and our military moms group and it's a really great group of kids!

My boy is growing so fast and is the sweetest little thing. My friend described him as being enthusiastic about life and that's a great way to put it. He smiles a lot and is a happy kid!

On another note... potty training went well and fast. We started only 3 months ago and although he still has the odd accident, he stayed dry at night almost from the beginning. He only wears undies now.

Sing with me.... "Mommy wow! I'm a big boy now!!" :o)

What? Kindergarten?

2010-08-30T16:33:00.007-04:00

With small kids, we moms have the longest days but they are the shortest years.

(Heard that today and loved it!) *sigh*.. it's so true! My girl is 5 and started kindergarten today!

She'll be taking the school bus there and back. I got the sniffles putting her on the bus this morning but held it together because I had to go run errands and didn't want to look a mess.

She's in morning kindergarten and comes home before lunch. In fact, she's one of the 1st dropped off so it's a shorter ride after school.

Vienna enjoyed her day today. She knew a couple kids on the bus. There are also kids in her class from preschool. The teacher seems very nice and one of the other parents told me he was glad his 2nd daughter got her too. So that was encouraging to hear. All in all, a great way to start school!

All about Colin

2010-08-27T15:51:00.003-04:00

FOUR MONTHS OLD (well on Monday)... and clearly he knows it!

Colin is so talkative. Everyone seems to comment on that and how smiley he is. He is such a cute baby but man does he drool. I haven’t had a baby drool so much. It's hasn't been so bad this week but I was putting bibs on him to keep his shirts dry.

I left Colin twice last week for the first time ever! Last Monday I went shopping with Vienna and left the boys with Daddy. Colin slept the whole time I was gone so that was easy. Then I went to the dentist to get a filling. A friend babysat all three kids for me and I was gone for two hours. Colin doesn’t take bottles so I nursed him just before leaving. My friend got him to sleep in her arms by placing his arm up near his face which brought him comfort. She said he startled a lot but she kept his arms from flailing and that did the trick. She has 11 children so I think she knows what she is doing!

Colin loves spending time in the activity super saucer. He found a matchbox car that Lance left on it and was trying to pick it up. He really is getting so skilled with those little hands! Love watching him explore. Colin’s fav thing to do in the van is kick a baby book that I dandle down for him. It makes a crinkle sound and he loves it. I love watching the determination in his eyes!

Colin had his 4 month check up at the doctor yesterday. He is 14lbs 4oz and is in the 50th percentile for weight, height and head circumfrance. He's wearing size 2 diapers now and has outgrown his 0-3 month sized sleepers. 3 months clothes fit him perfectly but 6 months is ideal.

Here's a collage of pics from today at the park. Enjoying the last lazy days of summer....

Summer fun

2010-08-09T14:35:00.010-04:00

We have been enjoying our summer SO MUCH! No schedule. No place we HAVE to be. Ahhh so nice. We've stayed in a lot because of the intense heat and humidity we've been having. Not fun for a baby or mama. And Vienna and Lance haven't minded at all. They play so well together and I am beyond grateful for that. They have the best imaginations and V is the best big sister ever. She is caring. She shares. She's encouraging. She's helpful. She is just plain ole good fun! She is great with Lance and "babysits" Colin for me. (I get her to play with him when I have things to do around the house.)

Lance loves being outside. Although he doesn't like sticky hands when eating, he has no fear of dirt or little critters. He squishes ants with his fingers so I am teaching him to be kind, even to bugs. He found a toad on a recent hike and he held it in his hands tightly so it wouldn't get away. Then I taught him to be gentle. He's catching on and here he is gently clasping the toad:

Colin is getting so alert and curious about his world that he won’t sleep well when we go out, if at all. Although I prefer my Ergo baby carrier, I’ve been using the borrowed Snugli more lately because Colin can face me and snooze or face out and watch the world. He likes the view and I like the versitility.

Me using the Ergo

At home, Colin is a super sleeper. When I put him to bed he doesn’t cry long and sometimes doesn’t cry at all. He goes to bed around 7:30-8:00pm til 6:30am, waking up maybe 2x to eat. I don’t know how often he really naps thru the day because we’ve been out and about so much with the recent company but I would say about 4 naps.

I got the activity center out for him in the last week and he likes standing and looking around. So he spends time awake there, on the mat, in his high chair watching me cook or clean, or in his bumbo watching the kids play. Lots of stations for him!

This week, he has started to anticipate getting picked up and arches his back a little when I get him. He rolled over from his back to his stomach on 7/30 but he’s only done it a few times. He definitely needs more floor time to master it but I don’t put him down too much because he spits up after he eats. I like to keep him more upright and off his tummy.

He also just started grabbing at toys on purpose. No more random flailing fists. He's just about three and a half months old!

Colin is a cutie

2010-07-21T21:12:00.004-04:00

Last week a friend commented that Colin was blossoming. I love that word to describe him. It's so true! He coos and gurgles in a happy baby way. He only cries if he is tired or needs a new diaper. He is so amazingly precious and I just love talking to him and looking at his sweet face. He is quite observant and takes everything in. He loves watching his brother and sister play and even watches the dog! I lay Colin down on his play mat and he easily bats away at the dangling toys. He's almost 12 weeks old and is growing so fast!

We had one rough night with him this week. He was wide awake after a 2:30am feeding but I put him to back to bed. My intention was to let him cry it because I wasn't feeling well but Jay got up to help. Jay paced with him in his room and he just wasn't settling down. He came into our room to ask me what to do and when I answered, Colin turned his little head towards me and stopped crying. We were in the dark but he knew my voice. Jay laughed at how much he loves his Momma! Guess all that time, he just wanted me. I fed him again and he went right to sleep. Poor little guy.

For the most part, Colin sleeps well. He sleeps 100% of the time in his crib (unless we're out) and only gets up once or twice through the night. He does like having something to hold onto when he sleeps so right now it's a cloth diaper (used as a burp cloth). That's exactly what his big sister did.

He is officially PURE JOY! No more yucky newborn phase for us! YIPPEE!!

Lance is...

2010-07-20T22:22:00.002-04:00

... just swinging in to say HI!

I love this boy! He is the sweetest little thing ever with that dimpled smile and cute little voice. Last night his throat was sore and I thought he might be getting my cold. It hurt him to swallow water and he said: "I guess I'll never be able to drink water ever again." Jay and I burst out laughing.... He says the funniest things! (He is fine today... no sign of a cold.)

