2017 Christmas Ornament Swap

Happy Wednesday!  I totally meant to get this written yesterday, but nap time was filled with laundry and cleaning attempting to clean burnt carrot water (I was steaming carrots for Jack) out of my favorite sauce pan.  Today's nap time hasn't gone much better.  Madi and I spent 20 minutes picking up everyone in the cul de sacs recycling.

This was my first time participating in an ornament swap.  I love Christmas and love getting new ornaments, so this was a no brainer.  It's also kind of nice to get a package in the mail just for me.  (There's lots of packages arriving for everyone else.)  I was paired with Danielle from A Sprinkle of Joy.  I have been following her for a little while on Instagram and her blog, but it was nice to get to learn a little more about her.

Danielle sent me the cutest piece of cake ornament, two ornaments for the girls to paint, and two pairs of softest socks.

The girls had so much fun painting their ornament. 

Thank You!

Life

Day in the life posts and baby updates are some of my favorite posts to read.  I've written plenty of baby {kid} updates, but never a day in life post.  I think it's time I should.  Our daily life isn't all that interesting.  However, I think it will be fun to read this in a couple years and see how much our life has changed.

Here's our day in 12 photos.

Date: November 17, 2017 

Kaitlyn: 5 years old

Madi: 4 years old

Jack: 5 months

6:11 a.m

My alarm went off at 6:00 a.m., but I couldn't get out of bed.  This was one of those mornings when Jack thought it would be fun to get up every hour during the night.  I would have loved to have slept longer, but the first daycare kid gets here at 6:40 a.m.

6:32 a.m.

Even though we were up all night, nursing and rocking, I still needed my morning pumping session.  To save time, I do this while I get ready for the day.

6:45 a.m

Coffee (because I was up all night), orange juice (because I'm fighting my first cold since Jack was born), and water (because breastfeeding requires copious amounts of water.)

8:37 a.m

Mornings are pretty hectic in the daycare until the big kids get picked up for school.  It's so loud when they're all here and most mornings I can't wait for them to leave.  This was one of those mornings.  This little girl put up quite the fight, but we managed to get everything done just in time.

10:15 a.m.

Just playing a game of Frozen Memory with Madi.

11:03 a.m.

This is how I prep lunch most days. Jack is a really good baby and will play on the floor most of time.  For some reason, around 11 every day he won't let me put him down.  Thank goodness he finally likes the Lillebaby.

1:15 p.m.

6 out of 7 kids are sleeping and I can finally get some things done.  Most days naptime is filled with cleaning up lunch, folding laundry, cleaning the house, pumping, and occasionally catching up on my shows.

1:48 p.m.

I only had 3 loads of laundry today.

2:16 p.m.

Jack has been out of newborn and 0-3 month clothes for a while now, but I'm just now getting around to sorting and packing them up.

4:48 p.m.

The big kids are home from school and The weather was fairly nice today, so we all headed outside one the big kids were home.

7:37 p.m.

I  {usually} cook during the week, but we often get something to eat on Fridays.  Tonight we went to Minsky's for dinner

10:19 p.m.

By the time we got home from dinner, we were ready for a break from the kids.  This is my least favorite time of the day.  At least one kids fights bedtime every night.  Tonight it was Madi.  Bedtime is supposed to be 8 p.m., but we usually relax a little on the weekend. This picture was taken almost two hours after I put the girls to bed and after numerous threats to have something taken away.  

Our life is far from perfect, but its perfect for us.  There isn't much I'd change expect maybe the bedtime battles and the nighttime waking.  I could definitely do with would those.   Here's hoping that tonight ends a little better than this Friday night.   

Christmas Q & A

Happy Tuesday!   It was weekend at the Klinginsmith house.  4 out of five of use are recovering from being sick for the last week.  Today I'm joining up with The Blended Blog and answering some fun holiday questions.

