Big three year old!

When you ask her how old she is today, she'll say "Two... no free!" and very carefully hold up three fingers!  Although tomorrow is her actual birthday, we celebrated today.  We had her birth mother and grandmother over along with her three older siblings.  We also had her Aunt Kimberly, Uncle Nate, Aunt Annie and their three girls come to play.  Her best friends!  It's impossible to believe that a year has already gone by since her last birthday (and my last post... oops!), but yet she is also getting to be such a big girl.  Some things she is doing now:

• As of tonight, sleeping in a toddler bed instead of her old crib... with new bedding as her birthday present.
• We also dropped the pacifier tonight.  I'm not sure that was a good idea on no nap and new bed, but it happened.
• She regularly takes an afternoon nap although I'm not sure how well that will continue in a toddler bed... I see lots of bed training in my near future!
• Consistently goes on the potty (normal toilet) but needs reminders.  More than half the time she will come to us on her own saying she needs to go.  Almost the rest of the time she will be holding herself and we will take her.  Then occasionally she has an accident.
• She can count to 20 skipping a few of the teen numbers.
• She knows all the colors we've asked her about and identifies them regularly
• While reading an alphabet book with us, she correctly identified 23 letters by name, 2 by their sounds instead and missed on only 1 letter.
• When looking at numbers, she can identify a few numbers.
• Her most requested color of plate and cup at meals is orange.  A close second is pink, followed by purple, green and blue in any order.
• She loves talking about how cute everything is.  Frequently she'll say "It's so cuuute!"  Sometimes snuggling in with us and exclaiming that she's so cute too.
• When she sees a picture of an animal, she'll often ask if she can old it, then carefully cup her hand and pretend to scoop it up out of the picture.  Usually she'll ask if I want to hold it too and pass it to me.
• She enjoys smoothies for breakfast, but also loves eggs, sweet potato and apple, sausage, bacon or cereal (especially mini wheats lately).
• She'll eat pretty much anything I put in front of her at meal time.  I'm incredibly thankful for her non-picky palette and realize how blessed we are to have this!
• She is expressing her feelings lately on things being too loud (she'll quickly cover her ears) or things being scary (she'll scream and cry, even if she's nowhere near but others are).
• Her favorite movie is probably Frozen, although her favorite tv show is by far Dora.  Sometimes she will request Daniel Tiger... very rarely.
• She loves to go to the zoo.  We will be accommodating that desire tomorrow on her actual birthday.
• She is 33.5 pounds and wears most 3T clothes.  She's been in this size for several months now.

Two years already!

I'm not sure how it is possible, but we have a two year old running - yes running! around the house now.  Our baby AJ is no longer a baby and nearly every day I remark about how big she's getting, and how grown up she seems.  Since time is flying by so quickly, I wanted to record a few things she is up to lately... to help me remember in the future just how little she was :)

• She is learning color names, but is not attaching them to the actual color yet.  
• If you catch her without her realizing you're listening, she will count to 10 on her own.  Occasionally she misses 6.
• She loves to sing the ABC's but really doesn't get many of the letters.  She does the best with letters at the end of the phrase like G and P and then sings her heart out from S until the end.  
• Her favorite song to sing with us is "Sunshine" aka, You Are My Sunshine.  Music is still a huge love in her life!
• She is just starting to have success in getting dressed.  With reminders that shirts go on her head and pants go on her feet, she can pull the shirt on and get one arm in the sleeve.  The other usually goes through the neck hole instead.  She can put her pants on her feet, but only gets them pulled to her knees.  She loves trying to dress herself, even over the clothes she already has on.
• She is still napping once in the afternoon.  Naps are usually 2-2.5 hours now that she can sleep uninterrupted.  Her nights usually go from 9ish pm to 9ish am.
• She gets one bottle at night of whole milk.  Otherwise, all her drinks come from open cups besides water for during the day in a water bottle.  If she puts her cup above her plate, she does well at not spilling, even while drinking.  
• She loves to brush her teeth!  But hates to leave the bathroom.
• Just in the last week or so, AJ can reach the light switch in a few places and enjoys her new found freedom.
• She takes a pacifier (fi-der) for nap time and bed time and while I'm doing her hair.  Most of the time, she gives it to me without issue after we get her out of her crib.
• Her vocabulary is growing daily.  She regularly speaks in 3-4 word sentences.  Her mimicking of what we say is getting clearer and more accurate.
• She is pretty good about cleaning up her toys when asked.  She loves repeating "clean-up, clean-up" as she works on putting things away.  I attribute her skills here in having had the big kids around to learn from.
• She is wearing 24-3T clothes and size 5 diapers.  I'm thinking of trying potty training in another few weeks, so we'll see how that goes.
• Favorite foods right now: apples (whole), grapes, peaches, sloppy joes, pb& honey sandwiches, pizza, broccoli (especially with cheese), mixed veggies, ice cream, chips, crackers, blueberries, tomatoes, bananas.
• She still enjoys watching Baby Einstein videos online, with animal ones being her favorite.  She also loves watching videos of cows... she asks to watch cows multiple times during the day!

August 3 - 4 Months

Baby SJ, you are 4 months old already.  Okay, so a bit passed, but bear with me.  At least I am finally recording things :D

Likes:   You enjoy being held and entertained.  You are certainly a social butterfly.  A favorite new toy of yours is a bee/butterfly toy that hangs down for you to grab.  You enjoy sitting up in the bumbo seat.  You are constantly putting everything in your mouth.  You like grabbing your feet... great toys always within reach.

Dislikes: Being left alone in a room. 

Biggest Achievement this month:  You've had success a few times of putting your pacifier in your mouth.

Biggest Challenge of the month: A semi-regular sleep schedule... specifically at night.  Some nights you pass-out around 10, other nights you pretend to be out for the night at 8:30-9ish but then wake up from a great "nap" around midnight expecting to be awake for a couple hours.

Little Personality: You are so happy.  Your smiles come easily, and tickling your sides or ribs brings out the best giggles and belly laughs!  You are more laid back which was good while your older siblings were living with us!
 
Talking/Communication: We frequently hear you talking and cooing.  Your squeals are all over in range and well as all over in volume.  It's fun to hear you responding when we interact with you.
 
Eating: Regular 6 to 7 oz bottles, about 3 hours apart depending on lengths of naps.  This means usually 5-6 bottles a day.  It seems like so much!

Major Milestones:  You've been able to turn from tummy to back for a while now, but I think you are only a few weeks away, if that, from turning back to tummy.  I thought for sure you were going to do it the other night!
 
Firsts: Trip to see Grandma and Grandpa Haines at their house.  First time meeting your other cousins and aunts and uncles on Papa side of the family. First fair visit... not to interesting to you yet.  First camping trips!

Favorite Baby Gear: The bumbo seat.  Our sit 'n stand stroller, although you don't enjoy being strapped in to the carseat for long times.  Halo sleep sacks for bedtime.

Meeting our Son

April 1 - Mom J told me at parenting time that I'd probably have a birthday present... she was definitely feeling things starting

April 2, 4:30ish - Called Mom J who wished me happy birthday.  I asked her how she was doing and she said that things had gotten intense for a little while, but not beyond that and she didn't think we'd have a baby for a while yet.  We kept the phone handy, even so, while we went to dinner for my birthday.  Oma and Grandpa watched the other kids. 

10:30-ish - finally get the big kids home and in bed, no new news from Mom J.  Get AJ in bed.  She always goes to bed later than the big kids, always has and probably will continue to do so for a while. 

11:45 - We go to bed, still haven't heard anything.  We take both phones upstairs with us just in case.

April 3, 12:15am - Mom J calls and says we should probably head to the hospital.  She's bed admitted and is at a 9!  Frustrated that they didn't call earlier, but apparently she was in denial that it was real labor up until they actually checked her.  We immediately call Oma and Grandpa, update them and ask that they get to our house asap so we can get to the hospital.  It's foggy out so it takes them a while.  I set up the couch for Oma to sleep on.  We already have plans in place for the kids, but didn't expect a middle of the night call. 

