Mission Accomplished!

Whew! I did it!! I made it through 12 weeks of intense weight loss! It really has been challenging, emotional, frustrating, amazing, all-consuming and just a crazy experience!

Sunday night that all came to an end. Our final weigh-in was at 7:00...at night! It was a really hard day as I usually gain 2-3 pounds by the end of the day. Over the past 2 weeks, we stopped getting the email updates so I had no specifics on how the other contestants were doing, and how close or far away anyone was to gaining on me. (Or losing I guess!;0)) I did find out right before the end that I had finally taken first place after being in second for weeks. I was SO excited but figured that I must still be pretty close to the other contestant based on prior numbers. That last week I was quickly approaching my goal weight as well, so the scale was not being kind to me...what a week for that! I ate as well as I could, worked out and continued to kep track of everything I ate. I had a feeling it wouldn't be enough but gave it my all anyway. I knew it would be better to completely know I had given everything I had, every step of the way.

On the night of the final weigh-in, there were only about 5 woman that showed up out of the original 44. The woman I was in direct competition with weighed-in before me...and lost 10 pounds! My heart sunk. I couldn't believe it! Hard to know in that moment that I had lost it...and be in a room full of people when you want to cry for a minute. I was able to recover quickly, there are just a lot of emotions that go into this intense of a competition. When you literally put your whole life into it for so long.

I did end up with a solid second place with a percentage of 17.8% of my body weight lost!! That really is an awesome accomplishment! First place was 19.9% and third, 13.1%. My total pounds lost in the 12 weeks was 33!!! =0) And I am not looking to find any of them!

I am so happy that I did this, even with all of the emotional ups and downs. I set out to lose weight and accomplished all of my goals! I lost 13 more pounds than I had hoped to, and I never gained during the entire 12 weeks! (Even with a trip to the mountains and Vegas!) That I am proud of. I feel healthier. It has reset my outlook on food. I am highly aware of how many calories and fat are in everything. I again know how to make better choices when eating out, and to pay close attention to my "full meter".

This leads me to the work it's going to take to maintain. I am taking the week off from writing things down and then I plan to pick that up again. I want to find that "sweet spot" I need to maintain.

Thank you to those that have been such an encouragement to me! My husband has been great and so have my boys! My mom and Crystal, you have been so awesome as well, always full of praise and kind words! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

So to sum it up, I am SO glad this is over with, I'm very happy with my results and I'm pleased I set out to do something...and did it well! =0)

(P.S. I finally have pictures to add but for some reason blogger is looking really weird and there is no spell check or link to add photos... ideas anyone??)

Quote of the Day

It's been awhile, need to pick this back up! So today we went to Disneyland and the kids saw Captain EO for the first time. After leaving the show, Zachary is walking with Craig and says, "I didn't know Michael Jackson was a girl!" So Craig asks why he thinks he's a girl and he answers, "Well, because of his voice!" =0)

Alexis at 7 Months

Thursday night baby girl turned 7 months! How I love that sweet little bundle! She is such a happy baby, beaming at her family, sharing little giggles with us. So different from the first months of her life! The only time she really gets fussy now are if she's sleepy or hungry. And she would still rather not be in the car. She started sitting up this month which was a huge milestone! She really loves being able to sit and play with her toys. I think this new view on the world has really helped her to be even more content. Here is Alexis at 7 months old.

*She now sits on her own. Falls over occasionally.

*She's eating some solids. Yes, we did finally start, the day after her 6 month blog actually. She still is not the biggest fan of solids but has done better. She really needs to learn how to eat from a spoon as she still licks at it like she's nursing. While attempting to eat she can often be seen "shuddering" at whatever we just put into her mouth. So far she has had squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, bananas and most recently, apples. It seems that she likes the bananas best which fits in perfectly with her brothers whom we affectionately named, "The Banana Brother's" due to their love of the fruit! She has also tried sweet potato puffs.

*She still needs to be swaddled. Seriously hope she can get over that soon!

