It's Friday!!

TGIF!!!

This week has flown by! And I'm so glad it's Friday!

Tonight we have a fundraiser dinner at Kylie's school and she will be singing. My mom, dad and sister will be coming which will be nice.

Tomorrow, John and my dad are taking the kids to the power show. This is an annual tradition for them...there are all kinds of big trucks for the kids to climb on and look at. My mom, Ryan and I will be hanging out at home :)

I really hope to relax and get some stuff done around the house this weekend. So far work is going really well so hopefully I won't have to do any of that :) I just want to snuggle up on the couch with Ry-Ry and watch TV :)

Nothing else is really going on...we're dealing with some serious attitude problems from Kylie towards our nanny. I know she's just testing her, but it's still so very frustrating to come home every day and hear how mean Kylie was. I feel like all I'm doing is punishing her! I know we will get through this...I just hope it's soon :)

Misc. Stuff...

-It took me 1 1/2 hours to get to work today (it normally takes me 1/2 hour). People have no idea how to drive in the snow!

-We're supposed to get a ton more snow today and tonight...I will be taking my work home with me just in case :)

-I'm on a serious work-out/weight-loss kick. I'm doing so well with my eating and going to the gym. I was pleasantly surprised last night when I weighed myself that I weigh 6 lbs. less than I thought I did...so I only have 14 lbs. to lose instead of 20!

-I would like to lose a lot of that before our trip to Florida in two months.

-We'll see how good I can keep being :)

-Ryan is still sleeping in my bed with me. I hate it! But he is so freaking adorable... :)

-Kylie and Josh are great...I'm trying so hard to balance my time with them!

-Work is busy...better get back to it :)

Ryan Update...

Ryan turned 4 months on January 20th. Here are the results from his well-check:


Weight: 15 lbs. 13 oz (75%) (Holy Moly!)
Length: 25 1/2 inches long (75%)


We're going to start him on cereal this weekend...I can't believe he's ready for solid foods already!


He is smiling so much now! He has also started laughing a little when he's super happy. He reaches his hands (still very awkwardly) to grab at stuff, and everything goes in his mouth!


If you kiss anywhere near his mouth he tries to eat you...I love it!


He is constantly eating his hands. I'm starting to think he likes the sensation on his fingers because when I put my fingers in his mouth, he bites for a second and then pushes them out, whereas the other kids would chomp away on my fingers too.


He has not rolled over again since the first time a month ago. I think he's too fat :) I think his thighs are bigger than Kylie's :) But he is the cutest thing!

He "talks" all the time. But it's hard to understand him because his hands are in his mouth when he's talking to us :)

He's still not sleeping well. He wants someone to hold him when he sleeps, including at night, so I usually only get a few hours of sleep without having to hold him. He is still getting up once at night to eat (and we can all see he does not need that food!).


He still has the biggest, most beautiful blue eyes. We can thank Grandma Stickel for those...she gave them to kylie and it looks like maybe ryan will be keeping his (she's the only one on both sides that has blue eyes).


He is such a wonderful little guy*!



*and by "little," I mean big and fat :)

Boobie-Feeding

I am nursing Ryan. I nursed the other kids as well…I do it for one year and then I give them the boot :) I do it because 1.) it helps me lose weight faster; 2.) it is so much cheaper than formula; 3.) it’s so nice and convenient…I can’t even imagine having to make a bottle in the middle of the night! and 4.) there is a huge nutritional value for the baby. I don’t really get the whole “bonding” thing…I’ve given my kids bottles and I bond with them just as much then as when my boob is in their mouth (and I don’t feel quite so violated which is nice). And yes, at times there is a nice feeling when the baby cries until I hold it and feed it and it really only wants me, but honestly, that’s annoying more times than warm and fuzzy. I have really enjoyed though the “excuse” of having to feed Ryan…sometimes it’s nice to lock myself in my room and watch TV and get away from everyone!

However, I am not the typical “pro-breastfeeding” type of girl. I hate breastfeeding in public (although with my third I’m a lot more apt to do it than I was with Ky or Josh)…I usually go out to the car and feed Ryan if he needs to eat. It also makes me uncomfortable to see other moms nursing…why? I have no idea! I also have no problem giving my kids formula and we stuck bottles and pacifiers in their mouths as soon as they were born. I don’t like feeling trapped…it’s too hard for John and I to go away for a weekend because I’d have to pump every so many hours which is just annoying! And my body is not my own…I go 9 months watching everything that goes into my mouth, and while it’s not even close to as bad (I drink alcohol and am able to take drugs again if I’m sick), it’s still not the same.

And the biggest way I’m not the typical “pro-breastfeeding” girl? I DON’T LOVE DOING IT!!!

Some of that may have to do with the whole pumping-thing. Yes, I pump at work…always have. I’m very lucky in that my body has no problem providing more than enough food for my little babies (my in-laws often joke about how full our freezer always was and gave me a sticker that says “got milk?”). But to take time out of my day (usually 2 or 3 times per day) to sit and pump just sucks!

