Doctor Apointment / News

Well..... I thought long and hard about how I was going to announce this news. What better idea than my BLOG!!! So here it is.... Baby Momoh #3 is on it's way!! I know.. I know... John is still young. But- we are thankful and know it will all work out. I am 8 weeks today. I feel great and I am hoping to not hit the 70lb weight gain this time around. I am so busy- so I am sure that will not be the case. Anyway - I just had to do it this way because with #3 anything goes right???

* Oh and by the way......April's Fools!!! I just had to. Come on - it's fun and plus I have a blog where I can do stuff like this. Plus - I've never done an April Fools joke before. So I hope I made some of you fall for it. But I hope I didn't disappoint any of you too much.

Oh and in this picture- I just ate dinner- drank a ton of water and pushed my belly out!! So no... I'm NOT Pregnant!!! LOL LOL LOL LOL

Oh and I had to post this tonight- if I waited to post ON April Fools- it would be too obvious!!!

Hold Him!

"Wow mom- he's getting big!"

"Come on John.... sit still!"

"Now you're making me angry!"

Ha ha..... Grace still asks to "Hold him!" And of course I let her. He's just getting too big for her lap. Didn't do much today. Played in the house, naps, ate dinner, bath, played some more, and then bed. I know.... that's it!! Although we all like to be home and play together. Grace and John really are starting to have fun now that John is moving around more. We have a pretty low key weekend too. Monday I am taking her back to Gym America for some gymnastics - and then I think we are going to go out to breakfast together or shopping. I can't decide! It's our morning together- so I'll ask her when the time comes. She likes to shop so I'm sure it will be gymnastics and then shopping!! Oh and grocery shopping that is! John will stay with our sitter for the morning. I love taking Grace out by herself for some one on one time. I think that's so important to do once in a while. I think she likes it too! OK that's all. I need to rest.

Almost John!!!

John is so close to crawling. He now gets on all fours and rocks back and forth. He still gets around by rolling or wiggling on his bottom- but the crawling is on it's way!!

Oh and he starting pulling himself up last week. I know.... he's taking his sweet ol time. Well Grace did too, so I am just used to being patient and not worrying about all the growth and development charts. They will do what they want, when they want to - is what I go by!

Today was his last OT apt. It has been going ok- but basically he's just a very picky eater who needs lots of patience (she said). So I will continue to be creative in what I feed him- in hopes that he one day starts to gobble everything up!! You never know.... Grace surprised me later on and started eating SOOO much better than she ever did before. John is SO much more pickier than Grace ever was, but he's doing ok. He's getting his top tooth as well right now. It's almost through the skin. Teething..... not the funniest milestone children hit, but it's part of growing up I guess.

We had a new play date today. A little girl and her mom came over to play. Her name is Katelyn. They were both so sweet and quiet. They did great. And guess what..... no pushing or pulling hair!!! Must be b/c they are both girls!! haha just kidding. Actually a girl pulled Grace's hair before too. Anyway- I am hoping they become buds. It was nice to have some adult conversations too!!

OK that's all for now.

Baby Lily / "Don't Push Me!"

Oh my sweet little Grace. She is something else. So all of a sudden she is really into baby dolls. She loves this one and named her Lily. Ok well I guess I named her- but she agreed to it and calls her Lily all the time. The blanket Lily is in used to be my Great Grandma Hacketts. We played with it when we were growing up. Grace loves it to!! Lily has to be covered in it at all times!!

After I picked Grace up from school I took them to the mall to play. She loves playing on the kids toys- and then riding the rides. It was pretty busy today- perhaps because it is a bit windy and cold outside. She was climbing on the floor toy when a little boy comes up and pushes her. She looks at him, gets close to his face, and says, "Don't push me!" Then she repeated it, "Don't push Grace!" It was so funny. I never get involved in conflicts unless necessary. I told her good job and I like how she used her words. I swear - what is it with "boys" pushing her, pulling her hair, and flat out in her space. Hmmmm I hope this isn't going to be problematic in the future. I am glad that she uses her words and tells them. At the last teacher conference we had, the teacher told me that she will tell kids not to push her or pull her hair and they stop. I just feel so bad for her sometimes. I know that's how kids can get- but man come on. I don't want to be that crazy parent... but I think I can be!!!! She knows not to push kids- why don't they??? Oh I get because... boys will be boys!! Well let me tell you- if and WHEN John acts that way--- he will get a taste of his own medicine so he doesn't do it again. Sorry- just had a venting moment. This is my blog - so I guess I need it sometimes to cool off. Anyway- he didn't push her again- and she kept playing until it was time to go home. Nap time was great after the day we had!!! Well for Grace anyway! John is not napping lately. BUT- he slept through the night 3 times last week and it's getting better!! Praise God for that!!!!