*At her 6th month check up she measured in the 3rd percentile for height! I can't believe she is so short! The boys were always so long and Craig and I are so tall it's really surprising!

*As a result of her shortness she is still in 3-6 month clothing. We are using size 2-3 Swaddlers on her. They smell sooo good (when clean of course!)

*And on that note, she is now a pooping machine, making up for lost time I guess. The bad part about that is it often does not stay in the diaper. We can pretty much count on her pooping everywhere at least once a day. Not fun, especially when we are out and about!

*She had her first out of state trip this month. We traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada where Craig had a conference to attend. She did really well and enjoyed being outside by the pool everyday. She sat very contentedly on a towel playing with a few toys and just really enjoyed the atmosphere. Cute story, on our last day there, Craig was able to come to the pool with us. We went in the Lazy River and put Alexis in her little boat floaty. We went around quite a few times and she kept sinking lower, and lower and her eyes got heavier and heavier until she was out. She was so relaxed in the water it put her right to sleep!

*She swang in a swing at the park for the first time and really liked it! We bought her a baby one for our swing set at home but still need to put it up.

*Still no teeth (I am very happy about this!)but seems like she has been teething for months! She drools a ton and wants to chomp down on everything she can get into her mouth! I'm sure it won't be long now until a few make their way through!

*Her favorite toy is her Leap Frog doggy, "Violet". She loves for it to sing to her. She also still really enjoys her saucer.

Over all we are enjoying her immensely! There is always someone in the family going over to her, giving her kisses and sweet talking her. I have said it before but I feel so complete with her here. We all do!

Adventures in Vegas

I am sitting in a dark hotel room. I hear the shuffling of sheets and the occasional whisper of a child who is supposed to be napping. Currently 1 out of 4 are sleeping and I'm hoping that count is about to go up.

We are here for yet another of Craig's conferences. It's a great deal as the gas to get here, and the room, are paid for by his company. Since Vegas is within driving distance we usually try and come with him. Ironically the kids LOVE coming! There really are a lot of things to do here with them. This visit we are staying at the Mandalay Bay for the first time. I have always wanted to stay here because I knew they had an awesome pool area. We made it down to the beach area this morning and it was better then I thought! The beach part has sand, a huge wave pool, and a huge children's wading area that the waves roll into. The boys played without stopping for nearly an hour and a half. I finally had to call them out. Alexis wore her very first bathing suit and looked absolutley adorable! I sat her in the water with me for a bit and she did well with it. There are other pool areas (and spas!) that we will have to check out as well.

The view from our room is amazing. I will have to try and get a picture. We have an unobstructed view where we can see the entire pool areas, beyond that is the airport runway where we can see airplanes and helicopters coming and going...so awesome! At night we can see tons of lights that go on forever...it's a great room.

Tonight Craig has a dinner after the conference and then a party after that. So bummed! Today is going to be the hardest. He is going to come back in between all of that to help us navigate through the maze that is Vegas so we can get a quick bite to eat though. Whew! Last night we walked around "The Miracle Mile" mall, ate dinner and watched it "rain" inside. I ate a very yummy Chinese Chicken Salad. I really wanted a burger but that actually really ended up hitting the spot!

It's always weird stepping out of "normal" life but it's refreshing too. Getting away from the routine of life every now and then is really helpful. I'm missing weigh in today though which I'm bummed about. Two weeks left as of today. We have a cooler with us and lot's of food to help me stay on track while we are here. When the kids wake up I plan on doing my pilates video as well.

Looks like the baby is still asleep and Jacob is as well. Yay those are the two that really needed a good nap! Thankfully everyone did really well sleeping last night despite all 6 of us sharing a room AND the darn time change! We will see what tonight brings!

Weight Loss...Akkk!

At over 9 weeks into this weight loss competition, I am SO READY TO BE DONE!!!!! I am really happy with my progress, and have done better then I had even hoped. At this point I have now lost 24 pounds even and am in second place!! Hurray! In the school competition I have been in first place nearly the entire time. Next week is the end of that one, but I have to weigh in 4 days early since we will be out of town. So bummed!

