Friday on The Farm {Babies, Babies, Babies!}

by Meghan // May 1, 2017 // Comments off

Ok y’all, I know it isn’t Friday. =) But I didn’t have time this past Friday to write anything, so here I am on a Monday evening writing about a wonderful day I had with my kiddos.

Spring has been around the farm for a while, but it is finally LOOKING a LOT like spring, and the babies GALORE prove it.

Oh the beauty! The grass is green, there is a nice breeze, the garden is GROWING, the chickens are happy, the dogs are laying, the sun is shining, and the kids picked up their wagons and toys so the yard is semi-clutter-free. =)

the meat chickens in tractor coop, just before we moved them to a new area with fresh grass

These are our new baby chicks! we have 3, but left one in the brooder with a fellow left over chick … there is a story here.

We ordered 60 meat chickens, they sent about 65 or so + one lone little “exotic” (they’re usually roosters). So we have 55 or so meat chickens left, living out in the tractor coop so they can pasture. But we had this one little chick who is much smaller than the Big old waddling meat chickens, and s/he needed another chick with it, (because they don’t do well alone). Initially husband said no; after a trip to the farm store this weekend with the kids they came home with 3 silver laced wyandotte pullets.

So here are two of them.

What else …

The garden is coming along so great! I really need to look up how to harvest lettuce. I am most excited about what we planted this year. We are doing a lot of plants we either haven’t done in years or have never done, including broccoli, okra, watermelon, cantaloupe, sugar snap peas, banana peppers, lettuces, and cabbage! We also planted some daikon radishes from seed (hoping they come up), so I have everything for my fermented kraut except carrots (which aren’t worth the time they take to grow haha).

the compost bin (which we will soon be updating, somehow) and the Arkansas rose bush that we have literally moved all over this country)

I think these are the cabbages …

peas that will hopefully grow up the trellis

my little lettuces! I’m so excited about them

We’ve been enjoying lots of asparagus and eggs.

Oh! EGGS! Ya’ll! My mammy duck is broody! One of the really dark campbell ducks (possibly a cayuga cross), spent a month laying eggs and getting her nest all … nest-ed. About 8-10 days ago she started sitting! I’ve only caught her off one time and it was too bright out to candle the eggs, so I still don’t know if they are any good. Drake Campbells only have a 30% fertility rate, so unless some of those 18+ eggs are crossed with our pekin drakes, there probably aren’t many fertile eggs.

Anyway, I am excited! Hopefully we will have ducklings in a few more weeks (or 3…).

And, speaking of baby things-this little one here is Heidi. She is our 12 week old Great Pyrenees. (I think I mentioned in a previous post that Anne had a lot of genetic issues with her mouth and jaws so she was returned. She should have never been sold to begin with … anyway).

Heidi is pretty dang cute, and feisty … and nothing like Huck! haha She has a lot to learn. Like, a lot. But she will get there, just slower than Huck I think, mostly because she is truly puppy. Huck has always been an old man. He does a good job of keeping her in line and teaching her about pack manners and such.

Sometimes he literally just lays on her lead so she can’t keep pouncing off. haha (see the 2nd picture below)

I can ask Huck, “Where’s your puppy?!” and he will almost always go right to her and just lay on her. =) So far she is learning to do okay around the chickens. She doesn’t chase or play when around them, but when in the pen part of the chicken run she will try to chase through the pen. So that behavior has to stop. I am working on it, and will let you know how that goes.

He most definitely interacts with Heidi differently than he did Anne, which is interesting to me. He knows she is different in character and treats her as such. They’re such awesome dogs.

Each of my babies and me today:

We spent the afternoon doing chores, loving on dogs, chicks, and cats, then rolled the ball back and forth. Dinner was in the oven and everything was perfect … then the cows got out. That was frustrating and exciting and exhausting. But they’re back in now. Stubborn hamburgers. I love them dearly, and I will miss them after freezer camp, but am looking forward to a freezer full of grassfed, hormone free beef for my family.

he started acting all wild and barn-catty right after this … cause he’s a barn cat

dirty babies and chicks!

7 Months Old Baby Summary Schedule {baby #4}

by Meghan // February 24, 2017 // Comments off

I cannot believe my baby is 7 months old. I am really not certain where the time has gone- I guess just in every day life.

