11 Months Old!

Jason,

11 months buddy!  You are awesome.  This last month has brought some new changes for you.  You came into the month with one tooth and are leaving it with 6 pearly whites.  You got all 4 top teeth within a few days of each other.  You were pretty grumpy to say the least.
As for other cute behavior, you wave to people in this little up and down limp wristed motion that never fails to crack me up.  You get a little smile and wave over and over, only getting more and more pleased with yourself when you see that we are all laughing.  You clap when we say "Yay!", do a little squishy nose thing, and give a big cheesy smile when I get out the camera.
You are mastering going down stairs and still haven't had one crash down them.  That's better than any of your siblings can say.  I still can't completely trust you though because you like to go up and down, standing, sitting, and all around crazy play on the stairs.  So, I still rush to get you away from the stairs a thousand times a day.
You aren't walking yet, but you pull yourself up on furniture and walk around with your firm grip on that.
You get excited when any of us walk into a room and cry if we fail to pick you up and give you a hug right away.
You have this arching back move that lets us know that you want something other than what you are being offered.  When you were a tiny baby (one that hardly ever cried), you did that arching thing as you cried for hours one night.  Dad and I were sure that something must be terribly wrong with you for you to react like that.  Now we know that you were just throwing one of your famous fits.  Sometimes you try to throw yourself back when you are in your high chair (by the way, you are the loudest screaming eater I have ever met.  You are super picky about food and throw most things overboard or just disdainfully let it fall off your tongue as if to say "are you really feeding me this crap?")
When you are throwing one of those fits, I have to really hold on tight because you try your hardest to get away from me...only to writhe around on the ground in anger if I'm not holding you.  I should film it some time so you can see it and be embarrassed when you are older.

You know that you are "Jason" and turn when we call your name.  You choose to ignore me a lot of the times when you are heading for something that looks really fun...like the open bathroom door.  You pant as you crawl even faster and giggle in anticipation.  Your favorite is the illusive inside of the fridge.  Daddy didn't know how much you like the fridge and wasn't aware that he needed to get in and out with speed.  You broke an egg before he even knew you were there.  Ninja-like darting hands.
You are an incredible night time sleeper and are in bed by 7 each night.  That's something I am grateful for as I wrangle the other non-sleeping children in this house.
You are only nursing one time a day, but you like bottles and haven't had any trouble transitioning to that.

I am so grateful for you.  I love your squeals of joy when you see me and I love to see you reach for me when I go to get you out of bed each day.  I love that you still snuggle in and that you will grab my face and give me open mouth shark bites to show your love.
You are a sweet boy and I am so glad to be your mom.

Click HERE if you want to see the others at 11 months.

Come on over for dinner!

Nate is a great help in the kitchen.  We have plenty of food.  

We don't really need spoons around here, so if that's a problem, you might just want to stay home.

Remember when I discovered that the way to get dinner made is to include Nate in the business?  Well, I have tried to do that.  It is so hard though.  When the food is something I will cook, I try to let it go and let him help.  I knew I was going to boil these veggies for a long time, so when Nate started stirring the pot with his spoon, I let it go. I kept chopping and pretty soon, he was using his arm.  Pretty gross, but once again, I let it go because I knew it would be more of a fight to drag him away from the pot than to just let him do his thing.  Pretty soon the boy was licking it and saying "mmm".  So, I ask again, want to come over for some dinner?  Nate says it's good!

Hair Salon

It's too bad the live models move so much.

Fred Flintstone Feet

All of my babies have had these blocky square feet.  Allie's feet might have been a bit more dainty, but I'm not sure.  I absolutely love them. 

 Just thought I would share.

 On another note, I think Jason might be our only brown eyed babe.  I didn't think it was possible for us to get brown eyes because Mike's are blue and mine are blueish, greenish, gray.  I looked it up though and found out that although it is rare, it isn't impossible.

His eyes don't look brown in this picture, but in most lights, they do.  He just might be like me and forever wonder what color to mark on the box of the driver's licence application.

Peaches

"Wook Mom.  It's a bum.  I eat the bum."

