Busy Summer

I actually thought I had a few free minutes but just as I logged on, I hear Brynna waking up from her nap. She isn't crying out for me yet (just singing) so I will type until she starts. The three big kids are  playing a Cranium game on the living room floor and are actually getting along for the moment so I have a few minutes of peace and quiet. That is very rare in this house lately. :)

We finally got our ball schedules for the summer and between both girls playing softball, Brax's baseball, and all three big kids swimming, we have 4 free weeknights the entire month of June. To say we are busy would be an understatement. Nate is coaching (or assisting) all three kids ball teams so I have a feeling I am going to spend a lot of time chasing around a very busy two year old! We wouldn't trade it for anything in the world though and I know someday I am going to wish I could go back in time so I am trying my hardest to enjoy every stage in life.

Speaking of busy two year olds, Miss Brynna is really keeping us on our toes. That girl is fast and into everything. She has really started talking a lot now and can pretty much say anything she needs to. My favorite things that she says are Braylee (Reelee) and hello (heh ho). She also just calls me Mom instead of Mommy, which I think is funny. She is VERY independent and also very determined, which at two seems to be a bit challenging, but I think they are qualities that will suit her well later in life so I guess I should be thankful. She has to do everything herself, including dressing herself, carrying her own plate into the dining room, getting out of the carseat by herself, and she insists on walking everywhere instead of being carried. She is so much fun though and worth every minute of it.

The other three kids are enjoying their summer break so far. I decided after our first full day home together yesterday that I need to make some summer plans and wear them out in the mornings so that they will rest quietly in the afternoons while Brynna naps. This morning after swim team, we went to the park, ran some errands, got Brax's hair cut, and then went to eat lunch. Brynna was pretty worn out so we came home and I put her down for her nap and she actually went right to sleep (as opposed to yesterday when she never did nap - that made for a long evening). I am going to have to look up some ideas online of ways to entertain kids in the summer that will hopefully keep us busy!!! I hear Brynna hollering at me so I better go get her. Soon it will be dinnertime and then off to a ballgame. Fun times! :)

Brynna is 2!

Brynna turned two a couple of weeks ago and although I am a horrible blogger, I felt like I should document it here since I know myself well enough to know I won't document it anywhere else!

I know I say this everytime I do an update on her but she is so much fun! She is just so darn cute and she has such a fun personality to go along with her extreme cuteness. :) She does tend to have a little bit of a stubborn streak and for some reason likes to have things her way but she is also really sweet and loving too. Sometimes when she is sitting with me on the couch she will reach up and put her little arm around my neck and just sit like that. She also pats everybody on the back anytime they pick her up. She is very friendly and anytime we are out in public she will tell random people "hiiii."

She has started talking a lot more in the last couple of months. She is starting to put a few words together now, such as "Daddy, where ball go?" and similiar stuff like that. She still calls me, "Mom" or "Bom", as she does pretty much every adult female that she knows. Kara used to be the only special one (Rara) but the last couple of times she has been Mom as well. She does know her babysitters name (Sissy, aka Missy) and she will say Braylee (reelee), which makes Braylee VERY happy. She sometimes says Brax and Brecca but they sound similiar to a lot of other words and are a little hard to distinguish. I still really think she is capable of saying more that she does but like I mentioned earlier, she has a stubborn streak that I think is coming into play.

She is still a good eater, although she is so busy now that I think it is sometimes too hard to take the time to stop and eat. She loves being outside (she says, "side") and we have to keep the back door locked at all times or she will try to escape. She likes to swing and be on the trampoline with the big kids. Out at Dave and Julia's she even climbed the rock wall all by herself to get up to the playhouse and go down the slide. She likes to be right in the middle of everything the big kids are going.

She is IN LOVE with her new baby cousin, Ian, and takes very good care of him. He must have a blanket on him at all times and a toy to play with or we can rest assured that Brynna will be tracking one down. Anytime we see Kara, Matt, or the boys, the first thing out of her mouth is, "Where Ian?" Sometimes she will even ask Nate or I that when they are not even around. Ian is getting a little older now and will smile at her and coo so I know she is loving that. It won't be long and they will be running around together causing trouble like the big kids are!

Sleep is not her friend at this point. She will go to sleep just fine. She will even go willingly into her own crib and lay right down and sleep for a couple of hours but sound sleep doesn't last much longer than that. She usually wakes up about 12:30 or 1:00am and I end up putting her in our bed and then she is restless the rest of the night. I think she would be better if she had her own room and maybe I wouldn't hear her and go to her rescue so quickly but honestly, I just want to put her in bed with me so I can go back to sleep. I think hope is on the horizon though because she did sleep all night in her own bed 3/7 nights this past week so I am keeping my fingers crossed. If sleepless nights are the worst thing I have to deal with at this point though, I consider myself very lucky.

