milestones

miss priss has started crawling.  as if that isn't enough for this mommy to take in, she also completely out of the blue pulled herself up this evening. (see below)

really wanting to get something in the fridge

makes it to her knees

and wa-la!  she's up.  really???  i just can't handle her hitting all theses milestones at once.  she is quite the little overachiever.  i guess i better watch out because she might be walking by next week! LOL

his side of the birth story

i remember asking josh a few weeks after jake was born what the delivery was like from his standpoint.  he told me everything that happened with no problem at all.  a few weeks ago while josh and i were riding home from a date night (to the grocery store), i asked him what the delivery was like with allie. silence.  a long, awkward silence.  josh simply says "i don't want to think about it and i don't want to talk about it."  i left it at that answer.

a few weeks later, i just couldn't get what he said off my mind.  i asked him yet again, ready to get the same answer.  this time he was a little more willing to talk.  with tears in his eyes, this is his side allie's birth story::

when they took you into the operating room, i sat outside and prayed for the Lord to keep you safe. for Him to keep allie safe.  then one of the nurses brought me into the operating room to sit by your side.  you looked at me and smiled.  about five or ten minutes into the surgery, the machines started going crazy.  you said you didn't feel so good.  they put a shot in your i.v. and you were fine again.  the machines went off three more times.  i had no clue that your liver and kidneys were shutting down.  i had no clue anything was wrong.  all the nurses and doctors handled it so smoothly.  i heard allie's cry and left your side to go see her.  she was perfect.....she weighed exactly the same as jake.  they handed her to you and i took a deep breath and thank God for keeping both my girls safe.  all our family and friends were waiting to greet us.  it was a quick two minutes and the nurses let you have one hour of recovery.
during that one hour of recovery is when things started to spiral downward.  you told sarah (the nurse) that you felt something gush out of you.  she looked and within 10 seconds there were about 12 nurses in our room.  elizabeth, you looked like you were going to die.  i thought you were going to die.  i wanted to cry, but there was so much commotion in the room that i was too stunned to do anything but stand there.  there was blood everywhere, nurses were everywhere running in and out of our room and using all these code words that i didn't understand.  you were pale. very pale.  allie was in her little bassinet as quiet as could be, as if she knew something was wrong.  about 20 minutes went by and you were still bleeding.  dr. koefed walked in and said that you had five minutes to stop bleeding or you would be taken back to the OR for an emergency hysterectomy and would probably need to be given blood because you had lost so much.  i had to sit down.  i was so scared i was going to lose you.  i buried my head in my hands and i told the Lord this was all in His hands.  you stopped bleeding right before the 5 minute mark.  i knew my God would pull through.  i was thankful.  very thankful that you were alive.  i was supposed to take jake home that night and stay with him.  but i couldn't.  i had to stay with you.  i needed to stay with you.  i stayed up most of the night holding allie and watching you breathe.  every two hours the nurses came into our room to make sure you hadn't started bleeding again.    you had to take a lot of medicine.  the days passed and it was finally time to go home.  i was relieved.  i always cherished every moment with you. now i just cherish them a little more.

adoration

inseparable. lots of giggles. smiles. hugs. kisses.  

jake absolutely loves his little sister.  jake loves to hold allie and show her everything that he can do.  i love how he tells her she can do all these things "when she's bigger."  i pray that these two always share a special bond as they grow older! enjoy these pictures of my sweet babies!

7 months old

 

happy 7 months old to our wild little girl, who's not so little anymore!  this little girl is officially on the move.  she's not that fast, but she gets where she wants to go.  usually she heads right for the electrical cords.  needless to say, we had to "baby proof" the house again.  no big deal.  just a little earlier than we thought. 

allie weighs about 22 pounds and is about 27 3/4 inches long.  she is wearing 12-18 month clothes and size 3 diapers.  she thoroughly enjoys eating.  she eats three meals a day with snacks in between.  she will smile all day long, but getting her to laugh is extremely hard.  she's awfully stingy with the laughs! unfortunately, she has had an ear infection since her 6 month check up.  we even had to start round two of antibiotics, which we finished last night. i'm not convinced that the ear infection is gone either.  

allie loves to sit up and watch everything that's going on around her.  so we traded the baby bath tub for the bath chair.  she LOVES it.  jake does too.  these two had a blast and splish-splashed for a good 20 minutes.  i was even told by jake "mommy, go get your jammies on.  me and allie will play in the bath tub for a little bit by ourselves."  ha!

miss photogenic wasn't quite in the mood for pictures this day.  she wanted nothing to do with me and the camera.  proving herself as a girl with moods already!  but she still looks adorable anyway.  so happy 7 months allie!  perhaps you'll smile for me next time!

