"Hannah, what are you eating?"
"Nose."
"Silly Hannah! How can you eat your nose?"
Hannah sticks her finger in her nose. "Nose mama."
Gross.
Minutes later...
"Hannah take your finger out of Kate's nose!"
Hannah puts her finger in her mouth. "MMMM."
Grosser than gross.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
16 lbs
!6 lbs - that's how many pounds of strawberries are in our fridge now. Why? Simply because Vons (think Stop & Shop or Safeway) had a 4 lb. package of strawberries on sale for $3.96!!! That's less than a dollar per pound! The sign above the strawberries said, "Unbelievable!" which took the words right out of my mouth. So, I bought 4 packages and plan on eating some, making some baby food, frreezing some for smoothies and making jam. I know I have 8 stitches still, but this is UNBELIEVABLE!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Bedtime
No, this is not another entry about Kate's sleeplessness, although her unpredictability continues. We bought a bed for Hannah! This bed has three great drawers under the bed, it is twin size, but it pulls out to a king size bed. So, consider this YOUR invitation to come and stay at Chateau Murry for a few days. You can stay in our Single Suite or upgrade to the Luxury King Suite.
You just have to love the Ikea instructions - no words, many parts and small pictures. It took us almost 5 hours to put this bed together, and my parents have done many home improvement projects!
"Helping"
Look how happy she is to go to sleep. I love it!
You just have to love the Ikea instructions - no words, many parts and small pictures. It took us almost 5 hours to put this bed together, and my parents have done many home improvement projects!
"Helping"
Look how happy she is to go to sleep. I love it!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
In the game...
Jeff and I made an offer on a house today. I am super excited and hopeful, but the problem is that this house is too good to be true. It's a short sale, which means that the owners are trying to sell it for less than they bought it for and the bank will take a hit on the sell. It's not a foreclosure because the owners are still paying the mortgage, but for one reason or another they need to sell and the house is worth less than the loan amount.
So, even if they seller wants to take our offer, if the bank does not accept our offer we don't get the house. Also, the bank can wait as long as they want to approve an offer, so we could be waiting for months. One short sale we looked at today has been vacant for over a year...YIKES!
We're in the game, we have an offer, and now we just pray and wait.
So, even if they seller wants to take our offer, if the bank does not accept our offer we don't get the house. Also, the bank can wait as long as they want to approve an offer, so we could be waiting for months. One short sale we looked at today has been vacant for over a year...YIKES!
We're in the game, we have an offer, and now we just pray and wait.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Catching Up
Get thee ready for a long one! Here are some things I've been meaning to blog about:
1. My brother in law is getting married this August. I went to a lovely bridal shower for the soon to be Mrs. Emily Murry. I didn't take any pics though, and since I got lost on the way and had to leave early to get back and feed Kate I was only there for half the shower. I am looking forward to celebrating more with Roger and Emily. If you want to see the adorable couple, here is their website: http://emilyandroger.wedquarters.com/Welcome.wq
2. The other day someone told me that Kate looks like a doll...no surprise. She then proceeded to tell me that her laugh sounds just like the sound you would expect when you squeeze a doll...hmmm...never heard that before.
3. We celebrated a few bdays and Easter with my family this past weekend. We were supposed to celebrate the weekend before, but my doll was sick so we postponed it. We had a great time with family!
Reading on the way to Gma's house.
...sound out a new word...
The whole family + the dog.
All the grandkids + the dog.
Putting the balls in cups and lining them up on the fence.
Making chaos out of order
And stay down!
4. After celebrating Easter we went to see Henry, Jeff's youngest brother, at UCLA. We got to eat lunch with him and Annie. When Annie left, Hannah seemed very disappointed. She kept walking by the stairs where Annie walked down when she left and saying, "Bye-bye, sad." Although I did not get pics of Annie, I did manage to get a shot with Big Hennie (I have decided that Lil' Hennie doesn't fit him anymore and have promoted him to Big Hennie - I'm sue I will hear about this in the comments).
