Aubree at 11 months

This past month has been a busy one for Aubree. Just when I think I'm figuring her out she throws me another curve ball...

Sleeping: I started sleeping upstairs again at the beginning of April. We moved Aubree into our closet when Steve and Steph came for a visit. Aubree miraculously started waking only once a night! Then by the end of April she sleeps pretty much through the night. If she does wake I don't feed her.  She still takes two naps (the morning nap is the best 1.5-2hours). I read to her before putting her to bed. She really likes Goodnight Moon right now. She points at things and turns the pages. If she is over tired she just wants to throw the book:)

Teeth: The beginning of April she got her first 2 bottom teeth.

Food: A huge change! The week my brother and his family spent with us was fun but I think it may have thrown Aubree off her game big time. Aubree has always been a Mama's girl but during this week she was pretty much on my hip. Then Sunday morning, the day after company left, she decided to go on what is called a "nursing strike". She just refuses to nurse! She cried constantly for Dan at church so I kept her with me throughout the 2nd and 3rd hour in primary. Any time I tried to nurse she would throw her head back, arch, and scream. Since she doesn't take a bottle, or really a sippy I decided to take her to the Pediatrician first thing Monday morning. Aubree did have her 5th ear infection and the doctor thought that, with a possibility of teeth, may have caused this nursing strike. I was told to just keep working with her and she'd return to nursing within a couple days. HA! Over the next week I went to or talked with the doctor almost daily. Aubree wasn't drinking and the ogmentin was causing diarrhea. Dan and I were really worried she was getting dehydrated. I tried multiple types of sippy cups, juice, formula (because my milk supply changed drastically), milk, a medicine dropper full of fluid, regular cup, and pedialyte push pops. I tried nursing her in the tub, dark closet, to sleep, when she was well rested, in bed but nothing has worked. So, I guess I'm done. She's had almost a solid 11 months of breast milk and that's good enough. I give her the 6oz of breast milk I can pump now and a little bit of cows milk, water, and pedialyte push-pops.  I do miss the cuddle time of nursing and really wonder why this abrupt stop? With the end of nursing has also come her complete disinterest in baby food. She eats what we eat now.


Moving: By the end of April Aubree started rocking on her hands and knees. She does't crawl but falls forward reaching for what she wants and rolls around. She can walk holding our hands but hasn't started pulling herself up to anything or holding on to furniture.

New tricks/words: Her first official word is Hi! She'll say it ovFive Little Monkeys and does the actions with us. er and over or just once when she sees you. She has started opening and closing her hands to say hi and bye. I'm trying to teach her to blow a kiss, she puts her hand to her mouth and it's the cutest. She loves the song

I can't believe Aubree will be ONE soon! And yet its been a tough and long first year!

Five kids and each one has been such a different experience!

My Handful

I am so grateful to Dan for working so hard so that I can be home with our kids. Though this motherhood job is the hardest thing I've ever done it's the best job.

Jacob:
Is doing great in school. He is self motivated and stays on top of all his work. We've had several letters/emails about his attendance though. Jake still has 22 more weekly allergy shots to go before they become less frequent. I'm having a hard time knowing how to keep up with all the appointments for the kids without it affecting each other or their attendance. Jake alone has seen the dentist, orthodontist, dermatologist, and allergist in the last two months. At his Orthodontic appointment we learned that he needs oral surgery to get rid of 4 baby teeth that are stuck in his bone before he get braces. He has started to have small reactions to the allergy shots each week and we're doing Zyrtec daily and steroid creme to help his skin not react so badly to grass and pollen. He's a trooper, hardly complains. When he has a rough day I think it really is because he just not feeling well. After a couple months of waiting to see if the wart on his hand would go away Dr. Yeager decided to take care of it. He prescribed numbing cream which Jake caked on the hour leading up to his appointment. Unfortunately the cream didn't really do anything. It broke my heart to stand next to Jake holding his hand while he cried in pain. The numbing shot really hurt and lasted longer than I thought it would. I was fighting the tears as my little man cried. Poor Tess was there with me holding Aubree and became very quiet too.

