Our kids, good and bad, big and small, I love them all :)

Owen

I was just thinking about how different is each child of ours as I took Owen upstairs after he nearly spilled chia seeds all over the kitchen.  I was actually putting the Chia seeds back and found that he had hidden carrots in each of our kitchen cabinets.  He really must be the "baddest" toddler I've ever had, maybe because he has more room to roam, I have less time to keep an eye on him, and he has two older siblings to teach him bad things.  He also bit Josiah today, which is not unusual, but this time he really broke through the skin and peeled off a part of Josiah's skin....on Josiah's back, the poor thing.

Now that you think I'm crazy for pinpointing one of my children as the "worst," I will just go on to say he's also the "cutest."  He bats his eyelashes at me and gives me a bashful little glance when he is trying to manipulate me.  He also understands a lot that is going on.  He isn't talking a whole bunch.  He does jabber a lot and repeats a lot of words, but his big strength is he understands.  For example, I really struggle with getting to Josiah to just follow my directions.  It's really an obedience issue for Josiah (and he's pretty tired in the evenings).  I told Josiah to pleeeeeeease find his other shoe.  Josiah wandered around aimlessly not quite knowing what to do, and Owen went and found Josiah's other shoe straight away, without any trouble.

Another unique thing about Owen is his love for books.  He loves to read books with people!  My other kids have not been crazy about books like him.  He also can't fall asleep with us at all; he's always wanted to be in his own bed and is pretty particular about his bedtime routine already.  He loves TV, too!  He's my first kid who will really sit as a toddler and watch it.  It's kinda nice.  :)

Josiah

Josiah does require a lot of patience as well, in a different way than Owen.  So many times a day I think, are you HEARING me!!!????  And I know he is as his hearing has been tested recently by our ENT....it's like he wasn't hearing well for so long, we required little of him, and now he is hearing and functioning at a higher level and he sometimes thinks he can play dumb.  He's also just not doing things very independently.  He's happy to just let Mommy dress him while his body lies completely limp.  I always thought I would train my kids to do things for themselves, but with Josiah I feel we just got off to a rough start with him.

We are also still struggling with sleep with Josiah.  Ugh, it's no fun!

Considering he just started talking and hearing normally in February, he is doing splendidly.  He is really a typical three year old boy with exceptional athletic ability (I think!).  We've been learning about the human body (so far cells, blood, bones and skin).  Maryn is totally grossed out by it all and can't remember a single thing I teach her about it.  Josiah is completely into it!  I caught him looking at all the anatomy books today.  John and I keep saying he is probably going to grow up to do something that helps people/rescues people.  Even though he does kind of like to beat up people now, he seems the type to be able to stay calm in stressful situations and remain focused.  Again, just like his daddy.  Always so much like his daddy.

Maryn

We've been doing school this week pretty hardcore.  Yeah!  We're learning about the pilgrims and the human body, Claude Monet and George Frideric Handel, Lewis Carroll, memorizing addition facts and reading lots of books.  Yeah, we're kind of all over the place right now.  Maryn loves history, math and science.  She can't get enough info in her head about pilgrims, wants to do more and more math flash cards all the time, is still addicted to puzzles, and loves anything to do with engineering, nature, etc.  But she does not enjoy learning about anything "gross," meaning blood, bones, and the insides of bodies.  lol.  It's probably safe to say she will not be a doctor ;-)    We see her doing something in the area of art, architecture, design, using math to make things beautiful or make things make sense.  Which is weird to me, but whatever.  She is reading well but doesn't enjoy learning "how to read," she just wants to memorize the words and read.  She's not interested in the phonograms, but if a reading game is in the form of a puzzle or something like that, she is into it.  And she loves word finds and crossword puzzles.  :)

I haven't been taking many pictures with our nice camera because our SD card is full, but you can check out facebook for pics on our school days lately.

Strawberry Patches

Owen missed me while I was at VBS Monday night.  The boys stayed home with daddy because it runs rather late (9:00!!) and I volunteered for only two nights.  Thank goodness :)

  

 This is how I found my boys when I got home.  Owen had cried for an hour and half straight.

