Four Months

McKay is four months old now. Don't ask what happened to his three month post and pics. I'm quite sure I was too busy worrying about why Ashley liked Bentley so much to give it much attention. But never fear, I did get some pictures taken the day McKay turned four months old. Here's some highlights:

**He weighs 16 lbs 7 oz (75th percentile) and is 26 inches long (85th).

**He still doesn't look very chubby, and definitely doesn't look like my other babies. I still get "Esplin" from people who know my family. Jeff thinks it's the nose. Poor kid if that's true, because I have never liked my ski slope nose.



**He is doing all the typical things a baby of this age does: grabbing things and sucking on them, rolling from tummy to back, laughing, looking adorable in the Bumbo, and putting up with SOME tummy time every day.

Not a lot, but still will tolerate some.

He has also really become a thumb sucker. He'll take the binky when he's tired and I'm soothing him to sleep, but if he's by himself, thumb will suffice.

This is what tummy time turned into one time. This is extremely rare that he'll fall asleep on the floor (most of the time I have to wrap him tight and rock him until he starts to give in and then he'll fall asleep in his bed).

**I am almost done nursing him. This makes me sad, but it was just a nightmare. I was getting mastitis every couple of days, and he was always crying and fighting me. He's so much happier (and so am I) now that we just do a morning and night nursing session and bottles the rest of the time.

**He is still constantly mauled by Kyla and Carter. I would have thought that the novelty would have worn off by now, but not at all.

**He started sleeping really well at night. I attribute it to the thumb sucking. I put him to bed around 10 and he'll sleep until 6:30 or so. Last night I heard him at 3:00, but I didn't go to him, and he went back to sleep until 7:00. I'm so happy about this development and I have since moved back into "Jeff's room." I like to go in his room and put him in bed with me when he wakes at 6:30 or 7:00 and nurse him and snuggle him.

**He's doing alright sleeping during the day, too. Usually he will take at least one good nap in his bed (2 hours or so) and sometimes more. I try to stick with the Healthy Sleep Habits routine of beginning to soothe around 1.5-2 hours after waking and let him put himself to sleep. It is not always successful, but he's getting better.

**He's also a happier baby and less high maintenance. He still would rather be held (doesn't LOVE the Bumbo or the exersaucer or the stroller), but sometimes he's got to learn to tolerate.

Friends

During July, we got to visit with some of our favorite people. And they all came to visit us. First, my BFF April and her family stopped by at the same time Jeff's brother, Russ, and Julie and their family were here. We were all in Jax together for a year, so it was so fun to be reunited again. I'm so happy for April and her baby girl, Eliza, after her three cute boys. Julie also had a girl after three boys (and then another boy). Sheesh, we sure have a lot of kids between us!

Damon was a little shy around April's boys. I'm not sure why. I guess it's just not as easy to pick up where you left off when you are 9. We will have to do more with them in the years to come. :)

Kyla, of course, loved them all. She would gladly marry any of them. I hope she will.

Then a few weeks later, our BFF from dental school, the Whitesides, were in town and we met up with them at Thanksgiving Point. That was a fun day, too. When we left Ohio, we just had two kids (Damon and Allie). Now between us, we have 8. Awesome. And I must admit, seeing all these people I love so much made me a little homesick. And not for any particular home, but homesick for my great friends and family that I don't get to see enough of. Love you all!

I had to throw in this pic of the kids. I just can't get enough of KyKy.

Family Reunion

Over the 4th of July, we had a family reunion here in Orem. It was a fun-filled few days, where we taught classes in planking...

This was my mom's version of an upright plank. This is what Kimmy calls her "version of creeping."

Counter plank!

We filled the pool to capacity (and beyond). Carter hated the water and wanted nothing to do with it. McKay thought it was delightful at 90 degrees. He also quite enjoyed being held by Grandpa Dale.

We sent the kids downstairs to watch a movie so we could get our pool volleyball on. That's always a highlight.


Kalia, Allie and Halle were a little sleepy from all the swimming and they took a nap on each other.

The whole crew at the park. One take with the 10 second timer. I'm pretty awesome that way.

Love from Grandma


We also enjoyed many firework shows. I say "we," but I really mean "most of us." Carter would make this face when he watched fireworks. Not terrified, but not quite a fan.

Damon's nine

My fourth attempt at posting about Damon's birthday. I guess I will have to upload the photos one at a time. How old fashioned. And also proof that our "high speed" internet connection is pretty lame.

Damon turned nine on July 2nd. Wow, that makes me feel so old! Because we celebrate the 4th here with all my family, Damon's birthday always turns into a family affair. He did invite some of his friends from the neighborhood to come and have a water party with us. I think the kids all had a lot of fun.We did a slip n slide, a baby pool, water balloons and jumping on the wet trampoline.

And of course, Damon had to have a pinata. It wouldn't be his birthday without one. I think next year I will commission him to make his own out of paper mache. He was responsible for filling it, and before I knew it, the two bags of goodies I had bought were stuffed inside, making it extremely heavy. It broke from the puny top and Jeff and Wayne had to jimmy-rig it back up again for some more bashing.

