I’ve been thinking about this day for awhile now…the three girls taking a bath together….it was awesome!!
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Our New HOME
We officially moved! We are loving our new home!
It’s been two weeks and we are getting settled in and coming up with our new routines. The adjustment for the girls has been pretty seamless. They love their new home. We only had one moment where Emerson told us she liked Papa’s house and not this house…her reasoning was that there was no park in the neighborhood. We have gone on a few walks on the weekend and a few evening strolls and have had a chance to meet some neighbors. The neighborhood is very friendly. Harper even got to ride in the wagon for the first time and she LOVED every minute of it. 
Harper is growing up so quickly and fairly soon she is going to be running around just as much as Avery and Emerson.
My Easter Bunnies
Easter morning the girls opened up their Easter baskets. Here is my littlest bunny.
Followed by a morning excursion to Meadowlark Gardens.
Followed by an Easter Egg Hunt at our new home! Happy Easter from our family to yours!
Spring Has Sprung!
Finally a weekend of GLORIOUS weather!!! As much as there is still to do in the new house, Justin and I decided we needed to spend some good quality family time together with the girls doing something outdoors. So Saturday we went to Clemojonytri Park in Great Falls. It felt so good to finally be outside! Avery and Emerson loved the swings!
And the slides…While Mommy normally likes the slides too there was definitely a lot of static electricity to go along with each ride.
Harper even had her first time going down the slide in tandem with Mommy.
Harper even got to try her first experience on swings to celebrate her 8 month birthday!
And there is always time for lunch after working up an appetite! 
Also ALWAYS time for snuggles and kisses.
Sunday we took the girls up to Glyndon Park. Again the girls loved the swings.
Harper got her second taste of the swing experience. She LOVED it!
And she also sat on a slide for the first time.
Followed by snuggles from Daddy.
We then went to our new house later in the afternoon to enjoy the beautiful cherry tree and flowers.
We even had a little picnic in our backyard!
Spring has sprung and we all had a little pep in our step!
Each Little Lady
Harper! Harper! Harper! Harper is seriously the sweetest baby ever…one look at her and she has the biggest smile and makes the sweetest sound. She loves to be a part of things. I feel like she is already going to do things sooner than her sisters at the same age, just because she wants to do everything they are doing. Harper is really playing with toys now. She even crawls to get the toys or things she wants now. She is still mostly army crawling as one arm often gets stuck underneath her body as she moves, but she is still getting around! Now that she is sitting up and playing with toys, I feel like she is even playing together with the girls some too. The other day I sat her on the floor in Avery and Emerson’s room while I got them ready for a nap; Harper crawled right over to the book shelf and took out all the books. The other day Harper even pulled herself up using the help of the toy basket. She did it a few times in a row and was SO proud of herself. Mommy and Daddy were pretty proud of her too.
In other news, Emerson does not have to wear her special shoes anymore! She was such an awesome patient! When we took her back to the doctor in mid-February the doctor could not believe the drastic change in such a short amount of time. Although I was expecting the doctor to be impressed with Emerson’s results, I was not expecting her to say that she was done wearing them! I reminded her that Emerson had only been wearing her special shoes since September (when we first started the process I was told to expect a year minimum). So she said 6 more weeks and then she wanted to see her back in 8 weeks.
The first night we put on Emerson’s special shoes, our hearts broke. We talked them up and she was actually pretty excited about them. But once that bar went on that connected the shoes, she realized just how restricted she was and her cry and pouty lip was almost enough to make me cry. But after only a few days she really began to believe that her shoes were indeed special and she welcomed them as part of not only her bedtime routine but also her naptime routine. In fact, there were a few times where Justin and I tried to get her to nap without them in order to expedite the naptime process and Emerson refused to go down without her special shoes. They became a part of her and in time they weren’t so restricting. She learned to crawl on her knees with them. She could stand in them and Avery often would taunt Emerson and tell her to walk in her special shoes; a challenge in which Emerson would always try and then all four of us would laugh. Some nights Avery would even take Emerson’s special shoes and try to put them on as she wanted special shoes too. So this past Saturday night when Emerson no longer had to wear her special shoes, we knew that we needed to let her know this in a way that she wouldn’t become upset. We let her know how awesome she did wearing her special shoes; we were high fiving, clapping, and even Avery was offering congratulatory words. Low and behold…Emerson thought she was something special and while she did ask a few times why she didn’t have to wear her special shoes anymore, once we provided her an explanation (again with many high fives) her face lit up and exuberated pride knowing she did worked really hard to achieve a goal and had reached the desired outcome.
