The Sink Family

Waverly at 9 months!

2012-02-08T20:01:00.002-05:00

Our little lady is a big nine-month-old now! She had a good check up at the doctor's today, and now weighs 17 lbs 4 oz and is 26 inches long. She's definitely grown these past few months!

One big new thing she experienced this month was her first pedicure! She was able to get in on the action of her big sister getting her nails painted. Her little toes looked so cute with pink nail polish! Although she was not a fan of actually getting them painted, and pulled her foot away every time the brush touched her nail!

Her other big news of the month is that she got glasses! She looks so cute in them, although she has a hard time keeping them on her. They have a strap that goes around the back of her head, but she wiggles her head back and forth, and they are off in a minute. We are working on getting them rigged so they will stay on better. Apparently she is far-sighted, so these should help her see closer up.

I love her little smirk here!

This past week in particular she has been a super happy baby! She wakes up with a huge smile, and continues to grin and coo all day long. We are absolutely loving it!

She also experienced her first (and hopefully last!) UTI this month. She really only had a couple of days of seeming miserable, and we were quite worried about her since we didn't know what was wrong. She would have these long crying spells that I thought were seizures (may still have been). This picture is of her during a crying fit in the middle of the night. She didn't sleep at all. Poor baby... She's since been on antibiotics and has been much better!

What a chunker!

This is a dress that Kathryn wore a lot at her age (or maybe a bit older even!).

I took this picture the other morning to show her morning cocktail of medicines. It's quite a lot! Of course, she has two extra here because of her UTI (an antibiotic and a steroid). But still! There's Miralax (in the measuring spoon to be mixed in with her milk), Keppra (for seizures), Vigabatrin (for seizures), Zantac (for reflux), vitamins, probiotics, cod liver oil, and then the antibiotic and steroid. Whew! She sure keeps me busy!

Waverly still sleeps in our room in the bassinet that she has far outgrown by now. We are in the process of getting a big bed for her (more on that later), but I just wasn't brave enough to move her to her own room yet. However, after a few nights in a row of her waking up and wanting to party, I think I may have to try her in the bassinet in her room tonight to see if I get some sleep. I'm nervous though! She's now wearing some 12 month clothes, and some 9 month clothes, although she's pretty much outgrown all 9 month shirts (her big belly sticks out!). Her schedule is still random throughout the day with napping, and she definitely likes to be held to go to sleep. Stinker!

We have been loving seeing her personality shine this past week or two! Hopefully I can post a video here soon so you can see how sweet she is in action!

Church Picture

2012-02-05T14:32:00.001-05:00

At church this morning we realized that Waverly was wearing the same dress that Kathryn had on when we got our picture taken for a church banner. Coincidentally, I had on something similar too! We haven't changed too much since that first picture, have we?

Waverly at 8 months

2012-01-08T16:26:00.000-05:00

Our growing girl is 8 months old!!! This past month has been a busy one with Christmas and all the celebrations that go with it. But here are a couple of sweet pictures of Waverly recently.

She really loves to snuggle still, and we love it too! She can be quite clear about communicating what she wants at times, and has started making it known when she would like to be snuggled to sleep. She also lets us know when she's done being held and wants to sit by herself. I snapped this picture on my phone the other night when she was being fussy. As soon as I picked her up, she snuggled against me, and fell fast asleep. I love our nightly snuggle time!

I also love this picture of her bright eyes from Christmas afternoon.

Her eight month birthday also marks a month of her being off of the prednisone. The neurologist said that the greatest likelihood of the infantile spasms returning would be within the first month of stopping the prednisone, so it's a great sign that they haven't returned yet! We are praying that they continue to stay away, and are SO thankful that God has had mercy on her in keeping them away for so long. She is still quite smiley in the mornings, and loves to watch her brother and sister. She's also gotten into watching tv some (when we let her!), and will turn her head to try to see it when it's on! (Stinker!) She still sleeps in our room at night, but that is about to change any night now as she's just about outgrown the bassinet. We will try her in her own crib in her own room and see how that goes. I am nervous to move her out, but she should do just fine! The last time she went to the doctor she weighed 16 pounds, so she is definitely growing! A few weeks ago she saw the eye doctor and now has a prescription for glasses. She was farsighted. We haven't gotten her glasses yet, but hope to some time this week. We'll definitely post a pic of that!

Kathryn at 5 YEARS old!!!

2012-01-05T22:16:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe, but our firstborn is now FIVE! That's school-aged, ya'll! What a little lady she has become, too. We often have joked that she's four-going-on-fourteen (guess we gotta change that saying now!). See if you can see some of her big-stuff personality show in some of these pictures!

This year she really got into putting out cookies for Santa. Although she knows "the truth" about Santa, she still made it a big deal to put out cookies for him.

She is also really into writing notes. She dictated the note that you see in the above picture. She talks so fast and says so much it's hard to keep up! She also loves texting people and sending Facebook messages. Ah, kids these days...!

She knows she's beautiful, too. Can you tell?

One of the biggest highlights of her past year was becoming a big sister again. The whole pregnancy (except for the first month), she was very confident that it was a girl, and told people so all the time when they'd ask, even though we waited to find out. When Waverly was born and we told her the news that she was a girl, she simply said, "I know." She has taken on the role quite nicely, and loves to do things with and for her little sister. She is a big help, and will get things for me like diapers, clothes, wipes, and her equipment. She loves doing basic care for her like washing her face, helping with bath time, putting lotion on her, helping with diaper changes, and giving her meds. When Waverly is done eating, she'll turn off her feeding pump. She often entertains her and will "babysit" for me very seriously when asked (like if I have to attend to Jackson for a few minutes).

She's very much into accessorizing. Always in search of the perfect headband, bow, or piece of jewelry, she will sometimes surprise us with her get-ups, as you can see in this picture. In fact, although I don't have a picture of it, she currently has glitter in her hair that I can't get out. She used her glitter lipgloss to accent her hair, and it's embedded into her scalp. Guess it'll be there a while!

Kathryn has really been into learning lately. She can write all of her letters, and loves to spell. She recognizes some basic sight words, and is constantly asking what a word spells, or how to spell something. She loves to work on her "homework" (workbooks) during naptime. Her preschool teacher has already told me she is quite ready for kindergarten.

Her memory is also incredible. The things she remembers constantly amazes us. She will often come up with something that happened over a year ago and hasn't been mentioned since. It can be quite difficult to keep up with her sometimes!

She took ballet class this fall. It was her first "class" ever, and she really enjoyed it. However, when the time came for the next session, she said she was done and hasn't asked about taking it again since.

One big thing that happened for Kathryn this year was starting preschool. She goes three mornings a week, and LOVES it! She seems to know every single kid in the whole school, and cracks us up and how much she knows about everyone. She is obviously very social!

Here are a few more pictures of her taking care of her little sister.

Kathryn is also very much into her outfits these days. She loves wearing skirts, and now that it's colder out loves to pick out her tights or leggings to go with them.

This year at preschool they did a Christmas play. Kathryn was chosen to be the angel in the play that announced to the shepherds that Jesus was born. She was the ONLY child in the whole play that had a speaking part, and she did awesome! We were so proud of her for saying all four lines so well!

We also had fun going to the Nutcracker with her great-aunt and Grandma. I love being able to do such big-girl things with her now. She's really fun to hang out with, and I always enjoy one-on-one time with her. You can tell she feels like such a big girl too.

We still find her in funny sleeping positions. When we check on her and Jackson in their room at night, we are never quite sure where we'll find her (in her bed, on the floor, in Jackson's bed, in Waverly's room in the chair, etc.). One day she got tired and fell asleep downstairs in the chair like this:

This pic was taken today, her actual birthday. She was very serious about what outfit she picked out, how her hair was done (in a braid with two clips on either side, with a crown on her head). She's posing with her bear that her Grammy got for her on the day she was born.

Here are a few more things about our girl:

-She will often ask me to remind her of things, as in, "Mom, can you remind me to take my folder to school in the morning?" or "Remind me when we get home to get my necklace."
-Her imagination is really growing, and she will tell elaborate stories and dreams.
-She wears mostly size 5 or 6 now.
-Her shoe size is 12 or 13.
-She still loves music and will sing along to her songs on the cd or to songs on the radio. She often surprises me with a new song she knows.
-She often picks out her own clothes for the morning, gets herself dressed, brushes her own hair and teeth, can get herself something to drink and sometimes something to eat (if it's accessible and easy).
-She loves UVA sports.
-She's still a good eater. Some of her favorite foods are black olives, green olives stuffed with garlic, spaghetti, salad, apples, cheese, broccoli, and of course junk food like chocolate. She also loves our local frozen yogurt place where you can choose your flavor of yogurt and then add any toppings you want.

Kathryn, we are so proud of the little girl that you have become. It has been a true delight to be your parents these five years. You bring so much joy and laughter to our lives. We are so thankful that God blessed us with you, and pray that you continue to grow in your love and knowledge of Him. May you be a light for His glory. We love you!

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-25T14:13:00.000-05:00

We were so blessed to have a happy and healthy Christmas all together this year!

We had a hard time getting a decent pic of all the cousins together. This is the best one I got!

Pretty girl!

Baby's First Christmas!

Present time!

Too much Christmas!

Checking out Waverly's Nap Nanny.


Family pic.

As I took Waverly in later in the day to change her out of her poofy Christmas dress I realized she was awake and happy and the light was perfect for a photo op. I couldn't choose which pic was best, so here are all of them!

One last Christmas-y outfit pic of a very chubby-looking girl!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:08:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed time with family on Christmas Eve.

I love his eyelashes!

So beautiful!

Waverly watching the festivities with Aunt Lindsay.

A couple of years ago we started the tradition of giving the kids new jammies for Christmas Eve. They get to open them that night and put them on. Here they are before opening their pjs.

Modeling their new pjs. Notice how they somewhat match (colors and penguins). That was hard.

This year Kathryn was really funny about Santa Claus. She knows the truth about him, but she still hears so much about him that in a sense he's very real to her still as well. She decided that she needed to put out milk and cookies for him this year for the first time. She was super cute getting it all together. She wanted to write a note for him too, and dictated quite the letter, explaining to him about the reindeer food on the front lawn, his choice between a Coke (pictured) and milk that was in the fridge, etc.