6 months old

this pretty little girl is 6 months old.  she is all smiles all the time.  she is such a happy baby and loves to watch jake's every move.  speaking of moving, she "scoots" backwards already and is trying her very hardest to get on all fours.  dr. chea seems to think we might have an early crawler on our hands.  she meets all the six month milestones with ease.  allie has excellent head control, babbles and coos all the time, follows objects, transfers objects from one hand to the other, smiles, laughs (although she's very stingy with those), sits independently for a minute or two without support, and rolls both ways.  allie  weighs 20.6 pounds (97th percentile) and is 27 1/4 inches long (93rd percentile).  she is wearing 9-12 month clothes and a size 3 diaper.  yet again, we rank towards the top of the growth curve, but i'm okay with that.  we have a very healthy little girl and that's all that matters! 

allie LOVES to eat.  she eats three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, supper) and has a 4 ounce bottle with each meal.  she gets two snack bottles between each meal and still takes a bottle before bedtime.  she sleeps through the night (which is lovely, because jake never did...and still doesn't).  she eats every three hours.  

allie follows jake's every move.  she gets so excited when he walks into a room.  a huge smile is on her face when she sees him.  i pray that she always adores him and that he will always be a great big brother like he is now.  she wants to do everything he does.  if he has a toy, she wants to touch it.  it sometimes tests jake's temper, but i explain to him that she's learning just like he did when he was a baby.  

isn't that face the most adorable face you've ever seen???  gee-whiz...she's gorgeous!

allie usually doesn't fight sleep.  but sometimes, she just has to watch jake and she tires out in odd places....such as her stationary play gym.  she has also been rather sleepy and a little whiny due to her first double ear infection.  bless.  i just hope we don't end up on the same path as big brother jake.  but i'll take the extra cuddle time.  

happy 6 months to our sweet girl!!

time for your check up and other stories

jake loves to watch disney junior.  doc mcstuffins is a huge hit, among other shows too.  tonight as we were playing (having a pillow fight), i hurt my elbow.  i yelled "time out!"  jake said "what's wrong mommy?" i told him i hurt my elbow and he immediately ran into his room, grabbed his doctor kit and ran back to me.  this was our conversation:

jake: ok.  mommy, i'm doc mcstuffins.  tell me what hurts.
me: my elbow.
jake: ok.  let me take your pressure (meaning blood pressure) **he is singing the theme song**
mommy: jake, what does it say?
jake:  it says mommy you need to be more careful
mommy:  really? (jake is taking my pressure again)
jake:  yep.  this time it says you should play more carefully
mommy:  ok. i will.  is my elbow going to be ok?
jake: nope.  you can't play for 2 minutes. then it will be all better.
mommy:  thanks jake...i mean doc. mcstuffins.  you're the best!
jake: thanks mommy.  you're the best too.  you did a good job and you not cry.

_______________________________________________________________________________

one evening we were playing outside and jake decided to climb up on the porch, rather than go up the steps.  well, he got ready to climb up and stopped and turned back around.  looking at the ground he let's out a big "UH-OHHH!"

me: jake, what's wrong.
jake: mommy, you see that bug? that green bug?
me: i do see it. what's wrong?
jake: i stepped on it. i didn't mean to. is he ok?
me:  well buddy, i think he might die.
jake: oh no!  mommy, i can take him inside and take care of him.
me: i don't think so buddy.  he's not gonna live.
jake:  well, let me talk to Jesus.  He can make him better.
me:  ok.  go ahead and say a little prayer.
jake: God is great.  Jesus please make this bug get blowed up again.  And make him a big green bug again too.  thank you.
me: (melting and my heart feeling rather full)  that was sweet buddy.  i'm sure Jesus will make another big green bug just like him.

_________________________________________________________________________________

josh, jake and i were watching a movie one night (allie was already asleep) and jake leaned up and said "do you think when allie's big, like when she's one, she will lay with me on the couch and watch movies with me?  i would really like that a bunch."

