A Visit with Grandpa A

My dad came for a visit a few weeks ago.  Sarah had all sorts of plans and while we were able to do a lot on her to do list (like feeding the ducks and playing the "We"), we weren't able to get to everything (like going to Disneyland).  Activities with grandpa included walks, going to the park, shopping for a birthday present (Sarah and grandpa went and picked out her gifts), visiting and, of course, feeding babies.  Here are some picture highlights.

Feeding the ducks

Going on a walk with Matthew

Playing with Matthew

On the swing

Sleeping Megan--grandpa figured out a great way to get her to sleep by rubbing her tummy

Grandpa and the three kids

Chica

Chica died a few weeks ago.  It was a sad day!  She fell down from her perch and didn't get back up immediately so U got her out and we were able to hold her for a few minutes until she died.

We talked a lot with Sarah about what happens when we die.  She had a lot of questions about it!

U made a box to bury Chica in and Sarah decorated it.  We had a funeral service where we talked about our memories of Chica.  U chiseled Chica's name on a rock to mark her grave.  If you come, Sarah would probably be happy to show you where Chica is buried.

Some memories of Chica:

• Chica couldn't fly.  Strange thing for a bird not to be able to fly.  Maybe now she can fly:)  She sure could run fast, though.
• Chica would chirp whenever people were around--she really did like being around us.
• She would often fall off her perch at random times.  She'd then spring right back up onto it again.  It was kind of funny and we generally had no idea why she fell.
• U would often tell Chica "don't stay up late playing with your bell" when he'd cover her up at night.  She would then defiantly ring her bell.
• Chica would come to the side of her cage and give us little loving pecks.
• Chica liked her belly being scratched.
• She really loved playing with her bell.  Sometimes it seemed like she was having wrestling matches with it.  She'd even fall off her perch when they got really intense.
• Chica would often sleep on her swing.

The house sure is quiet without her.  We love you and miss you Chica!

It's Official!

Megan is now legally a part of our family.  We went to the courthouse this morning to finalize her adoption.  Everything went smoothly and everyone agreed it was in Megan's best interest to be in our family.  The whole family went.  Sarah wanted to know about her finalization day and Matthew slept through it (much better than a few minutes before when he was screaming).  As for Megan, well, she doesn't seem to think much has changed--she thinks she's always been a part of our family, and she has been:)

And what did we do to celebrate?  We went to Applebees!  (Long story short: we went to Applebees the night Caleb was born and the night before we went to Washington when Rachel was born.  We've been avoiding it since we've had Megan and joked that we'd go once the adoption was final.  So we did.)

First Tooth

After months of suspense, Megan's first tooth has finally made an appearance.

And We Thought We Were Done With Sick Season.....

After a relatively quiet April (only one unplanned trip to the pediatrician and one round of a stomach bug--pretty tame compared to the previous months!), May has been quite busy.  It started when Sarah brought home a nasty bug from school.  She stayed home one day a couple weeks ago with a fever, runny nose and eyes, coughing and lots of sneezing.  She felt much better by the next day.  However, mid-way through the next week, it was apparent the rest of us had caught the cold as well.  Megan took a trip to the pediatrician Thursday due to wheezing and Matthew went on Saturday for the same reason so we have been doing nebulizer treatments with both of them.  They really clear up Megan's wheezing and help Matthew a little although not as much.  Monday we had a follow up appointment for them.  On the way to drop Sarah off at school, she complained of a headache and tummy ache.  Since her productive cough was still lingering and she rarely complains about not feeling well, I added her to the appointment.  Turns out she has pneumonia.  She's now on antibiotics and breathing treatments.  She likes the breathing treatments, I think because she thinks it's cool to do the same thing as Megan and Matthew--like a bonding experience or something.  Megan and Matthew were both still wheezing on Monday.  Megan is taking steroids and we have a follow up appointment tomorrow.  If they're not doing better they will likely go on antibiotics since there's a strong possibility there is a bacterial infection.  I guess we'll see.  As for U and Me, well, we haven't felt good but at least at this point it looks like we just have viral infections.  What a sick season!