Santa of course wrote back and enjoyed his treats.

Christmas Tree

2011-12-23T22:07:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed going out to cut down our Christmas tree for the first time this year! We've talked about doing it before, but the kids have always been too small, etc. But this year we went for it. We had fun finding just the right tree and cutting it down. And yes, it's important to wear a pink boa when you go pick out a tree.

The big kids found their own "trees" to drag back to the car as well. Such big helpers!

Then we came back and decorated the tree. I love these pictures and how Waverly was a part of "helping'!

Every year, after the tree is decorated, we turn off all the lights in the house, turn on all the Christmas lights, put on Christmas music, and eat ice cream as we sit and look at our beautiful work.

Meeting Santa

2011-12-18T21:16:00.001-05:00

Waverly was finally able to meet Santa for the first time this afternoon at the Sink family Christmas dinner! She didn't want to wake up at first but finally opened her eyes for the occasion!

Waverly at 7 months

2011-12-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

Today Waverly is 7 months old! Our little girl is growing and growing (Can you tell by the pictures?!?)!!! Now that we're past Thanksgiving, we've been pulling out some holiday outfits. So cute!

One big accomplishment this month was feeding her by mouth! She's not getting little tastes of food on the spoon, and loving it! So far she's had bananas, sweet potato, ice cream, icing (at her 1/2 birthday party), and chocolate creme brulee (on Thanksgiving). As you can tell, we've added a few fun things in there!

Waverly got to have her first Thanksgiving this past month.

She also enjoyed another date with her man Ryan. (Ryan is 4 years old and has Miller-Dieker Syndrome like Waverly.)

We had fun at the UVA vs. Virginia Tech game the Saturday after Thanksgiving (although UVA played a horrible game!). The weather was actually pretty warm, so we decided to go and had just planned on me leaving with her once the sun went down and it got too cool for her to be outside. However, we had a surprise! We were so blessed to be able to spend the second half of the game in a suite with my cousin Diana (who's sweet husband switched tickets with us so that we could be there out of the cold). The rest of the family was jealous that we were able to go up to a suite, since they've been attending games since the 1980's and had never gotten to be in a suite yet! I guess you get special privileges when you're special!

A cute Wahoo!

Our BIG news of this month is that our girl is BACK! Her smile and talking have returned. She came back to us the week of Thanksgiving...what a gift! We love seeing her precious smiles after missing them for a month. We hope the seizures will leave her alone and let her "stay" with us now.

She is very interactive again with people, and loves for people to talk to her and just be near her. She's also pretty content laying on her playmat, in the swing, or in her carseat as well. She's really a pretty easy baby in that she's not too fussy. She still loves to be cuddled and held, but will let you know when she's had enough and just wants to lay by herself. She's been growing, and is now 14.5 pounds! Today is also the last dose of her steroids, so we may see the puffiness start to go down some. She's still at about the 5th percentile on all the growth charts, but her weight for height is at about the 90th percentile! Chunker! She wears mostly 3-6 month clothes, although is still in some 0-3 month pants (she's got a tiny waist, and pants tend to fall off of her!), and can wear some 6-9 month shirts. Her arms seem to be kind of short too, so we often have to roll up the sleeves on her shirts and sleepers. As far as sleeping, she still has an awake period in the middle of the night, sometime between 2 and 6. Sometimes it takes her a while to settle back down to sleep. If it's any time before 5a.m., I usually give her melatonin to help her settle back down (otherwise, she can be awake for several hours). She also seems to like it when I put music on my ipod for her and lay it beside her head. Alison Krauss is her favorite. :) She's had a cough for several weeks now, but we've continued to monitor her closely, and other than that, she's had no symptoms, so we think it's just her clearing her throat from mucous or something. I think I've started to notice some "pretend" coughing too to get attention. Smart girl! We have noticed her wrists turning in more lately, so we are in the process of ordering her splints for her hands, wrists, and arms to help with that. We are so grateful for our sweet girl, and for how well she's been doing. As we enter the winter and cold months, please continue to pray for her health, that her body would be strong against all the germs out there.

Bananas!

2011-12-04T21:06:00.001-05:00

On November 17th, Waverly got her first taste of food, bananas! She really enjoyed it! Since then she's also had chocolate creme brulee (see Thanksgiving post) and sweet potato. She LOVES "eating" (even if it is just a few dips of baby food on the spoon), and she seems to do really well with it, much better than she handles the bottle when we try it. The big kids are really excited when she eats too, and love to get in on the action!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-04T20:56:00.001-05:00

We enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving as a family this year. We had the special treat of my family being able to travel down and join us. Waverly had fun with it being her first Thanksgiving, and we treated her to a taste of CHOCOLATE to celebrate! She cried at first, I think because it was a little cool (it was chocolate creme brulee), but once she tasted it, she seemed to enjoy it.

Crafts with Grandma.

Pumpkin pie

Chatting with Grammy.

Waverly is showing one of her skills, sucking on her hand. It's always her right hand, too!

The chocolate sequence.

Chocolate face!

Wordless Wednesday: Sisters (with a brother thrown in at the end...)

2011-11-24T13:37:00.000-05:00

Jackson's Birthday Party

2011-11-19T13:38:00.001-05:00

We had lots of fun celebrating Jackson's birthday (in September...yes, this is a late post!) Enjoy some pictures from his special day!

He was so excited about his Cars cake!

Cute boy!

Waverly enjoyed hanging out with her Grandpa.

Present time!

Almost time to blow out the candles! So excited!

He loves his Buzz! He was watching Toy Story with him!

Waverly at 6 months old!!

2011-11-08T23:04:00.001-05:00

Our little girl is HALF A YEAR OLD!!!! We are so excited to celebrate this milestone with our big girl!

Waverly had many firsts this past month. Her first seizures (as far as we know), her first trip to the Emergency Room:Her first hospital stay:

Her first Halloween:Her first time at Grammy and Grandpa's house (and meeting Maddie the dog):

On our trip up there she enjoyed snuggling with her Grandpa on his 50th birthday!

She also had her first experience seeing snow (on our visit to Bridgewater), voting, wearing leg warmers, and tasting ice cream.

These pictures are from today, comparing her in the stroller today:

And her at one month old, in the stroller for the first time. Can you tell she's grown?

Again, her in the carseat today:

...and at 3 months old....and at one month old, the day she came home from the hospital.
She now weighs 12lbs 13oz! She has quite the chub on her, with little rolls on her arms and legs. She wears size 3-6 month clothes mostly, although she's still in some 0-3 month pants and can wear some 9 month shirts. She's still only in the 5-10th percentiles for her height, weight, and head, but she's proportionate for her body, and cute as a button! Unfortunately, because of the seizures, we have lost her smile for now. We are praying that it comes back very soon. She also doesn't "talk" much any more, but we feel like the past week or so we have seen a little more of "her" behind her eyes, so we are hopeful that she will regain those skills. She's now been seizure free (at least from the Infantile Spasms) for one week!! She is still working on her head control with physical therapy, and has started speech therapy as well. Because of the new seizure meds, she isn't sleeping the greatest, and is often awake at various points in time during the night (sometimes for a long stretch). She still doesn't have much of a schedule during the day, but we're ok with that since we are always on the go with various doctor's appointments and family activities! She does really well when we go out, and is a trooper in her carseat, on trips, on errands, etc. She is still the apple of our eye, and we are so in love with our sweet little girl. Happy 6 months, baby! We love you!!!

Kathryn These Days

2011-11-03T19:43:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd update about our eldest a bit. She's growing up so quickly, and becoming quite the big little girl!

She's really been into learning lately. I'm sure preschool has a lot to do with that. During rest time in the afternoons, she often takes paper and pencils up with her to practice writing, or will do work in her workbooks. This alphabet was from several weeks ago. I didn't realize she could pretty much write all the letter by herself.
She's also constantly asking how to spell things, and will write them down.

Look at how beautiful she is!
Just had to include a funny picture of her sound asleep in the car.
She's really been into being a little mama. She loves to wear her babies around, care for them, etc. She loves to actually care for her little sister, too, and is often quite a big help!
Sometimes life is really busy for her, wearing one baby and pushing the other.

5 months old!!!

2011-10-08T21:50:00.003-05:00

Our sweet girl is 5 months old today!! Just one more month until the big 1/2! A few days ago, she was super smiley and talkative all day (and I mean ALL day...she didn't even nap the whole day!). I got some really cute pictures of her on my phone that day. Here are a few.
Even though this one is blurry, I love how she's sticking her tongue out!

Waverly has started to chunk up a little bit, especially in her legs. I noticed a couple weeks ago that she has knee dimples, and I think they're simply precious!
She looks so chubby in this picture (her cheeks)! This is how she sleeps now. On her side, with a blanket over her middle and legs, with her hands crossed in front of her. So sweet! This picture makes me laugh because of her hair sticking up in the back. It also shows her silly hair...still lots of it in the back, but none on top! She's also worn that spot on the back of her head completely bald, so it looks even funnier!
Waverly got to spend an afternoon with her little "boyfriend" Ryan. We met him and his mom for lunch when they were in town for some appointments. Ryan has Miller-Dieker Syndrome like Waverly, and lives about an hour away. It's totally crazy that with how rare MDS is, that there is someone who lives so close with it! We are so thankful for their family and their friendship! Aren't they cute together!
Waverly had an EEG a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully it isn't showing any overt signs of seizures yet, but the neurologist did say that her brain activity was disorganized and immature (what he'd expect), and that there were several "blips" that were pre-seizure kinds of activity.
We have been noticing some seizure-like movements more and more, especially as she's falling asleep. The doctor was a little unsure if it was true seizures or not (and definitely thinks they're not Infantile Spasms, which are the really damaging type of seizures), so we are holding off on medication for now until they start up for sure or more frequently. I have been so scared of the seizures starting, but we know that it's just a matter of time. I am so very thankful though that we have managed to go for 5 whole months now without any major seizure activity or issues. Thank you, Lord!

