Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day on Sunday.  It was my first Sunday back at church since Kate was born.  It was fun to get to show her off.  It was also my first time getting to go to Relief Society in a year and a half.  I play the piano in Primary, so I never get to go to Relief Society.  But, I have a substitute for piano for the month of May because Kate is so little, so I got to enjoy Relief Society. 

The kids mostly cooperated with getting a group picture before heading off to church.

After church, Scott cooked a great dairy free meal for me of halibut, roasted potatoes, and strawberry shortcake.  (I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but we are pretty sure Kate is ultra sensitive to dairy like her brothers were, so I'm on a very strict no dairy diet.)  And I was showered with presents.  The kids had all made me presents at school, the girls bought me earrings, and Scott bought me some clothes.  I sure felt loved.

 

Three Weeks

I can't believe it has been three weeks already. My little Kate is growing too quickly. We all continue to adore her, and we are starting to adjust to our new normal.  What a blessing this little girl is.

Soccer

I can't remember if I've mentioned this before, but it has turned out that our little boy who struggles so much with fine motor skills, is extremely gifted in gross motor skills.  Back in January, the school did a series of evaluations on Aaron to determine if he could qualify for special ed, and one of the tests they performed was all about gross motor skills (endurance and speed in running, balance, strength, etc.).  The Physical Therapist worded it this way, "If there was GT [gifted and talented] for PT, he'd be in it".  He scored in the 98th percentile.  The PT suggested we get him into sports to accentuate his skills and boost his confidence.

So, the Saturday after Kate was born, Aaron started soccer.  It's a rookies soccer league through the YMCA.  It's for ages 4-6, and meets from 9:00- 10:15 every Saturday morning for 5 weeks.  They do clinic for the first hour and teach skills, then the last 15 minutes is spent scrimmaging other teams.  Aaron is loving it!  Here are some pictures from the last few Saturdays.

It's easy to spot Aaron, because he's the tallest kid in the league.

Aaron really loves to celebrate a goal with a cartwheel.

Another cartwheel.

Pinewood Derby

Last Thursday was Josh's pinewood derby.  This was his second year to compete.  With the birth of Kate, we've been a little preoccupied, so Josh's car took a backseat to everything else that needed done around here.  Scott helped Josh finish it just 10 minutes before we left for the derby.  It wasn't the fastest of cars, but it was designed entirely by Josh, and Josh was a good sport at the race.  He won his first race, but lost the next three races (it was triple elimination).  I was really proud of Josh for being such a good sport--it's not an easy thing to lose graciously.

First Bath

Kate's cord fell off on day 11, so the next day we gave her a real bath.  She hated every minute of it.  Savannah documented it all in pictures.

 

Getting lotion rubbed in.

 

 Poor thing, it was a pretty traumatic experience.  But, she came out of it all shiny and clean and smelling like baby lotion.  And she has the cutest little "outie" belly button!

Week Two

Kate turned 2 weeks old this past Monday.  Time is going by so quickly, but I'm trying to savor every minute with this little girl.

I took Kate to a doctor's checkup on Friday (11 days old).  She weighed in at just 7 pounds 4 ounces (down 7 ounces since birth).  Her doctor likes babies to regain their birth weight by 10 days old, so he told us to increase the feeding schedule.  As it has been in the past, milk production is proving to be a struggle for me again this time.  I had to break down and start supplementing with formula.  It's always hard for me to do that first formula bottle.  Scott tells me that the most important thing is just making sure she gets enough to eat, regardless of where it comes from.  And after a weekend of supplementing with formula, Kate gained some weight.  At her follow up weight check on Tuesday, she was up to 7 pounds 8 ounces.  She gained 4 ounces in 4 days, which the doctor said is perfect.  So we just have to continue on with supplementing, and she should be fine.  It would be so much easier if my body just worked like it is supposed to, and made enough milk.

Owen is warming up to Kate.  He's decided that she isn't so bad after all, and he will sit and snuggle with me while I feed Kate.  The other kids continue to be in love with their little sister.

I'm running on very little sleep, but I try not to complain too much.  I know how fast this stage will fly by, and so I don't mind too much having to spend one-on-one feeding time with my little girl throughout the night.  I know that one day not so far away, I'll look back and miss these days. 

She still hates diaper changes.

Kate is so long and skinny.