Where's Jared?!?!?!?!

Can't see him??? 

Look a little closer.....

Did you find him yet????

There he is!

A few weeks ago the kids decided that it would be great fun to empty EVERY.SINGLE.TOY. out of the toy box and pile it on Jared. Jared, not thinking, let them do it. And what did they decide was the greatest game ever for the next month? Emptying out all the toys and pretending the toy box was a rocket ship. While I appreciate my children's stellar imaginations, picking up this giant mountain of toys every day got old fast. We have since gone through and taken out all the toys that are no longer age appropriate, are broken, or just don't get played with. There was a small throw away pile, a small give away pile and a significant pile of toys that got packed away until Cohen is big enough to play with them.

They still like to play "Rocket", but cleaning up afterwards is no longer such a chore. And that makes for one much happier mommy.

Cohen's 4 Month Update

Our baby boy is now 4 months old. Time flies! He's actually about 4 and a half months now, but I wanted to wait until we'd had his check up so I knew how much he weighed and how long he was. We went yesterday afternoon at 2:30 pm. Xavier had his four year check up and booster shot as well. It was pretty funny - we started with him and he was pretending to be a robot, so our pediatrician played along and checked out all his robot parts. He sat nice and still for his shot and he is now 44 lbs and 43 inches. He's a tall boy!

Next it was Cohen's turn. He was a bit fussy since he hadn't napped for me at all like he usually does. He cried a little getting weighed and measured - he is 15 lbs and 26 inches. Then he calmed down a bit and it was time for his shots. He GIGGLED after the first one. That was a first for me - never had a baby giggle after a shot before! Then came the second one and he WAILED! And kept on wailing. He also had a poopy diaper, which I had to change while he was wailing. That didn't help the situation. Thankfully he calmed down while I was scheduling his next appointment and fell asleep on the way home. Today he's had a slight fever and is a bit cranky again, but nothing that a little Tylenol and a nice long nap this afternoon haven't cured.

What is he up to now that he's four months? Well, he's found his hands and will reach for toys around and in front of him. He also found his toes a few weeks ago and loves to suck on them while I change his bum. He is still a very happy baby and so content it's not even funny. He was super talkative until about two weeks ago when he realized that his hands make great chew toys. Now he hardly takes them out of his mouth while he's awake! I would say it's teething - and it's probably related to that - but Xavier also did the same thing at this age and we kept saying, "He's teething. He's teething." He didn't get a tooth until he was 10 and a half months. So....we'll see. If any teeth show up, I'll let you know!

Cohen is also a little rolling machine. He goes very easily from back to tummy, but he has yet to figure out how to get himself from his tummy back onto his back. Eventually it will come. Neither of the other two were rolling regularly at this age, so he's ahead of where they were! He loves to face out when you're holding him and see what's going on around him. He is a VERY observant little boy and tracks anything and everything that's moving around him. He loves to watch his brother and sister and really likes it when they take turns holding him. I can't say it enough - he is SUCH a great baby!

Benadryl The Wonder Drug

Let me preface this post by saying that I really, really, really HATE having allergies. They are a pain in my sinuses - literally! And I have prayed and prayed that none of our kids would get them. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case.

It's Thursday evening and I'm in the kitchen about to start making supper. I'm in a bit of a rush since we were meeting our realtor at 6:30 to look at yet more houses. While I'm busy working, Jared took the kids outside to play while he did a bit of cleaning up in the yard. I can see them playing on the swingset out the kitchen window and Xavier is standing at the top of the slide when he starts SCREAMING at the top of his lungs. Jared runs over to him and I can see him swatting at something before he rounds up both kids and brings them inside. I realize that Xavier has been stung, but by what, we aren't sure.

Once inside, Jared points out the sting - right above my poor little man's lip! I inspect the sting to make sure there is no stinger left in his face and thankfully, no sign of one. So, I got out an ice cube and wrapped it in a clean cloth and explained to Xavier that we'd have to hold the ice on his face to make sure it didn't swell. We was such a trooper and you could tell the ice felt good because he had no problem at all leaving it there. Jared switched spots with me so that he could keep icing Xavier's lip while I finshed making supper. Not even ten minutes later and we could tell we were losing a battle with the swelling. Not only was Xavier's lip getting fat, but inside his mouth was swelling and his cheek was getting puffy.

I had visions of having to rush to the emergency room when I had a brainwave - what do I do when my allergies break out??? Take Benadryl! I've tried a few other brands of allergy medications and NONE of them work like Bendryl do. The only downside is that it can make you sleepy - but so does the shot they give you at the hospital when you have to go, so I figure it's good stuff it it works the same. Anyway...to make a long story not quite so long, Jared walked with Xavier to Safeway to pick up some children's Benadryl and ask the pharmacist if/when we should go to the hospital. If after 24 hours the swelling was still there, we were to take him in. Thankfully, a dose before supper, a few more minutes of ice and another dose before bed and Xavier was fine by morning. It was such a huge relief to know that the Benadryl worked! I will, however, be mentioning this reaction to our pediatrician at Xavier's 4 year check up in a couple weeks and we'll see what he says about it. It may mean another visit to the allergist is in order.