As Waverly has been growing, she's been able to wear more of the clothes that her big sister wore. This dress is one that I have a picture of K in when she was a baby. How fun! I love seeing Waverly in those sweet little hand-me-downs. She's mostly in 0-3 month clothes, but can wear some 3-6 month size also. However, we still have trouble with pants. They are all loose around the waist! I'm not sure what's going on with that!
Waverly had her first big sickness this month. J had said his tummy hurt for a few days. A couple days later, Waverly spit up, then she started throwing up. She threw up for two full days, after every feed. We finally got her switched to Pedialyte, and she tolerated that a little better, and then we slowly reintroduced milk. We are so thankful that it wasn't worse. We almost had to take her to the hospital, but I think she heard us talking about that and got scared! We're so thankful to have avoided that this time!

A few more facts about our girl at 5 months old:

-we've started actually putting her to bed (instead of keeping her up with us until we go to bed)! I know, it's a novel thought! She goes down about 9:00p.m., when her nighttime feed starts. At some point in time during the night, she usually fusses and then I transfer her to her carseat, where she finishes sleeping for the night. That usually happens around 3a.m., but can be anytime during the night (as early as 11p.m. or as late as 4a.m.). She sleeps until around 8:00 in the morning.

-during the day she naps on and off. She doesn't really have much of a schedule for naps. Sometimes she sleeps a lot, other times not much at all! It really varies from day to day!

-she is still able to eat by bottle some, but we take it slow and only do it when we have time to really stop and focus on it. If she acts like she's uncomfortable or unhappy during the feed, we stop and try again at another time. When she's handling it well, though, she really LOVES to eat, and sucks down what she's allowed to have in no time at all!

-she weighs 11lbs 13oz and is 23 inches long.

-she is usually the most smiley in the mornings, and will flash us some very sweet grins! She also has times where she'll coo at us when we talk to her, and it's about the sweetest sound you've ever heard!

-she doesn't like loud noises...they scare her!

-she still loves to be held, and adores her older brother and sister!

Three Years Old!!!!!!

2011-09-23T07:57:00.006-05:00

Our sweet boy turned THREE on Friday!!! Here is a post all.about.him.

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures, taken just minutes after Jackson was born. Can you tell his Daddy was smitten?!?Newborn Jackson, our big boy at 9lbs 4oz!
One big new thing that Jackson has undertaken recently has been preschool! So far he really enjoys it! He's always been a little more cautious than Kathryn about new things so we weren't sure what he'd think about it, but he's done great! I think it helps that his big sister is at the same school and they can walk in together.
This is the morning of his birthday. We got him a mini trampoline for his birthday, because he LOVES to jump! We find him jumping all the time, on the bed, on the couch, etc. So we thought a trampoline may help with that, um, habit. :)

These were also taken Friday morning. A good example of his many faces.
Sweet.
Sweet again.
Snickering.
Goofy.
Trying to listen.
Long eyelashes.
Our boy.
Some other things about our THREE year old:

He can now count to 20! He may miss a number or two in the teens, but one day he started counting and went all the way to 20! Wow! He still doesn't quite know all the alphabet yet, although recognizes several letters, including "J for Jackson". And he is still a little iffy on colors sometimes. However, his favorite colors are always blue and orange (go figure!). Obviously, he loves UVA, and recognizes their logo anywhere. If he sees his UVA shirts, he wants to wear them and asks to go to the football games. He also loves going to baseball games. Again, go figure!

He loves to play ball out in the yard: baseball, golf, soccer. He swings the bat and club left-handed but does everything else right-handed.

He loves to give big, puckered-lip kisses. And only on the lips. He is very sweet and compassionate, and will cry if someone else is upset, especially his big sister. He also loves to snuggle.

He's talking a lot more now too, and will say almost anything, although we don't always understand him. He will often insert "mama" after much of what he says, for instance, "I want one too, mama." And it's a long, drawn out way of saying it ("maaaaamaaaa"). One of the funniest things he says is "WeeWee" for Waverly! The nickname has stuck, and now we often call her WeeWee too! Along with the talking comes more understanding and obedience. He still has his times of throwing tantrums, but he is understanding so much more and with that is coming obedience. We are so thankful to see the Spirit's work in his heart already on that.

Jackson is also really into wrestling. He's started getting into singing, and loves listening to his verses in the car. He loves people. He's potty training and doing so well! We had one week to do it over the summer, and he's done great! We are still working on the #2 part, but hopefully that will come soon! He loves Buzz Lightyear and Cars, although doesn't mind too much of his sister's princess stuff either. :)

Jackson, we love you so much and are so thankful for your life these past three years!!!

Ballet

2011-09-19T19:29:00.002-05:00

Kathryn started ballet class through the Y this fall and LOVES it! Isn't she the cutest in her outfit?!?

Jackson wanted in on the photo shoot too!

UVA Game!

2011-09-16T10:24:00.000-05:00

A couple of Saturdays ago we all enjoyed our first UVA football game of the season! It was Waverly's first game, and she was excited to be able to go! (For pics of Jackson's first game, see here. And for Kathryn's first game, see here.)

Sandra, Johnny's mom, made matching outfits for all the kids...dresses for the girls, and shorts for Jackson (even though he really wanted a dress like the girls...!). Here are our three little ones! The cousins. (Aubrey wasn't feeling the photo shoot...)
Grandma with her grandchildren!
Grandma and Granddaddy with the grandchildren.
Our family!
Up close.
We had to do another running shot like last year (I don't think I have any pics of that one though...).
On the lawn.

She was asleep, so we just left her in the stroller.
At the game. She did well in the Ergo for a while, then we took her out because it was hot.

"What's going on back there? Did we score?"
This is how you eat, g-tube style, at a football game!
With Aunt Lindsay.
We were so excited to all be able to go to the game as a family, since it's an important part of our fall tradition. We hope to be able to all make it to another game or two (or more!).

First Day of Preschool!

2011-09-14T09:54:00.005-05:00

The big kids started preschool last week! So far they are loving it! I of course took the obligatory first-day-of-school pictures! Waverly wasn't feeling it that morning, and just wanted to sleep. Even after I got her up, she rolled onto her side and was snoozing soundly! Ready to go!
Big stuff!

Stinker!
Walking down the sidewalk to go in.
Walking down the hallway to their classrooms.
Finding his cubby. We didn't have to show him, he recognized his name and showed us!
Hanging his backpack.
Posing with his teacher!
Hanging her backpack in her cubby.
Sometimes I can't believe we are old enough to have kiddos going off to school! But they are loving it, and I am thankful for a little bit of quiet time in the mornings! :)

Waverly at 4 months!

2011-09-08T16:00:00.003-05:00

Today is Waverly's four month birthday! Happy month-day little girl!

This picture is from this morning during her tummy time. She's demonstrating one of her newest skills...sucking on her fist! She brings her hand to her mouth often now, even when she's on her back, and sucks on her hand. We've been working on this in Physical Therapy for some time now, so we are so excited that she's figured it out! Dressed up for church a couple of weeks ago.
She's also got a very pretty UVA dress that she's very proud to wear!
She's been spending time in the Ergo some, and seems to like it really well! She likes to sleep in it when she's all snuggled against me, and I kinda like it too... :) Kathryn is showing what a good mama she is to her babies also!
Waverly got to her first UVA game last weekend! She did really well for such a long day. She wasn't a big fan of the loud noises, but ended up doing really well (even though it was reallly hot!).
Of course, she reps JMU as well! Go Dukes!
Finally, here are some more pics from this morning. Jackson of course had to get in on the action!

Cooing!
Silly face.
Our biggest news for her 4 months is actually from today. She had a swallow study, and did SUPER! She didn't aspirate at all, and now we can start feeding her bottles some! We will have to take it very slowly, so we are going to give her bottles twice a day, and only do about 1/2 ounce, but it's exciting all the same! She chowed down on that bottle, and got so mad when they took it away from her!

Our other really big news is that she now has a MIC-KEY button! We LOVE the button (SO much better than the PEG tube hanging out of her), and she did really well with that surgery. Also, as a result of the button, she is now allowed to take tub baths, which is so nice! She seems to enjoy them and I am so happy to be able to bathe her!

Other news from this past month is that she is no longer swaddled for bedtime. She seemed to be waking up during the night and being agitated about being confined, so I just decided to stop and see what happened. She sleeps on her side with her hands crossed in front of her face (SO cute!). She still has a not-so-sound sleeping time sometime during the wee hours of the morning (3-4a.m.), so at that time I transfer her to her carseat to finish the night sleeping. She seems to like that pretty well and settles back down to sleep well there. During the day she really isn't on any sort of a schedule. She naps when she naps, and she's awake when she's awake. Some days she seems really sleepy, and others she hardly naps at all! We never know what kind of day it will be!

She hasn't been weighed in 3 weeks, so I'm really not sure what her weight is right now (the past few appointments she's had didn't have an infant scale). I will be sure to update her weight when we get a new one next week.

She still loves to "play" with the animals on her toy bar or on the handle that hangs over her carseat. She will smile and coo at them so sweetly. She also smiles at us some now, and will give us little coos and sweet noises. She still loves to be held by anybody who is willing! We are just treasuring these days with her, and count each one as a gift.

First tub bath!

2011-09-06T20:40:00.003-05:00

Waverly finally got her first tub bath last Saturday! We were so excited to be able to do that, now that she has her MIC-KEY button! The whole family got in on the excitement!

When we lowered her down into the water, her eyes got really big and she gasped, then started crying! That only lasted a few seconds though, and then she settled down and seemed to enjoy herself! Enjoy the pics of the momentous occasion! (And for pics of the other two's first baths, see here for Jackson or here for Kathryn.)

Soapy head.Admiring big brother!

"Cheese!"
Aerial view.

Getting lotion on afterwards.

A few lost pics

2011-08-27T19:49:00.004-05:00

I found these pics on a camera that had lost its battery and had never uploaded them to the computer or the blog. Enjoy a few old pics from the hospital.

Our three kids.
Cute, sweet, small girl.

Car seat study the day before discharge from the NICU.

Baseball Game

2011-08-25T06:50:00.001-05:00

This summer we've been to the Salem Red Sox baseball game twice! The kids have loved going, and both nights we went were perfect baseball nights! The kids especially loved the popcorn and ice cream, and yelling "Charge!" after any kind of music over the loudspeaker!

3 months old!!

