My Beauties!!

If you haven't seen the new posts on my friend Amanda's Blog -- you best be heading over there to check out the new photos from our May photo shoot when we were still in WA...

xoxo

www.amandakayphotography.com

Breaking Bad...

If you just look at this darling face you will see that there is nothing but pure happiness from this baby. She's sweet and content and allows her brother to pummle her at less than a moments notice. But she has a bad habit. A habit that she didn't necessarily create on her own, but by simple chain of events. Her story was conceise like her brother's, she was sleeping through the night (7+ hours at night) by the time she was 7 weeks old. She didn't find to be as consistant as Finnegan as I had trouble keeping her daily schedules balanced. But she was doing it. By the time she was about 4 months old she was sleeping 10+ hours at night with a fairly consistent daily schedule... Then the excitement started. We took our first trip cross country to visit our new home with baby intow and returned to an inconsistant schedule for our sweet angel. And so the inconsistant sleeping patterns began. She was still happy for the most part, but just so sleepy. Just as everything started to level out, we moved to our new town and lived in a hotel for about 10 days. With the whole family sleeping in the same room we had late bedtimes and no naps. And when these three planet collide, you create some super bad habits (for scheduled babies -- Please don't misinterpret my wording as condemning other parenting styles... But for us, the things we were doing to pacify our sweet pea wasn't producing results that we could live with in the long term). After several weeks (nearly several months) 0f pacifing our sweet darling, I was waking up several times in the night to feed her, as I would a newborn baby and she was 9 months old! Not only this, but she'd show us at a tender young age that she could sleep longer than 5 hours before needing milk. So it was tiime to break some habits...

I'd originally wanted to start on the weekend, but that would mean that I'd be getting up each night of the week plus the nights on the weekend (when these are the nights that my hubby gets up for us). So, I decided to start on Monday night. I expected my princess to wake sometime between 5 and 6am for her feeding. But she woke up at 1:30am to my surprise. Without supplement and only reassurance, she fussed, and cried for over 90 minutes. UGH! Bad habits are hard to break. But the second night, we had much more success. She awoke at her usual 5:30am and fussed for 4 minutes, and then another 3 minutes before she fell asleep on her own. Praise the Lord. And the best part?? She wakes up happy. She doesn't wake up crying and angry in the morning, because she's had a full night sleep and is ready to start her day. We'll see what the rest of the week holds for our sweet baby!! But hopefully we're breaking bad!!

**Update**

Night 3 my darling didn't require reassurance at all. She woke up around 11pm, but she's been teething, and this is what caused the wake up. But she put herself back to sleep and slept the whole night through. So proud of her!!

New Friend...

This is Juliette. She is our sweet neighbor girl. Her and her parents are literally an answer to prayer. An answer to a lot of prayers. Upon the arrival of our truck several weeks ago, Nicole and Don walked over to introduce themselves with their sweet daughter. Nicole brought dinner over later that evening for us, and we've gotten together several times since then. We were instant friends. The kind that ONLY God could orchestrate. And Juliette is just the sweetest friend for our Finnegan. She's about 6 months younger than he is, but super bright, kind and they play together like it was meant to be (although our first meeting was a little rocky between then two of them). Nicole has prepared lots of information to me to get plugged into doctors, dentists, consignment sales and even park and restaurant information for us to go through... Simply a God-send for any person new to the area.

Here are a few pictures of the kids today during their playdate...

Just a few photos...

Here are some more recent photos of my kiddos... Here's Penny. I bought her a pair of shoes, finally. It's so darn hot here, I hate to put her in shoes, but she's starting to cruise the furniture and so I thought she might need to get a bit of practice. And these sweet ones were on sale for just $3.00 at Target... so I was sold.

Here's Penny doing some cruising and grabbing for my drink. Since I don't visit Starbucks any longer (I did make one trip a couple of weeks ago and it took the Barista more than 10 minutes to make my drink and there was only 3 people in front of me) I just use my reusable glass and enjoy other drinks... mainly ice tea. Penny wanted to try some too :)

Here's my little helper. She LOVES daddy's tools and these days, they seem to have taken up perminate residence in our den. Hopefully the repairs would be done soon and they can find a home in the basement again :) Until then, Penny will continue to play with them!!

And here she is helping daddy with a repair project. :)

Here are my boys working on their computer. Finnegan has successfully learned all of his alphabet and all of their sounds with the help of this computer. He's started sounding out words and reading them on occasion. He did his first word a couple of weeks ago "Trucks". Then his second word a week later, "Frog". :) So proud of that boy!!

Maryland Stay at Home Mom Update

So, How are things going, you ask? Things are going ok. There were a few days that I felt like I was drowning here. I hated not knowing where things were, or where I could find them. I was lonely and sad, and all of those "depression medication" commercials were me to a "T". I'm still not sleeping well, as the baby has yet again decided she doesn't want to sleep through the night. The kids keep moving forward with their growth and behavior patterns, and I feel that I'm just trying to catch up.

