Summer Vacations

We went on two family trips this summer.  One with Will’s side, and one with my side.  

We went to St. George for a long weekend with the Robins family.  Remember that week when it was 118* for like a week straight at the end of June?  Yeah, that’s when we were there.  And the AC was out in the condo we rented.  Not great.  But we got it worked out and ended up having a great time.  And it made us appreciate the 101* back home that we had for the rest of the month. 

Will took Jacey and Londyn to Mary Poppins at Tuachan while I watched Calvin and Oakley.  Saturday we switched and I took them to Mulan.  We all swam, played games, ate a lot, and celebrated Elsie’s birthday.  I didn’t take very many pictures, unfortunately. :(

Emma and Jacey at Mulan

Londyn and Madison at Mulan.

Playing games at the Condo.

The next weekend we went to Bear Lake with the Davis family.  Again, we had a great time – visiting, eating, playing games, and sight-seeing.  And luckily everybody else took pictures, because I didn’t.  I don’t know what’s with that lately.

   

We got caught in a microburst on the beach that left the kids pretty scared.  Actually, it scared me a bit too.  It is a very vulnerable feeling to be out in the elements with NO shelter at all and get caught in a storm like that – insane wind, hail, sand blowing, etc.  My first thought as I was walking backwards, barefoot, and barely able to move against the wind (trying to get Oakley to the car) was what a crappy pioneer I would have made.  But other than that half hour, it was an awesome trip.  The kids weren’t crazy about going back to the beach, but we had so many other things planned that we didn’t end up having time to go back anyway. 

We rented surreys and rode through town.  Calvin was our “Captain”.

 

We walked through Minnetonka Cave – all 888 stairs.

We played at the cabin with our cousins. 

Oakley and I spent a lot of the vacation like this. 

 

We got raspberry shakes.

And we enjoyed the view from our Cabin.   

I wish we could always be on vacation.

Londyn & Oakley

I posted this picture on Instagram the other day, and I find myself going back and staring at it. 

They look so much alike to me.

 I was actually trying super hard to get Oakley to smile, but she just wasn't in the mood. And while I was trying, Londyn's smile expired. But I'm glad, because i think you can see more of the similarities on their features when they're not smiling. 

A new favorite.

 

Four Months Old

Well, technically she’s got three more days until she’s four months.  But still . . . time flies.  Indulge me a moment and allow me to record some things about Oakley right now, before they become lost in my scattered brain.

She is such an awesome sleeper.  I hate it when another new mom asks me how she sleeps, especially if I know her baby not sleeping well.  I keep saying I’m going to start putting her to bed earlier, but since all the other kids are staying up till insanely late this summer, she doesn’t usually go to bed until 10:00.  And she sleeps until 8:00 or so.  And she takes a couple of several-hours-long naps during the day.  Honestly, I don’t know how I could ask for any better. 

She is so happy.  She makes cute squawks and coos and other happy noises.  She loves it when her siblings play with her.  The only time she is genuinely cranky is in large crowds.  Three times now she has been in a noisy crowd and had somebody ask if they could hold her, and then went completely ballistic.  I don’t know for sure if it’s the noise or the strangers or the combination of the two things, but she’s not a fan. 

She grabs her toes and hangs onto them.  Yes, I know all babies do this, but she is particularly adorable when she does it.  :)

She nurses about 5-6 times a day.  Her checkup is next week so I don’t know where her weight is right now, but she seems tall and lean to me.  We’ll see if I’m right.

We were looking at the kids’ scrapbooks the other day, and it is remarkable how much Oakley looks like Londyn.  And Calvin a bit (since Calvin looked like Londyn too).  But mostly Londyn, with not quite as chubby cheeks.  Let me see if I can find a good comparison. 

 

Even their eyes are the same shade of blue.  And just for comparison, here’s Calvin at the same age:

And Jacey:

Man, talk about a flashback!  That girl has always had a crazy ton of hair.

Oakley learned how to roll over on Friday.  I’m not sure how that happened, since she was JUST BORN, but apparently time has been passing by while I wasn’t noticing.    

She still gets swaddled at night and for now has kept sleeping on her back.  I seem to remember my other kids outgrowing the swaddle around 5 months, so we’ll see how long she lasts.  She’s so long – even the huge swaddle blankets are getting a little small to wrap her in.  But it’s a comfort thing for her.  Even if I don’t wrap her tight she still likes to have a blanket around her when she sleeps. 