1.  Real or fake tree?  Fake.  I'm not opposed to a real one (I've actually never had one), but it seems like it would be a lot of work.  I love the smell, but don't want to clean up the needles.  Also, I love being able to have our tree up for over a month.

2.  Favorite Christmas cookie?  Chocolate crinkles and my Grandma's press out cookies

3.  Home on Christmas morning or travel?  Home. Santa visits our house.  I wish we could stay home and relax all day, but at least we get the morning.

4.  Clear or colored lights?  Both. I like the clear lights on my tree and colored lights outside.

5.  Send Christmas cards?  Yes!  I love sending and receiving.  

6.  Favorite Christmas present received?  Kaitlyn!!  Her birthday is five days before Christmas.  Becoming a mom just days before Christmas will always be my favorite present.

7.  Favorite Christmas present given?  Not sure I have a favorite.

8.  Stockings or no stockings?  Stockings are must. The question is who fills them, Mom or Santa. I always thought the they were filled by the parents, but Kaitlyn recently informed me that they are filled by Santa.  

9.  Christmas PJ's?  The kids always have matching or coordinating PJ each year. At least one pair comes from our elf, Sally.  

10.  Favorite Christmas carol?  Mary Did You Know.

11.  Favorite holiday tradition?  Every year (usually on Black Friday), we go to Crown Center and Union Station.  The kids love seeing the lights and playing outside on all of the toys. We always visit the toy store, Santa and the big Christmas tree.

12.  Early shopper or last minute?  I really try to be an early shopper, but it seems like there’s always something I need to get last minute.

13. Favorite Christmas movie or show?  Home Alone, Polar Express, and Christmas Vacation

14.  Favorite holiday beverage?  Eggnog, hot chocolate, and peppermint mochas (I drink the ones from Caribou all year.).

15.  Cookies and milk for Santa?  I didn't get to believe in Santa when I was little.   I've always felt like I missed out on some of the magic of Christmas.  I've made sure that my kids get to have this little bit of magic.  That being said, we always leave milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. The type of cookie varies from year to year.

Jack David - 5 Months

Weight: Just under 15 pounds. 

Length: 25 inches???

Sleeping: Jack is still not sleeping through the night.  In fact, his sleep is worse than it was last month.  I never really believed that there was such a thing as a four month sleep regression, but I do now.  Jack went from waking 1-2 times a night and occasionally sleeping all night to waking 3-4 times a night almost every night.  I've tried everything that I can think of to help him sleep better, but so far it's not working.  He is getting better at self soothing, so hopefully that leads to better sleeping at night.  Jack still doesn't have a nap schedule, but I try to get him sleep at least a little while the other kids nap.  Usually that means napping in the swing, but twice this week he actually napped in his bed.

Eating: Nursing is his preferred method of eating.  I've had a bit of a problem getting him to take a bottle lately.  He flat out refused for two or three days.  After switching bottles (he likes the ones that came with my Medela pump) and several days of offering it to him, I finally was able to get him to drink from one.  Then I skipped the weekend and here we are back to square one.  Today was better than yesterday, so here's hoping that I can get it resolved this week.  I donated most (759 oz) of my frozen breastmilk, but still have about 200 ounces that milk bank wouldn't accept.  

Clothing:  We made the switch to 3-6 months.  They are still pretty roomy, but definitely fit better than 0-3 months clothing.

Diapers:  Size 2 fits the best, but he has lots of blow outs up the back.  I've tried a couple different brands and some are better than others.  He's still too small for size 3 (and we have a ton of 2's left), so I'll just have to deal with the blow outs for now.  

Eyes:    Brown.  They're lighter than mine or Kaitlyn's, but they're definitely brown.

Hair: I was completely wrong about this one.  I was certain that his new hair was coming in brown like Kaitlyn's, but it's not.  Looks like we have another blonde in the family.

Milestones:   Jack is fairly mobile.  He can roll both directions and has started spinning.  He is so close to sitting up unassisted.  He can do it for about a minute and then he falls over.  His back is getting stronger every day and it shows when he's in the sitting position.  He can blow raspberries and is grabbing everything (including things he's not supposed to).