But I realized I’m not hating it as much this time…and you know why? In the past I’ve always had to load up my stuff and head off to a conference room (at my old job it had a glass door so I had to tape paper all over it to cover it up) and sit there for 10 minutes doing my thing. But now? I have an office! All I have to do is close the door and go to work! I can browse the internet for a few minutes and the time goes by so quickly!

It still doesn’t change how I feel about the whole thing, but at least I’m lucky enough to be able to not have to leave my office anymore to pump! And in the end, I really do it because I believe it’s the best decision for my babies and myself (even if I do complain about it)**. And if anyone out there ever needs advice or has any questions, I do consider myself an expert now :)


**I have absolutely nothing against bottle-fed babies - the decision has to be what's best for each baby and mother/father

Misc. Stuff...

Life is definitely getting busy! This past weekend we were able to relax a little…I had to work some but other than that we didn’t have too much going on.

Last night we had some friends over to discuss Sunday school planning – John and I are in charge of Journey Kidz, which is the group of kids 18 months – 4 years. Our friends are in charge of the babies, so we’re trying to work together to get scheduling done and just try to figure everything out (we were all just put in charge of this). The kids all had a blast playing together and it was nice to do something that made me completely forget about work.

Work is starting to get really busy…I like that my days go by fast, but I’m about to get to a point where I’ll be leaving work just to go home and work some more, which I will hate.

That’s about it…oh, and I’m on Facebook now…so if any of you want to be friends, look me up or let me know!

Christmas 2008

Finally my Christmas Post :)

We worked really hard this year to try to have everything done the weekend before Christmas, and we were really, really close. This made that week of Christmas very nice and relaxing! My mom was in town, and then my sister came in from Michigan Tuesday night. Unfortunately we got a very big ice storm that evening so it took her forever to get here, but thankfully she arrived safe and sound.

The Friday before Christmas Kylie had her class party, which I got to go to:

Christmas Eve my mom, sister, Kylie and I headed out to do a few last-minute errands (I had to mail my Christmas cards, grocery shop, and my mom had to pick up a present). When we got home I started to work on our Christmas Eve dinner (prime rib, green beans and mashed potatoes).

Our church did not have a Christmas Eve service, and since we go to church all the time, we didn’t feel it necessary to attend some other church just to go. So that took a lot of time pressure off of us this year! My mom, sisters, dad and Kylie all went to a service, so we were able to finish wrapping some presents and get dinner finished up.

Dinner was awesome! I mean really, how can you go wrong with prime rib? After dinner we relaxed a little bit and then the kids opened presents. They got to open their PJs from us, and their presents from my sisters. Then they put out the cookies and milk for Santa and headed up to bed.

Once the kids were in bed we made some adult hot chocolate and my sisters and I all exchanged presents. It was so nice and relaxing! Both of my sisters spent the night and my parents were in their house next door.

Christmas morning we woke up around 7:30. The kids actually didn’t wake up until around 8:00. Kylie was so excited about everything she had gotten in her stocking. My sister put the sticky buns in the oven and we started into the presents! Joshie got his long anticipated gumball machine and Kylie got her “I Gotta Go Doll.”

My sister with Ryan:

After presents we ate a great brunch and just hung out for a little bit. Around 3:30 we headed over to John’s sister’s house for his family Christmas. We had a great dinner and watched a great family slide show that his sister prepares every year. Then it was present time!

I don't have any pictures of Kylie and Josh at John's sister's house...when we go to cousin Carson's house, we never see the kids...they are always off playing!

We got home pretty late and everyone headed to bed. My sister was able to stay with us until Sunday, so we spent the next couple days cooking with all my new toys (a new fryer, knives, WOK, and lots of other cool gadgets) and just hanging out. The time went by way too quickly!

Joshie and Daddy shaving with Joshie's new shaving kit:

Our Christmas card picture:

Misc. Stuff...

What a busy week for us! Monday night we had a meeting about childcare at our church, then last night we had house church, tonight Kylie has gymnastics and then we desperately want to go to the gym, and then tomorrow night I have my moms' group. No one is getting enough sleep with all of this craziness. Hopefully this weekend I'll get to rest up.

Work is starting to get really busy...I'm really hoping that it's not as bad as last year. The one advantage I have this year is that I'm not pregnant!

Ryan is doing a little better with the whole sleep thing. He got sick about a month ago, and before that he was sleeping through the night in his little bed next to mine. Once he got sick, all he wanted to do was sleep in my arms. And even now that he's better, that's where he wants to be. Last night I was able to put him in his bed (sound asleep of course), and then he woke up at 2:30 AM to eat (in his defense he hadn't eaten since 5:30 the night before, so he went 9 hours), slept in my arms for an hour or two, and then I put him back in his bed. I just want to get back to the way it was!

Our nanny is fantastic! I she texts me throughout the day with little updates about how things are going. She is so great with the kids and they really like her, which makes going to work so much easier!

OK, off to work...I just want it to be Friday :)

Kylie's First Sleepover

On Friday night Kylie had her first real sleepover (the first one that started with her playing with a friend and ended with her playing with a friend...she had attempted to spend the night at someone's house another time but came back home around 11:30).