Mornings

This is how I get a shower some days.  I put in Baby Einstein and leave them to gaze at the toys in wonder.  Those movies are awesome.

Stuff

I feel like I should explain the lack of posts lately.  Today, my friend offered to watch the kids for me so I could update the blog.  She's sick of seeing the same thing day after day.  I have some time right now, so we'll see what I can get done.
Here's the deal.  Nate quit napping.  A few days before McCall, he climbed out of his pack n play.  It was awful, but after a bit of chatting, he went back in and stayed in for a nap.  Then he stayed in for bed time.  He'd just climb out after he woke up and come find me saying "I awake mom!"
McCall changed things.  He didn't want to be napping (or sleeping in general) while there was sand and water waiting for him outside.  So he climbed out just as fast as I put him in the bed.  Rage.  Things didn't change when we got home.  We went through weeks of craziness.  I begged, pleaded, bribed...you name it.  The boy was done with the pack n play, and wanted to be done with naps too.  The problem with that is the cranky factor.  That, and he would fight bed times too.  Pretty soon, he was only sleeping 8 hours a day.  He had been getting at least 12 or 13 before. 
I set him up in a big boy bed.  We made it exciting and hoped that things would turn around.  They did not.  If he napped at all, it was because I spent 2 hours trying.  I'd lay next to him, let him watch a show, or play the ipad.  Put him back in his room again and again.  I had to turn the lock around on his bedroom door and lock him in because he would sneak out while I was feeding Jason and be as quiet as a mouse...as he left to forage for popsicles and "noot nacks" from the neighbors.  It was tough.  I could almost handle no nap Nate if he'd go to sleep at a decent hour, but even that wasn't predictable. 
I'll spare you all the details, but just know that we have tried it all in the last few weeks and I think things are on the mend.  He is still almost impossible to get to sleep at night, but at least he is back to napping for me.  He goes to sleep after a short battle and wakes up to receive the promised "chockit" (chocolate) treat.
All this chaos coincided with Jason's 6 new teeth.  He had one little bottom tooth for a little while and then he got 2 above it (all on the right side).  Then the other bottom tooth came, along with the two above that tooth.  I would love to blame the new cranky Jason on those teeth, but I'm not sure if that's the case.  He is starting to get clingy, and cries when I leave his sight.  When he is happy, Nate tackles him and makes sure the silence doesn't last long.  There was a bloody nose incident last week when Nate hit him in the face with a book "I did it on purpose mom!"
I got a cold and took 1 cold pill that made my milk supply go away almost completely, so Jason is on a bottle now.  He didn't have a problem transitioning and I am learning the other foods that he will eat.  He is a pretty picky eater and I think some of his problem lately was that he was just hungry.
I say all these things and it makes me sound like a whiny beast.  I have so many blessings in my life and I am so grateful for these cute kids.  Nate makes me smile at least a thousand times a day and holding a happy Jason is balm to anyone's soul.  But the reality is that I lost myself for a little while too.  There is so much crying at our house.  So MUCH CRYING!  It's hard to go day in and day out with sad, tired babies and not feel a little crazy in the head.  I go the whole day looking at the clock.  I wait for nap time and find ways to keep the kids happy till then.  Nap time is when I could re-charge a bit.  When that wasn't happening, I couldn't ever get ahead.  Then, next thing you know, Jake and Allie are home from school and there isn't time to blink before it's dinner, homework, piano, football, dance, baths, etc.  Then, I'd fight Nate to sleep at night and finally see the last of him at 11, long after everyone else was asleep.  It was just too much for a little while.  I think things are getting better.  I realize that the days are long but the years are short.  I realize that these 2 won't be babies forever.  I can hardly believe how fast they've grown.  I know all that.  But I also know that I can't cherish every single moment.  I won't cherish the crying and tantrums, so I won't quit fighting for better sleep habits.  I am a better mom when my babies nap for a little while and I can have peace and quiet.
I like to write.  I like to write in my kids' journals.  I like to write in my journal.  I like to take pictures.  I like to blog.  When I can't do any of that (or even go pee without a crying baby sticking his fingers under the door), I feel a bit lost.  So I hope things continue to go in this direction. 
This has been a rambling post, but it is what it is.
I'll leave you with this picture in hope that I'll see more of it...

