More Smiles...

We are getting more and more smiles from our little sweetie, and she occasionally tries to "talk" to us. I got to sleep all night last night as daddy was on baby duty, so that was really nice. She is really congested right now, i think she's fighting a little cold. I am too so i probably gave it to her.

I start back at Chilis tonight. It's probably going to seem like a breeze without my big belly! I started back at the doctors office a couple of weeks ago so we are slowly getting back to our normal routine of things. A big HUGE thank you to my wonderful mother-in-law for taking care of cleaning the church for us these past weeks!! We appreciate it SO much!! She has not let me start back yet, until 6 weeks so that has been nice. We will be starting that again real soon.

I Caught One...

A smile from Raegan. This morning while i was making lunches i had her on the couch laying and Trey said "come look at Raegan mommy". He had her propped up covered up with her burp rag (he has learned how important those burp rags are the hard way). She was in a smiley mood and giving her brothers and sisters lots of smiles. It was so sweet!

The only tv show that i can get Ethan to watch is "The Wiggles". We have them on our dvr so each morning this is when i sneak my shower. He wants the whole set up each time. In "room" (mommy's room), "chair" (booster), "pretzels", and "dink" (drink). It keeps him entertained for about 15 minutes.

Not So Hot Day...

The first part of the day was not so bad, lounged around home, the kids played outside, i did various things around the house, then put Ethan down for a nap after lunch- he took a great one...My nightmare started once i decided to leave the house to get out for awhile (oh yes, i forgot to mention that daddy is out of town so i am solo all weekend) I decided to go to a consignment shop to see if i could find a dress for Raegan. When we first walked in the door i thought, oh cool they have this new neat little sitting area with tons of books. The kids started out there while i started looking around, next think i know i hear things flying off the shelves. Ethan had decided to clear off one of the shelves, so i'm quickly putting things back. By this time he has become bored with the reading area and he's running through the store with one of those push popper things, and i'm sure giving all the moms a headache because it was sure giving me one! After a few more chase downs (with i'm sure all the moms saying "she has no control over her child" they are right at that point i had no control, i'm chasing Ethan carrying a carseat) i decide it's time to pay and get the heck out of dodge. Meanwhile i asked Trey to get Ethan and get him over to me, to which Trey completely ignored and Avery took upon herself insuing a game of cat and mouse with a screaming with delight almost two year old running up and down the aisles. I could not yank them out of the store fast enough! A sane mom would have called it quits and gone home after that but this insane mom needed diapers so we headed to Target. I was just going to get a few groceries and diapers and get out of there quickly. Ethan in the front and car seat in the back doesn't leave much room for groceries, so i had to put stuff up by Ethan...not a good idea. He decided to start pitching stuff in the back, and before i could stop him had thrown the sandwich meat container and hit Raegan in the head and scratched her head which of course got her screaming bloody murder. I never could get her calmed down, she screamed the rest of the way through the store and out to the car (it was time to eat too). I think my blood pressure was about to go through the roof by the time we got out of there. Oh yea and i forgot to mention Ethan took his shoes off and threw them out of the cart at least 10 times while we were there. I swear he grew horns tonight and turned into a little... well a 2 yr old i guess :) The kids are in bed now and i think my blood pressure is finally going back down. I got my toenails repainted. They have looked like crud for 3 weeks and it took me that long to find some time to redo them. Pretty pathetic when it's a major accomplishment to get your toenails painted. :) I am feeling a little sleep deprived and a little, well a lot snappy with the kids so when Johnny get's home tomorrow i get a NAP, sleep, uninterupted sleep!! -On a funny note today this morning Trey was sitting on the couch and i looked over and saw he had a thermometer in his mouth, i quickly told him to get it out of his mouth- it was Raegan's rectal thermometer. You should have seen the sick look on his face. He went to the bathroom and washed his mouth with soap and then brushed his teeth. He was quite grossed out. I guess i need to watch where i leave that laying around. :)

New Title

Johnny has a new position at work....install supervisor. He had an interview last Monday, and then his boss told him on Thursday he was making his decision. By some of the things he was saying, Johnny didn't think he was going to get it. He told him he did really well in his interview and that he was up against some stiff competition, so he thought his boss was just trying to let him down easy. He got called in for a meeting on Friday then and was told that he got the position! He had his first supervisors meeting on Friday, they took them out for Mexican food how nice is that! He will be getting a new vehicle to drive as well. He gets to bring his work vehicle home which has been awesome with gas prices! There will be added pressures with this new position, but i think he will handle them just fine.

Jog-A-Thon Time Again

Today was the annual jog-a-thon at school. Avery's class ran at 9:30 this morning. They ran laps for 45 minutes, and got a mark on their back each time around. The two youngest and i headed back home for awhile till time to head back and watch Trey run at 1:30. I decided to keep Ethan up from a nap rather than have to wake him from a shortened nap so he conked (despite my efforts to keep him awake) on the way back to school. He would NOT wake up when we got there so i spread out Raegan's blanket on the field and he took a nap outside. Trey and Avery both did a great job running. I think Avery ran 23 laps and Trey ran 34. I feel like i ran about 150, Ethan was a total crab tonight because of his short nap so i am exausted! Raegan slept all day because she was in her car seat most of the day so i am anticipating her waking up at about midnight raring to go.