After it was demolished, the points made good hats for Damon, Malakai and Maddux.

He had no opinion whatsoever about what kind of cake he wanted, so I went simple with a baseball.

McKay was happy to sit in the shade with his Grandpa Dale. No cake for him.

The party was the beginning of our super fun McKnight family reunion, and what a way to kick off the holiday weekend! MUCH more to come about that soon.

But here are 9 things you might not know about Damon:
1. He took all the money he got for his birthday (and some that he had saved previously) and did the one thing he has been wanting to do for months; he opened a bank account.
2. He eats as much as I do, if we are having pizza or quesadillas or grilled cheese sandwiches (sometimes more).
3. He would still be happy to watch "baby shows" like the Backyardigans if there's nothing else on. With a little prodding from his daddy, he has graduated to other shows, and started watching Avatar: Last Airbender and Phineas and Ferb.
4. He is incredibly reluctant to do anything outside of his comfort zone. It's a constant battle to get him to try new things (even as simple as calling a friend).
5. He is terribly afraid of running out of gas. Don't mention that we're getting low to him, or he'll hound you for hours about when you're going to fill up the tank so we don't run out!
6. He can't tuck in a dress shirt and not wear a tie. We were going to a court of honor last night and I told him he didn't need a tie, but he couldn't do it. It was "too weird." He did want to wear flip flops though. Double standard much?
7. He has been playing the piano for almost a year and is pretty good at playing by ear. Actually reading the notes is a little harder and he usually throws a mini fit about not being able to do it. Then he practices a few times and stops complaining. And the song is usually memorized.
8. He has a great short term memory and is not very good at all at transferring information into his long term memory. He passed off all his multiplication facts at school and then promptly forgot them all. He is now in the process of learning them all again before school starts in August.
9. He is the energy in our house. If he is calm and quiet, everyone else follows his lead. But if he is hyper and crazy, everyone else is hyper and crazy. And that makes Jeff and me crazy too!

Damon is a very good kid. I love him very much. He is also very exasperating. Probably just about right for your firstborn.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee

Last Thursday, we were getting ready to leave for St. George when Kyla came and told me that she had been bitten by a mosquito. Clearly, I could see one bite on her arm. I could also see one on her cheek. No big deal. We left on our trip, stopping in Cedar City on the way for a little Summer Games basketball. After our game, I noticed it was looking a little worse. She had obviously been scratching at it, and her face was starting to swell. I gave her a little Benadryl and took a picture, because I was sure it would be looking much better by the time we got to St. George.

Not so much. It got worse. By Friday morning, her eye was swollen shut. We were beginning to think we needed to take her to Instacare to get checked out. But luckily, I have a NP on speed dial (my BIL) and I kept sending him pictures asking for his advice. He thought she looked okay (considering) and to just keep giving her Benadryl and ice.

Jeff reminded me that while he was on his mission, he got stung by wasps on his temple and swelled up just like Kyla. A shot of epinephrine did nothing to help and the doctor on the mish determined that Jeff just reacts severely to insect bites/stings. I dug through his mission pictures and found one. Here he is, the homeless bum.


We were fairly convinced that Kyla has inherited some of the same reactions. I did laugh when I saw this picture Jeff took of her with the boxing gloves.

By Sunday, she finally looked better. The swelling was almost completely gone. And I was no longer embarrassed to take her out in public. What a weird thing.

In other news...

The Summer Games was a lot of fun. We actually had to win a game this year to get a bronze medal and we just had enough left on Saturday afternoon to do just that. Here is a pic of our team (I really wish Heather had felt good enough to play with us. As it was, she was our best cheerleader and baby watcher).

I love this pic of my family. It's seriously one of my favorite ever. From Damon showing the ball so perfectly, to Kyla's funny pose, to Allie showing cleavage, to McKay trying so hard to suck his thumb, to Carter drinking out of some random Arctic Circle cup he found on the bleachers...I love these crazies so much.

Health

Wow, what a couple of weeks it has been. Phew. Catch a breath. Let's back up to Memorial Day...

I was feeling like I was getting another UTI and by Memorial Day it had gotten pretty bad. Where I didn't want to go to the bathroom at all because it felt like a hot torch was being lit inside me. So, Tuesday morning I called my doctor's office and went in for a rapid UTI test. The kids were excited to get out of the house and get a dum dum. The test showed there was bacteria so I started on Macrobid for a week. It got a lot better, but never went away.

I started to feel like I was getting mastitis as well, but it went away quickly and didn't cause too much trouble. We had McKay's blessing and life went on.

