Last Day of School!

This past Tuesday (06/10/14) was Natalee's last day of speech at school. She has been going to speech once a week for a few months now and we are already seeing so much improvement. She is easily putting three and four words together now, and the best part is that we are able to understand what she is saying. I could always understand what she wanted and needed, but anyone else would have a very hard time. Now though, she is really sounding out words easily and repeating what we say a lot more. I am so thankful for early intervention!!!

Here is my big girl in front of her school! She kept saying, "no more school" all day! :) And we brought her teacher a potted flower to thank her for helping Natalee "blossom". ;)

She will resume speech in the fall when school starts, when hopefully all the girls will be going to school for half a day, everyday! Oh the happiness.... :)

Anna: You are TWO Months!

(I know, I know....she's already over three months old...going to post that one tomorrow, I promise! I'm behind!)

Today is Monday, July 22, 2013. Anna, you are TWO months old!

You were weighed on July 8th, and you weighed 9lbs 6oz! Totally blew my mind, you still look like such a peanut! You gained 39 ounces in 33 days, so you are doing great with your eating! On July 23rd, you weighed 10lbs 2oz (25th%) and were also in the 25th% for height. You also got your first set of shots that day and you have had a slight fever and not much appetite since then. :(

You eat 4-5 ounces every 3.5-4 hours. I really am trying to stretch you to the four hour mark, but sometimes I just can't. I know you are still little yet, so we will keep working on this. 

You are still on all breast milk. I gave you four ounces of Similac Sensitive a few nights ago to see if it would make you less fussy and help you sleep, but it didn't. By the second bottle, you wouldn't drink it at all. UPDATE: You have improved on this and are now getting formula at night and breast milk during the day (because no matter what, you still seem fussier on breast milk and tend to throw up so much more!).

You sick your bottle down in 10 minutes for Daddy and take forever with me....like I have all the time in the world. You are very smart, my love.

I am giving you 2ml of mylanta about 3-4 times per day to help with acid reflux, and it seems to be working well, along with gas drops. I swear none of my children have been as gassy as you.

You can be a very fussy and demanding baby. I don't think you got the memo that you are baby #5 in this house!

You are wearing size 1 diapers and are about to go to size 2 as soon as we use the size 1's up.

You are wearing Newborn clothes and some 0-3, and 3 month clothing. You are almost out of all your newborn clothing and we are sending most of them to your new cousin, Ally, who is due very soon. :)

You have become very aware of me. You won't let me put you down or leave your site for more than a few minutes or you start screaming. It's exhausting, but I know you will get through it. You are my fifth child, after all.

You have found the fish on your mobile above your swing and you love them and I love watching you stare at them with your big blue eyes.

You have had some long patches of sleep at night, going from about 8pm to 3am, but mostly you are up every 4-6 hours at night, and sometimes you whine in between feedings and it drives me crazy. Those are the nights when Mommy gets NO sleep and then functioning all day with your four sisters and you, gets extremely tiring. You are a very light sleeper, need your binki and very attached to the vibrate setting right now. Opps!

You love your binki.

You get a bath every other night, and you love it. You can be so fussy and then as soon as I put you in the sink, you quiet down and love it.

You have just started smiling. You smile so much more at your Daddy than me.  :( Do you know I carried you for 37 weeks and gave birth to you and feed you around the clock every day and night???

Your sisters are obsessed with you. They love helping me with you in any way and I am so appreciative of the help, even if it is from three two-year-olds. They love to say, "baby cryin" and "shhhh, baby seepin" while putting their finger over their mouth. It's so cute. Claire also says "baby bottle mommy's milk". Very smart girls, I must say.

You love the vibrate settings now and I am trying not to make you become dependent on it.

You are very bright-eyed and love looking all around at your surroundings when you are awake.

You love to suck on your fingers and fists.

We call you Anna, Annabelle, Anna-Kate, Anna-poo, monkey-moo-moo, and Rah-Rah (because when you scream it sounds like a dinosaurs screaming "rahhhhh").

You are still sleeping in our room, but please be assured, if we had more space, you would so be in your own room!

You still have the sweetest little light fuzz on your head for hair and it's a very light brown.

Your eyes are blue.

You are really starting to kick your legs and bat your arms. 

