Celebrating Barrett

Since Barrett's birthday is Memorial Day weekend,  we usually celebrate it at a lake.   This year that lake was the Ozarks.   We drove to the lake Thursday night so we could wake up and start the day at the lake.  Barrett got chocolate chip pancakes made by Nana for breakfast.   We had to run to town, so Barrett got to choose where we ate lunch.  He chose Captain Ron's.   

 

After his nap, Barrett got to swim and play in the water for a while before his birthday dinner.  He chose a menu of hot dogs, chicken bites, mac 'n' cheese, and broccoli.   If that doesn't sound like a menu selected by a four-year old, I don't know what does.  After dinner he opened gifts and then got his birthday brownies (since he likes those better than cake...a kid after my own heart). 

  

Barrett got many fun presents including some trucks, a play boat on a trailer, a remote control boat, and hockey pads.  Even though he doesn't need the pads at the lake, we still hauled them down and back so he could open them on his birthday.  It was pretty funny to see him decked out in full hockey pads when the rest of us were in swimsuits.  

 

 

  

 

 

 

All in all, I think Barrett had a pretty fun day.  I still can't believe he is already 4!

Four Years Old

Barrett, Mr. B, B-dub...my little bubby,

How can it be that you are turning 4?  It seems like just yesterday that it was you I was cuddling against my chest and rocking to sleep at night.  Now, you are such an independent, fun loving boy.  Having Fletcher around has made it even more clear just how big you're getting.  I look in awe at your hands and your big blue eyes wondering how it is that you were ever as tiny as your baby brother. 

This past year you made the complete transition from toddler to little boy.  You've lost your baby chub and are now a solidly strong preschooler.  You are so active, all of the time. I find it difficult to keep up.  You love to run, especially with your daddy.  You like to try to wake him up early in the morning to go running with you.  You sit in the stroller most of the time, but your favorite part is when he lets you get out and run beside him for a while.  You recently told me you want to play hockey, soccer, basketball and football.  I can't say I was surprised, because you love sports and want to do everything you see other kids doing.  We're going to start out with ice-skating and hockey now that you're old enough.

In contrast to your active moments, you do still love to snuggle.  Some of my happiest moments over the past few months have been sitting in my chair in the living room with you and your brother both snuggled up with me.  I hope you never get too old to give your mommy a big Barrett sized squeeze and snuggle up to me while we watch a movie. 

 
You love your sister dearly and want to do everything she does, but you would never admit just how much you like her to her face.  You love to annoy her when she isn't paying attention to you, but when she plays with you, you'll do almost anything she says so that she won't get mad and stop playing with you.  I can't count how many forts you've built in the office or living room together. You get so sad when she isn't around, but you have reached that point where you are independent enough that you can make your own fun.  I think you really like the alone time too.

 

Your independence has come through in your interests as well.  You love doing whatever your daddy is doing.  You mow the lawn with him, and even asked for a weed eater and blower for your birthday since you only have a mower.  If he is working on a project in the garage (like the standup), you will stay out there with him for hours watching, bringing him tools, and pretending to do your own projects on the side.  You also emulate your father's love of hockey.  While you'll ask to play soccer or basketball when we're outside, you ask if you can play hockey in the garage at least once a day.  You recently got your own hockey stick when you filled your sticker chart at school for good behavior.  The only time I have seen your prouder than when you brought that stick home was when you met your baby brother for the first time.

Speaking of Fletcher, since he's been born, you have really shown that you are a great helper for mommy and daddy.  You don't hesitate to bring me something when I ask for it or clean up after yourself when prompted.  You've also started making your bed by yourself recently.  It isn't perfect, but at least your trying and do it without complaining.  The only time you really get uncooperative is when you're tired or haven't had enough attention.  I can already tell that you are going to be a hard worker. 

You are also a bit of a worrier.  You will wake up in the middle of the night and realize you left your sunglasses at school.  You do a better job of keeping track of your toys than your sister does, probably because you actually put them away instead of just throwing them somewhere in your room.  When we were at the zoo recently, any time we would have to leave the wagon off to the side to look at an exhibit, you'd spend the whole time asking about the wagon and reminding us that we need to go get it.  Fortunately, this has allowed you to keep your puppy blankie without losing it despite taking it everywhere with you. Your dad and I believe you get your worry-wart nature from your Uncle Brian.

I almost forgot to mention how much you love to laugh and how infectious your laugh is.  You are always being silly and sometimes mischievous.  I think you've inherited your daddy's crazy sense of humor.

Part of me wishes that you'd stay four forever, but then I would never get to experience all of the fun and exciting things you'll continue to learn and do as you grow into a young man.  Even as you grow, you will always be my bubby.  I love you more than words can express. Here's to the wonderful four years you've been in my life and many more in the future.

 

Learning Day by Day

Each day, Fletcher is becoming more alert and starting to interact more with the world around him. I can now lay him on the play mat for several minutes while he looks at, and occasionally tries to control his arms enough to touch, the toys hanging above him. I am pretty sure that he is starting to recognize, at least by voice, all of the members of our family.  He also gets really still and stares intently when the dogs come near him (even when Jack is licking his face), which I interpret as a keen fascination with the dogs.  All of this emerging development has made me want to capture pictures of it all.  So, here are some of my favorites.