This boy loves to be outdoors! I just want it to cool down a little so we can spend more time outside comfortably. Look at that smile! *melt my heart*

Mid-July updates

2010-07-13T07:59:00.003-04:00

Always something to share about my babies... I enjoy capturing these little stories in an effort to remember these days forever.....

Each night after Vienna brushes her teeth, she asks me if she did a good job. Reminds me of myself when I was little because I used to ask my Mom if I had cavities.

Vienna continues to make me laugh. Every now and again I give the kids a scoop of dish bubbles to play with. V put some on her shoulder and told me she was a pirate and it was her parrot. I super love her imagination!!! Here she is using a towel to transform herself into "Mary", Jesus' mother.

Vienna does great with her chore chart. We had to recently add "be nice" to Colin on her list of tasks/behaviors to work on. She leans on him, grabs his arms and shakes them and moves him around the floor in his chairs. I'm teaching her to be gentle and to ask permission before moving him. She just loves him so much and sometimes it's really sweet but when I see his little face scowl because she's right in his face, it drives me nuts when she doesn't listen to my requests to move back.

Lance is doing great at potty training as long as we're home. He stays dry in his underwear and wears pull-ups to bed. He doesn't like using other people's toilets and especially hates public bathrooms. Who can blame him because they do stink! I need to work with him though because he starts preschool in September.

On the 9th, Colin laughed for the first time at me playing peek-a-boo. We were in line at Walmart and I bet people thought I was crazy talking to him like a fool just to hear his laughter over and over! Love his sweet smile and his laughter just warmed my heart. He is growing so fast! He rolls to his side when he's on his back. He used to do it because he was turning his head into the blanket looking for a nipple but he doesn't do that anymore... just rolls as he sucks his little fists. He seem to be able to hold them to his mouth for longer lengths of time.

We borrowed a bumbo chair from a friend and Colin seems to like his new view of the world. He cracks me up because his little head bobbles around but his neck is pretty strong.

Overall, Colin is a good little boy! He wakes up in the morning smiling. I get him because I hear him making happy gurgling sounds, not because he cries.

The other day I startled him. He was in his chair looking at me and his dangling toys. I blew my nose and made a honking sound. I saw his little bottom lip curl as he was about to burst into tears. I just talked to him and he started smiling again. So sweet!

Colin and my diet

2010-07-07T10:29:00.004-04:00

I forgot to share some updates, although have been writing in Colin's journal. (I keep them in a Word document.) So thanks Sarah for asking about the gluten-free diet!

June 25, 2010.
Yesterday was day 15 of being gluten-free. I decided to test dairy since my system was clear for awhile. I had a yogurt and Colin pooped two big ones which isn’t something I have ever seen. For the past couple weeks, he’s only been pooping once a day or every other day. This morning I had creamer in my coffee and the next time I nursed him, Colin was pulling his legs up in pain, passed gas and winced to the point where he lost his latch. So I am pretty confident dairy bothers him.
He had a doctor’s appointment today for his 2 month check up. He is 11.5 lbs and in the 50% percentile for height and weight. His doctor suggested I resume gluten and try avoiding nuts to see how that goes. So YAY! I’m back on gluten and I couldn’t be happier. That was a tough one to avoid! Wheat and gluten is in sooo much – even chicken noodle soup!

And back to today:

I stopped snacking on nuts but I don't bother with labels and am not avoiding them completely. I read in "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" a blurb about how there is something in breast milk that kick starts digestion so that would explain why Colin squirms while nursing. I bought gas drops and give them to him when I suspect he's uncomfortable and so far, Colin is doing great! I still don't eat ice-cream or cheese but over the weekend I had some chocolate baked goods and he didn't seem bothered by it at all. We haven’t had that hard to console crying in quite some time. I just assumed the worse with him since I went through it with Lance.

Colin was a gem on Independence Day! He must like being outside because he didn't cry all day. Here he is with his Daddy whose birthday is today! I love my guys!

And a final update about Colin is about sleep. I wrote about it on my APE blog because it was a goal of mine to get him to his crib from naps in the swing and sleeping at night with me. This week, Colin has been sleeping most of the time in his crib. If we are home and he needs to sleep, I put him in there. He even cries himself to sleep but sometimes he just goes to sleep happily. His naps aren’t as long as they were when he was in the swing or even when we go out, but I figure he’ll get used to it eventually. I wrote this a few days ago:

July 3, 2010.

Last night I put Colin in his crib to sleep for the night and he actually slept well! He woke up to eat three times. Afterwards I put him back in his bed and he went right back to sleep each time. It wasn't until the 4:30am feeding that he fussed, so I just brought him to bed with me at that point and he slept for another 3 hours. Sadly, I wasn't as rested. I don't sleep better without him beside me as one would think. I was anticipating him waking up and then I had to walk to his room to feed him. It's so much easier to feed him in bed. *yawn* I haven't woke up this tired in awhile.

So that's the latest with Colin baby.

Comparing kids at 2 months

2010-07-07T08:46:00.004-04:00

When Vienna was born, she was clearly her father's daughter. She has his eyes, nose and ears... such distinctive looking eyes.

Lance is a spitting image of my father, who I look like. We have his ears, lower brow and nose. But Lance has his daddy's dimples. :o)

When Colin was born, he reminded me an awful lot of Lance - definitely our ears and same nose as Lance but there was something different about him. I said his eyes reminded me of Vienna's somehow but they didn't have her distinct shape.

Well I recently glanced at Vienna's 2 month old photo and couldn't believe how much Colin looks like her! Lance started getting really chunky at 2 months and I thought Colin was on that road but comparing the pics, I don't think so anymore. His face is round like V's.

I love how all my kids look alike but clearly are their own person. God is pretty amazing with subtle differences. What do you think??

(Lance is in the top pic. Colin left. Vienna bottom right.)

Kick start to summer!

2010-07-03T09:33:00.005-04:00

Welcome to July! We started the month of right with some time at a carnival! Lance went on the caterpillar roller coaster with Daddy and LOVED IT! Vienna was tall enough this year to go on a couple bigger rides. They grow so fast. sniff, sniff...

I took the kids berry picking this past week. We got some blueberries and raspberries. We already made a blueberry pie and blueberry muffins. Mmmm.... the taste of summer!

And Mr.Colin is 2 months old now! I only did gluten-free for two weeks but have continued avoiding dairy. I decided this after talking to his doctor at his 2-month check up. He is in the 50th percentile for weight and height at 11.5 lbs. But that was last week.... this week, he is starting to chunk up! Jay and I both noticed he was looking rounder yesterday. I swear he grows in his sleep!

