Seven

Seven. Months. okay really Seven (and a half) Months. That is how old little Zachary, my baby, my very last baby to ever be Seven. Months. Old.  Unbelievable!!! Time is just jetting by, not even flying, jetting. He had his six month appointment yesterday (yah, yah, yah, I'm a little late) and had the lovely pleasure of being stuck by a needle 5 times. He screamed very loudly during every shot. So hard to watch and so glad that they forget about it within seconds. He weighed in at 17.7 lbs!!

We took the other two to get their flu shots as well. I had been trying to prep them for about a month, telling them that they need to get shots to protect Zachary as well as Janelle's baby. They cried every time I told them about the shots. So yesterday on the way down, Makayla started crying. She cried all the way into the office. I tried coaching her on the way in, telling her she had to be brave because her younger brothers would be watching her. She told me that she would try not to cry during the shot and that she would "go first" to get it over with. Well, as soon as Zach's check-up was over and the nurse came in with the shots, she started freaking out and crying. I told her she wanted to go first and it was her turn, she back out. So we forced Brandon to go first (he had no choice and Mike had to hold him). He screamed super loud and I'm sure he said "Not nice" (which sounds like "not niesh) during the middle of it. Mike and I being the ever supportive parents during all of this...laughed. (We will never get parents of the year)

Next was Makayla's shot, she decided she wanted to sit in Daddy's lap also. But she did not want him holding her arms. She cried all the way up to his lap, sat down and stopped crying. The nurse put the needle in her arm...silence...through the whole shot! We all cheered and gave her "Woot - Woot's!" I'm sure other patients thought we were crazy! :)  She got two stickers for not crying and Brandon got one since he did cry.

Zachary has had a low grade fever today and was pretty irritable this evening. The only pleasant thing was during his fussiness, I had him on my belly sitting up and Makayla came over with her doll. He started reaching for it and touching it's face and arms. She started singing silly songs and bouncing the baby doll on her head and Zachary cracked up at her. So I'm so happy that she was able to make him happy before he went to bed. Hopefully the crankiness wears off quickly! I'm not used to this, he's such a happy-go-lucky baby!!



Again, seven months....WHEW! Blink of an eye!!!!

 Some things Zach is up to...he likes to scream (very loudly-almost piercing) when he is happy. He mimics the kids and they coo to each other. He "talks" back a lot to the kids and I. Likes to grab at everything and is easily distracted with a new toy or object. Rolls around and likes to roll off the very large blanket that I place on the floor for him. Can sit up supported in Mommy's legs. Gets up on his knees and rocks (I'm sure he'll be attempting to crawl very soon.) We just spotted this weekend a top tooth trying to break it's way in. Yikes! Loves to laugh at the kids. Is finally quiet during car rides. Goes to sleep every night around 7pm (thank goodness) and sleeps until 5am. Has me wrapped around his finger...and will whine until I pick him up!!! Love him!

Sleep position...changed.

So I have to post this quick cute post. I had just posted that Zachary would fall asleep grabbing his foot and sucking his thumb. Well it's changed and his new falling asleep position is still sucking his thumb, but now grabbing his bumper or the top of his crib with his right hand. I just love having a video monitor in the room! It's so fun stalking him at night! :)

Six...or....sixteen!?!?

We went to Sea World last weekend, to get the kids out of the house for a special treat, and planned to stay there until evening (something we wanted to do over summer but never made it). The plan was for me to go through some of the kids clothes in the morning and then in the afternoon we'd leave. We left a little later than we wanted to and found out that Sea World was only open until 7:30 now. That's okay with me, not sure if I could have made it much further than that anyways. We met our friends Jesse & Stephanie down there and later Mike's sister, Tiffany and her daughter Brittany.

We got there earlier than everyone and so we headed to Elmo's World first to ride some rides. This was Brandon's first time getting to ride this ride. He LOVED it!

Funny side note story: Makayla had been telling me all along that she had her phone with her. The kids like using our old cell phones that don't work anymore as "their" phones and they carry them around a lot. It didn't phase me that she brought it. But when her, Mike and Brandon were waiting in line, she pulled "her" phone out of her back pocket, sat down, and began texting. Mike couldn't believe it! What he didn't want is for other people to think that he had actually bought a six year old a cell phone. I thought it was funny, it's really her just watching all us text away and wanting to be able to do it also.

We were in for a treat when we got there because they had set up for their Halloween Spooktacular and were handing out candy at different stations. So the kids and I (not Mike - he claims he didn't want any candy...he ended up eating all mine...what a booger!) hit up a couple of stands. It was Brandon's highlight and he guarded his candy bag all night and even the next morning.

