First Spoon Feeding

I begin spoon feeding my babies when they begin to put stuff in their mouth.  Later, if I'm lazy (read: breastfeeding is so much easier).  Lately, Maria's gotten really good at shoving stuff in her mouth, especially tags on toys. So....

First bite of rice cereal + formula + watermelon juice (watermelon from the garden)

What the heck was that?

I think I'll suck my favorite finger to help me swallow that mouthful.

Mmmm ... good finger.  That's the one she sucks when I put her to bed.  It's too cute.

Hey!  I like green eggs and ham, I do, I like them, Sam I Am!  watermelon-rice-formula stuff on a spoon!

Overheard

Isaiah is watching Sesame Street while I work.  He starts chuckling and says, amidst the giggles, "Mommy, look, a big funny chicken!"  It's Big Bird.

Blogger Buddies

Guess who I get to meet this weekend!

Easy Baby

Having Maria was truly an act of Faith for us for several reasons. Isaiah was a hard baby to keep happy. As soon as the surgeon had his head out of me, before they even suctioned him, he started gurgling screaming. He never quit. For months on end, he cried all the time and slept only in 45 minute increments ... even at night. I couldn't leave him in the Exersaucer for more than five minutes, much less on the floor, and he was rarely happy if he wasn't in someone's lap. I wore him everywhere, all the time.  He nursed well but had reflux.  We tried reflux medication and it worked (read: the screaming was reduced) but it kept him awake, his eyes like saucers, all day long, so I discontinued it.

Also, my recovery from the cesarean with Isaiah was extremely difficult. I lost a lot of blood postpartum and thus, my iron was low (if I had any at all). There was a pain in my left side that set in about three weeks after his birth and never went away. At first, it was so bad that I could only stand for about 15 minutes at a time and could only walk a block. By the time he was six months old, I could walk two blocks. By the time he was a year, I could be pretty active for a half hour, possibly an hour, before I had to sit and put ice on my incision site. My surgeon could find nothing wrong. When Isaiah was two, the pain had abated so much that I felt it only faintly when I had been very, very active (like mowing for two hours). I think, in hindsight, I had postpartum depression after Isaiah was born, too, so my emotional instability exacerbated all of the physical problems.

So enough about my Isaiah's birth sob story. No pity, please. It's over.

::

The baby fever hit me in January of 2009, when Isaiah was about 19 months.  I knew that for the sake of my body, we needed to postpone pregnancy a little longer.  But oh, the fever was bad.  I began planning then because I knew I wanted a fifth child so very much.  The intensity of this desire surprised me: I didn't think my body could handle another delivery and I didn't know if I could handle the demands of another extremely colicky baby (Morgan was colicky as well).  I knew I had to present the idea to my husband, that we had to talk it out, plan for it, and time it well so that my recovery wouldn't be a dark cloud over a summer or put me at physical risk during the winter.  In addition to these things, I began to feel as if we no longer had a good reason to postpone pregnancy, no good reason to limit our family size. 

I started to pay even closer attention--using CCL's method of NFP--to the timing of my cycle and figured out that we could have a baby at the end of a month.  I started thinking about the months and which one would be best.  January?  Too risky with all the ice (read: slip, fall, and burst my tummy open).  February?  Well now ... winter would be nearly over by the end of February!  If we had a baby in February, it would give me a good 12 weeks to recover before the children came home from school in May.  I would be well enough to become active gradually, over the summer.  Hmmm.  If we had a baby in February, the baby would still be nursing all summer long which would make Baby very portable, as the milk would effortlessly travel along with us.  If Baby was born in February, Baby would sit happily in the stroller all summer long without wanting to get down to crawl around at the zoo or the park.  We wouldn't be tied to the house at 10 a.m. for naptime because Baby would sleep when Baby needed to sleep, like on the shore of the lake in the shade of a tree when its siblings were playing in the water.  Hmmm.

Thus, Maria was conceived and then born in February of 2010!  Deo Gratias!

::

So Maria came out this content, happy, relaxed little baby who nursed well and slept sometimes.  She became colicky but apparently, all she needed was a probiotic, which returned her--within three days--to her content, happy, relaxed state.  Oh, what a relief.

So why blog about this today?  It struck me today just how easy she is.  I want six more just like her.

As I was helping the kids get ready for school, I put Maria in her Exersaucer in the middle of the kitchen where she was privy to all the action around her.  She watched the kids come and go, watched me as I did little chores here and there, played with her toys, bounced, sucked her finger a little, and was content to just sit.  How easy is that!?  Then when the older 3 kids had gone, I loaded up the other two, put the jogging stroller in back of the Swagger Wagon, and headed to a nearby lake/park for a good brisk walk.  Maria fell asleep in the stroller and napped while I walked around the lake.  I got a good 45 minutes of a work out!  She woke unbeknownst to me and sat looking around in her seat while Isaiah ran around on the beach for a little while.  I nursed her and we were on our way. 

