12 Months Old

Gemma is officially one! I look forward to the next year of her becoming more independent. She's been a great baby but she is also pretty sensitive/particular. I am well aware that the baby phase isn't my favorite. I much prefer the toddler years so I am excited that Gemma is getting closer to that.

Playing with a ball when driving to Lake Jackson.

She is now a walker. She took her first steps a few weeks before her birthday. Just in the past week or so, she's walking more and more. Gemma is an efficient crawler so I anticipate crawling to last a little longer.

Her schedule most days:
Wake up by 7:30am
Nap from 10:30-11:45ish (she can get by with a catnap for this nap and then a longer afternoon nap)
Lunch/play
Nap from 3-4:30ish
Bedtime around 8:30pm
She wakes up 1-2 times per night. I am hoping this ends very soon as we are about done with breastfeeding. If not, Joseph gets to take care of her for a few nights to convince her to sleep.

Her hair is starting to curl a little like Ashton's. I'm hopeful it stays that way.

Took her to the zoo and she did pretty well. Her favorite thing was to crawl behind the fences and play in the dirt/mulch.

Gemma is the most attached kid out of the three. Her separation anxiety is pretty bad. All I have to do is walk into our YMCA and she starts screaming. If I take her to the drop off daycare so I can work out, she loses it completely. They try to console her for 15 minutes and then they come find me. Gemma is finally getting better with staying with Joseph but even then, she just tolerates it. While I love her affection towards me, I also look forward to some change in this area. Hopefully by about 18 months, she should be good to go with other people.

First trip to the splashpad for 2019 and Gemma was a big fan!

She figured out how to go down stairs correctly so she turns around at the top and slides down. This also helps when she plays on our playground outside. She knows to go down the slide correctly. Hooray!

Her favorite toys include books and balls. She also loves playing with Ashton and Tanner. They can often get her to chase them around a room. Another favorite of hers is playing in mulch, dirt, or water. This girl loves being outside and getting dirty.

Gemma is finally warming up to solid foods. She is just about done with nursing so she has no other options. She drinks almond milk rather than whole milk. Tanner did this too. Her favorite foods are cheese, eggs, meat, anything close to spaghetti (ravioli, etc), peas (she eats them by the handfuls), and apples. I pretty much feed her what I know she will eat since she is picky. I'm not too worried as Ashton and Tanner have turned out okay with their eating habits.

Weight is 22 lbs and height is 29.5 inches. She's our shortest baby so far, which makes sense as her pants are always a size smaller than her shirts.

She had a great birthday. The big kids were much more into it than she was. She had some yummy cake with some friends. The big kids opened all her gifts for her. As usual, Gemma cared more about the boxes that the gifts came in. She got some new dresses, a few toys, some yummy snacks, a bubble machine, and a few books.

Dog food cake (cocoa puffs and chocolate frosting). She actually ate some, which surprised me. I thought she would just throw it off her highchair.

The Cold Winter

It's been a pretty wet and cold winter this year. Nothing compared to my friends and family living up north but we are definitely acclimated to the warmer weather.

Ashton's big achievement in her world was mastering the monkey bars. She can officially go across them and she is very excited. She's been working on this for several months.

Tanner has been working on riding a two-wheeler. He figured it out pretty quickly and took off with little problems. We had to get him a 12 inch bike as Ashton's 14 inch one was a little too tall. I'm looking forward to some fun family bike rides in the upcoming months.

We've been working on a few house projects lately and that means lots of trips to the lawn mower store for Tanner. This boy loves riding the lawn mowers.

We're preparing for our summer vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains and step one was finding a hiking backpack/carrier. I have a soft structured carrier but knew a frame one would come in handy for our hiking trips. Found this really nice one that someone was selling locally so we scored big time. It can hold any of the kids and is pretty comfortable. We're looking forward to romping around some mountains.

As always, the kids continue to have crafts galore going on.

