Genius I Tell You...

So....remember the post about Annie being a little "sensitive" to things? Being unwrapped, having her diaper changed, generally anything that messes up her routine she rewards with a large fuss fest...

Fast forward to Saturday...she had fussed all day and all night and all day again. I didn't set the child down for at least 36 hours seriously. I went to the bathroom with my infant daughter perched crying on my lap (wait is that too much information?) She was so unhappy and very little I did soothed her. We took a trip to Kroger to restock the Mylicon drops, etc and I spied the book The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. I recalled somewhere in my sleep deprived mind that a couple of people had recommended the book to me at one time so I picked it up thinking I'd read it while I rocked the unhappy Ann Elizabeth.

SERIOUSLY... why didn't I have this book 7 years ago?!? He basically gives you the formula for calming your unhappy newborn and it has yet to fail me in the past 3 days.

There is specific instructions for swaddling, motion, etc and some really down to Earth advice of feeding schedules, etc. It is great.

This is not exaggerated....Annie was in mid fit the first time I tried Dr. Karp's swaddle method. Before I could even get her picked up her eye lids were nearly closed and she was GRINNING at me and had happily spit out the paci. She then proceeded to take a three hour nap in her crib while I made supper. What???

So please if you learn nothing from the blog...if you are expecting a baby, have a baby younger than 4 months old or know someone who fits this description GO BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT IMMEDIATELY. You can thank me later...I like chocolate and purses and cash....

Noah Thomas

Since I did my little Annie update for the last post I realized that I hadn't posted anything about my eldest offspring in a while...

Anyone who knows Noah knows that he is a one of a kind kid....

Noah....

-Loves frogs, bugs, creepy crawlies of all varieties

-loves to dig in the dirt or build stuff outside

-Loves iCarly, Big Time Rush, and Spongebob

-Loves his Nana more than life itself (has asked to live with her and me and Daddy just come visit on occasion...)

-has very severe peanut/tree nut allergies

-has a severe egg allergy that has IMPROVED over the past year (YEAH!!!)

-likes UK...shares his Daddy's disdain for UofL

-has a quick temper but is a sweet heart too

-is so smart he is going to pass me up at around 2nd grade

-has the sweetest brown eyes and freckles

-has never lost a tooth but has recently sprouted two permanent teeth BEHIND his baby teeth

-loves FAKE TATTOOS with a passion

-thinks that the Dollar Store and Walmart are awesome

-loves spaghetti

-collects random things (watches, etc and stows them in his desk just like his Papa Tommy...)

-stole my heart six years ago when he made me his Mommy!

-has a great group of buddies that I hope he loves as much 20 years from now than he does now!

One Month

My Sweet Annie is one month old today. It has truly flown by. What is our little angel up to?

At one month Annie....

-nurses very well every 3 to 4 hours

-is difficult to burp (we are using some mylicon occasionally)

-wears a size newborn swaddler diaper

-wears newborn sized clothing

-still can't wear socks on her long skinny feet without losing them

-likes her paci

-likes to suck her thumb when she finds it

-loves to be swaddled but is starting to tolerate being unwrapped

-is starting to smile at people

-loves to look at light fixtures/ceiling fans

-is a really big fan of her mommy and daddy

-likes big brother and sister most of the time

-likes baths until you wash her hair

-despises to be wet or dirty

-loves to be cuddled

-sleeps for 3 to 4 hour stretches at night

-has awake alert periods at around 6 am and 3 pm

-has stolen the hearts of her mom and dad completely

-did well with her first photo session

-has had a couple of trips to Nana and Papa's

-is gearing up to hopefully go to church for the first time in a couple weeks

Just Me

What I Am NOT...

patient

organized

athletic

quiet

laid back

skinny

blond

tall

tan

a college graduate

perfect

a sister

What I AM...

loud

messy

brunette

funny

impatient

wife

mother of 3

daughter

friend

only child

spoiled

thankful


Most of you know me well...feel free to add to the list

Battle Scars

Isn't there a saying about the experience of a good soldier doesn't come in training but "in the trenches"? I really think this is the case with a good mother too.