We look forward to a parade and picnic tomorrow for the 4th of July and then Daddy's birthday later in the week... then more fun. Happy summer!

Baby update and a new pic too!

2010-06-21T08:34:00.001-04:00

Day 12 of gluten free and I’m no longer craving food I can’t have, and overall find what I’m doing to be healthier. Colin is quite manageable… just the evenings that we struggle through. He is fussy from 7-9pm. Like I said before I think he just needs to go to bed but the moment we put him down he cries. If he falls asleep, he startles himself awake with that falling reflex jump thing. I read Lance’s journal for this age and I put him on his tummy at 3 months. I wonder if that’s going to help with Colin. He probably will sleep much better that way. Because of the fear of SIDS I’m going to continue what I’ve been doing until his neck is stronger. I also want to look into a mat that goes under baby and an alarm sounds if they stop breathing. My room is just so far away from him so I think that’ll make me feel better.

I’m sensing less of a gas issue. Not as much gurgling, although there are still moments he pulls his legs up. I read on babycenter.com that around 6 weeks old, their digestive tracks change and they may poop less often. That was my concern. Going from a dirty diaper every feeding to one poop every day and a half was what had me go gluten-free. But it all might just be normal. I have thought worse case scenario because it was familiar to me. Colin has a doctor’s appt on Friday and I’ll bring up my concerns and probably start testing out dairy then gluten from that point on.

Lance potty training

2010-06-14T08:21:00.003-04:00

I blogged about the stressful day 1 on my personal APE (A Productive Endeavor) blog since I made it more about me. But I wanted to share day 2 here since it went so well and is more about Lance!! He made it to the toilet for every pee! By mid-day, he got bored playing in the living room so I let him go to his carpeted room and he came down to pee! So proud of him! The only issue yesterday was pooping. He started to go in his underwear and ran to the potty but then got stage fright. I moved him to the regular toilet but he refused to go after sitting there a half hour talking to me. I moved him back to the small potty where he sat for an hour watching TV and still NOTHING! I was certain once I put a diaper on him and put him to bed that he would poop in that but he woke up DRY this morning! He peed in the potty to start the day and we’re off… So happy it’s going THIS WELL!

Unless I have some new enlightening news about potty training, I probably won't be writing about it again. Don't want Lance to be all grown up hearing step by step how things went down. LOL! So let's just say, waiting til he was older wasn't such a bad idea. Lance is more than capable and he makes me a happy mommy.

Updates on all kids

2010-06-12T09:38:00.005-04:00

VIENNA

Last month, I went to Vienna’s school for a PPT meeting with her teacher and speech therapist. Vienna has done so well that she no longer needs special ed! Next year in kindergarten, the therapist will come into the class and work with her but it won’t be one on one like she has now. Just more guidance to keep her on the right path. I was so excited by her improvement and also the fact that for the first time since summer 2007 that we don’t have summer school!!!

Vienna finished up at the Christian preschool last month. They had a “Mother Goose Parade” and V was Little Miss Muffet. We made a spider and she wore a dress with a big bow in her hair. She looked precious although when the class recited the rhyme, she just stood there. I have the funniest video of her saying the rhyme at home beforehand and she screamed and ran up the stairs when the spider frightened her. She had me laughing!

Public school ends this week and then my sweet girl is on her way to kindergarten! But first, we must enjoy the summer break!

LANCE

I think Lance skipped size 3. He was in 24 month /size 2 in the winter but all his summer clothes are size 4. Today I have him in underwear for day 1 of the real potty training. We are here. No going back. The reason for the late start is we moved, I was pregnant and knew the baby was coming... so I didn’t want to train him unless he led. But he didn't (and doesn’t) have any desire to use the potty. Lance hides - usually in the dining room or his bedroom to poop. He was 3 in March and I’m ready to deal with the mess now and am not worried about regression as I was before Colin arrived.

Lance’s new favorite word is boring. Time out is boring. Vienna’s choice of TV show is boring. Going to bed is boring and on and on. It was funny at first but little Mr.Lance has a lot of attitude in his little body. He has taken to screeching when he’s mad too. Testy age three.

We had a good visit the past two weeks with Gramma Jo and Larry who were here a few days. Then Auntie Robyn and Dave were here for a week. Lance likes the guys. He knows he’s one of them. It really impresses me when Lance uses people’s names when talking to them. “Hi Dave” or “Dave will you play cars with me?” So cute!

Lance knows many letters, numbers and shapes. He loves the Leap Frog alphabet video and even knows the sounds of letters because of that. He’s definitely a smart boy.

Here's my cutie:

My mom with the three kids:

COLIN

Colin is 6 weeks old!! He is growing fast and with 3 kids I’m finding little time to journal and keep up with household stuff too. Auntie Robyn visited for a week and just left Thursday. She came with her new fiance Dave (they got engaged here). Dave didn’t know how to hold a baby but by the time they left, he was a pro! Before that, Gramma Jo and Larry were here. It’s been a busy couple weeks and Colin is absolutely adorable. He still cries but either I’m getting used to it or just know how to sooth him better. I’ve been dairy free over 3 weeks and this past week Colin was having irregular poops. After talking to the doctor, the next thing to avoid is gluten. This is more challenging to me but heard there are aisles at the grocery store dedicated to gluten free food. I’m going to make a big effort to go gluten free and see if that helps my boy.

He's definitely growing well because he’s filling his sleepers better and his face seems rounder. He still sleeps with me at night and aside from walking up to eat, he doesn’t fuss. He smiles at us when we talk to him and even started cooing and last week. I use my Ergo baby carrier when I go out and he falls right to sleep in it. It’s awesome! I am able to shop with him now. Yay!

My sister Robyn with Vienna and Colin:

20 days old

2010-05-20T00:20:00.004-04:00

Colin is 20 days old. It’s been a rough start but I can’t get over the love I have for him. His cry is just so hard and it’s tough to ignore so I don’t unless I’m in the middle of something. We still don’t know why he is crying so hard but I am doing a dairy free diet to see if that helps. Since Lance had a dairy sensitivity, it’s likely that’s what’s going on with Colin. He squirms and cries before he passes gas so if it’s not a dairy thing, then maybe his little body is just getting used to life outside the womb. I just pray for wisdom and feel that at least I am doing as much as I can do to help. I went completely dairy free as of the 16th. I’ll give it 2 weeks before observing Colin and introducing dairy back into my diet to see if there is an immediate reaction.

