Monthly Mumbles, December Edition

10. I need to get back my blogging mojo. For realsies. One post in each of the last two months just isn’t cool. Though we have been enjoying ourselves around here. Mike’s work schedule is changing yet again, though, so I’m going to have to make time.

9. My darling Justin turned one last week. What the what?! Easily the fastest year of my life. We had a whole weekend of celebrating his huge milestone, complete with a both a Christmas party at the Shamrock Club where the boys got to meet Santa, and my little man’s own candy-cane themed birthday party yesterday. Yup. Mommy’s tired. 

8. The weekend wasn’t all good, though; my Buckeyes lost their first game (in two years!) Saturday night to M*ch*gan Lite (MSU). Truth be told, it’s okay. Until we can get a solid defense, I’d rather not lose another National Championship. So it’s the Orange Bowl for us, which makes me very happy since it’s on a Friday night! GO BUCKS!!!

7. Aiden is just rockin’ and rollin’ his way through kindergarten. He’s already reading books!!! I know I sure wasn’t that quickly. It’s awesome to watch him learn tricks to sound out words he’s unfamiliar with. The kid, like his brothers, is just growing up way too darned fast.

6. I CANNOT listen to enough Christmas music this year. Seriously. I have worn out the Mannheim Steamroller channel on Pandora because I’ve been listening at work since November 1^st. And I play it every time I’m in the car. Gotta get my fix, ‘cause before you know it, the holidays will be over, and we’ll have spring to look forward to…

5. Got my third Erin Condren Life Planner last month. Oh, how I love these glorious books. They’re just so pretty and organized and GAH I LOVE THEM. I was even able to customize my cover to reflect my love for scarlet & gray. :)

4. Very excited about a new fundraising initiative I’m going to help facilitate at work in February. A co-worker made me aware of The Pajama Program, whose mission is to get books and pajamas in the hands of needy children. What a great cause! Click on the link if you’re interested in finding out more.

3. Turning three hasn’t really done anything to alleviate our roller coaster ride with Nolan’s behavior. I was especially hopeful when he had a stretch of a few good weeks around his birthday…and then things went right back to difficult. We tried every tactic we can think of with him, but nothing works more than twice. And what sucks is that he’s a bona fide sweetheart when he wants to be. But he just rarely wants to be. *SIGH*

2. I know you’re all on pins & needles to find out my opinion on the newest NCIS character, Agent Ellie Bishop. Truth is, I don’t hate her. I wanted to, which I found odd. I didn’t realize I would miss Ziva this much. But Ellie might be just quirky enough to keep me interested.

1. I’ve made a calculated effort to make our holidays as stress-free as possible this year, especially since we’ve now got a December birthday boy in the house. And so far it’s worked out great. Shopping is done, gifts are wrapped, and cards have been sent. I’ll have a few days off with the kids before the big day, so I’ll let them help me with the baking. But I don’t think we’re going to be victims of any last minute forgetfulness, and that is really helping my anxiety. We’ve even gone to see the light show at the zoo (for the first time) already, and have plans to do it again!!! Making memories, good times. :)

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, JUSTIN!!!

The day of your birth was not without drama.

But we made it though. Truth be told, I'd endure it all over again a thousand times to get your sweet self as reward.

Happy First Birthday to my third scrunchy-faced munchkin, and here's to many, many more. :)

Eleven Months Old

My littlest man is 11 months old today.

(And as you can see, it's hard to keep in one place--upside-down teddy, anyone?)

It's insane for me to think that in just one stinkin' month, we'll be celebrating his first birthday. That means he'll be getting one year photos, and a party (which as of press time is in decent shape), and all the good things that come with this milestone.

(...and now my uterus is screaming at me because we have no plans to do this a fourth time...)

At eleven (ELEVEN!) months, Justin:

--has GOT to be around 25 lbs. He's HUGE, at least by our standards.
--is in 18-month clothes most days, but I still manage to squeeze him into a few 12-monthers.
--eats anything put in front of him, no questions asked. We're getting into a lot more textures as opposed to purees lately; he went to town on one of my pancakes at IHOP over the weekend.

