Kids

Kids

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Big hug!

To be honest, I don't like putting Nola to bed. By the end of the day I'm tired, and getting her bathed and ready can just be so much work! I usually just want to get Robbie to sleep and then crawl into my own bed. Usually Doug gets Nola to bed, however he is working, so the lot falls on me. I was dreading bed time...I put her down nearly 45 minutes later than normal, hoping that Doug would arrive just in time to take over. So, what did my dreaded night consist of?

- Nola, while in the tub, puts a teething ring around Elmo's neck and says, 'Elmo so coot(cute)! Mommy, Elmos pitty(pretty)!'
- After her bath, Nola sat on her chair and quietly ate a banana while I combed her hair.
- Nola asked to read Big Bird's Book of ABC's. She identified every letter correctly, even if I messed up their order.
- After our book, she jumped on her bed to get out some wiggles. Mid-jump, she stopped, looked at me with a huge smile, threw her arms in the air and said 'Big Hug!' She then hoped down from her bed, ran to me and gave me a long, tight squeeze.
- Nola said her first prayer tonight.
- As I left her room, she said 'Night-night Mommy. Love you.'

I am humbled. Had I waited to have Doug put Nola to bed, or had I skipped bath time and rushed to get her in bed, I would have missed some pretty amazing moments. Thank you Nola, for softening my heart.

Middle-of-the-night moments

Nola wakes at 3:30am, screaming. Not sure if she fell out of her bed, had a bad dream or what, I go to her and kneel down by her bed. Between sniffles she says,
"Snuggle Mommy, peas?"
"Of course, baby."
I pack her into my room, lay her in bed between Doug and I and rub her delicate, little back. Her breathing slows as she slips back to sleep.
Perfection.

Robbie is up for his regular feeding at 1:00am. I go into his room, scoop him up out of his crib, change is nappy and swaddle him tight. By the glow of his night-light, we rock back and forth as he quietly and gentley nurses. His nursing slows to a stop. His little body swells with each breath as he relaxes into a deep sleep. I look at his sweet face and can see into the Heavens.
Bliss.

How grateful I am for middle-of-the-night moments.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Welcome back sleep!

A week or so ago, we were having a lot of issues with Robbie sleeping. It was really strange - while he was awake, he was happy as a clam! He would smile, coo, bounce and giggle. He would lay under his play mat and play with his toys for nearly a half hour without a fuss! When it came time to sleep, he would nurse beautifully and fall asleep in his crib. However, 20 minutes after being laid down, he would wake up, SCREAMING! He would sleep for a little longer - 40 minutes max - if he was sleeping in bed with me, however I am very uncomfortable with my babies in my bed so this wasn't a solution. After 5 nights in a row of little to no sleep and two days of next to nothing for naps, I took him to the ER to see if everything was ok. After five and a half hours, the Dr. couldn't see anything wrong, so we went home. I asked on Facebook if anyone had tips on helping him sleep and I got lots of great ideas, however nothing made the difference. I was starting to feel very dicouraged. I tried to remember if Nola went through anything like this and then it hit me...AMBER!

When Nola was 5 months (Robbie's age) she ha a horrible time teething. The poor thing was all out of sorts. No medicine would help and I was at a loss. To be honest, when I bought the amber necklace I didn't think it would really work, I was just out of ideas! After having the necklace on Nola for about 24 hours, her symptoms nearly disappeared!! Overnight, she was her old, happy self! Maybe it would work for Robbie.

On Saturday morning, I put Nola's amber necklace on Robbie and since then, he has been sleeping better than ever! 6-7 hour stretches, 2 hour naps, it's been great!

Whether the amber really works or it's just a strange coincidence, I don't care! It's working and we are all sleeping! Yay!

For those interested in trying amber for themselves or their children, here is a link to the wesite where I purchased mine.

http://hyenacart.com/stores/inspiredbyfinn/

Friday, February 17, 2012

What's your news?

Each morning Nola has a set of cartoons she watches. One of them is called 'What's your news?' It's adorable! It's a bunch of ant's who do the news :)


Anywho, on the show, children call in to the 'What's your news' telephone to share their news. When the host, Gi, picks up the phone, he says, 'What's your news?'

Nola's conversation with herself as she played with her phone this morning.

Picks up phone.
'Hello? Ramma? Whats news? Call Rampa? OK. Bye bye'
Hangs up phone.
Picks up phone.
'Hello? Rampa? Called you back! Whats news? Call GG? OK. Bye bye'
Hangs up phone.
Picks up phone.
'Hello? GG? Miss you. Whats news? Call Robbie? OK. Bye bye'
Hangs up phone.
Favortie song comes on the TV.
Done with phone.

This made me smile.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

A lesson to be learned

I have been taught that this life is meant to be enjoyed, although not all of our experiences will be enjoyable. I myself have experienced agony, affliction, illness and heartache in my life, however in the long run have been able to learn, grow and enjoy the fruits of my trials. I can honestly say that I am grateful for my trials, every last one of them. So, why am I struggling with this so much?

The problem? I am empathetic, which I have always considered a good character trait, however it seems to be dominating my emotions as of late and it's exhasuting. As I have thought about it, I am almost certain it has to do with my current calling. Being in the Relief Society presidency exposes me to the struggles and challenges of those I associate with. I have shed many tears for the trials my sisters face. I have asked my president on more than one occasion, 'How do you cope?' and each time I ask, she gives the same response, 'We all have our journey.' Yes! We do! I know my life is a journey and everything I have experienced has been for a purpose. I truely am grateful for my trials and I know I am the only one who can face them, yet I have been losing sleep over the trials of others. I just can't seem to cope. I feel the need to step in a do something to help my friends, to fix the problem, when in all reality, I can't.