Believe it or not, so far, Fletcher seems to like tummy time.  I think he likes the challenge of trying to hold up his head and look from side to side. We use the boppy pillow to try to prop him up so he isn't just eating the floor during tummy time.  Jack wanted to show us that the boppy is also useful for dogs too. 

 

We are trying to get Fletcher to interact more with toys.  He will turn his head to look at the rattle when we shake it.  We are also trying to get him to reach out to try to touch the toys.  This is the lion blankie that Barrett picked out for Fletcher.  Although, I caught Barrett trying to take it to his bed the other night.

We've also had a lot of fun finding various ways to make Fletcher smile.  Here are some of the variations of his grin that I've captured on the camera.  I had to include them all, because I can't decide which one I think is cuter. 

One Month Old

It has already been a month since Fletcher was born.  It has been quite a roller coaster.  The first two weeks seemed to go great.  He slept a lot, which meant I was getting a lot of sleep.  I was still recovering physically myself, but Billy and the kids were doing a great job of letting me rest.  Then we had his two-week appointment with the pediatrician.  That was when she realized his jaundice was worsening and he wasn't gaining weight as quickly as he should. He was gaining weight those first two weeks, but only about half as quickly as expected.  I also didn't experience any weight gain issues with Audrey or Barrett, so this was uncharted territory.

Since that two-week appointment, all I have thought about is how much Fletcher’s eating, how much I am producing, and what I need to do to produce more milk.  Nursing is all about supply and demand, right?   So, I basically feed Fletcher now any time he starts to fuss or opens his mouth. 
I was so stressed out about the feeding during that third week that I frequently found myself wishing Fletcher was older.  I hated that I was wishing my baby were older when I should be savoring every moment.  I cried every day that week...heck, I even cried in front of the pediatrician during a follow up appointment when he'd only gained 2 ounces in 4 days.  I wasn't able to sleep even when Fletcher was sleeping because I was stressing myself out so badly.  I know that having a low milk supply doesn't make me a bad mom, and supplementing with formula is ok.  It was just driving me crazy that I didn't understand why this was happening.  I have theories about his jaundice causing low appetite and him being a generally lazy eater, but nothing can be confirmed.  All I can do is keep trying different things and pray that something works.

At Fletcher's 4 week appointment last Thursday, he had gained an ounce a day since his last appointment, which is exactly where the doctor expects him to be.  That news has allowed me to relax a little bit, but I am still being vigiliant about making sure Fletcher is eating enough.  I am pretty sure he would sleep 6 hours at a time if I'd let him, but I wake him up every 3 to 4 hours (whenever I wake up) to eat.  He is still very lazy about eating, which means he doesn't drain me when he eats and frequently falls asleep.  His jaundice also hasn't cleared up completely, so that could be continuing to contribute to increased tiredness and lack of appetite.

Other than all of the eating challenges we've had, Fletcher is a generally happy boy.  He gets fussy in the evenings, but at other times of day is very content.  He started smiling last week, so my favorite game right now is seeing what I can do to make him smile.  He is also starting to grab things, but I don't think he is completely conscious of those actions yet.

Any time Audrey or Barrett is around, Fletcher is turning is head to to the sound of their voice.  He is already holding his head up really well, and we've even done tummy time a couple of times just to see how he does.  One other intersting trait is that Fletcher loves to sleep on his side.  He can roll himself to his side, and even when I lay him down on his back, he always seems to end up on his side when he is sleeping. 

 

Fletcher had his first bath a couple of weeks ago, and to our surprise, he was completely calm and didn't seem to mind at all.  I have pictures of the other two kids screaming during their inagural water immersion, but Fletcher was totally fine.  Maybe he will be a really laid back child.

 

 

Fletcher is already becoming a well traveled boy.  He has been out to eat a couple of times; he's run all sorts of errands with me; he's been to the zoo; he's been to Greenville and even took his first boat ride.  I am sure the next month will bring many more exciting adventures, and I'll try to be better about documenting those on the blog.

 

 

 

 

Mother's Day

Before I had my own children, I always tried to honor my mother on Mother's Day, but I didn't really understand the real significance of the holiday.  Now, Mother's Day has a whole new meaning. I now look upon those that make me a mother with a love I never could have imagined before...my children.  Having a newborn just brings that to mind even more.  I love my children and feel so blessed to be their mother...well, most of the time. So, here's to my amazing children.

Audrey: The oldest and the only girl. My little mother hen.
 

Barrett:  My oldest son and the best snuggler.

 

Fletcher:  My little baby boy.

Yesterday I enjoyed being spoiled on Mother's Day by my children and husband.  They took me out to breakfast, let me go to the mall for a little bit, and let me take a long afternoon nap.  The kids couldn't understand why the nap was exciting for me though.  The kids also got me gifts that they made at school.  They both decorated flower pots and chose some beautiful petunias for me. I am so blessed to have such caring children and a husband who loves to spoil me when I let him.

Audrey also made me a wonderful card.  It is green because green is my favorite color.  My favorite part is the main message where it states that "I will love you until you die."  Oh, the honesty of children.  It is wonderful to be so loved!