"That's Grandma's Song!"

So when we are around Grandma Momoh- she always sings songs to the kids. Grace loves to hear her sing and John calms right down. The sweetest thing happened today- I started singing one of "grandma's songs" and Grace right away said-"Mom- that's grandma's song!" It was so funny. She started singing right with me. See.... songs have a lasting impression on little ones. :)

First Night Away! :-(

Grace went to stay with Grammy and Papa for the first time EVER Alone!!! I knew she would have a great time, but I have to admit it was kind of weird watching her drive away. Adeyiza even told me he got a little sad. Awe... so sweet!! So.....we rented a movie, put John to bed, and had a nice quiet evening. Not that Grace is loud or anything, but you know when one kid is gone- that's half the work gone too!! It was nice but I did miss her. See I guess she's been away from me for my birth to John, and a Vegas trip- but never away from home while I'm still here. So it was just different. But good!!

Now here is the sad part- on the way home she kept saying- "Meme, papa, go to blue house!" I told her we were going home,... she would start to cry and repeat that she wanted to see Meme and Papa at the blue house. Awe.. just then I had a flash back. (I am getting teary eyed just thinking about it.) I remember always staying the night at my grandma and grandpa Hackett's house- and I would get so upset that I had to go home on Sunday. Some of my best memories were playing with grandma's fancy shoes, getting dressed up, playing with grandpa's cash registers, sneaking bread in the middle of the night, and on and on. I really could go on forever- but I won't. Anyway - my point is, is that now Grace is doing the same thing with my parents and I think it's so precious. I know she will make memories just like I did. I sure do miss some of the things in the past but I am so thankful for the memories that I know I will keep. Oh one more- I was driving home from one of my visits and grandpa Hackett looked at me while I was crying and asked me what was wrong? I told him I didn't feel good- and he said oh ok. Then two seconds later he said you can always come over to stay with us. I stopped crying and knew he was right. I remember that like it was yesterday- I don't even know why. I remember the car, the weather, EVERYTHING! OK that's all about going down memory lane. My point of the story was suppose to be that Grace did great and I know she will be asking to "Go to the blue House!" many more times.

Apple Boy

John loves to chew on apples. He doesn't get much from it, but he tries!! Usually I have the whole apple peeled- but this time I left a little skin on.

We have been loving this weather. We've been outside everyday.... before nap.... and after!! It's so nice. No bugs, warm, and a little windy! Just perfect if you ask me!!

I will start touring new preschools for Grace Monday. The one she goes to is great, but too far. Plus my needs have changed. I can't remember if I talked about this already or not, but I only want her to go for 2-3 days per week instead of 4 and I want to start doing things with the two of them. She loves school so much that I know I should have her in something- so we'll see. We went to Gym America Monday. It was an open session for kids to play on the equipment. That was fun for her. She balanced on the balance beam, grab the high bars and tried to pull herself up, jumped on the trampoline, and did an obstacle course. All things to help with her gross motor development. And of course to have fun with mama! I left John with our wonderful babysitter. She woke up the next morning and wanted to go back to the "gym"! It was so cute. So I will take her more often. I also want to start swimming lessons for Grace. John can wait for now- but Grace needs to start. I think she will love going. She loves the water- so it's a must !

Anyway, that's about it. Not really much happening in the house hunting area. Nothing I like and/see right now. I am just fine with that. Patience is on my side!!!