And I am frustrated, tired of scales, tired of watching everything that goes into my mouth, tired of my life centering around weight...just tired! I'm tired of all the scales being different everywhere I weigh in and literally never knowing what to expect each week. I'm tired of being frustrated that no matter how hard I try, I can't get to first place. I have been able to stay so consistent the entire 9 weeks. Never losing less then a pound and a half every week. I have not cheated at all. And yet it's not good enough. There are so many times I wanted to eat something, or a lot of something, but I knew it would only hurt me. Even if no one else saw, I knew. So I didn't do it. I have also pushed myself to work out more. I enjoy using the Wii Fit because I don't completely despise it and I like how it keeps track of all my records. Last week I pushed myself to do the Island Lap 3 times in a row which meant running for over 40 minutes. It's been good to see the progress and to continue breaking my own records!

Now that I am so close to goal, it gets even harder to push the weight off. Nursing the baby adds another hurdle as I can't be stupid and starve myself for the babies sake. And my body reeeallly wants to hold onto the last ten pounds that usually does not come off until I'm done nursing. So adds more frustration. And days where I am a mess from stress, fatigue and not enough food. I'm thankful for my husband who understands how I am feeling and has been such a HUGE support to me through all of this! Listening to me talk and helping me through it...your awesome Craig!

At this point, I am itching for April when this is all over. I should be at goal by then and will just have to work at maintaining all of my hard work. I do not want to gain any of it back and that in itself will take some hard work. Oh the yummy things I want to eat....but all in moderation of course! ;0)

Sitting Pretty

My baby girl started sitting up on her own this past weekend. I don't know but it seems pretty early to me. I'll have to go back and look in the boys baby books but I thought it was more like 7 months until they sat on their own. Wow, how can it be that she has mastered this skill already?

My Valentines...

Well I'm sure I could be doing a million other things but I figured I might as well go for it while I have the peace and quiet.

We had a good Valentines weekend. We kicked it off on Friday with both boys parties. I am thankful that I was able to help out in both classes and be a part of their day. I started in Zachary's first. The kids rotated as usual to different "centers". Counting candy hearts and recording the different colors on a graph, coloring decorating a ginormous cookie, making a bee costume...he had a great time. Then it was off to Tyler's class. He played Valentine Bingo, passed out his Valentine cards and treats, and then received a massive amount of goodies. Brownies, cupcakes, candy, cookies...so many tasty things (which were very hard for me not to indulge in...but I didn't!) We topped it off by watching a Charlie Brown video on inventions.

Saturday we were able to attend a Valentine party at our new friends home. We met them through attending Family Night regularly at Chick-fil-a. It was great to be there and the kids had a blast. They loved their play room, making candy necklaces and frosting cookies and mini cupcakes was definitely a plus! They also watched Charlie Brown's Valentines Day. (I see a Chuck trend...)

Sunday, which was actually Valentines Day, we went mini golfing with the kids for the first time. We laid out treats on their spots at the dinner table, and cards from their Grandma's and they were so excited to see it all there. They really enjoyed golfing which I'm thankful for since it was pretty hard for Craig and I to do with 4 little ones. Not stroller accessible, and we kept getting huge crowds behind us. Zachary did get a hole in one though! We topped the day off with dinner at Chipotle which always makes Daddy and Mommy happy! Mmm mmm!

Alexis is Half a year old!

My baby girl turned 6 months last night. I know everyone says time flies...but it really does. I remember everyone telling us to enjoy Tyler while he was little because it would all go by so quickly...and it has. My first baby is in second grade and hurtling towards eight years old! And here I am, knowing that my baby girl will be that old before I know it as well. So here I sit, trying to capture what I can of her sweet babyhood.

*She has become so vocal, and social. She loves to study others faces as they talk to her. Or just track what is going on around her. She often has such a pensive look on her face. As if she is trying to take it all in and figure out what it's all about. She makes so many different sounds. Wish I could record them all!