You have started cooing and "talking", especially when someone is smiling at you!

You stare at me all the time! If you don't see me, you scream!

As of July 26th, you are sleeping on your belly. You did great and slept from 10:30pm to 4am! All of your sisters have always done much better on their bellies for sleep and I was waiting for you to be able to also. You turn your head great from side to side and we have been practicing lots.

Here are some photos from the last month:

One of our special NICU nurses gave us this outfit and it's one of my favorites!

Anna-Kate: ONE Month!

Anna, You are ONE month old. Today is June, 22nd, 2013....but obviously this is posted a little late.

You are so beautiful. I still can't figure out who you look like. Everyone says Emily, but I swear that's not right. When I look at Emily's one month photos, you don't look like her at all. I think you look like the triplets, especially Maddy and Claire...but more Maddy then anyone. Your face and her face and rounded the exact same way. But I also think your mouth is so Natalee, in the way it is perfectly shaped. No matter what you are so beautiful and I can't stop starring at you.

You have dark grey/blue eyes.

You have the most perfect lips.

Your nails grow so fast, I swear I have to cut them every three days or so.

Your hair is still a light brown with some red/blonde in it. It is definitely is on the lighter side though, and so soft.

You probably weigh around 8.5 - 9lbs. You have definitely grown. Your head has doubled in size, I swear.

Your skin has finally stopped flaking off.

You are now in size one diapers. You have very sensitive skin and I need to put diaper cream on you all the time. You haven't had any big blow-outs...yet.

You are wearing Newborn clothes and will be for awhile I think. 

You love baths now and it almost puts you to sleep.

You are eating every three hours. You are a very fussy eater. I don't know if it's reflux or not, but I am keeping a close eye on it and trying to figure out what it is that's causing you to be so fidgety and uncomfortable.

You are still on 100% breast milk.

You sleep between most of your feedings but you have a lot more periods of being awake now, and your eyes are so bright and wide open when you are awake. You love to bob your head all around and see what's going on.

You LOVE to lay on your belly, flat or in the boppy pillow.

You have found the TV and are mesmerized by it at night if you see it.

You love the swing.

You went on your first road trip to PA, a 2 hour car drive and you did great. You were definitely our best behaved child in the car. And on the way home, you started crying one exit before our house...so I'd say once again, you were the best behaved child then too!

You met so many of your wonderful family and our close friends in PA. Everyone loved you to pieces and you got very used to being held. No one wanted to put you down, but I can't blame them, you are so sweet to snuggle with...but it has been a rude awakening for you since we've been home.

You love your binki. And you will love your new lovie that your Auntie and Uncle gave you. I have been searching for a very specific one for you and they found one and gave it to you. It's perfect and so far you seem to agree.

You love to be swaddled. I moved you to your pack-n-play (still right next to me), but still have you swaddled, and laying in the boppy to prop you up some to sleep. You are doing great.

You pretty much go everywhere with me. Daddy can handle your four sisters pretty good, so I take you with me most of the time for errands and appointments. I have left you a few times and even though it overwhelms your Daddy, he still handles five little ones really well...I can't complain too much!

We love to you pieces, our sweet Anna! I can't believe you've been here a whole month already and I can't remember what life was like before you! (Whom I kidding...yes, I can...I was MISERABLE and couldn't wait for you to get out of me!! :) )

Patience

The other day, I took the girls to the free-play area at the local mall and of course I had questions coming at me from every direction. 

This one young girl with a little girls (maybe like 18 months or so) asked me if I am always this patient with my girls.

The question kinda took me back. Me, patient? Not something I can say is my strong point. Not something I can say was ever a strong point of mine. Just ask my parents, or my husband. Even my best friend. Patience is not something any one would say I had. 

I thought infertility took any bit of patience I ever had out of me, but I was wrong. When Dr. Stillman said, "there are THREE heartbeats," I knew I was going to need A LOT of patience. When I got pregnant with Emily I knew I needed more patience and now getting ready for our fifth miracle daughter in 2.5 years, I know I will need more patience. I know I will need a lot of patience while mothering five daughters. To be honest, I don't even know how much patience it will take, but it's going to take a lot.