Her little friend Isabella called all week and she and Kylie were trying to arrange a playdate. Friday when I got home from work I told Ky to call her and set something up for the evening. Somehow Kylie started talking about a sleepover. I really didn't care...I didn't have anything going on and I figured that this would keep her occupied and I could guilt-free get some make-up cuddling time with Ryan. So I talked to Isabella's mom and we got the whole thing set up.

The girls played wonderfully together! And for a good part of the night they actually included Josh too, which was really nice. They ended the evening watching a movie, eating popcorn and cookies and then off to bed around 10:45.

I woke up to them giggling around 8:00. Hubby got up with them and let me have a little more sleep. We all ate breakfast and then her mom came and picked her up.

I have to admit I'm glad that her first sleepover was at our house...it's going to be a lot harder for me to let her go to other people's houses (but I know I will have to).

The only bad thing was that Isabella's mom called us Saturday night and told us that Isabella had the stomach flu. Of course she played with everyone, including Ryan, and slept in Kylie's bed. I'm praying very hard that none of us get it!

A Conversation About Where Ryan Came From...

Last night in the car John and I were listening in on the most adorable conversation between Kylie and Josh:

Kylie: "Mommy and Daddy took me on a special date to Red Lobster one time"
Josh: "I want to go"
Kylie: "No Joshie, you stayed home with Pappaw when we went"
Josh: "Was Ryan in mommy's tummy?"
Kylie: "No, this was when Ryan was up in Heaven with God"
Josh: "Huh?"
Kylie: "Ryan was up in Heaven with God before he was in mommy's belly"
Josh: "Did God hold Ryan?"
Kylie: "No, he was just...there"
Josh: "Huh?"
Kylie: "Ryan was up in Heaven with God and then God said 'I think mommy needs another
baby' so he threw Ryan into mommy's belly"
Josh: "Did it hurt Ryan when God threw him?"
Kylie: "Well He didn't throw Him...he used His magic and put Ryan in mommy's belly"
Josh: "Huh?"
Kylie: "God has magic. And He used His magic when he decided that mommy needed another
baby...He put Ryan in mommy's belly"
Josh: "Oooohhhh, I'm going to ask Santa for wings!!!"

I couldn't make that conversation up if I wanted to!

Payback - 20 years later...

When I was little I would often come up with these "great" ideas involving me going to someone's house or them coming over to my house to play. And since these ideas were so "great," I felt the need to bombard my mother with them as soon as they popped into my head. But she would always squish them and tell me that I can't tackle her with my ideas as soon as she walks in the door, or as soon as she wakes up, or as soon as she finishes doing something, etc.

I hated that. I wanted to play at someone's house and that couldn't wait for her to get dressed, or take her coat off or whatever she was doing!

Last night I experienced the frustration that my mom felt so many times with me :) I walked in the door from work and Kylie is standing in the laundry room talking on the phone. I had not even closed the door yet and she tells me "Isabella wants me to come over for a playdate...can you talk to her?"

Now my first reaction was to scold her and tell her that I just got home, I hadn't taken my coat off yet and I needed to go see the other kids and talk to the nanny. But I remembered how I felt when I was little, so I tried to find a compromise...I told her to keep talking while I put my stuff down and said "hello" to everyone, and then I would talk to her. I was also surprised because Kylie has never talked on the phone to anyone other than family before, so it was a shock to see her on the phone with one of her friends from school.

It turns out 5 year-old phone understanding is non-existent because the rest of the night was spent playing phone tag because one girl would hang up on the other one or messages weren't taken properly, so no play date was ever scheduled.

But I have to admit it was very cute to see her all grown up, talking on the phone, and so excited about playing with one of her friends.

Yesterday was OK. I did have to leave work to take Ry to the doctor - he's had a horrible cough for 2 weeks now. Turns out he has bronchiolitis (which is viral) and an ear infection. Thankfully he's still smiling and laughing and eating, so it's not too bad.

The kids loved the nanny yesterday. I loved her as well as I walked in to find my laundry done! That is not part of her job description and yet it was done. She says she loves doing laundry. She can love it and do it all she wants because I hate it!

Tonight I have dinner with the girls at PF Changs. I love that place and I love dinner with the girls, so it should be a fun time.

I hope to post about our Christmas soon...I need to get the pictures on to my computer.

Back For Good...

I'm back at work today. With no hopes of any time off for a couple months. This time is a lot harder than the other times...little Ry-Ry really has a firm grip on my heart and my heart is hurting right now. I can't figure out what it is about this little guy that has captivated me so much more than the other two did.

It is also so hard not being able to play with the kids...to talk to them while they eat breakfast, to read to them, to watch TV with them. But on the flip side, it's also nice not having to figure out when I'm going to get something to eat, or how I'm going to take a shower if Ry-Ry is fussy.

I miss daytime TV :)

Thankfully I have found a fantastic nanny. She has already texted me a few times about how the kids are doing and it's only 9:15 AM!

I know that I will get through this...I know that after a few days or weeks I will be back to normal and it won't hurt so much to go to work.

I miss my kids :(