Goodbye Marky

Yesterday afternoon I took the kids over to see Mark and say goodbye. We won't be seeing him for 2 years. :( Trent kindly came, said goodbye, and took the kids home for me. I joined Mark, Ted, Karen, Spence, Gabe, and 2 of Mark's friends for dinner at Kohna Grill. Tasty.




Then I said my tearful goodbye and drove home, thinking what a bummer it will be to have him gone. Tucker is all excited to draw him pictures to mail him though, so that's good.

Henry 6 months

Henry's 6 month check up was today, although technically he turned 6 months old yesterday. The girl wrote that his weight was 15 lbs. 13 oz. but I'm almost positive that he is 16 lbs. 13 oz. He is 26.5 inches long. I was very frustrated because the new cream he had been given was working like a miracle and his face was clear in a couple days. However, that only lasted for a week and his terrible rash is back! AAAAahahh! We've been referred to a pediatric dermatologist clear out in Phoenix. Awesome. NOT. And then to cheer us all up Henry got 4 shots and one oral immunization. What a fantastic trip to the doctor.

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My dear Henry,
You continue to grow and learn constantly. Lately you love to throw your head back and arch your back. You are so strong! It makes for very difficult diaper changes. You have been battling all month with a monster of a rash on your beautiful face, it makes all of us sad. You have learned two new faces. First, an adorable, huge, cheesy grin that you scrunch your whole face to make. It makes a darling crinkle in the bridge of your nose. Second, your new mad/tired face. It is also adorable and hilarious. It is a scrunched up face with a grimace instead of a grin. The funniest part is that you usually include a loud sniffing, huffing noise. I know you're mad, but it is so funny to watch I can't help but smile.
You get upset when others around you are upset. You especially don't like it when I use an angry voice with your siblings. You like bath time and enjoy sucking on a wet rag. You have tried a little bit of baby food, but don't manage to get much down. We will be practicing much more.
I love you tremendously and can't wait to see what you can do by next month.
Love,
Mom

Ted's Home!

I should've known I'd cry.

Elementary School

I can't believe I have a kid old enough to go to kindergarten this fall! Registration starts at the end of this month. I am overwhelmed by all the things to consider. I have been doing some research online, but still am not sure where I want Tucker to go. Many of the schools now have mandatory full day kindergarten, yuck! I do not think that Tucker or I am ready for that yet. Some still have the option of half day and I think I prefer that route. What things do I need to ask when checking out schools? I can see test scores and children per teacher ratios and parent reviews online, but I still feel totally unsure what is best for Tucker. I think school visits are in order, but will that help much? I don't know, I just want Tucker to have a good experience at school. I want him to like his teacher, to learn what he needs to know and to make friends and find out what he enjoys and excels at.

All good

So nothing that happened last week was without it's good side. We are insured, I didn't get a ticket (or arrested) , my pink eye probably wasn't full blown pink eye, because it is gone now. I think the Colloidal silver drops helped a ton. Anyway, we're all snotty today, but that's nothing. I am grateful for our relatively great health and the many blessings we are surrounded by. I am excited for my little brother Ted to come home from his 2 year mission in Madagascar Thursday night and can't wait for him to get to know my kids! I am sad that Mark will be leaving on his mission to Mexico so soon, but excited for him as well. It's going to be a great week!

Some funny pictures from the weekend.

I left Henry airing out (bare bummed) in the family room for a minute and went into the kitchen. I returned to find Charlotte putting Henry's diaper on!

Henry is not so fond of the swaddle anymore and wiggled right out. I went to check on him during his nap to find this.

I put his bumper pad back on before bed time.

My week is NOT getting better. Yesterday taking Tucker to school I got pulled over. That hasn't happened for years! Luckily he didn't cite me. Then Papa John's put our order for pick-up when we asked for delivery. So we got an hour old pizza finally after we called to see what was up. And finally I woke up this morning with pink eye?

What the . .?

Yesterday I took Henry back to the doctor to recheck his face. His infection was not clearing up at all and if anything looked worse. They got me in with a woman we hadn't seen before which was fine. I was not pleased when I showed her the cream we had been prescribed over 2 weeks ago and she said, "Who prescribed you that?" It was pretty obvious to her that it was not a fungal infection, which makes me ticked that I was treating him for one for over 2 weeks. Anyway, now Henry has been given an oral antibiotic and a new cream. 10 more days of scab face. Good thing he's so sweet and handsome anyway.

And then later yesterday afternoon I was driving to the chiropractor. I got on the freeway exit when I heard a loud bang like a gunshot. What the ..? Panicking I turn around to see a confused Tucker looking at the shattered window next to him. Luckily he was fine and all the glass fell behind his seat. He wasn't too scared because he had had his headphones on watching a movie. I, however was really freaked. I still have no idea what hit our window, but it will be fixed today and our insurance is picking up the bill, so all is well.

So my week has been crappy so far, but how can you be mad when you get to see this all day?