As for Avery, Avery continues to be our little fashionista and comedian all rolled into one. She likes to pick out her own clothes…a task that sometimes leads to her matching, sometimes to an outfit that I likely wouldn’t want to take her out in public in (but mightJ), and sometimes an outfit that doesn’t quite go together but is super adorable none the less. She also continues to tell jokes and loves to make people laugh. She has a habit of telling some of the same jokes repeatedly (like the fact that Emerson told Dr. Harrison that she doesn’t like Chinese food anymore…Chinese food is bad)…an ongoing joke for 6 weeks now that is still pretty funny most the time although it is starting to lose some of it’s luster and when the laughs aren’t as hearty as they were in the past, Avery demands laughter.
In other news with Avery, she is currently going through the evaluation process as she ages out of Early Intervention at age 3 and FCPS takes over and creates an Individual Educational Plan (IEP). At first I was a little nervous about the process since Avery is doing so well and I felt that although she absolutely should qualify to make sure she has the tools necessary to do well in a classroom setting. However, more recently I have started to feel a little better about the process as her main evaluation will be with the vision teacher Jenn, who used to be a part of Avery’s early intervention, and Lorna her weekly therapist will be in attendance.
And finally in household news…we closed on March 17. We are doing some work on the house before we move in…nothing major….but enough that we are still about 3 weeks away from moving in. We are anxious but know that we will be in our new place soon enough!!
Overdue Randomness
This blog is way overdue. Since I started my blog in September 2012, this entry will be the longest lapse in time since the prior entry. We have just had so much going on. I know we are always going to be busy and while the things that occupy our time will change, the fact is that life with three kids will probably never change the fact that we are a busy family. We closed on our house on St. Paddy’s Day March 17! While we aren’t making significant changes to the house we are making some, and the truth is even the littlest things such as cleaning windows and replacing electrical outlets take time. The biggest changes (cost wise) that Justin and I may be doing to the house are related to giving the kitchen a facelift, painting much of the house, and redoing some of the upstairs carpeting. We think it makes most sense to make some of these changes before we move in so most my spare moments during the day and my evenings after the girls have gone to bed have been spent browsing the internet for ideas instead of blogging or doing squats or sit-ups or anything else for that matter. We want to get a lot done before we move in; yet at the same time, I am realistic that there is going to be a lot to do with regards to getting furniture and decorating even after we move in so at some point I need to stop spending every spare minute focused on the house.
SO….the girls are still as crazy and awesome as ever and we have had a lot going on this past month:
– Potty Training – is going quite well. Occasionally the girls have an accident at home in their panties but we have yet to have an accident outside the home. At the same time we do still wear pull ups outside the house some so I don’t know that it is fair to say that they haven’t had an accident outside the home…but I can say that in general their pull ups are fairly dry. In terms of “number two” the girls are infatuated with pooping. Avery’s time to poop is at night. She HAS to go poo poo EVERY night after we are in pajamas and the bedtime routine is complete. We sometimes think it is a tactic to delay bedtime but 9 times out of 10 she goes. At first Emerson was content to wait in her chair with her special shoes for Avery to return, but more recently, Emerson now claims she has to go poo poo as well. Occasionally she does; however, most the time I think she just wants to go to the bathroom because Avery is. Avery usually uses the big potty while Emerson sits beside her on the little potty. One evening they both had sour stomachs (poor things) and it was like a marching band was playing in the bathroom…lol! They are also now into looking at their poop. One evening they made “corn poop” and the next night it was their goal to make not only “corn poop” but also “pasta poop”. Sometimes the girls ask for their privacy on the potty while other times they like to use the time to talk. One evening I was in the bathroom while Avery was using the potty and she pointed to the middle of my forehead and told me I had a hole there. I told her my hole was from scratching when I had the chicken pox and from that night on Avery thinks it is funny to tell others of the hole I have in my head from chicken fingers and then she waits for others to laugh. If others don’t laugh, she’ll tell them to laugh. She also knows that she won’t get chicken pox because she had a shot from the doctor (a.k.a. a vaccination). They don’t quite realize that pooping isn’t something that one should freely talk about outside the home…guess we will need to work on that but for now, it is a great accomplishment that makes for a lot of conversation in our household.