Jake became a car rider in March and now only takes the bus occasionally.
Jake is enjoying soccer again. I'm grateful he's got such a great coach.

Funny moment-- I was laying on my bed while the kids were getting ready for bed. Jake came and plopped down on the bed beside me. I caught a whiff of his body odor! I smiled and congratulated him just as Dan walked in and gave him a high five. Jake was grinning ear to ear. It just made me laugh that this will probably be the ONLY time I'll be excited for him to be stinky by me! Ha!

Jake and Dan have been to the D.C. Temple twice now for youth temple trips. Jake was grinning ear to ear when he came home the first time. I think he felt the happiness that is present there and was glad it came home with him. He has taken on a mowing job for our new neighbors until they move in the Summer. He does most of the job with a little help from Dan.

Tess:
Is doing great in school. She is involved in a lot! She is doing the musical, 5th grade talent show act, Running Chics and Activity Day Girls. She wanted to do soccer with Abby and Jake but I knew her schedule was too full already. She stays after school 3-4 times a week. It's funny, Jake asks me on a weekly basis to stay home from school where as Tess wants to go no matter how she's feeling. She recently had a planer wart frozen on her foot. I offered to have her stay home that day but she wanted to go to school. Unfortunately she called me at the end of the day crying in pain.

Tess has a tender heart, she felt so bad when one of her friends wasn't invited to a birthday party that she was. When Dan left for his big hearing in Florida Tess asked him to come in and say good bye at 5a.m. before he left. She then started her stop watch counting the hours until she sees her Dad again!

Tess came to me after completing her assigned reading for school and asked if what she had just read was "inappropriate". I read it and sure enough, it was. I was proud of her for listening to her feelings and for talking to me about it! I hope it is always that way between us.

Update in June of Tess : Tess surprised me at her band concert.  When her instructor announced that it was time for the fifth grade solos the first one up with Tess. I had no idea she was doing a solo. She did a wonderful job and I was so proud. There was a big crowd to perform in front of and she sailed right through it.   She's has surprised me with her ability to perform in front big crowds. The fifth grade act she danced confidently and smiled the entire time. During the school musical she didn't stumble or forget any lines. Her hard work shows and I am so proud of her.

Abby:
Has lost her two front teeth. The one that wasn't as loose as the other came out first. Dan challenged her to pull her snaggle tooth and promised a $5 reward. Abby went into the bathroom and yanked it out eager to earn her money! Funny girl. I'm sad that her little girl look will change with her smile but it is adorable!  I love how she talks too! Abby is best friends with Hannah Smith who lives back behind us. The Smith's are a great family and I am so thankful Abby has that kind of a friend. Abby was the favorite again this year with her cousins Tate and Lucas. I was so proud of how well she played with everyone during their visit. I love that Abby can be so great at playing with Clara and allows her imagination to take over! She is a very artistic and musical girl. This year of school hasn't been the easiest because of her teacher.  I'm proud of how well she has done and am eager for a better fit next year.

"I call myself cracker-neck. Cause i can crack my neck" as she rolled her head around.

Clara:
Is getting so big! Her legs are stretching out and she's getting tall!
She loves to sleep with Daddy. While I've slept downstairs with Aubree I'm afraid Clara has taken my spot on a regular basis due to "bad dreams".  That'll be fun to fix.

Clara goes through a lot of underwear and cloths each day. Its her second bath and third outfit today and it's only 2pm!

 Clara is the sweetest at giving compliments and love. I have started to see a very unique gift she has of showing Christ-like love. At church last week stopped to talk with Amy Johnston several times and hugged and rubbed her arm. She is so quick to tell everyone she loves them and give hugs.  Her prayers of full of praise and love.