This morning she got a peppermint from Braylee's candy stash and she kept saying it was hot. Finally, she took it out of her mouth and blew on it. For some reason, it didn't seem to help. :)

Couldn't remember!

It has been so long I couldn't even remember my login and password. That says something about my serious lack of blogging! I figured I had better do an update and hadn't even realized how long it had actually been.

Brynna is 19 months old now! At this exact moment she is walking around the house yelling, "Daddy." It is actually more like da -eee. At first I was a little jealous that she said daddy all of the time but not so much anymore. Anytime she needs something, it is always "Da-eee." :) She is so much fun and is absolutely adorable. I have to admit that she is a tad bit spoiled but she is pretty hard to resist. She has always been on the go and that hasn't changed. She loves to be outside or upstairs and is always doing everything the big kids do. Halloween was just a couple of nights ago and she marched right along with the other three. She went up to doors and rummaged through bowls of candy for the best piece (always a sucker or smarties). Then she waved bye bye and it was on to the next house! She still eats anything you put in front of her. Her babysitter told me she is the best eater she has ever had at her age and I told her I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing! She still sleeps pretty well although we stopped giving her milk before bed. She seemed to be waking up a lot and pretty fussy there for awhile so we decided to try that and it seems to have helped. I am not sure if she has a little bit of a lactose intolerance thing going on or what the deal is. I need to mention that to the doctor the next time she goes. She still drinks milk during the day and eats yogurt quite a bit so I am really not that concerned about it at this point. She says quite a few words, although they all sound pretty similiar. She is pretty stubborn and so I know she can say a lot more that she actually lets on that she can. Brax wasn't a big talker at her age but boy has he made up for it!!! Her motor skills are very good and she can run, skip, and jump. She can also kick and throw a ball. She is definitely active and keeps us on the move (especially chasing her around ball games!).

Brecca is in third grade this year and abslotely loves it! Braylee started 1st grade and Brax is in Kindergarten this year. I can't believe how fast they are growing up! I will try to do a more up to date post soon with more details about the big kids! For now, it is baths and then bedtime. I know at least one person in this house who is ready!

Birthday girl

Brynna turned one on March 31st so I wanted to document some things she is doing right now. She was probably the most aggressive of all 4 kids when it came to eating her cake! She was so cute. She had to pick at the frosting for a little bit but once she dug into the cake, she was really into it! She squished it all around and through her fingers and would occasionally take a little bite. She completely demolished it!

Let's see... What else is she up to? She is so much fun right now because it seems like she is learning something new everyday. She started walking a little before 10 months old and has been unstoppable ever since. She looks for any opportunity to escape the living room and head to the stairs. She is up them in no time at all. We have to really remind the big kids to make sure to close the baby gate or she makes a run for it! She also loves the bathroom toilet anytime she can get to it!

She is the best eater out of all of our kids. I honestly haven't given her anything that she hasn't liked. She eats pretty much what we eat - just cut up into little bites. We stopped formula right at a year old and switched to whole milk and she hasn't noticed or doesn't care. I am not sure exactly which!

She will put her hand up to her ear when the phone rings and brushes her hair with the brush. She can find her binkie if you ask her where it is. She isn't saying much yet but she says, "this" very clearly! I think anytime I ask her if she wants something that I show it to her and say, "You want this," so she picked up on that.

She pretty much loves everyone and I don't think the stranger anxiety has kicked in yet. She will still smile at anyone who talks to her and sometimes even hold out her arms to random people. :) She is such an easy going baby. Not sure if that is nature or nuture since she has been on the go pretty much since birth with three older active siblings. We have soccer going on right now and I can already tell it is going to be a long summer chasing her around!

Can you believe it?

I am actually posting! I am not really sure why I even have this blog anymore since I never have a free minute to update. BUT since we happen to be in what could be the biggest snowstorm in history, I have a few minutes free! I think we have about a foot of snow on the ground and school has been cancelled for today and tomorrow. The temperatures are VERY cold so we are huddled up in our cozy house eating soup and chili and watching movies. I love snow days!!!



Lots has happened since my last post. Things have been going really well for all of us. Brecca is in 2nd grade and loves her teacher. There is a little girl drama going on already (Can you believe it starts so early?) but she is handling it well. I am very proud of her an how she isn't really letting it get to her. She is pretty easy-going and so far things just seem to bounce off. Let's hope it stays that way. She played basketball this year again and did really well. I hope that is something she decides to stick with. She really is pretty good at it and seems to be really interested in. She also does dance and swimming so she stays pretty busy.



