I Love Bloom

So funny, after I wrote my post last night, I was reflecting on it while trying to fall asleep.  And then I got up this morning and read this on Bloom.
She totally nailed how I was feeling!
I feel like I'm able to just enjoy Jane more than I did the other 2, because I know how quickly it's going to fly by.
Sometimes I feel like I'm going to blink, open my eyes, and my girls will be driving and dating and it scares the living daylights out of me {such an old person phrase, by the way}.
With Lo, I was constantly thinking about where she was headed and the next stage, almost pushing her to grow up.  With Mya {a little different} I enjoyed where she was at more, but SHE was always in a hurry to move on to the next stage - she just didn't want to be a baby.
So, any of you first time moms out there - enjoy where your children are at right now, because before you know it, they will be almost 5, their baby fat will be all but gone, and they will be reading.  And you will so much miss those first things that you didn't take the time to cherish :)

3

I get a lot of the "how is life with 3 kids" question, which has made me think about some of the differences in having 1, 2, and 3.

First baby:
Baby was always dressed to the nines, even if we were staying home all day - hair bow {check}, pants {check}, shoes {check}, picture perfect {check}

Second baby:
Baby is still mostly dressed well....most of the time, bow on {most of the time}, shoes {only if leaving the house}, pants {sometimes}

Third baby:
Baby wears a white onesie {always}, pants {occasionally}, bow {only if I remember, and only if leaving the house}, shoes {what? babies wear shoes?}

I have about a zillion and a half pictures of Lauren.  I wanted snapshots of every single moment - every spit bubble, every funny face, every nap, every smile.  The camera was never more than an arm's reach away for fear of missing something priceless.
With Mya I was too busy trying to keep her from crying and Lauren from having crazy 2 year old tantrums, so I don't think I got more than a handful of pictures of her until she was about 6 months old.
Jane, poor Jane, only gets her picture taken if we are in a "perfect storm" situation.  First, I have to remember where exactly the camera is, and by the time I run and grab it {trying really hard to not get distracted by kids or something that needs to be picked up/put away}, whatever cute thing she was doing is now gone and she has a sister about an inch away from her face, wondering why she is getting upset.

There are also good differences. 
With Lauren, there was so much trial and error.  So many mistakes {who forgets to send a bottle with their baby to the sitter??} and learning experiences.  So many questions about so many things.  So much reading of baby books and online forums.  So much second guessing.
Mya was so different from Lauren - so much more complicated.  I was more confidant than with Lo, but had a whole new personality to learn.  All on top of dealing with the terrible two's.  But way more sure of myself as a mother and my decisions.
And now I have #3.  I thought it would be so much harder - and in some ways it is.  But in other ways I feel like I've sooooo "got this".  Going to the store is an ordeal, and I have to give myself a pep talk for an hour before we leave, but sleep training felt like second nature.  There are times when everyone is crying at once, and I think I'm going to lose my mind.  But I feel like such a mom now {you'd think that would've happened before having #3}.  I know which things matter and which things don't.  I feel like I can be much more flexible about things, like our daily schedule, and know that everyone will still be fed, clean, and happy, and the world won't end because we are "off schedule" :).  Cleaning the floor isn't as important as laying on the floor with all 3 of my girls and making ridiculous noises at Jane to make her smile.

So, how is it having 3 kids?  It's crazy.  Insane at times.
But it's also wonderful.

Jane's Room

It's almost done - FINALLY!  With being so sick the whole pregnancy, and my generally indecisive nature, it feels like it's taken an eternity to get Jane's room done.

My awesome friend Julie made this vinyl for me - she's the best!

 This is what I blame my lack of blogging lately.  I really wanted to put a bird mobile in her room, but I didn't want to spend a fortune on one, either.  So I decided to make one, which is super fun & interesting when you don't have a sewing machine.  But thanks to Google, Etsy, and my limited knowledge of how to hand stitch, I figured it out.

