Half Birthday!!!

Claire is already 6 months old. Wow. Time is flying by so much faster than it seemed to with Reed. Before we know it, we'll be celebrating her birthday.
She will see her doctor on Friday, so I don't have her 6 month stats. Suffice it to say that I'm sure she has doubled her birth weight by now. She's a bit of a chunker. Carries it in her thighs.

She is sitting up unassisted for longer periods of time. She scoots around on her belly and if she's there long enough will even push up onto her knees for a bit. We've started her on some baby food, but haven't been super consistent. We'll have to start that now though. She's had peas (which she is not a super fan of) and applesauce (which she seems to like just fine). She's still not too sure what to make of the solid food though.

We will meet with the pediatric neurologist on Wednesday. After her initial MRI he wanted to see her at 6 months. We don't know if he'll order another MRI, but we're hopeful that he won't. Claire is showing no signs of concern whatsoever (Praise the Lord!) and continues to develop as a normal, healthy, happy, baby girl.

Reed has really come into stride as her big brother. It seems that the worst of his transition is over and he is just a really great kid to be around again. He's funny. He's kind. He's encouraging. He tells Claire how much he loves her and talks about how cute she is. She is "his Claire Irene."

Speaking of Reed...his 4th birthday is in two weeks! How do my kids keep growing up so fast?!?!?!

I'm excited to do the holidays with two kids this year. As a parent, the holidays definitely become more about the joy on your children's faces and getting to share with them why we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas at all. Such a fun time and a great chance to make memories. Reed is already asking to make snow ice cream with Daddy again :)

6 Months!!!!

Those thighs. Seriously. 

Just being cute. 

Exploring with Daddy. 

Reed got to go to Mr. Ben's work. It was heaven. 

Speedy Reedy Lawn Service for his first trick or treating adventure. 

Dane and I continue to be blessed. 

5 Months

I cannot believe that Claire is already 5 months old. That makes her only one month away from 6 months! (impressive math skills, huh?).
She is still a chunky monkey with thighs that won't quit. She's still a rock star sleeper (although this week she's struggled a bit). She is still super chill (a trait obviously inherited from her father).
She is working really hard at sitting up unassisted.
She smiles a ton and laughs a lot too (mostly at her big brother).
She's tried some sweet potatoes, but I'm not really pushing solid foods at the moment. Her doctor says she's fine until 6 months, so I'm not putting too much pressure on myself right now to make that a part of her daily deal.
She went on her first camping trip last month. It was an adventure. Have you ever been camping with a 3 year old and a 4 month old? It really could have been worse, but just confirmed that I am not the camping type. In the future, this can be something Dane shares with the kids. I'll just find something else obviously much more awesome...any ideas?

Claire was also dedicated at church last week. We made a covenant before our church to raise her in the knowledge of the Lord. To pray for her and to teach her to pray. To love her as Christ loves us. And our church made a covenant to help us and support us in those efforts. Of course we will fail, but thank God for forgiveness and grace and the opportunities to show that to our kids as well.
My dad, Pat and Pop were able to attend and it was nice to share that with them.

Claire will have her 6 month check-up in November. She will also have another MRI (although this has yet to be scheduled). We continue to praise God for her completely "normal" development so far.

In other news...we took our house off of the market. We don't need to sell it and so when given the option of a price drop or taking it off the market, we chose the latter. We'll just try again in the spring...maybe. And since we're not moving right now, I've decided we need to do some small renovations (changing some paint colors, updating window treatments...) to liven the place up a bit. Dane's on board, so hopefully we can get started on some of that stuff next month.

Lots of pics for you today :)

 At a friends baby shower

 Bed head. 

 Working on sitting up

 Speedy Reedy's Lawn Service

 Dedication

Surprised him with lunch after preschool.

 Goofball.

 Love. 

 Camping

5 Months! 

This Too Shall Pass

***Disclaimer***
This post is a portrait of the real struggles of a mom and her trying preschooler. I don't want to paint a bad picture of my son and hesitated to post this because of that. But in the end felt that there is beauty in our struggles and maybe in sharing my own another mama will be encouraged. 

I keep having to remind myself that "this too shall pass." The season we are in right now won't last forever. And God's grace and peace are enough to get us through.

Three has been a hard year for Reed. Don't get me wrong..he's a great kid. He's thoughtful and loving. He's kind and funny. It's so much fun to be able to carry on a conversation with him. And he is so curious about everything! When it's good, it's really good. But when it's bad...oh boy.

