Round #3

January 27:
Took a pregnancy test because I 'was sure' I was pregnant and it was false. 

February 2:

Sam pressured me into taking another one even though I was positive I was not pregnant. I had never failed a test when I was actually pregnant before. I almost fell over I was so shocked. It seriously took me a few weeks to convince myself I was really growing a baby.

March 15:

Got the first glimpse of the little gummy bear on the ultra sound machine. My doc also reveals that since Sam will be a third year med student by the due date, he can deliver baby peanut. 

May 13:

Tic Tac Toe - Three in a row!

Another girl is on her way!

July 19:

The Costco lady tells me it's a boy. She claims to have worked at an Ob/gyn office and said her accuracy was better than the ultra sound machines. Her witch doctoring as me wondering enough to let Sam practice his ultra sound skills on me. See, the Ob/gyn rotation does have its perks. We shall see once and for all in August!

October 10:

Baby Braden's ETA. As of now her name is Tinkerbell; Bailey is pretty determined and since Sam and I can't agree...who knows? Now to see how punctual she is.

Eighteen Months

This is super late because of our California trip and my procrastination on calling to actually make the appointments, but nonetheless the girls eventually made it to their check ups and all is well. Hazel is still as petite as can be. We have seen a different resident at the clinic for her past 3 check ups and each one spends a substantial amount of time convincing me that her weight doesn't appear to be a problem because she looks healthy, proportionate and doesn't get sick very often; the reality is they are probably trying to convince themselves since Sam and I have zero concerns with it. Out of the five girls in my family I am the large one so petite is written into her DNA. 

Height: 30.91 inches - 14%

Weight: 19 lbs 9.2 oz - 10%

Head Circumference: 46.8 cm - 59%

This child may have a little bit of short baby syndrome going on. She may be small, but she can definitely be a bully if she needs to be. When Bailey and her get into a fight, Bailey is almost always the one that runs away crying. She will growl at a stranger, both adults and kids, if they even look at her and say hi. The growling increases ten fold if she is eating a treat and she feels threatened at all that they may try to steal some. Needless to say we aren't the best at sharing yet.

She has a few different words in her vocabulary. She says Mom, Dad, Thank You, Please, uh-hu and a few more. They all come out in a very soft, high pitched voice. She is also a champion pointer and is more than capable of making her wishes known. Her comprehension is also impeccable. She understands almost anything that I tell her to do and will usually obey. Unless of course she doesn't want to in which case she will tell you No.

She has developed a few fears. She was terrified of water for awhile and giving her a bath was like trying to bathe a cat. It was horrible. But after a few hours at the water park she was miraculously cured. We were also recently driving down a huge hill on our way to downtown and she started screaming and crying. I turned around to look at her and she was grabbing at her seat and shaking in fear. Apparently big hills are also not her thing.

She is Bailey's little mini me. Anything Bails is playing with, she has to play with too. She follows her around like a little puppy and mimics all of her crazy jumping, running, racing, dancing, and singing antics. It goes just fine until Bails climbs up on the couch and somersaults or jumps off...Poor Hazel. She is getting faster at running, but always loses, which is probably for the best since Hazel hasn't developed that competitive edge yet and Bails usually breaks down in tears at even the thought of losing.

Hazel is still my little treat eater. We just rid the whole house of candy and sweets because she had gotten to be pretty stubborn about holding out for what she wanted to eat. If candy is not in sight however she is a pretty good eater. She will eat almost anything if the timing is right.

As much as she loves to follow Bails around all day, she is also my little independent girl. I will often times find her off in Bails room reading books or doing puzzles by herself. Bailey seems to always be glued to my hip, but Hazel can disappear for an hour or so at a time and just play quietly by herself as long as Bails can leave her alone.

We just love our little Hazel-roo. Sam always calls her my little mini and says she has my personality to a T. She is so funny to watch. When she gets angry at Bails you can see her stewing in the corner while she thinks about her next move. Then she will come charging, take a few swings or steal back the toy she wants and then just take off running to safety. I try hard not to laugh hysterically and parent the situation, but it is as funny as it sounds and hard to keep control.  We just love you Hazel.

Off Roading...

The girls are obsessed with their buzz car. Bailey used to get free reign on it after Hazel climbed the water table and flipped backwards, but she has recently let bygones be bygones and now they have to share. Don't let all those smiles fool you; the entire ten minutes they were riding around all I could hear was Bailey hollering...

"No, no Hazel, turn" 

"Mom hurry come help us" as they ran into every bush, plant and tree

"Oh no we are climbing the mountain" as the car traveled up/got stuck on the small hill in the corner of the yard

"Mom, we are stuck"

 

All of this was going on while Hazel was either giggling up a storm, or making her incessant low toned whine.

First Day of School

After a full 10 days off, and a week of orientation our Daddy Sam actually made it home from his first day of 3rd year before bedtime! So of course we took advantage and did the traditional first day of school handshakes (even if they happened after school instead of before). The girls decided to sport their princess backpacks so they could be just like Dad, even though Bails was incessant that Sam's bag was not, in fact, a backpack.

 They are already little pros at handshakes and posing...

 Hazel thought it was so hilarious, but she was also ready to put on her serious face when it came time to actually snap the picture.

I just love my cute little family.

Little People

It may be a childhood right of passage to fill your fingers with little people...

 It is also important to have the village people over for dinner.

And most of all, it is best to cross all of these milestones while you are supposed to be getting ready for bed.

Fourth of July

Our fourth celebration started nice and early with the neighborhood breakfast and parade. The girls rode their bikes over and made it about half way before they decided to just run while we carried them along. We ate our pancakes, jumped in the bounce house, and ate some treats then headed back home. Bails ran the whole way so we stopped in to get a drink (and a Mommy potty break) before we headed back out to meet Daddy at the church for clean up. When we came back outside we were pleasantly surprised to see that Grandma Pam had finally returned. Bails was elated. We looked at every bug, acorn, rock, plant and tree on our walk back to the church. We made it to the end of the block before we got a call that Sam had finished unloading the tables and chairs and returned home. And that is when we started our slow trek back home. By this time we were all hungry for lunch so we headed to the Noodle place. Bails enjoyed her three course meal.

 Then I begged everyone to take me to the candy store. I had been craving cotton candy since our Disneyland visit and finally decided to just give in and eat some. We arrived to find this. Let the record show that if my hands were small enough to fit through those slots I probably would have just grabbed a bag and thrown some money onto the floor to pay for it. My mood after this was a mix between heartbroken and angry.

 We spent the afternoon napping and getting ready for our big get together with the Archibalds. We headed over for a little bbq dinner. Yummy kabobs, watermelon, corn, hot dogs, salad, and trifle. Can you tell my kids were most excited about their special drinks? Who would have guessed that a little bit of V8 splash could make anyone so happy.

 They also did eat a little bit of their food.

 And by food I mean ketchup.

 Then it was time for the tank wars. The Braden's were not so great. We were all defeated by the super Claire.

 Then the kids ran wild while we cleaned up and played a few games. As soon as it got dark we headed outside for the mini fireworks show. I was ready for the girls to hate it and start bawling from the loud noises, but they both loved it and Bails asks every night for more fireworks.

Happy girls on a Happy fourth. Such a long, but fun day celebrating our great country!

Sister Love

There is nothing better than jumping on the bed, especially when it is sheet wash/change day.

And sometimes you need a rest cuddle after all of that jumping.