9 Month Check Up!

Today John had his 9 month check up. It went ok. I guess he has a few issues, but nothing major. His weight was 19 lb 11.9 oz which is in the 35%. His height was 29.5 inches which is in the 75%. So he is just tall and thin. He is showing an upward growth on his chart- so that's good. I still have to push high calorie foods. Like when Grace was being a picky eater- the dietitian said add calories and fat to EVERYTHING! So that means butter, cream, syrup, and ect. Just high calorie foods. So when we came home today- I gave him his favorite... spaghetti and a nice buttery pancake with lots of syrup. I know- what??? But he didn't eat any of the pancake (I knew he wouldn't) and like 2 bites of spaghetti. That's what you have to do though with picky eaters!! I feel like I sometimes have to feed them junk just to get them to eat. But it can be healthy junk if I do it right!! Ha ha. Oh and he will go see an allergist in May. He still has a runny nose, and his skin is very irritated. He was diagnosed with Eczema, but the doctor is not sure about his nose. We've tried antibiotics, nose sprays, allergy medicine.... NOTHING is helping. So we'll see. Oh and funny thing is .. his nose cleared up in Mexico. I said hmmm... does that mean we should move to Mexico?!?! Ummmm no. Not happening ever again to be away from home. I will deal with a runny nose... and so will John. Anyway- overall a good visit. Again I am sooo thankful for a healthy boy. Who cares if he's not HUGE !!! As long as my kids are happy and healthy - that's all that matters!!!

My Little Whiz

OK so I don't mean to brag about Grace.... ok well maybe a little. I am just shocked at what she can do sometimes. One thing is her "puzzle putting together" skills!! This puzzle is a 5+ puzzle, and YES I agree sometimes those ages are low and should be like 2 years younger than what they say, but anyway it has 28 pieces that are pretty small. She spreads them all out and does the whole thing by herself. She will just sit and try to fit each piece together until it matches. The thing is - it doesn't take her that long at all. And of course after she does it once- then the rest of the times she does it even faster. So I keep buying her new ones- but I think I need the next level. She just amazes me sometimes.

Transition Stage

I love this stage that Grace is in. It's called the "my pictures look like pictures" stage. Ha ha no but really, she is drawing pictures that are so cute. This is how she draws her people. First she makes the circle, adds the eyes. nose, then mouth. Then she makes the arms, hands, legs, and feet. I chopped some of her feet off, but they are little circles after the legs. Then she said,"I need to put pants on her mom!" So she colored the legs all blue. I gave her this envelope for Keisha's baby shower card, and told her to decorate it for her. This is what she did all on her own. She drew Keisha and then the baby!! When she was all done I told her to tell me what she drew. So she pointed to the bigger person and said, "Auntie Keisha" and then pointed to the baby and said , "Auntie Keisha's baby right here!" So cute!! Anyway I just had to show you all what her new "people" look like.

Here is our new addition!

John is all over the place!! He loves his new walker. Grace loves it too!!!

Easter Egg Time!!!!

We colored our Easter Eggs today!! Grace loved it and had so much fun. However..... once again I under cooked the eggs!! BUMMER. They were very runny. Grace wanted to eat one and so we cracked it open. YUCK!! The yolk all came out. But- it ended up being so cool to her. She had to crack and squeeze out the yolk in ALL of them. So... tomorrow I will go to the store and we will redo our Easter Eggs!! I was going to call my mom (as I always do) for directions again on how to cook boiled eggs properly. But- it was so early that I didn't want to wake her. Oh- I guess I better call her tomorrow before round 2!!! Oh well- it was still fun and the kids enjoyed it. I remember coloring eggs growing up. So many fun traditions that we did when we were young. I want to pass them on to our kids!!! Plus- it's like I'm a kid all over again!!!

I AM 9 Months Old Today!!

WOW... 9 Months!! I remember it like yesterday. He is growing up so fast. He has his 9 month apt. on Tuesday. So.... he's been sleeping great!!! I love it. He is eating solids better too. Today he had some baked potato and liked it. He really will open better for solid food.... what he doesn't know is that I dump pureed food in his bottle. He will get it one way or another!! It just melts in with the milk- and he sucks it down. So I really do feel better. That just means he will be eating more table food and a WHOLE lot sooner that I expected. At his last OT apt. she said he is doing fine and that he's just one of those that prefers table foods. He will shut his mouth and shake his head when he knows it's pureed. Oh well. He is doing better so that's what's important. Oh and his favorite snack are Cheez - Its. I know.... crackers!! He munches them with his front teeth then puts the food in the back. The OT lady said he has good control of food and chews with his tongue too. So that's another bonus!! Good boy John... you're turning it around!! Happy 9 Months!!!