Food and Potty chair

Henry's first taste of rice cereal (or anything other than breast milk) was last night. He wasn't quite sure what to do with it, so I think we'll wait a week or 2 before trying again.

Charlotte went pee pee in the potty chair yesterday. she requested to sit on the potty while Tucker was taking care of his own business. Yes, I got a really funny picture, and no, I don't think I'll post it on the internet.

Other than that I have had severe neck pain since Saturday. Monday I went to Coolidge and got a massage from my SIL Michelle. It is difficult to get very relaxed with 2 of your children running around though. Then on Wednesday I was still in such horrific pain and now had a chronic headache that I got in to see a chiropractor. I have never been to one before and was actually scared of the idea. However, it wasn't so bad and I went again today. If I don't feel better by Monday I will go one more time. Wish me luck.

good to know

Early this morning ( about 3 am) Trent informed me that Sam's Club has a 37" t.v. for $550. Oh yes, he was completely asleep too.

For template, cute background help with sites and step by step instructions visit my friend Caroline's blog.

Henry 5 month letter (a week late)

My little angel,
You are 5 months old and growing incredibly fast. You are so different than the little newborn you were and I am sad how quickly the time passes. You are sweet and happy, but I must say your sleeping habits are killing me! Last month you were soothing yourself and only waking 2 times each night. It seems like the moment that I put that into writing on your 4 month letter you stopped doing that. You are waking up tons and refuse to go back to sleep without eating. I have tried letting you cry it out, rocking, petting, but you're not having it. I just keep trying , because what else can I do. Hopefully we will get back to normal sleeping soon- or I may have a break-down. You have not tried any food yet, and no I don't think that would help with the sleeping. The doctor says it's an old wive's tale that solid food will help your baby sleep longer and I know it wouldn't help, because I am pretty sure you aren't waking up because you're actually hungry. I must admit it melts my heart when you tightly grip my finger while you nurse. You have started getting easily distracted while nursing now. you will pull off at almost any sound to look around. You discovered your toes a couple weeks ago and love sticking them in your mouth. What a crack up. You have a big rash on your left cheek, which became infected. We got a prescription for it now so your face should be back to its perfect state again soon. You love all the kisses and tickles you get from all of us. You are constantly wiggling and trying to throw your body around in new ways. You can sit unassisted, but closely supervised as of the last few days! You still randomly throw your head and body backward so I usually sit right behind you while you practice sitting. Your newest trick is a cute face where you suck in your bottom lip, hope I can get it on camera soon, you are so wary of that silver thing with it's blinding flash. I love you so indescribably much.
Your milk train,
Mama

Recap of 2007

I liked Abbie's so much I had to do my own.

January-Bangs

February-Stitches

March- Superheroes and ultrasound

April-Cousin Jonah visits and a trip to Mexico

May- Lots of time in the baby pool and slip 'n slide

June- A diaper shower and a night alone in a hotel with Trent for our b-days

July- Henry arrives with a drug free delivery and Tucker turns 4 the next day.

August-We move into our new house and Tucker and Charlotte spend a lot of time with cousins while we try to get settled.

September- Not too hot for swimming in the pool at our new house.

October- Henry's blessing

November- Tne zoo, Thanksgiving at our house, and other stuff.

December- Parties and food and cuteness.

Charlotte is 2!!

Yes the poor girl's birthday is the day after Christmas. Right now she is too young to care or complain, so we make the best of it. We were pretty tired on the 26th and didn't do anything until the evening. We had pizza and cake and put Charlotte's brand new kitchen together. Charlotte loved being sung to and blowing out the candle. So we did that a few times. Grandma and Grandpa decided to stop by and Charlotte got to wear some brand new jammies! We decided we would celebrate a little more at the end of the week when more cousins were in town. A cake that I actually made was enjoyed and Charlotte got more presents. She is such a funny girl. Each time she got new clothes she would immediately start stripping down so she could try them on!How cute are these jeans?




A mommy letter.

Charlotte,
You are such an independent little girl. We can't get enough of you. You tell us you are "daddy's gee-rul" and it is pretty obvious that you are. Your favorite people include: Daddy, Tucker, "lil Hank", Grandpa, "Nae-Nae" (Aunt Karen), and Mark. You are constantly wanting to be held lately, following Daddy around requesting "hold you" repeatedly. Your speech is continually improving as you learn to pronounce new words and string several together. You are definitely not as concerned about pronunciation as Tucker was at your age, but you know how to communicate for sure. You are more beautiful than anything I could have imagined. You are kind and giving and very willing to share. You love books , babies, bath time, tickles, and play-doh, to name a few. You like to have me do your hair and paint your nails, even though holding still is a difficult task for you. We love watching you grow and learn. I love the rare times you will snuggle and kiss me. I love your little sense of humor and your funny little body and how clumsy you are with it. I love when you sing songs with nonsensical words and when you spin in circles. Everything you do is wonderful and I am so blessed to be your mama. I know you will continue to charm all those around you and amaze me with all you do and I look forward to each new milestone.
I love you my little Charlie Brown.
Your adoring mother