2011-08-08T19:51:00.004-05:00

Waverly is 3 months old today!!! She celebrated by having her first out-of-the-hospital follow up with the neurologist! (All cool kids celebrate that way, right?!?) (More on that appointment to come.) She is definitely growing, and as of today is a whopping 9 pounds!!! Way to go little girl!

One of her favorite things to do recently is spend time in her bouncy seat and "talk" to the animals that hang on the toy bar. For some reason, when she's in the right mood, she gets so excited to see the animals and will squeal away at them. She's also spent two times in the sling, and liked it pretty well this last time.
These next two pictures are for comparison. The first was taken today, the second was taken the day we brought her home from the NICU, just before she was 1 month old. Can you tell she's grown??
The other night she was sleeping in her bouncy seat, and had her hands just so placed. So cute!
We are also finally being able to put some different outfits on her, now that she's outgrowing her newborn sized clothes. Bring on the 0-3 months! Yay!
A few other facts about our growing girl: She still eats every three hours via g-tube, and is up to 63mL/hour during those day time feeds. We hope to get her up to 65 by the end of the week. She is now up to full feeds during the night, getting 30mL/hour for 10 hours (9p.m.-7a.m.). She has dropped her Reglan medication, and is now just on two meds for reflux (Zantac and Prevacid), and is doing well with that. We still see occasional smiles from her, but are still not quite sure that they are in response to us. She does love to study faces, and will track movements with her eyes, which is great for her! She loves to spend time lounging in her boppy or being held, and enjoys being outside (when it's not too hot!). She has her first cold, which is sad for us! Please pray that she gets over that very soon! She is very loved by her big sister and brother, who love to hold her, lay beside her, and give her kisses. She brings so much joy to those around her. Waverly, we love you!

Visit

2011-08-04T20:55:00.002-05:00

We had a special visit the other week from Aunt Judy and cousins Becky and Joey. The kids were so excited to spend time with them, especially when Judy asked Kathryn what she wanted to do for lunch. Kathryn's response went something like this. "Well, did you know we have a Chunky Cheese here? It's really cool, and it has pizza that's pretty good. Oh, and some games. I could tell you how to get there. Have you ever been there, to Chunky Cheese? It's really cool for lunch." (Chunky Cheese=Chucky Cheese) So, Kathryn conned her way into going out for a special lunch and they had a blast getting such a special treat! Thanks for the visit!

Potty Training!

2011-08-04T20:38:00.003-05:00

Some people have thought I was crazy to try potty training with Jackson in the midst of all our craziness, but honestly this was the best week to try it (as in no appointments, etc.). So, we went to Target late last week, picked out some big boy underwear and MnM's, and got set to start this week. So far he's done really well, and we're very proud of him! I am hoping that the trend continues, and it just eases naturally into no more diapers for him (except at night). Part of the process is lots of nakedness and time spent just in undies. One morning we decided some undie soccer was in order. And seriously, there's something just stinkin' cute about a little guy in his undies! Makes him look like such a big boy and no longer a baby anymore!

Cousins!

2011-07-31T09:02:00.001-05:00

I stole this from Lindsay, but I just couldn't resist this sweet picture of the four Sink cousins!

Bejeweled

2011-07-26T20:48:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Kathryn had gone to VBS and gotten some jewel stick-on stickers. On the way home, she decided to decorate herself, and this is what she came home looking like...

She decided to be generous and share with her brother, who got in on the action...

2 Months Old!

2011-07-08T13:40:00.002-05:00

Our sweet girl is 2 months old today!!! She continues to grow, although not quite as quickly as she did the first few months home! She now weighs 7lb 6oz, and is roughly 21 inches long. I'm not sure where the lies on the percentiles (she has her checkup at the pediatrician next week), but I'm sure it's on the low end, for weight at least. :) However, it is obvious to most people that she has grown. We especially notice it when she's in her car seat, as she now doesn't get lost in it!

We are noticing more and more awake time for her, with more alertness. Although she will often smile in her sleep and sometimes make smile-like faces when she's awake, we have yet to have a smile in response to someone or something. We are anxiously awaiting that moment! She is having longer periods of time where her eyes will meet ours, and that is fun to see her develop in that way! She can lift her head up when on her tummy, but it falls right back down again, so we are working on that skill. We also do Physical Therapy exercises with her, which are pretty basic right now and include range of motion, encouraging her to get her hands to her face, and tuck her feet/legs up to her middle.

Waverly still eats every three hours during the day (48mL/hour, and we are increasing it by 1mL every two days) and continuously at night for 10 hours (21mL/hour). We will work on increasing her nighttime intake once we get her daytime intake up to 65mL each feeding. She is doing well keeping her feeds down, although will still spit up occasionally.

Some other fun things she does is open her mouth and smack her lips into an oval. We aren't sure if she's trying to "talk" or doing it in response to reflux! But it's cute! She loves to be held, but does pretty well in her bouncy seat or on her boppy pillow under the play gym as well. She gets lots of love from her siblings, who also love to hold her. She does well in her carseat when we're out and about doing family activities or going to doctor's appointments. She did well this month on her first trip to the grocery store, too. Now, on to some pictures!

Every morning, she tends to have a fussy period sometime between 4 and 6a.m. If she won't settle down, I'll pull her into bed with me to snuggle and try to get a little more rest. (Although it's quite tricky to do it with her tangle of monitor and feeding pump cords...!) Here she is this morning snuggling in bed!She looks pretty in headbands... We were at a church program, and she was looking at me.

Funny face.
Sleepy smiles.
Every lady should cross her legs when sleeping on the Boppy...

First Walk

2011-06-15T15:12:00.002-05:00

The day Waverly came home from the hospital, we were all excited to go on her first walk as a family. After being in the NICU and never being outside in the fresh air and sunshine, I think she was happy too!

Coming Home!

2011-06-14T20:37:00.002-05:00

Pictures from the day Waverly came home, after being in the NICU for 30 days! The kids were thrilled to have her home, and didn't want to leave her side!

When we got her out of her carseat, they wanted to hold her. Can you tell she was so proud?!?

Our THREE kiddos!!!
So excited and proud!
I LOVE this pic!

Awana Program

2011-06-09T08:51:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago the big kids had their Awana awards program at church. This awards program is a big reason why they did Awana this year in the first place. Last year we attended the program, and Kathryn saw all the kids on the stage getting awards and performing a song, and was heartbroken that she wasn't up there as well. So we told her she could do Awana this year, and she was thrilled (and for a while asked every week if it was her turn to get up on stage!).

The Puggles, Jackson's age group, was first to get their awards. It was hilarious seeing all the two year old chaos up there! Can you tell? He didn't know where to go...This is a blurry picture, but he was tickled to be on stage too!
With his award!
This is the Cubbies group, for Kathryn's age. Can you tell the difference in this picture than in Jackson's pictures? These kids actually stand in a line!
It was a very serious thing for Kathryn. She loves feeling like such a big girl!
We were so thankful for the Awana program this year! Kathryn learned a new verse every week, and I love how the Word of God is hidden in her heart. (Jackson's class did Bible lessons as well, but they didn't really memorize verses since some of them don't talk much yet!)

Sweet Baby

2011-05-31T20:12:00.001-05:00

I couldn't decide which pic was best, so here are three very similar ones! :) She'll be coming home very soon, and we are SO excited! Remember you can check out her blog for more specific updates as we get them!

Family!

2011-05-28T21:28:00.002-05:00

Waverly has had lots of love from her family in her almost-three weeks of life!

I love this last picture, how her Great-Grandmom, Great-Granddad, and Great Uncle Dan are hovering over her! They seriously did this for hours while they were visiting her, watching her sweet sleepy smiles (she loved it when Grandmom called her "gorgeous"!). Waverly, you are LOVED!

Family Pictures

2011-05-18T18:18:00.002-05:00

Our family of FIVE!
Peeking at his baby sister...

She's such a proud big sister, and SO happy that it's a girl!

Waverly's Blog!

2011-05-16T20:34:00.003-05:00

We've set up a new blog for Waverly's updates. Please visit www.waverlysjourney.blogspot.com to keep up to date on our little girl!

Waverly Ann Sink!!!

2011-05-10T20:38:00.003-05:00

We'd love for you to meet the newest member of our family, Waverly Ann Sink!

She was born on Sunday, May 8 (Mother's Day!!!) at 6:23a.m., weighing 5lbs 5.4 oz, and 18.75 inches long. She is precious, and we are so thankful for our little blessing! She's been in the NICU (the reason for the tape on her face...I call it her mustache!). More updates soon to follow.

Update

2011-05-07T16:40:00.003-05:00

Warning: Men, read at your own risk...Thanks for being patient with us during a little silence. I was admitted to the hospital last night (Friday), and they started Cervidil. They checked me this morning after 12 hours, and it did little to help my cervix. However, the doctor wanted to go ahead and try Pitocin to see if that would help to dilate me. After 8 hours on the Pitocin, I had only dilated to 1cm. So, they stopped the Pitocin for the night, let me eat dinner (woohoo! see the above picture of me "eating" my liquid lunch...), and at about 7:00 they are going to give me another dose of Cervidil. They will leave that in place overnight, and then will start more Pitocin in the morning. The doctor feels confident that that will do the trick, and we should have a baby by tomorrow. I was quite discouraged earlier in the day by all this, but am ok now (maybe because I finally got to EAT!). I am encouraged to know that we are getting closer to meeting our little one, even if it is a little later than we thought. Even though it's been a bit of a boring and slow day, I am also trying to be thankful for the quiet time (how often do us moms long for just a few minutes of peace, much less a whole day?!?). Thanks for all your prayers and concerns. A few specific prayer requests:
-the Cervidil could spark labor for me on my own. That'd be great!
-rest for tonight, if labor doesn't start.
-strength for delivery.
-and of course, prayers for our little Baby!

Baby is a-comin'!

