In which I'm grateful for my two year old Peach

I am grateful for this little Peach.  Today is her birthday and she is TWO. 

She loves to make her toys talk.  She lines them up and diapers them and puts them down for naps. 

Peach colors on the walls, cabinets, fridge, and even windows. 

She cuddles and giggles and has a sing-song voice.  She loves to watch Blues Clues. 

Peach smiles for everyone except the doctor. 

Danny got home from his deployment one week ago today.  When he walked in, Peach took one look at him and ran away screaming and crying.  He happened to be dressed in almost the same uniform as the doctor. 

I love you my Peach!  I hope you always stay sweet and happy. 

Peach is officially of age!

Peach is 18 months old today! 

That means tomorrow she gets to join Nursery at church.  It's a 2-hour class geared to children 18 months to 3 years that sing and talk about Jesus and play with toys and eat snacks while the parents go to their classes.

No longer will she be passed around the Primary room distracting teachers and little girls that want to play with her.

She is a happy, easy-going, busy little girl. 

(She's never been higher than the 8th percentile for height.)

Peach likes to do whatever the twins do.  She doesn't know how little she is.  Most of the time they are amused at their little tag-along.

Peach still sits in a rear-facing infant seat in the van.  But when her baby sister is born in August, she will graduate to forward facing.  probably.

Peach got her bloggy-nickname because she was born with just a little fuzzy red hair that made her look like a peach.  I know one day she'll get enough hair to put in pigtails or barrettes. 

Taking Danny to our secret park

Peach and her tongue (she's cutting molars)

Hammy and Gabbers love to swing! 

Bun and his new sling shot

Squdge in a tree

This is our favorite park.  My friend said once, "[This park] is the secret nugget of parks in [this town]." Except of course, she used the park name and the city name. :P

It's true. It has picnic tables, benches, a bathroom, shade, terrific climbing trees, playground equipment, and NO ONE is ever there. Why? I can't figure it out. But we're not telling. It's the perfect place to chat with my friend and let our kids play for hours.

Tater, Peach, and some preggo chunk

I did tell Danny though about it.  Danny came home for an unexpected visit between training and deployment.  We took him to this park last Saturday after running errands.  I intended to get pictures of him with the kids, but somehow he ended up holding the camera.

Pookie talking about how some of his army men are camouflaged by the wood chips

Peach checking out the camera up close

Twin buddies on a slide (Squdge on left, Tater on right)

Me, Peach, and Pookie

Freshly scrubbed Peach

I love this little pink thing.

More than the Spirit

Dear Journal,

Today we had an amazing Relief Society lesson.  I felt the whisperings of the spirit bear testimony of the truthfulness.

Baby Girl slept peacefully in the sling while I played the opening hymn on the piano.   I have just been called as the Relief Society pianist-- a calling that I love.  I don't play the piano much at home these days.  Life's a little busy.  I might go a whole week and sit down only once at home to play.  So to be guaranteed that I will be playing the piano every Sunday after Sacrament meeting and Gospel Doctrine, well, it puts a little extra spring in my step.  Playing His holy hymns only brings me closer to Him.  And that's a great place to be.

I wanted to stay for the entire Relief Society meeting and not leave to feed or change Baby Girl.  But she's almost three months old.

Sometime between two and three months old with each of my seven children, they um . . . how do I put this delicately? . . . forget how to poop.

Being exclusively bre*stfed, they have soft stools and usually poop two to three times a day (some were more often).

Well, starting with Pookie I called the doctor very concerned when it had been three days with no sign.  The doctor said, "Oh, that's perfectly normal.  Some babies only have a BM once a week."

"But not Pookie," I responded.  "He goes at least three times a day... until now."

"Yes, but babies this age start to realize they have to push to make it happen.  They also must learn to relax at the same time.  This is the result.  A baby going three times a day suddenly might go to once every couple of days."    I'm paraphrasing this.  It was nine years ago.

So about this age they all have done this and then there's an explosion.

Today the pressure was building during Relief Society.  Like I mentioned above, it was an amazing lesson.  I didn't want to miss a bit of it.

When Baby Girl started fussing and squirming, I got up and stood in the back of the room with her over my arm to help her feel comfortable.  The gas started.  Other than the person giving the lesson, the whole room was silent.  There was no question where those loud noises were coming from.

A letter to my daughter

Dear Baby Girl,

Today you are 2 months old.

You are a refreshing glimpse of heaven. 

You laugh in your sleep.

You smile-talk so sweet.

We are all under your magical spell frittering the hours

away just staring at you.

Love,

Mommy

Who needs Barbies?

Baby Girl at 17 days old (about 6 1/2 lbs.)

Gabbers and I are sure enjoying playing dress up with this new dolly.  Notice the teensy tiny beaded socks?  Too fun. 

P.S.  I was never into playing with Barbies.  I have always loved the baby dolls.

Putting on the weight this holiday season

With great relief I bring you the Baby Girl update.  In three days, she has gained 7 oz.  Thank you all for your kind words, emails, and prayers.  

 And now for a totally unrelated picture for those in need of a Squdgy and Tater fix.  Sorry it's blurry.  If any of you know how I can convince them to sit still for a picture, especially one of them caught in the act, or that matter, sit still at all, please leave a comment.

In no time at all, Tater (on the left) and Squdge (on the right) have mastered scaling over the barriers and getting to the tree. 

Baby Girl update

Baby Girl's goal of gaining half an ounce per day is not being reached.  We had high hopes that after her tongue-tie was clipped last Tuesday, that her weight gain would pick up.  In one whole week she has gained one-half an ounce. 

I am grateful that it was a gain and not a loss. 

in which I whine and then give thanks

Baby Girl is 3 weeks old today.  I hesitated blogging this or not.  But since my blog is very much a journal for me, I decided to post.  One day I'll be able to look back and read this free from the stress I'm typing into it today.

We are praying for weight gain here.  Baby Girl is "Failure to Thrive."

This Tuesday, the 30th of November, she had a wide-base tongue-tie clipped.  Isn't it amazing that the first four kids had no problem with tongue-tie but the youngest three do?

In Baby Girl's case, her tongue-tie has caused a lot of weight loss. At 10 days old she had dropped an entire pound from her birth-weight.

Now she's healing from the clipping. I have to push up the underside of her tongue 3-4 times a day so it doesn't scar over. She is NOT okay with it. I feel like I'm torturing her. I keep telling myself that "this too shall pass" and it won't be any time at all when I'll look back and it will be a faint memory, like . . .

losing my full-time full-benefits job when I was 7 months pregnant with my oldest.

like the nightmarish c-section.

the day I lost all touch with reality.

hospitalizing my 9 lb. 3 month old Gabbers for RSV.

ridding my home of all gluten when I was (mis)diagnosed Celiac.

losing a triplet.

surviving negative 50 degree temps in the Frozen North

continuing the first trimester of a multiples pregnancy with a crazy bout of influenza while my hubby was away at training in another timezone.

haha.  I sound like I've had an adventurous life. But no.  not really.

But all these things seemed near-unbearable at the time. 

And I survived.  Thanks to my Heavenly Father.

This too shall pass.

Bloggy world meet Baby Girl

Picture taken Thursday, November 18, 2010