I think it turned out pretty cute, it just took forever!

 This is my most favorite thing in the room, and I found it at Ikea, of all places.  On a side note, I like to go to Ikea, but hardly ever actually buy anything.  But I absolutely LOVE how this turned out with the pictures on it.

 This particular item is funny to me.  When I first chose the bedding fabric, I went and bought a few yards in each fabric to match paint and to "do something crafty" with.  The first thing did was buy a blank canvas on sale from Hobby Lobby and covered it.  Then I decided I hated it, so it has sat in the hutch in her room with no purpose.  And because I spent time on it, I couldn't bring myself to throw it away.

Then, last weekend Bryan went and spent Friday night playing with his friends, so I took the opportunity to make headbands.  And after I was done, I realized I didn't have a good place to put them.

So, I pulled out the computer and looked up headband holders on {da da da DA} Etsy and found this cute idea.

It's just little hooks screwed into the very thing I had made and hated but couldn't part with.

How fortunate, right??  And now I love it.

 Here is the bedding.  *sigh*  I am in love with this fabric.

I found someone on {where else} Etsy who made it for me for a pretty reasonable price.  And I love that it's so unique and there is NO pink in sight!

Have I mentioned how much I love Etsy?  Well, I do.

Now I just need to get curtains and recover the thing I made for the window here with something that actually matches the room.

And just because she's so darn cute :)

A Ramona

Today, after I left Jane's 8 week checkup {weight: 9 lbs, 9 oz, 25%, height: 23.5 inches, 90%, and now sleeping off her shot orneriness in my arms}, I ran to Target on the way home.
As I was walking in, there was a guy walking in with his 2 little girls.  I had to chuckle, because the older one {probably about Lauren's age} was wearing a yellow fancy church/Easter type dress and purple/pink butterfly rain boots.
I call this looking like "a Ramona" because it reminds me of how I always pictured Ramona Quimby in my favorite books as a kid:

It made me laugh because this is about how my kids look when Bryan gets them dressed and he knows we're not going anywhere for the day.  Especially Mya.
This guy's wife must not have been home.
I don't think I'm alone in this as a mom - it drives me crazy, and I roll my eyes every time I see the mismatched outfits, the odd colored headbands, and weird footwear choices my kids make.  Because I would never allow my kids to walk around like that, leaving the house or not.
And why is that?  Why do I care?  Why do they have to match {when we're staying home}?  And why is it so endearing when I see a random kid at Target dressed in a way that I would never dream of allowing my kids to leave the house in?
That's it, tomorrow I'm letting them be Ramonas.

Phrases

See - I told you I'd post again soon :)

I was just thinking about this as my kids came barrelling down the hallway screaming at the top of their lungs right outside a restless napping baby's doorway, and I came out and said "absolutely not!" - they turned right around and ran downstairs to continue the happy screams in the playroom {where they belong}.
And I started thinking......I must say that a lot if they knew exactly what I meant when I said it.  I didn't even get to finish with "if you're going to scream, do it in the play room".
Then I started thinkng about the phrases my parents used to say when I was a kid.  They were mostly the classics, like "you're treading on thin ice, young lady", and "you've got a chip on your shoulder" {it took me a long time to figure out what that one meant}.

Here are some of the phrases that I think I say a lot to my kids:
"Don't make me come in there"
"I swear, if you {insert bad behavior/activity} one more time...."
"How sad.  Little girls who {insert behavior/activity again} have to go to bedroom time." - thank you Love & Logic
"What is going on??"
"Absolutely not!"
"I know." - thank you again, Love & Logic.  This one is used in response to excessive whining or complaining.  Also in response to repeat requests for something I'm not going to give.  Example: Mya: "I want a fruit snack."  Me: "No, not right now."  Mya: "I want a FRUIT SNACK!!"  Me: {very calmly} "I know."  I just have to say it once and she freaks out.  It shouldn't be, but it's pretty funny.  It's used a lot in the car.
"Do not talk about it again." - Lo can't let things go, and will try and discuss issues we have over and over again, which usually results in her getting into more trouble.