Then, something happened. Today I ran in to a dear friend of mine whom I haven't seen in a quite some time. While conversing, the friend disclosed that they have been seriously struggling. My heart dropped. All I could think of was 'Where was I when all this was going on? Why didn't I offer to help? Why didn't I bring them dinner? Why didn't I take their kids?' Hours after this happened, Doug could tell something was wrong so I explained what happened. Once I spit it all out to Doug, he asked 'Well, where were you when this was going on?' Then it happened...my A-Ha moment. While all this was going on, I was at home, seriously ill with my pregnancy with Robbie, struggling to tend to Nola's basic needs. Why didn't I offer to help? Because I couldn't. Why didn't I offer to bring them dinner or take their kids? Because I couldn't even cook a meal for my own family. We all have our journey.

My devotion is to my family first and I believe that is how it is supposed to be. I am grateful for my desire to serve and even more grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who can help me differentiate where my time needs to go. I pray that we can all face our trials and enjoy this journey we call life.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Blessed

Before starting this post, I sat at the computer for a moment contemplating what I would title this post. What word or phrase could I use to convey my feelings?

My children. How truely blessed I am to be the mother of my children. Words will never express the love from a Mother to a child. It's such an amazing and perplexing relationship - the highest highs, the lowest lows, and every inch in between. Time can drag on, yet speeds by in an instant. One moment you can't stand to look at them, the next their sweet faces bring you to tears. The worry...oh my, the worry. It's real, it's deep, it's bliss, it's hell, it's exhausting, it's rejuvenating, it's a blessing.

Nola, my darling daughter. You are an example of all that is good in this world. You make me smile and laugh, everyday. The things that come out of your mouth are priceless! You are sensitive and empathetic. You love your fellow man and are always willing to tend to those in need. I never knew someone could be so in touch with not only their emotions, but other's emotions at such a young age. Your hugs and kisses heal all my wounds. You are even tempered and obidient. You have a beautiful spirit about you. Your Grandma always taught me as a young girl to lead with my smile, and it overwhelms me with pride and humility to see you do the same. I love you, with everything that is in me.

Robbie boy, you truely are something else. Never have a met a child like you. I honestly think you are an angel, sent to me from my Father in Heaven. When I hold you and look into your eyes, I can see all that is pure and beautiful in this world. I have enjoyed each and every moment we share. You are getting big and strong. I think the Lord has blessed you with strength - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. You are a strippling warrior, here to defend God's truth. I promise I will do all I can to help you grow.

I am in the depths of humility. I thank the Lord for the blessed calling of 'Mother'.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Best. Weekend. Ever.

At the beginning on January, Doug, Nola, Robbie and I headed out to Medicine Hat for a fun filled weekend with Megan, Matt and the kids. We knew we were going to have a good time, but I don't think we were prepared for that much fun! Weekend highlights

- we made muffins together :) It is such fun baking with family!
- Due to the warm weather we have been having, the boys got to play on the dirtbikes! Nola was so happy to go out for a rip on the 50.
- swimming!! Robbie had his first swimming experience and Nola went on a waterslide! It was awesome.
- dance party!!! My FAVOURITE part of the weekend was our dance party! While making dinner, we blasted the tunes and danced! The kids were hilarious!! Orin is actually a really good dancer, while Ami and Nola (and Megan) were just ridiculous! Haha, I have never laughed and smiled so much in my life!
- Doug got to watch supercross. He was a happy boy!
- we introduced Matt to Triple D (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) and he was pretty excited about it! Haha!

I love my family so much. I have been so blessed to marry into such an amazing group of people! I love my sisters and brothers so much! I can't wait for more fun times with the Mays :)

Disclaimer: Some of these pictures are poor quality, however they mean the world to me!










Big girl bed

It finally happened. Nola Mae monkey girl crawled out of her crib. I will be honest, I experienced A LOT of anxiety with switching Nola from crib to bed. She is a very busy girl and the thought of her not being contained made me VERY uneasy, however the deed was done and she needed to be moved to a bed for safety. Doug and I got her new bed set up and spent quite a bit of time with her in her room familiarizing her with her new bed. Once bed time came, can you guess what happened?? It went like this:

- we laid her down
- she went to sleep

Yup, like nothing had changed. I had literally lost sleep over this, and she transitioned without a peep! Obviously, I need to chill out a little bit :)

Now, nap time has been a little different. I don't think she sleeps during her nap time, I think she just plays in her room quietly. Occasionally I will hear a big 'thud' which is usually her destroying something, but I cannot complain because she will have her nap/quiet time for nearly 2 hours everyday! Yahoo!

Here she is about to sleep in her big girl bed for the first time


And here is evidence that she doesn't really nap


4 month stat!



Weight: 14 lbs 2 oz

Clothing: 3 to 6 months

Diapers: 2

Teeth: none

Loves:
- smiling. Man, he is just the happiest little guy.
- playing with his toys. This past weekend, he started to grab his toys on his play tent! I love watching him grow! He also plays with a light-up ducky :)
- sitting and standing. He is not one to snuggle, but he loves to either sit or stand on my lap. He's my strong boy.
- having a bath. He could be screaming his lungs out, but once you get him in his bath, he's as happy as a clam.
- yammering! This kid doesn't shut up, but it's a good thing.
- drooling. Well, I don't know if he loves it, but he sure does it a lot.

Dislikes:
- being left alone. He is happy and calm if you are in the room with him, but when he's left alone, he's got something to say about it.

Milestones:
- grabbing his toys.
- almost rolling over. He makes it up on to his side and gets stuck.

Mommy loves:
- darn near everything. I am enjoying Robbie so much!
- his smiles.
- bath time.
- nursing. This may be my favorite part of babies.
- listening to his stories. They go on and on!

I love my porkchop so much! He has such a special spirit and I am so glad to be his Mommy.