Likes: His likes haven't changed much from last month.   He still loves his swing, baths, mommy and daddy, his sisters (especially Madi), milk, being held, being talked or sang to, sitting up, and playing on the floor.

Dislikes: Jack does not like dirty diapers, wet clothes or being hungry.  Other than that he is super happy.

Mama:  Doing good.  My shedding is finally slowing down and new hair is starting to cover my bald spots.  (At 3 months post partum, I looked like I had a receding hairline.) 

Sisters: They're still crazy about him.  They are always messing with or trying to be next to him.  It's cute.  Well, most of the time.

Halloween 2017

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays.  What's not to love about it?  There's decorations, special crafts and parties, costumes, candy, trick or treating, and it's the official start of the holiday season.  This year Halloween was a little different.  There were several things that we would have like to have done, but before we knew it the month was over.  We didn't make it to the pumpkin patch or Boo at the Zoo because of the cold weather.  We didn't carve a pumpkin.  (Something that we have yet to do with the girls even though we plan to every year.)  We didn't have themed costumes for the kids. 

However, there were several things that we DID do.  Our house was decorated inside and out.  All three kids had costumes and got to wear them several times.  We made it to Trick or Treat Village at the doctor's office and trick or treated Gram's house.  We had special food and made several crafts.  And we went trick or treating with Grandma Kathy and Papa Dave.  Our new neighborhood was an awesome place to trick or treat.  There were a couple hayrides, firepits, popcorn machine, and even a house with adult beverages.  All this on a night that was freezing with snow flurries.  I can only imagine what it is like when the weather is warmer.   We're already looking forward to next year!

Trick or Treating at Gram and Papa Chuck's house

Gram

Our first footprint craft with three kids.

Graham cracker ghosts for snack in daycare.

Halloween night before trick or treating.

Happy Halloween.  Now bring on Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Jack David - 4 Months

Here it is time for another monthly update and I haven’t blogged anything since his last update.  My blogging game is so off.  I don’t really have a good excuse.  I mean, it was a fairly busy month, but nothing crazy.  I just really didn’t have anything to blog about.  I’m sure I will have more to say next month.  Maybe even a post with all the changes we’ve made to our new house.

Okay...enough about that.  This post is supposed to be about Jack.

I feel like month three was a big month for Jack.  Three months seems to be the time when personalities start to develop and his sure is!  He is just the happiest baby.  We’ve been pretty lucky in this area.  All three of our babies have been happy babies.  He is so laid back and not much upsets him.  Hopefully, he stays this way.  I’ve been told that boys are easier, so we’ll see.

Weight: 14 pounds, 5.7 ounces (20%)

Length: 24 7/8 inches (24%)

Head:  16 3/4 inches (70%!!  He's got a big noggin.)

Sleeping: I was certain that he’d be sleeping through the night by now, but that’s not the case.  At least not consistently.  Three weeks ago, he made it through the night every for a week.  Then he had a mild cold and he was back to waking up once or twice.  Last night he woke up once, slept a solid 11 hours the night before and was up twice the night before that.  I guess he just likes to keep me guessing.  Hopefully, he'll be sleeping better by his next update.  He still doesn’t have a nap schedule.  I can usually get him to sleep a couple hours if he’s in the swing.  Naps anywhere else are much shorter.

Eating: We’re still going strong with breastfeeding.  He will take a bottle, but isn’t offered one very often.  During the day, he eats every 3-4 hours.  In the evening, it’s every 2 hours.  During the night it’s anywhere from 2-10 hours.  I’m planning to wait at least another to start any kind of solids.

Clothing:  Jack is still wearing 0-3 months clothing, but probably not for much longer.  Several things are starting to get tight, especially sleepers and pants.

Diapers:  Size 2.  We finally used up all of the size 1 diapers.   