– We have also spent a lot of time this past month telling stories about “Snusan”. Snusan (a.k.a. Susan) is little girl the very same age as Avery and Emerson. In fact, Snusan is Avery and Emerson and it started one day when I was telling them about Susan going to the park with her friend Jackson and slowly but surely Mommy became a writer for the Snusan series and the girls regularly request that Mommy and Daddy tell them about Snusan.
– In other events the girls attended their first wedding! My little cousin Ryan(not so little anymore….just turned 27) married Christine March 15. My Grandma Adele and sister came for the wedding so my parent’s house was definitely a full house for about 5 days! The wedding was fun and the girls especially Emerson had a great time dancing on the dance floor. Avery had fun dancing too but she wanted to dance by being held so she was my dance partner for much of the night. The girls had a great time with Great Grandma Adele and Auntie Lauren. Emerson especially LOVED hanging out with Auntie Lauren. Seriously she would get up in the morning and the second she was picked up out of her crib she would dart downstairs on a mission to find Auntie Lauren! It was really special to see how much the girls adore her and hopefully they will continue to always be so close to her even with the physical distance.
– The girls have had a few birthday parties this past month as well. One weekend we went out to Round Hill, VA for Garrett McMillan’s first birthday party. That same weekend we also went to Adrien Nowak’s third birthday party that was at a fun indoor play place. Another weekend we attended Dylan Roger’s third birthday party. Each time we attend a party, I find myself grinning at how the girls are really starting to interact socially with other children.
– Harper!! Our baby isn’t a baby anymore! She is already almost 7 ½ months old and she started sitting up about a month ago. Honestly it was like one day she could sit up and she did it well. I remember with the girls we would surround them by pillows incase they fell backwards and I don’t think I put a pillow our for Harper more than once. So either she really did learn how to sit almost immediately or she is truly has third child syndrome and I don’t want to admit it. Just over a week ago she started army crawling and boy is she getting around. She now plays with toys sitting up and crawls from one side of the room to the other to get a toy. It seriously seems like Avery and Emerson were just doing this….CRAZY! Harper’s night time sleeping has improved some this past month but she still isn’t sleeping through the night. On average she is still getting up once; however, she is going to bed much earlier now (around 9:00…I know still considered late for many but for us right after the girls go to bed) but I won’t nurse her now if she wakes up before 5:00 a.m. (although I usually make an exception if she wakes up at 4:45). Harper is now sitting in a high chair too during meal time! Harper has become clingy some lately so we may need to address that if it continues. I know I am biased but she is seriously still the sweetest most loveable baby!
And yes while our life is busy right now, here are a few things I never want to forget:
– Avery likes to randomly tell family members that she loves them
– Avery likes to tell jokes and loves to make people laugh
– Emerson is a great helper around the house and she is one of Harper’s biggest cheerleader
– Emerson feelings get hurt when she does something wrong or gets embarrassed and she freely tells mommy and daddy that her feelings are hurt
– Both girls LOVE to snuggle and cuddle with mommy and daddy
– Both girls are very excited about the upcoming move and love to talk about the new house every night before bed
Six Months Already
Our precious little baby girl turned 6 months last week. Honestly, she isn’t so little anymore. I haven’t weighed her in some time, but if I had to guess I would say she is already pushing 16 or 17 pounds. We go for her 6 month check-up this week so we’ll find out for certain soon enough.
