Titus-2 Months

Yesterday Titus was two months old. He is growing SO fast. Much like his older sisters he has gotten chubby cheeks and is gaining weight quickly. I weighed him on our scale and I think he weighs about 14 pounds. I don't think it will be long before I switch out his 0-3 month clothes for 3-6 month ones. So far he has yet to sleep through the night. This past week I have been able to encourage him to drop his 5 a.m. feeding but he is still eating between 2:30 & 3. He loves to be held!! He is napping in his bed now, but if he is awake he definitely wants to be held. Which is okay with me because I still love to snuggle with him. Between running Grace to school and other family activities it has been harder to figure out a routine. He is such a joy. We are getting really big smiles now. But he isn't laughing or cooing too much yet. He really hated having these pictures taken because he wasn't swaddled, so I did the best I could.

Sadly Titus outgrew his "peanut shell" but he continued to want to be swaddled almost all the time. So, he has three 48" blankets Grandpa Rick & Grandma Leeanne gave him that are perfect for swaddling. I am getting to be a pro at it. While I think he looks adorable in his "big boy" clothes above, most of the time this is what he looks like.

Confessions of a Public LIbrary Drop-Out

Well, I have a confession to make. I just took my kids to the public library for the first time. As frugal as I am I have not made use of the library since Grace was little. Let me explain. When we first moved here I was all about having a library membership. I love to read. When I found out it cost $70 a year because we didn't live inside city limits it slowed me down, but I still cashed out the money. You see we didn't have cable tv and reading was something I did to relax. We were also on a tight budget and it was before the days of moneysavingmom.com so I read books like "The Tightwad Gazette." (Anybody remember me reading those? While helpful, we got a lot of free laughs from them. Remember the idea to make puzzles for your kids out of recycled meat trays??) I digress. Well, I definitely didn't get my $70 worth that year. As Grace got older she became mobile at a very young age and I just couldn't figure out how to take her to the library and actually pick out a book. The library had stairs so I couldn't stick her in a stroller. And she was very independent from the beginning. (in reality I was mortified I would have to drag her kicking and screaming from the library while i fainted in embarrassment)

But, when we went to visit the Gorsch's last week Grace said, "Mom, do we have a library we can go to?" I had to confess that we do indeed have a library in Hannibal. The funny thing is since we moved to our new house the library has been free. And ironically even though I now have 3 kids I didn't think it would be that big of a deal to tackle this outing. (Have I relaxed a little?)

So with Grace and Faith hand in hand and Titus in the sling we went to the library. I was surprised to see that the library had a ramp & an elevator so I'm not really sure what I was so afraid of. And with some chatting in the car beforehand about having to wait while I renewed our library card and how they should act they even waited nicely! The girls loved choosing their own books to check out. Here were some of their selections: Clifford, Berenstein Bears, Dora, Arthur, Handy Manny, Thomas the Train & Fancy Nancy. (Hopefully you didn't notice that my kids chose all books that have a TV show associated with them.) Oh, except for Fancy Nancy. Which by the way I think would be a hit kids show if they turned it into one. So, Jane O'Connor if you are interested give me a call- we could totally use the royalty check.

So, I have renewed my interest in the public library and I think (gasp) we might even try the summer reading program. Sounds like fun! And maybe at some point I will even attempt to check out a book for me. Maybe...

3 Moms+7 Kids+2 Full Days=FUN

Last week the kids and I took a road trip to visit Kristina, Sadie, Kinnick, & Macey. Stephanie and Hannah also came to visit. So total we had 7 kids under the age of 4! We started our fun at the Children's Museum in Bloomington. The kids really enjoyed it. It was a little hectic with two nursing moms, but overall we were able to work together to keep all the kids busy. (a.k.a. Stephanie was a great help) I think the favorite activities were driving the tractor & painting. My girls especially enjoyed the painting wall. We packed a lunch and took in as much fun as possible before the kids needed a break.

The Paiting "Wall"

Hannah & Stephanie play while the other kids paint.

Checking out the baby chicks.

We then headed up to the Gorsch's house. After resting in the car the kids played and then we made a trip to the park. We were quite a train with Kristina pushing the babies in the double stroller, me pulling Faith & Kinnick in the wagon, Grace & Sadie on riding toys, and Stephanie pushing Hannah in her stroller. That night we let the big girls have a "sleep over" in Sadie's room. They all had on monkey pj's (unplanned) and it was a very traditional sleep over in that it took them forever to go to bed.

The next morning Kristina and I did three sets of baths & then we headed to a play group at the local library. The kids got a free book, storytime, lunch, and time to do activities. It was fun. After napping we went to let the kids play on the playground at Kristina's school. It was two full days and my kids went right to sleep when we headed home around bed time. I don't know who had more fun the kids or us girls getting a chance to visit. (Hopefully I can add more pictures once Kristina posts hers as she took a majority of the pics)

Titus & Macey waiting for bath time.

At play group Grace made this picture. It is the first time when she has wrote her name I could actually make out the letters. If you look closely you can see what looks like Gggce H. (not too bad)

Signs of Spring

On Monday our family went for a walk to look for "signs of Spring." It was our first walk in our neighborhood since Titus joined our family. The girls had lots of fun. Grace wore her super sleuth hat & binoculars for the occasion. We are VERY excited for Spring at our house. Although for different reasons. I am so ready to loose the hat/gloves/coat/boots etc. routine when we leave the house. Grace keeps asking if Spring is here yet because she wants to go camping. We told her we would go when Spring came, so she is keeping track.