Colin went to the doctor on the 17th for a weight check. He was up to 8 lb 4.5 oz. The doctor was concerned on the 14th because he hadn’t gained weight in a week. Mind you, they have an old scale and there is room for error on it. He was weighed 3 times that day and was 8lb, 8lb1 and 8oz4. The doctor said that if he didn’t gain weight, we might want to consider supplementing. I knew I didn’t have a supply issue but per the doctor’s advice contacted a breastfeeding consultant. I spoke to someone who offered me encouragement by phone on Friday. She said that nursing babies take 3 weeks to get back to their birth weight and it sounded like we were on track. She also told me about a nursing support group that meets on Mondays. Jay had the day off work so he took care of Vienna and Lance while I took Colin to that. I met the consultant first who watched me nurse and gave me some more tips. She also weighed him for me and according to their digital scale, Colin was 8lb 6oz. Before I left, I bough a homeopathic colic (gas) relief called Cocyntal. I gave it to Colin Monday and Tuesday and didn’t see much of a change in his crying but did notice he burped up more. Not a lot but maybe 3 or 4 times. He’s definitely not colicky… he stops crying for me when I hold him and bounce him and always when I nurse him. But I wanted to try the medicine in case it did help with suspected digestion issues.

I’ve taken Colin out shopping 4 times this past week. The first time was Target but that didn’t go so well. He fussed and wouldn’t stop crying even as I carried him around. The looks on people’s faces got annoying. I had one lady come around the corner of the aisle I was in and just stopped and stared at me. He’s so little and cries so hard that it does sound like there is something wrong. I took him to the grocery store and the cashier asked me why he was crying. I guess people just think he’s hungry or has a need I have neglected. Today we went to the mall and again he cried hard and turned red. But finally success tonight at Target - we went shopping with Vienna and I put him in the sling where he slept. He only cried on the way home because he was hungry.

When Colin is awake and content he loves to look around. I caught him staring at me the other day and it is just the best feeling ever to see that sweet face looking my way. He seems on the verge of a smile when he is like that. He is just so cute. I love when he bops his little face close to mine as he looks for food. The novelty of having him home hasn’t worn off yet. Vienna is quite taken with him and wants to hold him all the time. She is very confident holding him and rocks him reminding me of a little mother hen. Jay was holding him while he cried and she told Jay to rock him! Such a doting sister.

Time is my biggest complaint. It slips away so quickly between feedings and I can’t seem to do all that I want to do. It’s hard balancing 3 kids and their needs and prioritizing childcare with housework with taking care of myself. I find it physically and emotionally challenging. Some days I am fine but other days I just feel overwhelmed. Thankfully Jay has been an amazing help! But time is so much an issue that yesterday I had a shower at 3am just because Colin was sleeping, there were no other immediate demands on me, and I could!

And here is one of my fav pics. Haven't taken the camera out much. That's the true sign of me being tired and unfocused. But see how he's worth it?

Colin update

2010-05-07T14:01:00.003-04:00

We went to the doctor today for a weight check. Colin is up to 8lb even. Yay! I asked the doctor to watch me nurse to make sure he was latching on ok and all is well there. Soooo.... Looks like we have no issues with our boy. Let's blame his first few miserable days on the circumcision. I like that idea the best because he's healed now. :o) Onward with the brightest outlook.

Our first week with Colin

2010-05-06T20:50:00.006-04:00

Colin William Newman

born Friday, 4/30/10

8lb 3oz, 19.5 inches

(written May 6th)

On April 30th (Friday) morning, I woke up after a horrible night's sleep. I was 6 days overdue at this point. Baby was low and regular braxton hicks were tight and uncomfortable. I had those for days along with aches like menstrual cramps. Labor was inevitable so the anticipation was driving me nuts.

I asked Jay to stay home from work to help me with the kids. Vienna had preschool and I had a doctor's appointment during that time. Not knowing what the doctors would say, or how long my appointment would be, I asked my friend Amy to pick Vienna up from school in case I was late or sent to the hospital (I was hopeful!). Jay took care of Lance while I went to my appointment.

The appointment was at 10:15am. I was 3cm dilated and 80% effaced so the doctor tweaked things to get some thing happening. (I was 3cm/50% at last week's appt.) Then I was set up for a non-stress test. All was fine with the baby. By the time I got out of the doctor's office is was past Vienna's pick up time and lunch time, so Amy kept Vienna while Jay, Lance and I went to eat some yummy fried seafood. During our meal, my braxton hicks were hard to ignore. They were super tight and clearly close together. I started writing down the time around 12pm and they were 3 minutes apart. We finished up eating and went to make arrangements for Lance because I knew it was the beginning of labor. My friend Tami who lives near the hospital was available so we went there while I labored and timed my contractions at 3 minutes apart. I wasn't going to call the doctor until I had to breath through them. Sure enough just after 3pm, they got really uncomfortable and I had to focus and breath. We left for the hospital and arrived around 3:30pm. They checked me in at 4cm and 100% effaced. When I was 5cm the doctor broke my water to help things progress. I had one dose of stadol and asked for more since it didn't seem to be working. When the doctor checked me to make sure things were ok first, the baby's head was right there. I had 3 intense burning contractions, the last two I pushed and at 5:00pm on the nose, Colin arrived! The doctor and nurses were scrambling and excited that it was so quick. Colin had the cord wrapped around his neck so I'm glad it went quickly for his sake too. (I am grateful that it went quick but let me just say that going from 4cm to 10cm in 1.5 hours was intense!)

We called Tami and Amy first and asked if they could bring Vienna and Lance to us. They both arrived before 7pm and Jay took them home. I felt pretty good! Colin latched on well too so he and I just hung out together the first night. I kept him in the room with me all night but he didn't sleep too well. He was fussy and had coughing spit ups. I was glad the nurse warned me that'd happen so I didn't freak out.

Saturday morning started with Colin getting circumcised. Jay, Vienna and Lance arrived at the hospital later in the morning to spend time together as a new family of five. We took pictures and just hung out. Vienna loved holding Colin and will definitely be a good big sister. Lance played with the hospital bed, the curtain, the sink and anything else he could find. He said Colin was his baby when people walked in the room but otherwise he didn't pay him any attention. We had a couple visitors that afternoon then that night I sent Colin to the nursery at 11:30pm so I could sleep. They brought him in to my room for his feedings and I was able to get some sleep in that uncomfortable hospital bed.