Our local library hosted some events for Chinese New Year. I took Ashton one Saturday to the Lion Dance and she had fun. She got to clash the cymbals too, which she loved.

We're going camping this spring and I had to double check that our tent would fit the kids and I. We had fun setting up the tent and playing around in it. The kids can't wait to go camping now.

Ashton is definitely mastering her artistic skills. Here was a page of everything she is thankful for. The family, Earth, trees, bunnies, fish, and a Christmas tree (to remember Jesus Christ's birth).

I decided to be a super cool mom and make funiculars at home. Well, it didn't last very long but the kids had fun making them. It's the process that counts, right? Not the end product... or so I tell myself.

Ashton started piano lessons in January. I'm surprised with how well she's doing. Our teacher is someone from church who has a pretty low-key commitment requirement. So we felt comfortable testing it out and seeing what Ashton thought. Well, she loves it. Two months in and she still loves to practice. Here's a video from a few weeks ago of Ashton and her teacher playing a duet together.

 I'm ready for the sun to come out and the rain to go away. I miss our 70 degree days. But before I know it, it will be 95 degrees and 10000% humidity so I should be grateful for the cooler weather.

Gemma at 11 Months

Weight: 22ish pounds
 
Height: I didn't catch her height at the doctor's the other day so probably about the same as last month.
 
Clothing Size: Still rocking the 12 month size for a while.

Daily Schedule: Gemma follows our typical schedule for almost one year olds. She wakes up by 7:30am. If she's not awake by then, Tanner not-so-nicely wakes her up. Then she naps from about 10-11:30 and again from 3-4:30. Bedtime is between 8 and 8:30pm. She may drop her morning nap earlier than the others but we shall see. I'm hopeful she makes it to the end of the school year with two naps.

Gemma is still not a huge food eater. We'll see how the next month goes for this as she weans from nursing. Her favorite foods consist of anything with cheese and anything with chicken or beef. So high protein foods.

Firsts: First tooth finally. I think she is our latest teether out of the three kids. She now has her two bottom teeth poking through. Definitely saying "Mama," "Dada," and "Dog." She can stand alone now but does not attempt to take steps. She waves at everyone and every car that passes by. She appears very friendly until you try to touch her. Gemma is still very, VERY attached to me. She screamed the whole time at the cardiologist as the nurse was desperately trying to get her pulse ox, blood pressure, and her EKG. Thankfully, she liked the cardiologist enough to sit still during the echo exam.

She is also able to climb up and down stairs quite well. Hooray for that!

Heart Update: She went earlier this week but we will have more information to share in the next week or two as decisions are being made.

Monthly Pictures:

Her normal reaction to food.

Exhausted after a playdate at a park. Fell asleep on the bike ride home.

Gemma loves to "perch" herself in certain things like this dollhouse or other bins of toys.

Typical picture of the laundry room. Gemma loves to scatter (and eat a few pieces) the dog food.

She loves balls! Always happy to hold one.

Tanner Turns Three!

After the holidays and so many birthdays last fall, Tanner could not wait until his birthday. He'd been talking about his rocket cake for months. Every time, he'd change the colors or design of it. It was fun that he was so excited for his day.

His birthday was on a Wednesday but due to family schedules and travel plans, we celebrated the next day. We ventured out to playgroup and had a fun time with friends. That night, Joseph's parents were visiting so they joined us for birthday celebrations. Tanner also wanted two neighbor kids to come over so they made it as well. Tanner quickly remembered that Ashton had a pinata at her birthday so he got one too. Pinatas are huge in the Spanish branch parties so our kids think it's cool to have them too. Good thing we had some leftover Halloween candy to put in it.

Tanner received lots of rocket ship stuff, which he loves. He also got some roller skates that fit over shoes that he likes. I think he had a good birthday.

A mini air hockey table. He loves playing air hockey at the YMCA but they recently changed the age limit for kids to go back by the big games. So Tanner can't play back there anymore. He was so happy to play air hockey at home.

