9 months later...

Jealousy has hit. Brianna has always been a Mama's girl, and "the baby". Well, we haven't had jealousy issues, and if we thought one of the girls was feeling left out we had alone time with them, or really tried to make them feel special...

Well, here we are, the babe is 9 months old...and there have been big jealousy signs from Brianna. She has come out of nowhere and pulled Joshua's hair, or yelled at him, or take away a toy for no reason. Then, today she came up and told me she wanted her brother to go because I don't want her anymore. This absolutely broke my heart. I got down on her level and told her how wanted she is, and how much I love her. I told her anytime she feels that way to tell me and I'd hold her or make time to have one-on-one time for her. I told her that I know brother takes a lot of time, but that doesn't mean she isn't as important to me. The balancing act can be such a struggle. I've always since day one of becoming a Mom made it a priority to give my girls equal time/say I love you to the other if I said it to one/and it was, more so, easy to be equal between them because they were the same age, and did everything at the same stages...but when I'm feeding the baby and the girls want to play a game and I can't, or the girls want to play with dolls with teeny tiny parts with me, and the baby is up and playing and can't have teeny tiny parts near him, it just gets so hard sometimes. I feel myself constantly torn-trying to keep the baby happy and the girls' wants/needs met. It's easy when Nelson's home. We tag team well, and are a really good team with our kids. I know that this struggle will not last long...with most things with children it'll be a phase. Soon enough I'll be making 3 of the same meals, and can just sit and talk to them and enjoy them instead of worrying about the baby choking, having to hold the spoon, all while the girls are asking me a million questions that I just can't answer at the moment. Soon enough, all 3 will be running around together giggling and brother will no longer be a bother, but will instead be a best bud. Soon enough, I will be sad because I won't have a bottle to feed the babe, and I won't have a 4 year old who desperately wants to cuddle.

Brianna does usually adore her brother, and she never wants him to be sad (even with the hair pulling...she felt SO bad after she did it). She loves him so much, and her anger is not at him. Just at change....boy are my girls SO much like me. Worries me some ;).

In other news...boy oh boy does Joshua have a new found temper. It's driving me a bit batty. If he wants something, he wants it NOW, and shrieks, makes fists, his face gets beat red...it can be over food, a toy, wanting to be picked up, anything. He is easily calmed down, but I don't know how I'll get through this phase-someone reassure me it is a phase! Ha! I worry too that me quickly handing him what he wants to get him to stop screaming is making him think this is what he should do to get what he wants. When he does this at lunch I do the signs for more and please, and quietly say no yelling, Joshua. I put my finger to my mouth and say shh...so he gets that I don't like the noises he's making...just hoping sooner than later he gets that these outbursts aren't OK.

He does laugh when I laugh...which is a deep down belly laugh, that the girls never did often. Joshua does it all.the.time. It adds years to my life, truly. He is now a belly sleeper and rock star roller from his back...so I think all of our work with him is paying off. He wants to be standing all the time, and walking holding our fingers. He is constantly reaching for our fingers so that he can go. He constantly acts like a little old man in a pint sized body. He cracks me up. I love my kids so much. Tonight at dinner I paused and soaked all three of them in. The girls weren't arguing, the baby was OK, when I was shoveling food in his mouth, and they were all these perfect little people whose big issue today was that they wanted me....how blessed am I?

If you got this far...thanks for reading tonight's super long post ;)

Things going well...

I am officially in my last year of my 20s ;). My birthday was great, we celebrated over the weekend with a trip to USF, Busch Gardens and the farm. Birthdays are so much better with kids. The girls get so excited, and were so sweet. They told me to go first at the farm because it was my special day...they were just so so sweet.



Joshua just wants to pull himself up with our fingers and walk everywhere. Nelson does a half hour of tummy time in the AM and I do it in the afternoon and I can already see him getting less and less mad. The girls still hand him things as soon as he starts to holler...we're working on that. He really has no reason to move with everyone at his beck and call...Ha!

I had to go to 2 nursing sessions when he was 8 mo. because my supply tanked...and he got 3 bottles then. Well, Sunday was our last nursing time. He was starving after nursing for quite a bit...so it was time to switch to all formula. He's done great with the switch. I'm excited I was able to go until he was a little over 9 months. Can not believe only 3 more months and my baby will be one and drinking cows milk. Unbelievable!

We are really getting excited about our vacation!! About 3 weeks, and we'll be in North Carolina!

Mikayla-1, Mommy-0

We are driving today, and Mikayla was getting whiny and asked this....
Mikalya----"Mommy, why are there more Brianna's than Mikayla's?"
(There was a Brianna in their class, and they know another Brianna and Mikayla's only met one other Mikayla).
Mikayla---"People must think Brianna is more beautifuler than Mikaylas".
Me--- "That's not true, they are both beautiful names, and there aren't many other Tiffany's".
Mikayla---"But there are a lot of Mom's".
Touché, Daughter, touché :).

Then, out of the blue today she asked me why dinosaurs were alive before people. I told her God knew dinosaurs were dangerous to people so He waited until they were extinct for us to be here. She thought for a couple minutes, and asked, "Well, if they died, are they going to hurt us when we go to Heaven?". OH GEEZ. I told her that I wasn't sure if they would be in Heaven, and that Jesus brings people to Heaven with good hearts and that no one can get hurt in Heaven. The mental image of us frolicking in Heaven with dinosaurs though was pretty funny.
Oh, I love these little people.

