The one where sissy stands up for the very first time

Sissy is almost 8 months old and she has been crawling for awhile. Lately she has started to pull her herself up on low things; her toy basket, the bottom of the fridge when it's opened, and people who are laying on the floor. Yesterday however she kept crawling over to her activity table and looking at it. Then she'd sit by it. I had the camera ready....I just knew she was going to stand and well, she did!

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Growing like weeds, I tell ya!

Whoa, I have a blog?!

I know, I've been a huge slacker as of late. I mean seriously it's been 11 days since I last blogged and stuff has been going on! Pookie turned 4 years old on the 18th...we had a pizza play date and he had a blast. Once B got home from work we had dinner, cake and presents. His big gift was a bike from my parents...he loves it and is doing really good at riding it. I would include a picture but for my bday (also on the 18th) I received an ipad2 and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to add a picture....poor me, right?

In other news, This is my first week ever flying completely solo with all four kids. Well not literally <i>flying</i>, i would lose it on a plane for sure! B is out of town for work and I have no help from Nanaw and Papa, nothing but me, myself and I. Honestly it's not hard, it's just exhausting! The same day that B left, Peanut came down with Strep. So fussy 2.5 yr old, a very mobile 7.5 month old {seriously she is crawling with her belly up, pulling herself up to stand and now climbing over things that get ib her way} and then the older brothers who usually do great but fir some reason are going through a hitting/pushing/chasing phase. It's very tiring!

Just take dinner for example: I have to entertain Sissy or put her in her highchair so that I can cook. During this time the boys are suppose to be picking up all their toys but usually they are cleaning while playing or watching PBS. While cooking I am simultaneously keeping an eye on all three kids, answering the door (ups man), and trying to clean as I go. Once the food in done I have to make up three plates for the boys, set the table, fill their cups, make sure they are cleaned up and get them to the table. Then I have to figure out what sissy will eat. She's about 50/50 on the baby food vs table food...usually she has a puree along with cheerios, Gerber puffs or yogurt melts, plus a sippy of water. Once they are all situated I finally make my plate. I eat while feeding sissy and my food is cold. Once dinner is done, I have to clean Sissy and Peanut, make the boys clear their plates, clear my own plate, then clean up all the dinner mess, do the dishes and clean the table while again, watching the kids. So far every night this week, sissy also chooses this time to NEED to nurse. As soon as this is all done, it's straight into bath timebecause naturally, this takes 4 times longer than it should because most nights sissy is on my hip during all of it.

Whew.

So between the birthdays last Wednesday and today we also attended a pool party out of town, toured a fire station, went to Pooks well child check up and as a result then switched the kids' doctors office, went grocery shopping, doled out 6 doses of antibiotics and B and I became completely engrossed in the show Dexter. Oh and today we "celebrate" our 7th wedding anniversary. I say that loosely since we are 13 hours away from each other.

It's been a heck of a couple of weeks and honestly every time I've logged in to blog, I mentally say "screw it" and I either go to bed, eat something or check Facebook. I like blogging but it makes my brain go a million miles a minute trying to catch up. So I'm taking the easy way out and summarizing it all to this post.

In short, Pooks and I are a year older, Sissy is now saying "Ma Ma" and is mobile, Peanut is
getting over Strep, Bubba is going through a bullying phase and B is out of state. Oh and it's already over 100 degrees here. Awesome.

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Bonkbeds

"You can't climb on them or you could bonk your head...dat's why they're called bonkbeds"

 

The big boys have been begging us for months, but especially during the last few weeks to bunk their beds. When we first got the beds, they were WAY too little to be bunked. Then when we moved into this house, originally Peanut was in their room as well. Which made me WAY to nervous...that kid is a climber! But he now resides in the other bedroom with Sissy. 

 

And he likes sleeping there. He has his own shelves and "stuff". Bedtime is beyond easier, he actually goes to sleep now instead of climbing in and out, harassing his brothers, staring at us from the hallway, etc. Granted most nights he sleeps alone as Sissy pretty much co-sleeps with me at night. {she was in her crib but she's been waking twice each night to nurse so it's easier on everyone to have her with us}. But it's his and he likes it. 

So after Bubba and Pooks asked us for the 1,293rd time if we could PLEASE bunk their beds we had a conversation about the ground rules.

1. No climbing/touching/going up on the ladder unless your name is [Bubba] and you're going up to go to sleep
2. No standing/jumping/hanging on either bed
3. No leaning over the edges, no hanging body parts over the edges, no throwing things over the edges
4. No climbing!!
5. If you climb/stand/jump/hang/bounce then we will not only un-bunk the beds but we will remove the beds completely and you will sleep on a mattress on the floor.
6. No toys in the beds. Stuffed animals and paperback books only.
7. No climbing!

We made sure to stress what *could* happen if they were breaking the rules and got hurt. We explained broken bones {thanks to Peanut they know what a cast is!}, stitches {they hates shots and needles}, fat lips, broken teeth, etc.

Now, I don't want you to think we just scared the daylights out of them, we didn't. We talked about how they get bunk beds because they are older now. That the beds can be fun because if you behave, Mommy and Daddy can hang a sheet up and make a fort. How now they have a ''reading area'' in their room, how they have room to build their Thomas tracks now.  How daddy slept in bunkbeds while in the Army and how Mommy did too, at college.