--isn't walking yet, but I'm not pushing it! He did take a few steps behind the walker (GASP), but hasn't seemed very interested in repeating that feat. All in his time.
--popped out three more teeth in the last two weeks, and so currently sits with a total of eight, but he has at least two more on the verge of emerging.
--has a favorite "word"; he continually asks "Dis?" all day long. It's pretty cute. And I'd be lying if I didn't think he'd correctly said "Daddy" a few times :)

--seems to be a bit of a climber, as I keep finding him on the fireplace hearth (SIDENOTE: I really wish this house had better sight lines from the kitchen...). That scares me for him down the road.
--is going to need to move up to Size 5 diapers soon, which is something no son of mine has ever done before.
--is just the sweetest little munchkin. He's only angry irritated when he doesn't get fed fast enough or when Nolan steps on him. We are trying our best to soak up all his baby loveliness before time runs out.

See how he compares to Aiden and Nolan at eleven months.

Ten Months Old

Double-digit months.

There are only two stickers left.

I don't even...

Justin's had a great month, just a-growin' and a changin'. Mixed with my L-O-V-E of fall, it's just been a hunky-dory mess of happiness around here lately.

At ten months, Justin:

--is by my estimate around 22 lbs (no official weight stats until is 12-month well visit). Dude hurts my back.
--is easily in 12-month clothes, and possibly ready to move up to 18-monthers. Which is cool, because we are STOCKED in that size (one reason having three boys is awesome).
--can now pick up puffs!!! It's not very pretty, but he gets the job done. So I'm a touch excited to start giving him something other than pureed foods.

--has mastered crawling, standing, and cruising. Part of me thinks I'll be documenting his first steps by his next monthly update. E-gads.
--is still rockin' just the five teeth, but more are on the way.
--thinks his brothers are about the coolest things ever. He actually tries to wrestle (wrestle!!!) with them. It's ridiculously cute until Nolan forgets he's a baby.
--has discovered a love of reading. And ripping out the pages of non-board books.

--loves to do "Soooooooo Big!" by raising his arms high above his head. We're still working on "O-H-I-O."
--has somehow managed to make his older brothers get along better with his presence. They both adore him and somehow that has increased the harmony between the two of them. Smiles all around. :)

Check out how he compares to Aiden and Nolan at ten months.

Week in Instagram

Well, haven't done one of these posts or ANY posts in awhile. But it's FALL, and apparently we tried to jam ALL THE THINGS into the first week. Good times prevailed. :)

Sunday 9/22/13: We went to the pumpkin patch on the FIRST day of Fall. We totally win at Fall.

Tuesday 9/24/13: Time for your checkup! Time for your checkup! 

Aiden did great--and we found out he's got two loose teeth already.

Thursday 9/26/13: FALL IS AWESOME (noticing a theme yet?)!!!

Friday 9/27/13: Ladies & Gents, we've got a cruiser :)

Saturday 9/28/13: Apple-picking with the family! SUCH a good time. 

Sidenote, if you need apples, we still have about 496 left.

 

Saturday 9/28/13: Classic Buckeye ice cream at the Velvet Ice Cream Old Mill.

Huge, and delicious.

Saturday 9/28/13: THIS!!! YOU NEED TO BUY THIS!!!

Sunday 9/29/13: Early morning trip to the park before the rain. 

Such a great weekend with my boys.

 

Nine Months Old

Three-quarters of a year done, just like that.

 

I keep thinking of this time last year, when I was 6 months pregnant and taking care of just two kids.

But at the same time, it's hard for me to remember what life was like before Justin. He's been such an easygoing addition to the family, and while not everyday is perfect, the good days far out number the not-so-good.

At nine months, Justin:

--is 20 lb 10 oz (or at least he was a last week's well visit). That's 2 lbs bigger than Nolan and 4 lbs bigger than Aiden were at a year old. He might have been my smallest at birth, but now he's just a pudgy, chunky monkey.
--needs the weather to get a bit cooler so he can start wearing all the colder-weather, 12-month clothes we have. I don't want to buy any 12-month warm-weather outfits at this point. So let's get to it, Fall.
--gets a bit of an attitude when I don't feed him quickly enough.

--has five teeth--two upper, three lower. Two of them erupted to the same day, to the thrill of EVERYONE in the house!
--sits unsupported, army crawls alarmingly fast, and can get in a sitting position all on his own. He even pulls up on furniture. It scares me how fast he's catching on to this stuff. At this rate, he won't just be walking by his first birthday, but running.

--is VERY chatty, and has added the spitty "raspberries" to his repertoire.
--had had a bit of a facial rash and allergic skin reaction to something ever he started crawling. The only thing we can think of are the cats. Still trying to figure out what to do.
--thinks it's a blast to "chase" his brothers while crawling, like he's gonna catch up to them or something. :)

Check out how he compares to Aiden and Nolan at nine months.