5 months old

clearly, i am super late on this post.  but better late than never, right?!?!  my sweet, sweet girl is growing up way too fast.  we continue to fall in love with her more and more each day.  and oh how we love having those sweet baby noises echo through the house.

allie weighs about 18 pounds and is around 27 inches long.  she wears 6-9 month clothes and is in a size 3 diaper.  she has eaten all veggies and seems to like them all.  we're about halfway through the fruits and the only one she doesn't seem to like is peaches.  she eats 2 times a day and has 6 bottles throughout the day.  

i love that allie adores jake and jake adores allie.  he always wants to play with her and when she seems him, she gets an instant smile on her face.  so i know the feeling is mutual.  allie is a great sleeper (which we are so thankful for because jake still doesn't sleep through the night.)  in the mornings when allie wakes up, jake will play with her while i get her bottle ready.  those sweet giggles and sounds from their room melt my heart!

who do you think allie looks like???

and just to put a smile on your face, i give you super allie!!!!

bedtime stories

every night for bedtime, we read books to jake.  he loves chiming in on parts that he knows.  sometimes  instead of reading books, we tell stories.  either way (from a teacher standpoint) we are instilling very important reading skills he will need in the coming years.  i love and cherish each night that we spend this precious time together as a family.  

jake has quite a few favorites that we read quite frequently.  obviously "thomas the train", firetruck books, and his current favorite "pete the cat."  so, without further adieu, here is jake reading his favorite book: pete the cat and his four groovy buttons.  enjoy! (be sure to scroll to the bottom of my page and pause the music first before watching the video)

a special thanks to aunt carol for getting jake this book.  clearly, it's a huge hit!  

side note:: and just to give you a laugh, jake has made his own version of this book.  if you read one of my previous posts about "poots", you'll understand. here is jake's new version:: "my poots, my poots, my really stinky poots."  how this boy cracks me up!!!! i laughed so hard that i cried!

interviewing jake

i found this cute idea to ask questions to your child, starting at age 3, and ask the same questions each year.  this will be fun to look back on and also see how his answers change as he gets older.  here it goes::

1. what is your favorite color? all the colors
2. what is your favorite toy? thomas and woody
3. what is your favorite fruit? cantaloupe
4. what is your favorite tv show? jake and the neverland pirates
5. what is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? cake
6. what is your favorite thing to wear? thomas clothes
7. what is your favorite game to play? the candy game (candy land)
8. what is your favorite snack to eat? applesauce
9. what is your favorite animal? giraffe
10. what is your favorite song to sing? jesus loves me
11. what is your favorite book to read? toy story and thomas books
12. who is your best friend? denver (from church)
13. what is your favorite cereal?  cheerios and kix
14. what is your favorite thing to do outside? play with my toys
15. what is your favorite drink? milkshakes
16. what is your favorite holiday? christmas
17. what do you like to take to bed with you at night? my blankets
18. what is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? pancakes
19. what do you want for your birthday? thomas presents
20. what do you want to be when you grow up? a daddy with a beard


this last question's answer is cracking me up! oh how i love my sweet boy!!!

getting close

you can probably hear school teachers crying everywhere.  the summer is ending and the school year is getting closer and closer.  now, don't get me wrong. i love my job.  i love seeing my sweet students every day.  however, i'm definitely gonna miss jake and allie.  i'm gonna miss seeing them interact like this::

i'm gonna miss these belly laughs. i'm gonna miss making a bazillion different train tracks with jake every day. i'm gonna miss story time at the library, coloring time, art time, puzzle time, and cuddle time.  the list could go on and on.   but i know my kids are in the best care.  so as the time gets closer, i intend to soak up these last few weeks with jake and allie.

poots

umm, yes.  i just titled this post "poots."  this has recently (since about a month ago) become a very funny word in our house.  it seems like the answer to every question we ask jake is, yep you guessed it, "poot." (or poop)  he finds it hilarious.  and quite honestly, there are times where we bust out laughing too.  i'm not too worried about this because 1) he's a boy and boys find this kind of stuff funny and 2) this phase will eventually pass when he's 15, 20, 30, 40....well, let's face it....boys, no matter their age, find this noise and topic funny.  here are some stories for you to enjoy, courtesy of jake::

jake: mommy, don't feed me beans.
mommy: why?
jake: because they will make me poot a bunch and that would be very funny!


jake: (playing with this thomas table, he poots) mommy, did you hear that?
mommy: yep. i sure did.  i bet you feel better.
jake: i sure do.  mommy, smell my bottom! (laughing uncontrollably)
mommy: eww....gross.  no way!
jake: but mommy, why? it smells good!  (still laughing)


boys.  boys and their noises!!!

laughter

my house is full of noises.  some loud, some quiet.  some sweet, some not-so-sweet.  lots of talking.  lots of babbling.  lots of coos.  lots of train whistles.  but my favorite sound in my house lately is laughter.  jake is the best at making allie laugh.  allie and i were chasing jake and this is what it sounded like.  enjoy!