This 6 month point has definitely marked some change. Not only is Harper eating solids, but she is also learning that solids can be constipating! She is also learning that while her sisters are eating dinner, she may be missing out on some quality family time. Our once so easy baby, while still easy, just wants to be a part of things…Justin and I find ourselves holding Harper now at the dinner table…she isn’t shy about reaching for our plates or food.
Now when Harper is placed on the ground, WE have learned to expect that we must keep a close eye on her or she will roll from one side of the room to the other. She is still always happy, smiling, and her happy grin has started to let out even more giggles. Her core is becoming stronger and she has recently started sitting up…and she sure is proud of herself.
We had a 6 month photo session yesterday and our precious little baby had a great time being Daddy’s subject.
Seriously….6 months…where has the time gone baby girl! Looks like WE ARE ALL loving every minute of it!
A & E’s First Haircut
We went to Cartoon Cuts in Fairoaks Mall. Grandma, Grandpa, and Harper even came along for the experience. Emerson was scared and cried some but was finally okay once she sat in Daddy’s lap. The woman cut off more than I was expecting, but at least it is all even now (or mostly…I seriously think I could do a better job in the future just as long as Emerson cooperates). Avery watched while Emerson had a haircut and kept asking when it was going to be her turn. She sat quietly in Daddy’s lap while the woman cut off the tiniest bit. Both girls recieved a lollipop and their First Haircut Certificate when they were done.
BEFORE….
DURING…
AFTER…
On the way home, we made a special detour to our NEW HOUSE! Yes, Justin and I bought a new house in Vienna over the weekend and we hadn’t yet told the girls. So we surprised everyone and drove by our new house and then went to lunch to celebrate the purchase of our new home and the girls first haircut! More to come on our new home in later blogs!
Harper Starts Solids!
Towards the end of December, Harper began waking at night all of a sudden. At first it was about once a night and then it turned into two and sometimes even three times a night. For the first week, I kept thinking maybe this was a short phase she was going through. But this pattern continued and each time Harper woke, I would nurse her and she would go right back down so I figured it was Harper’s way of saying, she was hungry and breast milk alone was no longer keeping her little tummy full. At the same time our new nanny had just started and we were getting ready to potty train the girls, so I was really trying to hold Harper out just a little longer so we weren’t introducing too much change at once into our household. After several weeks of waking up to feed Harper two or three times, I was becoming very tired and decided it was time to start solids. We started with rice cereal.
I think her first feeding went relatively well. I remember the girls first time eating and Justin being so distraught because they cried and pushed their food away and I remember him thinking they would never learn to eat. Harper was quite the opposite…she enjoyed her rice cereal and took every opportunity to suck her thumb between bites because her hands were so messy with rice cereal that even her fingers tasted good.
We then tried banana, which is so far one of her favorites.
We have also tried peas….
…probably not one of her favorites to date (but we have only tried it once or twice)…
We have tried Sweet potato, which she enjoys.
And we have also tried green beans and prunes.
In the last week and a half Harper had a little cold and became constipated, so we scaled back her food some and have been holding out on introducing more foods. We’re just now getting back on track with a goal of eating twice a day for now. As we have introduced foods, there has definitely been a noticeable change in the amount of milk she has been drinking…at least with her bottles she often leaves a lot leftover. Let’s hope Harper’s tummy feels good this week so we can introduce one or two more foods…maybe even some pear!
Let’s Get This Potty Started
We finally bit the bullet and spent the entire weekend potty training. We used Gary Ezzo’s method in Potty Training 1-2-3. I bought the book while still pregnant with Harper and for months it has been staring me in the face. I originally decided on his method as he was the author of Baby Wise, which was the foundation for the method of breastfeeding that I utilized with the girls. Finally with a weekend of not having any commitments and a forecast of rain, we decided IT WAS TIME!
We started with a trip to Giant Friday night to prepare. That involved two little girls who for the first time were customers in training.
They filled their carts with juice, M&M’s, chips, and lifesaver gummies.