So far there isn’t a nickname for Oakley that has stuck.  We all seem to call her Baby Girl a lot still.  Probably because that’s what we called her for the whole second half of my pregnancy, up until the day she was born.  The kids are trying to force “Karaoakley”.  I call her Oak Sprout a lot.  Will still calls her Seven.

A few more phone pics, just because

They made her wear a hair net when we toured the Sweet’s Candy factory. 

  Love this sweet girl.

I don’t blog enough.

I’m busy.  My days are more full than they have ever been before as a full-time mom.  And I’m not sure why.  My kids aren’t in soccer or t-ball or dance or anything like that right now.  I don’t have a demanding church calling.  But I do have four kids home all day, so I guess that’s enough.  I’ve decided that I need to just sit down and blog, and not worry about getting a post all “composed”, or it will never get finished.  Oakley is asleep, and I’m just going to sit here until she wakes up and hope it results in a post. 

Oakley is almost three months.  We have yet to have a “real” photo shoot.  I know, I’ve kind of surprised myself.  We’ve taken lots of pictures . . . just not very good ones.  Soon. 

Ignoring the first three weeks of her life, she is such an easy baby.  She sleeps like a teenager.  Seriously.  She goes to bed at 11:00 and sleeps until I go in and wake her up in the morning.  Usually around 8:00 or so.  It’s awesome.  She is nursing great too.  So glad we stuck with it and got past the rough parts. 

We blessed her on June 2nd.  We had all of our families there except Laurel and Josh, and it was a really great day.  I didn’t take very many pictures, but I did manage a few of Oakley before we left for church.

Will gave her a really sweet blessing.  I wish we could record those.  Or I wish that I had at least asked somebody to take notes for me. 

We took family pictures the night before the blessing.  It’s not the greatest, but at least everybody is in it.  The picture that this is replacing is 6 family members outdated.

I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be taking pictures when I have 20 pounds of baby weight to lose, but it is what it is.  And at the rate I’m losing it, Oakley will be half grown before I consent to a family picture so I guess it’s better to just get it over with.

I was kind of cranky through the whole photo shoot, but this shot basically made the whole night worthwhile.  My dad is a very lovable dork.

Oakley is still sleeping, so I guess I’ll keep going. 

Londyn finished Kindergarten.  She had a great year and she’s excited to be a big 1st grader.  Her teacher had really nice things to say about her at their awards ceremony, and I was a proud mama.

  Jacey competed in the Battle of the Books for 3rd grade.  She read all of the books back in February on a sick day.  I kept telling her she needed to re-read them before the competition, and she kept putting it off.  I think she did re-read one of them.  But she showed me – she took second place anyway.

Jacey also performed in her 3rd grade talent show.  She has been working on her recital pieces for a long time without making much progress.  Suddenly when I signed her up for the talent show she started practicing them with some real intent.  She did a great job.

Okay, Oakley is awake now so I guess Jacey’s birthday will have to be a separate post. 

Jacey

We took family pictures last night.  I sat Jacey on a stump to set my white balance before we got started.  She sat still for a total of 2 seconds, and then she was off climbing the tree again.  But in those 2 seconds, I got my new favorite picture of Jacey.  She is the queen of pulling silly faces lately, and it it SO nice to see her real smile in a picture for once instead!

Oakley @ Six Weeks

First of all, does she look chunkier??  A week after my last post we went back for a weight check and she had gained 14 ounces.  That was good enough for the doctor to say we didn’t need to come back for any more weight checks.  So I don’t actually know what she weighs right now.  But we’ve been able to cut back to only 2 oz. of formula per day, and she’s still looking chunkier to me so I think we’re doing good.  I’m relieved that she continued to nurse well after getting a bottle.  Answered prayers!

She is sleeping really well.  She goes to bed sometime between 11-12 and sleeps until around 6:00.  I consider this a tender mercy!  I think she knows that I’m a pretty crappy mom when I don’t sleep, so it’s really in her best interest to sleep at night. 

She has given some random smiles, but they’re still pretty infrequent.  I’m eagerly awaiting that day when she gets super smiley.  I consider that a huge Mom-payday, and I’m anxious for it.

