Eight Weeks

Oh what a week. Jim traveled for work again this week and due to my dad's surgery and the snow we got this week, I was at it alone. The anxiety set in full force on Tuesday afternoon - I really doubted that I could do this. As I posted last week Ryder is not like Brody or Addisen as a baby...he has what I have found on the Internet called 'The Witching Hour", although his is hours! If you looked at my search history on the IPad you would find A LOT of searches on crying babies. I had a lot of tears on Tuesday imagining my evening with a baby that wouldn't stop crying and no one to save me. My parents are the best, even though they had their own schedules and obstacles, they arrived at my house at 10:45pm on Tuesday night, just to let me know I wasn't alone. They stayed until Wednesday night and got to witness the witching hour! I'm happy to say that I am now sitting here in the final hours and we made it. A few meltdowns by all of us, but overall a success. I have now seen the sacrifices that our whole family has to make as we work to make sure everyone gets some time. Addisen and Brody had to have shorter bedtime routines and books read at a level that could be heard over Ryder's crying...and Ryder had to wait a few more minutes before someone could console him...but we all learned that we would survive.

This brings me back to my New Years resolution....I thought about it a lot this week. Be thankful. I'm thankful for the unconditional love of my kids. How Brody tells me that he loves me when I am feeling like I'm not so good at this motherhood thing, how Addisen shows me that she is nursing her baby just like me when I feel like crying and how Ryder surprises me by peeing on his head while I am changing him...proving that I can juggle one more thing.

I love my kids...in the end I hope that they can look back at their childhood and remember the fun moments and not so much of the "losing it" moments! In my moments of thankfulness I took a moment to look at each of the kids, their smiles, their sleeping faces, their personalities that just compliment our family. I am truly blessed with this family and I'm doing the best I can....I love these babies!

Jim and I went into this little shop in Rockford last weekend and found this outfit for Addisen (extremely marked down!).  Gosh, I wish I could dress her up like this every day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from my cheeks to yours!

Ryder had an eventful week. I forgot to write last week that he rolled from his stomach to back 3 times last Sunday! I don't think he knew what he was doing...but he did it! Then on St. Patricks Day he smiled at me for the first time (outside of the gas smiles). It was great! I have been working hard each day to see them more and more!

We went to the Cottage and Lake House show last weekend in Grand Rapids.  There were a few good things to see there - the most impressive was the inside sandbox for the kids!  They played in there for atleast a half hour before I had to drag them off (even pretending to leave so Addisen would come!).

Seven Weeks

Brody and Addisen were home last Friday for the day.  It has been amazing to watch how the kids are growing and changing...and how they LOVE each other!

Addisen decided to join Ryder on his play mat and it was only a matter of minutes before Brody wanted to be there too.

On Friday afternoon we headed to my parents house for the night.  It was a good break to get out of the house and have some new scenery.  Ryder has continued to give us a "ride" with his sleeping habits and fussiness.  At least on Friday and Saturday we had a few extra hands to help entertain all of the kids.  On Saturday morning we headed over to the local Gym.  While my mom and I walked the kids played in the kid area.  It is so funny to see the different personalities of Brody and Addisen - Brody was apprehensive of going into the play area until Addisen just took off.  I am so thankful that Brody has Addisen to encourage him to take new adventures.

I don't have too many pictures this week...mainly because of sleep deprivation! Ryder has been fussy at night (starting at around 7pm) and lasting until about midnight.  When all Jim or I want to do is fall asleep, all he wants to do is cry!  For a few nights he slept in his bouncy seat because that is the only thing that would make him happy.  Of course all of this took a toll on us and I was beginning to wonder if it would ever end.  I headed out to Babies R Us on Tuesday and bought a new sleep rocker for him - part of me thought I was crazy for buying a new baby item for the last of our kids, but the other part of me just wanted sleep so badly!  It didn't work the first night, but I am happy to report that he fell asleep in it at 9:30pm last night and slept in it until 2:30am and then back to sleep from 3 - 6am!  It was a good night!  Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed that by typing those words it didn't curse the rest of our week!