Just before 1 - We arrive at the hospital, but the doors are locked and security isn't answering.  I freak out because I can't find the cell phone that fell out of my pocket and spend a minute or so searching for it.  We find it and then huff and puff our way, running around the outside of the hospital.  The security person on the floor takes a while to find out which room she's in.  As we approach the room, I think, well, I can't hear any screams yet, so hopefully we made it in time.  Then I hear them!  We get in the room, go around the bed and notice she's crowning.  We made it... just barely. 

1:06am - about 3 minutes after we arrive, Baby SJ is born.

This time around, the hospital wasn't as full.  So even though we assured the nurses that we wouldn't need a separate room.  We were still assigned one.  As it turned out, it was nice to have one for sleeping in.  When one of us was getting tired, we could go there for a few hours to have uninterrupted sleep.  It also gave us a place to keep SJ once Mom J was discharged. 


We had a stressful time in the hospital due to the circumstances he was born in to.  His oldest three siblings were living with us through foster care and CPS decided to forgo the guidelines and rules set in place when there is an adoption plan already made and place him in another foster family.  The removal from Mom J's care was approved by a judge without all the facts.  The next day in court, all court officials were astounded that he had been taken from us, and demanded he be returned to us immediately.  In the end, he came home and that's all that matters in the long run. 

WELCOME HOME BABY SJ!!

Finally shouting it from the rooftops!

I am sitting here really late at night.. like it is nearly 2am, and my mind finds it way back to a conversation I had the other day.  I find myself thinking about it a lot... having to hold myself back from blurting it out in conversation with others.  It is one about a new baby... a new baby that may be joining our family come spring time.  Yes, AJ might be getting a little sibling through adoption... a blood related sibling!  I can't stop thinking about the possibility, wondering if the pregnancy test was read correctly, wanting to see it for myself, wanting to pinch myself that this might actually be happening, but not wanting to wake up if this is a dream.
We haven't shared anything yet, partially because we have only known for a few days ourselves, but mostly because I don't want to get my hopes up too soon.  Although who am I kidding, my hopes are already through the roof!  I can't help but think about if it will be a boy or a girl.  My hubby asked me the other day what I thought it might be.  I said I hoped it was a boy so we would have one of each, but think it will be a girl.  Obviously either way I will be ecstatic!   I have even pulled up a name site and started looking at it.  I found a boy name I like with the middle name as one of his Papa's name.  I don't know about a girl though... that is a bit harder I feel like... And you know, we only have like 6-8 months to figure it out ;)
Anyway, this post won't go public until we know more information, and of course share it with those around us in person.  However and I laid here tonight, I wanted to capture some of these initial thoughts, and maybe by "sharing" it I can resist the urge to blurt it out every two seconds... Can't wait until I can shout it from the rooftops!

A new stone in my ring

Last year for Mother's day, my hubby surprised me with a mother's ring with a stone for each of "our" children.  I have a sapphire from my miscarriage, a diamond for X, an aquamarine for C, an emerald for J, a peridot for S, a citrine for B and finally another peridot for AJ.  It is in a custom made ring that we picked out together.  At first I wasn't sure I loved it, but I loved the meaning behind it.  And with how much it cost, I better love it!

Well, now I need to have another stone put in... another emerald!  Sadly, it is because once again, X and C are back in foster care and so we have both of them again along with their older brother Z.  So now we have a 6 yr old, 4 yr old, 2 yr old and 9.5 month old.

My house is crazy at times, but I am thankful that we are able to provide a place for them, somewhere they are familiar with and as people the family is comfortable with.  I don't know what will happen come August when our license expires.  We agreed as part of a long case against us, to not renew for 2 years after it expires mid August.  However, I am hoping and praying that they will be willing to change their mind given the circumstance of the children.

So that is what is new with us... what's new with you? :)

May 7 - 9 Months

...To be updated over the next little while, but if I didn't post it now, I probably never would!...
Baby AJ, you are already over 9 months old.  I am not sure how that happened, or how these months have flown by so quickly.  I look forward to seeing how you grow up, but would you slow down a little? :)

Likes: You love your Mama... and wish that I could be with you all the time.  However, you also enjoy your Papa and will gladly go to him.  You enjoy being tossed in the air, or played with by picking you up high in the sky.  I think you will be a thrill seeker as you get older.  You love to eat real food (more on that later).  You love your pacifier.  I don't know what it will be like to wean you from it, but for now we are just happy it calms you down.
 
