Month 4 and 5

Kaitlyn,

You are such a laid-back, happy, and easy baby! I'm grateful for your mild temperament and go-with-the-flow nature. You quite possibly have your dad's temperament, which is a great quality.
You've had more than your share of sickness the past month or so. It's concerned me some because I feel like it's hindered your weight gain, and you're already an itty bitty girl. Though we didn't take you to get checked, Doctor Dad suspected your had bronchitis at one point. I felt bad for your raspy cough, runny nose, and gooey eyes, but you didn't seem to mind too much.

You sleep well for the most part. At times you've slept as long as 12 hours at night, but other nights you wake up once during the night. I can usually guarantee that you'll at least sleep a good eight hour stretch. You don't protest naps or bedtime too much and will only cry for a few minutes, if at all.

Spitting up is a favorite hobby of yours, and you projectile it like nobodies business! I have to change our clothes at least twice a day because you've drenched both of us, the floor, the blankets, and the burp rags. :)
You giggle, coo, blow raspberries, and smile at anyone who'll give you attention. Often I'll put you in your swing while we eat meals. If Daddy or I looks over at you, you'll grin and will follow our every move with your eyes. You've also rubbed a bald spot on the back of your head, like sitting in your Bumbo chair to look at the world, and suck on your hands as if they're candy! I don't think you've even thought about rolling over, but I'm sure you'd be capable of it if you decided to. You do maneuver onto your side quite often, though.
I regularly get comments at the store about how you are such a "beautiful baby". "Look at those big blue eyes!" is a common compliment you get.

Sometimes you're at the mercy of your sister's care. Once I left you and Skylie in the loft while I switched the laundry. I came back one minute later, and she had carried you ten feet to the other side of the room and plopped you onto your stomach. You're weren't too happy about that but calmed down when I rescued you. That instance taught me that I can't leave you alone with your sis for even a minute! Skylie also likes to climb into your crib, place a blanket over the two of you, and "cuddle" together. You, thankfully, are pretty accommodating to your big sister's whims.


I love how sweet, innocent, and peaceful you are! You're getting to a really fun baby stage, and I'm loving being your mom.

We love you!

Love,
Mom

Conflicted.

I live a conflicted life.

For example:

Part of me wants to work hard to build up some savings and pay off our car debts. Both our prior vehicles went to the junkyard within four months of each other, and we felt going into debt to buy vehicles was necessary since Matt's work is 20+ minutes from home and he works crazy hours. (Not to mention the fact that I would go INSANE being cooped up indoors long-term.) I genuinely enjoy listening/reading stuff by Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman about saving money. I get pumped up to curb my spending.

But I'm also ridden with guilt, because...

The other (usually more volatile) part of me wants to finally do a little home decorating. I went the first six years of our marriage buying next to nothing in that department, and the slightly selfish/materialistic me thinks, "It's about time I get to do this!" My dreams aren't too far-fetched, usually. I want stuff like more garbage cans (cute ones please), coat hooks (must also be cute) to hang by our garage door so I'm not racing around to find coats every time we leave the house, and bar stools so we can sit at the counter. I also want to paint our upstairs, get a bedroom light, a fence, a blind for our patio door, curtains, and an outdoor toy of some sort so the kiddos actually have something to do when they go outside.

See the dilemma? Should I really not get bar stools for the next X amount of months because I'm paying off our vehicles? How do you handle these types of situations?

A friend told me this experience a long time ago. It's stuck with me, and I thought it applicable to share (in hopes that I'll remember this more).

A friend of a friend once wanted new couches really bad. But she'd have had to go into debt to buy the couches. The more she thought about what she wanted, the uglier and older her current couches looked. After having her "hideous" couches nag at her for quite some time, she started praying that her desire for new couches would go away. And it did.

Good to remember; probably even better to practice.

Next example:

Regular exercise is a necessity for me. It has to be a quality workout or it doesn't count. I cannot tell you how many times I've been stressed out or upset at Matt, and a good run has alleviated my concerns. A friend of mine claims that regular exercise has saved her thousands of dollars on therapy bills. The same could be true for me, I'm sure.

However, since becoming a mom I've found working out easier said than done. I feel like I've tried everything in the book a) a jogging stroller, b) work out DVDs while kids are sleeping, c) arranging my workouts around my husband's exercise and work schedule, and d) getting a gym membership.

All have worked with varying levels of success/enjoyment. None alone are a complete win-win in my book, but the gym has been my most successful option. However, I'm often ridden with guilt for leaving my kids in another person's care while I exercise, and I feel like I should be doing something fun with my kids during that mid-morning time frame.