Sunday Jay came to the hospital around 9:30am to bring me and Colin home. Vienna and Lance stayed home with Nana. She went to our house after coming to the hospital and will stay with us for this first week. Colin continued to have random fits of inconsolable crying. Jay's brother and wife brought spaghetti and meatballs to us for supper and spent some time hanging out. First night home with Colin was horrible. I didn't get much sleep. Even Jay took turns trying to comfort him so I could rest. My milk came in Sunday evening and I was engorged through the night. Find time to care for myself and Colin is challenging and I'm grateful to have Jay and his mom helping with so much.

Monday night was a tough night. Again Colin was up most of the night and had fits of inconsolable crying. I wonder if he's going to have a dairy sensitivity like his big brother.

Tuesday during the day I was a mess.... Very sore and irritable and emotional. The time between feedings passed too quickly. I needed to sleep but had to eat or go the bathroom or get cleaned up or pump because of the pain of engorgement. Good friends came over with supper and to hang out. It was awesome to have company but again I was so tired. Good thing it was the Cliffords. They've seen me at my worst before. Tuesday night I decided to sleep with Colin on the couch. He slept through except for his regular feedings and I got some much needed sleep. No fits! Yay! He's a cuddler.

On Wednesday Vienna had preschool and I scheduled Colin's first weight check and doctor's appointment during that time. He weighed 7 lb 10.5oz and when we left the hospital on Sunday, he was 7lb 12oz. Since my milk was in for a couple days I was surprised by the lack of weight gain. The doctor said we'd check his weight again on Friday. Gotta remember it's a different scale too. As for the fussiness, she said it's too early to diagnose what's going on. We just have to wait for him to age and present other symptoms. For now I'm still watching my dairy intake since I did that with Lance but the doctor said there was no reason at this point for me to do that. But at least I feel I'm doing what I can do, if that is the culprit.

Before picking up Vienna from preschool, Jay dropped me off so he could run to work to do a couple things. Bible study was just getting out so I showed Colin off to everyone. Then I went in Vienna's classroom so she could show her new baby brother off to her friends. She was so proud standing next time me, kissing her brother as her classmates came up 3 at a time. It was really special.

Wednesday afternoon, Nana tried to console Colin during one of his fits and when I took him he calmed down. She observed that he already knows me as his momma. That made me heart happy. He is a cute little thing and when he is awake and happy... I love watching his sweet little face look around. He stared at the letters on my shirt, the dark frames on the wall, and the window... taking this new world in.

Wed night I slept with Colin in my bed and he slept from midnight til 8am with no inconsolable fits. He was up for an hour for feeding and changing but otherwise as really good. This was hopeful! I was rested!

Today, Thursday I'm still really sore. After getting refreshed with the how to of latching online, I saw that perhaps Colin isn't doing it right. Until Tuesday he'd been taking the pacifier really well so I wonder if he might have nipple confusion. So I decided to stop giving him pacifiers until we get nursing down and I heal.

And that brings us to the end of our first week with Cutie Colin. Tomorrow, the newest Newman will be 1 week old. Amazing that considering how sore and tired I am, he is really so amazing and we are so happy he is here. Don't let this post fool ya. hehe.. Our hearts are overjoyed.

Waiting for baby boy

2010-04-26T22:35:00.002-04:00

Just a little update to say that baby boy is overdue and I look forward to updating this website with his sweet pictures! Will update when he arrives.... whenever that might be!

More Vienna illness

2010-04-20T21:37:00.002-04:00

Tonight before supper I noticed Vienna's eyes were goopy. After wiping them, the goop gathered within the hour. Thankfully her doctor's office has evening appts and we got her on amoxycillin after a 7pm appt. She has an eye infection and normally the doctor would just prescribe an eye lotion but she's stuffed up and has slightly swollen neck glands. With the baby due and just to make sure she doesn't get something else (like a sinus infection), the doc said he'd put her on the antibiotic sooner than he normally would. Vienna fell asleep quickly in the car on the way home after complaining of sore eyes. Poor little monkey... I hope she doesn't wake up with her eyes sealed together.

She'll miss another day of school tomorrow.

Vienna is off

2010-04-19T09:05:00.003-04:00

EDIT: Looks like Vienna just has a minor bug. They thought it might be strep but her test was negative. Lance had this 3 weeks ago. Strange.

----

Well no baby news to report yet but I am hoping he sits tight while I deal with Vienna. Poor girl had a fever yesterday, through the night and again this morning. She's been complaining of a headache and tummy ache. She isn't going to preschool but to the doctor instead. I called the office to ask when I should be concerned but they suggested she come in for an eval. With the baby due Saturday, I figure that we might as well do this rather than ride it out. I want to be around to be with my girl if she needs me. She kept calling out last night and I just prayed I wouldn't go into labor.

So that's the latest in the Newman household in case anyone was wondering!

Baby shall be here soon

2010-04-08T22:30:00.006-04:00

Baby boy is due THIS month! In fact in almost 2 weeks. Since my last update, he did turn head down. He is so active... much more than my other two. He is going to be my athlete! His limbs are constantly poking out and moving around. He has been so fun to carry. I am feeling great overall. I am getting more braxon hicks but still not as much as I've had with my other two. And I am definitely SUPER tired in the afternoon. I always gain momentum come evening and find myself doing a lot after 9:30pm! I washed my floors tonight at 10pm!

My biggest complaint is just my limited wardrobe. My shirts hang open on the bottom but I am grateful a friend gave me a Bella band to use! They hide my belly, keep my pants up and overall give support. But man.... maternity shirts should be 5 inches longer!

My bags are packed. And I'm excited to kiss my baby's sweet face. Now just praying for the details to go smoothly for childcare for Vienna and Lance. My next post should be baby news!!!

Here is the baby I know now... and all interaction is thru this belly! 37 1/2 weeks.

And here are my babies on Easter Sunday. Couldn't get a "perfect" shot, but that's ok. They are beautiful and wonderful and will make the best big sister and brother EVER!

Vienna turns FIVE!

2010-03-30T12:12:00.007-04:00

We celebrated Vienna’s 5th birthday on the weekend but her actual birthday is today. I kept the party pretty simple but had enough activities to keep everyone busy. As her guests arrived, we had them put stickers on crowns. The girls painting nails and made beaded jewelry. I scheduled the party for 2pm and served snacks - keeping things easy for me. Besides the activities, we had the standard cake and presents. I made a vanilla bundt cake topped with whip cream and cherry pie filling. It’s a cake my aunt Debbie made for my 7th birthday and I remembered it all these years. I just wanted to do something girly for V. She received many wonderful gifts and I couldn’t get over how much she got. Barbies and crafty stuff (that I wanted!) seemed to dominate which was perfect considering that’s what she loves!

