J.K. Update - Not a typical 4 year old

I am finally getting around to doing another update. I really want to do better with keeping up with my blog. It's just hard to find time with 3 kids, a job, and a house to tend to.

J.K. is 4 1/2 years old. Everyone tells me he's not a typical 4 year old. Is this normal: We (J.K., Isaac, Stewart and me) get home and have the usual madness trying to get the car unloaded. J.K. and Isaac both got their pants wet at work (playing in the hose) so rode him without any on. I refuse to let them be in the front yard without pants. J.K. gets in trouble for riding his bike away from me while laughing and has to go in the house to sit in timeout. For once, he actually sits himself in timeout (No kicking and screaming leaving me to drag him there.), stays there (except for the run to the bathroom) and waits for me to finish unloading the car. (I swear my minivan is filled to the brim everyday!) Isaac goes to play in the backyard so I sit to nurse Stewart and do yet another breathing treatment on him. J.K. comes and gets me and wants to show me and Stewart something in my bedroom. He spots a teddy bear on the floor in the living room and tells me to wait. He grabs the bear and disappears into my bedroom. Out he comes and insists that I close my eyes. He opens my bedroom door and smiling from ear to ear, shows me that he made my bed and Isaac's crib. No, they're not perfectly made but definitely better than how I left them. (Later when I see the quilt folded down, I realize how nicely the sheet and blanket are pulled up.) So, is this normal for a 4 year old?

This happens at least once a week. Later in the evening, we get him to pick up the legos and so he continues picking up toys in the playroom. Then I see him with a "green" cleaner and rag cleaning the kitchen counter. (I was glued to Lost at the time.) I'm not sure what else he cleaned. J.K. often decorates/sets our dining table. He prefers tablecloths to placemats. He likes to change up where everyone sits. He has pulled the piano bench over to the table for him and Isaac to sit on. J.K. does laundry. Within the last month he has learned to ask me which setting to put certain clothes on. He knows that his clothes go on the Kids setting; he looks for the K. He doesn't usually remember to change the clothes from the washer to the dryer, but if he is wanting to do a load, he will move the clothes in the washer over to the dryer.

I guess about a week ago, J.K. decorated some butcher paper then disappeared out the front door several times. I finally went to look and saw that he had taped up his newest drawing along with several other art pieces on our front porch. He even took some framed pictures outside and set them on the porch. I found it to be quite hysterical.

One day during the summer J.K. decided to hang up some of his clothes in the backyard. He told me that he wanted them to be freshened up. I am still baffled to this day about where he learned this. Yes, clothes are much fresher when hung outside to dry, but where did my 4-year old learn this?

J.K. is such an interesting child. I am the baby in my family so I wasn't really around young children much. I spent at least 6 weeks every summer with my cousins, but since I was a kid, I was too busy being one and not paying attention to what was normal. I never acted the way J.K. does. However, I do recall my mom saying that up until age 3, I was very good about keeping my toys picked up. I'm unsure what happened.

Now, just because J.K. likes to clean, do laundry, vacuum, mop, etc., it does not mean that he is a clean child. He can make a mess just like any other! It's a constant battle to keep the house clean with 3 boys!

J.K. is really an amazing child. He is a wonderful big brother and protects and cares for Stewart. He and Isaac have their moments. J.K. likes to direct a lot, and Isaac at 2 is more into doing what he wants to do. J.K. is a creator child because he is always creating something. He is always on the go! J.K. loves to do tumbling/gymnastics. He is a very active boy. He likes books and is really into his new leapfrog reader. It's an amazing device that is like a pen but can read books (that are made for it), make the character sounds or sounds for whatever you tap the pen on in the book. J.K. is hooked on Handy Manny right now, and he wants to see the same episode time after time. Oh the joys of On Demand! J.K. is a spirited child, and it is exciting to see what new creation he will have to show us each day.