 I nursed right away, and Owen was then happy as a clam and went right back to Daddy and laid on him again.  I think their bonding time was needed and special.  :)

In other news.  For the last two days the kids have been wanting to do school.  I don't know what they think school is, really, but it basically means they want to follow our "summer schedule."  It's pretty basic and this was about the third time we've done the summer schedule all summer.  Maryn does SOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER on a structured routine.  And they get a lot of choice in the matter.  For example, 9:30 is Arts and Crafts time and Maryn decided we should make something having to do with strawberries since that was their favorite thing from the farm last week.  We went strawberry picking at Huber's.  So I just googled for some strawberry activities, and we made these cute strawberries out of paper plates.

 Here's our own strawberry patch!  We mixed strawberry scented soap into the paint to make them smell like strawberries.  The scent wore off, unfortunately.  I read that strawberry Jell-O works better.

It's very good to experiment with a school schedule right now, as I get used to doing things around Owen's naps and such.  Man oh man, I don't know HOW I will do this school thing 5 days or whatever a week.  It's ex.haust.ing!  But really we have had much better behavior.  It's a challenge--I kind of have to let the house get messy and hope I'll get to clean it at quiet time.  Which I normally do. ;-)

Owen Michael

Little Owen is now one year old.  We just had his one year doctor appointment so I figured I should share his stats and some little tidbits about him, his personality, and how we are getting along with three little kids under five years old.

First, this is all just surreal.  I feel like Owen just can't be mine, and he is too big to be my baby, and he's grown way too quickly.  Doesn't everyone say those things, like "Where has the time gone?"  But really, it's true.  I feel it more strongly now that I have one child who has nothing baby about her.  All of Maryn's baby-ness is gone.  She was holding my hand on the couch the other day, and not a single dimple or chubbiness is on her hand, her arms, or her face.  Of course, I knew she'd grow up.  But watching my kids grow up is sort of like dealing with a loss.  I have "lost" my baby girl, Maryn, and now she is almost five, and she will never, ever, ever be a baby again.  Never.

So that realization has made me yearn for more cuddles with my baby, Owen, but time passes quickly, and here he is already one year old and where has the time gone?  Many mothers wean at 12 months and I can't even bear to think of weaning.  He could probably walk if he wanted to, but what's the rush?  In another few months, I won't even have a baby to carry.  Possibly never again will I have a baby of my own to nurse or carry or sleep on my shoulder.  In some ways I look forward to that day, believe ME.  But in other ways I mourn the loss of my babies.

Weight:  22 lbs. 3 oz.  (50th percentile)
Height:  29.5 inches (50th percentile)
Head Circumference:  19 3/4 (25th percentile)
Teeth:  Owen has six teeth.  I think.  Maybe eight.  :)

Words:  cock-a-doodle-doo, quack, duck, woof woof, Mama, Dada, banana, Maryn, Josiah

Owen loves to throw balls back and forth, loves to take off his diaper, loves to try to touch his poop, loves to eat almost anything, loves to drink water from his straw cup, loves to throw things down the stairs.  He loves to swing, play in the sand, play in the water, go swimming, he loves to slide, too.

Owen can stand up without any assistance but has not taken any steps on his own yet.  He loves to crawl on his feet and hands, bear crawl style.  He puts everything in his mouth for inspection.  He gets into the cabinets all the time.  He likes to try new things, like bugs.  He likes to try to bite his siblings when they have a toy he wants.

I think Owen may be our shy child.  He will stay on my lap for quite a long time in a public place and usually when he goes to play, I suspect he does because Maryn and Josiah are there.  He usually does well in church nursery now if familiar teachers are there, but he doesn't say much or vocalize much when in a new or different place than home.

Owen has the smarts and perseverance of his sister and reminds us of her a lot, but he has the athleticism and bravery of his brother.  It makes for an interesting combination.  He doesn't mind getting in trouble, thinks the word no is pretty funny, and usually doesn't mind to have his hand swatted.  But when someone takes a toy from him, he usually goes and just finds something else to play with.  Or he might scream and try to bite, if it's something he really wants.  He's pretty good at manipulation already, and is good at figuring things out, being sneaky, and being cute.  :)

Owen plays very well by himself, too.  Yay :)

We love our sweet baby Owen.  I'm so glad he's ours!

Owen, 9 months old

 Crawling

 Standing

 Eating table food

Causing trouble!

