My Baby Is 9 Months Old

Today my little baby turned 9 months old.  WOW – 9 whole months.  Ari has now been a part of our every day lives for as long as I was pregnant with him?!

His 9 month stats:

22 lbs 14 ounces in weight (90th percentile)
30 1/2 inches in length (95th percentile)
19 1/4 inches for head circumference (95th percentile)

In comparison, his older brother Cory was a whopping 27 lbs and 30 inches when he was 9 months old?!

Cory at 9 1/2 months.

November 2005 when Cory is 9 1/2 months and Keri is 4.

And because somehow I put my lower right back out on Thursday (so. much. pain.  OUCH!) and because somehow sleep has become a luxurious hobby for me – at least continuous sleep, sleep where you get at least 2 to 3 hours uninterrupted (the two youngest have been having difficulties lately) – this post will be brought to you by bullet points.  (After all, years from now I will be really grateful I took the time to jot this stuff down).

• Ari’s top right tooth finally broke through today!  Yay!  Once his other top tooth comes in M.A.Y.B.E. he will get back to sleeping well again.

• Lately, Ari constantly looks tired.  He has been fighting his naps (I don’t think he wants to miss anything) and even having trouble at night staying asleep.  He will arch and scream like no other.  Thankfully, most of the time he doesn’t wake up his 3 year old brother, Eli, who sleeps in the same room as him.  And yes, we have tried the hold-and-put back down method and the cry it out method and the nurse-back-to sleep method.  I feel like things are slightly improving?  Hopefully?!  He gave up the binkie at 6 months of age so we don’t even have that as an option. I just keep telling myself that this too is a phase and it will soon pass.  By the time he is 1 and weaned I know things will be better … only 3 more months until then!

• He likes to snuggle with his soft and cuddly Aden and Anais blankets.

• He loves to splash and kick in the tub.  I normally end up soaked when he is done bathing.

• He still has the best belly laugh.  Ever.

• He sits really well by himself.

• He kind of, so it seems, waves hi and bye.

• He likes to suck on his fingers.

• Ari is not crawling yet, but I don’t think it will be too much longer … darn, I have truly enjoyed this non-mobile stage.  Just today he got up on his hands and knees and rocked back and forth a bit.  He also tolerates his tummy a whole lot more now and he is always trying to get things out of his reach.  I can tell he very badly wants to be able to move around – his siblings will be in for it when he does find his freedom.  For the last couple of weeks he also has learned to scoot backwards.

• He adores his siblings and loves playing and giggling with them.

• He loves to look in mirrors.

• He likes to coo and sing to himself.   He is starting to babble with consonant sounds.

• He still is very social and as of yet he has no stranger or separation anxiety.  (Knock on wood!)

• F.i.n.a.l.l.y. he is liking solids.  Can I get an hallelujah?  HOORAY!  He enjoys yogurt and still loves fruit. He even scarfs down fruit when it is mixed with vegetables – sweet potatoes, carrots, avocado, peas, etc.  He has a bit of a gag reflex when it comes to non-puréed food, but he is doing better with tiny pieces of table food.  He will feed himself Cheerios and Gerber puffs.  He also likes rice husks.  Hopefully this month I can get him to eat a wider variety of food and hopefully he will start tolerating more textures.

I can’t believe my last baby is so close to turning one. That just means I need to get as much baby snuggling in with my toddler-sized little one as I can – everything else can wait!

Our 9 Day Weekend

This picture was taken before the biggest snow storm blanketed
our backyard even more.  (Can you spy the dead snowman?)

Snow storm.  Snow storm.  Snow storm!

Ice storm! (What?!)

Power outage!

Wind advisory.  Rain storm.  Flood watch. Rain storm.  Wind advisory.

This picture was also taken before Wednesday’s snow storm.

I am hoping our more normal mild and temperate Groundhog Day-ish winter weather returns soon – lows in the upper 30′s, highs in the upper 40′s with rain and gray skies heavily dotted throughout the forecast … and some sun breaks sprinkled in for variety.

On Thursday January 19th our city and region declared a state of emergency.  All the wet and heavy snow when followed by an ice storm (I don’t think I had ever experienced prolonged freezing rain and ice pellets before) means lots of downed trees and power lines.