Isaac Update

Isaac is 27 months old now. He is still so tiny. He weighs in the 22 pound range. I'm not sure of his height, but he looks proportionate which is good, I guess. I am worried though since he has gained maybe a pound in a year or year 1/2. I thought J.K. was small, but Isaac is much smaller. Isaac is just now getting into 18 month pants. Some are still too big for him, but I guess it does show that he is getting taller. Stewart is in 6-9 mos clothes and is creeping out of those. Isaac and Stewart will soon be wearing the same size, I'm sure. Isaac doesn't eat as well as he used to. His favorite thing is drinkable yogurt. For some reason my kids don't like milk so, know that Ike needs calcium, I let him have the yogurt pretty much anytime he asks for it. The extra calories certainly won't hurt him!
Isaac's speech is really taking off. I can't always understand what he's saying, but he certainly has something to say. He loves to sing! He usually sings in the car, and it's so cute. His favorites are Row Your Boat, Old MacDonald - the eieieo part, Happy Birthday. He has even started singing with me when I rock him before I lay him in bed. He may be our little musician. Anytime I am at the piano attempting to practice, he insists on being in my lap so that he can play. I'm trying to teach him some basics, and he will let me put his fingers on the right keys and play. Now if he can't get us to understand what he is saying or we are not doing what he wants, he will take our hand/finger and lead us to whatever it is that he wants.
Ike's favorite toys are trains, cars, trucks, helicopters, airplanes, bikes; boy stuff!. Of course Daddy's train set and Daddy's remote controlled cars and helicopters are his favorite. Thankfully, he has finally gotten past the OCD behavior. He constantly pestered us to play with the trains or the helicopter; it was really getting old! Cute, but old! Isaac loves books, too. I sometimes find him sitting, reading a book.
Isaac is really becoming interested in playing with Stewart versus attacking the poor baby. Stewart is playing with toys now, and I often find Isaac sitting with Stewart sharing toys. It's the sweetest moments. I look forward to seeing how Ike reacts to Stewart crawling and standing. I know it's going to be here before I know it.
Monday, Wednesday and Fridays Isaac goes to my parents house to play until after lunch when my mom brings him to work. He usually goes straight down for his nap and doesn't wake until it's time to leave. It's a really nice schedule. My mom has legos at her house, and he just loves them. He loves the wheels and the people. It keeps him occupied while my mom gets ready for work. Well, he does help my mom with her curlers! He also insists that she share her breakfast. My mom eats the same thing every morning - cereal with an assortment of berries. I really don't know how she eats the same thing every morning; I always have to change mine up. Ike pours sugar all over her cereal, way more than anyone should ever have, and then he eats her cereal with her. Its rather cute! Lately Isaac has been having some separation anxiety from me and cries when I am dropping him off. It does break my heart, but I am glad he gets to be wiht my mom and will be with me a few hours later anyhow. I'm sure it's just a phase. Tuesdays and Thursdays he goes to mother's day out. He loves going. There is a litte fort and slide in his classroom, and he is always defying the rules by running down the slide! He always has a good time there.
Isaac is my little boy. He is all boy in what he plays with to how he plays. He adores his big brother, but I can tell that he'll be best friends with Stewart. J.K. doesn't always have the patience for his little bro. I do hope that all my boys are always good friends to each other !

Stewart Update

Well, I posted this to my groups, and since I haven't had a chance to get back here (or read..haven't made the time) I'm just going to copy what I posted there with a little update at the end. Then perhaps I can move forward and do updates on my other two boys.

Just a little update. I think I missed his 7 month update. I cannot believe he is going to be 8 months in a couple of weeks! Where did the time go??? I noticed today that Stewart is cutting his first tooth! It's on the bottom, and it just broke through today. Both of his brothers were a year old before any teeth showed, and then they got several all at one time. This at least explains why he has been so cranky and not sleeping the last several days. I have been holding him all night so he'll sleep, usually having to go to bed at the same time as he. Sometimes I could get him to sleep on his own for an hour or so but not all the time. He napped better this weekend at home but has been refusing his naps at work. I gave him a little dose of tylenol this evening and shortly after, he was ready to sleep! Stewart is showing an interest in crawling now. He finally rolled from his back to his belly today. Starting this weekend he'll push up on his hands and get one leg in position, stay there for a few seconds, then plop back down. Tonight he was reaching up at Ike's toddler bed and trying to pull himself up. I am SO not ready for this! But, then again, I am ready for him to defend himself against Isaac or at least intrigue Ike a bit more. Maybe when he starts moving, Isaac will want to play more with Stewart. Right now Isaac loves to just push Stew over, and poor Stewart can't sit himself back up! Stewart starts mother's day out tomorrow. He'll be going twice a week. I am looking forward to it. I am really needing the extra focus at work, and with the way he's been acting the last several days, I'm really ready for a little break. He'll be going from 9am to 2pm which means I'll be picking Isaac up earlier than normal. Isaac usually stays until 4pm, but I do pay extra for that. I am hoping that Stewart has a good 1st day tomorrow. He has stayed with them for parent's night out a few times so he knows the ladies already. I'm not sure how much Stewart weights, 19+, I'm sure. He's in 6-9 mos clothes. He nurses often and since we are now co-sleeping, he eats 2-3 times a night. He can drink from a sippy cup and loves water. I try to feed him some pureed foods in the evening, but I'm going to send some with him to school for the afternoon. Well, I need to go pump so I can get my stash up. I am always paranoid of him not having enough milk while away from me.

Stewart has his 2nd day at mother's day out tomorrow. He really enjoyed his first day. When we arrived, I put him on the floor surrounded by toys and 2 other babies. One baby crawls in the traditional style; the other scoots on her bottom. Stew didn't know what to think. I kissed him goodbye, and he just sat there, staring at the other children. I sure wish I had my camera with me because his face was priceless! When I arrived to pick him up, he was happy as could be just rolling around on the floor. No crying when he saw me until I left his sight to grab his bag. I am so glad that his transition to mother's day out was a piece of cake. Now, I know, that it doesn't mean the 2nd day will go as smoothly, but it's a good sign!

It's been a LONG time!

So I guess I'm not very good at this blogging thing, and again, I am thinking I can do it. Yeah, with 3 kids and a full time job! Who am I kidding? But, now that I have a big desk in our office/dog room/junk room/eventual craft room, I might be able to keep a blog. But then again, I can't even keep up with the kid's journals so I guess we'll see.