Dear God, please don't let this be my last baby!

Noah Plays Soccer....

Noah rests while the other boys play--the boys took turns playing during the game.

Noah let his friend William (on the left) have a drink of his lemon Gatorade.

Here Noah runs upfield with a big smile on his face!

....for the first time ever.  My friend Renee organized us into a micro soccer team through the Y.  Noah and seven of his friends registered for the six week program and Renee's husband Phil agreed to coach, along with Dave, another boy's father.

Noah plays goalie

Dave and Phil coach their micro team.

Noah never quit smiling.  He was so excited, so eager to try it.  He told me afterward that the other team won; his team didn't score a point but he didn't care because he did goalie twice and blocked two goals even though two others got past and he kicked the ball five times.  Five times, Mommy!  I'm so happy for him.

Overheard

"Mama, I not hungry for supper."  --Isaiah, 3 years old.

Scent Junkie

My name is Aubrey and I am a scent junkie.  I love (good) smelling things.  I love to smell things when I'm in a good mood and I love to smell things when I'm in a bad mood.  If I have a rough day, I love nothing more than to relax in the bathtub with a good book or magazine and a bath bomb or bubble bar. 

LUSH has just blown me away with the scents they produce.  Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy line is great, too.  I love to wash my hands or body with scented soap: Banana Moon smells like bananas going on and leaves a pleasant flowery smell when rinsed.  Waylander Rhassoul smells like mud and Frankincense but after it's rinsed off, just Frankincense.  Karma just rocks. I also love Lavender Chamomile, or Eucalyptus Spearmint. Blue Skies from LUSH smells of Frankincense and cinnamon.  My favorite conditioner is L'Oreal's EverPure Rosemary Mint.  I use the conditioner and the leave-in conditioner.  It smells like Colorado to me.  It also happens to work well with my curly hair.

I've discovered that I'm instantly excited, when shopping, about things that contain peppermint, lavender, rosemary, or Frankincense.  I also really love cinnamon, when it's done well.  I can't stand chemical smells.  I don't use (or rarely use) air fresheners like Febreeze or Glade plug-ins.  It almost gives me a headache.  I love real, earthy smells, smells that exist in nature. 

I love the way that Basil smells when I stick my face into the plants in my planter. I love the way that Rosemary smells when it's picked and crushed between the fingers.  I love the smell of Marjoram and Lavender, also crushed between the fingers.  I love the smell of wet earth and the musty smell of hiking in the woods or a forest.  I love the smell of burning leaves or wood.

I burn incense, especially Nag Champa, and sprinkle lavender and peppermint oil into the carpet in the house.

I love the smell of babies, of their breath, the nursing-milky smell, and--yes--even spit up.

I wish that instead of a video camera, I had a scent camera.  I wish I could capture Maria's baby smell, the way she smells when I bury my nose in her neck and when she breathes on my face, the smell of my grandma's house, and the smell of a certain place on my grandparents' acreage where the pine trees are.  I wish I could capture the scent of the air at Cottonwood hot springs in Colorado, the smell of Seattle in the spring.  I wish I could capture the smell of the air outside when snow has fallen and is just beginning to melt; the air smells so crisp and clean. 

My name is Aubrey and I am a scent junkie.  I can't help it!

July (Except Chicken Pox)

This is Maria's baby hand on my grandpa's 80 year old hand.

Crazy Morgan pushes out the net on the trampoline.

I love Nebraska sunsets.  They don't have to be too colorful to be beautiful, sometimes.

I love the age at which babies will nap anywhere.  Maria is napping on my grandparents' couch.

This is my grandpa helping his littlest grandchild up and down the step on their patio.  She is one year old.  I am the oldest grandchild at 32.

My Grandma snuggles Maria.

Genevieve runs around with her mom's hat on her head.

This is my beautiful goddaughter (and littlest cousin) Genevieve.

I love my grandpa.

These little girls decided to have a "sister play date" with their baby siblings!

Summer With the Saints

Cabela's is so cool.

The kids practice target shooting (laser guns) at Cabela's.

Noah wanted his picture taken in front of the battling Grizzly Bears.

Morgan wanted her picture taken with this fish at Cabela's.

This is a display at Cabela's in Kansas City.

Maddie and Noah rode the double-decker carousel at a mall in Kansas City.

Motion capture?

The kids raise their St. George swords at Summer With the Saints.

Morgan was pleased to find a blue (chicken) egg at the farm we visited.

Morgan took a picture of Isaiah taking his nap in a sitting position.  How on earth do kids fold up like that!?

This is our Little Flowers group with moms and Sisters!

Sisters treated the Little Flowers group to a day at their acreage.  Moms came as well.  My friend Amy (sitting on a stool) delivered her son the next day!

Lucia, Thea, Lillian, Ana, Maria, Madeline, ??, Felicity, and Morgan are Little Flowers.

