Wordless Wednesday

     **LOVE**

Cailyn is 7 Months Old

Look who is 7 months old?? My baby is growing up!  Happy 7 months, Cailyn.  You continue to amaze me with your easy going personality!!

This last month has been a big month for Cailyn and has reached many milestones.  We are so proud of our baby and so over-the-top in love with her!!

Look who is sitting up like a big girl.  No assistance needed.  She doesn’t fight the bouncy seat too much but her preference these days is sitting up to play.  Better view to watch brother and sister!

She is watching everything and everyone.   I love watching her experience a new texture or an object she has never seen before. Everything is new and exciting and she concentrates so hard on exploring every aspect of it. 

We have been able to be outside more and more these last couple of days. She loves to sit in the pram and watch.  While we were cleaning up after Irene she sat her for at least an hour. Happy as a clam!

Her favorite toys are the ones that Wesley gives her. She has taken hold of his fish and taken hostage of it the last few days!  Wesley does not mind sharing…with Cailyn.  Lawson is a different story. ha!

FOOD: Cailyn is eating very well these days. We have tried sweet potatoes, green peas, carrots, avocado & bananas   She eats 2 meals a day at lunch and dinner.  Nursing is still going well. 

SLEEP:  I am happy to report it is getting better.  I have been showing some tough love and we are back to waking up once a night rather then 3 times.  Last night she went to bed at 7:30PM and woke up at 4:30AM.  BIG Improvement.  Hopefully, it will continue to improve.

I love being mom to this little munchkin.  She brightens up anyone’s day by her big smile!! 

Update on the 1st Grade

I thought I would post a little update since we are about to complete the 1st month of 1st grade.  Everything is going well and we are in a pretty good routine these days.  Lawson is excelling and LOVES her teacher.  After our missed bus incident we have not had any other issues as far as the bus goes. (Whew!!)

Every week Lawson has a spelling test and has been getting 100s on all of them! There is a lot of homework in the 1st grade but Lawson is pretty good about completing it without too much harassing.  I pretty much have to say “do you want to be a homework hero?” and that gets the job done.  She loves seeing her name on the homework hero list!

We have had one teeny tiny issue at school.  One that is NO SURPRISE!!

I was reminded by my dad I received the same type of note in school.  Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  haha!

Other then that everything is going great.  Lawson has stayed on green (good behavior) all month.  Wesley knows the drill and asks her everyday “Lawson did you get a green today?”  or when we drop her off “Stay on green today, okay Lawson!!”

We are so proud of Lawson!!! Keep up the great work, Lawson.

Wesley is always prepared…

Wesley will protect us in case any ducks or deer come in the house at night!!

The child seems to eat and breath all things hunting these days.  He can’t wait for the day Collins says “Wesley you want to go hunting with me?”  I hate to tell him he has many more years!!

**This picture is funny because we have such a boy toy (his gun) in his bed YET there is also his beloved pink blanket in the bed as well. 

Quiet before the Storm

If you have been watching the news you know that Irene is heading towards the NC Coast.  We are not expecting much here except rain and wind (thank goodness.)  Although my in-laws (who live at the beach) will probably get it a little bit worse.  Praying for their safety.

This week we have FINALLY gotten some relief from the intense heat and we all are enjoying the beautiful weather.  (I will be the first one to admit I am a fair weather type gal!)  It was so pretty I could not resist taking pictures of this cute bunch of kids!

Wesley is such a ham!!

Cailyn and I were playing peek-a-boo.  She always has her eyes on mommy these days.  I leave the room and she will start squawking, not crying just talking very loudly as if to say…”Where are you mommy?”

Then when I would round the corner I always get a smile!! So sweet!

If Wesley is a ham then Lawson is a Diva, for sure.  This girl comes home and immediately puts on high heels (I took away her real ones because of poor choices this week so she is back to play ones!!)

Lawson is so funny….can you tell who is watching her every move?

