Happy 65th birthday Grandma Candee

Last weekend we had Matt's mom's 65th birthday party at our house. It was in the mid-90's that day so our covered patio was a nice break from the heat. It was just immediate family, Matt's parents, his sister & her family. The kids loved playing on the swing & the swimming pool...we had BBQ'd Shish-Ka-Bob's...and Ice-Cream cake from Dairy Queen! What a fun day. Nothing better than sun-kissed, tired kid's!

Matt, Rod (Brother in law) and 2 of his girls playing volleyball...

Denny (Matt's dad) & baby Morgen!

Grandma Candee, Monica (Matt's sister) and JaCee~

Grandma Candee & ALL of her grand kids.

Happy Birthday Grandma Candee!

Morgen's 6 months old!

Last Thursday, my baby turned 6 months old. I was rocking her to sleep the other night & thinking of the ole' saying, "time goes so fast." In way's, it does...but to me, she seems 6 months old! I have really tried to enjoy all the moments though...the good & bad...to really live IN all the moments. I can honestly say...I don't feel like, "how did my baby get to be 6 months old?" I remember the day she rolled over for the 1st time. I remember they day I gave her her 1st bite of rice cereal, her 1st bite of Huckleberry ice-cream, her 1st time on the swing outside, her 1st giggle out loud, her 1st smile at me, getting her ear's pierced, the 1st time she got stuck under the TV, the 1st time she slept until 4am, the 1st time she slept until 5am (last Tuesday-ha) the day her 1st tooth came through & the day the 2nd one came through (I blogged about it that day). It's easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of day to day & with a 2 year old...but knowing this will probably be our last baby, I want to remember every "1st."

She has a good little schedule going now...about 3 weeks ago I started making her stick to it a little more. **** If you don't care about her schedule, skip this part - it's for my own reference****

Wake up - between 8-8:30am
Breakfast - between 9-9:30am
1st nap - 10am (30-45 min)
Lunch - Noon
Nap - 12:30 (BOTH girls go down at this time - both sleep - 2 - 2 1/2 hours)
Snack - aka -bottle - 3-ish
Nap - 4 or 5pm (30-45 min)
Dinner - 6pm
Bath 730pm
Bed - 8pm

She's still waking up for a bottle at night. I'm 100% convinced this is MY Fault. From the time she was born, I was afraid of her waking up the rest of the house...so any peep she would make, I ran for the crib, bottle in hand. Now I'm realizing I've set the stage for her to wake up a couple times a night for a bottle. She's always woke up between 1:45 & 2am & then between 5:30 & 6am for her bottles...so at her 1st feeding, I've starting putting her pacifier in --- no bottle, in hopes of erasing her "need" to eat at this time. And it's working. She no longer wakes this early...I've bumped it back to between 3 & 4am --- given her weight class ---- uhhmmm...she does not have a physical need for a bottle. As a disclaimer - I have not been --- nor will EVER be a mom that can "let your baby cry it out" ... I don't feel the need to defend myself as to why either. There are so many mom debates on this & it's crazy. You do what you do for your family & it's that simple.

Besides her bottle's, Morgen's eating oatmeal & a fruit for breakfast, a little fruit and a bottle for lunch & Rice & a veggie for dinner. Nothing special. She eats everything great. No food aversions. We're still working on the sippy cup --- she really just doesn't get it. Hmm...I'll figure that out. We also tried puffs for the 1st time this week. If I can keep JaCee away from the long enough for Morgen to get 1 in her mouth...well Morgen doesn't like them anyway. She choked on the 1st few, now she just gives me a dirty look if I put one in her mouth. She loves her teething biscuits though! Yes they are a mess...someone asked me that the other day. But she loves them....

Her 6 month appointment went well today. She weighs 18.7lbs (80%) and is 28 inches long (95%). As the pediatrician said, she is height/weight proportioned! Ha~ She got 2 shots...they wanted to give her 3 ---- I won't go on a rant right now about my views on vaccinations, but I will say my girls don't get every one the Dr's want to give & they only get 2 "pokes" per visit. So Morgen got her 2 pokes today. We'll see what the rest of the day brings. Last time she got shots...she didn't do very well with them. (Very fussy & tired for 2 days).