In trying to be present for all the moments, I have been journaling more of our days than I have been blogging them. But I am trying to put some of that on the screen.

Our schedule for now is a typical 2-3-4 schedule. We will stay here until she drops to one nap. To transition to one nap, she will naturally begin shorten one of her naps between 11-14 months old. To make sure it is the morning nap, I will start capping that nap when she shows signs that she is ready to shorten a nap, then eventually we will drop the morning nap and move the afternoon nap to 12:00 noon.

We moved to the 2-3-4 around 6 months, but it was still messy and uncertain. The day after she turned 7 months I decided we were sticking to the 2-3-4 schedule and not looking back. It has been a *dream* since.

I know scheduling babies is not for everyone. But I can tell you that while hard at first, sticking to it pays off. It gives me a life outside of babies, it gives my marriage freedom outside of babies, it gives my babies independence to sleep, be happy, and healthy on their own. I can give my baby and their schedule to anyone in the case of an emergency, and any of them would probably do pretty well as long as their caretaker kept to the schedule- it is all in the consistency.

Routine creates confidence, confidence creates happy babies.

Today, Coralie’s schedule looks like this:

7am wake, bottle, snuggles, mommy baby time, then get the older 3 up
7:30/8 solids
read books, activities with everyone on the floor
9:00 Baby down for first nap
11:00 Baby up from nap, bottle, snuggles
make lunch for all, feed solids
12:15 2 year old’s nap
12:50 4 year old’s nap
1:30 Baby 2nd nap
3:00 everyone up from naps, baby bottle
play outside, errands, activities, mama prep dinner
5:30 solids for baby, dinner for all
bath time
6:40 baby botttle
6:50 baby bed, right to sleep

She LOVES:

drinking kombucha from a sippy cup
bouncing in her bouncer
eating
snuggles, just being held
warm days outside
sitting up high so she can see everything
being tickled
being talked to
chewing on anything
her swaddle blanket- she has one arm out, but does NOT want the other arm out. She likes to suck on the cloth
sleeping on her side
sleep- she loves her naps and bedtime sleep. If i get sidetracked she is super quick to let me know it is time to get ready for bed!
being in the car- maybe she doesn’t love this, but she doesn’t mind it, which makes me life easier
holding her firefly and her skwish
chewing on things with her 2 bottom teeth

She really doesn’t enjoy:

cold days outside, or cool and windy days
the dog in her face (can’t say I blamer her…)
being alone
having a wet diaper
hiccups
people invading her space
the exersaucer outside- it is the same exersaucer all my other babies have used. She hates it. She prefers her bouncer or rocker
loud noises
bright lights
being woken up (did I mention she likes her sleep?)
teething

She has been such a joy for us. Everyone needs “baby time” in the house, and we all delight in her new developments. She is a sweet girl; we are pretty sure she is teething her top teeth now, so there is lots of drool, lots of fussiness, and a little clinginess. But this too will pass, and probably all too quickly!

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

The One With a Puppy {Simple Woman’s Daybook 29}

by Meghan // February 6, 2017 // Comments off

Outside my Window …
It is warm and cloudy; why is it in the 70’s in February?! I won’t complain about the fog and early morning drizzle, we need the rain. And I won’t complain about the warmth, but I mean really?! If this means we will have snow in May, I’d rather it be cold now!
I am thinking…
I have so much to get done this week!

I am thankful…
that we had a friend from AR come visit this weekend, that we had rain this morning, that we have a little farm, and that we added a new buddy to the farm this past week!

In the kitchen…
There is bone broth in the crock pot, eggs on the counter, and leftovers for dinner.

I am wearing…
leggings and a shirt

I am creating…
a few things in my sewing room

I am going…
to Costco and the library this week

I am wondering…
if we are going to have anymore winter between now and spring?!

I am reading…
Teaching From Rest, as recommended by so many homeschoolers … it is a good book. Except I have already implemented most of what I am reading so far, and my train of thought is already there, so I am wishing I had picked it up at the library and not purchased it.