Hail, Queen Cailyn (that sounds about right!!)

These are elephant ears that Collins cut for the kids to play with.  They are fanning Cailyn.  To bad she can’t eat grapes yet!!!

Thank you Lord for the Quiet (awesome weather) before the storms.  We LOVE this weather. 

BTW- What were you doing when you felt the earthquake?  Wasn’t that crazy??? Wesley, Cailyn and I were having a snack at the table.  I thought a large truck was coming by the house.  So weird.

Lawson went to the American Girl Doll Store

Last Christmas Lawson received an American Girl Doll from Santa.  This doll is one of her most treasured dolls and takes her every where we go. 

While Lawson was in VA staying with her Nana and Dah this summer (yes, this is a late post, so sue me!!)  she got to go to the American Girl Doll Store in Tyson’s Corner.  What a treat!!

Here is Lawson and Lanie on their way to the AGD store.  It was like 100 degrees outside but she still insisted on wearing a sweater so Lanie had to also.  I am not sure if you can tell but the girls are wearing matching dresses I made. I love match-y match-y things!!

At the store Lawson got to pick out Lanie a whole new wardrobe. 

Lanie also a make-over.  See Lanie in the salon chair!!

While Lanie was at the salon Lawson and Nana had a tea party (pink lemonade and cookies).  She got to borrow a friend.  Her friend’s name was Anabelle.

Check out the chair and tea set!!! ADORABLE!!

Lawson had the best time and Lanie looks BEAU-TI-FUL!! See her new hair-do plus now Lanie now needs glasses!!

Thank you Nana for creating such a special memory with Lawson. She is still talking about her time there!!! I have to tell you- she still has those silver high heels circled for Lanie.  She has not forgotten!! haha!

Feeding Time!

Just a quick little update on how solid foods are going with Cailyn. 

Last time I reported that Cailyn was not eating solid food (rice cereal) and we were told to try oatmeal/cereal.  We tried and she loves it.   Then last weekend Collins stopped off at the Farmer’s Market and got me sweet potato for Cailyn. SHE LOVES IT!! 

Here are some cute eating pictures!!

Lawson is SUCH a good helper. As you can see Cailyn is an eager eater.

I have also made peas for my sweet girl.  She loves that too.  YIPPEE!!!  Currently we are on day 2 of 4 for the peas.  Next is avocado, then bananas.

I made Wesley’s food when he was a baby will continue on the same path with Cailyn’s food. However, this time I have such a great resource.  The best book for making your own baby food is the Super Baby Food.  This is like the mother of all baby food books and parenting tips and tricks.  I love it!!

As far as nursing, everything is going great.  I hope to continue for as long (within 12 months) as possible.   

PS- you might of noticed the rash around Cailyn’s neck. She is teething like crazy but nothing is coming through.  Therefore, she is a drool machine.  I sometime let her have diaper days so she can air out her neck!  It looks worse then it really is, because she never complains!

Lawson 1st Grade Update

Lawson survived the first week of school!!  Actually a better assessment would be “Mommy survived the first week of school.”  Let’s see if I can remember all the details. 

Monday 1st day: Lawson got confused with car pool line in the afternoon.  The children wait in the classroom rather then the gym and when they called her name she didn’t know what to do.  Therefore, she had to be called twice over the intercom and escorted to the front of the carpool line. It is rather unnerving to pull up to get your daughter and no one can find her.  hmmm.

Then we got home.  We have over an hours worth of homework. ON THE FIRST DAY!! Lawson was exhausted and took some serious motivation (chocolate chips) to continue her enthusiasm for homework.

Tuesday: We waited in line for carpool for over an HOUR!! Seriously people??? Then…was Lawson there?  Nope.  Once again she didn’t like the fact she had to walk to the carpool line all by herself.  She said “mommy can I please ride the bus??”  Still 1 hours worth of homework.