And She Crawls

Megan is definitely crawling now.  Her forward motions are a combination of hand/knee movements and forward lunges.  She still rolls sometimes, but most of her "getting places" is done by crawling.  And she is proud of it!

PMS

Help! My daughter has PMS.

No. Not the elder daughter. No, not that PMS either.

Megan has a bad case of Pre-Mobile Syndrome. She is trying to figure out crawling and getting closer every day. In the meantime though, she can get very worked up over not getting places. Luckily, this stage is only once a lifetime.

When the other kind hits, I'm sure I'll really want help...

Muffins for Mom

Sarah’s kindergarten class had Muffins for Mom the Friday before Mother’s Day to honor their moms.  We ate muffins, fruit and juice on a placemat she made for me.  She gave me a small potted flower and I got to wear a crown she made.  Each mom and child came to the front of the classroom while the teacher read information about the mom according to the kindergartener.  Weight was one of the funniest—moms ranged from 11 pounds to 1100 pounds!  The whole class then sang some songs about moms.  It was definitely a special time with SarahJ

Sarah and I while Ms Flitton reads about me

Singing

Me with my flower wearing my crown.  Sarah was very proud of the flower she picked out as there were three blossoms on it (the only one with three, she said).  Unfortunately one died before she was able to give it to me.

All about me by Sarah.  (My favorite drink and snack are “orange juice and cookies” and my favorite TV show is the “pink Pride and Prejudice.”)

I like that I weigh less than Matthew!  And she definitely knows what I do during the day!!!!

Matthew’s 4 month check

Matthew had his 4 month check on May 10th.

Stats:

Weight:  13 lb 3 oz (10%)

Length:  24 inches (10%)

Head Circumference:  16.75 inches (50%)

Yes, his head continues to grow!  The doctor says that is a good thing—head growth is something they watch more than weight gain in terms of catch-up for small and/or preemie babies.  I figure he just has a small version of his daddy’s head.  However, if it keeps going up in percentile he may get a head scan done to make sure the head size is just familial and that there aren’t any issues (something I actually asked about since a friend’s baby just had brain surgery for hydrocephalus). 

Matthew is doing great developmentally—he is doing all the things he should be.  He showed his running legs to the doctor who asked him where he was going.  He also demonstrated his gripping ability by grabbing her hand when she was trying to check his ears, effectively making it impossible for her to check them (I had to pry his hand off). 

Megan’s Desires

Take the Sacrament: On Sunday during the sacrament, I was with the two girls in the chapel.  (U had stepped out with Matthew who apparently doesn’t like the sacrament….)  We had the water tray and I was busy making sure Sarah drank her water before she walked across the entire long pew to give it to the people sitting on the other side.  Apparently I should have been paying attention to Megan who took advantage of my momentary lapse by grabbing three of the cups, getting me quite wet in the process. 

Crawl: Megan is really making a lot of progress with crawling.  She is up on her hands and knees a lot of the time.  She can get there from sitting and from her tummy.  She will pick up one knee and take one “crawl” before falling on her tummy.  She can lunge forward as well.  Rolling is still the fastest way for her to get places but she is making progress every day with crawling.  It is exciting to see her progress (and is a reminder that we need to baby proof a little more)!

Vacation Plans

The other day, U and I were discussing our plans to go to Colorado this summer--when to go, how to get there, when he should be with us, etc.  Sarah overheard our conversation and asked if she was going too.  We told her that of course she'd be going with us.  She then asked us about Megan and Matthew--what would they be doing?  We asked her what she thought we should do with them.  She thought for a moment and then told us that we should find someone to watch them while we were gone.

Megan's 8th Month

Movement:  Megan is rolling with a purpose.  She will start at one end of the room and roll completely across it to get something she wants and then roll to where she wants to play.  She is also pushing up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth.  When she moves from this position, it is backwards--she hasn't figured out how to pick up her hands with her legs yet.

Playing with a blanket she rolled to get

On hands and knees

Crib Gym:  Megan really likes her crib gym.  She moves to get to it and enjoys playing with the buttons and such.  We often know she is up in the morning when we hear it cooing "Hello baby."

