So, i remember when it was just me and Bode, the time did NOT go by so quickly. And i also remember feeling that, FINALLY, at 6 months, I was functioning again. Thankfully, with subsequent children, i have bounced back a little bit faster. The time has flown. I can't believe Soren is 6 months.
At six months, Soren:
has a fuzzy little head! It's so cute seeing her fine baby hair grow in.
a foodie. She loves to nurse. She loves to eat solids. She usually eats solids for breakfast and dinner.
is very very vocal. Lots of squeaking, shrieking and squawking. All happy, fun noises. She pulls those noises out when she thinks she doesn't want to be in bed. Nice try!
is rolling like crazy. If i put her on her back, she immediately rolls to her belly.
has her two front teeth! Darling.
gets up on her hands and knees and rocks. i guess she's threatening to crawl, but isn't yet. She pivots around in circles when she's on her belly.
is a big girl. She completely fills out her 6-12 month clothes. We'll see what she weighs when she has her well-check next week.
likes to put her feet in her mouth when she's on her back.
enjoys the exersaucer.
does a "no-no-no" head shake that i can't get enough of.
reaches out to be picked up.
The boys are still madly in love with her, and the feelings are mutual. It's been a joy to watch my boys love their sister.
We've all been combating a bug. I say combating because none of us have been severely impaired as i slather everyone with thieves oil and place elderberry syrup in front of breakfast (lunch and dinner) plates for chugging. I've stayed pretty much healthy--just that threat of illness in my throat. Keegen and Soren were congested for a couple of days. Doug, the non-elderberry/thieves user, fell victim. I'm sure it didn't help his cause that he's been working 70-80 hour work-weeks for i-don't-know-how-long now. There appears to be no improvement in sight with his job. Resumes are being sent out to seek other viable options (meaning, jobs that would give him his life back, i guess).
Because Doug's immune system bit the dust, i, the ever helpful mate, took over teaching his 6 year-old Primary class today. While i'd like to claim i did this out of the goodness of my heart, i really just didn't want our family to look as flakey as we most likely do by flaking out at the last minute and making the poor Primary president scramble for a substitute. I'd also like to claim that i had a super attitude in taking on this task, but it was offered to Doug with such comments attached as, "You owe me BIG" and other under-my-breath grumblings. In the end, it went well. Nine kids and i kept them pretty well engaged. Oh, and my boys? Seriously awesome behavior in Sacrament meeting. Bode read through the Friend magazine and I thought, Wow! Six years old is a good year! There is hope! Keegen did pretty well (as he ate the Wheat Thins as slowly and quietly as he could). Keegen does not have a "quiet voice" and really doesn't know what that concept is getting at. So he was loud when talking, but for 3 almost 4 years old, he did great. I felt good about it. They're learning. We'll see what next time brings.
I have a new obsession. ("You are an obsession. You're my obsession." EVERYBODY NOW!). I've been making Soren these cute little felt hair clippie things (to go on a headband for her at the moment since she's hairless). I made some for all of our girl cousins and sent them off as a Welcome Spring gift. I'm working on some felt Easter eggs and i've taught myself to do some embroidery stitches (you can learn anything on the internet). Kind of fun to feel crafty and creative.
I spent Saturday in the kids' rooms clearing out clothes and rearranging rooms. I have this big house that i've yet to figure out how to organize. We had the boys in the same room for awhile, but it just wasn't working. I didn't like the mess of the room and Keegen woke Bode up every morning no matter what. At like, 5AM. So he's back in his own room. The rooms are a little cleaner. Keegen no longer wakes Bode up. And everyone is happier. (Keegen was NOT happy with the change initially. He was very sad and claimed scared-ness. But he's fine now). It felt really good to go through the mounds of clothing everyone has and finally throw things away, hand them down, Goodwill them and just simply reorganize. It's been bugging me for a long time. Doug, in his weakened state, was helpful in keeping the kids entertained and holding Soren so i could get a good few hours in. He also moved dressers from room to room (again). Soren officially has no clothes. She is 6 months old TODAY (post to come, i suppose) and she's been out of 3-6 month clothes for awhile now. I stuff her little bod in them anyway. I bought a bunch of 6-12 month at Old Navy thinking it would last for awhile, but, nope. So at least now i can justify a little shopping (since i know what she needs). Looking forward to that.
Speaking of clothes, i either need to start actively losing some weight or break down and buy some bigger dress clothes. I have nothing to wear come Sundays. Today, after trying on everything in my closet, i put on a size 4 skirt. Barely got it up over my butt. Couldn't zip it more than 1/2". Dug out the old Bella Band and schlapped it around my waist to hide the gaping opening on the side. It's a bad scene around here if it's not jeans and t-shirts.
I'm really enjoying our new (well, almost a year old) ward and a number of women i've met in the ward and who are also moms of kids in Bode's kindergarten class. Nice to have some new friends.
I'm amazed at how well Bode is doing. I'll have to make his own "Now that I'm Six Years Old" post, or something like that.
Keegen will be 4 next month and is planning his Ironman party. Wanna come? Doesn't matter that Bode didn't have a true "friends" birthday party until he was 5. He saw that Bode had a party, and he now expects to have a party. We will NOT be having 15 kids over. I told him he can invite 4 friends.
It's a typical Colorado/Front Range spring. Nice days. Then snow days. Lots of wind. This is my first year--after FOUR years here--that i don't hate it. It's finally just the way it is. Kind of nice to accept something i can't change! And when it's a nice day? You better believe we enjoy it.
My sister is at the beach this week and i wish we could be there. I miss the beach. And i miss my sister. And i miss her girls. And. There's a Friendly's Restaurant there. And they have THE BEST Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundaes. And i really want one. She got a five-scooper tonight. And i'm totally jealous. And i better go to bed before i find or make a suitable substitute for that and eat the whole thing myself (thus not helping the whole fitting-into-Sunday-clothes issue).
It's Spring Break. TWO long weeks of Spring Break. We're supposed to get 6-12 inches of snow over the next two days. Doug left for Maryland yesterday. Keegen is sick. Soren is sick. Bode is B-O-R-E-D.
I always feel badly when we have a day like today. A cooped up day. A day where i had nothing planned. I didn't feel like we could have kids over because of the sickies. I didn't push to send Bode to a friend's house. We were, for a few brief hours, going to go to an indoor trampoline place. But because of the impending storm, we bagged it (it still hasn't started snowing yet). I couldn't get motivated to do anything crafty with the boys. I've been grumpy. The boys have watched a ton of TV. Soren hasn't taken good naps.
The one good thing we did was an impromptu family home evening. I made some cards of the Apostles/First Presidency last year and lamenated them. So we did a memory game with them to start talking about and getting excited about General Conference in two weeks. This way the boys can recognize some of the people giving talks. When a match was made, i had a little bit of info to read about them (i.e. how many kids they have, hobbies, interesting facts; etc.). I need to make some cards of the female leadership in the church so the boys don't think only men are in charge. If it hadn't been "impromptu" i might have had my act together and had some ready. Anyway.