Ryder snoozed away yesterday as they announced the new Pope.

 

This week provided a glimpse into what it is like to juggle the responsibilities of your own kids/husband and your parents.  My dad had surgery on Monday and at first I wasn't planning on going because of my need to be with Ryder.  On Saturday as we headed home from their house, I just knew that I had to be there.  Jim was so kind - he dropped everything to help me out on Monday with Ryder (the surgery was in Lansing and I didn't want a 6 week old at the hospital).  Luckily Ryder was a great baby on Monday and allowed Jim to still get work done during his 4 hour naps!  Everything has turned out fine with my dad and it turns out that you can juggle your kids and your parents needs :)

 

Funny Story of the Week:  We have been having difficulty with Brody going #2 on the potty - it all started a few months ago when he was a little constipated and it ended with a BIG fear of going to the bathroom.  We have been fighting about it for months!  Jim came up with an idea on Sunday that has worked magic...but maybe a little too much!  Brody recently fell in LOVE with pokemon cards - he is obsessed!  Jim had bought him some after he returned from his business trip last week and all Brody does is look at them and take some of them to bed with him each night.  On Sunday Jim bought a pack of them at the store and told Brody if he went to the bathroom without complaining he had a surprise.  I was shocked when Brody went into the bathroom by himself and came out to say he had gone - Jim let him pick a new pokemon card.  Then about an hour later Brody asked if he could go to the bathroom again!  Needless to say we had to put a limit of 2 pokemon cards a day or the kid would be sitting on the potty all day long!  He had been using the potty before and after school but then it happened this morning...he couldn't go!  It broke my heart to see the disappointment on his face...I'm not sure I'm strong enough to deny him a pokemon card!

Six Weeks

This picture sums up the week - WE MADE IT!

Jim went on his first business trip this week - which left me with a lot of anxiety for caring for a 5 week old and two kids!  Luckily my mom was able to come and stay with us because she was on Spring Break.  I am so thankful that she was able to come because Ryder decided to give us a run for our money!  The week started out well with the first night that Ryder slept for 5 hours!  But then when Grandma came on Monday he just started screaming whenever he was awake (which was most of the day!).  I'm still not quite sure what was going on with him - maybe just stomach upset - but he still isn't back to normal yet.  It is better - but he still is mad a lot.  I'm not sure how I would have been able to keep Addisen and Brody's routines if my mom wasn't here (or my sanity!).

Grandma and Bobo had bought some special treats for Brody and Addisen while they were on their trip to Lexington last week.  Addisen tried her first Peep and she loved it!  Brody and Addisen would sit at the table eating the heads and booties off the Peeps - they definitely keep each other entertained!  My mom said that they were chickens and Brody asked if they were real - seriously?  That boy is silly!

 

Last week Brody had a snow day on Wednesday so I thought it would be best to keep all of the kids home with me.  I quickly figured out what it is like when a mom is nursing and she has a 2 and 5 year old running free!  It was wrestle-mania in our house!  Shortly after this picture Brody asked Addisen to try to stand on his back - they are sure silly!

I made this hat for Addisen last year and she refused to wear it - but then all of sudden she found it and decided to wear it all morning!

Ryder is still the love of every one's life - Addisen and Brody do not go a day without giving him lots of kisses, high fives, pounds and hugs.

 

I finally made it in to the office to weigh Ryder last week.  I was guessing that he was up to about 10lbs.  When I got there everyone was commenting on how much bigger he was from when they saw him a few weeks ago.  We put him on the scale and he weighed in at 12lbs!  He had gained 5lbs in 5 weeks!  I couldn't believe that this little baby that had me so worried because he was in the 14th percentile for weight at 35 weeks was now probably over the 100th percentile at 5 weeks!  Of course I am happy to know that he is healthy and doing well, but there is this part of me that just wanted to hold on to the "little" baby a little longer.  I know that this will be our last baby, but there are days that I just have a hard time letting go of that part of my life.  To me it feels like one of the first steps to getting "old", admitting you are past that stage of your life.