At three, Tanner is definitely talking more. He tells stories, asks lots of questions, and argues just fine with his sisters. He still have some articulation issues but hopefully those will fade as he develops. He did fail a hearing test so we're working on getting the fluid out of his ears in hopes that he passes that soon.

Tanner continues to be very developed in the gross motor skill area. He rocks the balance bike now and I anticipate him riding a pedal bike yet this year. He rides our scooter just fine and loves to kick and throw a ball. He has been working on fine motor skills with coloring and using scissors. He can draw a few letters and a few shapes. He knows most of the letters and has started asking what words are in a book or for me to write T-A-N-N-E-R. He's becoming a fun kid who understands rules of games and can join in the family fun.

Tanner loves going to church and attending nursery. He has a great nursery teacher who understands Tanner and what helps him most. Tanner is working on reverence during prayers and scripture study. This year so far, we've been working on memorizing a few scriptures and he is doing very well at that. That surprised me. I'm grateful he has another year in nursery as I just can't picture him in a Sunbeams class.

Here's some of his favorites:

Book- Dinosaur Rocket or any space/rocket/robot book
Show- He loves YouTube rocket launching shows. There is one channel with a bunch of rockets blasting off and they're short ones so he watches that sometimes.
Activity- Playing outside. This kid loves to be outside and playing with the neighbors. He also loves playing hide and seek inside.
Food- probably pizza still. His favorite meal if he doesn't eat the dinner I made is peanut butter and honey sandwiches.

His daily schedule is pretty typical:
7-8am wakes up. His clock turns on at 7:30 and he can come downstairs then.
1:30-4ish is naptime. This kid runs all day long but still naps like a champ.
8pm-ish- Goes to bed

Tanner is still a risk-taking little boy who constantly needs to be in my line of sight. While he is getting better at moving away from moving vehicles, he still likes to test the limits. Just when I get comfortable and think he will listen to my directions, he throws me for a loop. We are enjoying Tanner being three and look forward to seeing his growth this year.

10 Months Old

Weight: 21 lbs
 
Height: 28.5 inches
 
Clothing Size: Moved her to mostly 12 month clothes. Some 9 month old stuff still fits.

Daily Schedule: Similar to last month. Two naps a day, more predictable schedule. Gemma shifts between sleeping through the night for a few nights in a row to waking up once a night for a while.

Special Outings: Travelled back to Lake Jackson a couple times to see friends.

Firsts: Walking with help, definitely more cruising and climbing this month.

Heart Update: We'll go next month right after she turns 11 months. I'm anxious to ask some questions about surgery dates, weaning, sleep learning, etc. so I feel I can make a better plan of what our spring looks like.

Monthly Pictures:

Every cabinet is now her territory

She was screaming until I realized she was stuck. Then she smiled for a picture.

Christmas 2018

I don't know who was more excited for Christmas this year: Ashton or the parents. We were just excited to see their reactions to the presents and all the fun we'd have celebrating. Ashton went to bed that night and wished it could be Christmas every day. This year was great with her. She was excited for presents but not too much that it annoyed me. She knows why we celebrate Christmas and thankfully wasn't too fixated on opening gifts.

We kicked off Christmas week with a dinner with the Coon's. We've had them over for dinner nearly every Christmas in Lake Jackson so we decided to continue that tradition by having it a few days earlier We love visiting with the Coon's as the four oldest kids just go play. Gemma even played and chased a little too. We decorated gingerbread houses and just played and talked. I'm already looking forward to it next year again.

First attempt at star bread. It was so good that I made two more for Christmas day.

Apple pie with Christmas lights on top. It turned out better than I thought.

Christmas eve was quieter at home. We took the kids on a walk to look at Christmas lights and then did our traditional "Jerusalem" dinner with pita bread, hummus, vegetables, grape juice, etc. Then we opened our Christmas Eve box of new jammies, a new movie, and yummy treats. I found the perfect pajamas for Tanner and Ashton this year and knew they'd be thrilled. Gemma got "new to her" pajamas from hand-me-downs. Good thing she doesn't care.