2011-05-04T13:55:00.002-05:00

After my appointments on Monday and then again today, the doctors agree that they should induce me on Saturday at 37 weeks along. So, I have one more appointment tomorrow to check on Baby, and am scheduled to go in the hospital Friday evening to start Cervidil and then will start the Pitocin on Saturday to start labor. The baby looked good on the ultrasound today. It still has the fluid in its ventricles, but was "breathing" well (we saw bubbles going in and out of its nose...so cute!). We also saw Baby swallow, which was good. And on the Biophysical Profile on Monday, Baby scored 10 out of 10. So, all those are good signs. For now, we just have to wait a few more days to see who God created this little one to be. And little he/she is...they estimate 5 pounds! Although that is normally just an estimate, they feel like they are pretty close on its size since they are able to get such good pictures and measurements due to all the amniotic fluid. So, about half the size of my last kid....whoa! Thanks so much for all your prayers, encouragement, offers of help, etc. We have been so blessed by the body of Christ and friends and family over the past several weeks. We look forward to introducing you to our Little Blessing very soon!

"I like dirt!"

2011-05-04T05:59:00.002-05:00

Yes, that's dirt all around his mouth. It looked even better in person! This boy is so silly!
He just pointed to my belly button and said "Nose", as in, the baby's nose. He loves to feel the baby go "bonk", as he calls it, when Baby kicks. He is talking more and more these days. Common phrases are "She hit me", "I don't want to", "Watch this", and "Look at me!" He is still as sweet as he can be, but also in a very two-year-old phase of challenging what is asked of him. He still has a hilarious sense of humor. He loves to hit the baseball, and does so left-handed. He also golfs left-handed, but will throw and do other things right-handed. He likes to play with trains and cars, and often lines them up in a perfect line. He gets super excited when he sees trains "choo choos" when we're driving. He can recognize a few letters, including J (for Jackson), K (for Kathryn, who he usually calls Sissy), and B. He also counts, although I'm not sure how high he can get by himself. He often gets 1-4 by himself, and then sporadic numbers from there until 10. He likes to point out things that go around ("round, round"). He still doesn't seem to know his colors very well...he guesses everything is either blue or orange. Wonder where he gets that color combo from? :) He's sitting here with me now, and desperately wants to type, so I'll let him close it out.

llllll;hyi-iy

Preliminary Amnio Results

2011-05-01T20:04:00.002-05:00

We got a call from the doctor on Friday with the preliminary amnio results. We will get the full results by the end of this week, but before the full results are ready, they run the test for the three most common chromosomal abnormalities: Down's Syndrome, Trisomy 13, and Trisomy 18. These three make up about 90% of the chromosomal abnormalities seen in infants. According to the doctor, this preliminary test has a "high degree of accuracy", and ours came back clear on all three. So, it looks like those are not what we are dealing with at this point. Like I said, the rest of the results (which tests for other chromosomal abnormalities) should come back by the end of this week. Of course, if there is something else going on with Baby (genetic, neurological, digestive, etc.), we won't know anything still, since they can't check for those via amniocentesis. So, we continue to wait and see! I have appointments this week on Monday and Wednesday so far (and we'll see if they add more on!). Thanks for the continued prayers as we wait and see what God has in store for our sweet little one!

Baby Update-Amnio Done

2011-04-25T15:01:00.002-05:00

First of all, a few pictures from our ultrasound today. Baby keeps getting cuter and cuter!

What do you think, does it look like a boy or a girl??? :)

So, the amnio was this morning. My nerves were worse than the actual pain itself! I wasn't totally freaked out, just a little nervous about it all (and I've always had a hard time being able to turn my nerves completely off!). But, the test was pretty easy in and of itself. We should hear some results by the end of the week, and get the full results back by middle to end of next week. Of course, we will keep you all updated on that. Other than that, the doctor said that we really should be ready for Baby to come anytime now. I am not dilated at all, but when you have so much fluid, you could go into labor at any time. So, now I am trying to not freak out about how much there is to do and just do a little at a time and trust God for His timing!

Honestly, I am not sure what to pray as far as test results. So we are just praying for God's will for this precious little one, and trusting Him! Thanks for joining us in prayer. We feel so loved and prayed for.

And, just for fun, here's a picture of me from yesterday, Easter Sunday. Yes, I am measuring well beyond full term! Johnny's comment: "Well, at least we know what you'd look like with twins!" (hehe, I told you I'd put it on the blog...!)

Easter

2011-04-25T14:53:00.004-05:00

Crashing Down

2011-04-22T13:14:00.002-05:00

Normally this blog is about our family (mostly the kids), a way to keep family and friends updated (especially those who aren't close by). We intend to keep it this way, but have an added purpose to it now. Really, it still falls in line with our original purpose, but may seem a bit more focused on updating (and not so much of the little pictures and anecdotes as usual). Anyway...on Wednesday afternoon, when I came home, I discovered the above. One of the trees in our front yard had half fallen, brought down by the wind. I found it interesting that it was almost symbolic of the day....

I was arriving home after a doctor's appointment. On Monday, I had an ultrasound to check on Baby, since I was now measuring large. That's when they discovered I had extra amniotic fluid, and a few other concerns with Baby. Here's a picture from that day. Isn't it so cute?!?
At the appointment with the high risk doctor on Wednesday, they confirmed the excess fluid, and found several things of concern. The baby also has fluid in its lateral ventricles of the brain. The normal amount is less than 10mm. The left side had 13mm, and the right side had 21mm. Anything over 20 is considered hydrocephaly. We don't know exactly what this means for Baby once it's born, but it may mean a shunt will need to be placed to drain the fluid. Baby's head circumference isn't measuring large so far, so that's good news. They also found several other things of concern, including baby's size, eye spacing, abdominal size, chin, and possibly clubbed feet (although they now think not). Basically, they think that something may be going on with Baby, but aren't sure what. We have an amniocentesis scheduled for Monday morning, which will help us determine if it's a chromosomal abnormality, and if so, which one. It could also be a genetic issue, neurological issue, or digestive issue. The truth is, we truly won't know the full picture until Baby is born. So, in the meantime, we are closely monitoring Baby (and me) with twice weekly doctors appointments, ultrasounds, and non-stress tests. And then Baby will have further testing once it arrives (at least for the hydrocephaly, if nothing else). We should know a little more once the results come back from the amnio.

It's a lot for us to process, and still all so very new. We really feel like it's a great big question mark in many regards. We hope to be able to use this blog to keep you all updated as to our newest little one, as well as continue posts on our other bigger ones too! (Easter pictures will be soon!) So, back to the beginning, with the tree that came crashing down on Wednesday. In a sense, a lot came crashing down on us that day. Not our whole entire world...I know the news could have been much worse, and I know plenty of people who are dealing with some very big issues in life right now. But, at the same time, it's always daunting to hear that something could be wrong with your child, whether it's a baby in utero, or a grown child. However, we know that our God is big, and He is good, and nothing is out of His hands. I praise Him for how He is already taking care of our sweet little baby, and already has an amazing plan for his/her life. I know that He has us in the palm of His hands, too, and that His grace will carry us through, whatever may come.

Third Time's the Charm

2011-04-10T13:20:00.002-05:00

So, I have been a horrible blogger lately...just no energy, I suppose! And I've been especially bad about updating about this pregnancy. So, Third Child, this one's for you!

These belly shots are from about 31 weeks along. I am definitely bigger this time around. In fact, I've got an ultrasound scheduled for next week to check on Baby since I am measuring large now. We'll see what that determines!
Most people say that I am "all belly", which leads most people to guess it's a boy. But, that's how I carried the other two as well, and as we all know, only one was a boy! Kathryn, however, is pretty convinced it's a girl (partly due to her Aunt KK!). Jackson changes his mind every time we ask him, so his opinion isn't valid at this point! Here are a few other random facts about this pregnancy:

-It gets harder every time! I definitely feel more aches and pains this time around.
-This is by far the most active baby I've carried. I felt it the earliest, and feel more movement, and crazy, big movements, than I did with the other two.
-The baby likes to wake up as I go to bed, and whenever I wake up in the middle of the night, it will often wake up as well.
-The baby seems to respond to Kathryn's voice when she talks to it.
-If it's not clear already, we are waiting to find out the gender till Baby is born! (We found out with the other two, but decided to wait this time!)
-My cravings have been pasta, soda, fruit with cottage cheese, bagels with creme cheese, orange slices, and chocolate! (Any guesses as to the gender based on cravings??)
-We CAN'T WAIT to meet this little one!!!

St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-31T13:12:00.001-05:00

I snapped a few cute pics of the kids on St. Patrick's Day. Notice how cool they are in their Chucks!

Quotable-Jackson!

2011-03-22T13:04:00.001-05:00

Finally, Jackson gets a Quotable post! He is starting to talk more and more, and it's so fun! Of course, it can be frustrating when we don't know what he's trying to say. But he's doing great. It is still quite an effort for him at times, though, mostly when he's trying to say several words or a sentence. So, picture the following with adequate pauses in between each word.

At a friend's house last week we had hotdogs. Jackson had eaten a whole one, then another half of one. Then he leaned over to me and said: "Mama... Iwant......more.....dog......"

These Kids...

2011-03-06T14:17:00.002-05:00

This girl:-is becoming quite the little mommy, keeping tabs on her little brother and letting me know what he's up to.
-is rhyming words all the time now.
-is continuing to learn to write her letters, and can now write her name all by herself.
-can count to 30 (or more), and to 10 in Spanish.
-tells me all the time how much she loves me.
-thanks me occasionally for doing things like cleaning the bathroom or folding the laundry.
-is very much into wearing dresses and skirts, and loves to accessorize her outfits as well.
-loves green olives stuffed with garlic.
-was in the 70-something percentile for height and 40-something percentile for weight at her 4-year old check-up last week...tall and skinny!

This boy:

-can count to 3, sometimes 4.
-is talking more and more.
-says "thank you" all the time.
-still loves his paci (he now calls it "poppy" or "poppies"), blanket, and lovey.
-sleeps in a big boy bed now (at night).
-has a great sense of humor.
-loves fruits and veggies.
-is working on his colors, but thinks everything is either blue or orange (wonder where he gets that color combo from...?)
-weighs 31 pounds.

These kids:-are sharing a bedroom.
-fight like crazy.
-love to play together too.
-love to wrestle and tickle each other.
-love to play outside.
-are the apple of my eye.

Kathryn's Kinderjam Program

2011-03-06T14:08:00.003-05:00

Since the fall, Kathryn has been a part of the Kinderjam class at our church. She LOVES the music class, and was SO excited to get to perform a couple of weeks ago on the stage at church! She had seen other kids perform before, and was so excited to finally have a turn to be a part of it.