The kids all adore her.  Calvin especially.  He loves to talk to her, and loves to give her hugs and kisses.  I worried that he would be rough with her, but he is so amazingly gentle.  Honestly, I haven’t seen much of a “gentle side” with Calvin, so it’s been really neat to see.  He always asks before he touches her.  Which is a little bit shocking to me, since he doesn’t listen to or obey a word I say otherwise. 

She isn’t much of a fan of her binky.  She’ll take it occasionally, but more often than not she has no interest in it and it just makes her mad when you try to get her to take it.

She’s been to church 3 times now.  It’s hard to not be jealous when moms of older babies come in the mother’s lounge and they’re in and out in 10 minutes.  Oakley has gotten much faster at eating, but she’s still a newborn so she’s not exactly speedy.  But other than that she has slept through church.  It’s been nice to be back.

I can’t get her hair to lay down for the life of me. 

She’s a sweet girl.  We’re all pretty big fans. :)

Newborn Days

are hard.

Exhausting.

A bit frustrating.

But so, so totally worth it.

(One day old)

Oakley is 3 weeks old today.  It’s amazing how much more quickly time passes once baby is on the outside!  The last few weeks of pregnancy have got to be the longest ever.  And even with all the exhaustion that comes with having a newborn, time still goes much MUCH faster on the flip side.

The past three weeks for me can be summed up in a word:  nursing.  Oakley is struggling to gain weight.  She has pretty much stayed exactly the same weight since she left the hospital.  It’s been like a flashback to 2.5 years ago with Calvin.  I’m hoping for a slightly different ending – Calvin only nursed for 6 weeks.  So we have been nursing a ton, trying to get her to put on some weight.  It was pretty discouraging to go back in for a weight check today and find out she’s only gained an ounce.  :(

She is a sleepy and content baby, possibly because I spend every moment she’s awake trying to get her to eat.  The kids have been on track break since she was born, and I’ve decided that’s a blessing.  They’ve been a little bored at times, but it’s sure been nice to not have to worry about getting them up and out the door, especially since Oakley likes to sleep in.  And I like to join her, since we rock 3 AM like nobody’s business.  

 

My mom was here for the first 2 weeks and I know I’ve said it before, but she is a freaking rockstar.  I don’t know how I would have managed without her help.  I certainly wouldn’t have had the luxury of being able to sit and nurse a baby for hours on end.  Calvin has missed her so much since she went home.  He actually broke down in tears the other day when he called her to say he missed her – and not temper tantrum tears, actual I’m-sad-you’re-gone tears.  Yes, she lives a mile away.  But after being right here for two weeks, that feels like . . . well, a mile away.

Will is home this week and next on paternity leave, and after that I’m going to have to figure out this mother-of-four thing for real.  I’ve been spoiled. 

Newborn days are hard for me.  I know a lot of moms who LOVE the newborn stage.  I do, and I don’t.  I love snuggling Oakley and kissing on her.  But I do not do well without my sleep, and the frustrations of nursing leave me drained.  I’m crabby.  I’m emotional.  And I take it out on everybody.  

But the good news is, this isn’t my first rodeo.  I know that things get better.  I know that the weight gain will come and even if we can’t nurse as long as I want to, it’s not the end of the world.  I know that I will, eventually, sleep all night.  And lose the baby weight.  And stop breaking out.  And stop crying at car insurance commercials.

In the mean time, things like this make me smile:

The day we came home from the hospital, I came around the corner and saw Calvin singing “Popcorn Popping” to Oakley.  He has been so cute with her, and surprisingly gentle and loving.  He loves to give her soft kisses, and he has said over and over again “I’m so glad for this baby sister!” 

Her big sisters love her too.  Jacey did some math this morning and figured out that she’ll be in college when Oakley is in 3rd grade (Jacey’s age now).  I actually think it made her a little sad to realize just how far apart they are in age.  She has been a fantastic helper, particularly with Calvin.  Londyn has been great too, and is usually the first to volunteer to hold Oakley.   

We have to go back in next Tuesday for another weight check.  And I’ve been instructed to give her two supplemental bottles a day.  Which makes me sad, because for Calvin that was the beginning of the end of nursing.  But we’ll do the best we can.  Think chunky thoughts for us this week.  :)