Unicorns and Rainbows Birthday Party

We started off the girls birthday with rainbow sprinkle covered donut holes for breakfast. We then spent the morning cleaning and preparing for their birthday bash that evening. We got out of the house around lunch time to indulge in Happy Joe's and run a few last minute errands.

When we began planning the birthday party, Reese said that she would like to have a unicorn theme. I chose rainbows for Gretchen as I felt that the two went well together. I knew that we had the perfect theme when we found rainbow unicorn invitations and thank you cards at Target.

 

I attempted this unicorn cake after finding it on Pinterest. I think that it turned out fairly well!

The birthday girl definitely loved it!

I didn't get a picture of Gretchen's smash cake because she was teething and crabby during the party. It was a rectangular cake that was rainbow colored. I had used sprinkles to make a number 1 on top of the cake. Randy stuck her hand into the cake to get her started and she began sobbing and throwing a fit. I cleaned her up and she was done for the night, refusing to go to anyone other than mommy.

Though the party was held outside on our deck, I decorated the kitchen cabinets with pictures from each year of Reese's life and each month of Gretchen's first year.

 

My mom had purchased an American girl doll for Reese, so I made her and her doll matching shirts with a unicorn and a six on them.

Both girls received so many nice gifts and we enjoyed sharing their special day with all of the friends and family that were there to celebrate with us!~

Siblings

For the most part, the kids all get along very well. Reese and Aidan are usually smothering Gretchen in kisses and hugs causing her to fuss. While I try to remind them that she needs her space and that they wouldn't want somebody in their face all the time, I am so glad that they are so in love with their little sister!

While they get along well, Aidan and Gretchen really know how to push each other's buttons and Gretchen can hold her own against her older brother! She is intrigued by his cars and always trying to take them from him. Aidan gets mad and will try to take them away from her. Gretchen does not give in easily though! I have seen her take a bite at him or even ram her head at him to thwart his attacks.

Gretchen may be able to fight back against her big brother, but she is no match for her older sister! Whenever Gretchen is getting into something that she should not be or is generally annoying her big sister, Reese picks her up and places her in her bumbo seat. Gretchen is then stuck in the seat until somebody lets her out, but that doesn't stop her from trying to get out on her own!

Daddy's girl

Gretchen has been babbling lots lately, but her preferred sound to make is "Da". Tonight as she was blabbing away, "Dadadadadada!" I said, "Mmmmmmmmmmmma!" She laughed and went right back to "Dadadadadada!" This time I copied her and said, "Mamamamama!" Again she laughed and went back to "Dadada!" I was jealous until I finally, I got her to say "Nnnnnnna". Then as I was snuggling with her, Gretchen leaned over and gave me a big open-mouthed kiss on the lips. Randy happened to be watching and he immediately tried to get her to give him a big kiss and she just pushed his face away. I guess actions really do speak louder than words!

Mother's Day 2013

My Mother's Day started bright and early with Aidan waking me up at 5:45 because he had an itchy butt. I helped him to clean up and then we went down to the basement to play so that we would not wake the rest of the house. While playing Aidan approached me and said that he wanted to make daddy a card because he was probably sore from roofing the day before. I'm not going to lie I was a little miffed that it was my day, he had come to me to take care of his personal hygiene and he was worried about making his dad a card! Soon after Gretchen woke up soaking wet! So I was wiping another butt, just 2 hours into my Mother's Day. About that time Reese woke up. After giving me a kiss and telling me Happy Mother's Day, she showered me with gifts that she had made at school. My favorite was a recipe book that her teacher made. She had asked the kids and moms to submit their favorite recipes that they enjoyed making together. Reese had chosen the Ariel birthday cake that we made for her 4th birthday, while I chose my mom's egg noodles for homemade chicken noodle soup. After reading through the recipe book and getting a few good laughs, I got the kids fed and then showered and got ready for the day. We left for Dubuque around 9am and met up with my mom and sister to do some shopping. A few hours later, we were not quite ready to leave, but the kids were finished shopping, so we went to Dairy Queen for a little treat. Afterwards we said our goodbyes and headed back home. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing at home and ordering in dinner so that I did not have to cook. After putting the kids to bed, I even got a chance to play with my brand new tablet! All in all, it was a perfect Mother's Day!