Crying Cousins

Brooklyn and Raegan got to spend some time together tonight. Some day these two will be running around playing together, but for now this is how they have decided to get to know each other. They actually didn't do this very long, but i thought i would get a picture while they were to show them someday.

Hi Everyone

I am going to be 4 weeks old on Thursday. My mommy can't hardly believe how time is flying now that i am here. I am doing good, keeping busy eating and sleeping but i take a little time out of my busy schedule to give my mommy a few little smiles and go cross eyed at her. I pretty much live in my swing and sleep half the night there and the other half in mommy's arms or else in my bed on my tummy, yes mommy finally did it and flipped me over, though that first night for some reason she kept peeking in my crib every 20 minutes to make sure i was breathing. I can't keep my binky in my mouth for anything, that silly thing just keeps popping out and then i cry. I overheard my daddy and mommy talking the other night mentioning the words duct tape and binky in the same sentence, but don't you worry i know my mommy would never really do anything like that, i'm sure it was just a passing thought. I better finish this up i have some more napping to do and a bottle or two to take. Wow life is rough these days, just wanted to check in with everyone.

Game Time

Daddy is a big Nebraska football fan. When he went to the Philippines he brought back jerseys for all the boys and me, and cheerleading outfits for Avery and Raegan. They all get excited to get their football gear on, and Trey made sure everyone had a football. Raegan was sleeping and we didn't want to wake her to put her outfit on. Now towards the end of the game the kids are all in bed and the mood in the air is not quite so happy as Nebraska is losing. :)

This And That...

Ethan wants to take a "shower mommy". Trey and Avery shower at night and i told Trey to get in the shower tonight and i was sitting in the living room with Ethan's pajamas (he was supposed to be going potty and coming right back) but this is where i found him saying "shower mommy" so he took a shower with his brother.

When i came out from getting the shower started for the boys, this is how i found Raegan.

Avery's pick from the dollar spot at Target tonight was a pair of reading glasses. I told her she was going to end up needing glasses for real if she wore those very often. The one picture that i didn't get but wanted to was Ethan wearing the glasses and the headband. It was pretty cute.

Insect Project

This picture didn't turn out very well, but it's the only one i have. Trey has been studying insects in science at school. They had a project to do collecting different kinds. He and Daddy worked on the display. He was very worried about getting it to school safely because one boy's insects fell off on the way to class the other day, and Trey said the bugs got trampled, he said "it was so sad mommy". Daddy hot glued the bugs on, and he got his board safely to class which i worried about all day yesterday. He is very into bugs right now. He has a caterpillar, moth, and some other bug in a case in his room right now. He found a hurt bird last night and made a little home for it outside. First thing this morning he was out to check on it and i assume a cat had gotten it, he came in in tears saying it was all torn apart. So needless to say our day didn't start off to well this morning. He was better by the time we left for school though.

First Bath In Tub

the baby tub that is. Raegan's belly cord finally fell off, so today i gave her a bath in her bathtub. She loved it can't you tell? She didn't like her little sponge baths i have been giving her everyday either. She screams for the whole thing, but when it comes to washing her hair under the faucet, now that's another story. She calms down and LOVES that! Then screaming again while i smear her with baby lotion and then..."aww so much better when you put clothes on me mommy, now i'm relaxed. In fact so relaxed that i will throw up all over these clothes you just put on me. No worries mommy, i don't mind a little smell of puke." She seems to really like sleeping on her tummy. Reminds me of another little baby i knew... Avery boycotted sleeping unless she was put on her tummy. I finally with a lot of worry started putting her on her tummy at night and she started sleeping so much better. I'm starting to wonder if Raegan is going to be the same way. I was up with her with what felt like most of the night last night, and then she naps like a little angel for me during the day. :) But i put her on her tummy for her nap today and she went right to sleep. Too many more nights like last night and i may try that at night one of these times. :) The dr prescribed Reglan for me to try to help with my milk supply issue, and i have already had to stop taking it. I was so jittery last night i couldn't even function. I can't handle feeling like that and trying to deal with 4 kids. I have pretty much decided to stop pumping at this point and just nurse some, as much as she will. The pumping has just become so time consuming and stressful with a toddler to tend to too. And pretty depressing as well when you only get 10 to 15 ccs each time! :) I am very glad that i chose to go the route that i did this time with the pumping because it has helped me to know that with the other 3 kids the reason i probably didn't succeed in breastfeeding may very well have been because of this same issue. It eases my guilt a bit if nothing else. :)
It really frustrated me that i put this in paragraphs, and when i post it, it doesn't post that way. Oh well i'm leaving it as is... :)

Sleepy Girl / Busy Boy

The Boys

Ethan climbed out of bed last night and into bed with Trey. We found this out this morning. Tonight he was crying and wanted to sleep with Trey so he was very happy to get tucked into Trey's bed. They are becoming really good buddies. Raegan likes to eat a lot! She likes to be held while sleeping, a little TOO much (like all night long). She slept with me in the recliner from 12:30 to 6:30 this morning. I think that is the longest stretch she has gone so far. My problem is, that i fall asleep feeding her and then just end up there the rest of the night. Eventually i need to work on getting her into her bed. :) She is probably getting spoiled rotten, but oh well! Weekends are nice because Johnny and i trade off feeding duties. I try to let him get sleep during the week, although he stays up late with her while i try to get an hr or two of sleep to start off the night.

