Well Child Checks for Two

Today was Lucy's 3 year old well child check. I was curious to see how she was doing since it had been an entire year since she had been in!

Lucy is totally and completely proportionate. It reminds me a lot of Zane. Although she isn't quite as big as he is.

Height: 39" (85%)
Weight: 34# 13 oz (84%)

In addition to the checkup Lucy needed another shot. I was worried at her reaction because I honestly thought that she wasn't going to need any and she can be so hot and cold with her reactions to stuff. However today was a good day with her. She got the shot and didn't even cry. She said OWIE! and then got distracted by her pink band-aid. Whatever works I guess!

Gwen also had her 18 month well child check. She technically isn't 18 months for another 2 weeks but since I like to combine trips when possible they scheduled her and Lucy for the same time.

Gwen is the most dainty of all my kids. Honestly I don't know where she is getting it from. Maybe my grandma. All I know is that she really has never been as plump as the rest of the kiddos and her frame is much smaller. She is still in size 3 diapers. I am going to move her up to 4's when this box is gone but it is shocking to me how tiny she still is.

Height: 32.5" (80%)
Weight: Approximately 23 lbs. (34%) The little bugger wouldn't stay on the scale.

Gwen also got a shot today. It was funny. She didn't react to the shot itself but once the band-aid got put on she flipped out. I think she was tired and hungry in general because the appointment did interfere with lunch and nap time. Oh well. Only one more time of shots with her and then we should be done. Hopefully there won't be any additional shots snuck in!

Andrew's Dream

What a blessing my Andrew is to me! And the crazy thing is he would never, ever mention this to us. I have to wait for his homework folder to come home to find these things out. God's hand is on Andrew's life in a mighty way. I can't wait to see what all He has planned for my boy.

The Sun!

Shockingly the sun decided to make an appearance for the afternoon! So the kids and I took advantage of it for a few minutes. It was quite chilly but at least it wasn't pouring down rain like it has been lately. Lucy got some bubbles from Grandpa Gene and Grandma Alice for her birthday. It was the perfect weather to go and play with them. It took her a bit to figure out how to blow nicely to actually get bubbles but by the end of the playtime she was doing great!

Zane motored up and down the sidewalk the entire time. He was in 7th heaven to be outside pedaling away.

Gwen has been looking with great longing at the tricycle for over a year now. Her time has come! She didn't even fuss too much about the helmet. Helmets are a deal breaker at our house so it was nice to not have to wage that war.


Calvin doesn't usually get to spend time with us out in the front yard. He tends to chase people and dogs that are on the sidewalk. And for all that I know he is a sissy, he can look and sound intimidating to other people. Anyway, we were headed out and rather than put him in the backyard I let him out into the garage. Up he hopped into the van and he did not budge the entire time. What a goof. He knows that if we are going somewhere we will likely be taking the van. So he was not moving! Dogs and people even walked by and he didn't move a muscle. What a goofy animal.

A Quiet Birthday for Lucy

Today was Lucy's actual birthday and to celebrate we invited Grandpa Gene and Grandma Alice over for dinner and cake. They had been unable to attend the birthday party due to a family funeral being held at the same time. But it was nice to be able to spend some time with them to celebrate Lucy!

Dinner consisted of homemade pizza, salad and jello. And of course there was cake and ice cream for dessert. Happy Birthday Miss Lucy! I can hardly believe you are 3.

Goggles

Some kiddos don't like the way goggles feel on their face. Apparently Lucy is not one of them. She wore the new goggles she got for her birthday for over an hour. Just for the fun of it. Silly girl!

A Party for Lucy Fern

Today we celebrated Lucy's 3rd birthday. The big event isn't really until Monday but this was the best day for a party!

Lucy got lots of fun stuff and had lots of wonderful friends and family here to celebrate with her.

Can't hardly believe she is 3!

But Daddy!

Lucy was very busy jumping off the couch tonight which is a total no-no at our house. Eric asked her to stop jumping and she answered.....

But Daddy, I'm super princess!

Sha-BAM! Belly Update 29 Weeks

This little boy is a moose. And he is making me all kinds of belly-licious. I wonder how much bigger it is going to get.

Success!

Eric stayed home with us today and managed to get Gwen to fall asleep in her new big girl bed for a nap. Of course she climbed into Lucy's bed with him instead of staying in her own space but I will take any and all success with this bedroom transfer. Hopefully this will translate into a little girl sleeping in her big girl bed tonight with Lucy.

Waking up was not her idea.

But it was a really good rest!

Girls Bedroom Make Over- Phase 1

Tonight we finished making over the girls bedroom. To say that it is a tight squeeze at the moment is possibly the understatement of the year. Bedrooms in modern day houses are not designed for two twin beds.