When he was about two I began to realize that we probably had what they call a "strong-willed" or "spirited" child on our hands. He is a bit more intense, more persistent, more energetic, more aware of justice, more, more, more. He doesn't just throw a tantrum. He throws a tantrum. I've since learned that these are what they call "spill over" tantrums. His emotions have been bottled up and then something sets him off and they just spill over and he's no longer rational or in control. For Reed it culminates in a lot of anger that subsides to lots of tears. The best thing to do is allow him to safely express these emotions and try (try really hard) not to lose our cool ourselves.
So, three has been hard. But three has been even harder since Claire has arrived. He LOVES his little sister so stinkin' much. She is the first thing he wants to see in the morning and he showers her with kisses and hugs throughout the day. But he's struggling with the fact that she gets any attention at all. And unfortunately, he had a really rough day at his sitter's last week.
Now, Dane and I have seen this before but he usually reserves this behavior just for us (lucky us, huh?). So, to hear that he had acted that way in front of her was hard. As a mom I felt so responsible for this behavior and it was even worse because I didn't (and still don't) have a solution. There are things that work sometimes but at other times only serve to make the situation worse.
So I met with her the next morning while Reed was at preschool. I remember texting Dane and saying that I was nervous to talk to her because I didn't have a solution and wasn't sure what to say. I just wanted to make it clear that we were working on one. That we aren't just letting this behavior exist without addressing it. That she has permission to discipline him and that if ever there is a day like that again she needs to call me. We also reminded ourselves that Reed has had a new sister, changed babysitters, started preschool and is aware that our house is on the market and we hope to move soon. That's a lot of change in a few short months!
The conversation went really well and I think we both felt better after.
For the next couple of days I cried a lot. I prayed a lot. And then I started to think about what I know about Reed and what he needs. He is a kinesthetic learner. He needs to be constantly stimulated (I'm not exaggerating when I say that in all his life I'm not sure that he's sat still for longer than 20 minutes at a time unless he's asleep). He likes to feel responsible and thinks of himself as a much bigger kid than he actually is. He has no problem in preschool or Sunday school because he's allowed to explore, play, and create.
Taking this into consideration, I decided that the first thing we would do was create an "activity box" for him to take to his sitter's. We gathered some things from around the house (Legos, play doh, cars) and then headed to Target to explore their $1 section. After getting some coloring books, paints, and dinosaurs we packed up his box and brought it with him on Monday. This seemed to help and kept his curiosity engaged. I'm so glad for this, and I also know that I will need to rotate activities out of this box because he will soon grow bored with his current options.
I also gathered some tips and tricks of things that work most of the time(some from me and Dane and some from Gma Pat who watches him on Fridays) to take to his sitter in the hopes that they will work for her too.
Some good friends and family reminded me over and over again that they were praying, and that Reed is such an awesome kid. And that a lot of the characteristics that are challenging now will serve him greatly in the future. It was so good to have that encouragement.
So, that's where we are. This week has been better. I know it's a day to day thing and that we just need to remain consistent and make sure he knows just how much he's loved. At the end of the day that's really what matters.
And the things I cherish in my heart are moments like these:

Last week we took Claire to her 4 month check-up and while in the waiting room Reed noticed a girl (about 6 or 7) crying on her mom's lap. He found a book that he likes to read with me at home and brought it over to the girl saying "here, this will make you feel better."

Reed asks about Grandma Rhonda a lot. A few weeks ago he asked if I miss her. I told him I miss her everyday. He asked why and I explained that she was my mommy and I miss her  because I never get to see her or talk to her. A bit later he came over and hugged me and said "mama, I'm hugging you because you miss your mommy." He continues to do this randomly....as if he just knows when I need the extra love.

And when he prays at night...the things he thanks God for are sometimes so funny ("God, thank you for my lawn mower") and sometimes so sweet ("God thank you for giving me a little sister. I just love her so much.")
He is so sensitive to the feelings of others. His heart is big. We are blessed to be his parents.

And Miss Claire is 4 months old today!!! She is in the 90% for her length and weight (25in,  16.3lbs) and is already rolling over from both tummy and back. She's still a rock star sleeper and still such a smiley, sweet, easy baby. Upon hearing that she is rolling over and starting to laugh her doctor stated, "Well, I just think she's really trying to tell us that we don't need to worry about her brain development. Not only is she doing well, but she's even a little ahead!" She will have another MRI at 6 months...but so far so good!
When I look at her I am reminded of God's promise of peace. He really is so good to us.

 4 months!!!

 A Culver's ice cream beard and beautiful brown eyes :)

 1st Day of Preschool

She thinks he's hilarious

So, in summary...