Milestones: This month Jack mastered rolling from his back to his tummy and from his tummy to his back.  If we lay him down on his back he will almost immediately roll over, though he's not always happy to be on his tummy.  He’s not at quick to roll from his tummy to his back.  He also has learned to giggle and play with his feet.  He helped celebrate two birthdays (daddy’s and cousin Gracie’s) and went on a road trip to Gracie’s house. He also made his first trip to Worlds of Fun. 

Likes: Jack loves his swing, baths, mommy and daddy, his sisters (especially Madi), milk, being held, and being talked or sang to.

Dislikes: He is not a big fan of the baby carrier, but I think it’s because he’s facing in.  He only makes it a few minutes before starting to cry.  I'm going to try him facing out now that his neck is a lot stronger.  He also does not like poopy diapers or wet clothes. 

Mama:  I am finally back to my pre-prego weight and all of my clothes are fitting.  It had nothing to do with my diet or working out this time.  Just good genes.  I'd really like to start working out again, but just can't seem to find the time.  Hopefully, I'll be able to once Jack gets a dependable nap schedule. 

Sisters: They're still crazy about him.  They are always messing with or trying to be next to him.  It's cute.  Well, most of the time.

The challenges of monthly pictures.

I love comparison photos.  Looks like the biggest change from three months is his thicker thighs.

Jack David - 3 Months

As expected, this was another busy month for all of us.  Jack has changed so much in the last couple of weeks.  He no longer has the newborn look and is becoming more of a little person everyday.  There have been so many milestones this month and I am so so glad that I have been able to see them.  I feel like I missed things with the girls because they were in daycare.  I seriously don't know how I was able to leave them so young. (8 weeks for Kaitlyn and 12 weeks for Madi)  There are days when I question why I run a home daycare.  Just one look at his sweet face and I have my answer.

Weight: About 12.5 pounds

Length: ??

Sleeping: He started sleeping through the night at the end of August.  Though, last week he was up once or twice every night.  I'm hoping that was just a fluke and that things will go back to normal soon.  Bedtime is anywhere between 9:30 p.m and 11:00 p.m.  He usually wakes up around 7 a.m, eats and then goes back to sleep for a couple more hours.  

Eating:  Still exclusively breastfed and nursing on demand.  In the morning and evening he nurses every 2 hours.  He usually takes a pretty long nap in the middle of the day so he goes a little longer.  

Clothing:  0-3 months, though I'm not sure how much longer his sleepers will fit.  About half of them are a little snug.

Diapers: He could definitely move up a size, but I'm cheap and I want to try to use up all of the size 1 diapers first.

Milestones: Sleeping through the night, rolling to his left side (He could roll over if he could just get his left arm out of the way.), laughing (not quite a giggle yet), playing with his hands, grabbing onto nearby objects, holding his head up for at least 30 seconds, lots of smiling and "talking", and his first road trip to Oklahoma.

Eyes: Brown

Hair:  Most of his newborn hair is gone, except in the back.  I can't quite tell the color of his new hair.  Most days it looks brown, but occasionally it looks blonde.  I guess will find out soon.

Likes: Being held, being talked to, Mommy, swinging, being naked, baths

Dislikes: Being hungry, wet clothes, tummy troubles, spitting up, pacifies (I've given up trying)

The Parents: We're doing better.  We still have lots of projects that are keeping us busy (and tired) and we haven't quite established the routine that we need.  Hopefully, this month that it happens.

Mama: I've lost almost all of my baby weight, but most of my pants still aren't fitting like the once did.  It's definitely time to start working out again.  If only I had time. Ha!  I keep telling myself that I'll be able to once I get caught up on all of my new house projects.  Also, I'm surprised that I'm not bald with all the hair that I've been losing.  Postpartum hair loss is in full force.  Seriously, how long does this last?  

The Sisters:  As obsessed as ever!!  They are constantly checking on Jack and hate it when he cries.  We still see a bit of jealousy every now and then, but I think they're used to him being here now.

1st visit to Great Grandma Bogle's house