*She continues to be terrible at taking studio pictures. Every time I hope "this month will be better" and inevitably, it isn't. For the first few months it was crying the whole time. Making sure she had slept and ate, only to have her still end up crying. Tonight she almost rolled of the platform numerous times, chewed on the tool, looked up when we wanted her to look sideways, sideways when we wanted her to look up, wouldn't grab her feet when we were trying to take those pictures but then decided she wanted them when we were trying to have her sit upright. It was crazy! I always thought it would be so fun to have a girl to do "girly poses"...yeah not so much fun right now!

*She is still so short! Her 0-3 month onsies still fit. Her 3-6 month sleepers are really long on her. And she is still in size one shoes! Doesn't she know the cute little shoes that await her tiny little feet? She is a little chub though and we are moving to the size 2-3 diapers so we can stay in Swaddlers for awhile longer before moving to 3's. We used her last size 2 today...so sad.

*She started rice cereal this month and didn't think it was the greatest. Mommy and Daddy have not been consistent about giving it to her anyway. For the past few weeks I have been trying to start baby food with her and end the day by saying," Darn it, I forgot to give Alexis food again!" Poor baby...really she won't be 5 and just drinking breast milk...right??

*She had her first ear infection this month. The antibiotics did a number on her bum, poor sweetie. I am not entirely sure it is gone and should take her back next week for a re-check...but boy do I detest Dr's offices. I have way too much to do to add waiting hours on end for my 2 minutes with the Dr. I'll do it for my kids, but then it takes drastic measures to go for myself(hence walking around on a broken foot for over a day because I didn't want to go to urgent care...I said great measures!)

*She really likes sitting in her saucer and still enjoys the kick n play bouncer. And since she was super tiny, the fans and mobiles stay strong forms of pure enjoyment for her!

*She went on her first vacation this month. We went on our annual trip to Arrowhead. She did pretty well although staying in a tiny room with her and Jacob was definitely difficult!

*She is still spitting up. Tonight was particularly bad as she proceeded to throw nearly her whole dinner up as we walked around the mall. It hit the floor, my hands, sweater, shoes, her outfit, blankets....

*She has the prettiest, rosiest cheeks...just love them!

*She went to the Wild Animal Park for the first time. It was her first trip to a zoo-like environment. She did great.

*She adores her brothers and just beams at them. They love making her smile and will try all day long, never tiring of it. They are so darn sweet with her!

*This month she has resumed screaming in the car more times then not. She does not enjoy being where she can't see us. She is so super relational that anytime she can't make eye contact with us, is not a happy time. A funny thing, she will have just screamed for an hour in the car (that parts not funny) and when we stop the car, she instantly stops crying. Note that she hasn't even seen us yet, but she knows the car is stopped and she soon will. Pretty smart for a little one.

*Our little girl is still needing to be swaddled to sleep. Yes, one day she will sleep unwrapped and eat solid foods...and be happy in the car....right??

I'm excited that I got to write this blog uninterrupted for once. The kids are asleep and Craig is on a plane heading home from Washington. Ahhh the peace of a quiet house where I can finish a thought!! I really have forgotten what that feels like!











Smiling at Jacob...too precious!

Weight Loss Progress..Half Way There!

So this Monday completed the half way mark in the big competition. That means 6 weeks to go! This last week started to get really hard. I didn't eat more, but I was resenting that I couldn't. I worked out 6 out of 7 days. I don't think I have ever done that in my life. The frustrating thing is that the more I work out, the less I lose. Not exactly what you want to happen. I think I must be gaining muscle because I can feel my clothes getting loser, but the scale is not wanting to budge. I'm struggling to figure out what to do...drop the working out? I guess I will see what continues to happen.