A lot has happened since I last posted. We have 3 beautiful boys. J.K. is 4 1/2, Isaac 2 and Stewart is already 7 months. We have 2 Beagles, Alli and Whiskey. In October 2007, we moved into a new house just about 2 miles from our old house which we now rent out. The new house is more than 2x the size of our old, 4 bedroom, 2 bath. About 1 month after we moved in, we were delighted to learn that we were expecting a 3rd child, Stewart. It amazes me how God works. In August 2007, I decided that we could no longer stand the cramped surroundings of our home and began searching for a new home. Johnathon was hesitant at first but soon realized that we could do it. After researching the schools, we decided on the neighborhood. It's a wonderful neighborhood, close to shopping, elementary school is in the neighborhood, and overall a nice place to live. Moving was quite an ordeal, something I never want to do again, really. We had lived in our other home for over 7 years so we had accumulated way too much stuff. I hurt my back the weekend before we were moving so I was unable to really help for the actual move. Plus, my dear hubby wasn't much help when it came to packing. We were blessed to have our housekeeper and some helpers assist us in packing. About 2 weeks after we moved, we left on vacation for my cousin's wedding in Massachusetts. It was so wonderful to have a vacation and visit with my family. When we arrived home, we were delighted to find our house fully setup and decorated, boxes emptied by our wonderful housekeeper and my dear mother-in-law. I have no idea how long it would have taken us to unpack and settle if we had done it ourselves. We changed things very little from the way Diana did things. She really knows my style!
We celebrated Isaac's 1st birthday just after we came home from vacation and that is when I started getting sick. At first I thought I had the stomach bug, it was going around, but finally after nearly 3 weeks, it struck me that I might be pregnant. Two days after Thanksgiving, we found out for sure! So, since I was still nursing Isaac 24/7, I had no clue when I got pregnant. I spoke to my ob's nurse and figured I was about 6 weeks. We scheduled the first appointment and ultrasound for late December. The ultrasound showed that I was more like 9 weeks when we found it! I was nearly done with my 1st trimester already! My pregnancy was fairly uncomplicated. Isaac stopped nursing when I was about 5 months along. I was kind of ready for it but still sad since we didn't make it to 2 years, my goal. When we found out we were having our 3rd boy, I was thrilled! I was worried that I would somehow be disappointed, but I wasn't in any way! I love my boys! Around 6 months I had to go on blood pressure medicine b/c mine was starting to rise. The first med my new cardiologist put me on would knock me out. I was so tired, I couldn't stay awake at work. It was horrible! The new med, one I had taken before, was much better. Because of my health history and past pregnancies, we scheduled the induction for the eve of June 11th. I worked up until and even on the day I was going into the hospital. That's what I get for working in the family business! Labor wasn't too bad. (My ideal delivery would be a quiet one in a birthing center, no meds.) Because of a heart condition I have, I am told to get an epidural, but my ob allowed me to say when I needed it. Like always, they had trouble getting it to work properly. It worked off and on for a couple of hours, and finally they told me to lay on my side. Just after I did this, the baby decided it was time. They called my ob who had to run over from her office, just barely making it. I love how they tell you not to push, but when that is what you're body is wanting to do, there is no stopping it! Another dr was all suited up just in case mine didn't make it. I also had a nice audience of students! The epidural was not working, and the anesthesiologist came in to try and adjust it but whispered to my mom that there was not time for it to work. Baby was born in just a few pushes. The birth of a baby is such an amazing experience. Many women fear labor, but I embrace it. Of course, I sometimes during it, feel out of control which I hate, but I remind myself that it is a natural, beautiful thing and to let my body do its thing. Stewart was born in the afternoon of June 12th. My labor with him was 5-6 hours shorter than with Isaac and J.K. We had yet to decide on a name for him so it was Baby Hardman for 3 days. Since I had named Isaac, I allowed Johnathon to name Stewart. My only request was for the middle name to be Taylor, my maiden name. I had reservations about Stewart due to a cartoon show (Family Guy) and a skit on MadTV. It took me a while to get used to the name, but now it is my son's name and I love it.
Having 3 boys took some adjustment, mainly for Isaac. He can be brutal boy! Finally around 6 months, Isaac started to realize that Stewart is more than a disturbance in his life, he might actually be fun! We celebrated more birthdays in our new home over the past year. For Christmas we drove to Massachusetts to not only spend the holidays but also to celebrate my Grammie's 90th birthday. My mom flew up, surprising Gram, and then we showed up a few days later after nearly 34 hours in the car to surprise her. It was an incredible vacation. The days before we arrived, they had over 18 inches of snow fall. The snow slowly melted away, but before it was all gone, there was another nice snow storm allowing us more playtime. The boys loved to sled. We built a snowman, made snow angels, threw snowballs. Johnathon went skiing several days. He offered to take J.K., but J.K. said he would fall. I don't even think he understood what skiing was, but he sure knows the consequences of it! Johnathon had to fly home to get back to work just before New Years so my mom drove home with the kids and me. The drive home was much easier. We stopped in Tennessee which made all the difference. Next time, I will be sure we stop on the way up!
It hasn't been easy to get back into our normal routine; I'm still adjusting! LOL Last weekend I celebrated my 30th birthday. I was pretty grumpy the week of it, not looking forward to it at all, but it turned out well. I don't know why I have been so afraid of turning 30. Some kind of mile marker for me, I guess. I don't necessarily feel older. I must admit that 30 has treated me pretty well so far. The last two weekends I have accomplished quite a few things around the house. I got my new desk in my office at home, bought the piano I have been dying to have, painted J.K.'s new nightstand (did that today), setup some storage in the backyard for the kids toys. (It's a big Rubbermaid storage box my dad used to use to store his racing tires in. I didn't realize how big it was until we had it setup. It was then that I realized we really need to buy our kids a playhouse. They immediately started playing it; J.K. got a blanket to lay on the bottom of it. It was so cute! So, I think we will surprise them with a playhouse for Easter. It's got to be better than the sandbox which was last year's Easter gift. It was filled to the rim with sand then and now is completely empty! I think the sand is all under the deck!) I have yet to finish organizing my desk, but I know it'll happen soon.
Well, I can't believe how much I remember of the last year and a half. I will add more posts this week with updates on my boys. They sure have grown! Well, I brought work home to do so I best get to it! More updated posts to come!