Braylee started Kingergarten this year and in typical Braylee style, seems to be pretty unimpressed by the whole thing! :) She actually does enjoy school and is always ready to go in the mornings (unlike her sister!). She has made some new friends and is very excited about it. She loves getting invited places - especially when Brecca and Brax have to stay home. She was always so disappointed when Brecca would get invited places and she couldn't go so she is very happy that now it is her turn. She also played basketball and loves swimming. Suprisingly, she has a little more desire for competition than Brecca does so we will see what that brings in her future. Everybody who knows Braylee will attest to the fact that she is not your typical 6 year old - in a good way. We wouldn't change anything about her for the world!

Brax is in preschool this year and loves it. I think he feels pretty important now that he gets to go to school like the girls. We are still debating Kindergarten next year. He will be old enough but we are weighing the pros and cons of sending him vs. preschool another year. We will see what happens. Right now, I have absolutely no idea! He started wrestling this year and really enjoys it. He went to three tournaments and is yet to win his first match, but he did get 4th out of 4 wrestlers and got a medal! He was very excited about it. It didn't matter to him that he got pinned 3 times in a row - he got a medal and that's really what it's all about. :) He is really a good boy for the most part so we lucked out there. We are very proud of him!

Brynna is 11 months old now. I know I have said this before but time really flies! She is walking all over the place and has been for a little over a month now. She eats anything you put in front of her but still only weighs 19 lbs. She is happy pretty much all of the time and sleeps all night, every night. Really, we couldn't have asked for a better baby. She is on the go and has been pretty much all her life. She spent the summer going to swim meets and ball games, fall going to football games, swimming, basketball, dance and we are just now starting soccer. She loves going "bye bye" and sleeps pretty much anywhere so we lucked out there. She waves, gives high fives and kisses, and walks around the house saying, "eh" all of the time. No official words yet although Brecca just told me she says, "dada." I said that she didn't and she told me I was just jealous (she doesn't!). I have to say that 4 really isn't much different than 3. Going from 2 to 3 was our biggest struggle but it could just be because Brynna is so easy. She has been pretty healthy for the most part, other than having RSV over Christmas. Nanny comes to the house and keeps her and Brax for me so that is a major blessing. I think that is a lot of the reason that she has been so healthy.

I got a job this year teaching Kindergarten here in town. I alsolutely love it. It was hard leaving Brynna at first but I knew she was in good hands. It is so nice to be able to take the girls to school with me and then just take them home with me after school. The students are great and I couldn't have asked for a better group of ladies to work with. I honestly enjoy going to work every single day! Nate is still at Ash Grove. He just went back to work after being laid off for 6 weeks. He enjoyed being home and now that I have an income, I think it was a little difficult for him to go back! :) He is busy working and being a dad. We are hoping to spend more time at the lake this summer and he hopes to fish a little more this year.

I feel like I just wrote a newsletter for my Christmas card but hopefully that catches me up. I feel bad that I haven't been documenting our lives like I should be so I am going to try harder! Even one post a week is better than none, right??? We'll see how that goes...

4 months old

Wow! Time really flies when your having fun. It has been a crazy summer but we have loved every minute of it. I really cannot believe Brynna is 4 months old already. I meant to do a milestones post for each month but the time has really slipped by me so here we are at 4 months doing are first milestone post! What is Brynna up to these days:

- We go to the doctor next week so I am not sure about weight and length. She is wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes and 6 month sleepers. She is also in size 2 diapers.

- Still takes primarily breastmilk although we do supplement with formula occasionally. She takes 4-6 ounces at a time about every 3 hours.

- Sleeps all night every night and has since just a couple of weeks old. Occasionally she would wake up about 4 or 5 am but usually slept until at least 6:30am. Made the transition from bassinet to crib at 2 months. She is still in our room though and will be for quite some time! We put her to bed drowsy but still awake and she goes off to sleep on her own. I do miss rocking her to sleep but we snuggle a lot before I put her down! :)

- Loves her binky and also sucks on her fist. She has found her thumb a couple of times. I am worried we are going to have a thumb sucker on our hands!

- She uses her left hand to reach for things. We have a feeling she may be a lefty but we'll see. Just started grabbing big sister's hair!

-Hasn't rolled over yet but is very close. I have to say that our house probably isn't the safest place to be laying on the floor so her time there is limited. She hasn't had much practice! She spends most of her time in someone's arms or in her little bouncy seat. With three older siblings running around, plus a 70 lb dog, we prefer to keep her up off the ground!

- She is a very happy baby! Smiles all the time and will let anyone hold her. She is content to be on the go a lot and doesn't mind her carseat anymore. She spent lots of evenings at ball games, swim meets, and out at Grandma and Papa's pool.

- Loves her baths. We did put her in the pool one evening and she seemed to enjoy that too. Haven't tried it again but plan to.

- Coos and tries to talk all of the time. She thinks anyone in the same vacinity who is talking is talking to her and will smile and coo back at them. She is a really social baby (so far!).