They really did listen and take it in. When bedtime came Bubba gave Pooks a kiss, climbed up his ladder and laid down. Pooks watched him, they he laid down. Other than some excited talking, we had no problems. And having the extra room in their bedroom is definitely nice!

See all that floor space?! Plus of course, the ''reading area'' as they call it.

 That being said, I'm no idiot. I pretty much decided that until the newness wears off anytime they are playing (without an adult) in their room, I will probably just take the ladder out. I know, I'm probably overthinking it but, better safe than sorry!

Whirlwind

This last weekend was a whirlwind. We returned back to Kansas (made the 12.5hr drive in 14hrs stopping only 3 times!) to attend Great Great Grandma's viewing & funeral and mostly to just be with family during this time. We left Texas at 9am Friday morning, got to Nanaw and Papa's house by 11pm that night, spent Saturday in our little town. Went out to lunch, to JC Penney's, then back home. For a Mother's Day gift, I took Nanaw up to get a pedicure then we went back home where Papa grilled chicken, Nanaw fixed up some sides and we had dinner.

Sunday we got up early and headed to Nanaw Phew-Phew's house. We spent the morning and early afternoon there, then headed to the funeral home for the viewing. We were able to stay a little over an hour before the boys just couldn't contain all their boyish energy, so we left and went to  dinner. Then we went back to the hotel and went swimming for awhile. Sissy absolutely loved the water, but I didn't take my camera...so no pictures. Trust me though, out of all four kids she was the only one who enjoyed the water. My little fish :)

Monday morning we had the funeral, followed by the graveside service, then a lunch that the church provided for us. We then went back to Nanaw Phew Phews house for a while. After visiting a bit, it was time for us to get on the road. We booked a hotel room in Oklahoma and that's where we are now, four hours later. We checked into the hotel, ordered up a pizza, had bathtime and a little tv time, put the kids to bed and finally relaxing. My head is spinning, my sinuses hurt and I'm ready for bed but my three boys are apparently, wide awake. At 10pm. Awesome.

So tomorrow our goal is to be up, packed and downstairs eating breakfast by 8am. On the road shortly after that and by then we're only a mere 7 hours and 28 minutes from home. The plan is to hopefully drive 3 hours, take a break for lunch, drive three more hours, stop at Ikea, shop and snack, then drive that last hour and a half home. We should be home by 8pm tomorrow night and ideally B should be plenty rested for work on Wednesday.

Seven months

 

Tada! Today is the 4th and Sissy is now SEVEN months old...geez where does the time go? Other than the week long cough/runny nose, she's doing well. Crawling all.over.the.house. Seriously. Set her down in the living room and next thing you know you're hearing ''Sissy's in our room" or "Sissy has my car" or "Sissy is trying to get the dog food". 

She is finally starting to eat baby food. So far she has tried rice cereal {she hated it and gagged it out}, baby oatmeal, bananas, pears {tolerates all}, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples {enjoys all three}, avocados {hates and gags}, and mangoes {which she absolutely loves}. I've also pureed peas and froze those but she has yet to try them. She doesn't seem to like hardly anything but she is cutting teeth as well. They are right under the gumline, I can see them but they haven't quite busted though just yet. 

At seven months Sissy is:

• wearing mostly 9mos and 12mos clothing, though most of her dresses are size 6-12mos
• finally getting in more hair! it's uneven and varying in length causing me to side sweep most of it to the side. She always wears a bow/flower/headband when we leave the house because otherwise {despite the pink} people assumed I have four boys. 
• is wearing size 4 diapers now (the same as Peanut)
• starting to talk more. She's saying ''yeah...yeah...yeah" really working on those ''ah'' sounds. twice i think I've heard her say "da" but i'm choosing to ignore that i hear it. she also says "ooh".
• sits up all by herself. Goes from crawling, stops, pushes back and sits.
• is going through major separation anxiety. if I leave the room she cries, even if B is holding her!
• plays peek-a-boo {she holds burp rags up and blocks her eyes and just grins until someone says ''Where's Maggie?" when she pulls it down and laughs
• still won't take a bottle, pacifier or suck her thumb. she does play with her sippy cup and gets tiny sips of water but doesn't seem eager to drink from it

She's teething, can you tell?

We Love You Grandma!

Two weeks ago I shared pictures from Great Grandma's 100th birthday. Yesterday morning, Grandma went "home" to heaven. She had a wonderful, long life and she was ready. She's been saying for years that she was ready. I guess all the excitement of living for so long has it's ups and downs. I know it was especially hard on her when she had to witness deaths of her own children, grandchildren and even one great-great grandchild. I remember her saying that it just wasn't fair that she was getting older and they died too young. She did enjoy her grandkids/great grandkids and great-great grandkids though! I wanted to share this video from her birthday a couple of years ago...she was singing to the boys :) I am so grateful that B caught it on camera, even if it was just his cell phone.

We love you grandma! I know you're in Heaven smiling down on us and keeping a watchful eye. Can't wait to see you again, someday. {I think it'd be pretty cool to meet my great great grandkids and seeing how grandma had just celebrated her 100th birthday and my Grandma Great is 96 years old the odds might just be in my favor!}