Just an update...

J.K. will be 3 July 23rd. It is so hard to believe. We haven't decided on what to do for his birthday yet. Hopefully we'll come up with something soon. J.K. loves to be outdoors and never stops for long. He is a big helper at work and looks forward to going outside with Gami (my mom). He helps her move plants around, water the plants, and picks the flowers. He tries to send us home with new plants nearly everyday. He will load them onto a cart then pull the cart to the car then attempt to get them into the car. He has been known to mutilate a plant here or there by dropping it or however it happens. We try to keep him from picking all the flowers off of plants (kind of hard to sell them bare!), but he is so sweet when he brings them for me. J.K. goes to Mother's Day Out twice a week and really enjoys going. He will be starting preschool 5-days a week in the Fall. I am looking forward to it. He is quite independent and wants to do what he wants when we are at work. He is always letting himself out of the office (His playroom is connected to my office and my office leads outside.) which interrupts my work. J.K. has been going to a pathologist for the past several weeks to work on his speech. He is dropping the beginning and ending of words. I think he problem with latching as an infant was a sign of his lack of ability to shape his mouth/lips correctly to now form words. He talks all the time with us but tends to be a bit quieter around others. He speaking much better but just has to be reminded to use those first letters like m,p,s. He understands everything and uses phrases, but sometimes we are the only ones who understand it. Isaac is starting to talk and J.K. is now imitating the sounds Isaac makes. I think it'll get J.K. to get his words out better as Isaac works on his own sounds/speech. J.K.'s favorite things right now are dogs. He is obsessed with the movie Cats and Dogs; it's the first movie he has actually sat down to watch. He is constantly interacting with our dogs. He is a wonderful big brother, and I can almost always count on him to keep Isaac happy while I'm busy. We had our first ER visit back in March. J.K. swallowed a coin, a nickel. It got stuck in his throat so we (my mom and me) loaded both boys into the car and went on our way. Thankfully by the time we go there, it had passed into belly, but we still waited and had x-rays done just to be sure. It was a scary moment, and one I don't think J.K. will repeat again. He now hands coins to me if he finds one, and for a few weeks after the incident, he would talk about swallowing the coin and say no, no. The weekend before last J.K. got into a fire ant bed. We were outside playing in the sprinkler. He went down his slide which apparently went right into the bed. He was naked so they got all on his bottom and on his pee-pee, too. It was horrible. The bites are mostly gone, just a few scabs left since he does not understand about not picking at them. He is quite cautious about bugs now. We haven't tried potty training again since a few months ago. He was doing really well except for pooping, but then decided he could do both in the underpants. So, we put him back in diapers. He hasn't shown any interest in the potty, and I think it's partially because of Isaac. He sometimes snatches Isaac's pacifier and puts it in his mouth and says he wants to be a baby. Hopefully this little wanting to be a baby phase will pass soon, and he will want to use the potty.

Isaac is now 6 months. He sits up really well and is getting more interactive with J.K. He absolutely adores J.K. and vice versa. Isaac brightens up when J.K. is around. Isaac has the m and mama sounds down; he even says mom but doesn't realize quite yet what it means. I think he is starting to make the connection, though. We started baby food a few weeks ago, and he's done fine with most foods. However, he is always more interested in what we are eating so he's had some pizza crust and other small things to chew on already. It's hard to believe he's growing up so fast. I had to pull out the 6-9 month clothes today. He is small like J.K. was but quickly catching up. He was in the 10% at his 6 month checkup.

I don't think life will ever slow down again. I don't know what we are going to do when Isaac starts moving around. Right now he keeps J.K. still for at least few moments, but when they are both on the move, we are going to be in trouble! We don't have any real travel plans until October when we go to Massachusetts for my cousin's wedding. We might try and do a camping trip this summer, and I know we will be going to the beach a lot. We went last weekend for Mother's Day, and J.K. had so much fun on the beach. We hadn't been since last summer and J.K. was a bit afraid then. This time he spent a lot of time picking up shells along the shore and went out in the water past his waist with us. Hopefully we'll go down again in a few weeks. I look forward to the weekends when we can sit back and relax. Well, I need to get somethings done while I have some spare time with both boys sleeping.