We went to Babies 'R Us this morning and I bought Joshua some toys. It was the first time I bought him any toys!! He's always had sisters hand-me-downs, or some gifts he got from family at Christmas. I got him a shape shorter that rolls and a VTech sit to walking activity toy. We are going tonight to watch Nelson and my sister play softball. Should be a fun night....glad this week went quickly :).

29th Birthday

My birthday is on Monday, and I'm so excited. I LOVE birthdays. I love everything about it, decorations, blowing out the candle, and wishing for something special for the year ahead, presents, being with loved ones, the excitement, my parents always made a HUGE deal out of birthdays. When I was little money was tight and they still would go all out for our birthday celebration. It's been important to me that my kids always have special birthdays too. (In fact, their October birthday party is almost completely planned ;) ). I'm not even upset about it being my last year of my 20's. I think since I feel old after having 3 kids, and having lots of friends in their 30's that I already feel like I'm out of my 20's. I might feel differently when it becomes official next year though ;).

As far as J's 9 mo. check up. Dr. isn't concerned at all that he's not crawling, but I did call last week and register him for a community screening at the hospital where he was born. The dr. said this can't hurt, and we can come in a week after the assessment to talk about it. It'll be August 20th. So, we'll see. I'm hoping by then he's crawling and I can go into the assessment with ease, and just see how he measures (my friend has brought all 3 of her kids to this assessment just to see how they are doing exactly even though she had no concerns).

My boy is growing great-29 inches (75%), 18 lbs. 6 oz. (20 %) Tall and lean boy. This cracks me up because my girls were 18 lbs. when they turned one, so 18 lbs. at 9 months seems huge to me ;).

The 4th and my big boy update :)

We had close friends come over on the 4th, and even with all the rain it turned out to be a great day. No swimming or slip-n-sliding, but fun was had by all anyways :). The rain even stopped just in time to see fireworks. Joshua was just as in awe of them as his sisters were 4 years ago at 8 months old. It's so neat being able to think back on the time of year, and scrapbooks and seeing the same holiday/month and comparing what Joshua's doing to what his sisters did since they are all October babes.

The baby is 9 months old today. Seriously, where has the time gone?? His 9 mo. appt. is tomorrow. He also has his 2 bottom teeth! Last week he had no teeth, and by Wed. the first one cut, and now he has both! He's finally not a cranky hot mess...hoping the dr. appt. doesn't make him grumpy tomorrow.

At 9 mo. Joshua is clapping...he did have a funky clap for awhile where his hands weren't completely flat or making sound, but in the past couple days he's completely perfected his clapping. I've taken half a dozen videos because it's so cute!!

He can sit unassisted and play forever, he's been doing this for a long time now. Now I don't jump when he looks wobbly though as he quickly balances himself out if he is arching to see someone behind him or something that makes him lean backwards. Hoping he's mobile soon, he rotates in a circle to get what he wants and when something is out of reach he just screams for it, has no interest to try and go for it. The girls were late crawlers, and my boy is following in their footsteps. I wished the girls would have walked earlier, and as soon as they did I wondered why I wished for it so badly, so I'm trying to tell myself not to worry so much.

He resists most purees now. He loves bananas (if he's biting from the banana because he wants to do everything himself), bread, turkey deli meat, sweet potatoes, yogurt (sometimes), oatmeal every morning, watermelon, cheese, fruit melts, puffs...We've got to start working more on the sippy...it's still just a chew toy. I remember stressing about it with the girls...and eventually they got it down...so it makes me not worry as much with Joshua.

He's sleeps from 7-6ish, takes 2 naps a day, he sleeps in his crib at night, but during the day he naps in my bed or the swing. My mantra with my kids is to do what works...and that's what works with him ;)...he might also have me tied tightly around his finger, but whatever :). I don't know what I'm going to do when he outgrows the swing! It's been the best baby product to have with him!

Joshua still only has babbles for his dada...he says dada a lot, and "geeee", "hai". I'm so anxious to hear mama. When he gets mad it sounds like Mom...but I'm not counting it, I need to hear it when he's happy ;).

His favorites are, his sisters coming in to greet him when he wakes up, animal sounds, 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed, peek-a-boo, itsy bitsy spider, Goodnight Moon, Snuggle Puppy, musical instruments, his paci and lovey, his Daddy getting home from work, the outdoors, being held and cuddled, and kisses and tickles :).

Happy Birthday, Nannie!

Today would have been my Nannie's 87th birthday. She passed away when she was 74. I am so blessed that I had the relationship I had with her for 16 years of my life. My Nannie and I were Cancers together, with our birthdays 10 days apart. We had such a special relationship. I so wish my husband and children had known her, but I have made it important to tell them all about her. Today on her birthday we drove to her old neighborhood where she lived for 30 years, and my girls and I walked around the house and I told them stories of how I would pull on the palm branches in the front and my girls joyously ran to those same palms. I felt my Nannie's presence with us. Oh how she would love my girls. She would also look at Joshua and exclaim to everyone how he looks just like her Tiffy. She also would have loved being called "Great-Nannie" (for Great-Grandma). When my family would visit her, we would say, "Hi Nannie!"...she would say, "just call me beautiful"...Ha! So, having Great in her title would have made her day :). I have her rocker and when the girls sit in it they call it their Great Nannie's chair, and I always smile and think of how much she would have loved that.