Finger Foods:  We have started giving Megan some finger foods and she REALLY likes it.  In fact, sometimes she won't let us feed her now because she wants to feed herself.  That doesn't work too well with the baby cereals and purees (think really messy!) but she seems to enjoy little bits of easy to pick up food like Cheerios and peas.  We'll let her feed herself some food while we have dinner.  It's nice for all of us!

Favorite Toy: Megan's favorite toy is a blue stick.  And what is not to like about it?  She can grab it, chew on it, gag herself, poke her eye out....  Sounds like a great toy:)

Pacifier:  Megan really likes her pacifier (still).  One night after U finished feeding Megan, she was sleeping on his shoulder.  When he went to take her up to bed, there Matthew's pacifier was stuck in her mouth.  (Apparently she wasn't sleeping completely!)  When she is playing with her pacifier in her mouth and it falls out, she has started trying to get it back in without using her hands by sticking her mouth wherever it is.  Sometimes this works for her, other times not so much.

Baby Eats Baby:  Megan thinks that since she gets to eat Matthew, it is only fair that he be able to eat her as well.  She is very accommodating in this area and will even stick her fingers in his mouth.

Tinker Fairy Megan:  We joke that Megan is a tinker fairy because she is often rolls under things and then plays with them there.  Her favorite thing to do this with is the car seat.  It even has straps she can pull and eat.  She'll also tinker with the bouncy seat and the swing.

"If only I could figure out how this thing works...."

Other Happenings:

• Megan shakes her legs when she get really excited.  It's fun to watch.  Occasionally she'll shake them so much that she falls over.
• Megan got her first phone call.  When I told the caller that she was seven months old and I wasn't sure what she'd say, they decided I was an acceptable alternative.
• Megan has started reaching for us occasionally.
• Books are now a fascinating thing for Megan.  She likes looking at them and tasting them.  She often has one in her crib that she'll be looking at when we come in.
• Her favorite part of most toys is the tag.  At least that is the part that ends up in her mouth.

Eating her toes

Swinging with dad

I love my tongue:)

Old-fashioned

This morning at breakfast, Sarah was looking in her Lego magazine at how to build an old-fashioned car.  She asked me, "What does 'fashioned' mean?" and so I explained.  I then added that an old-fashioned car would be the type of car that Great Grandma and Grandpa Bickmore drove in when they were kids.  She said, "Oh" and thought about this for a minute.  Then she added, "And Aunt Cheryl-Lynn."

Matthew's 4th Month

Toys:  Matthew is showing more interest in toys.  He likes looking at them and will often grab them.  They occasionally make it to his mouth as well.  If a toy isn't available, a burp cloth or bib is an acceptable alternative.

Matthew with his favorite bug (according to Sarah)

Playing with toys in the bouncy seat

Turn about is fair play: Matthew has started eating Megan.  Of course, this generally happens when Megan sticks her fingers or hand in Matthew's mouth, so I guess she doesn't mind too much.

Exercises: Matthew really likes it when we do arm and leg exercises with him.  We pull them up and down, back and forth.  He will laugh and laugh!

Daddy's Little Helper: Matthew has this really cute outfit that says "Daddy's Little Helper" on it.  Apparently he thinks that "helping" means "pooping out" because that is what he does every time he wears the outfit.

Rolling/Movement: Matthew has started rolling over although he doesn't do it consistently yet.  He gets his legs up under him and can get good air for the lower half of his body.  He still does his marching legs a lot.  When doing them when on his tummy, he ends up scooting across the floor.  The direction is random (well, based on where he is facing) but he can move pretty fast.  Once he figures out how to get the upper body to move too, watch out for Speedy Matthew!

Sounds: In addition to cooing and crooning, Matthew has started imitating Megan's sounds.  That is quite funny to listen to!

Here are some other photos from the month.  For a kid who smiles a lot, it certainly is hard to get him smiling on camera.

On the boppy

In the bumbo--he likes it a lot which is good since Megan didn't

Pushing up during tummy time

Cute close up