Ryder is all ready to start training for Marathons with Daddy!  Maybe when the weather warms up he will be able to go for some stroller rides while Daddy runs.

 

Last Friday I picked up some snow tubes for the kids and they were able to try them out on Sunday.  Brody had so much fun gliding over the snow!  Addisen tried it two times (of course I didn't get it on camera) but then she was done.

Funny Story of the Week:  I went to get Addisen from Daycare last week and her teacher, Ms. Bev, said that she had seen Addisen do something that no other child has done in her class.  Addisen was over in the corner with her baby and Ms. Bev noticed that Addisen's shirt was up - then it clicked...Addisen was feeding her baby!  Ms. Bev said she has had a lot of kids who had mom's that nursed their younger siblings...but none of them have ever acted it out!  I guess we have a very observant and smart little girl!

Five Weeks

Ryder, Addisen and Brody welcomed Aunt Chrissy and Nanny this week.  Addisen was the only one that was able to go to the airport to get them.  It only took her a few minutes to warm right up to them - Aunt Chrissy became one of her favorite people!

Ryder tried out the playmat for the first time this week.  Addisen was excited to have her baby share it with him!  He seems to enjoy Toucan Sam just as much as the other two kids did.

While Aunt Chrissy and Nanny were here there was a lot of game play (you can tell Aunt Chrissy is pretty serious about winning!). 

The kids really loved all the time they got to spend with Aunt Chrissy and Nanny.  It seems like their time here went by so quickly - but they had to go on to meet Ryder's newest cousin Kylie (born 8 days before him).  The kids were sad to see them go - but luckily we can send videos and FaceTime with each other.

We tried for some good pictures before they left...and then settled on doing some goofy ones!

 

On their last day Ryder fnally had his eyes open for more than a few minutes.  He seemed to sleep a lot while they were here (but not too much during the nights!).


 

Addisen was excited to help Nanny take care of Ryder.

 

 While Nanny was here she celebrated her 50th Wedding Anniversary with Poppy.  We were sad that Poppy wasn't able to come and visit, but Jim took Nanny and Aunt Chrissy out to a nice dinner on Saturday to celebrate.

Ryder seems to have gotten into a routine now.  We are up in the morning around 6:30am and then he naps on and off during the day.  He still eats about every 2 hours and then around 7pm he decides to wake up for a few hours - and he isn't very happy about it!  He keeps us busy entertaining him until around 10-10:30pm and then we go upstairs to get him into bed.  On the good nights he makes it about 3 hours after the night feeding, and then we are up every 2 hours.  Hopefully the stretches of sleeping get a little longer during the next few weeks! 

Brody and Addisen were home with me today because of a snowstorm - so once again I didn't make it in to get Ryder weighed.  I am hoping to make it there tomorrow - I am sure he is over 10lbs now!

Next week we will be without daddy for the first time since Ryder was born.  I am so thankful that my mom has a break from school at the same time, so she is going to come and stay with us Monday - Wednesday.  I just hope I can make it through the nights by myself!

Four Weeks Old

Four Weeks - I cannot believe it.  This little guy has changed our lives so much...and we wouldn't ever want it to be different!  This week opened my eyes up to what life is going to be like with three kids!

This weekend we traveled to Charlotte so Ryder could meet my friend from high school, Barb and her family.  They spoiled him with gifts - Barb's mom made the blanket Ryder is laying on in these photos, and this is just one of the many outfits that they gave him.

Ryder is starting to change from a "newborn" to an infant - I was going to head in and weigh him today, but timing just didn't work out.  He has changed so much in such a short amount of time.  When he was born I didn't think he was going to have the cheeks like Addisen - but they are here now!

