Tanner at 2.5 years old!

Tanner has changed so much in the last six months and I am grateful for that. He was a fun two year old but I couldn't wait for his language skills to speed up. Now, he can tell us what he's thinking and it's fun to see what he cares about and likes.

Here are some fun things about Tanner at 2.5 years old:

- He LOVES his dinosaur rainboots and wears them almost every day. Some Sundays are a fight as we say no to rainboots at church. He really loves anything dinosaurs but the rainboots are his favorite.

- Enjoys coloring with Ashton. This is one reason I'm happy Ashton is the oldest as a girl. He picks up on a lot of arts and crafts stuff. He has not quite mastered the rule of not coloring on the floors/walls/doors/etc. But we're working on it. He really likes drawing circles.

Drawing circles for his cousin.

- He can count 1-10 and plays hide and seek. He says a handful of letters and can identify a few like O, S, I, and R, I think. He knows the colors almost all the time. And he knows the typical shapes. His favorite shape is a star. His favorite color is green.

- Loves to sleep! This kid can sleep 12 hours a night and still take a 2-3 hour nap. Except with the move, he now wakes up around 6:30/7am but takes a little longer nap. We'll see if he changes back to his normal or if this becomes his new normal. I anticipate him to reset his clock after his surgery later this week.

- Definitely has developed his gross motor skills like climbing, jumping with both feet, kicking a ball, etc. He continues to climb out of his crib but does it gracefully. Once we recover from surgery this week, I think we will transition him to a regular bed.

- Loves to sing "Follow the Prophet" and "When I am Baptized"

- He enjoys watching Daniel Tiger and has learned to count to 4 when he's upset (it's from an episode of Daniel Tiger). He is better at identifying how he feels and working to calm down. He does well when I ask him to go to his room to calm down.

- His most common question is "What's that noise?" He'll ask that a lot if he hears any small noise.

Here is his typical schedule. I found myself looking back at Ashton's schedule for Tanner so I'm sure I'll do the same for Gemma.

7:30-8:30am Wake up. He takes a little while to wake up. Ashton is often up and going by then but Tanner prefers a slower wake up process.
8-9 Eat breakfast and watch one show. He loves peanut butter and honey sandwiches for breakfast.
9-12 Morning activities
12-1 Lunch and watch one show. His favorite lunch is hot dogs. This kid can eat a lot! He also loves yogurt and apples.
1-4 Naptime! He typically naps 2-3 hours. He goes down quietly and quickly falls asleep. He is still in his crib so that helps.
4-6 Wake up, snack, wait for Daddy to come home
Evening: Family outings/activities. He enjoys heading to the park and playing in the splash pad.
7:45 Bath-time, scriptures, and songs. He LOVES the story of Nephi building a boat. That is his request every night. He's starting to say prayers for us as well, which is cute.
8-8:30 In bed. He falls asleep fairly quickly and is happy to lay down.

Tanner teaches me a different way to look at life. He is all about living life to the fullest. He does everything with such energy and love. He reminds me daily to slow down and smile at the little things. I often find myself feeling less stressed as I play with him and enjoy being around his innocence and outlook on life. While he is high-energy and a two-year-old, I am grateful for his example in our family. He brings smiles to everyone and enjoys doing so.

Gemma at 4 months

Weight: 16 lbs. She's the first kid to not double her birth weight by 4 months! Ashton and Tanner were both well over double their birth weight by this age. She is following a little slower growth pattern than the other two.
 
Height: 25.5 inches
 
Clothing Size: 3-6 month clothes.

Daily Schedule: Gemma's schedule continues much the same from last month. She wakes up anytime between 7 and 9 in the morning. Then takes 3-4 naps each day. She is still an easy, on-the-go baby. Doesn't take long to fall asleep wherever we are (van, in my arms, carseat, crib, etc). She definitely doesn't fight sleep very often, which is a blessing. She goes to bed between 8 and 9 at night and wakes up once around 6 to eat quickly.

Special Outings: Lots of places with family that visited this month. She also went to fireworks with Ashton. She was not scared at all by the noise. I blame that on having a very loud brother at home.

Firsts: Meeting some cousins! She also rolls over from stomach to back and can sit for about 15-30 seconds on her own before toppling over.

Eating: A little spitty still but eating well. This is a reassuring sign because if she starts to not eat well, we can almost guarantee that her heart condition has worsened. The last few days, she fights eating occasionally. I'm hopeful this is maybe a sign of teething and not eating difficulties.

Heart Update: No more updates until six months old now! At first, I was happy to wait a little longer between appointments but now I wish we could see the cardiologist more often. Just for a peace of mind. She's starting to possibly show a few more symptoms of her heart condition, which has me nervous but it could end up being nothing. We'll find out more in September or it will worsen to the point where she becomes sick and I'll have to take her in early.

Sibling love: Tanner calls her "Gemmy" all the time and loves it when she wakes up and he can hear her on the baby monitor. Ashton enjoys showing her off to people and keeps asking when we'll have another baby in our family. We keep reminding her that Gemma is the baby for a long time.

Overall, Gemma continues to be a chill kid. She blends in with our family well and we can't imagine life without her now.

Monthly Pictures:

Fourth of July Week

Joe's brother, Terry and his family came to visit July 1st-3rd. We had lots of fun with cousins. Their oldest boy is ten and he was a great help in playing and entertaining Ashton and Tanner. They loved playing with him and kept him busy. We went to the beach together one day and then headed to Brazos Bend State Park the other day. At the park, there are probably hundreds of crocodiles. So we got to see a bunch in the water. If you go during cooler months, they often are laying near the paths in the grass. It was a hot day to hike around the park but the kids had a blast. I liked it more than the zoo as it is always fun to see animals in the wild. We saw lots of birds, a few turtles, and a deer as well (and thankfully no snakes!). I'm bummed we waited this long to go visit the park. It's about 45 minutes away and will be about the same drive from our new house so we'll be going back soon.

They entertained River by feeding her dog food treats.

Went out for ice cream since the ice cream truck didn't come the beach this year.

 

On the Fourth of July, we went to our church's annual pancake breakfast. It was fun to go to our last ward event down in Lake Jackson. After that, we headed to a friend's home to swim and have lunch. It was raining off and on but that didn't stop the kids from having a blast in the pool. I made a yummy flag-like cake.

It was made to look like a flag on the inside as well. The red was more pinky but that's alright.

We rushed home for naps and then headed out again to another friend's home for dinner and swimming. Tanner made the day very memorable by attempting to swim and failing at it. We had finished swimming and were eating dinner outside by the pool. Tanner was playing near the pool with a water gun toy. An older kid borrowed it from him but Tanner was adamant that he have it. As the kid swam away from the side of the pool, Tanner decided to get in the water. Thankfully, I was outside and on the other side of the pool. I kept yelling at him trying to scare him to stay out but he went right in with no fear. A few seconds after he went under the water I was able to get to him and get him out. He didn't seem too scared of the water but was crying because he wanted the toy. I still have that image of him being underwater and helpless. Definitely one of the scarier moments of parenting. Aside from that incident, the evening was fun and a wonderful night to spend with friends who we are going to miss.

After that party, we headed home to get Tanner to bed. Ashton, Gemma, and I went to fireworks. This was Ashton's first time with fireworks. We met up with some friends and she had a great time watching them. The deal was that if she wanted to see fireworks, she had to take a nap on the 4th and again on the 5th to catch up on sleep. It worked wonderfully well and I got two days of all three kids napping at the same time.

Ashton and her friend being silly before fireworks.

Month of June

June was busy with lots of house work to prep the house for the market. Between all of that, we had some fun playing outside and swimming.

Tanner went to what we thought would be his last post-op appointment from his surgery last October. He will need another surgery this year. At the last post-op back in December, the doctor wasn't sure if the surgery would be needed or not. We were hopeful but also happy to have a good doctor that we trust. Surgery is scheduled for the week after we move as Joseph is taking some time off anyways. Now my hope is that Gemma doesn't need surgery! Or if she does, we can do it yet this year as our deductibles are met.

He's mastering the "selfie" aspect.

 

We listed our house this month. It seemed like an impossible task to keep the house clean all the time but it wasn't terrible. I've learned how much the kids are really capable of in terms of cleaning and picking up. With cleaning, I allow the kids to listen to Pandora Disney channel. Often, they stop cleaning and dance a little.

We found our house! We looked at several homes and then this one popped up on the market. We looked at it right away and loved it. We move in two weeks (CRAZY)! It has five bedrooms, an office for me to work from home in, and a good size backyard. It's part of a HOA that has a pool, playgrounds, basketball courts, etc. We are on a cul-de-sac with the path to the park at the end of our street. It met almost all of our criteria so I was happy. We're looking forward to moving and making the house become our home.

 
Ashton swam on her own for the first time! I was really surprised she did it as she tends to be fairly fearful of water. But she finally got the courage to do it. As the weeks go by, she's getting more brave with swimming. We have to keep reminding her to wait until a parent is near her to try swimming on her own.

Gemma at 3 months

Weight: Just over 14 pounds

Height: 25-26 inches

 
Clothing Size: 3-6 month clothes.

Daily Schedule: Gemma continues to sleep through the night for the most part. She goes to bed between 8 and 9 and sometimes wakes up around 6/6:30. She'll go back down after eating and then sleep until 8-9am. Normally, she takes 45 minute naps (just like the other two) after being awake for about an hour and a half. Every now and then, she'll go longer. She's a fairly predictable baby.

Total diapers we change daily: For cloth diapers, about 7-10.

Total outfits we go through daily: One. She spits up on them but I don't care enough to change her. Just wipe it off.

Special Outings: Spent the day at the beach and she's taken lots of trips to house hunt with us. Thankfully that's over since we found a house.

Firsts: Swimming! We took her swimming a few times this month and at first, she was a little upset. We went last weekend and she loved it.


Eating: Continuing to nurse wonderfully but she has started spitting up more. It peaks around 4 months so I'm hopeful we're almost to the worst and then it will get better.