But the UTI, which had never really gone away, started to get worse again. I tried to call my doctor's office at 2:30 on a Thursday and they were already closed for the weekend. I figured that was a sign that I needed to wait the weekend out and call on Monday. And THEN I got mastitis again. By Saturday, I was feeling miserable. Not only did I have red spots on both sides, they were both extremely painful and I started getting a fever, the chills and body aches. So I took some ibuprofen and tried to sleep it off. Luckily it was the weekend and Jeff took the older kids swimming. Sunday i was feeling a little better, but went home after sacrament meeting because I just wasn't right.

Monday morning I called my now-open-doctor's office and talked to the nurse about what was going on. She called in a prescription of Augmentin for me to take care of both the mastitis and the UTI. Before I picked up the meds, I noticed blood in my urine and that freaked me out a little. But I read that that is common with UTI's and tried not to worry about it. I wasn't in a ton of pain, but was really frustrated that I couldn't seem to get my body back to normal. I started the meds Monday night. Tuesday morning I went in to use the bathroom and had a terrible burning, while feeling like the urine was trapped and couldn't get out. Then something popped out and the pain was relieved. I looked down to find something in the toilet, which I fished out. It was the size of a raisin, and the only thing I thought it could possibly be was a kidney stone. So I googled some images and found that mine looked just like the pics I saw online. I called my doctor's office to make sure they agreed with me (which they did) and finally things started to make sense. Like that time when I was pregnant and ended up in Instacare with terrible back aches and was treated for a UTI (but no bacteria was ever found in my urine). It HAD to have been related to this monster kidney stone that really wasn't all that terrible to pass. And the UTI that wouldn't clear up also made sense, along with the blood in the urine. I'm hoping that's the end to that chapter of my life.

And while I'm grateful to have had antibiotics through all this (the nurse said the last thing I would want is an infection AND a kidney stone), Augmentin is nasty and I hope I never have to take it again. Not only did I have stomach cramps and diarrhea, I think it also affected little McKay, as he seemed more sad than usual when I was on it. PLUS, I got a yeast infection from the dang stuff (common, I guess) and am just now starting to feel better. SHEESH!

Why did I think this was a good idea?

Yesterday, I needed to pick up some books from the library, and I knew the kids needed a few new books to read as well, so I decided to take all of them for a quick trip. It was around 4:45 pm and Carter had just woken up from his nap, so I knew he wouldn't be too grouchy. McKay had recently eaten, and was acting fine, so I took the "now or never" approach and loaded everyone into the car.

At the library, I put Carter and McKay in the double stroller, strapping McKay in. He immediately started crying, but stopped once we started moving. Into the library we strolled, picking up the books I had on hold (couplet) and proceeded into the children's section, where the oldest three kids dispersed. This is where things began to get chaotic. Damon went searching for some Guardians of Gahoole books while Allie headed toward the fairy chapter books and Kyla went for the movies. McKay started crying again, and it wasn't just a little whimper. It was a full on tantrum (as much as a three-month old can throw a tantrum). I tried to push the stroller between the aisles, hoping the momentum would soothe McKay, but he just cried harder.

By now, Carter had escaped the stroller and was standing on a stool (his favorite) at the drinking fountain, shoeless, trying to soak himself. Kyla was now looking for some books of her own, and loading me down with every title she pulled off the shelves. I was trying to pick a few I thought she might actually like, asking Damon to keep his eye on Carter while I tried to speed up the book choosing process.

At this point, a woman in her late 40's (I would estimate) approached me. Pointing to the stroller, where McKay was screaming, she asked, "is that your baby?" When I told her that it was, she looked at me in disbelief and huffed. Her unspoken words communicated, "why can't you do something about him?" She then asked, condescendingly, "can I help you with something? It sounds like someone is killing your baby." I tried to explain that I was hurrying the kids along, trying to get out of there, and no, I most certainly didn't need any help from her. I grabbed Carter, called for Damon, Allie and Kyla to come NOW and we left. Damon pushed the stroller with the boys around in circles while I checked out the mountain of books we had accumulated, and I stewed. I mean, really, I was doing the best that I could.

I am sure the woman's version of the story would be somewhat different from mine. I can imagine her telling her friends about the lady with all the kids who came into the library, disrupting what should have been a quiet, peaceful environment (in the kid's section). "Her girls looked like they hadn't had their hair combed in days," she would say, "and the little boy wasn't even wearing shoes. And then she completely ignored her screaming baby, who must be neglected all the time at home to hear him cry. In my compassion, I sweetly asked if there was something I could do to help. But no. She shot me a snotty look, gathered her raggedy kids and left. It's probably best that people like that don't leave the house."

Well, by now I was in agreement with that assessment. I shouldn't have left the house. But we still had one stop to make. My raggedy children and their friends had gone through an obscene amount of milk, blowing bubbles with straws to make "milk shakes," and we were down to about 1/4 of a gallon of whole milk (Carter's milk). So, against my better judgment, we pulled into Smith's. McKay had calmed down by now and was looking around, pretending he was a happy baby. I put his car seat in the front of a shopping cart, and stuck Kyla and Carter in the back (I can't remember whether or not Carter had shoes on at this point. It's kind of a blur). We went in for milk and ended up getting some ketchup and corn on the cob as well, because who gets just one thing at the grocery store, even if it is dinner time and you have five kids with you?