The ice storm completely blindsided Randy and I. All the focus had been on the big snow storm that hit us Wednesday.  We went to bed that night thinking the worst of the storm was over –  typically we are quite proactive about watching weather reports – but the warning must have come out late at night and by the time we were up and about the next morning we had no power.  There was also no power at Randy’s work, which is probably a good thing because the roads were treacherous.

We lost power for 17 hours and the Internet for 25 hours.  The kids had 4 snow days last week.  Add that to last week’s three day weekend and add in this weekend and there you have our 9 day weekend.

I am grateful that regular school hours are set to resume tomorrow … and hopefully no more winter weather will thwart that plan. I am ready to get back to the gym and normal every day life.   I am ready to be able to go to the store and find milk and meat products back on the shelf.  (I must admit I was a bit surprised when by Saturday afternoon many stores still had few dairy and meat items in stock.)

Things to add to my wish list:

• A pair of boots for me

• A pair of boots for Randy

• A pair of boots for Keri (at least Eli and Cory had rain boots)

• A generator

• A 4 wheel drive vehicle, or at least an all wheel drive one

• A camping stove so we can heat up food when the power is out

Things I am grateful for:

• Home teachers and friends who check in on you.

• Friends who pick up items from the store for you (we were prepared, but when you have snow storm after snow storm and 6 mouths to feed, it is nice to have extra milk on hand when someone offers to get it for you).

• Friends who lend you their generator because miraculously their power is still one.

• Our natural gas fireplace that kept us relatively warm, sane and hopeful until the generator came to our rescue.

• A natural gas water heater that wasn’t affected by the power outage.  It was so nice to take a hot shower even before the power kicked back in.  And the kids loved having hot chocolate!

• The fluke of internet power we got when the generator kicked in.

• The fact that the furnace and the internet were on the same power circuit … though it would have been nice if the fridge was on that one, too.  At least the ice and snow on our deck served as a great back up fridge.

• Our flashlights.

• Our camping lantern.  (We got it as a wedding present, I can’t even remember who gave it to us, but we have used it way more for power outages than we ever have for camping.)

• The cookies we had on hand which we had baked the day before.

• Our food storage.  Even if the power had remained off for a few more days, I am grateful we had food to eat … though there is nothing quite like a hot meal after a prolonged power outage.

• Cell phones that were mostly fully charged.

• Family members in distant states who kept us informed on weather and things (even though their home city dissed our region – this is truly a great and fun article to read).

I loved these slush filled footprints that then refroze.  However, this freeze-thaw-refreeze cycle is vicious on the roads!

Now we need to invest in a ladder and a power saw so we can trim the low lying branches which are dangling over our driveway.

Even though last week was not the most comfortable thing to live through (talk about going stir crazy and having cabin fever with the kids out of school and the weather so cold outside … that easily creates cranky parents!), I am grateful for the lessons we learned.  It taught us what we can live without and what we need to do in order to be better prepared for future emergencies.

Our First Snow In Our New Home

We have had 3 separate snow storms blast into Western Washington since Saturday which means for our relatively temperate climate we have gotten a pretty decent amount of snow, probably at least 7-8 inches worth.  Needless to say we have made our requisite run to Home Depot and we are now the proud owners of a snow shovel and salt.

Sunday afternoon we had huge, fluffy snowflakes falling down from the sky.  It was beautiful and such a sight to see. Of course the kids were begging to go outside to frolic in the snow so Randy obliged and took them out in the backyard to play.  For the most part they enjoyed themselves, but they soon realized how cold it was.  [We don't have the best snow clothes in our house, but the next time they went out to play they dressed in more layers and stayed much warmer.]

While outside they decided to build a snowman.  They quickly learned how difficult it can be to make a large snowball – though I suppose I don’t know that from personal experience since I don’t think I have ever made a snowman.  [That would be a good thing to use next time I play the clean version of the game "Never have I ever."Another good thing for that game would be the fact that "Never have I ever eaten a McDonald's hamburger."  I had a bite or two of one when I was 7 or 8. I thought it was quite horrid so I have never tried one again.  I doubt I am missing much .]

Anyway, Eli quickly got the hang of what it takes to roll balls of snow.

Here is our snowman, complete with a funky carrot nose.  Yes, Cory is giving it a kiss.

Here is Cory’s perfect snow angel.