I'll save you the details but lets just say I had some in the trenches training this morning that involved an almost potty trained two year old, a leaky pull up, explosive diarrhea, two legs, back, feet, a couch, rug, and some sponge bob pajamas...need I say more?

However, I'm chalking this up to a good morning...why you ask? When I was a first time mommy I would have totally come unhinged with the task at hand...this morning as a mommy of three? I just sighed ran a bubble bath for the offender and got out the Lysol....

Have a great morning friends!

Busy Days

I had forgotten how busy you stay with a newborn and seemingly accomplish very little. I think it has been a successful day when all three of us girls at home are changed out of our pajamas, have gotten baths or showers and have our bellies full....

I do try to do a couple of loads of laundry a day, and I make it to the phone when it rings at least 60% of the time (that's good right?) My sweet husband puts laundry away when he gets home and getting supper on the table right now is a tag team effort which consists of a lot of convenience foods (hello tater tots which Lilly lovingly refers to as polka dots...)

Dishes get done at least by 10 pm.

So that's good enough for me, the rest of my time my hands, and lap (and heart) is full of my three precious kids and that's plenty to say that it's been a good day!

What's Your Opinion?

I know that both girls looks alike (or they did when Lil was a newborn). But even I am amazed at the similarities in their newborn photos. Lilly's eyes are a little different but their hair, noses, and lips look identical to me. Compare the photos above (the top is Lilly Grace the bottom is Ann Elizabeth). I have had a few people say that Annie looks just like Noah but to me the similarities are more towards Lilly.

On a funny note, Noah keeps saying he hopes Annie's hair is straight. When I ask him why he says, "You know not crazy like Lilly's" and does his hands in a crazy all around gesture, which I must say, sums up his sisters hair in a nutshell.

Lil was very sweet this week towards her big brother. While we were eating lunch the other day out of the blue she said, "I miss bubby, bubby is my best fwiend." And then when Nana got home with him today she told her, "Thank you for bringing my bubby back!" It was too sweet. Or course they were fighting like cats and dogs about five seconds flat after that, but I take the sweet moments while they last!

Swaddling

Swaddling...hmm an age old idea I suppose (considering the reference to Jesus being wrapped in swaddling clothes and being laid in a manger). The swaddling I'm referring to, however, is the way that the hospitals and pediatricians recommend that a newborn be wrapped snugly and securely in a blanket so that they feel safe and comforted.

I listened somewhat to the swaddling argument when Noah was an infant. However, I never could successfully recreate the "swaddle" tight enough to suffice. Noah was always able to kick and squirm out of his blanket and I being a first time Mom refused to even put him in the crib with a light receiving blanket for fear of him suffocating from it. So I gave up the swaddling (and the putting him in his crib for that matter). The child never slept through the night until he hit 18 months old. He awoke several times a night and slept in the recliner with me or Travis, in our bed, in his bouncy, carseat, etc. We were just desperate for sleep, we slept anywhere we could!

Then Miss Lil came along and being the calm baby that she was, she never needed swaddling. She was content to be fed and would sleep anywhere and everywhere for long stretched at a time, with a blanket, or without, she really didn't care. She started sleeping through the night very early on and did very well transitioning to her crib, except for short bouts of wakefulness during teething or ear infections.

Now Miss Annie has made her arrival and we are becoming swaddling experts. Annie seems a little more sensitive to her surroundings than her siblings. She definitely loves to be swaddled (and after watching several times in the hospital I think we've mastered the wrap). She loves it so much that she totally rebels to anyone who holds her and has the audacity to unwrap her to look at her. She will reward you with a fuss rather quickly! Yep, she loves to be swaddled tightly, with her tiny little pacifier, and if she gets her way she would prefer to be held on Mommy's shoulder (but she is becoming accustomed to Daddy too)

There has been quite a few times that she has been very fussy and crying, and we have made sure her diaper is dry and then we take our trusty receiving blanket and swaddle her tightly and get her paci, and she quiets down and is out like a light in just a few minutes.