As we were walking down the aisle to check out, Allie accidentally stepped right into a large cardboard display containing Green Lantern toys. Of course it fell over, spilling the packages of toys everywhere. Instantly, she started to cry. I know she was humiliated. An employee happened to be standing right there, and tried to assure her that it was no big deal and that it happens all the time. Through her tears, she and Damon helped clean up the toys and we sprinted the self-checkout before we did any more damage. McKay was getting antsy again, and Damon wanted to learn how to scan items himself. I may have let him do one or two (we were getting 5 gallons of milk. I sure wasn't planning on going back to the grocery store anytime soon), but mostly I hustled through the process, trying to get the heck out of there.

Jeff had called to see where we were just as everyone was cleaning up the Green Lantern display, and he said, "what were you thinking taking all five kids with you to the library and the grocery store?" Good question. It definitely wasn't a mistake I will make again any time soon.

10 Things I'm Not Into

Things I just can't seem to get into:

1. Interior Decorating. I have no talents in this area and even fewer opinions about what I want. Jeff told me he is a better decorator than me. Sad, but true.

2. Yard work. My MIL gave me a potted plant (beautiful flowers) for Mother's Day and now that it is, inevitably, dying because I don't remember to water it, it has become a nuisance more than anything else. I mean, what if the MIL pops by one day to check on it and sees what it has become? Quickly, someone get the hose and water the living daylights out of the beauty (it actually looks a little better since I assigned the kids to watch out for it).

But I don't care for real live plants that require maintenance. I prefer the ones that are surrounded by our sprinkler system that provide beauty for me with no work. Same goes for my garden. It's a plant-forget about-return in a few months to see what's grown kind of thing.

3. The Biggest Loser. Sorry friends who love the show. I have tried, and I just can't seem to get into it.

4. Washing mirrors. I must have missed out on the pre-mortal class about how to get your mirrors clean without streaks, because I just can't seem to get it right. Some of you know how to do it. I know, I've been to your homes. But, I swear, every time I go into a bathroom, there are handprints on every mirror. So it seems kind of pointless getting them perfect. (I do, however, wipe the handprints off).

5. Running. The very thought of "going for a run" makes me want to throw up in my mouth. I have always needed some type of ball to make running enjoyable.

6. Crafting. This includes sewing/needlepoint/creating things from flowers, etc. I do scrapbook, but my pages are more the "get 'er done" variety with little imagination. I am amazed with what people are capable of. And I try little projects here and there, so my sewing machine doesn't feel so neglected. But it's just better if I acknowledge that I was not blessed with the crafting gene.

7. Putting away laundry. I don't mind doing the laundry. I don't even mind folding it, when it comes out warm and smelling good (and it often takes me at least an hour to fold). But I dread putting it away. Why? It only takes a fraction of the time it took me to fold it, and it isn't as though it's very difficult, but I just don't like doing it.

8. Talking to people. Even when they are perfectly nice and I know them fairly well, I just simply don't like calling people on the phone or approaching them in person to talk (especially when I have to ask them for something). I really wish this wasn't so hard for me, because I genuinely like people. I just need them to approach me first.

9. Crying babies. And crying one-year-olds. And crying 6-year-olds. You get the picture.

10. Twitter. I love Facebook. I love connecting with people I don't have to talk to in person. But Twitter I just don't get. It seems like a colossal waste of time following the lives of celebrities (because that's the only benefit it has over Facebook--following famous people). Even when those celebrities include Jimmer Fredette (although I will follow his Tweets on draft day. So maybe I'm a hypocrite.)

McKay's blessing

We blessed McKay on Sunday at our house. And when I say "we," I mean Jeff blessed him and I ran around like a crazy woman trying to make sure everything was just right. Isn't that how it usually goes?

A few pics from the day as well as a few comments:

I let Carter hold McKay for the first time on Sunday. He thought that was the best thing in the world. And he promptly kissed him repeatedly. Carter loves kissing. McKay doesn't look so sure.


What the blessing looked like to all those who got to watch from heaven. And from the balcony where my sister took this shot.


The obligatory shot of baby and baby mama outside the front door. McKay wore the same outfit Carter wore last year and looked every bit as much as a circus ring leader as Carter did. Sorry there isn't a better pic. You had to be here, I guess (and plenty of you were--we had close to 50 people here).


Tara's girl, Jayda, is two months older than Carter and constantly picks on him. Mostly because she knows she can and Carter isn't going to use his weight advantage to level her, but instead runs crying to mommy like a little girl. They do like kissing, though.


Finally, here's our family on the big day. I just love this pic so much. From Kyla's bandaged foot (she had a sliver removed by Grandpa Dale and the band-aid was holding a slice of onion in place to draw out anything left behind. So of course she needed an ACE bandage wrapped around her whole foot to keep everything tight. Heaven forbid she do something like put on shoes and/or socks.) to Allie practically dropping McKay as she smiles heavenward, I love it all. i love this crazy bunch, especially that crazy man crossing his eyes as I try to plant one on him.