Owen turned 9 months old on February 21st, and he weighs 20 lbs still.  He has really been moving, playing with his siblings and playing by himself as well.  He has an uncanny ability to spot the smallest object on the floor and pop it in his mouth super fast.  He has an incredible wingspan that allows him to pull things off grocery shelves, kitchen shelving and has also been known to turn around in the grocery cart and pull things from the back, such as celery leaves, and eat them.

He is an adorable, squishy little boy.  I kiss him all day long, and though he is losing much of his chubs, his thighs are still very chubby and I squeeze them all day too :)

He has FOUR teeth!  Two top and two  bottom.

He says Dada, Tickle Tickle, and I think he says "Josiah."

He thinks the word NO is hilarious.

We love our sweet baby Owen.  Also known as Owie Badowie.

Second Kid Potty Training Day Two

Josiah and Potty Training:  Day one was such a huge success potty training Josiah.  He's much better at holding it than Maryn and has a bigger bladder, so it was just a lot less messy.  He was excited, cooperative and maybe a little overzealous.  John was home, which helped motivate him immensely I believe.  Today has not been as much of a success. Actually it hasn't involved a single "success" and has been rather exhausting.  I'm taking a break by 1.) blogging and 2.) bleaching our kitchen.  If our bathroom can't be clean, at least our kitchen will be.  The top of our fridge was dis.gust.ing.  I know for a fact I cleaned it a month ago but yuck, yuck.  How the heck does it get like that in a matter of four weeks?

Maryn has been such a great help and encourager!

Maryn and Charlotte Mason:  I am reading a book called "When Children Love to Learn."  There is so much truth in this book.  I am learning a ton about myself, education, God and my relationship with him.  I'm learning a little bit about why I have such a works-righteousness mentality, and I'm learning why FlyLady has been so successful for me (it's about learning good habits, not completing a to-do list or getting a reward).  I've learned that I really have to work on 1.)  Being sweet to my kids and 2.)  Not trying to manipulate them with my looks, my sarcasm or whatever.  I'll be officially homeschooling in just about a year and a half (that's when we will have to register with the state), so I gotta get mySELF into these routines and habits if I expect the same from my kids.

We were outside and Maryn said, "Mom look!  I wonder why the ground is all cracked?"  I looked and it was clear that after the rain we had the other night, the dirt was then drying in the sunshine and cracking.  Yay!  I was so excited she was making these observations in nature (Shutup!  I know I'm a dork:))!  But instead of a big lecture I just asked her why she thought it might be cracking, and was it wet or dry?  She said it was wet but it was drying in the sun.  I stopped myself from going into a big "lecture."  I'm so glad I did, because instead of listening to me ramble, she continued to venture around the yard looking for cracks.  She ended up seeing a place where a groundhog had made tunnels and she and a friend had a little adventure looking at things on the ground.  The Charlotte Mason method is a lot about not spoon-feeding and lecturing our kids, but in exploring the world for themselves and making more of their own connections, doing their own research, asking questions, etc.

Owen and Milestones:  Owen has been hitting a lot of milestones lately.  It's even more exciting with the third baby when they get new toofers, learn to sit up, wave, clap, etc.  It seems not long ago Maryn learned to do these things and this bittersweet reminder of how quickly they grow has been making John and I hold on to her a little tighter.

On Christmas Eve, Owen learned how to clap.  He did it for a few days but seems to have forgotten about it.  But he has been waving consistently and I swear it's the cutest thing I have ever seen.  lol okay, I say that about everything, I know.

He is getting interested in crawling and pulling up on things but HAS NOT done either yet (thank God...just kidding...sort of...).  He's not totally back to himself since our illness.  He had a terrible ear infection and is on antibiotics now.  He's feeling so much better but I think the antibiotics make him feel yucky.

Sleeping:  The kids have been sleeping better.  We had a great night last night.  And by "great" I mean, I woke up with Owen to nurse at 12:30, 3:30 (and changed his poopy diaper!), and 6:30.  Josiah was up at 6 and I made him go back to bed.  But after I got Owen back down, everyone slept past 7:30!  Meaning...wait for it....I TOOK A SHOWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I also read my Bible!!!!!  And I made the bed, got dressed, and had a cup of coffee with my handsome manly man!