Here she is on the day she actually was 6 months old.






The most common look she has. Inquisitive? Hmmm...as her personality comes out we'll see what this look "really" means...

She LOVES her pool time. If I want a picture of Morgen smiling, all I have to do is put her in the pool - you can't wipe the smile off her face.

Happy 1/2 birthday baby girl. We love you!

Getting big!

What's going on here at the house you ask? Well...my cute baby girls won't stop growing!!! I think I mentioned in my previous post I thought Morgen's 2nd tooth had just come through that day...and it did! Morgen now has 2 teeth!!! If you look really really close in this picture...you can see them in the bottom. She is as adorable as ever. She turns 6 months old this Thursday --- I'll do a post after her 6 month doctor appointment with all her updates.

Here she is again...trying to sit up. This is about as close as we get right now & honestly, she would rather be standing up than sitting...and this is the exact look she gives when I sit her up...so confused! Adorable!

Here is JaCee helping Morgen stand up!! JaCee can't wait for Morgen to walk & every time I stand her up she comes a' running....laughing & yelling Mo-gun...your standing!

JaCee got her 1st big girl bike!!!! A friend gave it to us, so I don't feel bad every time she tips over...and it's A LOT as you can see by the looks of her knee's in the above photos. =) Thus the helmet as well...and I'm sure if I was a really good mommy...I would have elbow & knee pads on her as well, but I know we're doing good to get her to put on her helmet every time she gets on the bike, so I didn't think I should push it with the knee/elbow pads. And yes...the handle bars are backwards...she thinks this is a totally acceptable way of riding the bike & doesn't understand why it makes her tip over.

And last weekend...we had a yard sale. It went well...I got rid of all the big stuff I wanted to get rid of...we still ended up with a truck full of stuff for the good-will, but we also ended up with some cash in our pockets! =)

Here is Grandma Shelley with Morgen during the sale!

I just looked back at the last date I posted & realized it's been a little while since I last posted. A lot has happened...Kind of...

1st & foremost....Morgen got her 1st tooth! Boy oh boy is she hitting her milestones now! Rolling all over the house, standing with help (of course), getting teeth...I wish she was adding sleeping through the night to that list, but she's not. And actually today --- her 2nd tooth just came through! I hate to brag ---- but seriously, other than the drool, you hardly knew she was teething. If she was my 1st I would have been TOTALLY surprised --- but knowing some of the more subtle signs, I figured we were near & dear to a tooth. Another difference for the scrapbook...JaCee got her 1st tooth at almost 10 months...Morgen at just 5 months & 1 week! She's eating solids well & I've moved her to the 2nd stage foods. I think the "books" say they should be sitting before they get 2nd stage --- BORING --- books are for 1st time mom's & trust me --- JaCee NEVER got a 2nd stage food one day before she was sitting on her own. But the 1st stage baby foods are SOOO boring...when you can have plain water like applesauce or creamy yogurt apple delight --- which would you rather have? I think that's all for Morgen's update! Oh ya, she went on her 1st 4-wheeler ride on the 4th of July! (Picture is below --- Please do not turn me into to CPS for taking my child in a Baby Bjorn on a 4-wheeler ride). =)

JaCee's thumb update**** boy oh boy, we did this one good! We met with the surgeon who performed the original surgery to see what he thought. The home therapy would work temporarily for stretching the radius of her thumb, but it would go right back into place hours later. Dr. Caskey --- the original surgeon is referring us to a hand specialist with in Shriner's. Apparently this thumb operation is SO common that the hand specialty Dr's would be overwhelmed with the surgery's alone for "trigger thumb" so all general surgeons share the surgery's. However --- once a thumb moves beyond what they called a "black & white" type of issue, we get turned back to the hand specialist Dr. They did an X-ray & said nothing looks out of place. I asked Dr. Caskey what his gut said & he said, "I think she's developed another nodule in her tendon that's getting locked up in another pulley...but I can't just go on cutting pulley's loose in a little one's hand." I understand the hand is intricate & I'm thankful that Dr. Caskey referred me back to a specialty Dr. However, knowing another surgery will probably occur makes me sick to my stomach. Although --- we do know what to expect this time. Wish us luck as our hand journey continues...Oh and these specialty hand Dr's only do clinical once a month, so it's early August before we go meet the new Dr.