Found NASA rocket ship pajamas on sale and knew he'd love them. He wears them constantly now.

Christmas morning was great with the kids. All the kids slept much longer than I thought, which was a nice treat. Gemma missed the first gift opening so she got her own time later in the morning.

I didn't get many pictures and the ones I got are dark because that room doesn't have a big light. Tanner got a rocket ship for one present.

Ashton's excitement over a doll that you can do the hair and makeup for. She's been wanting it since we visited Wisconsin and saw it in a magazine. Thankfully, my parents heard her pleas for it and sent it as her gift.

As a family, we try hard to encourage our children to look forward to giving gifts, not just receiving. We do several things during the holiday season to encourage this such as purchasing gifts for a family in need and giving gifts to the parents and the siblings. We spent lots of time one-on-one working with Ashton and Tanner to think of what would be good gifts for each other, Gemma, and Mom and Dad. It was really fun to see their creativity and their ideas this season.

Ashton and Tanner made me a fleece tie blanket (Joseph did most of the tying). They each chose a fleece fabric and Tanner chose a rocket ship one while Ashton did a floral design. I loved it! Ashton got Joseph a special Wii remote that allows them to play certain Wii games together. She got Tanner a tool set, which he carries around fixing things. Tanner got Ashton a really fun game that they both enjoy playing together. Tanner spent a long time in the tool section at Walmart picking Joe's new tool out. He decided on a HUGE pipe wrench. I'm sure we will never use it but it's the thought that counts. Together, Ashton and Tanner decided to make a cardboard tunnel for Gemma and to get our old ball pit back out for her. I enjoyed watching them open each other's gifts and for them to see the joy in gift-giving.

The gift I was most excited about for the kids was our Grimm's gift. Grimm's is a German company that makes wooden toys. I've been eyeing them for a while and decided to make a purchase for Christmas when I found one on sale earlier this year. I look forward to adding more to the collection in future years. We've been enjoying building Grimm's creations the last couple days.

Christmas morning was spent playing with our new toys and cleaning up the house to host a Christmas dinner. We had two families over for dinner and enjoyed our time with them. I made our traditional birthday cake for Jesus Christ and we sang happy birthday to Him.

First attempt at decorating with chocolate. It went pretty well except for chocolate on the floor.

Gemma at 9 months

Weight: 20 lbs
 
Height: 29.5 inches
 
Clothing Size: 6-9 month clothes, which surprises me. Our older kids were always a size or two above their age.

Daily Schedule: We are down to two good naps a day, which I love. Gemma wakes up sometime between 7 and 8, takes a morning nap (between 30 minutes if I have to wake her up for something but typically 1.5 hours), an afternoon nap (almost always at least 1.5 hours, more often 2+ hours) and then goes to bed around 8 or 9pm. She either sleeps through the night or is up once in the early morning hours.

Special Outings: None that I recall.

Firsts: Lots of foods that she just sucks on and then spits out. Not a big fan of eating real food. She's got three months to figure it out. Over the past two months or so, she's figured out crawling, clapping, saying Mamamama and Dadadada, climbing a few stairs, pulling to stand, and standing for a brief moment before falling.

Heart Update: No update until February now.

It's fun to see how Gemma compares to her siblings as far as personality. Gemma is a lot like Ashton as she has separation anxiety to the max. Gemma must be near me or see me at all times. Tanner was the opposite of that. Like Ashton, Gemma also is hesitant to eat real food; whereas Tanner would eat anything and everything at this age. However, Gemma is definitely happy and a better sleeper like Tanner was. I see certain traits from each sibling in Gemma. She's a good mix of the two. It's also fun to see the siblings play together. Ashton and Gemma love to play peek-a-boo all the time. And Gemma quickly joins in when Ashton and Tanner play chase around the house. I look forward to seeing Gemma's personality come out more as she reaches her birthday and beyond.

Monthly Pictures: