4 month well child check-up

Will had his 4 month check up today. He weighed 14 lbs 14 oz, which was the 50th %, and was 25 1/2 in long which was the 75th %. He got 3 shots today and did really well with them--he only cried for about 1 minute. He has slept a bit more today, which worked out great for me. We were able to run some errands this morning, which meant I was able to go to Best Buy, Hobby Lobby, and Walmart before I had to pick up Jake from school. I had to go to Hobby Lobby to try and find some things to make a tree topper with, as Emma pointed out we didn't have one. I will post a picture of how it turned out--not sure I'm crazy about it but it works for this year:-) I also picked up our Christmas cards and will hopefully get those out by Friday. I was going to order from shutterfly but they wouldn't arrive until the 20th:-)

We didn't do too much else today--Caleb had mail club after school so I decided to make cube steak in the oven for supper--quick prep and easy meal. Hopefully I can keep posting more often--I really want to be able to look back and remember this crazy time in our lives:-)

It's (finally) beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I just wanted to show some pictures of our decorating thus far--Shon and the kids really pitched in and helped out:-) Here you go!

4 months old!

Will you are 4 months old today! Here are some highlights from the last month:

You went on your first road trip--we drove to Mountain Home and then Fayetteville for a wedding. You also traveled to Lepanto for Thanksgiving. You did great in the car--only fussing when you were hungry.

You weighed 14.5 lbs at your ENT appointment last week:)

You have been mostly sleeping through the night, save for a few days this week.

You still eat about every 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day.

You have started giggling, which I love to hear.

You are wearing 3-6 month clothes and they fit:)

You love to bounce up and down so we got you a jumparoo--your feet don't touch the floor yet but we think you will really like it when you get a little taller.

You are still on Zantac 1.3 ml TID for your reflux. We tried Prevacid but it did not agree with your tummy.

We cannot wait to see what you are doing next month!

3 months old

Will, you are 3 months old as of yesterday! You have gained a bit of weight in the past month (some in our family call you chunky, but mommy would never say that:=) You are smiling at everything and have even giggled a few times. You have slept through the night a few times here and there but still wake up at least once during the night usually. We stopped swaddling you for bed this week, and you have awakened a bit more often but are getting used to having your hands free:-) You still take a pacifier but this week have started sucking on your first 2 fingers.

You have moved from 0-3 month to 3-6 month clothes for the most part:-) You nap 2-3 times a day for at least 30 minutes but usually at least an hour at a time. You still like your Mama roo and your baby gym. You also really like being held. You did very well at your 2 month check up--you weighed 12 lbs and were 24 inches long. You had 3 shots and 1 oral med and did very well--you calmed right down after I picked you up. At your 2 month check up, our pediatrician agreed with me about your noisy breathing and spitting up and made us an appointment with a pediatric ENT doctor (ear, nose and throat). We went to that appointment and discovered you have laryngomalacia--which basically means that his larynx is a little floppy because the cartilages hasn't formed completely yet. He will grow out of it by age 2. He also was diagnosed with reflux, and has been on Zantac which is helping a lot with his spitting up--we aren't changing near as many outfits:-)

Your siblings are still being very good with you, although Jake has been in trouble a few times for waking you up. We are so happy to have you in our family and can't wait to see all the fun things you will show us as you grow!

Candy Corn Cupcakes

So on Saturday I decided to make cupcakes for the kids for Halloween. I loved the cake idea from Angela's blog but thought cupcakes would be easier. I followed this recipe for the batter:

1 white cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
yellow and orange food coloring gel (I found mine at Wal-Mart)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients and blend for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and mix on high for 2 minutes. Divide your batter in half and color. Below are the pictures of the colors.

Next use a cookie scoop to evenly fill each liner with batter--yellow on bottom. orange on top.

Here they are after baking for about 22 minutes.

Finally you can add your frosting. Store bought would be fine, but here is a really yummy recipe:

5 Tbsp flour

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 sticks softened butter

1 cup sugar

Begin by whisking together your flour and milk in a saucepan and heating it until it thickens up--then put it in the fridge to cool it down. Once it is cool, add your vanilla. While it is cooling, cream together your butter and sugar until all the sugar is incorporate--no grainy texture:-) When the flour mix is cool, pour it into the butter/sugar mix and beat on medium high for 7-8 minutes--yes, minutes. That is why this works great with a kitchen aid mixer. I used the wire attachment and just left it alone. When it was done, the frosting was phenomenal--very light and not too sweet but it stacked up high on the cupcakes.

A few orange sprinkles and you are done! I think I am going to make some for Christmas that are red and green:-) The kids loved them and the taste was very good--Shon even ate one and he doesn't like sweets.

Perception

Isn't it amazing how one little piece of news can change your perceptions. I have had a long week--Shon was home sick all week and the 4 kids were basically mine to deal with (he doesn't do sickness well:-) I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and was short with the kids, wondering when I was going to finally have a break and some time to myself (short of locking myself in the bathroom, which doesn't work because they still come in/knock on the door). Then on Saturday I found out one of my best friends from middle school on has a 4 year old little boy who was diagnosed with leukemia on Friday. Today they are in St. Jude's in Memphis waiting for chemotherapy to start, central lines to be put in, and bone marrow to be tested to find out what kind of fight they are up against. It really put my petty complaints into perspective. So what if my house isn't cleaned up and my kids still step over their toys rather than pick them up and take them upstairs? They are all healthy and happy for the most part--and I need to remember to be more thankful. Same goes for my husband--yes he tends to be more crabby and helpless when sick, but he is a wonderful provider and helper when he feels well and I should try to have more sympathy when he is ill:-)

I pray that I will remember to let the little things go, as the time the kids are little is so fleeting. I pray I will try to laugh more and make things fun instead of always telling them something they need to be doing to clean up or help out with their younger sibling, etc. I want them to look back on their childhood and remember it fondly. I also pray that my friend Mandi's little boy Eli will be miraculously healed of his cancer and this will be just a bump in the road of his very long life. More later....

10-10-10 Happy 2 months Will!

I thought for your 2 month I would leave you with a video of Will and Jake:-) You are getting so big! You have your 2 month check up on Wednesday, so I will have all of your stats then. You are sleeping about 5-6 hours at a time at night, which averages to me waking about once, usually. However, at times it will take you about an hour to an hour and 1/2 to get back to sleep, so I 'm still not doing great with sleep:-) The kids are all still taken with you--they love to hold you and get upset when they miss a day. You have moved from newborn to 0-3 month clothing. You are exclusively breast fed--which is another reason mommy is more tired:-) You have started to lose your hair in the back, and you are definitely more alert. You love your new swing daddy bought you--it is called a Mamma Roo (I'll put a picture on here). You are also enjoying your baby gym, although you have only been using it this past week. You are smiling and generally happy unless you are hungry, and then you make your presence known quite loudly. You have been to church a few times but had to leave the service both times:-) We all love you and can't believe you are already 2 months old!