- She likes sitting up (on laps and in her Bumbo) and is hardly ever still. She is constantly moving her arms and legs and trying to stand up. She is an active baby, that's for sure!

That's is all I can think of for now! She has been a real blessing and we are so thankful that we are her (and the other three's) parents! I will try to keep the updates coming!!!

One day old

Brax had gone home with Dave and Julia the night before and Braylee with Kara and Matt. Brecca was with my mom and slept in a little the next morning. We were bad parents and let her just skip the whole school day. Julia and Kara had to work the next day so the plan was for them to take Braylee and Brax to my grandma's and then my mom would pick them up and bring them out to the hospital a little later. Braylee was too excited to wait so Kara brought her out first thing in the morning. She got to see Brynna and hold her for the first time. Braylee was pretty excited she was a girl. Brax came out a little later andhe wasn't quite as excited as the girls. I mentioned earlier that he kept saying, " I thought it was going to be a brother." He warmed up to her pretty quickly though and is a very loving big brother. Brynna has a small umbilical hernia so her umbilical cord stump stuck out pretty far, especially with the cord clamp on it. The first time Brax saw her, he thought that it was something else... something that may have indicated she was a boy! We had to explain to him that that was just her belly button and not what he thought it might be! :)

I was having a pretty rough day. I enjoyed all of our visitors and really truly enjoyed seeing everybody but I was just worn out. I didn't get much sleep the night before and people started showing up to visit pretty early so by early afternoon I was pretty tired. I never had a chance to get up out of bed and shower and I still had my catheder in so I wasn't even getting up to use the restroom. My brother and Erin came down that evening and my sister and Tylee came up from Parsons and I could barely keep my eyes open and visit with them. I kept dozing off and they all made the comment that I looked pretty pale. We sent Brynna to the nursery that night so we could get a little sleep. They said she was perfect and brought her to me every few hours through the night so that I could feed her. I think they all fell in love with her. Everybody was shocked when they saw her and her full head of dark black hair!!!

The next morning the nurse came in and told me why I had been feeling so tired. My hemoglobin was 5.2. Normal is supposed to be between 12 and 16 and anything under 7 is considered critical. Apparently 5.2 is pretty low. They told me I would need at least 2 units of blood and said that it was a good thing I had not been up out of bed... that I probably would have passed out had we even tried it. Things moved pretty quickly as far as getting ready to give me blood. I was really nervous about it. Just the thought of someone else's blood going into my veins gave me the chills but I ended up being ok with it. They gave me two units over the course of the afternoon and then let me get up and shower. I was feeling a little better by that point but they said my hemoglobin had only come up to about 7 so I would need a couple more units. They gave me those through the night and by the next morning I was feeling much better. I was still really sore though and having a hard time getting around. They mentioned doing a sonogram or a CT scan to see if I was still having some internal bleeding but decided against it. I just couldn't figure out why I was so sore. My sister had a c-section 2 years earlier and she was getting around really well by this point and I just kept thinking that what I was feeling wasn't normal. I knew I wasn't just being a big baby!

By Saturday morning I seemed a little better and they thought I was well enough to head for home. It was nice to get out of the hospital but going home presented a whole new set of problems.

I was still soooo sore and our furniture sat too low. Our bed was too high and I couldn't get up into it. Brynna and I spent our first two weeks home in the living room on the couch. Our couch has recliners on both ends so although I couldn't lay down, I could recline the seat and get pretty comfy! I pretty much sat and held her all day long! At night, Nate would lay her in her bassinet (in the living room right next to the couch) after her 10:00pm feeding and when she woke up for her next feeding, he would get out of bed, change her diaper, give her to me, and head back to bed. I would nurse her and then hold her the rest of the night. He was working 6am-4pm at the time so he got up about 4:45am. He would take her, change her again, and give her back to me. This was pretty much our routine for about two weeks when I finally decided that that wasn't normal and headed back to the doctor. It turned out I had a huge, softball size hematoma in my stomach! After a CT to confirm, we scheduled a surgery the next day to remove it. Talk about relief! I walked out of the hospital that day feeling better than I had in a LONG time!!! I felt much better knowing that the pain I had been feeling was justified and that I wasn't just a big baby!!! Things slowly returned to normal and we eventually got into a little bit of a routine. Honestly, having a 4th child wasn't too big of an adjustment. Two to three was the hardest for us. I think maybe because Nate and I were outnumbered! From the beginning Brynna has always been a great baby so that definitely made it easier for us! I can't imagine going through all that with a fussy baby! Things were going well. I was on the mend, the kids were getting used to having a baby in the house, Brynna was adjusting well, Nate was a proud Daddy again..... We were loving life (and still are!)!!!