Isaac at 6 months

Isaac turned 6 months on the 2nd. He had his ped appt on the 1st. He weighed in at 15lbs 3oz (10%), 25" long (10%), head 18" (90%) - guess he has a big brain! He doesn't look out of proportion though. He got a clean bill of health. He is sitting up almost unassisted and can stand holding onto something but does not pull himself up. He can kind of army crawl on his belly but doesn't move too much, thank goodness! He is babbling a lot and makes all kinds of weird sounds. Isaac is a very happy baby and is so ticklish. We started solids this week. His first food was mashed potatoes. My mom was attempting to hold him and eat dinner, but he wouldn't allow the spoon to get past him. He would fuss and scream if the spoon didn't get to him fast enough. His next food was bananas, and I'm not too sure he's okay with them. The first time he had them he cried afterwards for quite some time but was okay the next day with them. Last night he fussed after having them, too. So, I'm going to try something else this evening, and re-try bananas in a few weeks. Last week he showed no interest in food, but over the weekend he decided it was time to start grabbing and reaching for our food and drinks. He thinks everything should be his, too. We stopped to get ice cream this afternoon after the Children's Museum. I had to walk out with mine because Isaac would not stop fussing and reaching for it. This was J.K.'s (2.5) first trip to an ice cream shop; he was in heaven with all the different flavors. We went by the market today and bought a bunch of different fruits and veggies. Tomorrow I will be cooking batches of baby food to freeze.

J.K. is still being a wonderful big brother. His latest is trying to get Isaac to play with him and his puzzles. I am looking forward to Isaac sitting unassisted so he can interact with J.K. more. Isaac can wait on moving though! Isaac's lack of movement encourages J.K. to sit still for a moment!

Potty Talk

So, it's been a while since I've logged in and written on here. Time is just flying by! In January my laptop went capluey so after about 3 weeks, we finally just bought a new one. I think I do like Windows Vista. I like my new laptop, too. We still hope to get my old one back up. Thankfully we had recently purchased an external hard drive so I'm only missing about 2 weeks worth of work.

Isaac turned 4 months on Friday. It's hard to believe it's been that long. It seems like I was just pregnant! Isaac is doing all the things a 4 month old should do. He went to the pediatrician for his check-up and some shots. He weighed in at 12lbs 4 oz and 24" long, all 25%ile. He holds his head up well, reaches and grabs toys, coos and babbles, and laughs so cutely! He hasn't rolled yet, but he is definitely trying! Isaac is sleeping through the night and takes about 4 naps throughout the day. Our only concern was that Isaac hadn't pooped for over a week! We had tried everything the dr suggested, and it finally dawned on me that wheat made J.K. poop almost instantly. So, I splurged with Taco Bell tonight and sure enough, Isaac pooped. But, I forgot to take into consideration what else Taco Bell would do to him; poor thing is having quite a bit of gas. :(

J.K. is now 2 1/2 years old. We have started potty training this past week. He was doing quite well until today. I don't know what got into him. He had an accident everytime. He said he didn't want to use the potty but did want to wear undies. I tried to explain that it doesn't work that way. I ended up letting him go naked the rest of the afternoon, and he did great. He even used the potty on his own while I was in the shower. Hopefully it'll go better tomorrow than it did today.

This past Friday Johnathon and I got to go on a date! It's such a rarety that we get to go out just the 2 of us so it was a nice treat. The church where J.K. goes for Mother's Day Out had Parent's Night Out. We signed both kids up for it. We went to Dave & Busters to have dinner and play games. We had a great time, and it was really good for us. The church does it once a month, I believe, (no idea why we didn't take advantage of it before!) so I think this will turn into a monthly escape for us.

I am going to post some pictures if I can figure out how to do it! I still have some work to get down and midnight is closing in on me. One day I'll get to bed early! LOL