Someone took this picture of Isaiah (not me) and I love it!

Maddie took this picture of herself and Maria.

Man, I love this baby!

Noah held a butterfly.

Morgan & Maddie pose with their butterflies.

Super Why at the zoo

Basil, basil, basil, on my porch all the time!

We went to a nearby park with Seth.  The kids are looking at wild birds in captivity (the birds were injured).

Remember the caterpillar and its chrysalis?  Well here's Noah with the Swallowtail that it became.

Morgan in mid-air

The Best Part of....

....having a fifth child is watching the other kids clamoring over one another to entertain her.  8 year old Morgan comes home from school, changes her clothes, has a snack, and asks for Maria. Then she takes Maria up to her room and keeps her.  Everyone wants to hold her, talk to her, entertain her, and make her smile.  Morgan and Madeleine are allowed to get her out of her crib after her nap (for a little while longer anyway) and Morgan changed a diaper voluntarily the other day just because she wanted to.  She's done several since then.  7 year old Madeleine loves to give her a bottle when I can't stop to nurse.  I love to watch my 5 year old BOY go from grubby in the sandbox to babytalking to entertain Maria.  3 year old Isaiah stops in his tracks when he walks by her exersaucer or swing because he can't resist her.

The next best part is that Maria loves it.  She LOVES it!

Helpful Hint #1

If you get jalapeno juice on your face (or anywhere else, for that matter), dab rubbing alcohol on the affected area.  It will take the bite out.  IT WORKS.

June

Painting with water is a brilliant idea that my mother-in-law introduced me to.

Seth took the kids to the zoo with me.

Man, I love the way this little girl dresses!  (Madeleine)

The zoo added a dirt and wood play area for the kids.  There's an A-frame for the kids to play in, on, and around.

Summer of entomology continued: Madeleine holds a Hissing Cockroach at the zoo.

Noah turns upside down while balancing on a huge chicken egg model at the local zoo.

I love my in-laws.  This is my mother-in-law, Maria, and me.

This is Maria with her godmother (Jeremy's oldest sister) Laurie.

My mom got Maddie a pink cowboy hat for her birthday.  She was trying to match Maddie's favorite new things--cowboy boots (that were hand-me-downs from the next door neighbor).

I may get in trouble for posting this picture of my father-in-law with a pink cowboy hat and two rather beautiful granddaughters.

Morgan looooves horses.  My grandpa boards two horses, so the kids get their fill when we visit.

Said caterpillar's chrysalis (see below)

This caterpillar was found by Noah on the sidewalk by our house.  It formed a chrysalis in a bug cage on our kitchen counter, then came out a beautiful butterfly!

Our summer was filled with Entomology.  This dragonfly was in our rock garden.

When he was home on leave from the Navy, my brother Seth got to meet two new nieces: Maria and Amaya.  (This is Maria.)

This is my niece Amaya, who is a month younger than Maria.  She is all cute!

When we were at my grandparents' acreage, 3 of my brothers, Courtney, Sue, Dad, and I took a walk all the way across the pasture and a looooong cornfield to the railroad tracks that run behind the property.  They are no longer in use.

We took this picture on Father's Day.  Note the pouting 3 year old.

A local restaurant has a kids' night.  They have balloon artists, cotton candy, and other treats.

Each child has a pony ride at the zoo for their 3rd birthday.  Isaiah had his!  He talked the whole time.

Morgan, Delphina, and Clare are cousins.  The cousins wore matching shirts for the 40th Anniversary party.

Isaiah found his Great-Uncle Benny (Benedict) and sat on his lap for much of the 40th Anniversary (Jeremy's parents) party.  It was cute!

My amazing parents-in-law celebrated their 40th anniversary this summer!

My friend Jillian brought her newborn son Ephrem to the salon for a girls night out with pedicures.  Jillian, I picked your picture because you look so good.  I didn't pick mine because my tummy took up most of the picture.  Yours didn't! ;)

Seth, Maria, and I took a mosquito plagued walk at a local park with the kids.

Madeleine wore my cowboy hat.

When Seth was home in June/July, we had a water gun fight outside.  Well, the kids did ... with Seth.

This is my goddaughter Kaylee, Maria, and me.

Morgan painted our sidewalk with water.

Arrrrr ... Madeleine the pirate.  This is a self-portrait.

My friend Jessica has six kids and I have five.  We've been friends since 1991 when I moved to the small town I lived in during high school.  Her third child is my goddaughter.

Noah sleeps in the van after a hard day on the acreage.  Note the box by his feet: it's sawdust from Grandpa's workshop.  See the grubby socks?  Yeah, he jumped on the trampoline without shoes.

::

I can't figure out this new blogger format, so the pictures are first and now I get to explain.  I look back on the summer and think about the hard part: chicken pox during July.  I forget that we actually did have a summer--a great summer--but looking back at the pictures from June reminded me of exactly how great it was.