Only Brother

Yesterday I took the day off work for Randy's surgery. Since Reese was not sick and did not have any reason to miss school, I took her to school while Aidan and Gretchen stayed home. I cleaned most of the morning while Aidan played and Gretchen cooed. They kept themselves entertained and I was not constantly breaking up fights! We headed into town about 10 and dropped Randy off and then ran a few errands while we waited. While at HyVee, our first stop, Aidan commented how it was nice without "Reesey" and I kind of had to agree. We got a kids shopping cart and Aidan was driving by himself and I did not have to yell at anyone to quit fighting or keep their hands to themselves. After getting a few supplies for cookie making, we decided to go get lunch. We went to the McDonalds play place and there happened to be another little boy about Aidan's age. They were playing very well together when I overheard Aidan tell the other little boy, "I wish that my sister was here." Again, I had to agree.
Recently, Reese began referring to Aidan as her "little bother", just like Nickelodeon's Olivia does to her little brother. As she has started school, their relationship seems to be even more difficult. Reese is growing and wants her privacy and time alone, while Aidan is so intrigued by all the things that she is learning and doing and wants to be involved in it. Although they fight the majority of the time that they spend together, I do believe that they really do love each other. It's things like their time apart yesterday that reveal their true feelings and the special bond they share.
As the only boy between 2 girls, I think that Aidan is going to have a lot of skills in dealing with women when he gets to the age to start dating. In another instance yesterday as we were walking through the mall, another shopper said, "Oh look, he is playing with her hair!" I had put Aidan in the back of the double stroller as he requested, so Gretchen was in front of him. He had leaned forward in his seat, with his arm resting on the seat back and rubbing his sister's head and playing with her hair. He has done this often since she was born and it always melts my heart because I know that he truly loves and cares for his little sister. I just feel sorry for any of her potential boyfriends, because I think that he is going to be pretty protective of his little sister.

4 months

Gretchen turned 4 months old! We went to the doctor on October 7 and I couldn't wait to hear her stats. She was 24.5 inches long and weighed 15 pounds and 4 ounces, so she is definitely growing! The doctor confirmed that we were right to start giving her cereal and said to go ahead and start some baby foods. We have tried carrots, beans and sweet potatoes so far. Though uncertain at first, she now enjoys the new foods. We have also given her some of the baby mum mum crackers. She is not too interested in holding them herself, but will suck on them if you hold it for her. The other night as we were eating dinner, she sat with us in her high chair and licked and sucker her lips the entire time. It will not be long now and she will be eating table food with us! Though I am excited for each of the new phases as she grows, I am sad to leave each stage behind.

Besides physically growing, Gretchen has really started to develop her own personality. She is such a smiley, happy baby and so easy going. She barely cried with her shots and rarely fusses at all. She is an excellent sleeper, having slept a minimum of 8 hours most nights since she was about 6 weeks old. She is also very perceptive. She can tell when a member of our family is not in the room, and is definitely happiest when we are all together.
Though she is awake much more she still naps frequently throughout the day. I often catch her catnapping in her favorite chair

or falling into a milk coma after eating.

Whether napping or just hanging out, she has found that she really enjoys her thumb, much like her older sister did and still does. Though I know that I should discourage her from the thumb sucking I still think that it is adorable!

We love you so much Gretchen! Keep smiling!

Hawkeyes

Since football season has started we have had several opportunities to sport our hawks gear. The first time was during an open practice at Kinnick. Randy and I were very excited to take the kids to the stadium and see their reactions. Unfortunately, they were not nearly as excited as we would have hoped.

I snapped these pictures of the kids in their black and gold before the first home game. Gretchen is actually wearing one of Aidan's old outfits, so I threw the bow on to be sure people knew she is a girl!

Whatever the season brings, the kids will definitely be cute cheering on our favorite team!

DIY Baby Sandals

I have been pretty busy lately with a newborn, a 3 year old and 5 year old, starting grad school classes and just keeping up with housework and family commitments. Despite all of that, I have been antsy to do some crafting. My sister-in-law found some baby sandals for her little one and said that she thought they were something that I could probably make. After hearing this I went out and bought a pair of Toe Blooms to take a closer look. I figured that I could make some and began searching online for a tutorial. I came across this one from Laura at The Creative Muster and immediately went looking for supplies. I was unlucky in finding any cotton jersey in the girly colors that I was looking for- all of the stores I visited had darker fall colors out. So I began to think about what I had on hand that I could use. I had a few cotton t-shirts in my fabric stash that I thought could work. I cut one apart and used the pattern from the Creative Muster as well as the Toe Blooms that I bought to create my own pair of baby sandals. The first pair was too big for my newborn, so I altered my pattern and made another pair. This pair fit perfectly, stretching just enough to fit and stay on my little girls feet.

I paired the sandals with a beautiful gray and pink dress for a wedding that we attended recently. My mother-in-law gifted us the kids matching clothes when our youngest was born. Aren't they just adorable!