Here she is sitting with the other kids waiting for their big moment.Up on the stage...
Ringing her bell...
She made this same funny face almost the whole time. She was concentrating really hard!
What impeccable rest position!
One last concentrated ring!

Sick Days

2011-03-02T21:15:00.002-05:00

This is what our house has looked like the past two months, on and off.

Sick days. Deep, dark, sick days. We made it through the month of December (the holidays!) with no major issues, and I kept reading on Facebook how many friends were dealing with sick kids in their homes, so it was no surprise to me when it started. But folks, it's not been stopping... It began Jan. 13th with me coming down with a stomach attack. Two days later Johnny started feeling achy, and came down with the flu. Four days after that I started with the flu. Johnny's family stepped in and took the kids that weekend so they wouldn't be exposed to me, and to help me recover. That Friday, Kathryn threw up at night. She continued to throw up, just at night, for the next several nights. The kids came back home the next Monday afternoon. She had thrown up on the way home, and the next day was pitiful. I took her to the doctor that Tuesday, but we never figured out what it was (we thought it was strep because we found out she had been exposed the previous weekend). By the next day, she was fine. I continued to recover slowly from the flu the rest of that week. That weekend, Kathryn started coughing again, and had a little cold virus that weekend (I assume something she picked up at the dr. office). I started with the cold the Monday following (my resistance was still way low due to the flu, I think). Her cold cleared up in just a couple of days. Mine turned into a sinus infection, and I was miserable for a week and a half, then had about a week afterwards till I was still feeling somewhat normal. Then we had about a week and a half of everyone feeling pretty normal. Whew! But that was all the break we had. Then Kathryn started with the flu. A few days later, Jackson started with it. And that brings us to the pictures above. The poor babies were miserable. Today Jackson's temperature was finally normal all day, so I am hopeful that by this weekend, we will all be over it all and back to being completely normal. And, I'm hoping that this will be the end of a long two-ish months for us. So I apologize for the lack of blogging lately, but I hope you understand why!

Quotable

2011-01-27T14:55:00.002-05:00

Kathryn, while playing at Pump It Up (a play place with tons of inflatables to jump on), breathless: "Mama, I'm losing steam. I need to go get some more!"
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Kathryn, a few days after Christmas: "Mama, now how old is baby Jesus?"
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Kathryn: "Mama, when are you going to get dressed?"
Me: "After I work out a little bit."
Kathryn: "But you haven't showered yet?"
Me: "No..."
Kathryn: "So then you're still stinky?"
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Kathryn came downstairs during naptime: "Mama, I changed my clock, so now it's closer to 3:30, but I don't know what time it is, so can I just stay downstairs and naptime is over?"
Me: "Kathryn, you can change the time on your clock, but you can't change time..."

Christmas-Crabtree Edition

2011-01-25T21:48:00.004-05:00

So, I've been sick the past couple weeks, and have gotten behind on some blogging that I've meant to do. So, first off is the last of the Christmas posts.

This is my attempt at a picture of the kids with their great-grandparents. As you can see, Kathryn was not in the mood to cooperate... (These are my dad's parents.)Four Crabtree siblings, plus my kids. The story behind this picture is that when David and I were little, my mom's dear friend Barb would send us all a Christmas package in the mail with all kinds of goodies and gifts. One of the things I most looked forward to was the package of chocolate covered animal crackers in that package. Every year at Christmas, I remember those cookies, remembering how good they were. This year, I finally thought to ask her if she remembered sending them, and where she got them. I figured it was a shot in the dark. How would she remember some random cookies she used to send us all those years ago?!? Well, much to my surprise, she knew exactly what I was talking about, and was going to get some the very next week! So, being the sweet Barbie that she is, she sent some to all of us! Here we are before opening them (only I knew what was inside...!).
Opening our special gifts!
How fun to share this special thing from my childhood now with my daughter!
Not a great picture, but here we are showing our cookies!
And then we opened the rest of the gifts.
Jackson was very excited about his book!
And another attempt at a picture with my grandparents. It turned out ok, I suppose. I sure do love them!

Kathryn's Tea Party

2011-01-14T20:25:00.004-05:00

For Kathryn's birthday this year, we had a "friend party" for the first time. (Well, last year she kind of had a "friend party", but that was more just because we had lots of friends around and made cupcakes, and not so much because we planned a party just for her...). So, this year we asked her if she'd like to have a few friends over the weekend after her actual birthday for a tea party, and of course she said "Yes!!!"

So she invited three of her friends from church, got all dressed up, bugged me all week to clean the dining room (and rest of the house) for her party, and enjoyed her special morning with her friends. Here they all are at the table that Kathryn set up all by herself. Here's a picture of the sugar cubes that the girls put in their tea (or ate by the handful...).
Kathryn insisted on serving each guest herself. As you can tell from her face, it's a very serious job.

Kylah and Kathryn.
Serving Jordan's tea.
This is Princess Kathryn (as she deemed herself) with her cupcakes.

That pink icing was super potent. As in, if you got it on your hands, it stained them for hours...!
Kylah enjoying her cupcake.
Camille enjoying her cupcake.
Jordan having a good time!
Besides the actual food portion of the party where the girls enjoyed chocolate chip scones, pink dip with pretzels and apple slices, jelly beans, cupcakes, pink strawberry-kiwi drink, and of course tea, the girls had fun playing in Kathryn's room, decorating foam heart picture frames, and played pin the top on the tea pot.
The "finished" game. (Please don't pay attention to my horrible art work...!)
Then Kathryn opened some presents and enjoyed hanging out with the girls till they left.
Thanks, ladies, for a fun morning celebrating Kathryn's 4th birthday! What a fun tea party with some beautiful little ladies!

Happy 4th Birthday Kathryn!

2011-01-05T08:38:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe it as I sit and type this post! Our little girl is 4 years old today!!! It's been far too long since I've updated on her, so be prepared for a long post! First off, here is a picture from the day she was born. She was breathtakingly beautiful then, and continues to be to this day. We have been so blessed by this sweet girl. This past year has been such a fun one for me as her mom. I so enjoy her and this stage of her life. Mostly gone are the temper tantrums and constant training in obedience, and now we have entered into such a fun stage of constant learning and growth. Don't get me wrong, she still presents daily challenges, but it's just different now! She still enjoys dressing up, and will sometimes surprise us with her fun get-ups:

But mostly when she's dressed up, it's as a princess. She has funny sleeping habits these days. She no longer will sleep in her bed, but instead sleeps in this chair in her room. Occasionally we'll find her asleep on the floor, but the chair is her first choice. Last night I tried to move her into her bed, and she woke up immediately and moved back into her chair. We will be switching her from the toddler bed to a twin bed soon, so I'm hoping that she'll decide she likes the twin bed better (especially since we'll also be moving the chair out of her room at that time!).
She also loves to make silly faces for the camera. Sometimes it's hard to get a good, serious picture out of her for the silliness!

But she will still pose for a cute pic here and there.
I'm not sure if you can see the gum in her mouth in this picture, but that is something with which she is often found. The girl loves to chew gum, and is known to go through several pieces a day (or an hour), if she's allowed to!
She also loves her treats. Her favorite treats include chocolate, chocolate chip scones, and ice cream. For regular food, some of her favorites are salad, apples, spaghetti, almonds, granola bars, and cheese. She also loves to go out to eat at Chick Fil A and Bojangles. She especially loves going on daddy-daughter dates to Chick Fil A to get breakfast, where she eats Chicken Minis.

She loves to be helpful around the house. In this picture she was getting a stool to help me in the kitchen. She will often ask for chores to do, but of course prefers the fun ones like wiping things down, vacuuming, cooking, dusting, doing the dishes, etc. (as opposed to cleaning up her toys). But she is actually quite helpful most of the time. Today she saw me unloading the dishwasher and just started putting the silverwear away and getting the dishes out to hand to me to put away!
Another silly face...!
I thought she looked really cute in her new outfit, so we snapped a few pictures. These are from the day before her birthday.
Siblings!

Kathryn is also really into playing mommy, and has lots of babies that she pretends with. I often find myself caring for not only her and her brother (and the one year old that I watch twice a week), but also for one or more of her babies as well. She will feed them, change them, bathe them, rock them, etc. It's not uncommon for me to find them "sleeping" all over the house (in her bed, in our bed, etc.). She also can take her animals very seriously (see the picture above with her doggy and kitty). In keeping with the mommy theme, she will also often take it upon herself to be the boss of anyone who's around. Sometimes it can be helpful (like when she tells Jackson not to do something he shouldn't), but oftentimes it's a source of conflict! I have even heard her telling other kids what to do (or not do). I know it is just a normal thing for her, being the firstborn, at this age though.

She has also started asking us some really deep questions, like, "When will we see Jesus?" and, "How old is baby Jesus now?" (asked a few days after Christmas). She loves to sing, and will sing along to more songs than I realized she even knew!

Since my brain is starting to get scattered with all that our little girl is, here are a few more random tidbits about her:
-She wears mostly size 4T clothes, but can fit into some size 5 and even a few size 6!
-Her shoe size is 11.
-She is very social, and loves to go places and see people.
-She has a few made-up words and common phrases: "up in the mornin'" = tomorrow morning; "formiss" = forget; "formember" = remember
-She goes to bed around 8:00 (sometimes later) and sleep till 7:00ish.
-She has rest time during the afternoon, but doesn't always nap. If she does fall asleep, we have to wake her up, or she has a hard time getting to sleep.
-She is totally a daddy's girl right now.
-She is convinced that her newest sibling is a girl.
-She loves to do arts and crafts, and works really hard to color inside the lines.
-She is learning how to write her letters, and can write the first 4 letters of her name without help. The rest she asks me to do dotted lines, and then she will trace them.
-She knows more Bible verses than we can count, thanks to her Bible memory songs and Awana.
-She strives to do the right thing and be obedient (even though it doesn't always happen!).
-She loves the fact that she's getting older!

As always, there is a ton more that I could add, but for now this will do. Kathryn, we love you so very much, and are so proud of the sweet girl that you've become. We can't wait for all that this next year will hold for you as you live your life as a 4 year old! We love you!!!