As for weight loss, I did lose 3.8 pounds the past 2 weeks! I wasn't able to weigh-in last week because we were out of town. Craig and I have been talking about how the competition gives you a misconstrued view of losing weight. Normally losing even a pound a week would be amazing. Something isn't right when you are bummed about not losing more then 2! I am happy with how I am doing and proud of myself for sticking with it. I just need that scale to keep moving for me as long as I am doing what I should be! As of this week, I am in 3rd place, and have lost 16.2 pounds in 6 weeks! That is really exciting to me! I am less then a percent away from 2nd and 2% away from first. I just need to keep finding my will to keep fighting forward...for another month and half!

I haven't taken posed pictures to show my progress but I should find one of before I started the competition, and a current one. Two weeks ago I decided to just try my smallest jeans on...and they fit!! I was so excited! They are even starting to get baggy now! Yay! Motivation, motivation, motivation....

Weekly Weight Loss

Another week gone by in the weight loss journey! Four weeks down, another eight to go in the competition. I am very excited about my progress so far. Doing this on my own would have taken forever!

Monday weigh in went well. It was harder because I usually go during the morning weigh in time and that was cancelled this week. So I know I weighed more at night then I normally would have. But, I still lost 3.6 pounds in ONE week!!! I am now in third place, nearly second! My total percent lost is 6.7% and second place is at 6.8%...so close! This week will prove to be even more of a challenge as we are going up to Lake Arrowhead for four days. At least there are 8 weeks left!

Tuesdays weigh in at the school was very exciting for me! I lost 4.2 pounds and lost the most for the week, winning $25! That's half of my enterance fee back! I am also now in FIRST place for the whole competition...hurray!

I continue to feel better. And I am happy to be carrying less of me around!;0)

On a Roll...And Other Firsts

Alexis just rolled over from her back to her tummy for the FIRST time and then rolled onto her back again!!! Yay! She was laying in the boys room and everyone jumped up and cheered for her! The boys surrounded her kissing her, congratulating her...what a sight!=0) Our baby girl is on a roll!

Not the greatest picture. By the time I got the camera she had started to cry and was very ready for bed!


Earlier this week Alexis also tried her first food (other then breast milk)! It was just a little rice cereal and so far she hasn't been too fond of it. The first night she spit it all back up and she still has yet to learn to open her mouth!






Yesterday, our Zachary received his first award at school. It was for character...isn't that fitting? We are so proud of our newest "Toucan"!

Shaken

This has been rattling around in my head for awhile now. I can't stop thinking about death. It started when my good friend Monica died back in May. That was such a blow and I had never experienced such a sad, untimely death that close to me before. I still think about her everyday. About her husband and son. About how she should be here with them.

My Grandfather died suddenly in November. He was more like a Father to me. I spent much of my life with he and my Grandma. I always told Craig that I dreaded the day I lost one of them. And then the call came. I couldn't really believe my ears. It was the first time I have ever received a call like that. The first time that I had lost someone in my family. To that point I still had all 4 Grandparent's, all my Aunts and Uncles, all siblings...everyone. I couldn't even take it in. I think about him everyday. All of a sudden something will make me burst into tears...it's always there on the surface. Waiting to bubble over.

A week ago, I found out a woman who's blog I read, died a sudden, tragic death. I found out about her through another friend's blog. I noticed her on the top of her blog list. She stuck out to me because she had 3 boys. She stuck out because she had become pregnant again and lost her baby girl nearly half way through the pregnancy. My heart ached for her. I became hooked and enjoyed checking in to see what her crazy life with 3 boys was like as well. And then I became pregnant with Alexis. Shortly after she became pregnant again. I waited in anticipation to hear the sex of her baby and was overjoyed she was having a girl! Her baby, Bella, was born 3 months ago. Last week she went in to get her tubes tied. She didn't feel well and they found out her bowel had been perforated. She died just days after the surgery. She died from having a routine surgery. She left behind FOUR children! One of which still needs her mommy to feed her. She's gone just like that. I can't stop thinking about her. I can't stop the thoughts of fear that just keeping growing and growing in my mind. I don't know what to do with the fear, the finality. Why did Anna have to die?