four months old

this sweet, precious face melts my heart every day.   she is such a happy baby.  i just can't get enough of her.  we took her to see dr. chea for her four month check-up today.  me, momma, grandma fiske, and josh all guessed that she weighed around 18 pounds. boy, were we all wrong!  i was shocked! she only weighs 16 pounds and 12 ounces....putting her in the 91st percentile for her weight.  and here's an even bigger shocker.  allie is 26 1/4 inches long! good gravy!! that puts her in the 98th percentile for her length.  and her head measures 16 1/2, putting her in the 85th percentile.  needless to say, we have a perfectly healthy little girl!

she is meeting all her developmental milestones.  she has good head control, babbles and coos all day long.....well, when jake's not talking and she can get a word or two in! LOL  she follows objects with her eyes, grabs things, smiles, and laughs.  she is still wearing some of her 3 month onesies, but mostly wears anything that is 3-6 months and even some 6-9 month onesies because of her length.  allie is still in a size two diaper.  she absolutely adores her two handmade blankets (one from grandma fiske and the other from a lady that my mom knows).....just like her big brother.  he still doesn't leave the house without them.  she loves for the blanket to be touching her face....just like jake! how funny!!!

speaking of jake, she loves him.  and the feeling is mutual.  just ask jake if you can take allie home with you.  he'll give you the meanest look and the firmest "NO", that is sometimes accompanied with a growl.  allie doesn't even need to consider dating!  jake is super protective over her.  jake already talks about all the things he's gonna teach her when she gets bigger.  

 

dr. chea gave us the OK to start solid foods.  allie normally drinks 6-7 bottles a day.  this picture was taken after her first taste of peas.  she wasn't impressed and pitched a fit until we gave her her bottle.  but she did manage to eat more than she spit out, which i thought was rather impressive.  

josh and i are thankful to have wonderful, beautiful, and healthy children.  we pray that He continues to bless us as we follow Him.

bedtime stories

we always read books before we go to bed.  sometimes we tell bedtime stories.  jake loves to help us do both.  he is becoming an excellent story teller and a really good picture reader.  today we went to the library so jake could return his books and check out some new ones.  boy, did we hit the jackpot! jake loves "pete the cat" and watching videos of this character on the computer.  we found a book about "pete the cat." jake couldn't wait to "read" it.  here is his little version of the book.

vbs 2013

as promised, here are two videos from vacation bible school.  the first one is of jake singing on of the theme songs with some of the other children in our church.  i love how he gets distracted by some of the babies running around.  i also love how he is so bold to get up in front of people.  this is such a far cry from the 2 year old jake.  it makes my heart happy.  the second video is of jake and his 3&4 year old class singing a song, reciting their bible verse, and singing one more song. i love that jake volunteered to say his bible verse first.  these videos are guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

big boy jake

well....it's official.  jake is no longer a little boy.  he's a big boy now....for many reasons.  first of all, he is completely potty trained.  (can i get a hallelujah???)  the day after father's day, he finally went poo-poo in the potty.  we called grandma's, barbara, church members, and friends to tell the exciting news.  jake was so proud of himself.  we did the poo-poo dance (which i totally made up, but he LOVES it), put a sticker on his sticker chart, got a prize from the bag, and a new (free) game on the iPad.  yes....we do lots of positive reinforcement around the slatten house!  and might i add, only two accidents. TWO! not too shabby for almost a week and a half.  and those two accidents were on the first day.  i am so proud of him and he is very proud of himself too.

reason number two jake is a big boy......vacation bible school started this past sunday.  this is the first year jake wouldn't be in my class. i refused to move up with him.  i knew that he just had to learn that i can't always be with him in every class.  we "talked" VBS up for quite a while.  you know, just little conversations like these::
"you're gonna be in the big boy class.  you get to play outside, eat snacks, make cool crafts, etc.  it's gonna be sooo awesome!"
"you might even get to be the line leader."
"you get to sit and listen to bible stories with your friends."
"you'll get a really cool name tag."

and boy oh boy, was he so excited.  i totally expected jake to whine and be clingy when it was time for him to go with his "big boy class", but nope!  he took his teacher's hand and went with her....with a HUGE smile on his face.  i was overwhelmed with emotions....ecstatic that he went.  sad that he went so easily and the fact that he's not a little boy anymore.  happy that he at least waved 'bye' to me.