Brody had Monday and Tuesday off of school this week and Addisen's daycare was closed on Monday, so we were all home for four days straight!  I have even more admiration for all those stay at home moms of multiple kids - it is hard to juggle all of their needs!  Today Brody is back in school and Addisen is home with me - I decided to keep her home all week since Nanny and Aunt Chrissy are coming tomorrow.  I do have to say I think it is easier to have everyone home - Brody really is helpful. 

I wanted to get Ryder's one month pictures done today since we would be busy on Saturday - Addisen was insistent on being "helpful".  At the time she was making me so nervous jumping around Ryder, but thankfully she did because she made some of the best pictures!

Jim had a dinner meeting on Monday night, so it was my first glimpse at taking care of the three kids while he travels.  Luckily, he got Addisen in bed before he left.  Brody ended up in bed about a half hour late because Ryder decided he needed to eat (Brody was excited about this).  When we finally made it to Brody's room Ryder decided that he wanted to scream while I tried to read Brody's books - it was the fastest 3 chapters Brody has ever heard!  I thought I was in the clear, but then Brody came to the stairs to say he had to go to the bathroom, so I headed up to help him and he said to me "Mom, you care more about Ryder than me now" - my heart about broke!  I said "No, buddy I care about you too - why do you say that", he said "because he can't walk".  That made me feel a little better thinking that he really didn't mean what it sounded like...but it still makes me worry that one of them will feel that way one day.  It has been a hard transition for me - as I am still nursing Ryder, I really am with him the most and tending to him the most.  I am sleep deprived because of night feedings and always on a 2 hour feeding cycle - I am missing out on some things with the other two - I'm trying to keep things in perspective and realize this is only for a few months...but it still makes me worry they feel like they come in 2nd.

Last night was Brody's last soccer class.  We were brave enough to go as a family to watch!  It actually went much better than we expected - Jim and I were a little worried when Addisen started chanting "Addisen play soccer" on the way there.  To our surprise she actually listened to us pretty well and stayed on the sidelines for most of the game.  Brody did AMAZING!  I have never seen him so confident in playing a sport - he ran back and forth and showed no fear!  We were so proud of him for listening to the coaches and not being so shy.

Another one of my favorite photos of the day - Addisen really loves her little brother!

 

Looking back at Addisen's pictures - I think Ryder is going to look a lot more like her than Brody.

 

He still has his wrinkles!

 

Love those little hands - they won't be this small for long - I gotta hold on to these moments!

 

Three Weeks Old

In some ways I can't believe Ryder is three weeks old already, but in other ways it seems that he has been part of our family for a lot longer.  Addisen and Brody are still in love with him and he receives a lot of kisses and pats on the head each morning and night.

Our sleeping pattern has worsened in the last week.  Just like you forget the pain of labor, I think you must forget the sleepless nights - otherwise you wouldn't sign up to do it again!  While I know that it only lasts a few months - the nights seem to last FOREVER!  We were up every hour last night - Ryder is lucky he is so cute!

Our little man is continuing to grow.  His little cheeks are starting to fill out and he is starting to look less and less like a newborn.  He is awake for a few hours a day, but still likes to take quite a few naps during the day.  The amount of time we spend together on the couch is getting to be less as he is realizing there are more comfortable places to sleep.

We are looking forward to a visit by Nanny (Jim's mom) and Aunt Chrissy next week!  It will be great to see them - I can't believe it has been a year!  I know the kids will really enjoy having them here and showing off their new little brother.

Last weekend we went out for our first real family adventure.  On Saturday the weather was pretty nice and the sun was out, so we decided to venture out to the Ice Festival in Rockford.  It was nice for me to get out of the house and see some adult faces and get a little fresh air.  Ryder slept the whole time while Brody and Addisen enjoyed walking around town and looking at the ice sculptures.  Jim and I were just talking about how we hadn't been out to eat in weeks -I think it will be awhile before we venture out to a dinner with the three kids!  I guess one bonus is that we are saving money!