As for what stung Xavier? It turned out to be a bee. They had started building a nest inside the pole of our swingset! So, needless to say, we kept the kids inside all day yesterday and this afternoon Jared went to Walmart and bought some Raid. Worked like a charm! :) Sorry bees - you might make great tasting honey, but your hive and my child's play structure are not compatible!

Now That's What I Call "Sucking Face"!!!!

3 Month Update

My beautiful baby boy is now 3 months old! Well, today he's almost 3 and a half. I feel like I say this a lot - but man does time fly! 

So, what is the little man up to these days? Well, he is still a very happy little baby. The easiest one we've had by far, although the other two were great babies as well. He always has big smiles for me when I go get him in the mornings and will frequently give them to all of us throughout the day. He's not shy either! He'll pretty much smile at anyone who pays attention to him. He loves it when Shaela sings to him - which is a favorite past time of hers and so incredibly adorable to watch! 

He won't be weighed and measured again until his 4 month check up in August, but if I had to guess, I'd say he's around 14 pounds and 25 or so inches long. We just switched him over to size 6 month clothes and he's still in the size small covers for his cloth diapers, although we've had to adjust which snaps we do them up on. He's holding his head up like a PRO! And he loves to sit up and face the world to see what's going on around him. He's very observant and tracks us with his eyes when we move. And....my favorite thing - he's found his thumb! Shaela was about this age when she started sucking hers as well and I always thought it was so cute! I just hope he decides to give it up on his own like she did! 

He's got his momma's dark eyes, although they aren't really brown yet - more of a green colour still. His hair is so short still that it's hard to tell what colour it will end up. It's darker than Xavier or Shaela's was at this age so I have a feeling it will be brown, but time will tell.

All in all, I have no complaints. Cohen has made life with three kids such a blessing! He really is a wonderful little baby and we are so happy to have him as part of our family! 

Weight Loss Update

After running for a few weeks and not seeing much difference on the scale, I decided to start counting calories to see where I could improve my eating. I pretty much knew before I started that it's the snacks that kill me - I LOVE to bake. And I LOVE to eat it afterwards! But, cookies aren't exactly healthful snack food. Especially when you eat ten a day. 

Now, I've always vowed that I would never go on any sort of 'diet' since I want my weight loss to be something that I can maintain long term. And I've always been intimidated about counting calories, since I make a lot of things from scratch and just felt like it was too much work. However, after doing it for a few days, I have found that I have a lot more freedom - and a LOT less guilt! - by figuring out how many calories are in my meals and my snacks. Now, instead of bingeing on junk and just saying "oh well", I pay attention to how many calories I've had in my meals and if I have a couple hundred left at the end of the day, I can eat a cookie or two without feeling guilty, since I know I'm not over my limit for the day. It's been a great way to hold myself accountable - and the first week I started I lost 3.2 lbs!!! Talk about motivation to keep going! 

My second week didn't go quite as well and it's because we went camping and I wasn't as strict with the snacks. Who can resist smores when you're camping? It's a staple of the outdoors! I weighed in before we left and I was down another 2 lbs, but after coming back from camping, I had gained one back. Which brings my two week weight loss total to 4.2 lbs. My goal is 2 lbs a week, so I'm doing good so far. And I'm proud of the fact that I've been sticking with it!

Getting Fit and Having Fun!

I am overweight. I have been for quite a while. And I'm not proud of it. Or happy about it. In fact, it depresses me, which makes me want to eat chocolate. Which in turn keeps me fat. BUT - I am finally doing something about it! 

I vowed after Xavier to get back into shape and it didn't happen. I vowed the same thing after Shaela, and finally started exercising about a month before I got pregnant with Cohen. Which didn't help me out much. But I am bound and determined that I won't have to say this after the next baby (at least as far as losing 'extra' weight - I'll still have to work off the baby weight).

So, what am I doing you ask? Well, last summer Jared and I bought a treadmill (hence, the starting to work out before getting pregnant). I went on it sporadically while pregnant, but now that I can actually run again, that has been my go-to exercise. I really enjoy it and it's fun for me to see how long I can push myself for. Just one more minute. And then when that minute is up, can I go one more? It's great. However, I was finding that going on for a set amount of time each day wasn't necessarily the motivation that I needed. Then, about two and a half weeks ago, I decided to set a distance goal for myself during my time on there. I decided to start running a 5K every day (which is 3.1 miles). And to do it within 40 minutes. I was a bit surprised at first to see that I could actually do it and not feel like I was going to die by the end of it.

Then, what do you know? At the end of my first week there was an announcement in the church bulletin about a 5K Run for Aids on October 2nd. So I decided to register. I know if I have an event to actually train for, it will give me extra motivation to keep up my running! My goal is to be able to run the whole distance (right now I take about two walking breaks for a couple minutes in between). And I want to do it in under half an hour. With 12 weeks left to train, I think I'll be able to do it. The only problem is that I injured my left knee in high school, so I can't run every day or it bothers me. Not a huge obstacle - it just means that instead of running 5K every single day, I do a workout video and a one mile run on my off-running days. So far, that seems to be working. 

I'm really curious to see how much weight and how many inches I lose in the process of all of this. Even if I don't have a huge amount of weight loss, if I am losing inches and feeling better about my body, I'll be happy. Being healthier in general is always a good goal to work towards!