5. I now have 8 stitches in my left pointer finger. How you ask? Well, I was blending Kate some banana's in our handblender and ran my finger to scoop out what was left inside the blade part. Realizing the blad was still connected to the base I thought I should separate the two parts. Instead of pressing the release button I pressed the on button and blended my finger. Ouch. I spent the morning in a daze. My sweet neighbors helped out until Jeff got home, then one took care of Hannah and Kate until we returned 3 hours later from the ER. No more operating machinery until after my morning coffee.
6. We went to the Children's Museum in San Diego (compliments of the public library) and had a great time. We were going to go back yesterday, but I decided to stick my hand in the blender instead.
Do you see the stack of paint brushes she has leaning against the tire? Once a hoarder always a hoarder.
"Tate meet Tate"
7. We had hosted our first playdate last Monday. Hannah did a great job sharing toys, and it was small enough where the kids played well together and I enjoyed conversation with other moms. Fun times!
8. Hannah can now turn the camera on and take pictures at will. This is dangerous - I never know what I am loading onto the computer these days.
9. I have decided to make matching twin size quilts for the girls to put on their beds as bedspeads. This is what I hope they will look like: http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/products/patterns_display.php?id=32
10. I have designed a website for my dad's work. Check it out and tell me what you think: http://nicholsmachinerymovers.homestead.com/about.html
11. Kate has had a good week of sleep this week (so far!). Monday she was up once, Tuesday twice and Wednesday night three times. She was only fed twice last night, and the third time Jeff held her for a while then put her down. She went back to sleep...ahhhh. She is such a wild card with her sleep, but I am hopeful that she is getting better.
12. I am glad that over the past few years I have built up and immunity to kids music. It doens't bother me to sing them or listen to them over and over. Poor Jeff...he did not plan ahead and can hardly stand Hannah's request for "Bus" (Wheels on the Bus) or "Shine" (This little light of mine).
13. Hannah is still dressing herself, and it is hard to see some outfit combinations:
Yes, she is wearing tights under her shorts.
1. My brother in law is getting married this August. I went to a lovely bridal shower for the soon to be Mrs. Emily Murry. I didn't take any pics though, and since I got lost on the way and had to leave early to get back and feed Kate I was only there for half the shower. I am looking forward to celebrating more with Roger and Emily. If you want to see the adorable couple, here is their website: http://emilyandroger.wedquarters.com/Welcome.wq
2. The other day someone told me that Kate looks like a doll...no surprise. She then proceeded to tell me that her laugh sounds just like the sound you would expect when you squeeze a doll...hmmm...never heard that before.
3. We celebrated a few bdays and Easter with my family this past weekend. We were supposed to celebrate the weekend before, but my doll was sick so we postponed it. We had a great time with family!
Reading on the way to Gma's house.
...sound out a new word...
The whole family + the dog.
All the grandkids + the dog.
Putting the balls in cups and lining them up on the fence.
Making chaos out of order
And stay down!4. After celebrating Easter we went to see Henry, Jeff's youngest brother, at UCLA. We got to eat lunch with him and Annie. When Annie left, Hannah seemed very disappointed. She kept walking by the stairs where Annie walked down when she left and saying, "Bye-bye, sad." Although I did not get pics of Annie, I did manage to get a shot with Big Hennie (I have decided that Lil' Hennie doesn't fit him anymore and have promoted him to Big Hennie - I'm sue I will hear about this in the comments).
5. I now have 8 stitches in my left pointer finger. How you ask? Well, I was blending Kate some banana's in our handblender and ran my finger to scoop out what was left inside the blade part. Realizing the blad was still connected to the base I thought I should separate the two parts. Instead of pressing the release button I pressed the on button and blended my finger. Ouch. I spent the morning in a daze. My sweet neighbors helped out until Jeff got home, then one took care of Hannah and Kate until we returned 3 hours later from the ER. No more operating machinery until after my morning coffee.