I am hoping…
I find more info in the book that is helpful, and not just a bunch of ideas and thoughts I already have, agree with, implement in my home. =/

I am looking forward to…
The warm week-warmth means mama and Baby can go out more (she does NOT like the cold, even bundled up, so I’ve been inside more than I’d like this winter).

I am learning…
how to work with a puppy, specifically and LGD puppy that is going to hopefully bond with and protect my chickens and family- he is NOT for playing with. He has play time, in the evenings, but the rest of the time he is watching chickens, sleeping with chickens, and sitting with me as we learn about chickens. The cows are too big for him to be with right now, but I wouldn’t be against adding a few calves for him to bond with soon. =)

Around the house…
It just is. Things are pretty clean, tidy. I just have a ton of laundry to get through.

A favorite quote for today…

One of my favorite things…

Meet Huck! As in Huckleberry Finn. He sure is a sweet, sensitive boy that likes adventure. We are sure the 40 acres will be a good place for him to learn, grow, and protect.
I won’t write about how we are training him, because honestly there is a LOT that is going into it, and I don’t know if it will all be successful. I have spoken with a consultant that has assured me Thora’s escalating resource aggression wasn’t a result of anything we did. So I am hoping that what we do for Huck can prevent any issues and create a great guardian. Because these kinds of dogs don’t necessarily “bond” with chickens like they will mammals, we have to do a little extra work to ensure he is okay around them.

However, so far he gets very upset when he is not in the run with the chickens. He was raised with his parents and chickens for 14 weeks, until we got him, so he is used to them. It is just avoiding playing with them at this point, that is important.

Huck is part Great Pyrenees, and part Anatolian Shepherd. Anatolian Shepherds are more aggressive with predators than a Great Pyr, and are better able to take on a coyote than a GP might. They are also more likely to stay closer to home than a GP, or so I read. So we will see how he does. =)

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Run errands, do school, get some sewing done, work with Huck, menu plan, and work around the farm in the WARMTH! woo hoo

A peek into my day…
See Huck’s photo collage above.

We did school, then went for a walk in the woods after lunch. Aaah, fresh air, and fun!

When The Lord Takes Away #FMF {Joy}

by Meghan // December 9, 2016 // Comments off

This week’s Five Minute Friday word is Joy.

It seems like a great way to end the year, since my word for this year was joy.

When I think of joy, I am reminded that every single thing that I turn into frustration, anxiety, and fear, God has already redeemed. He has already made it complete, done, joyful.

I just need to let it Be.

This year was really amazing in my journey with Christ; I began the year 3 months pregnant with our Coralie (baby #4). I remember being nauseous, tired, and cranky, but so overwhelmingly full of joy. We had a 2nd loss in July of 2015, and though we had not been trying, and were not trying again with Coralie, to find out God had different plans, that a baby we should not have been able to get pregnant with at that time, was going to be born brought so much joy.

And somehow, this year, in anticipation for baby #4, God took so much from me.

He took away many of the anxieties I had before.

(I am still working on things within myself) But I didn’t realize when I chose the word joy to pray on and work towards in 2016, that God wouldn’t just add it in!

God doesn’t just add things in- The Lord giveth and he taketh away.

He replaced those anxieties, angers, with Him. He replaced them with joy, and so. much. peace.

I still battle anxieties, fears of losing or something happening to my husband is probably #1. I become a mess inside when he gets on an airplane (which is frequently..). I have a few OCD tendencies that I can’t let up when he is gone. When these occasions pop up, I do tend to read reviews on the best CBD oil UK can provide for me, as well as other locations, as it’s said to help with these kinds of feelings, but for now, I believe in God to help rid of these.

There were so many other things before, and God just took them.

He took them from me, and filled those voids with unspeakable joy and unshakeable peace.

What do you think of when you hear JOY?

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Holiday Gift Guide 2016

by Meghan // November 8, 2016 // Comments off

Well, here we are with Christmas just a few weeks away! That is amazing, how did the holidays get here so quickly?

I am very excited to write about our favorite picks for holiday gift giving.