On Sunday Vienna and I went out for lunch just me and her. We didn’t have the servers sing but our waitress was sweet and brought a candle out with Vienna’s strawberry cheesecake dessert. After the waitress left, Vienna asked me if I wanted to know what she wished for. I said sure. She said “I wish to be with you forever because I love you.”…. Ahhh melt my heart. What a sweet girl.

This morning I started a great tradition that my friend Kathy does... Vienna had to break through streamers on her door.
Then she went downstairs to find hidden presents. I got this idea from the Marr family. :o)

I changed it up a bit and hide the number of presents of the child's age. So Vienna had to find 5 this morning. The dollar store is a great place to shop for this and I think I will only do this til the kids are 12. haha

Vienna wanted to find them all before opening them. I kept it simple this year: the game Trouble, Princess and the Frog music CD, a flashlight, rings and stickers.

Happy Birthday to my loving girl.

I am so glad I've had FIVE whole years with her and pray for many more. (I pray regularly that I get to see her grow to be an old lady! hehe)

Next birthday... baby boy... due in 25 days!

Baby appt

2010-03-12T16:26:00.002-05:00

Went to the doctor again today... 2 weeks goes by quickly! I have gained 27 lbs so far and FOUR in 2 weeks! Ooops - darn birthday season! I def grew and he is head down because (TMI warning), I couldn't catch my pee easily in that stupid little cup. Moms - you understand.

I've been dreaming about having this little love and can't believe I'll have him in my arms in just 6ish weeks. :o)

So another praise to report... Baby is head down and didn't get tangled in his cord doing so. Thanks for your prayers.

The birthdays start...

2010-03-09T19:56:00.004-05:00

I can’t believe the 1^st birthday of the year is upon us! Our Lance will turn 3 tomorrow and for 20 days I’ll have a 4 year old and 3 year old! What a fun age gap. We celebrated Lance’s birthday on Sunday with 3 of his friends and their families, plus Nana, Jay’s brother & wife. (8 kids and 10 adults). It was a pirate themed party and I just used Lance’s toys as decorations. I made supper for everyone and kept the meal pretty simple. Nuggets and fries for the kids. Soup, salad and bread for the adults. I think everyone was full from the veggie tray, cheese & crackers, chips and pretzels because we had plenty of food! Lance got lots of nice gifts but his favorite has to be his light saber from Nana. It is spring loaded, makes sound and lights up.... a sure winner! He loves watching Star Wars with his Daddy! For activities at the party I had pirate coloring pages and hats, plus I did a treasure hunt for candy in the basement to fill up their treat bags. It was an easy way to celebrate an amazing little boy who makes my heart swell!

The weather has been awesome here the past few days. I took Lance to the park while Vienna was in school. He has so much fun!!!

Everyone's moods are chipper and we anticipate Spring with gladness!

Here are pics of my silly girl! She'll be 5 the end of March and we're doing some sort of Princess party. I got to get Lance's thank you cards out tomorrow and then I can think about her party. My kids will all be spaced about 3 weeks apart! Crazy party season!!!

Lots to smile about. VSD free!

2010-03-05T20:23:00.008-05:00

Aside from a sweet little boy excited to celebrate his 3rd birthday... this smile fully shows the happiness we have in our hearts now that Lance's VSD is gone!!! We went to the cardiologist for an annual check up because Lance had a pin hole sized VSD in his heart. But alas, after an ECHO on Wednesday, the cardiologist said we don't have to see him anymore. GONE GONE! GONE!

To read the quick update from last year's appointment, just click HERE.

Psalm 33: 13-15...
from heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind;
from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth-
he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.

The wee one

2010-02-24T19:28:00.003-05:00

Back when I had my previous ultrasound, they found that my placenta was resting over the cervix a little bit. Today I had another ultrasound to see how things looked and all is normal. The placenta shifted up where it should be as my uterus grew. But when we peeked at baby boy, we found him breech. There is lots of time for him to turn but that sure explains the tightness I feel. My belly is so compact and tight that I'm starting to get uncomfortable. It's like the tightness goes up my whole body. Sitting is harder and bending over too.

Although the goal of today's ultrasound was to check on the placenta, I did get a couple shots of my baby boy. Not the best pics but you'll see he was sleeping the whole time. His arms have filled out and he keeps the right one over his face. He's over 3 lbs now. We couldn't wake him and after all the shaking, he just moved his legs up over his head blocking our view even more.

8+ weeks til I meet him... looking forward to kissing those sweet baby lips. :o)

Peek a boo face!

I just pray that when baby flips, he doesn't get tangled in the cord. I pray for his health and safety already, as I do with my other kids each night. If you can pray too, I'd appreciate it.

The Little Mermaid

2010-02-20T20:12:00.003-05:00

Draw by Vienna today, Feb.20th. I like Ariel's shells. LOL!

Vienna's 1st ever successful dentist visit!

2010-02-04T15:18:00.011-05:00

REVIEW OF PAST DENTIST VISITS:

Summary of Vienna's first dentist visit in May 2008... click here.

Our July 2009 visit... click here to read.

TODAY 2.4.10:

If you clicked on the above links first, you'll know that our history at the dentist hasn't been too great. Vienna has been too shy or too afraid to get her teeth properly cleaned. Today was her 4th visit and I was hoping she would be brave. She made me laugh remembering the toys I had promised her at the last visit and how she still wanted them. I told her that was 6 months ago and no longer a deal but she could have a milkshake! (Young kids have sharp memories! Talk about keep me on my toes!) We both had appointments and Vienna told me she wanted to go first. She got in the chair and lay down without a hint of her past shyness or fear! She answered the hygienist’s questions about her age and teeth as I sat in the corner watching. I was amazed at the little girl I saw. Confident and so grown up. She let the hygienist do everything from scraping to cleaning to fluoride treatment! I was shocked and oh so very proud. At the end, she even let Dr. D look at her teeth. I was afraid that’d be her breaking point because she told me before we went that she didn’t want him to look at her teeth because he was a boy and she is shy. But she did fine!!

I didn't bring my camera but here is a shot from my cell phone camera.