But, there are good days too. There are days that I get more than an hour to myself to do more than eat lunch and go to the bathroom in silence. There are days that the sun greets me in the am before my darling son knocks on my door at 6:45am (earlier than he EVER woke up in WA). There are days that I don't feel like I am alone on this side of the planet and that there are other moms who are just as alone here as I am.

The funny thing is, is that I've begun to see life here as strange. Not just because it's in a state that I've never lived but because I'm a mom here too. I'd adjusted to being a mom in WA and learned how to deal with kids in the rain, and taking advantage of playing outside between raindrops or rainstorms for that matter. I'd adjusted to the idea of doing activities in less than optimal weather (ususally on the chilly side) while in WA. But here, I've had to adjust to the other end of the spectrum.

• I have to always be prepared with a "snack" or cold drink, because when your uncomfortable due to the heat, those are the things that satisfy a toddler.
• I've learned that if I do leave the house before 11am that I WILL encounter 90degree weather and more than 50% humidity.
• I've learned that the kids MUST stay close to the car in a parking lot because the "during the day" drivers are oh to fast for a parking lot.
• I've learned that people in the grocery store are much more on either end of the "niceness" spectrum. Either they hate their lives, or they love their life so much they want to bless you! I've had so many people literally stop me in the grocery store and just chat.
• I've noticed that there are not as many "moms with kids" out during the day, as I thought there would be. Perhaps they go out later in the day than we do. Or perhaps when its cooler out.
• I've learned that churches are traditional more than they are in WA.
• I've learned that you must take a cooler with you to the grocery store if you plan to make more than that one stop. Although I've never experienced my items melting while I'm making stop number 2 or more. But, most of my cold/cool items can't even make it through the store, through check out and home before things become warm to the touch!! UGH!
• Ive learned that nap time doesn't happen because my sweet children's room face the sun, no matter what time of day it is :) (Yes, we are in the process of getting darkening shades).

Life as a SAHM in Maryland is coming along and I'm learning as I go. Its a different job here, and although I like to have a job description before I begin a new position, I'll figure it out :)

My Husband: The Superhero

Seriously, my husband has some unusual powers. Not only is he superdad, he also has amazing powers of the unknown. Because of his recent transfer he's been asked to take several Navy survival training courses and tests before riding on any Naval aircrafts. About two months ago, he had his first class and "exam". This particular one was a water test. For the exam, he was taken to a pool where he was given a physical exam in the water, consisting of obstacles and maneauvers while underwater and fully clothed (with boots on too). The one particular situation was that he was strapped to a chair, that was then put in the pool and put upside-down and he had to get out of the straps, swim to a hatch and open it. All without drowning... And then he had to do it (and all the other tests) again, blindfolded. Out of 13 who started the exam together, only 3 passed the first part, and those three went on to complete the exam as well. Ken was one of those three.

This week he has a second class and exam that he must endure for the Navy. This is pressure training. He learns about pressure drops and how to administer his mask if he senses the pressure drop in his body. They teach him how to detect a problem within himself and then to put a mask on before he has a problem. Today was training and a "test". He said that he watched a group do their test and then he was in the second group. How it went was this... they breathed in pure oxygen for 30 minutes, so they wouldn't get the bends afterwards. Then they were put in a pressure chamber where they were in a simulated situation of being at 25000 feet in the air. Then, they began to feel the pressure loss. Once at that point they could choose to put on their mask, but the point of the training is to feel the effects of the pressure and THEN to put your mask on. During the "free time" the instuctor asks them questions. The idea is that when you are too deprived of oxygen at that height, you begin to not process correctly and some don't even communicate at all. Ken said that he saw a guy who was unable to count backwards by 3's and stopped communicating. And the others had to put his mask on for him. Another guy was asked to put his arms out straight in front of him and "navigate" himself to the right, which he successfully did. Then he was asked to navigate a "descend", which should have caused him to move his arms in a downward position, he couldn't. He was frozen in his right position.

Then it came to Ken's group. They dropped the pressure and the test begins. He was questioned by the instructor who asked him a couple of questions. He was sure to say more than a yes or no answer (as the brain tends to shut down with pressure loss). He was asked if he was good at math and he said "Not really. I try to use a calculator when ever possible." Silly husband!! Ken was the last one in his group to need his mask. The instructor had to finally just ask him to put his mask on! All in all, the first day went well. He has his "exam" tomorrow and will be asked to do the same sort of things.

Hopefully he'll do even better tomorrow. He's gone to bed early tonight and been drinking tons of water (as the low pressure depletes your body). Hopefully he'll be ready in the morning for a long drive (about an hour and a half - again) and his exam. Praying for my superhero hubby!!

Mana and Papa's Visit Plus More

Mana and Papa came to visit on the 4th of July to our new house... They brought treats and toys for everyone!!

Here, Finnegan and Penelope are playing in the super cool pool that they brought. And it was a God-send, as I CAN NOT find the one that should have been moved with our home items. :)

My bathing beauty!