6. We went to the Children's Museum in San Diego (compliments of the public library) and had a great time. We were going to go back yesterday, but I decided to stick my hand in the blender instead.
Do you see the stack of paint brushes she has leaning against the tire? Once a hoarder always a hoarder.
"Tate meet Tate"
7. We had hosted our first playdate last Monday. Hannah did a great job sharing toys, and it was small enough where the kids played well together and I enjoyed conversation with other moms. Fun times!
8. Hannah can now turn the camera on and take pictures at will. This is dangerous - I never know what I am loading onto the computer these days.
9. I have decided to make matching twin size quilts for the girls to put on their beds as bedspeads. This is what I hope they will look like: http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/products/patterns_display.php?id=32
10. I have designed a website for my dad's work. Check it out and tell me what you think: http://nicholsmachinerymovers.homestead.com/about.html
11. Kate has had a good week of sleep this week (so far!). Monday she was up once, Tuesday twice and Wednesday night three times. She was only fed twice last night, and the third time Jeff held her for a while then put her down. She went back to sleep...ahhhh. She is such a wild card with her sleep, but I am hopeful that she is getting better.
12. I am glad that over the past few years I have built up and immunity to kids music. It doens't bother me to sing them or listen to them over and over. Poor Jeff...he did not plan ahead and can hardly stand Hannah's request for "Bus" (Wheels on the Bus) or "Shine" (This little light of mine).
13. Hannah is still dressing herself, and it is hard to see some outfit combinations:
Yes, she is wearing tights under her shorts.
Friday, April 17, 2009
8 Months Old
Kate is 8 months old today. She is a joy to have in our family and is truly, deeply loved by Jeff, Hannah and I. From a completely unbiased point of view, she is the most beautiful baby around.
Kate's strengths are:
sitting up
smiling and laughing
holding objects
putting things in her mouth
hitting toys together to make noise
eating cherrios
rolling over
watching her big sister
Kate's weaknesses are:
sleep
tummy time
She really enjoys being held, sung to, tickled under her chin or on her thighs, having her cheek stroked, and grabbing for whatever you have in your hand. At parks she loves to swing, slide and go on the teeter totter with her sister.
She likes to eat peas, sweet potatoes, banana, cherrios, and applesauce. She tolerates avocado, rice cereal, pears, mango, carrots, peaches, squash, and zucchini. She absolutely hates green beans and will gag and make herself throw up if I try to sneak in a green bean bite. She refuses to eat from a bottle, and is weaning herself from her pacifier (what will I do from 5-6 p.m. now??). I have tried to get her used to a sippy cup, but she still thinks of it as a toy. She nurses 4 times during the day and once or twice at night.
She has the most addicting laugh that fills our house with happiness, and a simple "boo" will get her rolling these days. Hannah gets the best laughs from her, and as a caring sister she is usually willing to entertain her sister.
Catherine Grace is the perfect name for our sweet baby, as she is pure grace.
Dear Catherine,
May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
Amen, Amen and Amen!
Kate's strengths are:
sitting up
smiling and laughing
holding objects
putting things in her mouth
hitting toys together to make noise
eating cherrios
rolling over
watching her big sister
Kate's weaknesses are:
sleep
tummy time
She really enjoys being held, sung to, tickled under her chin or on her thighs, having her cheek stroked, and grabbing for whatever you have in your hand. At parks she loves to swing, slide and go on the teeter totter with her sister.
She likes to eat peas, sweet potatoes, banana, cherrios, and applesauce. She tolerates avocado, rice cereal, pears, mango, carrots, peaches, squash, and zucchini. She absolutely hates green beans and will gag and make herself throw up if I try to sneak in a green bean bite. She refuses to eat from a bottle, and is weaning herself from her pacifier (what will I do from 5-6 p.m. now??). I have tried to get her used to a sippy cup, but she still thinks of it as a toy. She nurses 4 times during the day and once or twice at night.
She has the most addicting laugh that fills our house with happiness, and a simple "boo" will get her rolling these days. Hannah gets the best laughs from her, and as a caring sister she is usually willing to entertain her sister.