4th of July *** We went to Thompson Falls to my parent's house for the 4th. We do this every year since fireworks are legal out where my parents live. They have a cute small town parade on Saturday morning (pictures below). JaCee was so fun this year --- she understood running for the CANDY & had a blast. My dad is a volunteer firefighter and he was riding in one of the trucks in the parade --- JaCee thought that was the best "Papa throw candy at my hand" she said...Saturday afternoon we went for a 4-wheeler ride for a while....and then had a bon fire Saturday night. There were some fireworks done on Friday night, but the big "show" was Sunday. Sunday afternoon we went to visit a new bridge & fish ladder they just built over the damn in Thompson Falls. It was really pretty...pretty trails & the Dam's open right now, so that was even better. Sunday night we had a few fireworks of our own we did at my parent's house. Morgen was a trooper & slept through it...but JaCee wasn't so much of a fan of the loud big one's. She loved her own Pop-It's to throw & loved the smoke bombs & fountains...not papa's loud one's! After every one that would go off...she would say, "ALL DONE!" ---- oh and she held her little ear's closed most of the night. Poor thing...maybe next year will be better...although Morgen will be where JaCee is now!

Summer is getting busy & our weekend plans are quickly filling up. We're having a yard sale this weekend...not a huge one, but enough ....

Here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks...(sorry they are out of order...I can't get my computer to put them in the right order tonight)



The view from my parent's deck...with JaCee & Papa by the fire having a little heart to heart....

Family picture on the new bridge

Ok! Seriously....only in Montana! I was dying laughing...we DO NOT know this person, I just had to take a picture. The funny thing is she was walked right up to where we were standing. I had Morgen in my umbrella stroller & I said where I'm from we put our kid's in strollers, in MT you put dog's in your stroller!

JaCee wanting to ride all by herself!

My mom, JaCee & me, waiting for the parade to start!
JaCee picking up candy, she had the hang of this...

My dad in the firetruck...

Matt & his girls...

Morgen in her baby Bjorn on her 1st ride with me. She LOVED it! So much she fell asleep before we were out of my parents driveway. JaCee had her 1st 4-wheeler ride & did the same thing when she was a baby...

Warm weather ... finally... and a cute dress I have for JaCee ...

My baby doll!

Busy Summer already...

I LOVE summer! I love it! It's my favorite time of year...(although the week before Christmas comes in a close 2nd). I love the smells...the sounds...and the fun of it all...I love flip flops, I love going to the park to visit with family & friends...I love going on evening walks around the neighborhood...I love our new little pool...even as small as it is, it's cooled us off a few times...I love being outside...I love the girls in cute little summer dresses...I love the fans going in the house because it means it's hot outside...

Here's to enjoying the beginning of summer so far --- because it goes wayyyy tooooo fast!

JaCee just being cute...after an evening walk in our front yard...

Morgen ... and all her Cute-Ness!

A 2 year old learning how to put on her flip-flops all by her self!

Watching the ducks swimming at Manito Park, waiting to meet a friend for an afternoon walk!

An afternoon spent at the park with family...here with Cousin Brianna!

Grandma Candee encouraging JaCee at a water pad!

Morgen after a walk one night...

The girls together after a walk...and JaCee's baby who always goes with us! =)

Playing in the pool with daddy~

Morgen's 5 months Old~

Just a short post --- our house has been sick. I took a picture of my window sill...it's lined with Tylenol, Benadryl, Robitussin DM, Teething tablets, Air-borne, vitamins & Zantac! (I forgot to download the picture to the laptop & I'm just too lazy to go re-do it right now...you can get the idea anyway) Both girls are sick with colds, Mom & Dad have had sore throats for a few days now & Morgen is teething on top of it all. You can imagine my day's! Actually, as long as I keep Tylenol in both of them ---- we're only dealing with really runny noses.