• We have two great kids. 
• I'm challenging myself to look at each day with a glass half full perspective (sometimes this is hard!). 
• God's grace and peace are enough. 
• This too shall pass.

I'm so excited to see the kind of man Reed turns out to be...but I don't want that day to come too quickly ;)

What's In a Name?

On my drive into work this morning I was thinking about how my children will live up to the names we've given them. In naming our kids it was important for us to come up with names that honor our families and the people who have come before our kids and influenced either Dane, myself, or us both.

You all know that Reed was named after my mom who's maiden name was Reeds. Now, the name Reed in and of itself doesn't mean anything super special (it was a name used to describe redheads in Old English times and was later used to describe people living in sort of swampy places). But as far as honoring the Reeds family and my mom, I think my Reed is living up to his name. He is passionate and kind. He is thoughtful and curious. He is perceptive and eager to learn. My mom was also many of those traits and I know she would be so proud of him. It makes me smile to talk to him about the amazing woman his name comes from. I hope he will one day be proud of his name.

His middle name is Allen. He was given this name to honor his dad and his grandpa who both share the same middle name. Allen actually means, "handsome." And with his big brown eyes and super long lashes...well it just goes without saying that he's certainly living up to the meaning of that one ;)

Claire is only three months old and so we obviously don't know yet exactly what kind of little person she will become. I've already shared with you the meaning of her name in a previous post. Claire Irene means "clear, bright peace." In a pregnancy fraught with lots of emotion her name did bring us peace. It was a reminder that God was in control of whatever outcome.

But we can see that she is already living up to her name. She has such a bright smile and flashes it around all the time. She is a peaceful baby, fussing rarely and sleeping so well already. It appears as though she may have her dad's laid back temperament.

I hope that my kids will grow up knowing just how much thought we put into their names. I hope they are eager to learn about the people for whom they are named. My mom, my grandma...both women who influenced my life in ways I can't fully express or thank them for. Both strong, faithful women. Women who had a desire to help others and share God's love by doing.
Dane too was influenced greatly by my grandma and how she served others. She was a woman who didn't stop and shared her love (and cookies) freely. And while Dane never knew my mom she has influenced him through me and the kind of wife and mom I aim to be.

Names are something we carry for our entire lives. I've always loved my name. Mallory, original, yet not too crazy...and Catherine, classic and a connection to an aunt I love.
It's funny that Mallory actually means "unlucky" because I do believe I've been blessed greatly.

Claire will be three months old tomorrow. She is super sweet, chunky, smiley, and a rock star sleeper. She usually sleeps from about 10:30p to 5:30 or 6am. Occasionally she will wake up earlier but after she nurses she goes right back to sleep for a couple more hours. It really is a blessing, that is not lost on us. She's just so laid back...she must get that from Dane ;)

Last weekend we went to the IL State Fair. This is something Dane grew up doing every summer and a tradition we have carried on with Reed, and now Claire. It was a good weekend and Reed got to help both his grandpa and Dane's Uncle Kelly mow their lawns. He even earned $2 for helping Uncle Kelly and declared that his lawn service business is now real because it has made money. I may have to frame one of those dollars ;)

This week I went back to work. It seems that the kids new sitter is doing well with them. On Reed's first day he was happy to report that he got to help her husband mow the lawn. He will forever love them now and ask daily if he can mow their lawn again. He eats, sleeps, and breathes lawn work.

 Sibling love

 Claire's first fair

 All smiles

A hat advertising the lawn service a friend of ours works for. Reed's new favorite. 