It really was a beautiful day (weather-wise and family-wise) and all the craziness was worth it several times over to share it with our loved ones.

Four years old

Kyla turned 4 on May 24th. And I just couldn't do another birthday party, although she had talked about nothing else since Allie's birthday in April. So we compromised. I told her she could invite 4 friends and we would take them to Kangaroo Zoo (a place with all the bounce houses) and then come back home for dessert and presents. She agreed.

We went the day before her birthday, because the kids get out of school earlier and Jeff was going to be home. I wish I could have bottled up the excitement oozing out of the kids as they ran into Kangaroo Zoo. I would sell it to thrill seekers and make a fortune. It was the perfect place for her "party," as it wasn't real crowded, I wasn't worried about anyone getting lost, and I didn't have to provide any of the entertainment.

This is Kyla and one of our neighbor girls, Olivia, posing on a bounce house.

Carter wasn't so sure about the whole thing. He kept trying to get out the door and take off. Who knows why. Eventually, though, he found something he loved more than anything--a step stool. He carried it around, occasionally putting it down to make sure he could still climb on it.

You can see him eyeing Allie suspiciously as she nibbles on a corner of the bounce house. Jeff took him on a few of the big slides and he cried in terror. Oh well. His favorite bounce house was, ironically, the scariest of them all. It was designed to look like the mouth of a giant toothed animal (I can't remember if it was a dinosaur or a dragon...), and was dark and creepy. He kept taking his step stool over to it and trying to get in. Strange little man.

Allie and Damon were lucky enough to tag along for the party and had just as much fun as the little kids.

After the kids had had their fill of fun, we went back home and opened presents, had some mini corn dogs and cupcakes and ice cream. Kyla, truthfully, doesn't like cake all that much, so I convinced her she didn't need a cake that she wasn't going to eat anyway. I was really feeling stressed about daily life and fortunately for me, she was more than willing to go along with my simplified birthday ideas.

She is holding her precious Barbie from Grandma (complete with hair extensions that you can "cut" off) and a cupcake. I think she may have licked the frosting off. Maybe.

Overall, it was really low key and everyone seemed just fine with it. Although, the next day Kyla asked when we were going to do her party and play games. Hmmm...maybe I didn't do a good enough job explaining what her party entailed...

On her actual birthday, I took her Sonic for her free wacky pack and to Coldstone for her free ice cream (LOVE birthday clubs online). This is a pic from my phone so it's not the best quality, but she was sure happy with her cotton candy/white chocolate chip concoction. I was more than happy with my sweet cream/Oreo treat myself.

This is a pic of Kyla with her two friends on our street. Kyla is the oldest, born on May 24. Gwen turns 4 on June 4 and Olivia is 4 May 31. So fun to have them so close in age.

Finally, here are four things I love about my four-year-old:

1. She is very affectionate. She is always expressing love for everyone. When Allie leaves for school, she says, "Bye Allie, I love you," even if Allie doesn't respond.

2. She loves to pray. Her prayers usually include something about Satan ("please bless that I won't drown and that Satan will instead,") and always include asking for blessings that she won't have any bad dreams. Fear has set in with her at night time.

3. She thinks everything is "cute." And she always wants to be cute. I think she is.

4. She is very agreeable, and when she's in a good mood (not always, but often), she is very helpful and does more than her share of the work. Allie loves this, too.

Happy birthday KyKy!

Carter's Temp Agency

Remember back when I posted about what jobs I thought my kids would be suited for? This "temp agency" is dedicated to Carter.

Carter would be a great shoe salesman. He loves shoes. Several times a day, he brings me different shoes to admire and comment on. The only problem is that his feet are thick (more like stumps than anything else) and very few shoes fit him. He'll have to be an admirer only.

Carter would also make a good soil tester. I'm not sure what the official scientific name for that kind of profession is, but it's a nice way of saying Carter loves dirt. He likes "testing" it by tasting it. He also loves tasting soaps, sanitizers and lotions if you know of anything in that field.

Carter is also an excellent climber. I think he may have a future in mountain climbing. I'm not sure he is Sherpa quality, though, because of his respiratory issues, but he may be able to handle the lower 48 states.

Here he goes, starting his ascent...

...and at the top with his accomplice.

As you well know, Carter loves to eat, so we may be able to get him into competitive eating successfully. Watch out Joey Chestnutt, Carter has his eye on t

he Fourth of July hot dog eating challenge this summer.

But I think he may be best suited for a career in modeling. When I put him in a tie, I just knew we had something special. Who wouldn't want to buy what he's selling?

Two Months

McKay is now two months old. He still seems little to me, but when I look at pictures of him last month, it's obvious he's getting bigger. That, and the fact that size 1 diapers keep leaking remind me that he's growing up. Next week he'll get his shots (I think I'll be very relieved to have him immunized against whooping cough, as there has been lots of babies hospitalized this winter before they had a chance to be immunized) and I'll post more then.