And other stories I have heard through the past year that have stuck with me. Abby from "The Biggest Loser". She lost her husband, daughter and one week old son. Oh the pain. I can't imagine and yet that adds to my fears. While I was pregnant, hearing a woman died in her sleep while pregnant with her first child. Another died right after giving birth to her first daughter. I know we are supposed to trust in God but I am honestly finding that trust shaken. Oh how we prayed for Monica. She had an army praying for her. I just don't understand.

And I'm scared.

Weight Loss Check In

So I didn't check in here last week...and nobody asked me about it!;0) Not even sure anyone reads this too regularly anyway. BUT, the reason I didn't check in was because weigh in was cancelled. Why? Because of RAIN! Seriously and that was just day one of five straight days of down pour. Of all the things to cancel it for...I was really disappointed! Knowing how everyone is doing, how I'm doing really helps get through the next week. So I went yesterday. The scale for this weigh in has been about 2 pounds different then my home scale. Yesterday it was over 3 pounds different. I was so disappointed to see that number. I lost 2.8. I expected more. To see higher numbers on the scale is not good for the mental morale you know?

On a side note, I joined another competition through the kids school right after I had joined this one. It is only for 9 weeks and started one week after the other. There are only 10 of us compared to the 34 in the other competition. When I went to weigh in this morning, they confirmed that I had lost 4 1/2 pounds the past 2 weeks. It made me feel better to know that weight really was off and that my scale wasn't broken!

So, overall, I know I am doing well. I have not gone off track at all. I have been pushing myself to exercise. I am doing sit ups although have been battling a very stiff neck and think that may be the culprit. I can't even move it today. But on a happy note I at least did 125 sit ups last night!;0) My pants are a lot loser and I feel a lot better!

The Tooth Fairy Strikes Again!

Last week we had a big event at our house...Zachary lost his very first tooth! The night before I saw it was loose and the next morning at breakfast it fell out! Simple and painless. He was super excited to leave it under his pillow and even more excited to find money there the next morning! It's burning a hole in his pocket and he can't wait to go to Target to spend it!

Alexis at 5 Months

Alexis turned 5 months old Monday night. Can hardly believe it!

*She has just started taking better naps!! It's not all of the time, or even consistent, but it's better. Tyler didn't start napping until 5 months so I kept that in the back of my mind. And boy is she like her biggest brother so it's no surprise she's following that pattern of his as well. Today I swaddled her (yes she is still being swaddled...another thing she has in common with Tyler) and just laid her in her bed. She fussed for less then a minute and fell asleep! She has done this a few times over the past week which gives me hope it may become a habit. I am SO excited about that!

*She is now sleeping until about 5:30 - 6:00 before she wants to eat again. Still feed her at 10:30 before we go to bed but she doesn't wake up. So she is basically sleeping from 8-8:30 to 5:30 or 6. Sometimes she goes back to sleep after that feeding and sometimes she decides to stay awake.

*She is a super smiley girl. Her whole face just beams when she smiles. She likes to screech and talk when she gets excited. She still yells when she doesn't see anyone. She kicks her legs in anticipation.

*She is getting better at grasping things but still drops whatever she's holding after about 30 seconds. She likes holding onto the ring links and gets a better grasp of those.

*She loves her fingers! She sticks them in her mouth, stares at them and goes cross eyed, holds onto them, licks them...she usually prefers them to any toy!

*Her love of ceiling fans continues. If one is not moving she will stare at it and make noises until someone moves it for her. Luckily she has 3 brothers who are happy to indulge her and can often be found switching them on and off. The beaming smiles that follow are priceless!

*She started playing in her stationary saucer this month. She really likes looking at the toys on it and is starting to play with some of them. She also still enjoys the Kick n Play bouncer and can be entertained for awhile in that.

*She loves nursing and would stay latched on all day if I let her! She moves her arms so much while eating though and if I don't hold her hand I often get pretty scratched up.