Family Picture :)

Maryn learning to twirl her spaghetti

Shootin hoops!  He's such an all-star.

Spaghetti Face

We have been playing pirates all day.  Here's Maryn with her scary pirate flag.  Arrgghh!

Owen Michael, 7 months

Our sweet Owen is now seven months old and his personality is starting to really shine.  He is sweet and happy, super cuddly, a go-getter, a seeker and a finder.  I think he is a genius!  He has the physical abilities Josiah did at a young age (waving bye bye already, rolling balls back and forth) but has this way of studying, looking at people, and babbling like Maryn did as a baby.  He doesn't really look at books with us like the other two did.  He attacks them!  He attacks all the touchy-feely books and every other kind of book rather aggressively.  Even his kisses are pretty aggressive!  He pats us on the back aggressively, too.  It's adorable. He has said da-da for a while, but has progressed into saying what sounds just like "Hey Dada!" all the time. I think he calls everyone dada.

He loves to wave at me while I'm nursing him, right in front of my face, with a smile so big!

He is very easy to engage.  Playing with him and cuddling him is addicting.  But he does very well just sitting on the floor and observing or even sitting by himself for a while.  I often sneak into his bedroom to grab something and find him just laying there awake, playing with his hands.

He loves bath time, loves his brother and sister, and loves to play with crinkly things and balls.  He can always find paper and has, ahem, choked on paper more than once.  :)  He is a big boy.  A whopping 20 pounds, and tall too!

It amazes me that all our children look and act so different.  We love you, Owen!

Here's a post about Maryn at 7 months.  http://mandilu.blogspot.com/2009/04/cute-little-bully.html

Owen :)

He sleeps like his Daddy.  :)

Owen is an unbelievably happy, "easy" baby.

Thank God.

Thank God.

Thank God.

Because my other two are really giving us a run for our money this week.  :)

8 Weeks and Ready to Get Back to Whatever is Normal

Owen turned 8 weeks old today.  He is doing great.  Eating well, as you can see:

 He sleeps well, and would be sleeping in his own bed and his own room now if he had one.  I'm not sure what we're going to do with the kids' sleeping situation.

Anyway, with Owen turning 8 weeks I decided it was time to get a little more on the ball with our other two. So I got up early today.  I had a plan, a routine.  I took some advice from my friend's blog MyHomeTableau.com to simplify.  We put a lot of toys away for rotation.  I tried to not let there be more than three dishes dirty without washing them all.  I cleaned the house during "quiet time" and then we left for a magic show at the library from 2-4:30 so that the house was clean and dinner was ready to be made in time for John to get home at 5:00.  When he got home both kids were in their rooms pouting because 5:00 pm is. so. hard.

Josiah and Maryn have been extremely difficult.  I feel like I'm trying so hard to be nice to them, but they make it so stinkin hard with Josiah's constant whining and Maryn's irritating habits.  So I'm hoping that reducing their toys (and messes), getting them into a very predictable routine, and getting back into consistent, loving discipline will get us all back on track.

Today, we made a replica of Solomon's Temple.  I bet you didn't know it had a little boy poking out the top of it!  We made beaded necklaces, invited over a neighbor friend, played Memory, BINGO, Go Fish and Crazy 8s, saw a Magic Show at the library, checked out new books, watched a Thomas and Friends show and Word World, and read a bunch of books.  I tried to stay off the internet, and I tried to not think about the 1,249 things I should be doing for VBS, the cooking blog, RA duties, cleaning out the fridge, the tub and John's white T-shirts.  It was a good time, actually.  But the thing about 2 year olds and 3 year olds is that, no matter how much time you spend with them...

they will always want more.  And that can be exhausting.

You can't talk to them like they're the bully in 5th grade and say, "Just leave me alone!"  Because words like that break their little hearts.

People say I'll miss these days.  I know that's true.  I know these will be my favorite days.  I'll read my blog ten years from now and wish I had Josiah's big brown eyes gazing up at me for ANOTHER snack.  To hold him up so he can see inside the washer.  I know I'll miss Maryn wanting to play all those games with me and get super excited about the necklace I made her.  I know I'll miss the gooey chubbiness of Owen's fat cheeks and incredible baby smiles.

But sometimes it really is just hard.

Sunday Sweetness

Meeting Owen

Grandma and Grandpa Erdman visited yesterday and today, and met Owen for the first time.  