Catherine Grace is the perfect name for our sweet baby, as she is pure grace.
Dear Catherine,
May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
Amen, Amen and Amen!
6 + 3 = 9!!!
Yes folks, Kate gave me the night off for good behavior. I put her down at 8 like usual and she slept until 3:30. Jeff tried to give her a bottle, she took some, was still unhappy so I nursed her and she slept until 7.
I went to bed at 9:30ish, so I got a 6 hour stretch of sleep, followed by another 3ish. That's nine hours. I feel amazing today. I feel very happy. I can't wait to play with my kiddos, and I wanted to share the good news.
I went to bed at 9:30ish, so I got a 6 hour stretch of sleep, followed by another 3ish. That's nine hours. I feel amazing today. I feel very happy. I can't wait to play with my kiddos, and I wanted to share the good news.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
When will it stop?
Warning: This posting is about sleep and the lack thereof. There are random pictures throughout because I can't find the camera cord, but I like posting with pictures so here it is for those who are interested.
Last night I lectured Kate. I'm not sure it's the wisest thing to lecture an 8 month old, especially in my sleepless state of mind, but I did. I was soooo hopeful last night for at least 4 hours of consecutive sleep, and I think that when Kate did not just magically sleep through the night I became hopeless thinking that she will never sleep, and therefore I will never sleep. Here's the saga:
Kate eats dinner at 6 pm with the family. Because she does not accept bottles anymore I decided that some rice cereal with formula is needed before her nighttime nurse. She did not want any rice cereal, but Jeff got her to eat some anyway. I then nursed her and she was asleep at 8 pm. At 9:30 she was crying. She cried and cried and cried until 11:30, when I decided it was close enough to a four hour feed and I couldn't take her crying anymore. I picked her up and began lecturing her, "Night time is for sleeping. It is not the time to play or eat or talk. When it is dark we sleep. When it is light you can play, eat and sleep all you want, but at night we sleep. (with a very stern tone) You need to sleep. I need to sleep. And you need to stop crying now!"
Okay, not my finest hour. In fact, I lost my temper with Kate, which I know means walk away and cool off. But where do you walk away to that won't have a screaming baby at 11:30 pm?? I could also wake up Jeff, but then two people would be sleep deprived and that seems silly to make him suffer too. So I cried, prayed, fed her, put her down. She slept until 2 am, woke and cried for about 15 minutes and then woke again around 4:30 when Jeff struggled to give her a bottle as she protested and cried. She eventually took 3 ounces from the bottle - a huge success - and slept until about 7.
So let's add it up: I slept from 12ish to 2, 2:30ish to 4:30ish and then 5ish to 7. That's about 6 hours broken up into 2 hour segments. That's the type of sleep I get these days. I used to be the type of person that requirred at least 9 hours of sleep to function during the next day. Kate is truly stretching me.
So here are the answers to the typical sleep quesitons:
1. I put her down for her naps awake
2. I only let her sleep for 2 hours at a time during the day
3. She only takes 2 naps a day, and usually only a 30 minute morning nap and a 2 hour afternoon nap
4. She eats all she wants whenever she wants during the day - I can say with confidence that she is not hungry when she wakes up
5. The people upstairs have moved out so no one is making noise that would wake her
6. We have nighttime diapers that hold extra moisture so wet diapers won't bother her
7. She sleeps unswaddled so she can suck on her hand if she wants to soothe herself. We also have pacis in there so she can put one in her mouth
8. She sleeps in two jammies so she is warm, but not too hot
9. Her room is dark. It has no windows and the doors are shut.
10. She is not routinely waking at the same time, but randomly throughout the night
11. I do not enter her room except to get her for a feeding
12. I only feed her every 4 hours
By the end of the day I am thoroughly exhausted. I work all day feeding, entertaining, cleaning, singing, discipling, reading, comforting and encouraging. I love being home with Hannah and Kate. I love spending time with them. I love caring for them. I love teaching them and directing them in ways that would honor God. I just long for some rest. I want to sleep. So dear friends and family who have read this far bearing with me as I complain, what would you do next? I would love advice and at this point will try almost anything to get her to sleep (but I do have to provide a disclaimer: co-sleeping is not an option for us). Ideas???
Last night I lectured Kate. I'm not sure it's the wisest thing to lecture an 8 month old, especially in my sleepless state of mind, but I did. I was soooo hopeful last night for at least 4 hours of consecutive sleep, and I think that when Kate did not just magically sleep through the night I became hopeless thinking that she will never sleep, and therefore I will never sleep. Here's the saga:
Kate eats dinner at 6 pm with the family. Because she does not accept bottles anymore I decided that some rice cereal with formula is needed before her nighttime nurse. She did not want any rice cereal, but Jeff got her to eat some anyway. I then nursed her and she was asleep at 8 pm. At 9:30 she was crying. She cried and cried and cried until 11:30, when I decided it was close enough to a four hour feed and I couldn't take her crying anymore. I picked her up and began lecturing her, "Night time is for sleeping. It is not the time to play or eat or talk. When it is dark we sleep. When it is light you can play, eat and sleep all you want, but at night we sleep. (with a very stern tone) You need to sleep. I need to sleep. And you need to stop crying now!"
Okay, not my finest hour. In fact, I lost my temper with Kate, which I know means walk away and cool off. But where do you walk away to that won't have a screaming baby at 11:30 pm?? I could also wake up Jeff, but then two people would be sleep deprived and that seems silly to make him suffer too. So I cried, prayed, fed her, put her down. She slept until 2 am, woke and cried for about 15 minutes and then woke again around 4:30 when Jeff struggled to give her a bottle as she protested and cried. She eventually took 3 ounces from the bottle - a huge success - and slept until about 7.
So let's add it up: I slept from 12ish to 2, 2:30ish to 4:30ish and then 5ish to 7. That's about 6 hours broken up into 2 hour segments. That's the type of sleep I get these days. I used to be the type of person that requirred at least 9 hours of sleep to function during the next day. Kate is truly stretching me.
So here are the answers to the typical sleep quesitons:
1. I put her down for her naps awake
2. I only let her sleep for 2 hours at a time during the day
3. She only takes 2 naps a day, and usually only a 30 minute morning nap and a 2 hour afternoon nap
4. She eats all she wants whenever she wants during the day - I can say with confidence that she is not hungry when she wakes up
5. The people upstairs have moved out so no one is making noise that would wake her
6. We have nighttime diapers that hold extra moisture so wet diapers won't bother her
7. She sleeps unswaddled so she can suck on her hand if she wants to soothe herself. We also have pacis in there so she can put one in her mouth
8. She sleeps in two jammies so she is warm, but not too hot
9. Her room is dark. It has no windows and the doors are shut.
10. She is not routinely waking at the same time, but randomly throughout the night
11. I do not enter her room except to get her for a feeding
12. I only feed her every 4 hours
By the end of the day I am thoroughly exhausted. I work all day feeding, entertaining, cleaning, singing, discipling, reading, comforting and encouraging. I love being home with Hannah and Kate. I love spending time with them. I love caring for them. I love teaching them and directing them in ways that would honor God. I just long for some rest. I want to sleep. So dear friends and family who have read this far bearing with me as I complain, what would you do next? I would love advice and at this point will try almost anything to get her to sleep (but I do have to provide a disclaimer: co-sleeping is not an option for us). Ideas???
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Easter 2009
Even though Kate has a cold, we all went to church on Sunday. After church there was an egg hunt for the preschoolers, and Hannah seemed to really enjoy finding eggs that were laying in the grass, not really hiding at all. We then took naps after lunch, and to top off the relaxing day Jeff ordered pizza and we watched Eagle Eye after the kids went to bed. What a way to celebrate the Lord's resurrection!
Friday, April 10, 2009
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