By far my number one favorite is Kwikstix! We are giving these as gifts for several families we know this year. They are the perfect “non toy” but NOT messy gift or junk-y gift. They are tempra paint in a stick- no water, no clean up, no spills, NO MESS! Super easy, even my 2 year old loves them. (see my review here) They are also high quality and and make beautiful pictures. You can get them at Target or Amazon.
Making journal entries with their Kwikstix

Magna Tiles– these are the first things my children played with when we would go downstairs. For the cooler weather I have moved them upstairs to my son’s bedroom so he can play and build with my 2 year old while big sister is doing school. I linked to the larger set, but there are smaller ones. I have found, that just like with blocks or legos, you need a larger set to make really cool structures.
Perplexus– I cannot be 100% certain that this will be a big hit, but I predict it will be. My son is a HUGE puzzle lover, and of course loves playing with balls- this is a puzzle in a ball! They have different levels of difficulty, but we will begin with the original and if he likes it, move up.
Stencils– we had these growing up and I loved them! My daughter is getting a set for Christmas. Stencils are fun, easy, and can be use din so many ways for learning and art!
Waldorf Dolls-Let’s just say … we have acquired a few Waldorf dolls over the years. They are similar to ragdolls, but tend to be a little more simple. I have linked to Amazon here, but I have *loved* the purchases I’ve made off Etsy.com for my daughters. My oldest is 6 and right now she is obsessed with her Waldorf and rag dolls. (She also plays with American girl dolls, but in a different way)
Classic wooden top– It seems simple, but this is one of those toys that kids can play with for long lengths of time. There is SO much learning fun that can be had with a simple wooden top!
Play Silks– A good quality play silk will not be cheap, but when I tell you they give hours and hours of fun, they really do! I have made my children 3 different sets, and given them as gifts to family as well. I purchase my silks from Dharma Trading company, as well as my dies. It takes a little time to make them yourself, but it is certainly more cost effective that way. Ours are played with every. single. day. That’s not an exaggeration!
Tonka Trucks– It goes without saying that Tonka Trucks are truly a favorite! You have to be careful which ones you purchase, because some are mostly plastic these days, and won’t survive the average boy’s play. But the ones we have my son *loves* and also plays with daily.
Tree Swing– This should be higher on the list! Another item that gets used daily at our home is this awesome outdoor swing. Our children love it, especially when daddy swings them way up in the air. It really is an awesome swing, and so far has held up great! (we have had it about 3 months)
Gardening Tools– Again, used all the time and provides hours of fun and learning outdoors!
For Baby- a wooden toy set. We don’t have many plastic toys anyway, but I try to make sure when I do spend money on toys they are high quality and safe. For baby I prefer wooden toys, since they put everything in their mouth. This set makes a wonderful gift!
Fat Brain Toys Squigz– These are so cool! My mother in law brought them on a trip and all the kids, ages 18 months to 8 years enjoyed playing with them.
Bath Colors– these are a favorite stocking stuffer that we give our children every year! The bottle lasts us all year, and that is using them in the bath a few times a week.

Don’t forget your favorite homeschool mama or crafty friend! Something like this awesome spinning organizer! It comes from Hobby Lobby, is sometimes on sale, or you can use a coupon!

I *love* ours; it is so roomy and there is still space for more supplies. We keep our colored pencils, Kwikstix, markers, glue, and scissors in it.

If your child is a little older and into gaming, you may consider purchasing an account on league of legends accounts for sale. It’s an incredibly popular game with some great characters and stunning graphics. They will probably have to spend time learning how to play and making their way gradually through the levels. Some parents find that they could play the game with their children to help them level up and will look for somewhere to buy lol smurf accounts. Do not worry too much if this takes too long though, as there are a number of boosting services out there such as Boosting Boss that can be used to unlock skins and reach the higher divisions. There is also the option for them to play with others once they have achieved a certain rank, which will help them to develop their social skills. You never know, they might excel in the game and become a real expert, in which case they’ll probably want to invest in Unranked LOL accounts so that they can be part of a multiplayer online battle arena.

What are you buying for everyone this year?

My 2 year old showing off her “painting” with done with Kwikstix.

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Baby Dispositions- Touchy Baby- {Baby Summary 10/11 weeks}

by Meghan // October 13, 2016 // Comments off

This week I really saw how Coralie is a “touchy baby;” she is really starting to come into her own personality and I am enjoying learning about her. She also showed me that she isn’t hungry at the 3 hour mark anymore; we have gradually shifted to 3.15-3.5hour routine and she is eating MUCH better now. This seems to also have helped her naps.

She seems to still have a witching hour in the evening, and it may have increased a bit in length; I am not sure why yet… We didn’t really settle into this new routine/schedule until today actually (Friday, her 11 week mark) but she has been showing me she was ready for a few days.

I’ve learned that as a parent when you start thinking, “Hmm, I wonder if she is wanting to stretch her feedings/sleep/waketime/etc,” she probably is! Go with your gut- use your tools, like helpful books, but use them in conjunction with your gut and you won’t go wrong. Oh .. and be consistent! 😉

The Routine/Schedule Now Is:

6:45-7am nurse, bottle
7:30 nap
10:15am nurse bottle
11:00 nap
1:30pm nurse bottle
2:15 nap
4:30pm nurse bottle
5:30 swing for cat nap
6pm nurse (?) sometimes I try to skip this cluster feed
6:45-7pm nurse bottle
Bed right after eating. She usually fusses and eats 1-2 more times after I put her to bed, until about 8:00pm
***Waking between 5-6:30am– I have started putting her in the swing with a paci to sleep until DWT of 6:45-7am. This has worked the few times that I’ve tried it, hopefully at some point, skipping nursing this early will help her sleep through to DWT (it helps by training her metabolism and sleep patterns if she is ready).**Also, I chose to try and skip eating at this early wake time because she wasn’t taking a FULL feeding, but just enough that she wasn’t hungry at her DWT; thus she would wake early from nap hungry. By holding her off until DWT (designated wake time), she gets in a good, full feeding and starts her day off better! Also, DWT most definitely affects how baby sleeps the following night so keeping that routine consistent is important for good, solid sleep.

Coralie is back in the Woombie, after a nap or two of busting out of the swaddle waking herself, and she seems happy again. So Woombie it is! She is still swaddled and then Woombied at night, and that is working for now.

This week she began spinning in her sleep; it has always been rotating to her left but today she started rotating to her right! How funny their development is!

She still seems to need to cry before sleeping. I put her down awake, but drowsy and within a few minutes she is fussing. She hasn’t learned to settle herself, and cry it out (in small amounts of time) doesn’t seem to help. So after she gets a good cry in I go pat her to sleep. It takes maybe 20 seconds. She just can’t get there alone yet, but I am sure it will come. Read why I let her cry a little HERE, in last week’s update. It is just her way of decompressing for now.

Eating

We have a big growth spurt coming up at 12 weeks, so that should kick in soon. Right now Coralie is nursing well, and has become much more efficient, finishing a feeding within 15 minutes. She then takes 4-6oz of a bottle, sometimes more.

Oh- speaking of bottles! Whether you feed your baby through milk or formula, you should always find the right product. Something that parents experience with their kids is after having been fed, they can experience colic/reflux when bottle feeding, therefore it is beneficial to look into something like best baby bottles for wind. Be sure to do your research when it comes to providing the best products for you and your baby, as an infant’s health is the main priority to any parent. You could also check out https://www.dapplebaby.com/baby-friendly-dish-soap/ to learn about baby friendly dish soap. We all know how dirty baby bottles can get, so getting a soap that cleans them is vital!
We have moved from the crazy expensive Nutramigen formula (which is just corn syrup solids- Yuck!) to a homemade recipe! (Not the bone broth recipe I made for Max and Ila, which is also great, but takes a little more work.) I will have a separate post on the new recipe soon. =)

I feel like Coralie may have more updates on the blog than Ila did, simply because she changes more from week to week with her touchy personality dictating things so much. Ila was an angel baby- by the book. Super easy; just simple and tagged along. Coralie most definitely lets us know when things are not okay with her, and that is a lot of the time. *sigh*

What is a Touchy Baby?

Per the Baby Whisperer– Touchy babies are the most fragile; they thrive on routine and NEED predictability. She says the more consistent you are the better you will understand each other, the happier baby will be, and the sooner she should sleep through the night. Usually touchy babies are later to the game of sleeping through the night, around 10-12 weeks. (this is certainly true for Coralie after the terrible 7-9 week wonder week!) Without a structured routine it is hard to gauge a touchy baby’s cries and that will most definitely make her more irritable. They are easily thrown off by an unexpected visitor, a dog barking, and if mama doesn’t notice and hunger or sleepy cue, baby gets upset and is hard to calm down <-- YES! YES! YES!

After nursing, Coralie gets SO upset if her bottle isn’t in her mouth within a few minutes. It is always best if I warm her bottle, then nurse, THEN have the bottle right on hand. But that just isn’t always possible. What stinks is it’s really hard to have a touchy baby as your 4th baby! Because you really need them to “tag along” and go with the flow more than the others. Thing is, people will say, “well if you just do it baby will adjust.”

NO THEY WON’T! At least not usually.

A touchy baby is such by nature; they are born that way, you can do nothing to change that. All you can do is everything possible, within reason, to make your life easier which means understanding and respecting their personality and developmental needs.

I don’t for one second believe that accommodating a touchy baby is spoiling them; it is called respect. They are people.

Do you like for people to run the vacuum or run into your bedroom screaming at the top of their lungs while you sleep?

Nope, me neither.

Do you like for dogs to unexpectedly bark loudly in your ear when you are relaxed and being cuddled? Or for someone to say they will meet you at 6pm and not show til 8pm? Yea- touchy babies don’t either!

Lexie was SO much like this, but so was I at that time in my life. I didn’t realize she needed it as much as I did, or even more. Looking back I know she was an easier-ish *ha* touchy baby because I kept her in routine, on schedule, she knew what to expect, when to expect it, and I eased her into things. For instance, she wouldn’t have done well staying away from home at 2 years old; I knew that. We waited until she was older and could make that decision herself; we respected her personality and because of that she has grown to a very independent young girl. She is confident in who she is, and recognizes what she needs- quiet time alone, snuggles with daddy, playtime outside, etc. She knows what she needs because we have helped give her the tools to do so.

I will keep praying that God continues to guide us with our newest touchy baby. =)

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Introducing Baby #4 {weeks 1-5 Baby Summary, sleep schedule and feedings}

by Meghan // September 3, 2016 // Comments off

Well, on July 22, 2016 at 10:47pm we welcomed our 4th child, and 3rd baby girl, Coralie into the world.

Her birth story is to come (and it’s a pretty good one!) but for now I will just focus on her summary for weeks 1-5.

Weeks 1-2 we focused on nursing, sleep, and getting her days and nights in order. Not only was she confusing her days and nights (I had to wake her to eat during the day and she was up all night wanting to nurse 24/7), but she had reflux and was generally unhappy, sometimes even while nursing.

I didn’t cut out dairy before she was born, like I did with #3, and I did cheat and have creamer in coffee 2xs during the first 2-3 weeks so it is quite possible that her reflux was due to dairy in my diet. As of now (week 5), she is not having reflux.

We also decided to go ahead and supplement with formula pretty early on. I tried to avoid it with each baby, and with my last she lost 14% of her body weight only nursing before we tried formula. So, in an effort to avoid that all together, for my peace of mind, and hopefully to satisfy her upset stomach we started Nutramigen formula- and within 2 days she was a different baby! She was satisfied, her tummy didn’t seem upset as much (though she still had reflux from time to time) and she was happier. (when she is older and I have more time we will probably start on our homemade formula)

Today, at 5 weeks, I am 100% off dairy, she is nursing great, and reflux is gone. Reflux is known for coming and going and flaring back up around 6-8 weeks, but we are praying that won’t be the case. (I am actually posting this at 7 weeks ols, and her reflux seems to be back .. =/)

She has her days and nights in order, though I do have to wake her at the 3 hour mark sometimes to eat during the day. She is going from about 7pm of last feeding to about 2-4am most nights now. At 4 weeks old it was 2xs a night, and this past week has been mostly 1-2 times a night. Sometimes she makes it until 5am

She is having a witching hour that varies from 4 or 6pm until 9pm. Some nights she goes to bed at 8pm after her dinner no problems, other nights she witches until 9 or 9:30pm. Regardless, I am not complaining. Those first few weeks were incredibly tough, much harder than they were with my second or third babies. But things are calming down.

I would say so far Coralie is most like my oldest as a baby; she is amazingly alert during her wake times, eats like a champ, and I think it will be a while longer before she gets her nights stretched out really well.

At week 5 here is our routine:

6:45-7:15 wake, nurse, bottle (if she doesn’t wake up by 7am, I wake her to start our day)
40 mins later nap- her first wake time is usually about 40 minutes and she is asleep by 45 minutes
10:00am wake, (go outside) nurse, bottle- if she doesn’t wake herself before now, I wake her at 10
40 minutes later nap (or after first yawn if she yawns before 40 minutes)
1:00 wake, nurse, bottle- if she doesn’t wake up I wake her 3 hours after her last feeding
40 minutes later nap (or after first yawn if she yawns before 40 minutes)
4:00 wake, (go outside) nurse, bottle
40 minutes later down for nap, (or after first yawn if she yawns before 40 minutes)
This is where she usually begins her witching hour. She may go right to sleep for this nap, or she may stay up and fuss. If she is fussy I typically hold her on and off so she gets some sleep; we also will nurse on demand if that is all that will soothe her
6:30 bath if it is a bath night, I wake her if she is asleep
7pm nurse, bottle, straight to bed- sometimes she continues with the witching hour until after 8pm, sometimes she goes right to sleep
1 or 2 middle of the night wakings anywhere from 11pm-2am, and 4am-6am

Sometimes I miss her sleepy cues at nap and she gets a bit OT; I can usually give her a paci (a wubbanub to be more specific, she won’t take a regular pacifier …) to calm her, put her down and when she drifts off & spits it out, I take the pacifier away. Sometimes it only takes once, sometimes it takes more than once, but usually that works. Our biggest issue is getting her burped in time for the 40 minute mark without her falling asleep while being held and THEN avoiding hiccups. Just like in utero, she is very hiccupy!

She is just like her biggest sister, in that she is very sensitive to wake times! Sometimes she wakes early into her nap & fusses a few minutes and goes to sleep before I can even get to her; but mostly keeping her WTs at 40 minutes right now seems to be key.

Though a happy baby, she is a bit colicky, but very social. She started smiling and cooing earlier than my others, it seems. She is ticklish under her arms and at her ribs and loves to be snuggled by her older siblings.

She enjoys being outside and talked to. I would say she is definitely more needy than Ila was, but then again, Ila was basically perfect in the eating, and sleeping departments. Coralie is more like her brother and oldest sister right now.

We will see how she changes and grows!

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Wordless Wednesday {the one with Baby #4}

by Meghan // August 3, 2016 // Comments off

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Baby Summary {21 Months Old}- Baby #3

by Meghan // June 20, 2016 // Comments off

Poor #3 … not nearly as many updates as the first two babies. =)

This month (June 2016) Ila turned 21 months old. Next month, she will become a big sister! hard to believe; we have definitely had the “she’s the baby” mentality with her.

Developmentally Ila has grown by leaps and bounds the last few months. Here is what she is doing/saying this month:

says:
- “Mi Mi” for Mister (the I says i like icky when she says it)
- “bar” for granola bar
- “MMMnum MMMnum” for cup (don’t ask, we don’t know why?!)
- grape
- apple
- bucha (she is obssessed with Kombucha right now!)
- “back” for having her back scratched, & brings the back scratcher to us
- cough
- shoes
- bowl
- and she just jabbers. Lexie spoke in complete sentences at like 12 months, Mister did a lot too. Ila has her favorite words and the rest is just jabbering. haha
She’s been more clingy since about 19 months old; it is a phase I am sure because despite being my little sidekick, she’s a very independent toddler that likes her space.
Finally enjoys me reading to HER; she has always wanted to be the one reading to ME, so night time books ended in a fit. I finally just stopped trying and though she still reads to herself all day, she will let me read to her now!
She loves playing dress up with big sister; she also enjoys hanging out with the older two and playing in their world
Plays pretend- My first two did not play a lot of pretend on their own at this age. Ila DEFINITELY has a big imagination- she makes the knights and horses talk and play, she plays with her baby doll, dressing and undressing her, and plays with the bath toys in their own world.
Enjoys doing the Melissa and Doug puzzles we have, and is learning her shapes this way
She brings me ABC bean bags (best purchase ever!) and says some letters or letter sounds, they’re not usually right- but hey, she knows they are letters. 😉
She can count to 10- these things (counting, letters, etc) she just picks up from us doing homeschool and living around her.
Pats everyone on the back when they are coughing or sneezing (it’s allergy season ..) and is very affectionate. When Mister or Lexie is hurt or crying she gets their lovey and brings it to them, then pats them. =)
Uses her fork and spoon really well!- Mister at 7 months refused to let anyone feed him and O M GEE he was the messiest eater EVER. Still is! So I refused to let Ila feed herself with a spoon or fork until about 3-4 weeks ago. And she does SO well! She is a really neat eater and if she can’t do in neatly or easily she asks for help. Mama’s girl 😉
Ila is obsessed with sitting on the potty; she doesn’t do anything on it … and she takes her diaper off all the time! So is she ready to potty train? Yea … she probably is. And if I had a few days to just focus on that, she would probably be trained and done. So, I may try here soon. It is really just a lack of me being motivated and focused than anything.
She gives the biggest hugs and kisses!
Learned to roll her tongue and does it anytime she sees her daddy (go figure)
She is requires a hair bow to leave her bed. She loves them.
Got her first real haircut at the salon recently; I have trimmed her hair several times since she was about 3-4 months old? But decided it was time for a real haircut!
Loves bath time; hates having her hair washed or brushed in any way, shape, or form. UGH it’s a nightmare trying to brush her hair most of the time.
Her little bow-legs are straighter. We were supposed to go in for her well child not too long ago, and we all ended up w the stomach flu. So we haven’t been, but since then her legs have straightened up significantly! At her 2 yr well visit I will have the dr make sure they are looking straight/okay. I don’t want her to have feet that turn in/knees that knock if we can fix it. She is already destined to have terrible feet thanks to her mama and daddy, both.
At this point she knows all of her body parts and can name most of them
Still loves the dogs, chickens, calves, and cats; knows most of her animal sounds
Asks for me to swing her when outside
Dancing is one of her very favorite things- she dances in the car, in her high chair, pretty much anytime there is music on she dances. We went to OK with J.Tom’s family and spent most of our time at the pool; Ila really enjoyed dancing to the music there.

{playing Pandora Radio on the TV}

That’s all the new on my list & that I can think of right now …

At the end of May we moved Ila out of her nursery in our room (which is just a second, biggish-closet), to big sister Lexie’s room. And it has gone SO well! Oh my goodness, the Lord knew we needed it to work, and it has perfectly. Ila is in her crib, Lexie downsized to a twin bed (which she loves), and I shifted some furniture around. It is still plenty spacious and the girls do great. They don’t wake each other up, we have staggered bedtimes (see Ila’s schedule below), and Lexie is really good at being quiet when she needs to get up for the bathroom or anything.

Since Ila was about 13-14 months old? this has been her schedule and so far it is still working:

7am wake, eat
9:30-10:30 independent play in crib with KLove on and a few music toys. She loves it!
11:15 lunch
12:00 down for nap, usually asleep within 20 minutes but most of the time much sooner
3:00 up from nap (wakes between 2:20-3 most days but stays in bed until 3)
3:30ish after snuggles with everyone, snack
5:30 supper, bath, playtime
6:45pm bed

We don’t watch a lot of TV in our home, but when I do turn something on for the kids, it is usually Curious George on Netflix. Ila *loves* George and says, “ooo ooo aaaah aaaah” for monkeys. She enjoys our animal book the most and pointing out bugs all over the place.

For naps and night time, Ila insists that she has socks on and her sleep sack (on backwards or else she unzips it). I always turn on the humidifier for white noise and the ceiling fan (she insists on that as well).

Overall, Ila has been just as happy and sweet as she was the first few months of her life. She never cried much and though she has become fussy and clingy during certain phases, in general that is not her disposition. She is definitely the easiest-going out of all the kids so far.

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Wordless Wednesday: First Lake Adventure

by Meghan // June 8, 2016 // Comments off

Grand Lake Oklahoma {Mister is a fish! Lexie … more like a nervous fish 😉 }

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!