Dislikes: Not being able to eat what we are eating.  When we have to walk away from you and you wanted to be picked up.  Being left with a babysitter, even Oma sometimes.  Whenever we don't give you want you want... be it our food, more food, picking you up, changing your diaper...

Biggest Achievement these 3 months: Crawling.  It started out March 27 (7.5 months old), with an inchworm type crawl.  You would tuck your knees under you, then flop forward.  Then move your arms forward and do it all again.  Then you figured out how to actually crawl and have only gotten faster since then. 

Biggest Challenge of the last 3 months: 

Little Personality:  

Talking/Communication: You have started saying Mama and sometimes have said Abba or Dede.  At first Mama seemed to be your name for me.  But I think that had more to do with a period that you went through of only wanting me.  Now, it seems "Mama" means that you want something like food, or sleep or up.  While Abba or Dede seemed regular at the beginning, they haven't happened consistently enough recently for me to be sure that it's a word.  You babble a lot though and I know you will pick up on words soon.  You love for me to sign "more" but haven't repeated it back yet. 

Eating: Now that you have discovered actual real food, you demand it if we are eating without you.  So far you have tolerated everything fine.  The only foods we haven't given you are milk, nuts and honey.  You tried eggs for the first time at about 7.5 months old, tried yogurt and cheese just over 8.5 months old.  Your appetite is huge.  A typical meal may include an entire banana, then 1/2-3/4 cup oatmeal mixed with applesauce.  Sometimes you will finish with peaches or raspberries.  Then you might be full :)  Much of the food we let you feed yourself, usually cutting it into sticks that you can hold in your hand.  Other messier foods like oatmeal or yogurt, I will feed you by spoon.  You will still take 4-5 bottles a day, usually around 7 ounces.  Sometimes you will push it away with a little left in the bottle, other times you keep sucking till the last drop. 

Major Milestones: Crawling (beginning of April), pulling up to your knees (just after crawling), pulling up to standing and sitting up all on your own (May 9). 

Out and About: Just in the last week or so I switched you out of the infant carrier and into a rear-facing convertible car seat.  You hadn't outgrown the other yet, but I was having trouble carrying the thing with you in it.  It wasn't a difficult transition, just a matter of getting the straps set correctly.
You do well traveling in the car and know how to get the pacifier that is attached to the seat if need be.  This past weekend in the way back from Grandma and Grandpa's house, you slept for nearly all of the 2.5 hour trip!

Firsts: Tooth!

Favorite Baby Gear:  The Beco Butterfly carrier or the wagon.  It is nice to carry you around in the carrier, but now that you are getting heavier, it takes a toll on our backs.  Recently at our zoo visits, you were able to try out the wagon and seemed to like it.  Unfortunately, you also enjoyed pulling up on the sides and trying to get either on your knees or feet.
Another favorite is the piano light up toy that you loved near the beginning.  It adjusts for as you grow and can do more things.  Now we have it set up so you can kneel at it to play music.  It is your favorite toy most days.  

How big you are:  At your 9 month appointment, you weighed in a chunky 19lb 2.6oz which put you at the 66th percentile.  However, you will probably never be tall since you were only 27 inches which meant the 22nd percentile.  It's okay though... just means you will fit in well with our family!


Memories in the last 3 months:
Vacation with friends to Gatlinburg
Enjoying bike riding in the bugger
Vacation to the Dells with Oma and Grandpa
Loving your swing (my swing from when I was a baby)
First trip to the zoo that you could actually enjoy
First trip to see Grandma and Grandpa house
First Easter
First Mother's day

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Sometimes I will go for quite a while with my standard "go to" recipes.  Then once in a while I will finally try some new ones.  This is one of those new ones that I think will become a standard.  It was delicious!  I varied a little from what the original recipe called for (no big surprise there...) and am happy with the end result.  So without further delay, Chicken Enchilada Soup:


Makes a lot (6-8 servings)

Ingredients

• 2 TBS Butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3-4 boneless chicken breast
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup of Maseca (this is a really fine corn flour…….usually found in the Latin aisle)
• 3 cups of water (divided)
• 1 -10 oz can Red Enchilada Sauce
• 2 cans Great Northern beans
• 16 oz of Velveeta cheese (the block)
• 1 tsp salt (may leave this out... it was pretty salty)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 -4oz can chopped green chiles

