ABBY
Here is Abby playing with her new rag doll from her Grandma. She loves that the doll has red hair just like her. Abby is starting to do a lot more imaginative play with her dolls and stuffed animals which is fun to see. Although she still likes her new little brother more than any doll. Abby always wants to hold him, tuck him in, sing to him, help "milk" him, and push him in the stroller. She is always really sweet with him and thinks she is his second mommy. In fact the other day I was explaining to her what a woman was and told her she would be a woman when she grows up. She told me that she doesn't want to be a woman she wants to be a mommy with Nathan, Maddy, and Audrey (she still has her heart set on a baby sister) as her kids.
When she isn't "helping" me with Nathan she likes to swing and play outside. I'm sure she will have a hard time when it gets too cold to go out everyday. Other than that, her favorite activity is probably listening to music and dancing. She can get very creative when she dances combining ballet,
Celtic dance moves, and mom's yoga positions into her dance. She is probably as curious as she is creative and is always getting into things. Her new thing is to come tell us "Mom (or Dad), calm down and don't worry about me." Which means she is about to do or get into something she shouldn't and she doesn't want us to know. We love her and are proud of the way she is growing and learning so much.
MADDY
Here is Maddy swinging with her rag doll. She loves to take care of her dolls by pushing them on the swings, in her stroller, and feeding them pretend food from her kitchen.
Here is Maddy with her sweet,
gooby smile. She is talking a lot more and we are surprised at how fast she is growing. She is now at the stage where she wants to be just like Abby. As much as she wants to grow up and be like Abby, she is also having a hard time not being the baby of the family any more. When I'm busy nursing Nathan, Maddy will often purposely run her head into walls and furniture and say "bonk" to try to get my attention so I'll hold and comfort her. Despite her periods of jealousy, she loves her baby brother and is still our sweet little Maddy bear.
NATHAN
Nathan hanging out with his sisters. They always like to join him for tummy time and smother him with attention when he is awake. When he is asleep they like to wake him up so they can smother him some more.
Here they are both helping push him in his swing. I figure we don't even need the batteries since the girls love to push him every time we put him in it. We are just trying to convince them that Nathan doesn't like to go as high in the swing as they do.
Here he is again in his swing. It works like magic to calm him down when he is upset. He has started to get a little more colicky this month, but he still is very sweet and is a lot easier baby than either Maddy or Abby. He is starting to be awake for longer periods and likes to focus on our faces and is still as sweet and cuddly as ever.
JARED
Here is Jared with a bunch of his former co-workers at a good-bye party for him and the other PA that quit the CT program. This month he started his new job working for
Kadlec Neuroscience Center. The surgeon he works for is really nice and his schedule is much better. He went from working 60-80 hrs a week to his now 35-40 a week work schedule. Jared is a much happier person these days as he now has more time to spend with the kids and in the yard along with his favorite past time--reading.
Jared holding his sweet baby boy.
MARY
There are no pictures of me for good reason--I still have 25 pounds of pregnancy weight to lose.
I had my 6 week appointment this month and finally got the okay on exercise. Jared's new work schedule allows him to watch the kids while I go out roller blading or cycling for an hour. It feels good to finally be moving after dealing with pregnancy, bed rest, and C-section restrictions. On top of trying to get back in shape, I don't have time for any other projects or hobbies since the rest of my time is taken up with trying to stay on top of household tasks and struggling to juggle three very young children. It seems that there is never enough mommy to go around. The other day I was trying to clean the bathrooms during the kid's nap time. Of course all three of them woke up and wanted my attention. As I tried to hurry and finish up Maddy decided to take off her own poopy diaper, Nathan started screaming, and Abby wanted me to get her a new band-aid for her scar. When I told her "Just a minute. You'll just have to wait!," she started crying, "Mommy doesn't love me anymore!" Needless to say I felt awful. Everyday I pray for more patience. I still have a lot of learn about parenting and taking care of 3 children, but I'm sure it will get easier over time as I figure out how to balance all of their varying needs. I'm so grateful for all of my supportive friends and family and especially my wonderful husband who helps so much, and gives me breaks when I'm feeling burned out.
Abby in her favorite sparkly ballerina PJs that she got from her Grandma Donaldson.
Here is Abby in one of the "outfits" that she likes to come up with everyday. She is wearing Maddy's PJs, some over-sized hand me down sandals on the wrong feet, and some upside down sunglasses. Hopefully she will develop a little more fashion sense as she gets older.
Here are Maddy and Abby playing princess dress up.
Here is Maddy holding her new baby doll and baby blanket made by our friend Georgeanna.
The girls taking care of their dolls together.
Our three little amigos. Can you believe they are all ours? Each so cute and precious in their own little way.
Can you believe how much Nathan has grown? Stats from his 2 month visit: Head: 39 1/2 cm (30-50%) Height: 22 3/4 in (30-50%) Weight: 12 lbs 8 oz (60-75%) Needless to say the pediatrician was very impressed with his amazing growth, although he is still small compared to 90-100 percentile Donaldson standards.
Nathan hanging out on the new quilt I made for him.
Looking at this picture you can tell he came straight from heaven. At this age both Abby and Maddy would scream for hours a day since they were both colicky and suffered from GERD so Nathan seems really easy in comparison. He mostly just nurses, smiles and sleeps. What an angel.
