Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Time to face the strange ch-ch-changes!

From this:

To this: 

This was taken May 6th.  He's even more different, now... I'll have to post more.... later.  ;)

He's 4 months old, now.  Loves his fingers (and his thumb!).  He is at the grabbing things and bringing them to his mouth stage.  He doesn't roll over, yet, but he tries.  He's really most content to just stay put, like the other three were.  He tries to laugh but gets the hiccups every single time.  He smiles ALL the time! He's a happy little dude! He goes to bed around 7:30pm and still gets up 1-2 times during the night, depending on his growing.  As of yesterday, he's 13 lbs. 6.5 oz.  and 25 inches long.  He's a pukey little guy which isn't helped by the fact that I'm sure his first two teeth are making their way through.  He loves to be talked to and will talk back.  He's our little sweetie!

All or nothing

Downloading pictures is my least favorite pastime.  I avoid it because there are usually so many and, well, it's boring.  I have it in my head that I have to do all of them at the same time, so I usually just don't do any.  Well, I'm on rockin' meds, these days, and my "strict thinking" (OCPD) is becoming more manageable so I'm allowing myself to do only (at least) one post a day till I can get caught up.  I'm a nutcase, I know.  ;)

First one:

My used-to-be baby turned three this past March.  (See? I've had a lot for a while!) On his birthday, we said goodbye to the diapers.  And he rocked the potty training chart! We said tell us when you have to go and he has ever since! He still has a night time wetting once in a while, but he'll grow out of that soon enough.  He never hesitated when at a store, either.  He was ready!

I love that stinky face!

So, more to come.  :)

O W E N

Owen is starting to reach for things and grab at them, so cute and fun to watch!

The other day, it looked like he had discovered his toes and was staring at them intently.  This morning, he was curled up in a ball, inching his fingers down his little legs trying so desperately to reach them.  Then he would straighten out as if to take a break... just to curl up and go at it, again.

I love this baby! 

He's three months old, weighs 12 lbs. 6 oz. and is 24 inches long.  He eats 5 oz. every three hours during the day, is in bed by 7:30pm at night and still wakes up once (or twice if I'm lucky) for food at night.  He was starting to sleep through the night (12 hours!) but got a stomach bug or reflux inflammation of sorts and decreased his eating during the day so the nightly feedings started up, again.  I'm hoping to kiss them goodbye, again, real soon! He's usually up for the day somewhere between 6am and 7:30am. 

To sleep, this kid has to be on his (*gasp*) tummy.  But, since birth, he's had awesome neck control and just simply prefers that.  I'm more than willing to oblige. 

His hair is starting to grow and he's super fuzzy because of it - it's still too soon to tell if it's going to stay darkish or go blonde.  I'm guessing a light brown like Natalie's or a dark blonde.  We'll see, I guess! I'm hoping it does stay dark, though.

He's super smiley and even tries to laugh.  We can always get him almost laughing but it gives him the hiccups every time, guaranteed.  It's funny!

His little leggies are so rolly-poly and his cheekies are so soft and kissable! I just love him! His eyes are still blue, but my kids all started out that way and stayed that way for a while - then went all hazel on me.  Maybe he'll stay blue!!

I knew the three month mark would come but, man, did it take its time getting here! I started the crazy-person meds and have never felt better! (Seriously, I can't remember ever feeling so good!)

I've taken lots of pics and hope to get them loaded tonight...

I don't want to miss a thing

If I had a job outside of the home...

...I would've missed my three year old playing the piano that has a microphone that plugs into it.

...I would've missed him whispering oh-so-quietly the words not allowed in my home (butt & fart) into said microphone with a mischievious look on his face.

...I would've missed the array of maniacal giggles he displayed because I couldn't keep a straight face whilst attempting to scold him.

...I would've missed his pants falling down around his ankles as he ran away from my trying to grab him for a smooch.

...I would've missed the hilariously terrified look on his face as the ceiling fan viciously attacked his birthday balloon.

...I would've missed his lightning-fast attempt to flip the switch to stop said fan.

...And I would've missed snuggling with my baby, today, nuzzling his soft, fuzzy head that still smelled sweet from his bath, yesterday.

Being a stay-at-home-mom rocks.  :)

My Sunshine

This evening, at dinner, Natalie was lamenting how she was the only one in her class without a sucker in school, today.  Apparently, a teacher was selling them as a favor to a student from another school.  They were $1.00.

I said aw, too bad you already spent your allowance, like any good mother would.

Andur, to the shock and amazement of us all, says, "I have a dollar."  And proceeds to whip a buck out from his pocket and tosses it to her.

After a moment of silence, albeit brief, we all look at him in wonderment.  Who was this kid, anyway?

That's when we began to discuss the old saying, "What goes around, comes around." 

And it's not the spreading of disease from China, like Natalie thought.  haha

I'm proud of my generous boy!

Owen

I've noticed I haven't been taking as many pictures of Owen as I did of Quin, and I haven't been logging his stats AT ALL... funny how one's priorities (i.e. blogging) get changed up a bit with each child.