I hope I've now found a method that works well for me.

I recently began teaching a couple group exercise classes at the Y, so I now have access to a gym. Hurray! Two or three days a week I'll work out at the gym then take the kids to the indoor playground that's there (think McDonald's but a million times cooler). Ready for the rockin' bonus: almost all the other mom's there are in workout clothes and sporting a ponytail, too. That means I don't have to shower until naptime! (Getting ready while my kids are in childcare adds guilt, hassle, and messes up my baby's feedings.) Win for the mama. Win for the kiddos. The other days I'll try to get a workout in at home before the kids wake, and on these days we'll go to the library, the museum, and to play dates.

How do you handle working out? Do you feel "mom guilt" ever? I try not to, but it seems like there's always something that I should be doing better or differently with my children. I tried to explain the "gym guilt" I feel to Matt the other night, and he thought feeling guilty about it was unnecessary.

A friend of mine posted recently about being a fun mom versus a functional mom. It spoke to me, so if you're feeling "Mom Guilt" check it out. On the other hand, if you want to feel money guilt, here's a free downloadable audio lesson by Dave Ramsey, Dumping Debt. It's actually quite good.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Day

The day was spent opening presents, attending church, and spending lunch and dinner with friends. Unfortunately we've all been a bit sick and spent much of the weekend trying to recuperate.

Love this little girl!

Numbers Puzzle

Noah's Ark Magnetic Game from Grandma and Grandpa

Ponies from Grandma and Grandpa
Markers (that only work on a specific coloring book) from Aunt Amber and Uncle Alec. This was a serious win-win, since everyday Skylie cries to play with markers. I know the havoc that happens she plays with real markers.

In a prior post I asked what I should get Skylie for Christmas. Many of you suggested a kitchen, but she's already gotten one for her birthday. After much thought, I opted for the Fisher Price Loving Family Grand Dollhouse. I worried that she wouldn't like it, but she absolutely loves playing with it (and so do I)! I haven't gotten her much furniture, but she did receive the nursery add-on from Nana and Papa, which she loves. I bought the dollhouse and add-ons from Meijer, which are priced at about half as much as currently on Amazon.

Christmas Eve

Celebrating with Dave and Jenny's family

December 23
Mommy-Daughter Date to Monument Circle to see the lights and get hot chocolate

I loved getting to spend some one-on-one time with Sky. She spotted Santa on his red Harley, got to see a reindeer up close, and was in awe at all the horse drawn carriages.

As we stepped out of the chocolate store Sky heard the Christmas music, and she busted out the moves. We missed Matt and Kaitlyn, but Kaitlyn has been sick so Matt volunteered to stay home with her.

December 9
Ward Christmas Party

This was the first successful time Skylie has ever sat on Santa's lap.

Merry Christmas!

Children's Museum

If I ever doubted my ability to count to seven, that skill has now been perfected.

Matt's cousin, Dave, and his family live in Indianapolis, and a few weekends ago we watched their kids overnight. They are undoubtedly the most well behaved and helpful kids I've ever known, but I'm still in no hurry whatsoever to have seven children.

Jared, Joey, Sadie, Kaitlyn, Bethany, Skylie, and Meg

We took them to the Children's Museum on Saturday and had a blast. (Have I mentioned that I finally broke down and got a family pass which also includes two guests? Who wants to go to the museum with me?!) Skylie and Kaitlyn seemed in heaven with all the attention from the other kids, and Skylie rode the carousel at least ten times. Matt and I spent our time counting heads to make sure we hadn't lost anyone. While riding the elevator I gasped, "Where's Meg?!" (Dave and Jenny's two-year-old). Matt laughed and replied, "You're holding her.." That's evidence my sanity was in question.

Here are some pictures of the weekend. The first two of Skylie are my current favorites!

A fashion show at the Barbie Fashion Exhibit

Talking on the phone there, too. Love this picture!

Meg, Erin, and Skylie

Bethany and Meg at Science Works
Bethany is a riot!

Sky and Meg pretending to take a bath at Science Works.

Kaitlyn and Sadie

Jared in the Treasures of the Earth exhibit

Joey and Jared in Science Works

Skylie digging like an archeologist in Treasures of the Earth

Meg
Isn't she so cute?!

These two videos were taken in the Barbie exhibit, and they are some of my favorites. I wish I'd been quicker and caught the kids as they first came out onto the red carpet because it couldn't have been cuter. Even though I was slow on the draw, it's still a fun video.