Here are some recent shots. I think he's starting to grow into his Trapnell cheeks, which was inevitable. But maybe he'll be the runt of the family and never match up to Damon and Carter. We'll see...

Okay, here's a fun game. Guess which one is Carter at two months and which one is McKay at two months.

#1

#2

Well, that wasn't really too hard. They don't look that much alike. (Carter is #1, McKay #2)

Here are a couple more with the moose. I like the boxer pose in the first one.

McKay is not extremely fussy, but he also isn't extremely content, either. I'm withholding judgment until he is 3 months old because I'm still holding on to hope that he's going to be a good baby. And right now he's not awful. But not exactly easy, either.

He does have a great smile.

And I LOVE a sleeping baby.

This is just a cute look.

He's started doing a little better at night. Twice he has slept from 11:00-4:00 and a couple other times from 11:00-3:30. One night I didn't swaddle him (the blanket was downstairs and I didn't want to come look for it) and he did NOT do well. So, swaddle it is.

I also give him on average 4-6 ounces of formula a day, in addition to nursing. I just don't make quite enough milk (even with Fenugreek) and sometimes he needs a little extra. We'll see how long I can make it this time around.

For the future, here is my list of things I couldn't do without:
1. Swaddle Me blanket. I never have tried the Miracle Blanket (it was too pricey for me), but this one works well. Better than any others that I've tried.

2. Bouncy chair and/or swing. I need to put McKay down in places that I know he won't be harassed by Carter (Carter likes to steal his binkies). I can put him in the swing in my bathroom while I shower and lock the door, or in his bouncy chair on the kitchen counter while I am cooking, cleaning, etc. I know he's safer there (while I'm nearby) then he would be on the floor, where Carter can get him and love him.

3. Binkies. They have seriously saved me with all my babies. I like to take them to the hospital and get them going from day one. I used to use MAM but have switched to Nuk, just because they were the first to go BPA free. Now, most everything is BPA free so it really doesn't matter. But I don't know what I would do without them.

4. A baby tub that fits over the kitchen sink. I used to hate bath time with babes, because it killed my back leaning over the big tub. But whoever invented a baby tub that fits over the sink was a genius.

5. Boppy. Seriously the best pillow for nursing, lounging, helping kids hold babies and other things.

6. Breast pump. I have gone through two Medela Pump in Styles and I don't know how I would survive without them (I have only had to replace one when the other was lost, not that it stopped working at all). Even though I mostly just breastfeed, it's invaluable to leave a bottle home when I leave for an hour to play Futsal. I also like knowing how much my baby is eating.

Those are the essentials. Everything else, while nice, I probably could do without.

Moms

Mother's Day is a great time to reflect on why I love being a mom. Because I do. Most of the time.

Reminder #1-It's nearing 10:00 am. Damon is at school, I have just finished nursing the baby and he is fast asleep, and the girls are watching tv. Carter is beyond ready for a morning nap, not to mention he needs his diaper changed and clean clothes. So I carefully snuggle McKay into Allie's arms and take Carter up to his closet. Yes, he sleeps in a closet.

I change and dress him and feel the need to put him quickly in his bed, as I can hear that McKay is now crying downstairs. Apparently, Allie isn't as comfy as mommy. But before I can put Carter in bed, he finds Goodnight Moon on the shelf and hands it to me, sitting down in my lap. Knowing that his attention span for books is all of 5 seconds, I can't refuse. So I open the book and start reading it to him. But he doesn't care about the words. He just wants to point to the pictures on the page and babble nonsense words. And my heart melts.

Suddenly, I'm thinking about the hundreds of hours I spent with one-year-old Damon on my lap, reading thousands of books. He didn't have to fight for his mommy's attention. He didn't have to sleep in a closet.

So I stay there, pointing out kittens and mittens, cows and moons for a little longer. McKay can wait. Allie will be patient with him. I'm enjoying being a mom to Carter.

Allie took this picture of the three of us. It breaks my heart a little to see how much he wants his mommy.

***

There are so many hard moments. At least one kid is crying almost all the time. That doesn't bother me. But when two kids are crying, I start to get a little agitated. And when three or even FOUR of the five kids are crying (which has only happened once), I feel like joining in myself. This morning, Allie decided she wanted to fight me on everything; she didn't like her hair, she didn't want to clean her room, and she certainly wasn't going to give in to anything I said. And so there was a LOT of crying on her part. Carter refused his morning nap, and was especially grouchy by 10:30. And McKay just felt like crying. It was a stressful couple of hours until Allie went to school and Carter went to bed. Now it's just an unpleasant memory.

***

Reminder #2-Having kids means lots of funny moments, too.

One day, we were driving in the car and talking to the kids about cliches. We were giving examples, such as, "Hold on to your horses," and "Holy smokes." Kyla, from the backseat, came up with one of her own. "Hold on to your smokes!," she yelled.