As of yesterday, 10 weeks and one day old, Owen was 11 lbs. 2.5 oz. and 23 inches long.  That puts him in the 25th %ile for weight and 50th for height.  He's been on these curves since day one, no varying... I'd say that's pretty good.  :)

He's sleeping from 7:30pm to around 7am, sometimes sleeping straight through, sometimes waking once around 4am to eat.  He's eating 4-6 oz. five times a day (every three hours) and still doesn't know how to nap properly.  I'm hoping this comes with time as I don't quite know what to do to help this get better for the both of us. 

He doesn't like his binky.  He doesn't like the other two we tried, either.  He would rather be talked to or sitting upright so he can see and be apart of the action.  He cries when he's hungry, tired or bored.  He's super duper smiley and is on the verge of laughing, I just know it.

He loves him some fist action and has figured out which leg to kick when the helium balloon is tied to it to make it move. 

He's getting meaty legs and round cheekies.  He's super sweet and I just love him.  :)

I've taken pictures but haven't downloaded them, yet.  Soon.

Things I need to blog about:

• Quin turning three.
• Potty training.
• Baby pics.
• My artist.
• Hmmm..... what else....

The lingo of a not-so-toddler

I'm bathing my once-was-smallest boy, this evening, and as he's "laying on the bubbles" I notice how tall he's gotten.  He'll be THREE on Monday.  Insane.

When he gets out of the tub, he says, "What's that noise, Mommy?".  I only hear the bathroom fan and the music playing downstairs and tell him so.

He pauses for a minute, listening.  "It's a car meep." 

LOL  (car alarm)

He calls the dogs behind us Tamale and Bicious (Vicious), though, how he came up with these names is beyond me. 

He's growing up too fast, sometimes.  Before I know it, Owen will be spouting his own little words for things and I'll notice how he's morphing from toddler to little boy. 

Dang, I'm getting old.  ;)

Cheating never felt so good!

For some reason, it's taken me three-ish kids to realize I don't do well after my babies are born.

I get post-partum depression.

This was like a four letter word to me before I came to this realization. 

I was in denial about it with Quin, walked so much it didn't phase me with Natalie, and was so ignorant about being a mom that I didn't have a clue what was going on with Andur.

I prayed and prayed that it would pass me by this time around.  I said I'd even take a *shudder* colicky baby, again, if it meant my mental status would be up to par.

*sigh*

But, alas, I was spared the grief of a colicky baby and was dealt a full hand when it comes to the other.  Lame.

I've been battling it for a while, telling myself I can handle this all on my own.  I refused to even consider medication. 

I'd have my good days, more than bad, really... but the bad really made up for lost time.  And, really, the good days were just smoother than the bad ones - I was simply holding my breath waiting for that moment when all would fall to pieces.

Long story, shortish:  I gave in.  I decided it's much more important to me to be happy, to enjoy the babyhood of my last baby. 

I saw this as a weakness, I think, accepting the offer of medication.  I feared medication, believing it would make me gain weight or make me numb or I would even grow dependent on it. 

The thought occurred to me, today, though... when I had heartburn with my other pregnancies, I simply tried to suck it up and deal with it.  I suffered for pretty much the whole time with the nauseating pain.  I thought that was my lot, so stop being a baby about it.  Tums didn't work.  Rolaids didn't work.  It never occurred to me to take a prescription for it.  My doctor, this time, recommended it and I shrugged it off at first.  Then, it got so bad, again, that I took her up on her offer. 

I never felt so good! I seriously felt like I was cheating the system.  Should pregnancy really be so enjoyable? Shouldn't there be some amount of suffering? Why should it be so easy??

And that got me thinking - why should I have to suffer now? Why shouldn't this be enjoyable? I mean, I just had a baby, for crying out loud! I should be in motherly bliss right now, shouldn't I? (Well, he isn't too bad of a sleeper, so really, bliss is pretty close.) 

Taking the meds isn't cheating the system.  It's survival.  It's not forever.  But it's become necessary and I couldn't be more grateful that my Heavenly Father knew people like me would need this, someday, so he gave others the talent to come up with such miracle drugs.

So there it is.  I feel the need to verbalize a lot of what's going through my head these days - the less I have to keep all crammed in there, the better.  Plus, it's therapeutic.

Calling in the troops

Quin is turning THREE on March 26th!! 

Crazy how it seems like yesterday I was going through this mental mess after HE was born...

Yeah, right.  That seems like forEVer ago! (Thank goodness!)

Anywho, the child is not potty trained, yet.  I wanted to wait a month or two after Owen was born.

Well, it's been a month or two.  (Two!!)

I'm super anxious about this experience... mostly due to this stupid post-partum depression I'm currently battling.

SO, I've called in for some help - the in-laws! :)

I feel I'll need the extra hands for this endeavor and someone sane to handle it better than me if it should be slow-going, at first. 

I'm so glad I have family who's willing to come when I need them.  And I sooo need them, right now.

They'll be here on Quin's birthday, the day I'm tossing the diapers.  He doesn't know they're coming, only that he's going to have a big surprise on his birthday. 

:)