This was the first time Zachary got to "watch" some shows also. The last couple of times, him and I would walk around while Mike took the kids to the Pet's Rule show or he just stayed in his car seat. This time he got to watch the Clide & Seymore show and then he stayed awake to watch Shamu Rocks:

Him and all the kids loved the show and Zachary fell asleep within minutes of putting him in the stroller. It was a nice evening!

Graduated!

March 18, 2010...that was the day Mike changed his life, his passions, his goals, and his profession. He started X-ray school and we didn't know what we were in for. Lots of IF's:

If he would like it?
If he would do good?
If he could handle the blood? the needles? the injuries?
If he could handle the tests? the studying? the nights?

All those IF's became CAN's and WILL's as he walked down the aisle 17 months later to accept his diploma from Kaplan! So proud of his straight A, 4.0 GPA. Proud of his studying habits, his clinical desire, his professionalism at giving shots and working in the medical field.

We are so proud of him and was thrilled to find out that in September he passed his state license exam! All that hard work, long nights, and juggling our family paid off!

The kids kind of understand the field he is in, but it was cute because in the beginning of his schooling Makayla thought that he was a doctor. So we joked with him and his nickname was...Dr. Daddy.

It was cute at home, but when we did happen to go to the doctor's, Makayla would tell them that her Dad was a doctor. I then had to explain that he really wasn't.



Congratulations Dr. Daddy! We love you!!!!

1st Grade

In August Makayla began her 1st Grade year. She is in room 6 (she thinks it's because she is 6) and in Mrs. Dickey's class. I envy most things about Makayla, but what I envy most is that sometimes she is not fearful. I tend to over think things...okay not tend to, I DO. So I was always nervous about my first days of school so I always wonder what is going on inside her little head. It seems to me...not much about school...or at least not worrying about it. Which is a great thing considering her Aunt cried for about the first two months of her 1st grade year and her Mom would get stomach aches for about the first week. So to have her confidence and fearlessness is such a relief for me.

It was madness that first day. I took the day off because we had to something in the afternoon and also because I wanted to be able to walk her to school. Luckily we live about a mile or less away and so we walked her to school...besides if we drove, we would end up walking the same distance anyways because cars were parked practically to our development!

The madness continued on campus as it seemed all the parents came to drop off their kids (us included). We found her number on the black top and then trekked to the back of the line. Her teacher came out and said Hi to me and I introduced her to Makayla (luckily I had met her over the summer at work and had a good chat about students and teachers - this was before I even knew she was going to be her teacher) and told all of us parents that they would be fine and to head onto the back of the black top.

Makayla was excited to see that her friend McKenzie was in her class this year and only a little more than a handful of her Kindergarten friends were in her new class. (She already has a new friend that she talks about all the time...Hannah.)

The first graders line up next to the Kindergartners. We watched all those parents and remembered how we felt just one year before. We saw her Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Perez-Anderson wearing the cute outfit she wore on Makayla's first day (Makayla even remembered it) and watched how she greeted each parent. We loved her and I know that we will love her new teacher just as much.

Mike and I left after watching what we thought was her class line (there were so many people!) walk to their classroom. On the way out...I couldn't help to think what had happened in this last year and where it went. It just seemed like Kindergarten started and yet here we are...a big FIRST GRADER! Soon Kaleb will be going to that school and the year after Brandon, and the year after Logan, and the year after Zachary, and the year after...Chantelle! It will be fun and exciting!!

Almost 7 months

Wow, can't even believe it.

(Zach in July - 4 months)

Zachary is almost 7 months. On October 12th he will be. He's doing lots, and not doing a lot...thank goodness! He's been sleeping through the night for about a couple of months. He is sleepy around 7pm and it's the best. I can nurse him around 7 and put him to bed and he goes right to sleep. It was really cute because around 5 months he started going to sleep by sucking his left thumb and holding his right foot.

(Not in his bed - but doing his bedtime combo)

Now he curls up on his right side mostly and sleeps. He sleeps until 5 or 6am. I'm still asking him every night to push it further, but it seems when I ask that, he gets confused in what I am asking and wakes up EARLIER! :) Silly boy!

He hasn't started crawling yet, but that doesn't stop him from getting across the living room floor. He's mastered the art of not listening already. I'll set out a huge blanket and he'll be off of that thing in no time.

He loves to be entertained by the older two. He will just sit and watch them, which they enjoy.

(cuddle time with brother)

His new thing at around 5 months was sticking out his tongue. And it almost felt like he knew what he was doing. It is hilariously cute! (does that even make sense?)


(with Uncle Chris)

He talks and screeches A LOT and LOUD! I thought for sure I would have atleast one quiet baby...I'm thinking it might be impossible. But it's cute and we love hearing him screech away!

I'm enjoying every moment of this baby stage and wishing it didn't go so quickly. He's a sweet baby, looks so much like Makayla as a baby. They are the same type of baby and since we had such an awesome baby experience with her, it makes our last baby time special knowing that he is so easy and fun