Mana played games with Finnegan. They had a wonderful time. Lots of fun playing games and reading lots of books.
Here is everyone with Mana and Papa!!


This is Miss Sillyface... (her, not me!) This is a new face for her... One Finnegan still has trouble making!! :)
Here is the start of the climbing and crawling.
He found Mana's shoes and decided to try them on and take them for a stroll.
She likes tools.
My sweet boy is beginning to read. We've read this book several times. But last week, he asked me to read it. We were changing his diaper so I asked him to tell me what letters he saw on the front of the book. After he told me what sounds each of those letters make and then he told me what word those sounds made. I was so proud of him!!
We put some new batteries in the super fun chair. Penny loves to play with it... when her brother isn't pushing her off of it :)

Our New Mover...

We have a new mover. Within a week, our 9month baby has gone from crawling to pulling up to a kneeling position, and then pulling up to a standing position (within one day) and now, today, she started slowly cruising along the furniture. Finnegan didn't take his first cruising steps until late July so she stands to be about 3-4 weeks ahead of her big brother. She's always been a mover, and can't sit still compared to her brother. So we'll see if she starts running before her first birthday (on Sept 23rd) :)

So how are the kids??

So many of you have asked and so I think I'll take a post to address your questions... So how are the kids and how are they adjusting? All in all, they are doing well.

Finnegan obviously is the one that we notice when things aren't ok and when things are getting him down. He is happiest here at the house, or when we're out for a short errand. Other than that, he seems to have more trouble switching gears than he did previously. And with this, as with everything else that we're noticing could be his growing little self changing or the effects of the move... I'm sure we'll never know! Finnegan really misses his friends. It was doubled edged sword that we spent so much time with our little friends in Washington before we left. It was bitter sweet to spend those last days playing and hanging out. But more than ever, my sweet boy is asking for his friends. He wants to play with them and go places with them. He brings them up on his own at least once every other day or so. And when he's really down (a couple of times when we've been here) he just cries, "I want to go to Liam and Rylee's!" UGH! Just breaks your heart when your little one wants the two other little people that make him just so happy!! We have had a breakthrough in this department in the last week, however. We went and had dinner with some neighbors who have a little girl name Juliette. She is about 6 months younger than him and despite a few toy disputes, had a wonderful time. And the next night he asked to pray for his new friend before bed. We're really struggling with Finnegan's impulsive attitude these days. He knows right from wrong and knows the attitude and actions that we expect. But my poor son can't control his impulsive desire to hit, push and kick his baby sister. He will actually walk out of his way to encounter her!! UGH! Any suggestions out there mommies?? We've tried time out, spanking, loss of privilege. He just doesn't get it in those impulsive moments... Finnegan is mostly enjoying a new activity class that I take him too. It's not as inviting as Gymboree was for him and he needs a little encouragement to engage himself in the class. But he does end up enjoying it for the most part. Finnegan really enjoys the large floor plan of this house. He can run and run and run...inside the house. He really likes to do that! And just like when he was in WA, he love to be outside with daddy doing chores and playing in the dirt.

Penelope is also having her ups and downs. As stated before, her major "down" is that her brother tends to beat up on her and she cries a lot during the day. She's even gotten to the point where she cries when he even just steps towards her sometimes! Though despite this one problem, she has so many "ups" on her side of the list. She's started to crawl just a couple of weeks ago and has just started to pull herself up on the furniture. She pulls herself up to her feet on occasion. She has had her second hair cut this week, well, just a trim. She has a "wing" on her left side of her head that just sticks out. We cut it for the first time in Feb and this week was the second time. Her hair is come in slowly, but we can tell it will be a similar color to Finnegan's hair color, but sometimes I catch a glimpse that it will be darker... or sometimes we think it might turn reddish. She is sleeping so much better now that we've stopped all the overall craziness in our family. She was sleeping through the night before our trip to MD in April. But once we crossed 3 time zones for a short period of time, it went downhill from there. Then, for the following 6 weeks, until we moved here, she couldn't recover. Now that we have returned to a time zone, and been here for a couple of weeks, she's returned to sleeping through the night, which is a blessing for all of us. She is eating more and more solid foods, which is fun for everyone. I am much more relaxed with the foods than I was with Finnegan. But trying the same old standbys. She loves her daddy and LOVES it when he comes home from work. She is an all around happy baby and I feel like I'm finding my groove with her. Her personality is coming out too, which is exciting for everyone! She's much more inquisitive than Finn was and she LOVES to be with people... well, people that she knows. She still is struggling with a horrible cold that she's had for about 4 or 5 weeks now. She only really coughs a handful times a day, but it is just a horrible sound coming from her. I took her to the doctor during our first week here in MD and the doctor wasn't too concerned about it (as she doesn't really have any other symptoms).

Overall, the kids are adjusting to the new house, the new weather patterns, and the new sights. They both have their days (as all kids do).