Naturally the kids had school off over the weekend.  They also had a day off on Monday for Martin Luther King Day.  However, yesterday and today they have had snow days.  And one is now set for tomorrow.  Egads?!

Randy worked from home today (the worst of the storms blew through last night and this morning), and for his lunch break he took the kids out to play in the freshly fallen snow, probably another 3-4 inches worth.

I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed that break.  It was rejuvenating to my soul to sit on the couch and nurse a sleepy Ari in a silent house while looking out our huge living room windows.

The windows on the upper left are where I was sitting.

The snow/freezing rain was gently falling and the three older kids were delightfully playing in the snow while Randy shoveled the driveway.  I truly enjoyed and lived in the moment … and the silence was heavenly.

I also got some good laughs in when I discovered that my kids had pulled out their scooters and tricycles from the garage to ride … in the snow … and on the icy driveway.  I bet only my kids did that kind of outdoor activity today in our area .

When everyone finally came in soaked and frozen, I had warm Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies ready for them.  Yum!

And just in case you think everything has been all fun and games and happy smiles in our house these last five days, then you are sorely mistaken .   We have had plenty of three year old tantrums (even epic public ones on Monday while we were at the doctor and the pharmacy – Cory has a sinus infection and apparently he suffers from year long allergies?!), plenty of bickering between Cory and Eli (I swear the two of them are either always laughing or crying), and plenty of episodes from one tired mama who has lost her patience on multiple occasions.

And to top all that off, for the last few days Ari has been refusing to take an afternoon nap.

At least Keri has been a huge help to have around. She makes the most excellent mother’s helper.

And one other life saving distraction I discovered today was this website that offers free map printables.  Cory is obsessed with geography and countries and flags so this was perfect!

Now I need to go make some hot cocoa to warm myself up.  My hands are freezing.

Birthday Math

My birthday is on the 12th of this month.

It is the year 2012.

I turned a whopping 3.6. which is divisible by 12.

Yes, I am a math nerd. If I didn’t major in Biology Teaching, I think I would have majored in Math Education.  I think it would have been awesome to teach Algebra.

I am not sure why I still feel like I am in my 20′s?!  I swear the 90′s weren’t that long ago.  This is the first year where I am actually kind of starting to feel like I am old.

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Favorite quote of the day from Eli:  “Keri, come watch me go stink!”

Gotta love the excitement of 3 year olds.  We are currently potty training him and thankfully (knock on wood!) I think it is clicking rather well.  Now here’s to hoping that the novelty of “growing up” and “getting taller” (what he thinks he is doing now that he is a “big boy”) won’t wear off .

And tonight while we were celebrating my birthday dessert, he wanted us to relight the candles so he could blow them out by himself.

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Randy was able to get away from work for a couple of hours this afternoon and he took me out to lunch … sans kidlets!  It was heavenly, and the food was scrumptious!

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I loved this present Keri gave me.  She wrapped it in a blanket because she didn’t know where the wrapping paper was and she wanted to surprise me with a gift.  She’s rather resourceful!

She is also incredibly thoughtful and artistic!  I am grateful I get to be her mother.

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And even though Facebook can be a huge time waster, I must admit that it does make for a fun day when many people take the time to wish you a happy birthday!

Here’s to hoping this will be a fabulous year!

Resoluting Courageously

Is resoluting even a word?

Well, it should be .

Here’s a quote that struck a chord with me when I read it last week:

As we reflect on the value of resolving to do better, let us determine to discipline ourselves to carefully select the resolutions we make, to consider the purpose for making them, and finally to make commitments for keeping them and not letting any obstacle stop us. Let us remind ourselves at the beginning of each day that we can keep a resolution just for that day. ~ President N. Eldon Tanner

I like the recipe President Tanner offers.  Discipline.  Purpose.  Commitment.  I also like how he breaks things down into baby steps –  following through on our goals for just one day at a time.  Though sometimes it can be a great feat to even keep those commitments for an hour, let alone a day.

The advice President Monson offered in his “Living the Abundant Life” article has also given me motivation to keep plugging along with my 2012 word of the year.  He gives us his own ABC’s to help us learn how to live an abundant life – have a positive Attitude, Believe in yourself and have Courage.