This morning, before Damon left for school, he was attending to McKay while I cleaned up breakfast. He called down, "McKay's back hair is curly!" I was a bit confused. I had never noticed my baby having curly hair on his back. And that is definitely something I would have noticed. When I asked for clarification, he said, "the hair on the back of his head is curly!" Phew.

***

Having a baby is hard. Especially when I have so many other people to care for. At least once a day, McKay cries himself to sleep in his swing or his bouncy chair because I just can't get to him. There are so many other little people (and sometimes big people) who need me. My left shoulder always smells like spit up. I'm tired and grouchy and irritated because there are always so many messes to clean up. There just isn't enough of me to go around.

***

Reminder #3- Dinner is cooking and is nearly done. It's chaotic, because all the kids are hungry and have been making messes while I have been cooking dinner. But I have to stop and take a break because McKay is hungry, too. And I can't ignore him forever. So I go into his room and shut the door behind me. I could use a few minutes of quiet, too.

I nurse McKay and he falls asleep. I put him up on my shoulder to burp him, and stop for a moment to breathe in his newborn goodness. I can hear the kids getting antsy downstairs. Part of me says I should hurry and get dinner on the table. But I don't listen to that voice. I listen to the one that tells me to snuggle with my baby a little longer. His legs are curled underneath him, pressing against my still flabby tummy, and I know that it won't be long before he won't want to be all curled up on me.

And so I rock him, savoring his even breathing on my neck, and wish we could stay like this forever. Because even though there may not be enough of me, physically, to meet his every need, I'll always have more than enough love to give. And I think that's what it means to be a mom.

Allie's 6!

I'm so behind.

Allie turned 6 on April 30. She had been thinking about her big day for months. And she wasn't feeling well and her birthday ended up being kind of a bummer. But she acted like it wasn't. Good girl.

We had her birthday party with all the neighbor kids. It was fun. Allie said next year Damon isn't invited because all of the kids wanted to jump on the trampoline with him instead of playing with her. I seem to remember Heather saying I did the same thing to her at her birthday parties...

I didn't get her cake finished until Sunday (we had been at a niece's baptism the morning of Allie's party), and Allie was too sick to even blow out her own candle. Sad. The cake was definitely not what I envisioned (it's supposed to be a castle. Jeff thought it was a pinata), but oh well. Damon and Kyla had fun decorating it with me while Allie slept on the couch (she had strep).


I sure love my Allie girl. I love this picture of her and McKay. She is very helpful (when she wants to be) and so tender hearted. She is working on brushing her hair multiple times a day so she can grow it long and not cry so much about getting it combed. She has the craziest hair I've ever seen. It can be clean and smooth one minute, and the next it is a wild tangle. I don't understand how it gets that way. But she is determined to grow it out longer and so she's trying to keep it from getting TOO tangled.

Allie has a very vivid imagination. Which is a nice way of saying that she tells lots of fibs. I was reading her journal from school and everything she wrote about never actually happened (unless, of course, I taught her a Hawaiian song on her ukulele and we got a hot tub) and she is still full of stories about people in her class. I mostly praise her for her fictional stories and tell her she should be a writer. Hopefully it isn't indicative of a future of lying.

Here are six things I love about Allie:
1. She has the most expressive eyes. I love looking at her when she is happy.
2. She is a great big sister to Kyla. Usually, she loves to play with Kyla and they get along very well.
3. She loves to sing with GUSTO. As long as her nerves don't take over (the way they did on Mother's Day where she giggle through the entire primary medley), she is the loudest singer in primary.
4. She dances and checks herself out in the mirror but is far too self-conscious to let anyone see her acting like a diva.
5. She is a fantastic reader.
6. She is very good about reminding me about things we need to do (reading scriptures, taking her medicine, watering her plants, etc). She is great about keeping me on track, which I really need.

A Typical Day

I was thinking recently that my life has become very predictable. And I know one day it will be completely different and this time of life will all be a distant memory. So I thought it would be fun to document what a typical day is like for me. So that I can look back later and remember.

7:45-I pull myself out of bed. McKay is sleeping next to me, having been there for several hours. The kids are all up and watching a kid show. Carter is knocking at my door, whining for food, poopie, and Jeff is getting ready for work. I change Carter's diaper, come downstairs and start making breakfast (oatmeal, cracked wheat or other hot cereal). While it's cooking, I get Carter a banana or a piece of toast to stop the whining. I unload the dishwasher and get breakfast on the table.

8:00-8:30-We eat breakfast while reading the Book of Mormon. Carter refuses to let me feed him, crying nonstop so that I will leave the cereal on his high chair tray so he can feed himself. McKay starts crying upstairs and I go get him out of his swaddle and smile as he stretches his little arms. I bring him back down and we finish reading and the kids finish eating. Jeff is off to work. I finally sit down and eat my own breakfast. Carter is covered in cereal, because one of the kids has taken pity on him and given him his bowl so he can feed himself.