*She is still just rolling from stomach to back. She has no interest in being on her tummy and will flip as soon as placed on it. So it seems a good reason why she doesn't roll onto her tummy! She is really strong though and continues to do crunches. It looks like she is desperately trying to sit up!

*She's still spitting up even on the reflux medication. Sometimes with crazy force as it flies across the room!

*This month she will start rice cereal. It will be fun to see what she thinks about it!*Still in size one shoes, 2 diapers and 0-3 and 3-6 month clothing.

Our little girl is changing and growing so much! She is becoming more social and content. Right now though she is yelling at me on the floor, letting me know she is quite ready to be picked up! Until next time!

Monday Weight Loss Week 1

So I have completed week one of the weight loss challenge. I went to weigh-in this morning and was very pleased with my results! I lost 6 pounds which is the most I have ever lost in a week! There are now over 30 women competing which is crazy! My goals for the 12 weeks are: 1. To not gain at any of the weigh-ins and 2. To lose at least 20 pounds.

So now to keep plugging away!

I'm Going to be a Big Fat Loser!!!

So I accepted the challenge. Even though I have to drive an hour 1 way to get there, I accepted. I have been so tired of the extra weight. When we moved to our new house 2 years ago, I steadily started to gain. 20 pounds to be exact. Then another 10 still hanging around from my last pregnancy. I needed motivation. I now have it! A group of girls are participating in a weight loss challenge. So far around 22 have joined. There is a lot of money at stake for the first place winner....over $1000.!! We have to pay $5 every week, another $5 if we don't make the Monday weekly weigh in and another $2 for every pound gained! Lot's of motivation!! To keep myself even more motivated I am going to record my progress here after every weigh in. Feel free to ask how I'm doing if I haven't posted. This is day 3 and I'm getting into the groove. It's hard to say no to all the goodies but I think I'm finding my determination. I'm excited to be a lot thinner and healthier in 12 weeks! Cheers to that!=0)

Alexis at 4 Months

Here I am feeding Lex while trying to get her update out. I haven't been so good about blogging...considering my last post was about her 3 month progress. Seems these updates are the only thing getting me on here! I know I need the information logged for whenever I get to her poor, neglected baby book! I have never waited so long to start. Then again I have never had such a difficult baby. Or 4 kids. It helps to know that I at least have these entries to fall back on.

On that note...there really isn't much different with her since last month.

*She still doesn't nap well. Seems to be only when we have to go somewhere and I'm in agony that I have to wake her because she is actually asleep, or if I have help from Craig or my mom. Oh yes, then she sleeps!

*Still waking up every morning at 4:30. Ugh! Want. To. Sleep. All. Night!!!!!!!!!!

*Something very new is showing signs of stranger anxiety. So early too! Last night we had a Christmas party and she had not slept all day. When one person looked at her she stuck her lip out. When the next person she didn't recognize looked at her she bawled. Oh boy! Earlier last week she had started playing "bashful". My mom would say "hi" to her and she would push her face into my neck. Then look back for more. So cute! Our boys were never afraid of strangers so we will see how this develops!

*We just started size 2 diapers. Much better as those 1's were getting snug! She is in o-3 and 3-6 month clothing. Still LOVING dressing her! And still in size 1 shoes! Tiny feet!

*She's getting more vocal. She likes to talk and smile at her family. She will actually yell when she doesn't see anyone and wants to make sure someone is near. It's very cute.

*She does stomach crunches to try and sit up. Hard to get her to relax!

Right now she is on my lap and Zachary is singing songs to her and sweet talking her. Her favorite stuff! She is smiling, cooing and giving him little laughs. Just a few more days and we will be celebrating our first Christmas with her! Such a Joy.=0)

Alexis is 3 Months!

I have been trying to get this post out for almost 2 weeks now! Nov. 18th she turned 3 months...amazing. So here are a few tid bits about Lexy at 3 months.

*She still wakes up for a feeding every night between 3:30 and 4:30. That's after her last feeding of the night around 10:30-11. Wonder when she will finally sleep through the night?!