However, we were able to get the beds and both dressers in the room without having to change too much. We did have to remove the closet doors but that doesn't bother me too terribly. I think the room would feel even more cramped if we had left them on. Phase 2 will commence in a few months. Maybe a year. We will stack the beds into bunks and the girls will have a LOT more room to play in. For the time being though this will work.


Gwen just will not stay out of the top bunk and until she is a little more stable with getting in and out I am just not comfortable with stacking them. Both girls are really excited for the new beds and Lucy can't wait for Gwen to actually stay in the room for the night.


We tried putting Gwen to bed in the big girl bed tonight and she flipped out. So it will be a more gradual process which is fine. Stay tuned for the transition though. I think it will make a super cute little girl room!

Gwenie Girl 17 Months

It is hard to believe that my baby is 17 months old. I normally don't even think about their age after the first birthday but Miss Gwen is the first one of my kiddos that I actually have to remind myself how old she is. She acts so much beyond her age. She is quite the chatter box too. She puts together 2 word sentences and repeats fun phrases like "Spicy! Spicy in my eyes!" when we all get going on that kick. She is constantly trying to do everything the boys and Lucy can do. I don't know how she is going to react to a new baby brother in the house because she never seems to see herself as the baby right now. Gwen is also extremely compassionate and always willing to say sorry and give hugs if she does something or even just if someone is crying for no reason that she had a part of. It is very sweet to see her be so tenderhearted. As my days with her as the youngest draw to a close I am slightly sad. Just a bit though. I love all by babies and in someways want to keep them my baby forever. Even if I wanted to Gwen seems pretty determined to grow up.

Adding #5

To add another baby into this house without adding any additional furniture (as in a new dresser) has taken some creative thought. Andrew and Zane share some clothing already: socks, pj's and occasionally, if the situation is necessary, underwear. Zane's dresser is quite large and Andrew's is my old one from when I was growing up. I have thought for quite awhile that if I just got a couple of bins I could combine the boys into one dresser and have some extra room in their bedroom. Adding this baby has been the perfect catalyst to make these changes happen. Since storage bins are at a super low cost right now, we picked up 4 bins today for the boys shirts and summer clothing. Of course this change required me to go through both kids drawers to determine what clothing still fit and what was too small. I was happy to discover that no bins are overflowing with clothing and even after I do laundry I should still be able to get everything into a space without cramming. Hooray for organization! Now I just have to get the girls room all set up and Gwen adjusted to sharing with Lucy and we will be really headed in the right baby preparation direction.

My Sweet Zane

There should be a picture attached to this post but one of the girls broke my SD card reader for my camera so I will just have to attach one later I suppose. This morning I woke up late. Like really late. It was 7:59 when I rolled out of bed and stumbled downstairs. Andrew has to walk out the door for the bus at 8:20. He was not dressed, had not eaten breakfast and his lunch was not made. Not a great start of the morning. I started Andrew moving in the get ready for school direction and threw together a lunch for him and breakfast for everyone. In the nick of time we scurried out the door and managed to make the bus. I was in pj's under some sweat pants but considering the situation I didn't think it was too bad.

You may be wondering what this has to do with my Zane boy. Well, while I was at the bus with Andrew, Zane was very busy getting Lucy dressed. I suppose I should give Lucy some props too because it is impossible for Zane to be a helper with Lucy unless Lucy wants to be helped. Anyway, next thing I know Zane has Lucy completely dressed, including socks and shoes and coat, ready and waiting to go to the gym. Impressed I was!

Then this afternoon I set up some preschool computer games for Zane to play and Lucy to watch and laid down on the couch for a little rest. Sometimes Zane can be quite pesty when I am trying to sleep but today he finished with his game and then sat down to watch Let's Make a Deal (our typical afternoon show). He didn't wake me up at all and very sweetly went and got Gwen out of her crib when she got up too. It was such a wonderful way for the day to go. Especially when I was about ready to fall over with exhaustion!

EDIT** Got a new card reader. Now for the girls to not destroy it.

New Year with the Kiddos

Andrew had to return to school this morning and that means business as usual at our house. Since the start of the year there have been only a few changes. The biggest one is that Lucy no longer consistently naps. Although today she decided to voluntarily snooze on the couch. She must have been exhausted!

Most afternoons I have Lucy and Zane to deal with which has been a bit of a bummer as far as Zane is concerned. He really seemed to enjoy the consistent mommy time and Lucy being awake definitely throws a major wrench in it. Often though I can get Lucy involved with either coloring or play-doh or something like that to find a smidgen of time with my boy. It doesn't take much but it absolutely makes a world of difference in his life.

I am also happy to report that for the first time Zane told me he really wants to go to school. Hallelujah! I thought the day would never arrive. I am excited to see the world of kindergarten though his eyes next year. He is going to have such a wonderful time and it will be such fun to hear about all his adventures and see all his handiwork.