after the first night of VBS i was so excited to hear about his fun night.  he sure gave me an ear full and i loved every minute!  every night he tells me what they did and how much fun he's had.  i am so thankful for his teachers (who all have known jake since he was a baby) and how they love each and every kid in their class.  jake has even learned his bible verse for the week (which he knew by heart on the second night...smart kid!!!)  well, while i'm bragging, the teachers tell me every night how much they enjoy jake.  they say he's a great helper, listener, artist, and friend.  my smile can't get any bigger and my heart couldn't be any fuller as i listen to what they have to say about jake.  i just LOVE my sweet little boy and pray that he always has a love for learning. but more importantly a love for learning about our Heavenly Father.

lastly, here's a video of jake saying his bible verse, who his teachers are, where allie goes during VBS, and who his friends are.  (don't forget to turn off the music at the bottom of my page)  enjoy!!!

random sayings by jake

you never know what's gonna come out of jake's mouth.  he listens a lot more than we think he does.  (not that we say inappropriate things or use foul language...just wanted to make that clear.)  but it really makes me think about not watching the news until 11pm after he's gone to bed.  you see, this conversation took place today::

(driving on the interstate to go see daddy at work we get behind a big rig)
*jake - mommy, keep up with that big truck
*mommy - i can't. he's going too fast.
*jake - why can't you go fast like him?
*mommy - i don't want a police man to give me a ticket.
*jake - oh, and that police man will take you to jail and i will have to come and save you.

ummmm....where in the world did my child figure this out?!?!  the only place i can think is on the t.v. during the news....which i mainly watch just for the weather forecast.  obviously after that conversation i had to clarify that only "bad" people go to jail.  and that when you get a ticket for going too fast, the police man is just wanting you to slow down so you stay safe on the road while driving.


on a much lighter note, here are some of jake's latest random sayings::

1) mommy, when i get bigger tomorrow, i'm gonna get a beard.

2) mommy, i think it's funny when people poot.....it's always so stinky!

3) mommy, i'm waiting patiently. i'm gonna count....1....2....3....4......5.

4) mommy, i am not happy.  that was not a good choice.  you wanna think about that and make a better choice?


i find it humorous that he uses a lot of the language i use with him.  i have to turn my head and just laugh sometimes.  it's just so stinkin' cute!   it's a good reminder to always use kind words with him.  kids learn the most from their parents!

allie laughs

i got to experience jake's first laugh. so i find it fair that josh got to experience allie's first laugh.  i swear, these baby laughs have to be the sweetest little noises in the whole entire world! i guarantee that this will put a smile on your face! (be sure to go to the bottom of the page and pause the music before you watch the video)

oh, and how ironic that allie's onesie says "daddy makes me smile."

my little model

allie's sweet face is irresistible! i find myself constantly grabbing the camera to take countless pictures of her.  she is great at posing and loves to show off her adorable smile! here are some pictures from our recent "photo shoots." enjoy!

boys and their toys

josh and jake went to the video game store the other day.  when they returned home, jake was overflowing with excitement as he walked in the door.  i was very quickly told that "me and daddy have to go pway dis new baseball game. i'm gonna get daddy OUT!"  jake eventually got bored after about 5 minutes of playing, but did strike josh out a few times.  (that's what random button pushing does for you!)

(this is not our mower....our push mower died) with that being said, jake was very excited to ride on this big "tactor".  ever since jake was about 18 months, he would "cut" grass just like daddy.  so you can just imagine how happy jake was to try out this lawnmower.  he said "wow, i never see one wike dis before! this is FUN!"

 

like i said.....boys and their toys.  

three months old

happy three months to our sweet little girl.  isn't she the prettiest baby you've ever seen!?!?!  i am so excited to have the opportunity to spend the summer with her and of course, jake too!  allie is a very happy and easy going baby.  she smiles all the time.  i think jake is her favorite person.  jake knows how to make her smile and even gets a few laughs from her.  it's so sweet to see them interact.  when jake walks into the room, allie turns her head towards his voice.  it's precious!  (evidence below)

allie is drinking anywhere from 4-6 ounces every 3 hours during the day.  she gets a "boost" bottle around 11 each night to help her sleep a longer stretch.  (it works most of the time).  so she usually sleeps from about 11 pm - 5 am in the morning.  she is wearing size 2 diapers and is in 3-6 month clothes.  i'm guessing she's around 13 or 14 pounds and is about 24 inches long.  

allie loves to play with her little toys.  she grabs the toys (which is a 4 month old skill).  she is already putting everything in her mouth.  i love to listen to her little coo's and squeals while she's playing.  

she loves to go on walks and read books.  (here we are below getting ready to go for a walk)

i leave you with three things we adore about allie::

1) her sweet smile

2) how calm natured she is

3) cuddling with her

and....one more picture. check out those chubby cheeks!  

i just L-O-V-E this little girl!!