8:30-9:00-Damon gets himself ready for school, makes his lunch, and waits for the neighbor to come pick him up. The girls watch another show while I try to get breakfast (and Carter) cleaned up. I wash the high chair tray for the first time. Then I nurse the baby, and if it's the left side, I give him an ounce of formula after he's finished. All the while, I check Facebook on my phone for updates.

9:00-10:00-I try to squeeze in 30 minutes of exercise (a new development, suddenly more important after learning that a lot of people have struggled getting weight off after they got a Mirena) and then get in the shower. 1-3 kids join me, while McKay watches from his swing. He usually lasts for a few minutes without crying, but spends the majority of our shower time crying in his swing.

10:00-Everyone gets dressed and Carter goes down for his first nap. While holding McKay, I help the girls make their beds and I make my own bed and Jeff's. We are currently separated at night, not due to marital problems, but due to my belief that one of us should get a good night's sleep. That, and I love the bed in McKay's room. So soft.

10:30-11:30-I try to get things picked up around the house. Inevitably, there is a huge mess somewhere and I put McKay in his bouncy chair while I try to clean up. He lasts 5 minutes max before he cries and I feel defeated. I silently curse Jeff and the kids for not helping me more and get McKay out of his seat. I try to clean up while holding him. I nurse him again, catching an episode of 16 and Pregnant on the computer. This always makes me feel better about my own life and I get my second wind.

11:30-12:30-After McKay has fallen into a drunken sleep, I put him down again and tell the girls it's time to start thinking about lunch. I get Carter out of bed and bring him down for lunch. We have lunch, after a lengthy debate about who does or doesn't like ravioli and who wants to have quesadillas instead. I help Allie get dressed for school and go through the horrifying process of combing her hair. Tears are shed by many. McKay is crying again from his seat. Finally, Allie is ready for school and she waits for the neighbor to pick her up. I get McKay out of his seat and make lunch for Jeff. Sometimes I wait until he gets home to eat and sometimes I just eat alone, depending on how starving I am by now. I clean up lunch, wash the high chair tray for the second time, and say good-bye to Jeff as he goes back to work.

12:30-3:30-With the big kids gone, Kyla asks if she can do the "three fun things:" play the computer, watch tv, and play my phone. I let her do one of the three, then try to get her to do something else, like color or read books with me or practice writing her letters. That lasts about 5 minutes before she is asking to do another of the three fun things. Carter goes back down for his second nap around 1:30 or 2:00, depending on when he woke up, and I nurse the baby again, catching up on blog posts. I also try to get something cleaned (toilets, floor, vacuum, etc., saving the vacuuming for when McKay is really fussy. He loves the vacuum).

3:30-5:30-Damon and Allie get home from school and we have snack. Carter wakes up in time to eat again. I wash the high chair tray for the third time and pray that the weather is good enough to send the kids outside. If it is, we play outside or even take a walk to the park. If it's not, we stay inside and watch everything get messy again. Carter gets whiny after a while, and I try to ignore his crying. I start thinking about dinner and try to get that going. I nurse the baby again.

5:30-6:00-Jeff gets home from work and we eat dinner, McKay on my lap. Then we try to get dinner cleaned up, and I load the dishwasher. I wash the high chair tray for the fourth time.

7:00-Carter's crying reaches the tipping point, and we get him ready for bed. The other kids finish homework and beg to play Tickle Monster with Jeff.

7:30-We tell Kyla that it's her bedtime and send her to get her jammies and toothbrush. We say family prayer.

7:45-Kyla finally gets in bed, after begging me to pray with her that she won't have any bad dreams. Especially that one about the baby who was trying to bite her. She's been worried about that one for weeks now.

8:00-We send Allie and Damon to get ready for bed. They instantly want to read to us, but only after it's 8:00. Sometimes we give in, sometimes we tell them they need to read to themselves.

8:15-8:30-the kids are all in bed with minimal crying. Jeff and I sit down to watch a show and I nurse the baby again. I look around to see the house is a mess AGAIN and I'm too tired to do anything about it.

9:00-11:30-Jeff and I enjoy the time without the rest of the kids while McKay fusses off and on. We watch our shows and NBA playoffs and I fall asleep on the couch. Dazed, at some point I wake up and go get ready for bed. I take McKay and get him ready for bed as well. I nurse him again and put him in his own bed. I get in bed and we sleep for 3-4 hours.

3:00-I nurse McKay again. Sometimes he doesn't fall back asleep easily so he gets in bed with me and I pat his back until I fall asleep and he squirms again. The cycle continues for an hour or so until we both pass out.

5:30-I nurse him again, this time in bed because he's there with me. We go back to sleep.

7:00-I hear the kids downstairs and try to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

7:45-I drag myself out of bed and start the routine again.

There are some variations, such as laundry day on Monday, or park day with Noel (for Kyla) on Wednesday, but by and large, that is what we do. Pretty dang exciting.