Week of Firsts

With my mom here for a visit, I decided to have some one-on-one time with my kids this week. I loved it, they loved it, and here's a few photos to document the special time.



Monday was Josie's day with Mom. I took her to get her first haircut - a cute little bob - at Cool Cuts for Kids. She is usually very shy and slow to warm up to new situations but was extremely outgoing at this place....maybe it had something to do with all the balloons, toys, cars to sit in, and Dora movies to watch! She actually cried when it was time to get out of the car. She sat so still, and I was very proud of my big girl. We then went shopping at the mall, ate Chick-Fil-A at the food court, and bought her some new church shoes. It was a fun, girly day!




Tuesday was Jack's day. We have been reading this Dora book called "Show Me Your Smile." It is all about going to the dentist, so he has been asking when he could go to the dentist for the first time. We have been talking about Tuesday being the big day, so he was ready! He did great - sat still, opened wide, and was brave. His teeth were x-rayed, cleaned, and flossed. His choice for lunch was "Okie Donalds," where Will met us for lunch. We had a fun time with our eldest, and couldn't remember the last time we were just with him.....life has really sped up since then! He kept saying, "there's no sisters here!" I then took him to Kohl's and bought him some new church shoes as well. I was surprised that he was a size 9! I am so proud of my big boy.




Today was Kate's day with Mom. It is my last Thursday at home since I start teaching next Thursday at Sonshine Club. Little Kate will be with my mom on Thursdays in November and December. She is doing great at taking bottles that I have pumped so I am not anxious. I look forward to being at church with Will, Jack and Jo. Kate and I drove to Dallas for both of our 2-month dr. visits and both went well. She is growing so fast and received a good report from Dr. Halsell. She had lots of smiles for me today, until the 5 vaccinations came. Ouch! She is still cranky as I write....poor little girl.

All in all, a good week at the LHIGP. Thanks for checking in on us.

2 for #3

Sister Kate has been with us for two months!
This month saw her learning to coo, smile, and hold up her head very well.
She also had a few firsts: first church outing (today!) first babysitter, first music class, first trip to the farm, and first laugh.
I love this little girl. Yes, she is still high maintenance but I just can't get enough of her fluffy dark hair, half-smiles, and kicking legs. She is consistently sleeping through the night and taking great naps, but is still uncomfortable with her heartburn. We are thankful for the meds (and an awesome swing!)which seem to be helping and leading to more happy wake times.
I look forward to taking her to the doctor this week to get her stats. She is still very petite, but growing well. She's my little bundle...my sidekick, my baby, my girl. Here she is with the birthday bear today after church. She slept almost all the way through her Daddy's sermon!

Eat, Burp, Repeat

Josie is learning the schedule of a newborn quickly. She has become a little mother to her babies and mimics my every move. I found her today on the couch with Kate's boppy pillow and she followed the steps perfectly - feed the baby, burp the baby, repeat. The first time she gave her baby, whom she also calls "Kate," a bottle. Then she burped the baby over her shoulder. After burping and saying "sshhh," she decided to lift her shirt and nurse her baby on her tummy! Looks like someone is paying attention. She is going to be a great mommy someday.

BFF

Jack + Josie = Best Friends Forever

Conversations

Jack and I have great conversations, and I love it. There was a time when I thought, "when is he going to talk?" And now, there are times when I think he might not ever stop. I look forward to Saturday nights with Jack. This is when we talk about important things - the most important thing - Jesus. I put Josie and Kate to bed, and we do his Awana lesson together. They are learning about creation, and were on the fourth day this week. We talked about the sun, moon, and stars, and how God is the creator of all light. We went on a scavenger hunt to find different kinds of light. At the end of the lesson, we did a review, which is my favorite part, because it is amazing how much he absorbs and really "gets." I asked him what God created on each day, and he was able to tell me! Then he paused at the end and said, "Mom, God made the Bible too. It's His words. We put the Bible in our hands, take it to church and read it." It's moments like these that I just want to pause and say - "thank you, God, for this child that you have wonderfully made....and may he always follow you with the innocence of a child."