Funny to think today is the first day of Spring and it is snowing outside. Although many people don't think of the midwest as being beautiful I love the way we fully experience all four seasons. There are things I love about each one. But, I especially love Spring. The first day of Spring has taken on a new meaning for me. Last year it was on that day that our baby unexpectedly went to Heaven. I think I will always be reminded of our little one on this day each Spring. But, Spring isn't about death. It is about new life. Its not our baby's death that I remember, but the hope we have of meeting our little one someday in Heaven. Only the hope we have in Christ can bring the type of healing our family has experienced.

Little One,

I know you are in a place beyond my imagination. A place so beautiful and perfect even God's word cannot fully describe it. There is nothing better for a mother than to know your child walks with the Lord. And you are in a place where you can truly walk with Jesus. Our family loved to walk hand in hand and shout out, "Four Strong." I remember we whispered "Five Strong" for the first time when it was still a secret I was pregnant with you. While we are now five strong as an earthly family I still imagine us all together again someday as we walk the streets of heaven and shout, "Six strong" or whatever that number will be.

Love,

Your Mama

Happy Spring!

Road Trip Perspective

This week the girls and I went on a road trip. (Opps, still adjusting- the kids and I...) I love a great road trip. There is just something about packing up and going somewhere that gets me excited. When I think about the idea of a "road trip" I think about my college days. Jumping in the car, headed to a new place with my friends. Often these trips were spontaneous. And if they were planned the most I had to worry about was what outfits I wanted to pack so I'd look cute in all the photos we were sure to snap along the way. I have some great memories of past trips.

These days my life is a little less spontaneous. Okay, maybe a lot less spontaneous. Getting ready for a trip these days looks more like this:

Doing Laundry. Or This:

Packing lunches for Jeremy while I will be gone.

As for those cute outfits, I pack three sets of them for my kiddos and hope I remember to pack clothes for me too. Going on a road trip is simply put, a whole lot of work. But, I still love a great road trip. So, I do laundry, pack suitcases, make lists, pack lunches, and hit the road in my minivan. And I am so glad I did it was a blast!! (More on that later)

This week I finally sat down and cracked open my Bible study book & journal. The last date I had written in it? January 22nd. The Friday before Titus was born. Time to get back into the holy habit of quiet time with the Lord. So, what in the world does this have to do with my road trip?

Before kids I could spend time with the Lord whenever I wanted to. There were no little people to interrupt. No necessary sleep deprivation to distract me. (Notice I said necessary, there was definitely sleep deprivation in college but it was chosen.) Now finding quite time to read my Bible is kind of like a road trip, work. I am a wife, I am a mom to three small children, I am not getting quality sleep... Does that mean I should cut myself some slack? Maybe.

Yes, I do have a new baby. And some might say this warrants my lack of quiet time. But, I have found time to watch TV, I have found the energy to plan for a road trip. So, I'm working at reestablishing my quiet time. Not because God won't cut me some slack. But, because I am a wife & mom of 3 small children who isn't getting quality sleep. And I NEED the perspective God's word brings to my life. How else can I be patient, kind, & equipped to be the wife and mother God desires?

Ultimately daily quiet time with the Lord is just like a road trip a whole lot of work but totally worth the investment.

Growing So Fast!

One of the great things about having a newborn is that they are constantly changing, reminding you how far behind you are on updating your blog. My mom took these photos when Titus was 5 1/2 weeks old. And his look has already changed! But the photos were too cute not to share. It was a typical photo session full of bribing, begging, and my kids basically not cooperating. My favorite quote from this photo session was from my sister. It went like this:

Jenn: Can you imagine what its like trying to take a family picture of the Duggars?

Josie: I bet its easy their kids are so well behaved..... I mean uh, not that your kids aren't well behaved.

My kids not well behaved? Clearly, Josie lived with us and knows my kids! Lets just say my kids remind me DAILY how important my job of molding & shaping them into the people God desires them to be is! (and I'm guessing maybe yours do too.... at least I hope so)

And for the record, I only use the popular bribing and begging parenting technique when their Gramy is trying to take pictures, I wouldn't recommend it for general daily use.

Play Date

Kristina & her kids came to visit her parents so we went up to have a play date. It was fun having all the kids together. We visited/refereed while the kids played. I feel so blessed that God gave me a lifetime friend in Kristina. We played together when we were our kids' age because our moms were friends. We were baptized on the same day. We were college roommates. And now we are having fun sharing the craziness of being moms to 3 small kids. God is good!

First Smile

Tonight while Titus and I were snuggling on the couch he smiled at me for the first time. It totally melted my heart. He actually smiled like 3 times in a row. You know you are a mom when something so simple can totally make your day! It made that super long hard pregnancy and six weeks of sleepless nights totally worth it. I can't believe he is six weeks old, it really is going fast. I love you my little man.

Jeremy tried to get a picture. But it really doesn't show how big of a grin he rewarded us with, so hopefully we will better capture his precious smile with the camera soon.