Nora on the run…

Nora and baby Isaac (baby cakes) came to visit us for an extended weekend.  She had just returned from a week in Disneyland the week earlier but she was ready for more fun; and so were we! You can only sit around on your couch for so long. For the first full day she was here, we decided to take a visit to the Chesapeake Bay. It took us a few hours to get everybody ready so we didn’t take off until around noon. It was a Friday so Charlie had gone to school in the morning and I figured we would just be back in time to see him return from school. Thankfully Nora had the brilliant thought of dropping by his school and picking him up before we got on the freeway. He was really confused to see me but once I told him he was ditching school to go to the beach he was ecstatic!! I thought it would be too cold to swim but it turned out to be perfect. Sadly Nora and I didn’t pack our suits but the kids loved the water and we enjoyed wading in it. The kids played the whole time in the sand and other than Lucy wandering around trying to join different families (she has no fear of strangers) we didn’t have to worry about them. After over four hours in the sun the kids were upset when we said it was time to leave.

Baby Isaac had no fear of the water! He laughed when waves would come up an hit him just below his face!

On Saturday morning, Nora and I woke up early and headed to the metro (with the babies). We both wanted to see the Holocaust Museum but it’s difficult to get tickets on a Saturday so we wanted to get there early. We got there about 15 minutes before they started handing out tickets and there was already a REALLY long line. We waited patiently and got tickets to go in the museum at 11:30.  It gave us the right amount of time to feed the baby and Isaac got to chase some birds around.

The Museum itself was fascinating and of course very sobering. I didn’t know much about the build up to the war and how Hitler was able to gain so much power so it was interesting learning about that.

Sisters with the Holocaust Museum in the background (Washington DC)

Metro Fun!!

Sunday was wonderful! We went to church where everyone kept mistaking Nora for me (she even had a lengthy conversation with someone who thought they were talking to me)! That evening, Nora made us some delicious lettuce wraps for dinner and some jalapeno poppers for a midnight snack. 

Nora flew out on Monday afternoon so we planned out our morning to include a trip to a fancy thrift store, Trader Joe’s, and the dollar store (souvenirs).  The thrift store delivered a new dress for Addie, and some practically new Keens for our boys. I was able to introduce Nora to Trader Joe’s amazing dark chocolate peanut butter cups..so good. It was sad to see her go but we are looking forward to our extended vacation to Utah in August. 

Six Weeks! 5-22-12

We have loved having this sweet boy in our home the last six weeks. I’m almost hesitant to mention the following information because I don’t want to jinx myself but it’s such a milestone- the boys sleeps through the night!!! He usually goes to sleep between 10 and 11:30pm and wakes up around 6am. None of my other kids did this until they were much older so I’m enjoying the luxury of getting long stretches of sleep. He has started to smile (but he makes you work for it) and cooing. I have loved watching all of his fat rolls grow which is something I missed with my other winter babies who were always covered up. We love you Conrad! (yes, I sing him his theme song all the time)

The picture on the far left was taken the day we left the hospital. The pictures on the right were taken on his six week birthday! The boy is growing!!

Matthew’s Preschool Graduation! 5-17-12

I love all the festivities that the month of May brings, especially graduations! Matthew graduated from the Magruder High School Preschool class.  He Is going to miss all the fun he had but we won’t miss the morning rush of getting him out the door. Overall, we were happy with his preschool experience but then again I didn’t have many expectations for preschool; I just wanted him to be familiar with a school environment so it will be an easy transition going to full day Kindergarten in the fall.  My only major complaint was the dress standards of the teenage girls or the lack there-of, ugh…

Matthew’s graduation was way over the top with real robes and caps. I even got a little teary when they played “Pomp and Circumstance” as the preschoolers marched in the room.  Each child had their name read and they got to walk over a little bridge. Then they were each presented with their very own scrapbook that the students worked in teams to create. It was filled with pictures from all the major events throughout the year. Matthew has loved looking at his over and over and over again.

We were trying to entertain Lucy before the graduation began and my sunglasses worked for a few minutes. The picture to the right is of Matthew and his class doing their last “circle time” before the graduation.

After the graduation, the high school students put on a carnival that included games, crafts, and a clown who brought a real life bunny for the kids to pet. Fun had by all!

Matthew’s two favorite preschool people, Clara and Mrs Boyle! Onward to Kindergarten!!

Happy Mother’s Day! 5-13-12

Motherhood doesn’t get much better than this (matching double chins),

But…maybe it does (Red Velvet Cake)!

1 Month old and 9 Years of marriage!

Conrad turned one month old on May 10th and Seth and I celebrated our nine year wedding anniversary!