So I am now a firm believer in this swaddling method. I suppose the theory that it mimics the comfort they felt in the womb, is correct because it sure seems to do the trick for Annie. That along with her bear that has a heartbeat sound and we have a good 3 or 4 hour stretch of sound sleep at a time, that is until it's time to eat again!

Ann Elizabeth

Takes our breath away...

Back to Reality?

In case my last two posts have you thinking my life is all peaches and cream, I forgot to tell you about some of our luck...as in you know the Saturday that tiny Miss Priss was born (yep the same day that her Daddy had the stomach virus and had to miss out on her first day of life...yep that same day) that very day the hot water heater at the salon decided to malfunction and flood the back room. Awesome, that only set us back $350... It was fun...

Today has brought some more fun...while I was feeding the baby in the living room, Lilly (in five seconds flat) uses her frog potty to climb up to the kitchen counter and get the pitcher of tea, the coffee pot (it wasn't hot) and a mug and proceeds to spill sweet tea all over the floor...on the bright side, I did find out I was ambidextrous enough to hold a newborn baby in one arm and mop the kitchen floor with the other arm, all while keeping a two year old in time out!

In the midst of the chaos my beloved washing machine (really I mean beloved I really do like my washing machine) started making a noise that sounded like rapid machine gun fire. I investigated and decided something had come loose in it or my son had stuffed some random trinket so far in his blue jeans pocket that it had come loose during the spin cycle and lodged itself in the innards of my washer. (Did I just use the word innards on my blog?)

So in case any of you were getting tired of my blissful state of falling in love with my newborn daughter, I just thought I'd record for history some of the not so pleasant moments of my week, which in the grand scheme of things are really not that bad at all...

Our New Normal

Wow the past week has brought lots of changes to the Parsley house. A week ago today we brought sweet Annie home from the hospital. We've all been getting adjusted to having a newborn in the house again. Thankfully, Travis was able to take off all last week so I could get some rest and recuperate and we could all try to get in a routine of sorts.

I am so happy to report that the big kids are doing great in their new roles. They have been better than I expected and the biggest problem is they want to love on Annie so much I have to remind them that we can't hold her and kiss her all the time...although I have to admit Travis and I kind of do the same thing! It's funny that you forget how in love you fall with this tiny thing. And that's what we've spent the last week doing. Holding our tiniest baby and loving on her and wondering why they can't stay this size just a little while longer.

I have also had a welcome break from cooking this week. My dear friends and family have brought us over dinner every night last week and it has been wonderful! They were all so thoughtful and brought things the kids could eat (which is sometimes no small feat due to their multiple allergies!) I can't even begin to express how much we appreciated all the meals. They were delicious!!!!

Last Thursday I had to take Miss Annie back to the pediatrician for a quick weight recheck. She had lost some weight in the hospital and got down to 6 lbs 11 Oz's (normal for a breastfed baby) but by Thursday she had gained 4 ounces in 3 days (which we were happy with). She has taken to nursing very well and her sleeping routine is getting better every night. Last night she slept for two long 4 hour stretches and woke once in between to eat.

Last but not least, today was Noah's first day of first grade! He came home and informed me that he liked it alot and liked his new teacher, Miss Monica. He looked like such a big boy heading out this morning!

I realize that's a whole lot of details you all may not be interested in but I mainly do this blog to scrapbook my family stuff and I print it out so I hate to not record the details I know I'll forget!

I do have one funny Lilly story... Yesterday she had a poopy diaper and Noah informed her that she smelled awful, to which she replied, "I not smell awful...I smell like a cookie..." the girl has her pride you know...