6 months

Charleigh had her 6 month well baby today.  She's healthy in all the majors, but we've got to try to figure something out with her eating.  So here we go again, round 4 or 5 or more with trying "solids".  Today she had squash with her rice and almost threw it up, but kept it down.  That's a huge accomplishment in our world :) Now, here's to hoping there will be no rash!  Then we'll  try it again tomorrow.  Squash is new to her, we've never tried it in the past...so she might be eating a WHOLE LOT of squash.

She weighed 15 pounds 5.5 ounces and is 27 inches long!  She is well above all the average milestones for this age, which doesn't surprise me one bit.  She wants to do everything the big kids are doing and can't wait to be able to walk and talk. 

She is such a blessing to us! Each day is awesome...even when she's cranky from 5 vaccinations! (seriously...don't we think that is a little much for a 15 pounder?)

Dear Charleigh--
You have grown in every way over the past 6 months. It's been so fun to watch. I think my favorite part of you is your chubby little rolls on your legs and arms.  You were so little for so long...this is so fun to see you with some meat finally.  Although your head is a close second and those sweet cheeks of yours...because I LOVE kissing all over you.  You are an incredibly social baby and LOVE people.  You love to "talk" to Creighton and Jackson all the time.  I am pretty sure you are spoiled rotten, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am just smitten by you.  You are a mommy's girl in every way and I don't mind one bit! Thank you for letting us love you and for being such a sweet baby.  I hear everyday how much you look like me...and I watch how you act like your brother and sister...it was just meant to be sweet baby girl. You are so loved by so many people. 
Love,
Mommy

Charleigh...stop getting so big so fast!

My sweet baby girl is turning 6 months this week. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It's so crazy. She is doing so many things, I had to share! :)  And this smile NEVER gets old!

I am SOOOOO excited that my mother-in-law had taken our excersaucer for her friend's baby, and then my niece used it too, and now it's found its way back to us! All three of my babies have used it...the ONLY thing that I still have that ALL of them have used. :) It was awesome!  She thought so too.  It was a touchdown to her :)

Okay, so she's sitting up! What?! Wasn't she born yesterday or something? She's too big!

And crawling? NO!!!!! But, its so close. She is sosooo close.  She can get anywhere, but I wouldn't call it quite a "crawl" yet.  She can roll everywhere, scoot backwards, and edge herself forward one face plant at a time:)  She's amazing!

We moved her to her own room this week and she's doing exceptionally well.  She is sleeping better and so am I.  That makes for a house full of happier people :)

Real Life...it ain't pretty

Charleigh has been keeping me up even while she is sleeping.  She is turning 6 months old this week, and so I decided that she could move to her own room.  Tonight is the first transistion of this monumental change.  She, so far, has done great.  She napped in there and slept better than she had all day.

The other two, on the other hand, are about to drive me wild. I spent $225 on a twin bed to go in Creighton's room so they can both stay in there for now, until Charleigh is out of the crib.  So there is a day bed and a trundle in there now.  I went in for the millionth time (very angry I must admit) to spank them and I literally almost killed myself on the trundle bed in the middle of the room.  It was to Jackson's great luck, and my great humility, that this happened, because then I didn't spank them out of anger or at all, because I was stuck crying on the floor with a half broken foot. Served me right, holy moly it hurt so bad!

Jackson was the culprit at the time, athough it had been Creighton every time up to that point, that smarted off with laughter, and I think he thought he hurt me and he was very sweet as I flung Mr. Spoon up into the air and hurled my heaving aching body across the floor.  He just kept saying "I am so sorry Mama, I didn't know, I am so sorry. Are you okay, do I need to kiss it? I am so so sorry Mama"

My foot is bruised up good and in a fair amount of pain. And, now its bleeding too!

They are quiet now, praise the Lord. I hope this works out.

Oh I can't wait to hopefully get a good night's rest....wish us luck

Easter Sunday!

A few pictures from Easter Sunday! :)

I never knew how much fun it would be to find them matching things :)

Creighton was in SOME mood. Can you tell? She did NOT want to be taking pictures. She'll thank me later I am sure for documenting this "special" age of 3. :) Oh how I treasure this...

Since my mom and dad were close and were making lunch we jetted down to their house and she was much happier to take pictures after she'd eaten :)

Getting all cleaned up. First bath with all 3 of them :) Love the sibling bonds :)

Sweet (and some not) Bedtime Talk

Tonight as I was attempting to put Jackson to bed we had some sweet conversation....I'll try to recall as much of it as possible...

Jeff had some guys in town and they were all going to the prayer room to help read through the bible and pray.  Jackson REALLY wanted to go.  But the answer was firmly "no" the whole time, much much to his protesting

J: Do you get to go Mama?
Me: No, buddy I don't get to go either. I am going to stay here and go to bed too
J: [crosses arms and pouts some more]
Me: I know! How about you and I go on a date and for part of it we can go just us, not daddy, not rae, not charleigh, just us?
J: NO! I only go on dates with Emma.
Me: [laughing] Buddy, you can always go on dates with mommy
J: NO! Only with Emma
Me: [hysterically laughing] (his facial expressions were PRICELESS!!) Okay, well then, maybe Mommy, Mrs. Kara and Emma and you can all go sometime soon...
J: It's NOT FUNNY MAMA! No I only go on dates with her BY MYSELF!
Me: (now it's even funnier because I am not suppose to be laughing)
J: I AM SERIOUS. I am SERIOUSSSSSSSS
Me: okay, buddy...I am going to leave now

later when I went back in there after daddy told him no (again) he just cuddled up next to me and cried. His heart was broken. He adores Jeff's group of guys so much and loves it when he gets to hang out with them.  All of them are 20 or 21 I think and he just doesn't understand that he's 4. They all love on him and treat him so awesome...like a little brother.

So after we talk that through for awhile, we begin the sweetness...

J: Do you know what I want to be when I get bigger?
Me: no, buddy what?
J: A Taco Bueno Helper [huge proud smile]
Me: (seriously, did he just say that?) Wow, that's neat.
J: But first I have to get a suit and a (pointing to his ear and then towards his face) what are those called?
Me: A headset?
J: yeah, a headset.
Me: so you want to take the drive thru orders?
J: yeah....when Rae Rae wants beans then she can say she wants to go to Taco Bueno and I (huge smile) can give them to her!
Me: (seriously he's so sweet!) You're awesome little man.  I love you.

It was just precious. He is the sweetest kid. I love his heart. I got to encourage him about some of the Godly characteristics I see in him already and how excited I am that he is becomming the man of God of that only God could have designed! I told him he was getting so big...

I could tell as I cuddled him tighter that he was thinking some more...deeply

J: will have still have this face when I get older?
Me: what do you mean
J: will I look like I do now?
Me: well yes but your face will get older too
J: like yours?
Me: yeah I guess.  Am I old?
J: older
Me: so do you think I am pretty? (scared to death of his honesty)
J: yeah. Your eyes are the same, but your lips are older and your eye brows are a little [showing me about 3 cm between his pointer and his thumb] different than they were. (He then proceeded to touch almost every part of my face, my hands, and my feet telling me what had changed (older) and what was the same). 

He's a riot...

Somewhere before all the above conversation we were actually talking about poop.  I know...I know...but he's a 4 year old boy. He was calling diarrhea "smear poop" and I had to put a stop to that.  So anyway, I won't go into lots of detail here but one funny thing he said was "Mom, sometimes I have poops as big as Charleigh is right now!" Maybe it was the moment, but I was dying laughing...who says that? Oh, boy, I love you more than I can possibly explain!