Ever since I read it, the following message he shared has been tumbling through my mind day in and day out.  It’s a remarkable gem and it makes you want to never give up, but to keep on trying no matter how many times you might not succeed:

Courage is required to make an initial thrust toward one’s coveted goal, but even greater courage is called for when one stumbles and must make a second effort to achieve.

Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedness to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenges that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, “I’ll try again tomorrow.” ~ President Thomas S. Monson

We are now one third of the way done with the first month of the new year and so far I am still keeping my 2012 word at the forefront of my brain.  GENTLE.

I have been working on being gentle with my stomach – fueling it with proper food. (Sugar is highly addictive and my willpower sometimes is rather fragile.)

I have been working on being gentle with the budget – not stretching it past its limit.

I have been working on being gentle with my voice – using a nice tone with my kids and taking notice of why, in the first place, it even takes on a bitter tone.

Speaking of kids and parenting, here’s what I posted on Facebook the other day:

I *had* to share this brilliant post. As a parent, who can’t relate to being “tired and cranky and ready for the day to be over quite often?”

Every mother really should read that post.  Yes, the article is that good.

How are your resolutions/goals/whatever you want to call what you are striving-to-be-or-change coming along?

Happy resoluting !

My 2012 Word Of The Year

WORD OF THE YEAR:  This word is supposed to guide you during the year.  It is supposed to inspire you.  It is supposed to help you better define your life.  It is supposed to help you grow.  It is supposed to motivate you.  It is supposed to remind you of your priorities.

Up.

Embrace.

Temperance.

These have been some of my words of the year in the past.

My word for the year 2012?

Gentleness is one of the manifestations of a virtuous person. That is why many of us love to go along with gentle people. Ladies love a gentleman’s comfort; children love the mildness and tenderness of gentle parents; a gentle friend is always there to calm you; and a gentle leader is one that gives honor and respect.

A gentle person is one who is self-sacrificing, humble, kind, just, loving, peaceful, forgiving, joyful and understanding. They are not selfish, proud, rude, iniquitous, arrogant, violent, insecure and ignorant. This only means that they possesses not only one virtue that makes them that, but they possesses several great virtues that work as one to make them a gentle person.

Gentleness is not only seen in a persons actions, it can also be demonstrated in their thoughts, words and intentions. This is because it lives deep within them. Once a person is gentle, they also have a gentle root and foundation. Moreover, they also bear the fruits and consequences of gentleness. These fruits include peace, harmony, joy and thankfulness.

To achieve gentleness, you need to have a great power. This must be a power that can bind a power. You need to be stronger. You must have a great strength that can manage your own strength. Furthermore, you must have a self that can control yourself, or in other word, self-control. This also means that you must become your inner self, rather than your external self.

Finding your inner self is simply finding your pure self. This is yourself when you are not yet corrupted by the negative forces that are in this world. These forces include pride, wrath, misery and insecurity. Therefore, to purify yourself and to have gentleness in your mind, heart, mouth and actions, you need to remove all those dark qualities that have contaminated your life since you were born on Earth.

Being gentle sounds simple, but so hard to do. You need to have a great power to do that. The greater power that can overcome the power that makes you rough is one that is more eternal – one that lasts longer and even forever. That power is found in your spirit. It is the spirit that comes from God, which pulls all the spiritual things you need to possess gentleness. It is the spirit that is founded by love.

Love is such a great thing. It’s hard to practice; it’s hard to be consistent. But if you want to achieve greater powers, which give you the ability to do greater things (such as being gentle), you need to practice harder in loving. This is the secret to gentleness: have all the virtues that support it, such as joy, peace, thankfulness, compassion and patience. Then bind them all with love, which connects them all together to work us one… to work in making you a truly gentle person.

Finally, we must always remember that being gentle is greater than being rough. Being self-controlled is harder than being violent. This only means that living in gentleness is a life of greater people. So if you want to be great, be gentle… and if you want to be gentle, be great. ~ secretcontents.com

I want to be more gentle with my kids.  More gentle with my spouse.  More gentle with myself.  More gentle with others.  More gentle in all my relationships.

I want to use a more gentle voice.

I want to be more gentle with the way I use my precious time.

I want to be more gentle and respectful with the body I have been blessed with.  I need to get more sleep, be more fit and fill my body with more healthy foods.

Do you have a word of the year you would like to share?

I hope everyone is having a healthy, happy and purposeful start to their new year.