28 weeks and counting

2010-02-02T22:10:00.003-05:00

I will have a baby in just 12 weeks or so. Nuts nuts nuts. I still scare myself when I walk past a mirror. But how I love maternity clothes. I could wear elastic waisted pants forever.
This little guy is fun to carry!! I love watching my belly. He is strong and I can feel those limbs easily thru my skin. He pokes me like Vienna used to do. And he wiggles and dances around like Lance used to do. Definitely a fun part of pregnancy.
Jay and I are still not 100% settled on a name. Such a hard thing because we want a name that isn't popular right now. But all the good names are popular for a reason.
I put out a request among friends for baby gear and equipment and was promised EVERYTHING we need for baby boy. I am beyond grateful to borrow stuff that costs a lot and is only used a short time. Now we just have to set up his room. One friend even loaned me all the baby room decorations from curtains to blankets to wall hangings! I was going to do Curious George like I did for Vienna but instead it'll be a transportation theme all in bright primary colors. So voila... now just need a dresser and set everything up! Then I will post pictures of baby's room.

Just keep swimming

2010-01-29T14:00:00.001-05:00

The baby was flipping around inside me. I don't know what he was doing but it tickled. He was going nuts! I said out loud: "What is that baby doing?" Vienna looked at me and said: "Maybe he likes to swim." Guess so!

Clouds, capes and pick up sticks

2010-01-26T19:18:00.003-05:00

As we were driving to school Vienna looked out her window and said: “That is the most beautiful cloud God ever made.” I love that she appreciates the amazing beauty of nature all around us!

Yesterday we had lots of wind and rain. On the way home from school I told the kids that when we got home we would pick up all the branches off the driveway. Vienna said: “That’s a big mess so you’re going to need our help.” And sure enough she and Lance helped me.

The kids pulled the red wagon along as we cleaned up, putting branches in it. We unloaded it at the end then put the recycling bins in it that were still at the side of the road. Vienna insisted on pulling it but I warned her to hold on tight on the hills. Well she let go and the wagon went sailing down the driveway right for Lance! It was just like you see in America’s Funniest Videos. Vienna and I were waving at Lance to get out of the way. I was laughing at the same time because it was so absurd! Thankfully the wagon went into the trees and no one was hurt. Needless to say, I pulled the wagon down the rest of the way!

Cute Lance story from a couple days ago:

As Lance handed me his pirate cape, he said: “Mommy put this on me.”
I replied: “Sure. Are you going to be a pirate?”
“No”, he said, “I’m going to be super bunny.”
Someone is a fan of the show Max and Ruby!

25 week check up.

2010-01-14T19:54:00.002-05:00

We're cruising along waiting for the arrival of Baby Boy in just 3 months! I had a doctor's appointment today and all is well. Got my slip for the glucose testing. Many people say they hate the drink but I don't mind it. Tastes like orange pop to me. Baby is getting bigger and is definitely FUN to carry now. He is very active and firming up so I can feel little limbs through my skin. Last night I watched my belly morph in front of me. I want to get that on video this time around. I'm getting excited to meet my baby boy.

"My Daddy saves our country."

2010-01-06T20:13:00.003-05:00

Funny conversation in the car this afternoon as I drove Vienna and her friend Layla to dance class:

Layla: "My Daddy makes medicine."

Vienna: "My Daddy saves our country."
Layla: "No your Daddy flies helicopters."
Vienna: "The helicopters have guns that shoot bad guys and he protects us."
I laughed. I told Jay later and he laughed. Love the way kids word things.

Photo of Jay flying over our house in December.

Code 11 - lost child

2010-01-01T14:14:00.002-05:00

I had a bad dream last night and it reminded me of something that happened that I forgot to journal about. In my dream, I lost Lance for about 2 hours in a crowded market in a city we were visiting. It was a horrible feeling and thankfully my real life experience didn’t get that extreme. Lance is for the most part, an obedient little guy. When we go shopping, he likes to walk and I let him as long as he doesn’t go too far away from me. When he starts to get too brave and if he doesn’t return to my side when I ask, I put him in the cart. Well the problem now is twofold. He is more independent and my 5 month pregnant self can’t chase him as quickly. We were shopping in a department store earlier this week with Oma and he and Vienna were running around the displays. They’d been cooped up so I just let them have fun. I interacted with them just about the whole time. Well at one point Lance ran too far and didn’t come back. We saw his little blue shirt blur by and he was gone. I immediately told a store clerk so they’d help. It took about 5-10 minutes to find him and when we did, he was in the front of the store in a clerk’s arms. He ran all the way there from the back of the store and had no fear of strangers. Thankfully the store called a “code 11” and had many people helping me before something bad happened. We found him before panic set in, unlike my dream. Needless to say, he was punished when we got home and will be banished to a cart for an unknown amount of time.

Here is a photo of Lance running at our church a couple weeks ago just so you can get a visual.

What a wonderful time of the year!

2009-12-30T20:12:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas! Vienna and Lance had a wonderful holiday. Jay's Mom spent 5 whole days with us. She made cookies with Vienna. Had playdough out with the kids... painted... colored... read, played with building blocks, etc. It was a great time for the kids and it was great for me to have the extra help! She cooked, cleaned and did the dishes. It was wonderful. Then after she left, Jay's Dad and wife arrived from Canada for a couple days! It was sooo fun to have Opa and Oma here. The kids just love having people around and it's so important that they get that time with family since we don't have them close by. We hung out, shopped, read stories and us girls went to the theatre to see the newest Princess movie!
2009 has been a wonderful year and we're excited to what 2010 brings... especially since April isn't that far away and Baby Boy will make his appearance.
Happy New Year everyone.

(New background and title added fyi reader folk.)

Eating deer

2009-12-20T19:37:00.001-05:00

Tonight we had some deer meat (which is what we call it in Saint John... venison to CT folk) for the first time. Well Vienna had me in tears as she ate hers. She petted it and said: "Hi reindeer." She kissed it and loved her little piece of meat. After cradling it, I wasn't sure she'd eat it but not only did she chew it, she waved to herself and said: "Goodbye reindeer." Oh my goodness it was so sporadic and funny. What a kid!
(Thanks Umlands for sharing the meat and for the great laugh!)

Lance and 3 doctor calls this week!