 Maryn's been enjoying her time with them, filling up her purse with lots of things so that her purse is almost just like Grandma's.  She ate a ton of food last night at WW Cousins!  Josiah is being his adorable, hilarious self, showing off his kung fu moves and ball skills.

 Owen is being our sweet little pumpkin belly boy :)

 Don't you just love him?

It was a good two days with Grandma and Grandpa!  We're so glad they got to visit, especially since they lost power the night they were here.  Let's hope their power is back on when they get back home.  They've had a rough week with forest fires at their camp, where 30-40 acres of forest were burned.  Fortunately it just got a lot of underbrush and was a "good" fire.  We're so grateful everyone is okay and no buildings were damaged.

Owen's One Month Dr. Visit

Owen will be six weeks old on Monday, and we just had his one month visit with the pediatrician yesterday. It's no surprise that he is a very healthy little boy.  He has excellent head control, strong arms and legs, and healthy eyes, ears and belly.  He weighs 12 lbs. 7 oz. and he is 23 inches long.  He is the average size of a 3 month old!  

We got out his 3-6 months clothes when we got home, and they fit very well.  He was getting scrunched in those 0-3 months clothes, but I thought surely it was my imagination.

Owen is a delight.  He smiles a lot now, and is even trying to laugh and coo, although he can't quite get it out yet.  He really watches our faces and our mouths closely, even imitating some of our mouths' movements.  He hasn't rolled over in a while, probably because he's getting a little chubby.  But look how cute he is.  I could eat him up.

I think he loves me :)

Butterball Baby and the "Big Kids"

 I call Owen my little butterball.  His belly and his head are so round.  

And buttery.

 I put the newborn clothes away today.  Here's Josiah trying on the outfit that was my favorite on him when he was a baby.  I think Owen only got to wear it once.  Owen is a little bigger than Josiah was.

Owen turned four weeks old yesterday.  Josiah turns two in almost just one month.  Maryn will be....(gasp)...four in September.  Four.

Can you believe it?

My baby fetish

Some people have a thing for baby feet.

Or baby faces, or baby cheeks,

Or baby bums.

This is my baby fetish:

 Arm chubs.  :)

Look at the dimpled elbow!

When the dimpled elbows disappear and become bony little scabbed up elbows, it's time to have another.  Because we all need some baby arm chubs in our life.  :)

busy week!

 I take pictures of Owen all evening after the big kids are in bed, as Owen sits up against my knees.  I love how they can sit against your legs when they're little.

 He's getting so big!  And has lots of facial expressions.  Oh, he's so, so, so sweet.  He loves to look at me.  I love to look at him!

 And here's my sweet little turtle boy.  Who gets cuter every day, and is getting way, way too big.

I pretty much breastfeed Owen all day.  He has been giving me a couple hours break each morning and each afternoon, but beyond that I pretty much nurse all the time.  Today was a hard day.  I hope tomorrow will be better.  He hardly nurses at all at night, and we sleep pretty well.  So I guess that's not such a bad trade off.  

We went to Target today as a family.  John got the groceries, and I took the kids Father's Day shopping.  Then John did Food Line from 2-3 and I did Food Line 3-5 while someone babysat our two oldest kids.  And then I fed my kids foods that come from cans, and we watched two hours of Thomas the Train.  Maryn has adopted a fantastic British kind of accent thanks to Thomas the Train and Angelina Ballerina, where she says lit-tle with the "t" sound rather than the traditional way Americans say it.  But she also has been calling John "Datty" and Josiah "Butty."  Which drives me up a wall.  I don't know why I'm so easily annoyed.  Lately especially.  

Tomorrow, we get to go to Kroger and Sam's Club, which will likely expend all of our time, energy, and any money we have left to our names.  Happy Wednesday!

THREE kids getting BIG!

Here's Maryn and Josiah being sweet.  But they aren't always this sweet to Owen.  We've had quite a few little "incidents" lately that have been uh, a little scary.  :)   I remind myself that babies are fragile but God is sovereign.  I pray for his life daily...:)  I say that in gest, but really, I do wonder how so many infants make it through infancy with big siblings around.