Patience isn't something you're born with, obviously. It's a total learned behavior and I think I have learned how to have a lot of patience over the last two years. I have had to. There was no choice. There is no choice.

And that's what I said to the young mother. There isn't a choice to not be patient. They are only two years old. They are learning and trying to understand the world around them. I would be really doing them a dishonor if I didn't have any patience with them while trying to teach them to have patience with the world around them, each other and their Momma and Daddy.

I have to be patient just as much and I am teaching them how to "wait your turn" and "you have to be patient, it's cooking". 

And at two years old, they are starting to learn, right along with me.

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Another question from another mom who had two little ones that were 13 months apart, asked me, how I do it? Ya know, that question I get a lot. And there really isn't a clear answer anymore. I just do. I have to. As with patience, there isn't a choice not to.

And so I told that mom that I try not to make excuses that we can't do something or that we won't do something just because we have a young large family. It may take us longer and we may do it in a different way, but we will do it. We will make at least an effort to always try. We've always said that and we always will stand behind that.

Again, what would I be teaching my little girls if one day I said that their Daddy and I didn't even try? We will always try, and we will always set a good example. No excuses.

And so there I was, in the middle of the mall, visiting with friends and their kids on a regular weekday. I packed all my four up by myself; made and packed their lunches, got them all dressed and did their hair, filled water cups, got them in the car, got the 4 seater choo-choo wagon in the car and I managed to do it, all by myself. No excuses. Is it a lot of work? OMG, yes it is. And many times I do ask myself, why did I even bother? But really why wouldn't I bother? Of course, I would do anything for them and give them any experience and opportunity that any one child has. No excuses.

Was I exhausted by the time I got home? OF COURSE. Every bone and muscle in my body hurts at 30+ weeks pregnant. But I don't care. It's not about me. I do it for my girls, and I always will. 

Last year all summer I took them to the park by myself every single week, and this summer will be no different. Again, it just takes a little lot of patience. But they are worth every moment and they deserve no less.

I take pride in the fact that most of the time it's just me and them, and I do it all. Most of the time. I am proud of that. I am proud of not making excuses and having the patience to do so.

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Another quick mention. This young lady walked by us while I was pulling the girls around the mall and she looked back and said, "do you know just how many smiles you must put on people's faces? How can anyone look at them and just not smile so big!? They are precious!" SERIOUSLY, IT MADE MY DAY! People can be so rude at times and other times, my heart literally bursts open with thankfulness. 

Big Girl Table!

You can see I get little girl belts to belt them in if need be, but after one time of that, we haven't needed them! :)

Since Sunday {a few weeks ago} we have been very busy in our house learning how to sit at the "big girl" table. To say it hasn't been challenging would be a lie. I think I have said, "sit down, please", "please, stay in your seat while eating", "we don't eat and get up" ONE.BILLION.TIMES!!!!! I have neglected to let them sit at a table because, well then, I have three 2 year olds running around my kitchen instead of confined safely in high-chairs...no thank-you. Not yet. Nope. Sorry.

But....I finally gave in and it's been going, well, as good as any transition does. There is that learning curve that always poses a challenge, especially when there are multiple children trying to learn together and play off of one another. Ya know, it's silly when your sister throws food at the dog or you let water spill our of your mouth on purpose...everyone laughs.....except Momma.

As of now, 2 days in, Natalee is having the most problem with sitting still and not getting up. Madelynn and Claire are doing good, but their problem is that they like to stand on their chairs.  

I keep using, "you need to sit like big girls at the big girl table or you go in high chairs like babies, and you are all big girls"....which seems to be working well, for now.  Natalee is the only one who had a brief stint in the high chair for a minute or two, but it was only once. 

So here we are a few weeks later...like 3-5 weeks later. The table eating has been going better. It's not easy. For me. Natalee is still my biggest challenge, but the twins give me a run for my money too at least a few times a day.

But the girls love looking out the window at cars, and trucks, people, birds  dogs..whatever I can do to keep them entertained! They wave "hello" and "bye-bye" to any car that comes/goes. Tim is going to build some bird houses to attach to the outside of the window and I am sure they will LOVE that!

Please note..for family..they are not sitting in the seats with their names on them. Maddie is in Claire's chair, Natalee is in Maddie's chair....LOL!