Though time consuming- cutting out all of the pieces for the flowers and handsewing all of the tiny pieces together- the sandals were totally worth it! It was a perfect project to pick up and work on anytime I had a few free moments. The best part is that you can do it all by hand and do not have to be a great seamstress. Though summer is almost over and the weather will be cooling off, I think that the sandals would also be cute with tights. I have made a pair in black and plan to make another pair in white. I would also like to play around with the pattern and see if there would be a way to make a pair that looks more masculine for boys. Things like this make me wish that I could come up with something like this myself!

Family of Five

Every time that we get into the car, I look back into the full back seat and I can't believe we have three kids!

Reese and Aidan both love Gretchen so much. Whenever anyone asks if they can take the baby home with them, both kids immediately respond that she is "their baby" or "our baby", not just my baby. I love it when they ask me to hold her but that is not the only time they interact with her. They talk to her while I change her at the changing table and play with her while she sits in her chair.

One of Reese's favorite things about having a little sister is dressing alike. I have convinced her that wearing the same color is dressing alike for everyday, but she would much rather have all of their clothes be exactly the same as they were for a wedding we recently attended.

No, I still can't believe that we have three children! Though I can't believe it, it is like Gretchen has always been a part of our family and I can't imagine life without her.

Mother Hen

We finally got to go home from the hospital today with baby Gretchen, and Reese immediately showed that she is ready for her role as big sister. As soon as daddy pulled up to the doors of the hospital, Reese grabbed up the carseat and started to carry her little sister to the car. Though she seemed to have a hold of the carseat pretty well, I broke it to her gently that she could not carry the carseat. We got Gretchen into her seat and then quickly loaded all of our bags and belongings into the trunk. When I returned to the car to buckle the kids into their seats, I found Reese situated in the middle of the backseat, so that she could keep an eye on her baby sister. As we drove away, Reese kept me informed of everything that Gretchen was doing. At one point Gretchen started crying and Reese began to sing a song that she made up as she went. I was so proud listening to her singing about her sister being a beautiful girl and telling her to go to sleep. When we got home, she wanted to immediately get Gretchen out of her seat and into her bed. I convinced her to leave her be since she was already sleeping and asked her to help me get some things organized around the house. She gladly helped me to go through all of her old baby clothes and sort them by type (onesies, dresses, pajamas, outfits). When we were finished with that, she also helped me to get out and clean all of the bottles and feeding items. We finally left the house the other day to get a few groceries. All three kids were sitting in the backseat and again Reese was more than happy to help out. She started again by giving me a report of every move that Gretchen made. Then she decided that Gretchen was too warm with her blanket covering her. Two minutes later, she was cold and needed the blanket back. Then she started to cry, so I gave Reese the bottle and asked her if she could feed her. Aidan was devastated that he did not get to help, but was satisfied that he could give her the binky when she finished her bottle. Gretchen did not eat the bottle very well, so Reese gave it back. Then she started to cry again and Reese wanted to try the bottle again. She just had to be doing something with Gretchen the entire ride into town. Randy and I have been wondering what to expect of the car trip we have planned to Indiana (6 hours away) to see family in a few weeks. I'm almost thinking that we could go without any of our usual road trip paraphernalia (video games, movies, crayons, books and toys) because the kids will be so busy watching, playing with and helping with taking care of Gretchen.