Calling 911

The first time i called 911 was several years ago when Johnny and Greg were on a motorcycle trip and decided to surprise my sister and i by coming home early. They told us they were camping for the night when they were actually getting close to home. My sister and i had fallen asleep in the recliner and on the couch, and she woke me up saying she heard something at our french doors in the kitchen. Then we saw the door was open and totally freaked. I have never been so scared in my life. We were sure someone was in the kitchen ready to kill us.:) I yelled "get the gun" (no we don't own a gun, but mabye it would scare the creep in the kitchen.) Susan told me to call 911 and when the guys heard that they quickly came in to identify themselves. I don't even remember dialing but i apparently did becasue they called us back and even though we told them the situation they had to come out and make sure we were ok. It was quite the night, and i'm quite sure the guys probably won't ever try to surprise us again by sneaking in the house!

Last night i had clothes in the dryer and went to check on them and smelled a really strong gas odor. Johnny wasn't home so i called him and then was going to call the gas co. My brother in law is a firefighter and he told me to call the fire dept. so i made my second call to 911. Trey and Avery were watching a movie but when i heard the fire truck coming by light and siren i thought i better tell them quick what was going on so they didn't freak out. Trey was talking a million miles a minute about how a little spark can start a huge fire. I finally got through to them that "we do NOT have a fire in the garage!" They tested and did not get any bad readings, which made me feel tons better. They ran the dryer for awhile, and had us kick on the hot water heater just to make sure they didn't get any bad readings while those were on. They did smell the natural gas smell, but they think it may be a dryer issue so we need to have someone come out and take a look at the dryer. They did pull out some clumps of lint on the outside of the house vent, so Johnny is going to clean that all out real good to make sure that is not the problem. Anyway that was our exciting evening, and hopefully we will have no need of calling 911 anytime soon again.

Bye Bye Turtle

Our pet aquatic turtle "Master Yoda" that we got on vacation 3 yrs ago had to find a new home on Tuesday. He started out very tiny when we got him and lived in a little case for the first year. Then we got a 10 gallon aquarium awhile back and he started growing like crazy. He outgrew his aquarium and had started moving things around in it trying to get out. We were not up to buying anything bigger, plus he was starting to smell every time he ate. We decided to take him to a little lake down the street and let him go live with the other turtles. The kids really didn't have that hard of a time with it like i thought they might. We may get another little turtle next summer when we go to Myrtle Beach, or we may just get some fish.

My Very Own Energizer Bunny...

That would be Ethan! Wow he is sure keeping mommy busy, or i guess i should say Raegan is keeping mommy busy so that mommy cannot keep up with the messes that Ethan creates. These are just a few things he has kept me busy with today:
1. Flinging the washcloth around the bathroom while in the bathtub, throwing water everywhere.
2. While trying to help me give Raegan a bath, sticking the washcloth in the container of water and then mopping the carpet.
3. Dragging anything and everything and throwing it all over the living room while i sit down to feed Raegan. (i thought about taking a pic for you Jen, but i just didn't have the time, but rest assured, it was a mess! :)
4. When i decided to spot clean the carpet, he decided it was a good time for mommy to give horsy rides.
5. Continually turning off the breastpump while i am in the middle of pumping!! Or wanting to "help" mommy :)
6. Sticking the binky in Raegan's mouth when she is sound asleep, and getting mad at mommy when i don't let him put it in her mouth when she is taking her bottle.
7. Making sure that anything musical or with a motor is running at all times during the day (swing, bouncy seat, ect.) As i sit here and type the swing is going full blast behind me with no baby in it.
8.Dumping the clean basket of laundry all over the living room.
9.Try to put the tike bike on mommy's lap while feeding Raegan.
I'm sure i missed a few but wanted to write down a few so that i remember what life with a newborn and a 23 month old was like someday. :) I've done this once before, but either i'm old now and could keep up a lot better then, or Trey was a lot more laid back as a two yr old, or i simply have just forgotten what it was like. (that is more than likely the case)

First Road Trip

All ready for church on Sunday

Grandma and Grandpa Neir

Great Grandma Tucker

We took Raegan on her first road trip this last weekend to Hutchinson. She got to meet Grandpa and Grandma Neir and Great Grandma and Grandpa Tucker. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins and swimming. The weekend went way too fast as always!