2009-12-17T21:43:00.002-05:00

CALL 3
Lance fell off the recliner today and landed on his head. When I went towards him he tried to get up but stumbled and couldn’t stand straight. As he cried in my arms, he looked all around the room and didn’t seem to be focusing on anything. I applied a cold bean bag to his head (thanks Kathy for that!!) and when I removed it, he cried and put his hands on his forehead. But there was no bump. I called his doctor to see what signs I should look for that’d be of concern. Lance walked normally to the kitchen about 15 minutes later and then went down for a nap ½ hour after the fall because it an hour past his nap time. He fell asleep quickly and when he woke up, he was normal. I connected with his doctor’s office again to give them the update. They were great and called me to check on him during his nap time. Such a great doctor’s office. The whole thing really scared me. I love that little guy so much and it broke my heart thinking of the worst.
CALL 2
I was just at Lance’s doctor’s office last night after finding a tick in Lance’s head. I couldn’t get the whole thing out and it was all red and nasty. I found the tick around 1pm but didn’t get an appointment until 6pm. By the time we got there, the bite location wasn’t as enflamed and the tick was clearly dead. Therefore it was easy for them to pull it out. I know what to do now but they are so gross and intimidating.
CALL 1
Also on Sunday night, I gave Lance a bath and applied Burt’s Bees lotion. He broke out in a rash the next day! I forgot he had reacted to this before (Feb 2009 - so glad I keep records of such things). The rash turned really bumpy like little pimples and after seeing the tick, I wanted a doctor to make sure it wasn’t a tick rash. I have a prescription hydrocortisone cream for Lance and was told to apply Aquafor too. That’s what I did last time and will continue to do that again. So no relation between the tick and the rash. What a week it’s been!

Many updates as I update the kids' journals.

2009-12-14T13:54:00.004-05:00

Wow... many random updates for you. Enjoy! ~Mary

We moved on Nov.23 from a one level ranch with 3 bedrooms to a larger 4 bedroom colonial. Vienna and Lance have transitioned wonderfully to the new house! They had no issues sleeping in their new rooms and I am so thankful that it all went smoothly!

For Thanksgiving Jay’s mom was here for a few days to help us with the kids as we unpacked and I recovered from a nasty cold. The kids love playing in the new house and Vienna and Lance have explored everything! They often pretend the stairs are a pirate ship! Such great imaginations.

We had a great time decorating for Christmas. Vienna said she remembered certain ornaments so it was a lot of fun to go through them with her and talk about them. She was a great helper putting things all around the house. She is growing up and really enjoy each age with her so very much. Lance loves Nutcrackers! I’m so glad I decided to collect them a couple years ago because they are his favorite of all Christmas things. I have many and plan to get the kids a couple inexpensive ones so they can have their own to play with without me worrying about them breaking.

A little while ago I clipped Vienna’s fingernails and asked Lance if he wanted me to do his. He replied: “No I bite them.” I thought that was such a funny little response. And it’s true. I catch him biting his nails all the time now!

Today Vienna started a second part-time preschool. She will continue to go to the Christian one she's been attending for the past 2 years. But for her to receive speech therapy in our new town, they wanted her enrolled in the local elementary public school program. This makes it easier for the speech pathologist. She'll just pull Vienna out to work with her rather than having to schedule appointments. Vienna will stay at her old preschool Mon/Wed/Fri mornings and go to the public school on Mon & Tues afternoons. I drop her off but the little school bus will bring her home. My baby girl is growing up so fast. When I dropped her off, she barely paid me any attention as I said good-bye. I am thankful for that! I’m writing this while she is at school and I just pray she does well on the school bus and enjoys the ride.

When I first told Vienna that I was pregnant, she said she wanted a family like in the Peter Pan movie. She wanted to be like Wendy and have two younger brothers. She also didn’t want to share her toys. (That kid makes me laugh a lot!). We found out that we were having a boy last week and I noticed that V was a little sad. When I asked her about it, she said that she wouldn’t have anyone to play with. I assured her that she could play house with her brothers and God must think she is a great sister to a boy to get another one. I also told her that she and I are the only girls in the family so we have to stick together. We can make cards together and do girly stuff and the boys can be stinky together. She giggled at the idea of that. I just pray that I am thoughtful at spending time with my girl. I am so grateful for her. She adds so much joy to my life and I love her sparkling eyes as she tells me stories. She also uses her hands to gesture a lot, something she got from me! Haha!

Baby 3 in 3D

2009-12-08T20:41:00.002-05:00

Today was the big reveal day! We found out that we will be blessed with another little boy! We are very happy about that because Lance and the baby will be 3 years apart and can play together... Makes hand-me-downs easier... And Daddy is proud as a peacock to have another son to carry the family name.
We were surprised by the 3D feature on our OB's ultrasound machine. We had a fabulous technician who gave us many pics! Here are my two favs.
So now we have 20 weeks to go to meet baby boy and only 20 short weeks to figure out a name! Ugh! Jay and I are in complete disagreement and it's soooo hard for us.

Don't cha wanna just grab him and cuddle him and love him? Okay... maybe it's just me. I fell in love today.

New background

2009-12-06T18:18:00.002-05:00

Hi Google Reader folks... just letting you know I updated my background and title. I know some of you appreciate that sort of thing.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

DVD & TV

2009-11-20T07:21:00.002-05:00

This morning while the kids were watching a movie, it froze. I said to them: "This is what happens when you touch the DVDs and this is why I don't want you to play with them." Vienna responded: "Not me. I put my finger in the hole." I learned in that moment I did what all parents do... scolding all the kids for the misbehavior of one. So I told V she was right. She handles movies in the right way.

It's raining hard here today and we heard some thunder! I told the kids that the power might go out. Vienna told me that we'd need flashlights and candles because that happened on Caillou. It made me chuckle... my girl telling me what to do in case of an emergency. She's bright that one!

Ultrasound scheduled

2009-11-19T07:20:00.002-05:00

I went to the OB this week and baby is doing well. I scheduled my ultrasound for Dec.8th and if baby cooperates, we'll find out the gender. We will share that but we keep the name a surprise. For one, we haven't made a final decision. For two, we don't want people's opinions. And for third, what if we change our mind? So.... Dec.8th folks... that's the big day.

Vienna wants a brother. She wants two brothers just like Wendy in Peter Pan.
She's funny.

Lance is going to be so good with the baby. He loves babies. Yesterday we were out for lunch at a friend's house and he saw two babies there. He went over to them and knelt down to talk to them. Sooooo cute! I just pray the adjustment goes smoothly for him. I already pray for such things.

Baby 3 update

2009-11-12T07:33:00.003-05:00

I am 16 weeks pregnant now and last night I felt the baby move. I felt it the night before too but when I waited for it to happen again, it didn't and I felt doubtful. But last night removed all doubt. It was def the baby... not gas or digestion or other funky deceiving gurgles! So yay! The fun part of pregnancy official starts.
We'll find out the gender around 20 weeks.