*She has had a stuffy nose for about 3 weeks now and is very snorty.

*She is cooing and "talking" a lot now! So cute!! She will talk with you for awhile when she really gets going. I don't remember the boys cooing so much at this age!

*Still loves, loves, loves fans and mobiles!

*She found a first toy to love up...her soft doll we named Lucy. She likes to play with her piggies and suck on her! So cute when she smiles at her!

*She just started pooping more regularly....yay!!!! Never thought poop would make me so happy!

*She still will not nap well. Best bet is in the car.

*Wears 0-3 month clothes. 3-6 month is huge on her. Still in size 1 diapers. Size 1 shoes. (Finding out how cute shoes are on girls! Fun!)

*She lost her Great-Grandpa Pape this month. Part of why it took me so long to write this post. One of my biggest regrets is that she didn't get to meet him.=0(

*Our little girl is growing! At 3 months she weighs about 12 1/2 pounds! She loves her milk and nurses 7 times a day.

*We realized we have to closely watch her cues. If she yawns, we need to prepare to get her to sleep. If she yawns twice, we really need to move. If she gets to the third yawn before we have started the sleep process, not pretty! She goes from calm and smiley to screaming in no time flat! People don't believe it until they see it!

*She has worn a bald spot on the back of her head. Poor girl!

We are excited to share the Holidays with our little girl this year! The boys are excited to show her all of our family traditions including the Advent tree which starts tomorrow! And I am looking forward to dressing her up in all of her adorable Holiday outfits...oh the joys of having a little girl!=0)

Disney Old School

Yesterday we made a trip to Disneyland. We decided to start at DCA first because we hadn't been there since Alexis' birth and had been blocked out the whole summer before that. It was SO NICE to finally have a day there where the place wasn't bursting at the seams with people. Back in the day pass holders were rewarded with many of those days. Many months actually. You could always count on September through November until the Christmas decorations went up, to be prime Disney time! And then again in January until Spring break. Then they introduced the 2fer during that time. Gone was the bliss to be replaced with chaos. And then the Halloween Time, they even added a "special" fireworks show and a spooky image in Space Mountain this year and everyone went crazy. That place was insane!! Fun to have the decorations but I miss my quieter Disney days. I felt like that was part of the benefit of having a pass, you could avoid those super crowded days. So I was very pleased when we were able to nearly walk on some rides yesterday.

To add to the fun, Jacob has recently reached a new height so that he is now able to go on a bunch of new rides. He has waited in such great anticipation as his brothers would go on them and he would have to go on something else. Oh happy day when, with the help of tennis shoes, he reached 40 inches!! So yesterday we went on Soarin Over California with him for the first time. I was so excited!! That ride is truly amazing and unique and I couldn't wait to share that experience with him! He loved it and we are excited he doesn't have to sit out anymore! We walked on Monster's Inc, watched an animation show for the first time and went to "Turtle Talk With Crush".

We then headed over to "the real Disneyland" as Zachary put it. After eating dinner we realized it had gotten busier due to DCA closing and dumping into it. Star Tours didn't have much of a wait and is another ride that Jacob is now tall enough for. And how wonderful that is with the boys ever growing love and affection for all things Star Wars. While the boys were on that I was able to get Fast Passes for Space Mountain. Very exciting as this would be our ticket to getting Jacob on the ride for the very first time! After Child switching on Matterhorn we headed over to Space. I was concerned that Jacob would come off in tears. I should have known better. As Craig said, "He giggled the whole time and said, "This is awesome!" He was ready to march right back on with me!=0)

Less people and two new rides for Jacob made for a very enjoyable evening at the happiest place on earth!;0)

(And I typed most of this with my left hand as I fed Lex! Can we say multi-tasking, super talent??;0)



"A" is for Alexis!


Alexis' first time on Monster's Ic.


The boys with one of their favorites!


Alexis' first picture with a princess!! I was pretty much beaming!!!=0)