First, Conrad is doing wonderful. I took him in for his one month check-up and he was 10lbs 5oz (75%) and 22 in. He is sleeping really well and has given me a few breaks by only waking up once in the night to eat and then going right back to sleep! I’m hoping to see more of this in the future!! He poops a lot (in comparison to my other kids as babies) so I guess that is why he is so content with life. He still loves to scowl so I have to work with him in order to get non-scowling pictures.  He has given us a few smiles which of course is greatly appreciated at this stage of the game.

He loves his tummy time!

They are already conspiring against me….

Enjoying a very thoughtful bath with Dad.

I have had a few bouncers in the past but I never hang on to them long after my kids are finished using them.  I had looked on craigslist for one but they all seemed overpriced to me.  I purchased one at Target but then when I got home I realized I paid $40 instead of the $30 and that seemed too much for something I wasn’t going to use for that long. I just left it in the box because I was hoping, with a little more patience, I would find a “cheap” one on Craig’s list, and Craig’s list ended up coming through for me. This fancy Rainforest bouncer was $15 from a lovely family in Potomac. She said it hadn’t been used much either. It made me feel even better when I found the same one at Target.com for $45!! Oh, I still love a deal. Conrad likes the bouncer but the other kids are all a lot more entertained by all of its functions. 

The morning of our ninth wedding anniversary started out as a normal day. Seth and I were stumbling around in our sleep deprived state trying to get it all done. There was breakfast and lunches to made, diapers to be changed, tantrums to be dealt with, permission slips to be signed, a bus to be caught,  and much much more. Seth turned to me and asked, “If you could have seen this morning nine years ago before we got married, would have gone through with it?”  My response, “Not a chance!” But thankfully I didn’t see a vision of a difficult morning with four kids because then I would have missed out on all the wonderful moments we have had the last nine years!!

Reflections on a newborn…

It’s been interesting having a newborn and older kids to give you a running commentary about what they observe, here are some of our favorite “one liners.”

The following was said while Matthew was watching me change Conrad’s diaper-

“Mom, I really don’t like yellow poop, I only like brown poop!”

Charlie stated the following-

“Mom, I really don’t mind when Conrad cries, he sounds like a bird.”

We were trying to take a picture of all the kids together. Seth put Conrad on Lucy’s lap and he started to fuss, Lucy responded with-

“I don’t like it, I don’t like baby!” (this of course was said with some major Lucy attitude, can you tell her favorite book right now is “Green Eggs and Ham.”)

3 Weeks!

Why didn’t the last three weeks of my pregnancy go as fast as the first three weeks of Conrad’s life??

Yes! We have success in nursing and Conrad is gaining weight! Bless Zantac and the wonderful Lactation Consultant who identified the problem (note to self: there is a HUGE difference between a “CERTIFIED Lactation Specialist” and a “Lactation Specialist.” It’s great to see my baby do other things beside scowl and scream. Conrad is calm most of the time and doesn’t mind tummy time (unlike his siblings). He’s still not a fan of the binky but we are still hopeful. He still takes a bottle every day which was one benefit of having to supplement in the beginning. I’m committing myself to not let this habit die so there is a little more freedom in my future and of course, Seth enjoys it.

It’s interesting how those first few weeks are stressful no matter if it’s your first or fourth.

My parents took off but thankfully, two days later, Seth’s parents (plus Lucinda) arrived. It was wonderful to have more help and their relaxed, helpful attitudes around our house for almost a week. The boys wrestled a with grandpa and Lucy led him on a few good chases around the block. Grandma Thacker was a gracious baby bouncer who has a great skill for burping that I’m still trying to master. Lucinda introduced my boys to the wonderful world of the “Kindle Fire” which they quickly became addicted to and were sad to see leave along with the Thackers.

I love Conrad’s reaction to Seth’s mom, he knows goodness!

We decided to bless Conrad the Sunday the Thackers were in town. I wasn’t feeling up for church yet so we just blessed him in our living room. It was perfect watching Seth and his dad take Conrad in their arms and give him a beautiful blessing. I love learning and feeling the unique spirits and personalities of my kids after they are born. I feel Conrad is going to be a mild tempered child who will be a wonderful influence on his dear older sister (or at least I hope for it). 

Conrad wearing the Tuxedo Grandma made seven years ago for Charlie

 

 

The day before Seth’s parents flew out we were able to celebrate Grandma Thacker’s birthday. We all met Seth at the Rockville town center for dinner at Cosi (very similar to Panera) The food tasted really good and afterwards we took a lap through the “Toy Kingdom” toy store which I enjoy just as much as kids. We came home to indulge in a delicious carrot cake Seth made the night before.

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We played the family version of “Wits and Wagers” with Grandma and Grandpa. It’s a fun trivia game that you can still win even if you don’t know anything!