It seems as if the stuff I repeat the most is, let's say, not so fun.  But I do have some nice phrases, too - really, I do!
For instance:
"I just love you"
"I could just snuggle you all day long" - this one gets interesing responses from Lauren sometimes :)
"What the!" - my kids think it's hilarious when I say this, and have now started repeating it often, which I think is hilarious.
"How did you get so {insert compliment - pretty, smart, etc.}?" - I may have trained my kids to respond with "Cuz of Mommy".

See.....I'm not so bad :)

I'd love to see what you say to your kids on a regular basis.  Feel free to comment :)

I Know, I Know

I know, it's been {quite} a while since I've posted.

So here's a little of what we've been up to - which is a lot :)

Jane is a really good baby.....most of the time.

She's sleeping a solid 7, 7.5 hours at night, which is awesome!  She's always gone down really easy at night and just goes right to sleep.  Naps, however, are a different story.  She takes very restless naps during the day right now.  I just hope she grows out of it.  Soon.  J/K, if I had to choose one or the other, I'm very glad she chooses to sleep like a champ at night.

She is now smiling like crazy - especially at Lauren.  I'm pretty sure Lo is her most very favorite person in the whole world.

She is still super, duper skinny.  Scrawny is a better word for it.  She is sooooo loooong, and just has no meat on her bones.  She is 8 weeks now, and is still wearing newborn bottoms {they look like capris, but that's ok} because 0-3 month bottoms won't stay up around her.  She had better chunk out soon, because she has a drawer/closet full of 3 month summer clothes that I need her to fit into!

This is the saddest update of all:  she is starting to resist the cuddling.  It is very sad.  She will snuggle and go to sleep if you really work at it, but she prefers to be swaddled & put down to sleep.  And, having 2 other kids before her, I know that at some point you usually have to give in to the independent baby and just be grateful that they don't need to be held to go to sleep.  But you still want them to want it from time to time.  This is coming a bit too early for me this time :'(

This little miss loves to have a B {for those of you who don't know, a B is a blanket in our house} all scrunched up around her face.

She has also decided that she loves her binky.  And yes, your eyes do not deceive you - she has really red hair.  And no, I don't know where it comes from. 

And yes, I am aware that I forgot to do a little red eye correction.  Oh well.

This is where our kids spend a lot of their time - on the swings, begging Mom and Dad for underdogs.  Which we are happy to oblige.

If you look really closely, you might spot Lo's teeny weeny little braids.  She wants to have long, thick hair oh so very badly so that she can have big, fat braids.  Sorry kid, not in the cards for you right now :(.  I do the best I can.

The other day, we went to my friend Shauna's house for some outdoor swimming time.  Being the super awesome mom I am, I have never ever taken my kids to a pool {you can take a moment to gasp}.  Neither Bryan nor I like water, and the thought of going to a public pool with my kids stresses me out to no end.  So I was a litte worried how my kids would do, even in a 3 foot deep one.

Well, I had to drag them out after 4 hours - they loved it!  I feel much better about taking them to the rec center pool now.  And then I'll be able to feel like that much less of a failure.  Come on, who doesn't take their kids to a pool!  I'm so lame!

I have been doing a lot of nursing {and now weaning - if you have a negative opinion on that matter, please keep it to yourself.  Thank you}, finishing Jane's room {one more thing to hang and then I'll post pictures}, cabining, and playing as much as possible before I go back to work in 4 weeks.

Most of which I don't have pictures of.  I can barely remember to bring everything I need for 3 kids on outings, and the last time I finally remembered to bring my camera to something the battery was dead.  Woops.

I have also been enjoying fro yo again {tasted nasty while I was pregnant - it was so sad}.

Mmmmm, it just looks like summer, right?

See you soon, promise :)