Gretchen's Birth Story

Randy had left early on the morning of Thursday, June 7th, leaving the tv on for the kids to watch so that they would not wake me. I got up around 7 and found both kids in the living watching tv. We snuggled and watched tv for awhile, like we usually do until we are ready to eat. While I was preparing cereal for the kids, I had to stop to catch my breath during a powerful contraction in my stomach. We finished eating without incidence. I was feeling extremely tired, so rather than go outside to play, I convinced the kids to go to the basement toy room to play so that I could rest on the couch. The kids kept trying to ask me questions and show me things, and I answered incoherently and watched with one eye open. I felt another contraction or two, but they were very far apart. Eventually, both kids ended up getting their pillows and blankets and lying next to me just watching cartoons. I felt horrible because it was Reese's birthday and I wanted her to have a special day, but I just could not stay awake! Around 10:30 I decided that I needed to start getting ready for my doctor's appointment. Reese and I took a shower and got dressed. Then I prepared some lunch. When we had finished eating, I packed the kids into the car to drop them off at grammy's while I went to the doctor. I dropped them off a little early so that they would have time to play with their cousins rather than just going straight to nap. I drove into town as I had a little bit of time to run a few errands before my doctor appointment. As I was walking the aisles, I noticed that I was hanging onto the cart more frequently to get through a contraction. Time went entirely too fast and before I had finished my list, it was time to head to the doctor. I checked in and left my urine sample and waited to be called back. When I was called back, I had trouble keeping up with the nurse as I had a contraction walking down the hallway. She took my vitals and asked how I was feeling, and I revealed to her that I had been having contractions. She gave me a gown and told me that the midwife would definitely want to check me. So I put on the gown and waited what seemed like forever for the midwife to come in. When she finally came in, she asked, "Are you ready to have this monster baby?" in reference to the large size baby we were expecting from the previous weeks ultrasound. I said yes and told her that I was having irregular contractions. She checked my belly and listened to the heartbeat and said that she could see the contractions in my belly, which was very reassuring to me. When she checked me, she said that I was dilated to a 4 and about 80% effaced. I asked her when I should call to go to the hospital as I wanted to make sure that I had enough time to get in the antibiotics that I needed for the Strep B which I carry. She said to wait until the contractions were stronger and taking my breath away, because I was able to breathe through them during our visit. She also said that she would warn the midwives on call that I would probably be in in the next day or so. She gave me a check out sheet with instructions to set up an appointment for the next week just in case. While trying to schedule the appointment, there were some difficulties finding a time for an ultrasound, so I called my mom while I waited. I informed her that I was dilated and having contractions and expected to deliver that night. I told her to go ahead and head to the hospital when she was finished with work. When I hung up with her they had finally scheduled a time for an appointment for me the next week. I had planned to stop at a few other stores on my way home, but decided to go straight home to get my things together for the hospital. I called my husband on the way home and informed him that he needed to head home soon or I was likely going to be heading to the hospital by myself. He promised to get home as quickly as he could, he was still 1.5 hours away from home! I called my mother-in-law and asked her if she could drop the kids off at another family members house as I was in labor and headed home to go to the hospital. She agreed and then asked if I needed a ride to the hospital. I told her that her son was headed home to take me, unless I felt that I needed to go before that. When I got home, I finished packing all of the items that I thought I would need for the hospital. Then I gathered a few different things (clothes and swimsuits) to drop off for the kids. I gave the house a final once over to make sure everything was clean and put away. Then I wrapped a gift for a shower we were to attend that weekend. Finally, I sat down to check my email and watch some tv. My husband finally got home around 4:30 and jumped into the shower. By 5 we were in the car and driving to the hospital. I called my mom and she was on her way, she had taken off an hour earlier and was about on pace to beat us there. I called the midwives office and told them that my contractions were 3 minutes apart and much stronger and I was headed to the hospital. The nurse began to question me and made a comment about my previous labor being 10 hours long. I argued back that I needed the antibiotics and barely got them in before my last delivery. She immediately responded that I should get to the hospital and good luck. We pulled into the hospital right behind my mom and entered the emergency room to check in. Though I had pre-registered, they asked me all of the registration questions again and then sent me on to the labor and delivery floor. We made our way to the 5th floor and got stuck behind several visitors before finally making it to the triage room we were assigned. Once I changed the midwife came in to introduce herself. She revealed that they had not been able to find my chart, so she began questioning me about my previous deliveries and hooking me up to the monitors. Finally, a nurse came in and began filling out my information on the computer. Unfortunately there was a glitch and we had to start all over again. We were just about finished when the midwife came in and asked when I was going to tell her about the strep B? They finally moved me to a delivery room and started my IV, stating that they like to have the IV in for four hours before delivery. I was about ready to push and they were talking about making me wait 4 more hours! Then a technician came in to draw blood. He took what seemed like forever! While he was there they talked amongst themselves and realized that the baby would need a heel stick to check blood sugar because of high birth weight anyway, that another stick for Group B strep would not be a big deal. So the midwife said as soon as the technician was done she would break my water. Time seemed to stand still as the technician finished his job and had me check and recheck my name on several vials of blood. He finally left the room and the midwife prepared the hook to break my water. After they broke my water, I shifted to a kneeling position on the bed for a couple of contractions until I felt ready to push. I settled back into a lying position on the bed and began pushing with the very next contraction. After the head came out, they asked my mom if she wanted to catch the baby. She did, so she turned to begin putting on gloves. As she was turned I began to push and she turned back, pulling on her glove just in time to catch the baby and slide it onto my chest. They turned to Randy and asked him if he wanted to announce the sex and he said, "It's a boy!" It was what I expected to hear and then the midwife told him to check again. From his vantage point looking at her from the backside, he mistook the swollen labia as a scrotum and the umbilical cord for the penis, we actually had a girl! Then they wanted to know the name. I looked at Randy to make sure that we were on the same page as we had had second thoughts in the last few weeks, then I announced that she would be Gretchen Lauren. Everybody began to congratulate us and went on and on about what an easy delivery it had been, I only pushed for 12 minutes! I got to hold her while everyone continued their work around us. We got a quick family picture! When they had finished they took her away momentarily to get her measurements, she weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces and was 21 inches long! Finally, everyone left the room and we were alone to just be with our little girl and take in all of the events of the evening. I feel totally blessed with my two guys and my two princesses!