Funny things I've written down that she's said--
1. "This is kinda awkward!"--having to undress down to her undies at a doctor appointment. Yep it sure is!
2. "Can I tell you something?" is asked before saying anything these days.
3. "Ingenious" is the expression she used to describe her mountain of stacked shoes in the mudroom.
4. "Boy Dad, I sure missed you! Top to Bottom!!" This got a loving laugh from her adoring daddy.
5. " and Heavenly Father, I know that this is really hard for you to answer but, How are you doing today? And please bless that Siri will come down to earth."


Aubree: Is the center of our family right now. The kids still enjoy chanting "go Aubree" to see her happy reaction. Dan still love to whisper in her ear. And I have a 23lb attachment throughout most the day. She is growing and changing so quickly. We're gonna miss this!!

Easter

Aubree at 9 months

Weight: 21.13 91%
Height: 29.5 95%
Head:  47.5 cm 99%
(End of March)

Eating: No Teeth. She loves the pouches we timed her one day and she downed that baby in just over a minute! She eats baby food 3 times a day and nurses ever 3-4 hours. She wants to eat what we eat! I've tried the puff but if I don't put it in her mouth (to the side) she can choke on it which has scared me too much so we've stopped.

On the move: She is finally a pretty stable sitter. We pulled out the waker and she loves it. It is hilarious to watch her waddle back and forth. She's got it down now and can go all over in the kitchen and mudroom. She rolls around and does the bum-scoot thing a little. No where near crawling.

Fine motor skills: She can pick up pretty much anything and stick it in her mouth. I'm teaching her the sign for more and and milk.

Speech: She is saying da da da and ma ma ma but not associating it with us. She mimics our sounds pretty well now.

Sickness: It has been one thing after the next. The mild weather this Winter has been so weird and its made us continually sick. Warm then cold. Aubree finished her antibiotics for her 4 ear infection and then immediately started up with a green runny nose and cough. One more ear infection and we go to the ENT for tubes. I kinda wish we could so that I could finally really get her sleeping better. She got the flu the middle of March, it was awful. She wanted me to hold her constantly and only slept 30 minutes at a time.

Sleep: Is frustrating. She wakes 3-4 times a night. She won't take a pacifier, a sippy cup, or anything other than me. I'm her 24 hour comforter. I love snuggling with her but man am I always exhausted trying to keep up with everyone. She naps about twice a day. The best nap is in the morning usually from 9-1030. Then she's tired again by 1230- or 1 but sometimes only sleeps 1 hour and then that's all I get from her til bedtime at 7. She will take a third nap if we are home in the early evening but I'm chauffeuring kids up from after-school activities. If she sleeps in the car than the cat-nap is all she gets.

Her personality: She wants to be held and loves to be with us. Im so grateful for the older kids help with her. I have Jake and Tess who can hold her for me and Abby loves to play with her. I get the most done at the times they are home to hold her so I can do laundry and vacuum. She has the sweetest smile and the cutest laugh. She gets very anxious around other adults unless I am holding her. I hold her a lot! Oh and she still HATES the car. I do my shopping in between her two naps with Clara. Clara asked me today, mom, why do we always have to eat in the car,why can't we picnic....Aubree cries....I race to get shopping done and get home before Aubree's had it or she screams the entire way home. She starts dancing when music comes on. "Go Aubree" family chanting time she loves and she gets a huge grin on her face and starts dancing.

Aubree at 7 Months

At her 6 month well visit the Pediatrician told me to make her go through the night without feeding. But because of her ear infections and all the sickness going around I haven't been able to. It's gotten so bad that I have bleeding ulcers thanks to all the meds I've taken to cope with lack of sleep. 

Aubree has been on antibiotics for almost 2 months straight. Her poor stomach has been upset constantly and she isn't sleeping. Last week the pediatrician told me to do whatever I could to keep Aubree away from anyone who was sick (runny nose or cough!). So, I kept the kids home from church, cancelled play-dates and basically told everyone to keep their distance unless they were 100% healthy. After a week of that I started to sleep train Aubree. It was miserable, awful, and totally stunk. I hate to hear her scream. I stayed on the couch and tried to tune it out with a show. I'm not going to make her go all night. Just 6-7 hours. So after 4 nights that's where we are now. She doesn't sleep through the night but I can handle 1 or 2 feedings rather than 4 a night. I am on medication for the ulcers and can only take tylenol for any pain. She's worth it. I know this goes by way too quickly!

