Jacob @ 5 months

At five months, Jacob is growing so fast! His new favorite thing is rolling over. He figured it out February 10th and hasn't stopped since. Except that he can only roll from his back to his tummy, not the other way around (the way that most normal, not-so-squishy babies do). So 800 times a day, I have to flip him over so he doesn't get so frustrated (because he hates to be on his tummy). Or I'll find him in his crib in the complete opposite direction of how I put him there.

He is still generally a happy baby-- always a smile on his face. (Which is why, this past weekend when he fussed all day long, wouldn't let me put him down without crying and barely cracked a smile, I knew he was sick and took him to urgent care. He tested negative for flu and they said it was just a virus. Still, I knew something was wrong when this boy didn't want to play and giggle.)

He loves bath time so much! He really wants to be able to sit up straight and is really working on his tummy muscles.

Abigail loves her little "Jakey." Though at times she's a little rough and can often be found laying directly on top of him or swinging him really high in his swing, he doesn't seem to mind and always has a smile for her. She is always asking about Jakey and concerned when he's sick or spitting up.

He hasn't gained a whole lot more weight since his last visit, but I'm guessing he's around 19 lbs. now. He is still nursing every 3-4 hours. His is generally on 3 naps a day now (2 short and 1 long one in the afternoon) and waking up only once a night, but that night time feeding is sporadic and I never know what time he's going to be up. His hands are constantly in his mouth-- definitely working on some teeth somewhere in that mouth. I have even caught him sucking his middle two fingers like his big sister, but we're really trying to curb that with a pacifier!

We still can't figure out what color his eyes are. Right now they're a dark gray, really close to brown, but still not quite brown. He also has a significant more amount of hair than Andrew did at his age, but it is still undetermined whether it will be curly or not.

Our sweet little guy will have a bronchoscopy in just a short week, to make sure he has nothing worse than the tracheomalecia they have previously diagnosed him with. He is not worse, just not better either, and we want to be cautious. Still, the procedure requires him to be put to sleep and it's a little scary, so all prayers will be appreciated!

Weekend in Montreal

Where we live now, we are a mere 2-3 hours away from Canada (a whole other country!). Our church has established relationships with a church plant in Montreal, so Brett has been up there several times. However, we hadn't yet been as a family. I just recently got my enhanced driver's license, which allows me to get into the country by car without a passport. The kids only have to have their birth certificates. So it was surprisingly easy to get across the border.

We left early Friday morning. Our first stop was Duc de Lorraine for French pastries. They have an amazing selection. It was a little late for breakfast, but we tried a couple things anyway.

Then we went next door to St. Joseph's Oratory, a beautiful, church (the largest in Canada, and the dome is the 3rd largest of its kind in the world) dedicated soley to St. Joseph, whom the designer, Brother Andre, credited all his miracles. They do hold Catholic mass there regularly, but there is also a museum inside and most of it is designed just for tourism. There is even a place where you can see St. Joseph's actual heart. Tourists come to light candles and say prayers to their patron saint of choice for healing or whatever it is they need. It was a little sad that such a beautiful place is so dead to true spiritual life.

The main basilica was absolutely gorgeous and even the kids recognized the awesomeness of the place. You go in and look up and there are just no words. (Also, if you are in Canada where most people speak French, the best people to get to take your family's picture are Asian people-- twice we found they took the best pictures. And they speak English.)

The view from outside was also very beautiful.

We met some of Brett's friends for lunch, then went to check into our hotel, the YWCA downtown. Then we wanted to give the kids the experience of riding the Metro. We had no particular place to go, so we got on and off at a couple stops to see the sights and ended up seeing Notre Dame Basilica at night. It was so pretty. And freezing cold! But the kids loved riding the fast Metro and just being in a new place. (Jacob, not so much. I had to carry him in my wrap so we didn't have to deal with the stroller on the Metro, and he is one heavy kid. And he hates cold wind in his face, so he was a little grouchy.)

I was grateful Brett has been several times and understood how to navigate the Metro system. It was a little confusing to me, but we didn't get lost and managed to not lose any kids on the way. (I held Abi's hand pretty tight the whole time!)

 After it got dark we got crazy and decided to save money we would just go to a grocery store to get some food for dinner and cook it at our hotel's kitchen. Except the nearest grocery store was a good 20 minute walk from where we were and then another 20 minutes to the hotel. In the freezing cold. With a little 3 year old and a baby in the carrier. It was treacherous and everyone was crying but that was a good dinner by the time we sat down!

The next day we got up and met another of Brett's friends at a nearby mall. David & his wife are from Egypt but have lived in Canada awhile now. They graciously spent the day with us, entertained & loved our kids, cooked us an amazing lunch, and were great company!

We went to a little arcade at a movie theater, which of course the kids loved.

After the arcade and watching some people at an indoor parachuting place (just for fun), we went to their apartment and played XBox. The kids are now begging to have one! They happily played for several hours after lunch. So we didn't see much of Canada the 2nd day, but it was snowing outside and we were tired from the previous day so we were perfectly happy to relax and just spend a day inside. We called it an explorational trip, to see what we'll do differently the next time we go-- because we will go back!

Jacob @ 4 months

We are so in love with this little cutie! Today and yesterday, he's been a little fussy and out of sorts. But for the most part, he is very easygoing and content. He's always got a big smile for anyone who talks to him. He even smiles in his sleep.

He is definitely Momma's boy. Every morning when he wakes up I go to get him from his bed and he grins and starts kicking his feet. He is genuinely excited to see me. He won't even take a bottle from his Daddy right now, although he does like to play with him. He is still nursing every 3-4 hours or so, except at night when he can now go up to 8 hours or so. (Then he eats and goes back to sleep another 3 or 4 hours before he's up for the day.)

He hasn't been to his 4 month check- up yet, but the last time he was weighed, he was up to 18 1/2 lbs. That is the 95th% for his weight, and he was in the 95th% for his height. I have no idea how he's growing so fast! He is already in his 6-9 month clothes and soaring through those. He is a huge weight to carry around and doesn't even feel like a little baby. Abigail, in comparison, is only about 26 pounds at age 3. See how they're almost the same size already??

Look at those chunky little legs in that Bumbo seat. He's not a huge fan of this seat yet, because he still leans & slumps a little, but he can tolerate it a little while. Especially when he has company.

Tummy time is something else he can only tolerate a little bit at a time. He is the only baby I've had that does NOT like to be on his belly. He would rather lay on his back and kick his legs all day long. He is working really hard on rolling over from his back, but can only get onto his side so far.

He is not at all a fan of the snow. He's been in this snowsuit maybe twice for five minutes each before he breaks down. If there is even a tiny amount of wind or cold on his face, he's sucking in air like he can't breathe. 

We took him a couple weeks ago to a pulmonary specialist at UVM hospital about his breathing condition. They are fairly certain it is something called laryngomalecia, which is an abnormality in the tissue that is in front of his voice box (either it is folded over or there is extra there). When he breathes, it flaps around, causing a noisy, raspy sound. If it is this, it will more than likely correct itself as he grows older. There is a slight chance it could be one of a couple other things, which can only be determined if he has a bronchoscopy, which will require him to be put to sleep for a quick scope down his throat. The doctor put him on meds for reflux, which will reduce the amount of acid he has going out of his throat (he does do a lot of choking & gagging when he eats, although he doesn't spit up much). He wants to see if this helps a little before we determine whether or not we will need the bronchoscopy, but more than likely we will do it regardless, so if there are any other issues, we can catch them and fix them early on. Seeing as how it doesn't seem to bother him and he is gaining weight well, the doctor did not seem as concerned about other issues. Hopefully in a year or two we will look back on all this as a part of the past that no longer affects him!

He's not eating solids yet, but he likes to sit straight up, so we set up his high chair so he can join us at mealtime. He still only tolerates it a few minutes, as, again, he leans and slumps, but he's getting used to it!

We also just got out the infamous Exersaucer that all the kids have loved so much. He seems to really like it. Of course, whenever he's in there he gets tons of attention from his siblings, which of course he enjoys...

He is just so much fun to be around, and his extra fat makes him squishy and cuddly. It has taken four babies to understand just how much I need to cherish these baby days, because they go by so fast. And it doesn't matter anymore if he wakes up while he's in his car seat before he can get in his crib, and it doesn't matter if one of his brother or sisters wakes him up, and it doesn't matter if he has to be held a lot-- he will still be perfectly fine. So instead of worrying so much about a schedule (which is naturally falling in to place for him, anyway, as much as that's possible), I just carry him around when I have to, and let him sleep when he is ready.

And he thinks that is hilarious!

2015 in Review

It's that time again-- to look back on all the blessings God gave us this year as it comes to an end and a new year begins. Last year was HUGE with our move to Vermont. This year was HUGE with the arrival of a new family member. I don't foresee any HUGE events this coming year, but we never know what God has in store!


In January we got our first real taste of a Vermont winter. It snowed a ton, and we enjoyed a trip to a local golf course to sled down some huge hills!

In February we found out our family would be growing yet again and we would add a new little bundle in September. The kids also went ice skating for the first time and spent lots of time playing in the snow.

In March we toured a sugarhouse to learn more about how maple syrup is made. We also enjoyed a visit from my mom.

In April we celebrated our first Easter in Vermont, with our usual traditions of dying Easter eggs, and egg hunt, and new Easter clothes. We finished up our first full year of Classical Conversations in Vermont, where the kids made a ton of new friends and learned a lot.

In May, Leah finished her fourth year of dance (tap and ballet) with a recital. With the warmer weather we put in our garden and started spending more time outdoors. We also found out our fourth little baby was going to be a little boy, evening out the gender ratio in our family!

In June we went hiking as a family on the trail where Robert Frost wrote his "Road Less Traveled" poem.

We also finished up our first year of AWANA in June at church. The kids learned a ton of memory verses and really enjoyed growing in the Lord.

Also in June we did our annual strawberry picking, followed by the Strawberry Festival at church.

July was super busy! Besides the 4th of July parade and cookouts, we went swimming and pedal boating at the lake. We celebrated Andrew's 5th birthday at a fun park with putt putt, a huge slide, bumper boats, and tons of family fun! We also had a weeks' worth of Kids' Camp at church.

In August we really started to get prepared for the arrival of our fourth little baby. Our church family gave us a truly amazing baby shower. We also enjoyed the annual Fair & Field Days, and a visit from Mom & Dad. 

Leah also turned seven in August, celebrating with a Barbie-themed party with her friends.

In September, Brett and I enjoyed a weekend away at the Pastor's Encouragement Retreat in Portland, Maine. 

Leah started 2nd grade at home and her 3rd year of Classical Conversations. Andrew started kindergarten and his 2nd year of CC. (Abi just tags along and gets into trouble!)

September 21st we welcomed the newest member of our family, Jacob Daniel-- and nothing has been the same since! Each day we are taking on the challenge of being a family of six!

In October, we took a major two-week vacation to Texas, spending the first half at the Great Wolf Lodge and the second half visiting Brett's family, whom we haven't seen in 4 years. We loved the time away and wish we could see his family much more often!

Later in October, we had a visit from my parents, and we also celebrated Abigail's 3rd birthday with a little Elmo party at home.

In November we had a simple Thanksgiving at home, just our little family (and a huge 15 pound turkey!).

We went on our annual Christmas tree hunt and got our house all decorated for the holidays.

And of course this last month, we celebrated all the fun Christmas brings. We saw Santa, decorated cookies & gingerbread houses, we attended church parties, and read about Jesus' birth.