Christmas Eve and Day

2011-01-03T15:00:00.005-05:00

Our Christmas festivities continued on Christmas Eve with a celebration with Johnny's mom's side of the family. Jackson waited patiently to open his presents until he was given permission. Again, his camera face...
Cheese!
A pillow pet! She's been asking for one since the summer!
On Christmas morning, the kids were excited to go downstairs! Jackson ran right over to the stockings to see what was inside!
He climbed up on the toy chest that was in front of them so he could peek inside!
Our pretty tree.
Opening gifts.

Johnny with his McCalister's sweet tea ornament. Yummm...
Then later in the morning, we went back to Johnny's parents where there were presents galore! We enjoyed a nice breakfast, but I didn't get pictures of that...

It's hard to see in this picture, but Jackson made the funniest open mouth face each time he opened a gift. Even if it was just a box, he had this excited face! Too cute!
Excited to try on the pants!

Sink Family Christmas Dinner

2011-01-03T14:34:00.004-05:00

Every year the extended Sink family gets together for a Christmas dinner, complete with crafts and a visit from Santa. The kids always enjoy their time, even more so as they get older.

Grandma helped Jackson with his craft.

"Cheesey" kids!
The kids, plus a few adults, with Santa.
After the festivities, we took the kids over to Johnny's parents for an attempted photo shoot in their Christmas outfits. It didn't go so well, but here are a few of the better shots...

Granddaddy and Jackson looking sharp in their Chaps shirts!

Christmas catch-up

2011-01-03T14:03:00.005-05:00

So, before Christmas actually came, we had some work to do to! Decorating cookies was one fun thing. Can you tell Jackson was enjoying himself? Helping Mommy...
Sometimes you need a stool to be able to reach. Doesn't she look so old in this picture??
Silly camera face!

And sometimes you don't get your way when you're helping, and a tantrum is necessary...
We also decorated pinecones to give as gifts to family and friends.
Jackson had more fun throwing the balls around the kitchen than actually using them to decorate. Oh well!

Finally, we also made a gingerbread house! It was my first time making one too! I cheated and got the one with the panels already made, so all we had to do was put it together and then decorate it. We didn't get any pictures of the decorating process, but here's the finished product. The kids also enjoyed snacking on the candy as we went along!

Goode Family Christmas

2010-12-26T21:11:00.007-05:00

My mom is one of eight siblings, and every year at Christmastime as many as can make it try to get together. This year was a little different, as we had the celebrations the week before Christmas (on our 6th anniversary!). We also had it at a nearby barn for part of the time. It was coollllld, but a neat venue for the fun. We had a pinata, a band ensemble, and a visit from Santa Claus! Enjoy lots and lots of pictures from the fun!

Here's my cousin's little guy, Payton, getting ready for the pinata. He's exactly a week older than Jackson! Jackson swinging at the pinata.
Cousins!
Diana and her family just welcomed Bunte into their family from Ethiopia a few weeks ago! What fun it was to meet this special little guy. The kids were super excited to meet their new cousin too!
Kathryn was especially excited to have a cousin her age now! You can tell he's already used to cheesing for the camera!
Kathryn and her cousin Joey.
My aunt and uncle, Mark and Ann!
The kids waiting for the pinata to break...
Kathryn taking a turn.
My brother Nick taking his turn.
Finally, it broke! The kids all gathering candy. Look at Bunte!! So cute!!!
Look closely in this picture. Bunte is putting candy into his pockets, but already has a piece sticking out of his mouth. Classic...!
Jackson stuffed his pockets so full!
Johnny and my dad chatting. Cute picture!
Bunte with some of his stash.
Santa came!
Bunte wouldn't sit on Santa's lap until Kathryn sat with him. So cute! (I think Kathryn had a piece of candy in her mouth in this picture...)
At one point in the evening, I looked over and Kathryn was over where the band was. Apparently she was getting a lesson on the dulcimer.
After the visit with Santa, Jackson ran back over to where the candy was and enjoyed being the only one. He sat there for several minutes just putting as much as he could into his pockets!

The band.
My Grandma and Santa. Isn't she beautiful?!?
The girls and Santa. See any sibling resemblance?
Candy overflowing out of Jackson's pocket.
My mom and her mom.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T08:26:00.000-05:00

Quotable-Conversation Edition

2010-12-22T20:19:00.001-05:00

At bedtime, we sit down as a family and each tell something we're thankful for. This conversation stemmed from that routine.

Kathryn: I'm thankful for all things that beautiful are. (I'm not sure about her choice of grammar there, but that's how she said it!)
Daddy: Is Mommy beautiful?
Kathryn: No, she's gorgeous!
Daddy: Is Jackson beautiful?
Kathryn: No, he's handsome. He's a boy.
Daddy: Is Daddy beautiful?
Kathryn: No, you're handsome too.
Daddy: Is the moon beautiful tonight?
Kathryn: No, the moon is handsome too. Cuz it's a boy too. Cuz there's a man up there.
Daddy: Are you beautiful?
Kathryn: Yes.

Our 6th anniversary

2010-12-21T16:17:00.000-05:00

Johnny and I celebrated our 6th anniversary on December 18th! We were able to get away for the weekend the weekend before our anniversary, and we were so blessed by our weekend together! We traveled up to the Harrisonburg area, where we stayed in an amazing cottage that belongs to a family we went to church with up in that area. We didn't take many pictures of the weekend, except for the time we went up to Reddish Knob. It was a bit scary going up as we ran into some snow as we got higher up, but we made it, and enjoyed the view. Johnny took most of these pictures, since I was too cold to be out of the car much!

16 weeks pregnant. Our third child on the way in six years!
Brrrr!!!!
On the way up, we saw this and thought it was pretty.

We have been so blessed with such a great marriage, and thank God for giving us each other and for blessing us so much. May we continue to be so in love with Him, and therefore so in love with each other.

Decorating for Christmas

2010-12-20T15:52:00.004-05:00

We've been busy decorating for Christmas the past couple of weeks. Enjoy some pictures of our adventures!

Starting December 1st, we have been doing a family devotional called the Jesse Tree. Each night, we read a Scripture and then place an ornament on this tree hanging. We will end with baby Jesus. Each ornament tells of how God had planned for Christ, and how He saves us. The kids, Kathryn in particular, have loved it, and we've loved having such a special thing each night to point us to the real reason we celebrate Christmas. The night we decorated the tree...
Jackson took a break to be goofy!
...and so did Kathryn!
"Cheese!"
After we get the tree all decorated, we have a family tradition of turning off all the lights except the Christmas ones, and eating some ice cream as we sit around our beautiful tree.

The finished product...
Inspecting their hard work...

Quotable

2010-12-06T14:39:00.003-05:00

Background: A song by Toby Mac came on the radio that says, "I don't wanna gain the whole world, and lose my soul..." Kathryn starts singing that part, and then says, "Mama, I like that song!" So we talk about how it's based on a verse in the Bible, and what that verse means, that if you have lots of things or are very important or famous, it doesn't mean anything if you don't have Jesus in your heart. Here's her response:

Kathryn: "Well, I have Jesus in my heart, but Jackson doesn't yet because he can't talk, he just says mmmm, mmmmm, grrrrrrr. But someday when he can talk he will have Jesus in his heart too."

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Kathryn: "Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, Mexico!"

Zone Defense

2010-12-03T02:48:00.002-05:00

So, sorry about the mirror image picture, but I have been meaning to blog about this for some time, and just haven't taken the necessary pictures to do it in an oh-so-fun-and-creative way. So, without any further ago, here is the newest member of our family! Yes, that's right, sometime this spring, the Sink family (well, the Sink mommy and daddy, really) will be changing our game plan from man-on-man defense to zone defense with the addition of baby #3! The due date is May 28, so it'll be a toss-up whether he/she will make his/her appearance in May or June! Both kids are excited, although Kathryn is obviously more so! At first she told us it was a boy, but now she says it's a girl. So, who knows?

Halloween

2010-11-14T11:33:00.003-05:00

We had some cuties for Halloween this year. First was a princess!
Then Dr. Sink made an appearance.
Every good doctor makes sure they are healthy themselves as well. It takes talent to check your own ears...
Every good doctor also has a good sense of humor!
Making her princess face...
I think she looks like her Aunt Ali here.

Quotable

2010-11-06T07:54:00.003-05:00

Kathryn: "I'm gonna try to toot." slight pause "Ohhh nooo, I just pee-peed a little...!"

Whenever we tell Jackson to do anything: "Oh..."

Kathryn: "Mommy, can I have a piece of gum?"
Me: "No honey, not right now."
Kathryn: "Well, can I see your purse then?"

Kathryn, while sticking out her bare bum and looking at it in the mirror: "Wow, look at my big, big, big, huge, giant, big huge hiney!"

Pumpkin Patch!

2010-10-22T14:16:00.005-05:00

The kids had a fun time on their trip to the pumpkin patch this year! (To see the last time we went to the pumpkin patch two years ago, click here.)

A big girl on a hayride!A big boy on a hay ride!

She found the perfect pumpkin!
He found the perfect pumpkin!
Contemplating life with a John Deere in the background...

Petting zoo!
Pony ride!

Quotable

2010-10-19T13:17:00.002-05:00

Kathryn, when Jackson fell asleep in the car and was snoring: "My brother knows how to snore!"

Kathryn: "Mama, I have a great idea! When Daddy gets home, you can take me on a date to Bubblegum Cupcakes!" (See this post to see what she was referring to...)

Kathryn: "Mama, Tom and Jerry are mean to each other. They must not have Jesus in their hearts."

Background: Kathryn gets a little confused on a few words, and combines them into her own words, the most common one being "formember", which means remember.
When told she was going to get to go to the Disney Princesses on Ice show: "Mama, I can't forblieve it!!!" (forblieve=believe)

Homecoming Parade

2010-10-13T20:16:00.002-05:00

William Fleming's Homecoming was last weekend, and since Johnny is the most awesome golf and baseball coach, he got to be in it! Of course, he couldn't stand to be in a parade without his little princess, so Kathryn got to ride along. She literally dressed up like a princess (a common occurrence these days). However, she didn't look like she was enjoying herself too much.
They were right behind the band, so it was kind of loud for her. So she rode with her hands over her ears.
Jackson enjoyed watching, especially since he got candy! Here he's checking out his loot...
He decided on the Tootsie Roll (his first time having one!).
Tickled with his treat!