Morgen turned 5 months old yesterday. Despite being sick, she is still such a good baby. I laughed at her the other day because she was cranky, nose running, done with the day & ready for bed & she looked at me & gave the biggest grunt slash 1/2 hearted cry... just one time, then looked at me. I literally laughed at her, she's so stinkin cute...that is the worst her mad cry is. It makes you laugh.

She's also ready to move...Since figuring out how to roll from her tummy to her back...she's all over the house. I Love-Love-Love this age! She has figured out she can see the world a LOT better on her stomach, so now if I lay her on her back, she'll flip to her stomach to see where JaCee is & what she's doing. She's regularly rolling into the kitchen, and across the floor --- last night Matt & I were working in our bathroom and she came rolling down the hallway to us. I am not sure how intentional all her rolling is at this point, but she's a movin'... none the less. She is trying to sit up on her own too. Anything she is sitting on with an incline, she is trying to sit up in. It will probably be a while before she can sit on her own, but she's sure enjoying trying. She's still eating good & getting the hang of the spoon down. Her mouth is wide open for bites now. I also just gave her the sippy cup this week. She's not sure what to do with it. She smiles when the juice comes out & knows she likes what's in it, she's just not sure how to get it out. We'll keep working on that.

JaCee on the other hand....my sweet baby has hit her 2's! I'm not going to say terrible yet...I hope we don't get to the terrible part, but we're at the pushing mommy's button's 2 year old stage.

I love the comparison pictures...here is JaCee this week in her pool...

and 1 year ago, in the same pool! How SOoo much changes in just ONE year!

Vacation to Boise

Our vacation to Boise to vist my mom's best friend, Becky -- was a success! We had a great time! We left Friday morning about 7am & arrived in Boise at almost 5pm. We stopped a few times for gas, snacks & potty breaks. Good thing we took JaCee's potty chair with us...she used it on the side of the road once. Here are a few pictures of our ride down.

Morgen ---- this is what she did --the --- whole ---- way! What can you expect from a 4 1/2 month old. She would open her eye's once in a while & look around & you could almost see her saying, "oh we're still driving & back to sleep she would go." She was a perfect baby, the whole trip. She stuck her her little schedule & handeled all the shopping like a champ!

JaCee did great on the trip down. I packed her a lunch box full of snacks she could eat from, her leap-pad, and some other games. On Saturday & Sunday we shopped most of the day's. Boise has some fun stores we don't have here in Spokane --- we BBQ'd on Sunday night since the weather was soo good down there....here are a few pictures of the girls on Becky's patio.

Looking at Grandma & smiling...

Morgen had a BIG day on Monday! She figured out how to roll from her stomach to her back. I know they say that is the easier of the 2 & since she rolled from her back to her tummy weeks ago...she is a fully rolling baby now. Actually today she is rolling back & forth pretty well. I found her stuck against the couch on one of the JaCee's games today.

Here is a picture of it happening...althogh this was probably her 2nd time doing it...we missed the 1st with the camera...
Starting to go....

And Over...Yay Baby Morgen!

The housing development that Becky lives in has a swimming pool so we spent a little while Monday afternoon at the pool. It was a lot of fun!

Monday night Morgen was tuckered out...and Becky loved rocking her....

Tuesday morning we grabbed some coffee & headed home. The drive home went just as well as the ride down. The girls did GREAT. Morgen slept the entire way & JaCee entertained with her toys & games.

****JaCee's thumb update*****

On Thursday before we left, JaCee had her follow up Appt for her thumbs. The P.A. was a bit baffled by her one thumb that is still "stuck." She said she wouldn't rule out surgery again but 1st she wanted us to try to do some physical therapy at home. So 2 times a day I have to try to stretch it out for a while. Then in 3 weeks we'll go back & see the surgeon that did the surgery to see what he thinks. Fingers crossed that the stretching will help out & no surgery is needed.