So much randomness this month!
I think it’s a rule that no baby actually loves tummy time, so we try to keep her entertained as long as possible to encourage her to stay in tummy time. Apparently watching her big brother sort out Legos was pretty entertaining, she was happy enough to stick it out for quite a while.
Equally awesome is the fact I didn’t have to do the Lego sorting this time!
Check out Thomas’ awesome birthday present from Theresa! Taco Tuesdays are a big thing in our house and she sent the most perfect gift ever - a Tricera-taco holder!
Don’t ask me why my kids think tacos need olives, that’s a defect of theirs I have learned to live with. ;)
Speaking of weird food preferences, this was the requested lunch from my eldest. I was scrolling through Pinterest with him and was wondering out-loud who on earth would want a cucumber mini-sandwich?!? Cue my crazy child asking for me to pack it for his lunch. And he wanted melon! I am not entirely sure this kid got any of my genetics…
Look at this big girl holding her head up like a champ! Such awesome neck strength! I guess all the effort spent on tummy time has been worth it. Such a cutie-patootie, huh? :)
Given I tend to worry about all possible disaster scenarios, I needed a plan if we lost power and the feeding pump died. Syringe feeding via gravity is a very common way of tube feeding, but I have never tried it. I read up online on ways to make it easier and found this bottle holder that supposedly worked great for holding syringes. Except it was too wide and I had to wrap paper towels around the syringe to keep it from falling through. So it was kinda a success, though Natalie doesn’t look terribly impressed, does she?
Do you ever get out in public with your kids and then realize they look a little ridiculous? I mean, they totally fit in with the Alaskan spring clothing you see around town, but still…
And you can just barely see that Natalie has come with us to Costco. It’s practically become a weekend tradition. The boys never argue with going to Costco when they know there will be samples! (Henry’s sad face is because he finished his sample and I wasn’t inclined to let him have double of everything…)
Back to the NICU, but just for a drop-off this time! I loved all the outfits they dressed her in when she was staying here and we wanted to donate her outfits she had outgrown. We had quite the pile of button-up newborn clothes and we donated them all. Hopefully they brighten some other mom’s day. :)
Thomas kept telling me that he was having a talent show at his school and asking me to come. I told him if Natalie was in a cooperative mood, we would try to come. And she mostly was - she started to lose it right as it started, but a few bounces in my arms and she was fast asleep. Whew!
Kindergarten did a group song & dance performance. He wasn’t the most exuberant dancer up there, but he got through it!
I know I’ve mentioned it many times, but this guy loooooooves his baby sister. He gets frustrated with me that I won’t just let him carry her around and hold her all the time, but he seemed pretty happy with my suggestion to he read her a book. Of course, it’s not one he can actually read yet, so he mostly just made up a story to go with the pictures. Love his imagination!
And I finally had to go back to work… :(
Those 4 months just seemed to fly right by. All the grand plans I had for maternity leave were a total bust - especially any sort of physical activity, but thankfully most of my work clothes fit again. And two of my coworkers decided to surprise me with goodies to make the first day back better. Thanks for making my Monday a little bit brighter, Jenny & Liz! :)
Thomas finally got to take his orange belt test. He was ready to take it months ago, but it was while Natalie was in the hospital, so I didn’t sign him up for it. Imagine my surprise when they took away the “stripes” on his belt and made him start all over as a yellow belt since he didn’t take the test. Surprisingly, he seemed less upset about it than I was.
But I definitely made sure to get him scheduled for the next test date and even made it there to watch.
One upside to being back at work was being close enough to this guy for lunch dates! He seems pretty happy with it too. :)
And it’s finally time for the farmer’s market again! It’s totally tiny, but we all love going there on Saturday mornings. Some of us are more excited / silly than others, but it’s definitely a family favorite!