Maddie looks like she is thinking, "Momma, it's not nice to take my picture when I just woke up!" Hehe!

But it's honestly been getting better and better as each day passes. Madelynn and Claire barely get up and even if I leave the kitchen for a minute or two, they still stay in their seats! Whahoo! We have come a long way! It's best when they are very hungry, they sit and eat all their food.

Oh and one more thing....on Valentine's day I made heart shaped grilled cheese {photo on facebook} and they ate the whole thing. Most days I can get them to take a bite or two of a sandwich and that's it. It's very frustrating! So from now on I have been giving them heart-shaped and flower-shaped pb&j, turkey sandwich, grilled cheese sandwich and any other thing I can put into a shape and they eat every bite! I was seriously sitting back and laughing! They wouldn't touch pb&j before and now it's gone before I can even get their fruit ready! I bet they will really starting gaining so weight, and that makes me happy! They are so silly and always seem to keep me on my toes...I sure love them more than anything!

Our New Playroom!!!!

Since the moment we moved in, I wanted to make one of our basement rooms a playroom for my girls. But instead it became a junk room. A clutter hole. Everything and anything that didn't have a place to go, went into that room. I would open the door and shake my head and shut the door. 11 months I did this, until Tim had a bunch of holiday time off and I said to him, "it's TIME!!!!" Really, he wasn't too thrilled. We were both very overwhelmed and argued for a little about what to do. If you have seen the room, you understand. And honestly I was NOT taking a BEFORE photo, because yes, I am that embarrassed by how horrible it was!

It boiled down to there are just TOO MANY TOYS. Everywhere. All over. Every inch of this house. I hate it. I needed it to be better. More organized. More put together. The OCD Momma was coming out and nothing was going to stop me!

To be honest, for awhile, I used to clean up EVERY SINGLE night after the girls went to bed. Nothing like a fresh start every day. I firmly believe that. But that got old. And then, to be honest, there were many, many evenings where I just kicked the toys over to "the play area" and that was good enough for a clean up. I hated it. I hated it so badly. I need things to be in the proper place. 

So we worked pretty hard on creating a nice space for the girls and I am pretty happy with it. I still need to do a few things. I want to get some quotes for the walls. I found some on pinterest that I really just love, but I think I may have them painted on some wood instead of put on the wall. I hated leaving my quotes in the old house, and I will not be happy when I leave this house and leave sweet quotes behind, so I am thinking of other ways. I also have to put some soft foam and fabric around the TV stand. We just wanted to build a small, low to the ground base and then cover it with fabric to make it soft and girly, so I still have to do that. And the wires behind the TV will be hidden soon too! We'll get to these things one day!

I love that I can now "teach" the girls some things and when we do activities, everything is right there and organized! AMEN!

So here are some photos!

I am so much happier with the toys that are down there and it is SO MUCH MORE organized! I have all the coloring stuff, painting stuff, stuff for other crafts in proper places (still need to do labels though) and it make me so much happier!!! We have locks on all the closets and doors, so it's completely safe!  All and all I am very pleased with how it has turned out.

They still have their play kitchen/food upstairs, and all their "riding" toys that do much better on the hardwood, but it is much more manageable at the end of the day!

Pretty In Heels!

For Christmas, one of the girls presents were play-high-heel-shoes and they LOVE wearing them. They are constantly bringing them to us asking to wear their "shoes". They prance around with their bracelets, cell phones, shopping bags while pushing their strollers. I can barely contain myself, they are so darn cute!

They are so girly and I just LOVE it!

Milestones!

I cannot believe how fast the girls are growing sometimes. It blows my mind that they are going to be TWO in less than a month! TWO! My babies are growing so fast!

Graduation from Infants and Toddlers:

We have officially ended our time with our county's Infants and Toddlers Program. The girls have been seen by a physical therapist and a teacher since they were 6 months old and finally they have caught up and do not need services anymore. I hope it stays that way but I also know that if they ever need services before Kindergarten it's nice to know who I can call. 

We LOVED our therapists in Montgomery County and we were so sad to leave her when we moved but our teacher, Ms. Tara and all the other wonderful women we have met have been awesome! Ms. Shelia is super sweet and Ms. Patty was wonderful also. 