Wednesday:  Mommy was a nervous wreck starting about 3:45PM. Why? Because mommy was not at carpool line.  I was waiting at the corner of the street with these two cuties. 

Lawson rode the bus for the first time.

I asked Lawson how was it.  Her first comment “I don’t think the bus driver should be a bus driver.  I think he should be a race car driver.”  Lord have mercy, I thought I was going to faint.  She told me her tummy turned upside down because she was bouncing all around.  Breath…breath…besides these two comments.  I remembered being in a bus you do seem like you are going faster then you really are. RIGHT??

Thursday and Friday:  Lawson continued to ride the bus BUT we made a little bit of a change.  Lawson now gets dropped off at our driveway!  Bonus for being a young family in an older neighborhood.  Ha!

Here is Cailyn waiting for Lawson.  Wesley was asleep. New and improved sleep schedule. BONUS!! I think I am liking this bus thing.

Lawson was thrilled to see us and loved being able to push Cailyn back to the house. 

Her overall review of her first week.  “I love Mrs. Johnson because she is teaching me lots of things”  Good to hear.  However, I do think the homework is a little excessive.  Here is all her homework from the first week. 

Then let’s move onto this Monday, 8/8.  Nothing like seeing the big yellow bus and YOUR DAUGHTER IS NOT ON THE BUS!! You read that correctly.  She missed the bus.  My brother was in town and offered to go and get her at the bus stop.  At the same time I get a phone call from the school that Lawson is not on the bus and will be in the classroom ready for pick-up.  Apparently, Lawson does not like flying solo and even though she saw her bus # up on the screen, she did not want to exit the classroom without supervision.  So she missed it. ARE YOU SERIOUS????

I can’t blame her because she is just waiting for more direction from the teacher.  Then last thing she wants is to get in trouble for not following the rules. I do think our current school makes the children have a few too many responsibilities but it is probably just me.  Thankfully, Ryan was in town so I left W & C at the house and picked up Lawson.  Her teachers were very sweet and explained the procedure to her helped make the incident not traumatic at all. I am happy to report Lawson was on the bus Tuesday afternoon. 

Overall Report:  We (Collins and I) are coming around to all the changes.  Lawson deals with change a lot better then us.  Lawson seems happy and really that is all that matters!! We are so proud of our little girl, Lawson!!

Cailyn is 6 months old

Look who is 6 Months old!! In other words…half a year old. Wow!!

Cailyn is still my super happy baby.  Easy, laid back, kind of goes with the flow but at her own pace. I have started calling Cailyn my “Useta Girl” Why you ask??

Cailyn use too or “useta” roll over…now she does not.

Cailyn ‘useta’ eat cereal now she spits it out.

She ‘usesta’ sleep through the night…now it is a guessing game. 

I talked with the doctor and he told me because she is reaching or surpassing all of her other milestones for me not to worry. Easier said then done. As for the food we are going to try other types of food and see how it goes.  He told me this is not uncommon especially for babies that are strictly breastfeed,   We will see.

Other then that Cailyn is perfect!! Here are her stats…

Weight- 15lbs 15oz 50%

Height- 26”- 65%

Head-15%

I can not tell you much we all just adore our sweet Cailyn and love watching her grow. 

Also- thank you Auntie D for the beautiful outfit!!

Lawson’s First Day in the 1st Grade

The day has arrived and I have a 1st grader.  How did that happen??? I swear yesterday she was 2.  Okay, I lied 4….

Lawson has been very excited about her first day in the 1st grade for a while now, me I am slowly warming up to it!!

A little school update…We have decided to pull Lawson out of the Magnet school she attended last year and attend out base school this year.  There were lots of factors in making this decision in no particular order 1) gas prices 2) school reputation 3) our comfort level.  As comfortable as we were with this decision we really thought the transition was going to be hard on Lawson.  We were wrong.  She looked forward to the new start and when we went to the open house last week she got even more excited. 

To celebrate Lawson’s first day of school I made her a special breakfast.

I asked Lawson how she felt about her first day of school and she says “Yippee!!”

Here is Lawson 1st day in the First Grade official picture.  She looks so mature to me!!  Thanks Nana and Dah for the beautiful outfit.  She looked beautiful!

Gee wiz, here are the two older kids.  Do NOT tell Wesley to smile.  It really isn’t worth it…

Me and my kiddos. 

We arrived at the school a little late but not tardy (Cailyn had a poopy that needed attending to in the parking lot).

Lawson putting up her backpack.

Cailyn was a little sad sissy was leaving…

Lawson was a little shy when we got there and her earlier enthusiasm quickly disappeared. She did not want us to leave.  

I did get a sweet smile right before I left.  Wow, I am so proud of my baby girl. 

1st Day Report:  Lawson had a good day.  She did not fully understand carpool line directions so she was flustered at the end of the day, but all in all she had a good day. 

My prayer is that this school is a good fit for Lawson and for us. 

A Mother’s Reflection

Before I get to Lawson’s First Day Pictures and Cailyn’s 6 month update I want to document something.  Lord knows, I am going to cry writing this but I want to get this off my chest.  I am so unbelievably proud of my Lawson. If you have read this blog, know Lawson, you know she is a pretty special young girl. She is smart, funny, loving, observant, and extra sensitive, but she is by definition a spirited child.  Let me give you an example which describes Lawson to a T

Profound statements roll from his/her mouth, much too mature and intellectual for a child his/her age. He remembers experiences you’ve long since forgotten and drags you to the window to watch the raindrops, falling like diamonds from the sky. On the good days being the parent of a spirited child is astounding, dumbfounding, wonderful, funny, interesting, and interspersed with moments of brilliance.

The dreadful days are another story. On those days you’re not sure you can face another twenty-four house with him/her. It is hard to feel good as a parent when you can’t get his/her socks on, when every word you’ve said to him/her has been a reprimand…

You feel weary, drained, and much too old for this even if you were only in your twenties when your child was born.  --Raising the Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka

This is a small example of what is is like raising a Spirited Child.  It is hard yet rewarding at the same time.  I have described on this blog some of my ups and downs with Lawson.  Like last summer I poured my heart out about Lawson Spreading Her Wings and how I was a little too excited about her spending some time away… There seem to be too many moments I am not very proud of my behavior as her mom.  She really has deserved better then I have behaved at times but it is a learning process. 

Now, as I reflect I can tell you I might be getting it… I would like to think we are beginning to understand each other (and how similar we really are).  That doesn’t mean there are not hiccups but recently we have just clicked.  This summer has been FANTASTIC!!  For the most part, everything has just gone very smoothly.  I have enjoyed her company rather then thought…what is she going to do next?  How am I going to convince her to do X?  How over-the-top is she going to make this?  It has just been pleasant.  We have not gone on a family vacation, or done anything over-the-top exciting, (she would argue that she went to visit both sets of grandparents and had the best time) this really has been the BEST summer. Now that she is back in school I am selfishly so sad because unlike last year, I don’t want her to go.  I have LOVED having her around and I am going to miss her so much!!  Please do not get me wrong, I love having Lawson around regardless, it is just so much MORE fun when you are not dealing with attitudes, sassiness, and confrontation from a 6 year old.  If you can imagine it is exhausting! 

Well, my baby is growing up and I will never hold her back she is who she is and I love everything about her.  She is my big girl starting the First Grade and I am bursting at the seams proud of her. I do not know what the future holds for us, I just know I am going to continue to try to be the best mom to Lawson possible and continue to be the mom she needs me to be! 

Lawson when you read this one day, know I love you with ALL MY HEART and I love you just the way you are.  Some days I am better at this mothering thing then others but I am trying the best I can.  Thank you for your forgiving and loving heart.  You are and will always will be my baby!!