They had a great time navigating through the aisles and being little shoppers. Before bed we talked to them about the big day ahead. When the girls woke up in the morning they were ready to get this potty started! Avery and Emerson each got a cup with juice for their baby. After their babies had a drink, they asked their babies (a.k.a. Maya and Sophia) if they were “dry and clean.” Maya and Sophia each received an M&M for staying “dry and clean”. After a few minutes Avery and Emerson sat Maya and Sophia on the potty and they each made a little bit of pee pee (a syringe with diluted apple juice worked perfectly….great thinking daddy). After lots of cheering, Avery and Emerson helped pour the pee pee in the big potty to flush. Once hands were clean, Maya and Sophia each received two more M&M’s. In time the novelty of Maya and Sophia wore off, but the idea of panties and candy remained exciting.
The focus of the weekend was staying “dry and clean”. We had many accidents especially at first but we also had many successes. We were constantly cleaning up pee, changing panties, and doing load after load of laundry. We even ran out of panties at one point and Emerson had to use a pair of bloomers.
Staying “dry and clean” was the task at hand and even brushing teeth and brushing hair was put on hold for a day. It seemed like not a minute went by where we weren’t on our hands and knees cleaning pee off the floor and quickly carrying a girl to the potty to make it in time. And while it was exhausting for all of us, seeing the excitement on the girl’s faces when they went pee pee and even poo poo in the potty was awesome. The joy in their innocent faces each time they successfully used the potty makes even the most mundane activity joyful. While I don’t wish their life away, I look forward to being their cheerleader for each and every event in their lives, no matter how big or small. It brings me so much joy to be their mommy and constant supporter.
And where was Harper during all this you wonder? Well, with the exception of grandma giving Harper her first bottle Saturday morning upstairs away from the commotion, she pretty much hung out right next to us all day in her new little chair that grandma bought for her and her pack n play.
It amazes me how my little baby is so low maintenance and content. As long as she is fed every so often she is happy and smiling. She likes to sit back, watch and enjoy all the crazy commotion of her family. She doesn’t even mind when her sisters hug her (a.k.a. tug and pull her).
Harper even had her 5 month birthday on Sunday and the girls sang Happy Birthday to her a number of times while happily hanging out in their panties.
There has been a noticeable difference in Harper’s growth this month. From 3-4 months, there didn’t seem to be that much difference, but I swear in the last two weeks, she has just gotten so much bigger! Being a 9 pound baby at birth, I guess she has always been big but she has never seemed chunky to me….but the past two weeks she has developed rolls…her knees even make faces according to Granddaddy!
Harper – 5 Month Snapshot
- Losing hair by the minute! Her hair is coming in lighter…much like the girls now. She reminds me of an old balding man, but MUCH MUCH cuter!
- 50% of nights sleeps through the night (9/10 hours), 50% of the nights wakes at 5:00/6:00 am and nurses for 10 minutes before falling back asleep for 3 or 4 more hours.
- Still napping sporadically throughout the day
- Nursing/ 7 oz. bottle every 3 – 4 hours, 4 – 5 times daily
- Still wearing size 2 diapers, but almost ready to graduate to size 3.
- Thumbsucker…especially the left thumb… paci’s are a thing of the past.
- LOVES watching her very active sisters and easily gets distracted by them especially now that they LOVE to get in her face and play with her.
- Has really started talking…she sounds like a t-rex .
- LOVES smiling and is still the calmest, happiest, most perfect baby!
Harper’s 5 month birthday came and went as did our potty training weekend….It has been a few days since the weekend and realistically we couldn’t continue with the same intense routine while our nannies were here as it is too difficult for one person to handle two toddlers in panties and an infant all at the same time. The girls have been wearing pull ups and while I can’t yet say the girls are potty trained, I can say we had a successful weekend and made significant progress in that area. Emerson is able to control pee pee and poo poo now and does both those in the potty now more so than her pull up. Avery on the other hand is still a little scared of the potty and treats her pull up more like a diaper. While she has had a few pee pees in the potty, she still isn’t comfortable with letting go of the idea of the diaper just yet. We’ll get there….This potty is only just getting started.