Pretty Girl

Yes.. a tornado hit just 15 miles from us... but nothing here. We are ok. Actually here is what happened. We were all at the park when a mom said to her kids, "Come on girls,,,, we have tornado warning!" I over heard and was like... "WHAT?!?!" Come on Grace and John... lets go!! So I put them both in the stroller and took off running. I don't think I ever ran so fast in my life. Man- it's like your motherly instincts sometimes go in over drive and you do whatever you need to, to keep them safe. So when we returned , Grace still wanted to ride her bike- so I let her. We got a few rain drops on us- but we made it in!! It really wasn't that bad here. I watch the news and see Dexter and it's so sad. One house was completely gone!! I mean GONE!! A few had horrible damage. I just haven't seen damage that bad in Michigan before. But perhaps it happened before, I don't know.

Anyway- This picture was Grace waiting to go to school. I was almost ready and she looked so sleepy and cute that I had to take her picture!!

Walk Walk Walk

This RIGHT HERE is ALL John wants to do. And if we aren't doing THIS.... then good luck with a happy boy!! He is so funny. He hardly sits to play any more. Now he just wants to walk with you ALL THE time. I say this in bold letters b/c sometimes it gets VERY tiring. Love him to pieces but I wish he would just play for at least a tiny bit instead of wanting to walk. Not complaining- but he really does need more floor time. He still is not crawling and most of it is b/c he doesn't try. So I am putting my foot down- he will spend more time on the floor starting tomorrow. ha ha. I did get him a walker today and Grace got a new bike. Pictures are still to come!! We had a blast outside. We stayed out from 4-6:15. They love being out... and so do I!!

John is doing ok eating. We had another OT apt. today. He likes to eat solids rather than puree food, and he likes to play in it and do it himself. So- whatever works I say!! Oh and he is eating his bottles better. Still while he sleeps, but at least he's getting it! The OT lady said she can't figure that one out, but soon I will be transitioning him OFF bottles - so why fuss now. So that's ok. We will make it work for a few more months!! His 9 month apt. is next week. Can't wait to see how much he weighs.

His sleeping is going great. Day 2 with sleep training. So far he woke up once the first night, and once the second. Lets just say I have TONS more energy to keep up with these two. Boy it sure does help to get some sleep. Plus being outside- one goes one way- and the other goes the other way. I really don't even need to work out any more!! ha ha.

Swimming pool fun!!

The other day I brought the pool up and so far they love playing it. I already took it down stairs.... come on I have to keep it interesting. Ha ha. I love the top picture of John. He's been such a busy bee lately that sometimes he wears me out. I have pictures to post with him "walking", but that's what he wants to do all the time. He still doesn't crawl... tries to.. but not yet. He also really doesn't like baby food. He does like adult food. He's had just about everything we eat. Not much, but he will try it. I can't say that for everything- most things I still have to shove in his mouth- but at least he likes adult food. He still sleeps while he eats his bottle. But it's ok- he won't be on the bottle much longer anyway.

Grace is doing great. She still loves school and loves to be outside. We are loving this warm weather. We went to the park today.... and will go everyday this week. LOVE IT!!

We had a great weekend at my parent's house. I still have to post those pics too!! I have some more cute ones coming. Other than that, nothing else is new. House hunting is still going. Slow... but going. We are just going to be patient and who knows... we may or may not find something this year. I am ok either way. I don't want to rush a big decision like this!! OK more pics to come later. Time for bed.... well almost.

Here are the last of the trip!

Here is a better one of Mummy and John!!!

John at dinner time!

Before our dinner in front of the resort. I love going on vacations/trips!!

Almost Done With Mexico Pics!!!

This was Grace coloring at the restaurant. She's such a good girl!!

This is where we stayed. It was a beautiful place.



A different view.

Sometimes I would take them out for short walks. Not many places to go since we didn't leave the resort. But they enjoyed the fresh air anyway.

Yes.... they start kicking each other this way. SO... I split them up!! Siblings. I never would do that to my sister. Ha ha.

Grace loved the sand and being on the beach!!