Good Mail Days

We love good mail days. Both sets of grandparents are super thoughtful in that arena. Skylie especially loves the mail, and she thinks that anything that arrives in a box is a present for her.

Here's a video we took way back at Halloween of Skylie opening a package from Grandpa and Grandma Zane.



I stopped by the UPS store today-- apparently the happening place this time of year. While there I overheard a young woman who was mailing a package to her family tear up as she told the sales associate that she hadn't been home for Christmas in six years. I couldn't help but shed a tear or two myself. I'm fortunate this is only the first Christmas away from our extended family. I'm a little sad but also a bit excited. The packages, emails, texts, phone calls, and webcams can never replace actually being with our families, but they do make being apart doable.

Merry Christmas!

Rough

Today was rough. It's one in the morning, and I'm still don't feel like I've quite caught my breath. In fact, I just got out of bed to eat lunch/dinner because I realized I felt ravished since the last two meals got skipped. (Not by the children, of course, just me.)

I'm on day three of potty training Skylie. It has gone surprisingly well and she's caught on to the whole idea like a champ. I'm amazed, and I mean AMAZED that my strong-willed two-year-old has relented to sitting on her throne every 20 minutes for the past three days. (Thank you chocolate chips and marshmallows!)

With that being said I don't think there's anything super easy about potty training. Continually taking her to the bathroom, trying to be super excited about all things potty, and attempting to function and take care of an infant is no walk in the park. Today I had two cute one-year-olds over for a few hours as well, and well--toddlers are toddlers and they don't make any job easy.

From 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. I felt like there was always someone who needed my attention. Even now, ironically, my infant has woken up and is fussing (Let's see if she goes back to sleep on her own.). Once my little ones were finally asleep the house was (and is still) in complete disarray. Matt worked late tonight, and when he arrived home he described the situation well: "It looks like you've been watching a bunch of kids and potty training at the same time."

A few days ago a coworker of Matt's ignorantly (and I mean that in the kindest way--he simply hasn't experienced motherhood) suggested that I could "volunteer to fill my time". I didn't say much to his comment, but inside I laughed as I imagined: Me, hauling my rambunctious two-year-old and baby to a soup kitchen to dish out meals. Yes, that is exactly what I should do because this 24/7 job of motherhood isn't enough. ;)

Adieu. I'm now going to volunteer some of my time to my baby.

P.S. Anyone want to dispense their potty training wisdom to me? I'm all ears.

Kaitlyn's Stats and Three Month Pictures

Pictures courtesy Chelsea Richardson

November 6, 2011

At three months Kaitlyn weighed 9 pounds, 0 ounces, which put her below the fifth percentile.

On December 5, 2011, at about four months her stats were:

Weight: 9 pounds, 11 ounces; below percentile 5
Length: 23 inches; between percentile 5 and 10
Head Circumference: 15 1/4 centimeters; below percentile 5

Bring on the Holidays

I've always wanted a live Christmas tree, mostly because I think going out and chopping one as a family is memorable and fun. This was the first year we got to try it out, and I'd say the outing was a hit! We went to a nearby tree farm, searched to find a tree worthy to deem our own, then Matt used his mad skills to saw that puppy down.





On Saturday we headed to the airport for Santa's arrival via firetruck. We waited in line for way too long (the Grinch in me came out when person after person cut in front of us in line). Sky and Kaitlyn finally got to see the big man up close and personal. Sky was not a fan. But she did get a lame bracelet and got to decorate a cookie, so the outing wasn't too much of a waste. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thursday we headed four hours northeast to Sandusky, Ohio and spent Thanksgiving day with some of our favorite friends from medical school. It was so good to see them, and the food did not disappoint. Jenni was the mastermind behind the planning and execution, and I dare say she is one of the best cooks I've ever known.

The Whitings (friends of the Rackers) hosted us, the Rackers, Renchers, Beestons, and a few other families from Sandusky.

Billy, Nick, Nate, Kaitlyn, and Matt

Jenni, Nathalie, Erin, and Megan
I love these girls! When we met none of us had kids. Four years and nine kids later my love and admiration for these women has only grown.

Skylie taking a whack (or two or three) at the turkey pinata

Skylie and her mama

Kaitlyn and her daddy

We got many, many comments on what a good, quiet baby Kaitlyn is.

We definitely hope to see our Ohio friends again, soon.

P.S. We missed you, Annie and Caleb!