Heart Update: We had our second appointment with the pediatric cardiologist two weeks ago. The news wasn't the best. Gemma's heart defect appears to have worsened over the past eight weeks. In April, the defect was barely moderate. Last week, it was definitely in the moderate level. I forgot to ask the percentage at the last appointment for comparison. The cardiologist is still hopeful Gemma will plateau now and the defect will stay the same. We go back in September and we'll find out more then. The issue with the Echos at a young age is Gemma is pretty fidget-y. That makes it hard to get an accurate measurement. The doctor is hopeful at six months that Gemma could be a little more cooperative in her stillness. I am skeptical of that but we'll try. It is reassuring to know that we're moving ten minutes away from this doctor. And if Gemma does need surgery, we know our insurance is great (after Tanner's surgery) and that it doesn't require open heart procedures.

Sibling love: The kids love to say, "Good morning, Gemma" in a high, squeaky voice every morning. They both love to hold her and Tanner gets mad if we "help" in holding her. Overall, they have quickly grown accustomed to her.

Overall, Gemma is a perfect baby. She rarely fusses or cries. She goes with the flow and is very calm. She goes to sleep quickly and eats well. She's a perfect little third child with two very opinionated siblings. 

Monthly Pictures:

Tanner had to get a picture too.

 

Month of May

We had a busy May due to several changes in our family.

Joseph applied and interviewed for a job right after having Gemma. It was a crazy time to think about the possibility of moving but we discussed that we had to take the chance if the right job came along. We found out towards the end of April that he got the job. We could finally announce it later in May and start packing. He starts the new position in early August and we'll move once we find the right house. Thankfully, we qualify for relocation benefits so many of the expenses are reimbursable and  paid by the company. We're very close to listing our house finally. It seems impossible to sell a house with three small children but I know others have done it and we will too.

One trip to look at houses included a stop at a jumping place.

Amidst all of this, I was offered a promotion at BYU-Idaho. I was asked to continue teaching as well as be a "middle-man" between the online instructors and the on-campus department. I will work to make changes and updates to the online course and make it more inline with the campus courses. This will start in the fall but I am doing a little work this semester to prepare for that. It wasn't the best timing with a newborn and moving but I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Our church callings also changed in May. Joseph was released as the Young Men's president in the Spanish Branch back when Gemma was born. Then, he was asked to serve as the second counselor in Young Men's in our ward. That same week, I was released as the Young Women's president. It's been quite the adjustment for me to not have a calling right now.

We watched our caterpillars become butterflies this month. It was a fun experience for Ashton and Tanner.

My parents came to visit and meet Gemma. We had a great time with them and spent a lot of time working on house projects. Ashton went to their hotel for a sleepover again and had a blast. We also visited the NASA Space Center and drove around the neighborhoods where we may move to.

Chutes and Ladders with Papa

For Memorial Day, we went to the beach. We had a blast and I completely forgot about sunscreen. Ashton burned so bad that she ended up with a quarter size blister on her shoulder. Poor girl was so red. I thought she couldn't burn but I guess she does. 

Every trip to the beach ends with vacuuming the van. Lots of sand everywhere.

School ended the week my parents came. The last day of school is a Red, White, and Blue Parade. The kids loved it!

Shucking the corn from our garden. We had to pull everything and harvest it before listing the house.

We make almost daily trips to our local splash pad. We will miss this a lot next summer. Thankfully, every neighborhood in Clear Lake has a pool.

Gemma at Two Months!

Weight: 12 lbs 12 oz. Right between Tanner and Ashton in weight.

Height: 23.5 inches. Same as Tanner was. An inch longer than Ashton.

Clothing Size: 0-3 months still.

Daily Schedule: Gemma wakes up around 7am to eat. She stays awake for about an hour to an hour and a half and then naps again. This is a predictable schedule for the most part. She has a hard time napping in the late afternoon/evening so sometimes its two cat naps. Otherwise, she takes 3-4 naps per day. She still sleeps through the night from about 9pm to 7am. I can't recall the last time she woke up in the middle of the night. I'm soaking it in as I'm sure it will change soon enough.

Total diapers we change daily: Cloth diapers started last month! Hooray! I always feel better when I'm not throwing away tons of diapers. This is the earliest I have used cloth on a baby and I always love the cuteness of them.

Total outfits we go through daily: Gemma is not a spitter! So most days she stays in the same outfit. Hooray for less laundry.

Special Outings: Everywhere... I guess her first time at the zoo.

Firsts:Smile! She makes us work hard for a smile but when she does, it's pretty cute. She also coos a lot. Pretty social so far.

The best I can get of her smiling. They're quick ones. She wrinkles up her nose sometimes too.

Eating: Gemma is a good eater. She eats about every three hours or so. Maybe a little closer together in the evening. She doesn't really nurse to sleep much either, which is nice for me.


Heart Update: No further updates on the heart as our next appointment is early June.

Sibling love: Tanner loves to play with her toes and count them. They both continue to like to hold her and give her kisses on the head. Ashton enjoys talking to her and trying to make her smile. Otherwise, the big kids just like to play with all the baby toys.


Monthly Pictures:

Another attempt at a smile