It only took 7 months for Aubree to roll! She is doing pretty well at sitting but spends most of her time in my arms. She is such a chunk and totally wears me out with all the holding. She wears 12 month cloths and her size 4 diapers are getting too small!  No teeth yet but everything goes in her mouth.

Dan doesn't get to see her much but she sure loves him.

Abby and her mini me.

She loves to jump!

Just started sitting in the buggy. Clara's my Costco helper. 

Christmas 2016

This Christmas seemed more hectic and less organized that any in the past. Between the pressure of Dan's new position at work, the massive outbreak of sickness (at church and schools) and then my trip to Utah my Christmas plans didn't go as I'd planned. But we made the most of it.

We did gingerbread houses on our own this year.

We went for a very quick trip to see the D.C. Temple lights. We didn't stay for a performance and man was it crowded! Aubree cried most of the way there and the entire way home.

Tess and I had a lot of fun baking together all day on their first official day off. Taking our plates around was a bust though.

We miss Aimee. The kids all helped wrap presents so there were very few left to wrap by Christmas Eve. After getting the kids off to bed Tess and Jake snuck downstairs to help us and watch a movie! It made the night more fun having them be a part. Unfortunately I forgot to buy or check our yarn supply. So, at 840pm I was searching for an opened store. What's Christmas without yarn all over the house! Luckily I found one spool and we made it last for all the kids. We missed Aimee.

Christmas morning Aubree woke me at 615 so I enjoyed the Christmas lights and reviewed my speaking part for church until I heard feet upstairs. We drank our OJ and let the kids open gifts until 830 when it was time to get ready for church. Dan took Jake and Tess early to help set up the refreshments in the gym for after sacrament meeting. I hate to admit it but I was relieved when church was over. Dan was conducting and had the majority of the entire Christmas Sacrament program planning/carrying out on his shoulders. I was the narrator and sang in the choir. So, I tried not to speak to fast from nerves, enunciate, speak fast enough so that we could all get home, and not mess up. Dan did a great job conducting and then standing in the back with Aubree who did well until the closing song...she wailed through Joy To the World. Then cried while I tried to visit with a few people and then sped home with a screaming baby and an Abby trying to cope. Dan got home an hour late with Jake and Tess after cleaning everything up. Then we had our Christmas breakfast and did treasure hunts and more gifts. The last gift was opened at 7pm by Dan. I missed having my sister here. She is the life of the party here!

The best part of Christmas for me was watching the kids open the gifts they got for eacho ther. Tess helped Clara do the cutest treasure hunt that led to a tool kit for her to help Daddy with all his projects. Jake did a great job responding to his 4 year old sisters gift. Clara wanted a magical carriage for Christmas that would turn her into a princess and Jake into her prince. So, she picked out a kings crown and septar for Jake and a crown for her. Very cute, I hope she always things of him as a prince! Jake got Abby an easy bake oven!! And Aubree bought Tess some "grown up" earrings. I sent Tess on a treasure hunt that involved her doing things Aubree did. For example, eating baby food, drinking from a bottle, changing a diaper...

Jacob: SPHERO, books, clothes, a Makey-Makey (to share with Tess), glider, and some games.
Tess: POLAROID camera, books, cloths, jewelry, and boots.
Abby: American Girl baby doll, cloths, books, jewelry, shoes.
Clara: American Girl baby doll, cloths, jewelry,

I got a hot pink vacuum and Dan got a telescope.

I'm so grateful for Dan's job that allows us to spoil our kids for Christmas.

Ward Christmas Party

 Mall Shopping

 Lunch with Tess

 Jakes Band Concert

 Christmas Eve Elves watching a movie

 Tess's treasure hunt led her to change Aubree's diaper with earrings inside

 Over the break Dan surprised me by doing this:

 and this:

New hair cuts

Tangled locks made easy.