Life At 10 Weeks

Claire will be 10 weeks on Thursday. We were pleased to find out that she had gained three pounds between her 1 month appointment and her 2 month appointment and now weighs in at a hefty 13 pounds. She is also continuing to stay on track with her neurological development and we are so happy about that. She's smiling and cooing a lot now. And let me just tell you that her smile is the best thing ever. She is such a happy little girl.
I'm also glad to say that shortly after I wrote my last blog post and expressed my frustrations with breast feeding, we seemed to break through a wall and things have gotten so much better. She is 90% breastfed and has taken feedings down from an hour to about 20-30 mins. She gets a bottle before bed so that Dane can get a chance to feed her and I can get an opportunity to pump to build up a supply for when I go back to work. That first month-6 weeks of breastfeeding is really hard. I'm so glad that Dane kept encouraging me and supported whatever decision I chose to make. I'm thankful for the time I've had off of work to really put the effort into making breastfeeding work and I'm glad that I have given myself the allowance to give her the occasional bottle of formula. If I hadn't had this time off I would have thrown in the towel. My goal now is to try and continue breastfeeding for at least 6 months (longer would be awesome!) but we'll have to see how things will change/adjust when I'm back at work and pumping primarily (I never produce a ton when I pump).
We have found a new sitter for Reed and Claire and a pre-school for Reed. We weren't sure if we should continue with Reed's current sitter in St. Louis or find a new one in Illinois closer to where I work and we would like to be moving (soon, Lord?). In the end the Lord opened up an opportunity for us to switch the kids to a woman in Greenville just minutes from the college. She is a professor's wife and has years of experience working at a local pre-school (in fact, the one Reed will be attending). I brought them to her house today so they could hang out and get to know one another a bit before I go back to work. I left for about an hour and a half to see how it would go without me there. Claire didn't cry (as I had feared she would) and Reed had a blast checking out their lawn equipment (you guys...you don't even know this kids love for lawn equipment....seriously). It was just further confirmation that this is the right choice. For now, they will ride an hour each way with me (not so fun) but we hope this will change when/if we sell our house. It will be so nice to have them just minutes away. I can pop over during my lunch hour and be close if something happens and they need me. In the end, the pros outweighed the cons so we're moving forward with this plan. They will also still stay with Pat one day a week and get that quality time with her and my Pop. So grateful for that.
Our house has been on the market for three weeks now. We had two showings right away but haven't seen any action in almost two weeks now. I keep stressing out about this, but Dane keeps reminding me that it will sell when it's supposed to and that it doesn't matter how many showings we have because all we need is that one buyer to come in and make an offer. So...I'm trying to take his approach and be at peace, trusting in God's plan.
I go back to work next month and am super stressed about creating a new routine. I feel like we just settled into our routine with two kids and now we will have to adjust to another one. But in the end I know we will and all will be well.

Such a handsome little dude

Reed says she's his "best friend forever"

Fourth of July

Getting ready to use a real leaf blower. He was in heaven. 

2 months old

Smiley

Dane and I are super blessed with our two kiddos...even on the bad days :)

1 Month Down...

Well, we've officially survived our first month with two children. Claire was one month old on the 16th and had her doctor's appointment on the 17th.
She is healthy and happy. She is 10 lbs and 22 inches. The doctor was glad to see that she is tracking objects and focusing which is what they would look for in any infant her age. This is great news for her neurological development.
She only gained a pound and a half from our last appointment which he said was on the "lower side of acceptable" and said that if things continue like that or get worse we may need to consider supplementing.
It was all I could do not to cry right there.
You see, I've been struggling with breastfeeding and feeling very frustrated with it. Claire nurses for up to an hour and then still acts as if she is hungry only to feed again an hour later. It gets to be very hard some days when Reed really  needs my attention and I'm not able to give it to him 100% because Claire  needs to eat.
I wanted so badly to provide this for her. I know that breast milk is what is best for her and her neurological development...but I'm not gonna lie, there have been days I have been reduced to tears due to my frustration with feeding and feeling as though I will never be able to get a break or leave my house for more than an hour.
After a really rough day last week in which Claire seemed to want to eat all day and never seemed satisfied, Dane and I made the decision to start supplementing her feedings. I still nurse whenever I can and I pump when she is getting a bottle but there are times when it is absolutely necessary for her to get formula rather than settling in for an hour of nursing. Like when we're trying to leave for church in the morning and she needs to eat.
I battled my mom guilt for a while on this one but am at peace with our current situation. I know that she is still getting mostly breast milk and found that Enfamil actually makes a formula specifically for supplementing.
I know this is not my fault. I simply don't produce enough to keep up with her growing body's demand. My mom had the same problem. And my dad reminded me that God has a plan which even includes how much breast milk my daughter will receive ;)
I have to be satisfied with just doing my best and trusting that He'll take care of the rest.
We'll go back in a month and I'm anxious to find out her weight gain then.

Overall she is a pretty easy baby. Of course we've had a couple rough days and a few "bad" nights, but she really does pretty well. She sleeps for about 3 hours at a time and usually goes right back to sleep after eating. She's starting to smile now and the doctor said we can be on the lookout for her social smile soon.
We continue to be encouraged that her neurological development seems to be appropriate for her age.

Reed wants to hold her a lot. He likes to squish her "chubby cheeks" and look at her tiny feet. He often says "I just love her so much!" He has to be reminded to be gentle and still struggles with sharing the attention (he seems to forget how to listen to us on those days...) but I know that this phase will pass and we will survive.

In other non-kid related news...we are putting our house on the market this week. How crazy are we? We have no idea if it will sell, but we figured it doesn't cost any money to try. We'll leave it on the market a few months and see what happens. We'll be at peace with whatever God's plan is for us and our family right now.