Gracias, Dora

The following took place at lunch yesterday.
Jack: Mom, we're playing rocket ship with our water bottles.
Mom: Cool, 3-2-1, blastoff!
Jack: Up, up, they go!
Josie: Arriba, arriba!
Mom: What are you saying, JoJo?
Jack: Mom, she's saying "arriba" like Dora. That means up.
Mom: (who has a minor in Spanish) Oh. Arriba, arriba!

This is the Way I.....

1. ....dress up like a pirate. Jack is really into pirates, finding hidden treasures, playing on his pirate ship (playset) and climbing his pirate ladder. For weeks he asked us every night for an eye patch. His dad gave in to his request. Now he wants to wear the whole get-up everywhere we go. Tonight is crazy hat night at Awanas so he is excited to show it off!

2. ....make a mess. Josie continues to be our messy girl. It drives me crazy but I love her for it too! She basically needs a full bath after each meal. Her brother often comments during meals, "Look at her, mommy. She is so messy." He is the exact opposite and likes to have a napkin or wipe by his plate. JoJo has taught us that the best way to eat popsicles and ice cream is in the bathtub. This photo was taken post ice cream sandwich. Proof enough?


3. ....coo and sleep. Miss Kate is growing up - 7 weeks tomorrow. We are still praying for comfort for her and her doctor has doubled her meds to help with the pain. She had some very good days this past week, with smiles and even a laugh! I can't complain about her sleeping. I swaddle her and she sleeps upright in her swing or vibrating seat. She nurses every 3 hours during the day, stays awake for an hour, then sleeps for 2 hours until the next feeding. At night she is really stretching out her sleeps, and has even slept through the night a few times. Most nights she is still waking between 3-4 for a feeding but goes right back to sleep. Jack and Jo love this girl despite her crying! They love to mimic me and take care of their own babies. Today we noticed that Josie was trying to nurse her baby doll!

Life is good at the LHIGP. We thank God for these three blessings that keep our lives interesting, trying at times, sweet, and fun.

My Trip to San Antonio by Jack Davis

Hey…Jack here. So this is what a blog is! That typing class I am taking at Mother’s Day Out School is really paying off. Anywho…I wanted to tell you guys about my trip last weekend with my dad.

I discovered my San Antonio roots while staying at my Uncle Sam and Aunt Shannon’s new house. It was great being able to catch up with my cousin Connor and play on his new playset. Jack enjoyed seeing his Mimi for a little while before she had to drive Aunt Tynan back to New York City. Aunt Shannon had a trip to Sudan so it ended up being a crazy guys’ weekend.

On Friday we spent the morning at the San Antonio Botanical Garden where they were having a fun exhibit (Dora and Diego’s Garden Adventure). You have to find different clues in different parts of the garden by following The Map. I couldn’t find my friend Tico though.

We then went to the oldest amusement park in America, Kiddie Park. It was founded in 1925 and we had a blast riding the boats, the planes, the bus, and up in the ferris wheel. My mom probably would have used a box of wipes per ride…some of them looked kinda old. My dad said he used to go there when he was a kid but he remembers it being bigger. Uncle Sam and dad decided to ride the last ride with us (the helicopters) and we were great afterwards but they were both looking a little squeamish. Yes, I learned “squeamish” today at school.


On Saturday we spent the day at Sea World and it was incredible. We first fed the dolphins. I won’t lie…I was a little nervous when those guys opened their mouths right next to me. We then saw the Clydesdale horses and the sharks. After that, we went to the sea lion and walrus show which was pretty amusing. But that was just a little warm-up show for my favorite one…SHAMU! It was so cool to see this huge beast do all of his flips and tricks and splash people. And after the show, we got to back stage to see our friend Leslie who is one of Shamu’s trainers. I got to sit on the side of the pool and pet one of his big pectoral fins. I wanted to reach out and hug that 9,000-pound killer whale but the trainers were holding on to me pretty tight. Thanks Leslie for that fun treat!
We were getting pretty hungry and tired at that point…so we got some chicken fingers, waved at a few penguins, and then hit the road. We all took a hard nap and then went shopping for some Spurs paraphernalia.
We got up on Sunday and drove to Mam and Doc’s farm in Clifton to pick up the girls. Dad and I really missed them so it was great to be together again.
Thanks so much Uncle Sam and Connor for hosting us. It was a trip to remember! And thanks Mom for handing over the reins on your blog for a little while.