After the parade, Kathryn looking happier... (not so much noise!)

Jackson's Birthday Party

2010-10-05T13:45:00.002-05:00

We had Jackson's birthday party the weekend before he actually turned two. I don't have tons of pictures, but here are a few.

Even though Kathryn thought he should have a Strawberry Shortcake cake, he decided that a train cake would be better. "Choo Choo Jackson's Two!" Opening presents.
He kept making this face while he was opening presents. It was "cheese" for all the cameras!
Aubrey had to take an important call while at the party.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-29T08:35:00.000-05:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Jackson!

2010-09-23T08:19:00.000-05:00

Two years ago today we welcomed our sweet boy Jackson Robert Sink into the world. And today we get to wish him a happy 2nd birthday! Enjoy some info about our now-2-year-old, as well as lots of pictures!

This picture is probably my favorite one of him on his actual birth-day. How sweet the love of a daddy for his boy!A few minutes old...
And now he's all grown up! He often dons quite funny outfits. Notice the bow in his hair. He always asks for one when Kathryn gets one, but only leaves it in for a few minutes before taking it out. Hey, at least it has footballs on it!

Hard at work blowing bubbles.
He still loooooves his blankets and paci! Of course, the pink one isn't his. Kathryn decided to cover him up with her blanket on this day. But whenever we are upstairs, he will go into his room and sneak his blanket and paci out of his bed, and then often lay on the floor just like this. And, to move from place to place, he'll often scoot along the floor while keeping his head down on them. Or, he'll drag them along like Linus.
He is also into making the goofiest face for the camera. He says "Cheeeese" and does this "smile".
For my birthday 2 weeks ago, my mom sent me an Edible Creations. So, Jackson enjoyed eating the chocolate off of a dipped pineapple. Can you tell it was serious business??
Sweet, chocolatey face.
Goofy, chocolatey face.
Big blue eyes.
We recently got him a big wheels bike to ride around so that he didn't have to ride Kathryn's pink and purple bike anymore. He doesn't quite understand how to use the pedals yet, but does quite well scooting along with his feet. Notice one shoe off and one shoe on. That happens a lot...
"Cheese!!!"
"Cheese!!!"

An actual, genuine Jackson face! Finally not cheesing for the camera!

Finally, here he is in my favorite pj's of his: "Mommy's Super Hero".
Jackson, you are one amazing kid! I still love our snuggle times at night as I am rocking you before bed. You always like to sit the same way in my arms, and then after we pray and sing, we just look at each other and laugh over and over again! It's so fun! You have a great joy about you! You still go to sleep so well. I can just put you in your bed at bedtime (nap or night), and tell you to lay down and go to sleep, and you do! You usually wake up so happy in the mornings, and are excited to meet the day. You literally run to greet everybody who is awake. You love to run and play anytime, and still have lots and lots of energy. You are starting to talk more and more, and often talk in a funny, deep voice. What a little man! I really feel like you are starting to understand discipline more now, and we are starting to see some real progress as you learn about obedience and self-control. We pray for you often in these areas, as well as praise God for your sweet spirit and zest for life. Just this week you correctly identified and said A, B, and C. You are learning lots! You love to do anything and everything your older sister does, whether good or bad! I still think you say the sweetest "I love you" that I've ever heard. Jackson, we love you, too! Happy Birthday!!

Random summer pics

2010-09-10T21:02:00.003-05:00

Enjoy some random pics from our summer...

Aunt Ali and Grammy came to visit for a few days! One day, I went in Jackson's room and this is what I found...Riding bikes...
Flowers. They actually look even better now.
Our volunteer tomatoes that grew in our garden.
Lots of outside play in the pool/hose.

Spinning.

Cute siblings!
Cute siblings again!
Twirling.

Jackson at 23 months

2010-08-27T14:41:00.005-05:00

The time has finally come for Jackson's last post as a not-two-year-old. He still has a great sense of humor!
And the most delicious eyes, cheeks, nose, and lips!
He can make some pretty awesome faces, especially for the camera (I do believe that was dirt around his mouth...).
The kid loves bacon.
Yum!
Proud of his bacon!
He's also really into trying on other peoples' shoes. He was particularly cool on this day, shirtless, with a baseball bat, and some nice floral-print shoes...
Close-up of shoes.

He is still great at finding trouble, too. The other day Johnny and I were in the living room talking, and after a few minutes I realized it was really quiet. So, I went to grab the camera and had Johnny find Jackson, and this is where he was. Yup, standing on the kitchen table...

He was so proud of himself!
And then he was a little confused when we got after him for standing on the table, especially after we were snapping his picture.
Another goofy face for the camera!
Jackson can also do a really sweet ballerina move. He learned this from his older sister, of course, and I think it's simply hilarious!
Yet another funny face (with part of his snack peeking out of his mouth...).
Another view of the ballerina move. Isn't it awesome?!?
Just a few random facts:
-Jackson still loves his paci and blanket/lovey. He will steal them out of his bed any chance he gets.
-He is still very loving, and loves to give snuggles, hugs, and kisses. He can also say the sweetest "Love you" you've ever heard.
-He is talking more and more, mostly just repeating words, but learning how to communicate more every day too. We are hoping that as his communication continues to grow, it will cut down on some of his frustration.
-He has learned how to fight with his sister very well, and that is something we are working on (with both kids!).
-He can [kind of] count to three, in his own way...
-He loves music and singing and dancing.
-He is a pickier eater than Kathryn was/is, but some of his current favorites are cucumbers, tomatoes, frozen veggies, pretzels, bacon, craisins/raisins. He also loves coffee.
-He's really into stealing gum right now, and will eat (yes, swallow) as many pieces as he can before you get to him.
-He loves his daddy, and will say "Daddy" all day long.
-He loves to play hide and seek, and will sit very still for several minutes at a time while hiding.
-He loves to point out airplanes and trains, and gets very excited about both!

4th of July

2010-08-21T13:03:00.007-05:00

Enjoy some pictures from our 4th of July. Yes, I know it's the end of August... :)

Kathryn enjoyed the sparklers, until I got too nervous and told her no more!
This is the only way Jackson was allowed to play with one!
Something was hilarious, apparently!
"Hello?" Sparkler-box-phone...

Brothers.
Sweetness.
Up to something...
"Cheese!"
Kissing cousins!
Scared of the "boom booms".
Something hilarious again!

Sweet boy.
One of the photographers...
Unaware of Aubrey behind...
Suspects Aubrey behind...
Spots Aubrey behind...

Quotable

2010-08-21T12:34:00.002-05:00

Kathryn: Mama, Jackson's bottom feels, like, squishy!

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In the car:
Kathryn, in a very reassuring, mommy kind of voice: "Mama, there was just a bug on the back of your seat, but don't worry, cuz I just squished him a little bit with my foot and he fell on the floor but it's okay now because he's ok but he's just a little bit dead but he's okay."
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Kathryn: "Bugs like to eat me because I taste like honey."
Me: "What do I taste like?"
Kathryn: "You taste like sugar."
Me: "What does Jackson taste like?"
Kathryn: "Well, mosquitoes don't like him, so he must taste like mosquitoes."

Bubblecake Date

2010-08-09T20:51:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, Kathryn and I had a very special mommy-daughter date. We went to Bubblecake. As you can see, it was very important for her to dress up like a princess (as is often the case these days...). Enjoy pictures from our special afternoon!

A little more about Jackson...

2010-08-03T20:43:00.002-05:00

So I did forget a few things about Jackson in his 22 month post. A few things to add are:

-he has some really sweet dance moves, including a great ballerina move. You'll have to ask him to show you next time you see him. (I'll try to catch it on camera, too...)
-he loves to have a bow in his hair when I put one in Kathryn's hair. He leaves it in just long enough to show his daddy and laugh, then takes it out!
-he loves to pray, especially at mealtime. We often pause many times during a meal to pray again. However, his prayers consist of him folding his hands, grunting for a few seconds, then saying "Amen" while signing "amen".
-he has started singing, and although he doesn't sing actual words, it is definitely a sweet voice he uses to serenade us. He also loves to do sign language to his kids' songs.

Jackson at 22 months

2010-07-29T12:58:00.003-05:00

I am a little behind, again, on his post, but my goal is always to get to it before the next month starts (since that gives me a week), so I am still within my posting goal! So, our little guy is 22 months old now! What is crazy is that on Sunday it will be August 1st, which means his birthday is the next month! Whoa!

It's hard sometimes to think of new things from month to month. Some months seems to be explosions where he is doing lots of new things, and other times I feel like I am just repeating myself month to month. This is one of those months. I can't think of much new that he's doing, just kinda the same old thing. He still has quite a temper......but also has a goofy side...
...and a sweet side.
He loves to make us laugh...
...and cracks himself up in the process!
He's been really into wearing everybody's shoes lately, including his sister's dress up high heels.
In fact, he really wants to do anything his sister is doing, good or bad. He loves to be with her and play with her and do everything she does. He learns so much from her, and as a result, we often have conversations about being a good example these days! He is learning more words every day, and using more words every day. He has started saying "Mommmmmeeeeeeee" to get my attention (it literally takes him 5 seconds to get the whole word out), and has also been signing/saying "help" a lot more (instead of screaming...a skill we've been working on for quite a while). He still grunts for his primary mode of communication, but little by little we are seeing those grunts be replaced with words. I am excited to see how his personality blooms even more as he starts speaking in sentences.

The big news of this month is that he poo-ed in the potty a few days ago! It was pretty much a fluke that he did it, but we were still very excited. He has started telling me when he goes in his diaper, and on this particular day, he told me. When I checked, I could see that he was in the process of going. (Ok, this is kinda gross, and he's gonna be soooo embarrassed one day when he realizes this was on the internet...) So, I took his diaper off and set him up on the potty, and he finished his business in the potty! We were so excited, he got 3 MnMs! (And Kathryn decided she deserved one for being such a good teacher for him...) But, he has yet to go again in the potty, even though we sit him on it occasionally. He has started asking to sit on it more, so I take him as often as he asks (or as often as it's convenient for me...!). I am still not expecting him to be potty trained for a while, but we'll see...I may be pleasantly surprised!

That's about it for Jackson for this month. Check back in next month for his last post as a 1 year old!