 Owen really gets cuter every day, and his face is changing.  So far I think he looks more like my dad's side of the family.  Perfect, since his middle name is Michael!  Maryn is a cross between John and me, Josiah is all John....MAYBE Owen will take after my family more.  We shall see!

He continues to roll over belly to back and today he almost rolled over back to belly.  I think he could do it if he had a reason to.  After our long car ride yesterday, I got him out (he had been crying) and he just smiled and smiled at me!  And he just wanted to stare at me the rest of the day.

I love being loved by a sweet little baby.  There's nothing like it.

 Maryn.  Acting like Daddy, with her headphones, his watch, his phone, and his Kindle Fire.

 Josiah's legs got stuck in his crib's slats this morning.  I was a little worried because his one foot was so swollen, white and cold.  Scary.  It was a good day to try napping in Maryn's room, in the toddler bed.  They will be sharing a room soon!  I honestly have no idea how it will work.  I am pretty sure it won't work at all.  Prayers please!  And any advice is welcome.

Life with Josiah has been pretty tough lately.  We are treading new territory here with a "normal" toddler.  I realize now that Maryn was never a normal toddler.  Ha!  If you know her, you know what I mean.  Oh Josiah, I love you.  You and your sticky hands, your crayon messes, your dirty face, and always smelling like ketchup and peanut butter even when you haven't had ketchup OR peanut butter in days or weeks.

Life with three!  Fun as can be!

aggghhh

I'm going to be really honest here and tell you that my oldest two children are driving me insane.  I can't imagine what's come over them :)

Anyway.

Here's Owen getting a sponge bath.  :)  

 I thought this little duck towel suit wouldn't get used, but it was actually perfect for sponge bathing.  He stayed warm and cozy.  Apparently not warm and cozy enough though...

 ALL CLEAN!  Hiii!

 Here's our buddy Eli coloring with Josiah while Eli's mama, Elise, vacuumed our whole house!  Yippee!  She's trying to make Owen's new little buddy come out.  His name is Aiden.  They live downstairs and Aiden's due date was today!

Rainy Days

We have been having a good old time indoors as we celebrate our rainy days lately.  Okay, so it hasn't really been raining.  It was actually the "first week of summer," and Memorial Day Weekend.  I may sound like a teenager when I say this, but everyone was out and about, traveling, visiting, and pretty much having the best week ever.  But we were stuck indoors.

Being stuck indoors doesn't bother me all that much, but I have felt extremely sorry for Maryn and a little bad for Josiah, too.  Our zoo membership has run out, so there's probably no hope for going to the zoo this summer.  Poor Josiah has yet to see an elephant since he's become obsessed with them.  And Maryn points out to me at least three times a week, "We haven't gone to the zoo in a long time."

I know, sweetie.  I know.

So I try to make things fun for them.  But all the neighborhood kids are having so. much. fun. right outside their windows.  Maryn has been such a big girl, such a great helper, and hasn't thrown a fit yet about not being out there.  But it breaks my heart.  I guess this is what the Baby Blues looks like when you have older kids.  

Hopefully my belly will be feeling better soon, and we'll get out there, at least in the mornings before it gets blazing hot.

 Poor Josiah had to wear Maryn's PINK paint shirt.  :)

Washing a baby...this kept them busy for quite a while.

 We made these adorable snakes.  We did some learning about reptiles and snakes, too.

 Maryn and Josiah made a hide out under the baby swing, so I got them to make Indian (Native American :)) headbands.  Cutest picture ever.

 Owen.  He's so cute.  We are taking him to the doctor soon because he's had gunky eyes.  I think probably just clogged tear ducts.  He rolled over the other day, at 9 days old.  I couldn't believe it.  I am going to try to get him to do it again here soon.  And he has grown out of newborn diapers.  He's definitely our biggest baby so far.  And look at him...he's so contemplative.

 I think he's probably a genius.  He's a lot like Maryn in the way he watches me.  I know they say newborns are blind as bats, but I don't believe it.  This baby studies my face and even reaches for me--I know it!  He turns immediately when he hears my voice and SMILED, genuinely smiled at me when I sang to him.  It was the I Love You (from Barney) song.  What a precious sweet boy.

John got home at 10 am today and has the whole weekend off.  I get him for almost four straight days!

And we got a new washer today.  It is NICE.  Like, really nice.  Happy birthday to me.