Things I don't want to forget...

Nate: "Mom!  These fowers smell like num!"

Fall Fair

A few weeks ago, our ward did a fall fair.  They had games (the Primary was in charge of a cake walk), face painting, a giant slide, and lots of fun for the kiddos.  Allie got her face painted...

 Then took her brother to do the same...


There aren't many pictures of Jake because he was always off, but here he is in a sack race. (red shirt)

 Here's one of Allie and Lily racing too.

Jason got to hang out with his buddy.  These two are just a month apart and I look forward to watching them grow up and be pals.  Right now, they are just at the hair pulling, knock each other over phase.

 

Picky Eater

You would think that the boy who is so willing to sneak over to devour the neighbor's lilies would also eat any food I put before him.  Nope.  His leafy greens don't expand beyond this tasty treat.

Birthday Celebrations

Sam's birthday was a nice day.  I got the kids off to school and then put my "Sam's songs" playlist on the radio and turned it up to listen to as I worked.  The boys were both absolute gems.  I haven't gotten that much accomplished in an hour's time in weeks.  It was so nice.  Every once in a while, I could hear Nate's soft singing voice trying to sing along with some of the songs he knows.  He listens to a cd of Primary songs each night, so he knows a few. 
Jason didn't try to head for the stairs or climb up my leg and cry to be held (like he usually does), so I was able to get the breakfast mess cleaned up before lunch.  That's a big deal around here.

Anyway, we waited for the other kids to get home and then we had a party.  We got pizza for dinner and then went up to the gravel pit and let the kids play a bit.  Then we came home to draw pictures for Sam and send them up in balloons.  That's about when the chaos set in.  Jason was tired and hungry, so he was reaching for everything and screaming out his little squeals.  Allie and Jake were pretty good, but Allie kept needing sharpened pencils and other stuff.
Nate saw the balloons and helium tank and that was the end of his patience.  He wanted a balloon and he wanted it now.  I tied it to his pants so it wouldn't float away, but that was making him angry, so I just handed it to him and then, as you can imagine, there were tears because it floated away.
I probably shouldn't take pictures when we are trying to do things like this, because it just adds to the chaos because I am snapping away at one child while the other is pulling a helium tank over and onto another kid's head...
On the other hand, the chaos is over now, the house is quiet...and I'm glad I have pictures of it all now.  So here they are...

 This dirt pile is different every time we go up there.  This time, it was steeper than usual and I used the sport mode on my camera to get some sequence pictures.  Pretty fun, but you don't need to see a million pictures of them jumping off a dirt pile.

Mike gave each of them a wild ride spinning cookies.

Sad, sad Nate after his first balloon floated away...

This is Jake's note.  "Happy Birthday Sam" with lots of balloons and notes tied to them.

 Allie asked me over and over what I thought Sam's favorite color was, or what he looks like.  After a few crumbled up papers, she finally said "I'll just draw me, because I know what I look like."

I loved Mike's drawing.  It says "roar your engine" on it.  He always says that to the kids.  This is also one of the standard drawings that get drawn as a kid is sitting on his lap at church.

Nate's is a bunch of scribbles.

 I was surprised that Nate let go of his balloon willingly.  It was fun to watch them float up.  The sky was so clear, we could see them for a long time.

Then it was time for frosting covered brownies.
We also got a new Piggie and Gerald (by Mo Willems) book for our collection.  I still highly recommend those books for any of you who are reading this and haven't read them yet.  I never get tired of reading those books to the kids.

I think it was a really nice day.  We had fun together as a family and that's what I wanted most for the day.  Does it matter that I got annoyed with the kids for their bed time chaos?  I hope not.  I hope they remember that I love them all very much and my love is deeper because their brother Sam came into my life and taught me to cherish every day with them.

Happy Birthday Sam boy!