All the fun activities that INT offers for parents, families and children are so fun. They have made my life so much easier and helped me learn how to get out of the house with four little ladies. If it wasn't for their play groups with extra smiling staff to help on Wednesdays, I don't know how I would have managed learning how to do the park on my own.

Not to mention all the wonderful other moms that I have met with multiples and with other children in the program. We all share common bonds and that is comforting.

We are so thankful for the wonderful services INT provided us!!

Preschool Fair: 

I am a big supporter of the importance of early childhood education and so a few weeks ago Tim and I went to a local Preschool Fair to check out things for next fall for the triplets. Boy was it a little overwhelming but I think we definitely narrowed down what we would like for them. I am a big supporter of the Montessori programs and there is one that has all my attention at the moment. I love that it focuses on "the individual" because since our girls are labeled so often together, this really gives them a great chance to be taught as individuals when it comes to everything. It's literally a few miles from our house and looks like it will be an awesome first learning experience for the girls.

I can't believe I am already thinking of preschools but it's right around the corner and I want to get moving on it all!

Big Girl Beds:

I have a whole post coming on this! We have officially switched Madelynn and Claire over to toddler beds and it's been over a month now and they are doing great! It wasn't the easiest transition but it was well worth it!

Our First Music Lessons!

Of course this isn't the first official music lessons...but it's a start. I will be one very happy Momma if even one of my children (note...not saying "girls" anymore because this baby WILL be a boy!) take an interest to play an instrument. It's something very near and dear to my heart. My sister played the piano and I played the flute from 3rd grade to graduation. It was such an accomplishment and something I am very proud of. I loved being a part of an orchestra and learning new challenging music. It was so comforting for me and has given me an appreciation for classical music.

So here is Grandma letting the girls explore on the piano a little bit on Thanksgiving. All I can say, is that LOVED it.

Annnnd, it just so happens that Uncle Nathan has a new girlfriend, Emily, who is a music teacher and is an accomplished piano player! Whahoo! We hope she will be a part of our lives forever and be the girls future piano teacher...if one of them choose it!

Emily, You are TEN Months Old!

{ November 26, 2012 }

Sweet Emily, you are TEN months old! I can barely believe another month has passed us!

You are going to be ONE in just two short months!

In all 12 Month and 18 Month clothes. Some very large 9 Month clothes still fit but that's it. Clothes fit you so differently than they did your sisters. You have thighs, girlfriend, and a tummy, and rolls...I love it all!

Size 4 diapers.

Still little, itty-bitty feet.

Brown hair. Brown eyes.

Pork Chop...you go to the doctor on Wednesday and I will add in your weight. My guess is that you are right under or at 20lbs!

You can sit up by yourself for a few minutes but you still rear back and then get very mad. I don't blame you. We are working on it. 

You love to say "uh-oh" and "da-da", all day long! I say, "ma-ma" and you say "da-da-da-da". Every time. Constantly. I think you think it's funny. Booger.

Your sisters love you so much.

You love the bath and love to splash. I have finally put you in with your sisters sometimes when they are behaving and play nicely with you. You love watching them and they love to help wash you!

You can get anywhere you want, by scooting and in the walker. You are a pro.

You share a room with Natalee.

You get about 2-3 8 ounce bottles and breakfast, lunch and dinner with real food.

This month you have had some "real" food! We have tried bread, cheese, peas, carrots, cheerios, puffs crackers, eggs, yogurt bites, green beans, pasta, turkey, mandarin oranges and also started on most "3rd" jars of food! You have done really good and barely ever gag. You are still such a good eater and can pick up and put everything in your mouth all by yourself!

You are still a great sleeper. You sleep from 7:30PM to 7:30AM, and hardly ever wake up. You nap great also, one nap a day from 12:00PM to 4:00PM.

You love your pink lovie still and your binki.

You hold all your own bottles. 

You started drinking from a sippy cup in the high chair and you love it. 

You have started having BIG TIME stranger anxiety. So strange because your sisters never could have cared less where I was, but not you. Oh my goodness, you were not a fan of Thanksgiving just because all of the people and you wanted nothing to do with anyone but your Momma. You had a hard day. You look at other people and just scream! Hopefully this passes soon.

We love you so much little Em!