Garnish (I didn't add all of these, but the recipe suggested it):

• fresh corn tortillas, cut into strips
• sour cream
• tomatoes, chopped (I only added this... but it is necessary in my mind!)
• cilantro, chopped
• limes, cut into wedges

Saute the onions, garlic, and optional bell pepper in a large soup pot.  Add chicken and chicken broth to the pot and cook over medium heat, until chicken is cooked thoroughly.  Remove from heat and place the chicken on cutting board and set aside. Remove bones and gristle from chicken and chop the chicken into bite size pieces.

In a separate bowl, combine Maseca and two cups of water and whisk until smooth.

Place the pot back onto the stove (medium heat) and slowly add the Masa mixture to the pot of broth with a whisk.  Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, cheese (chopped into cubes), spices, and green chiles.  Bring mixture to a boil.

Add the beans and chicken to the pot and reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until thick.

Fry tortilla strips in hot oil and let cool on paper towel.  Serve soup in individual bowls with sour cream, tomatoes, tortilla strips, a spritz of lime, and cilantro on top.

Not an April Fools Joke

Eight years ago today, I said yes, well, nodded actually.  I remember coming out of Curves with my aunt.  I had only signed up for a membership a little bit before that, and didn't stick with it for long, but back to the story.  I was walking out of Curves with my Aunt, when he met me in the parking lot.  He had a surprise for me, he said.  I went back inside to change clothes, while he waited with my aunt in the parking lot.  I came out to sneaky smiles on both of their faces.  We drove to my parents house, where we took a walk in the back yard.  My parents live on nearly 8 acres of land and while dating, we would spend many evenings walking or sitting by a campfire in the woods.  Would I let my daughter do that once she came of age... I'm not so sure... I know how easy it was to be in the dark with someone very important to you, and be tempted... but anyway, we spent a lot of time back there.  It was a special place for us.

As we walked back, I could see roses around the campsite.  Or maybe they were just on the table?  I don't remember now, but I remember roses.  Red ones.  I remember he got down on one knee.  I don't remember what he said, but I remember loving every word.  It came time for me to respond, and rather than respond... I nodded... yes, I would marry him.

A tradition in my family had started several years before of announcing important things with ice cream.  Typically it was announcing pregnancies, but this time we had something of our own to announce.  Unfortunately, my sister was at the house at that time.  I say unfortunately because she wasn't with her husband.  But nevertheless, we were able to conceal it from her while still sharing with my parents.  My dad almost let the news out of the bag by loudly saying that before we left, he wanted to see it on.  But I don't think my sis caught on. 

We left to pick up ice cream.  First we traveled to my older sister's house and shared with them.  Then to my middle sister's house and shared with them.  It was fun to share our excitement with family.  The best response though came when we shared with his parents.  We told them our news over the phone, that we were getting married, and they were excited.  Two hours later my now MIL called back.  She wanted to make sure it wasn't an April Fools joke.  Nope... hadn't even considered the day.  As a matter of fact, it wasn't that he wanted to propose on April 1st, but that he wanted to on April 2nd, my birthday.  But the weather was supposed to be rainy that day, so he moved it up by a day... and I wouldn't have it any other way :)

A good day with family

We need to get a social security number associated with AJ, so this afternoon, I picked up Mama J and the three older siblings.  My hubby watched all the little ones while we went to the social security office.  Thankfully the wait was short, but our conversation was good.  It has been a while since I have gotten to catch up with Mama J and rekindle our friendship.  Today was a good day to do that.  Then after we finished our errands, we came back to our house and were able to just hang out during for an hour or so.  It was nice to have positive interactions with the kids.  The oldest of hers has some developmental delays and I usually don't have the energy to deal with his energy.  But today I pulled him on my lap and was tickling him, snuggling with him and just having fun with him!  I called him my baby Z :)  We sat together and watched some of Frozen.  Mama J was able to see the new things AJ is doing.  It was a relaxed afternoon with no agenda and really nice.  I am happy to call them family and so thankful that they invited us into their lives and trust us.