Life Lately

It's been a crazy few weeks--hence the blog silence. Let's get caught up.


Aiden started Kindergarten a few weeks ago! Just as I suspected, it's been a seamless transition for him. I LOVE hearing about what he's learned each day and helping with his homework.

Nolan is on a mad dash to his third (THIRD!) birthday next month. We've tried to start potty-training a few different times with him (we even managed to get his first "sprinkle" in the potty!), but I just don't think he's quite there yet.

 

Justin spends all his time plotting how he can join in his brothers' mischief. More details tomorrow, but just know my little man is crawling and pulling up on furniture. As I tell Mike, this is why I'm tired.




Me? Well, I've had a bit of a rough month dealing with some health issues. I'm hoping it's all figured out now and things get back to normal. One thing is for sure--I couldn't be more excited that BUCKEYE FOOTBALL IS BACK!!! Well, that and Pumpkin Spice Chai at Starbucks... :)

Mike just keeps on keepin' on, working hard so this whole circus can continue. We're excited for fall and all that comes with it.

Hope to see you around these parts more often :)

Friday's Letters

Trying a new link-up today...

 

Dear Virus That Just Won't Quit: You are a jerk and I hate you. You've completely derailed my life for the past week and a half, when I had some fun family time planned and had to cancel all of it. Not only that, you cost me $$$ since I was misdiagnosed with allergies (ALLERGIES?!?!?) and paid for both an office visit and prescription I didn't need. So, you suck. Big time.

Dear Karma: Hit me up with some good news this afternoon. You KNOW what I'm talking about. 'K, thanks!

Dear Justin: Just because you turned eight months old this week doesn't mean you need to do a mad dash for all the milestones that come with it. This near-crawling thing when I walked into the room yesterday nearly had me in tears.

Dear Cleveland Indians: Seriously? Getting swept at home by those nasty Tigers when you needed to AT LEAST split the series? I mean, REALLY??? Even the Browns managed to win their first preseason game.

Dear Ohio Weather: Loving this fall preview. My grass has never been this green in August. Remember this and repeat for next year.

Dear Poor, Neglected Toes: Just chill. You'll be pampered next week. Scout's honor.

Dear Three Sons O' Mine: Let's have more times like this. Less whining, more smiling. And, go.

 

Eight Months Old

Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but...

 ...have you seen my baby?




Yeah, me neither.

Okay, so maybe that was just a touch melodramatic. But for reals, it does seem a bit like I'm losing out on Justin's babiness pretty quickly. He's still wonderfully squishy and cuddly, but his face is losing the infant look, and he's hellbent on becoming mobile.

At eight months, Justin:

--is probably 20 lbs. No weight check for a few more weeks, so it's still guesswork.
--fits a little too snuggly into his 9-month clothes.
--has been backing off on his bottles as he decides he likes the taste of real food so much better.
--gums on mum-mums, but still has trouble with puffs. We keep trying.

--has three teeth! His first on top pushed through a few weeks back, and he's working on Number 4, that upper's neighbor.
--is THISCLOSE to mastering unsupported sitting. I can actually leave his side now while he's upright, but there's still a pillow behind him just in case.
--has been trying to shake some congestion since last week, so not a lot of smiling in this month's pics. He's coughy and phlegmy, but in true Justin form, it hasn't really affected his mood.
--isn't crawling quite yet, but desperately wants to be more mobile than he is. Apparently he has places to go and people to see.

--has expanded his vocabulary with the repetitive "deh-deh-deh-deh-deh-deh..."
--has been more into his toys lately. He LOVES the baby piano we bought when Nolan was little. He seriously bangs on those keys like he's a tiny Liberace.
--constantly does that happy, excited baby thing where it looks like he's gripping the handle bars of a motorcycle. LOVE IT.
--can't pick an eye color. I know they won't be blue, but maybe hazel? brown? green?

--makes us all smile and giggle daily.

Check out how he compares to Aiden and Nolan at eight months. :)

Poor, neglected blog :(

{SIGH}

I hate when I neglect my blog. It's always in the back of my mind that I haven't posted anything in nearly 3 weeks. And it's not like I don't have stuff to write about or otherwise document (because I do, and I will). It's just that other stuff is more important right now.

So, I'm gonna hit you up with the beautiful family photos I recently received from my fabulous photog sister. When you look at that these, be mindful that a) it was 93 degrees with about 100% humidity at 7 PM when we started, and b) my kids were NOT in the mood.

I still think they turned out beautiful :)