It's Been A Month

I can't believe it has been a whole month since I last posted. I had every intention of posting more often; but with this last month of craziness, time just slipped away. I only have a few minutes right now since I have to take Joseph to the bus stop soon. Last Thursday, April 14, 2011, Andrew turned seven months old! The passage of time sneaks up behind me every month, surprising me with its velocity. Since I only have a short time, I will quickly post my comparison pictures now, and try to come back later to write about what has been going on.

Joseph: December 5, 2004


Nicholas: March 12, 2007


Ethan: March 18, 2009


Andrew: April 14, 2011

Heart-Melting Moment

Last night, Ethan was sitting by me on the couch. I was working on a word puzzle, he was playing with his Leaptop computer. His computer is personalized with his name, so the character can "talk" to him.
While playing with his computer, Ethan was asked, "Who is your best friend, Ethan?"
Ethan reached over, patted my knee and answered back, "Mommy."
It was the sweetest thing! He wasn't paying any attention to me directly, but gave such a sweet answer to his computer. Made me smile and warmed my heart.
I love that kid so much!

Fort Luty

The boys tried to make a fort out of the cupboard under the kitchen sink. When I pulled them out kicking and screaming, I found an alternative which has served them very well. Their one requirement was complete darkness, and when I suggested having their fort under the desk, it wasn't dark enough for them. So I closed them in with a heavy blanket and they were in fort heaven!


It's funny that they want complete darkness in their fort...they won't go to sleep at night unless the door is open and the hall light is on! Ethan has even complained about it being to dark at nap time, during the day! Crazy kids! Gotta love 'em.

He Did It!

Andrew rolled over from his back to his tummy this morning! It was very exciting. He's been rolling over from tummy to back since a month and a half old, but he finally rolled over the other way today.
So it's only been the one time, but I'm guessing that once he gets the hang of it, he will be rolling all over.
He is trying to get up on his hands and knees as well....I've seen his belly get off the floor for a fraction of a second, but he ends up just scooting himself backward! He's so cute.
He LOVES his new book; it tastes great!

Yesterday, I read "Oh Say Can You Say" by Dr. Seuss to Nick. It is a book of tongue twisters. I was trying to explain what a tongue twister was by giving an example. I said, "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. How many pecks of pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?"
Nick said, "Ten."
So I tried another one. "How much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"
Nick said, "Eight."
I gave up. I was laughing too hard to go on. I couldn't explain that I wasn't looking for an answer, I was trying to demonstrate a tongue twister. He enjoyed the book anyway.

Ethan is running around the house lately shouting, "Wah wah wah waaaaaaahhhh" No, those aren't crying noises; they're karate noises. He's kicking his legs and punching his fists at everything around here. He's too funny.

Joey is doing well in school. We've got parent/teacher conferences coming up the week after next. I'm a little sad because I don't get to go this time. Nick is going to take a few minutes of work so he can go. He never gets to do those "parenty" things like doctor's appts and conferences because he is always working, so he gets to have a turn. Joey loves to read and is enjoying his math as well. He has difficulty with subtraction sometimes, but I think he just needs to take more time, instead of rushing through it. He doesn't always pay attention to what is being asked. His biggest issue is time management; he doesn't focus on his work. He gets distracted very easily, and not just by outside influences. His own mind will distract him. And not just with school work; I will have to remind him every couple minutes to keep getting dressed. By the time he is finally dressed, twenty minutes has gone by! It can be very frustrating. But it is exciting to see him learn and grow.

It's lunch time around here, so I better go make noodle soup; the kids are starving! (I rarely feed them, you see.)

Six Months Flies By

I say it every time...but time flies by, seemingly at the speed of light. Looking at my kids and how they have grown, it astounds me that they were ever so little, and at the same time that they are not so little still.
Andrew has reached a huge milestone; six months old! Six months ago, I was sitting in the hospital anxiously awaiting his arrival. I was so impatient; he was taking his own sweet time coming. I had a schedule, and he was not cooperating. Of course, neither was the doctor, so I can't blame Andrew entirely. Once he was finally in my arms, the timing didn't matter so much. I was surprised with how tiny he was! He sure didn't stay tiny for very long!
Andrew had his check up today and everything went well. He is 18 lbs 12 oz (which is only 2 oz more than he was at his four month check up), putting him in the 75th percentile. He was measured at 27 3/4 inches, still above 90%. He is sitting pretty well, until he starts falling over...he can't correct himself yet. He is holding his bottle by himself and reaching for everything and bringing it to his mouth. All of these are good development markers. He got a book for being six months old to encourage reading and vocabulary development.
He hasn't been feeling all that well today after getting shots, which is to be expected, but he is extra cuddly, so I can't complain. We will be setting up his crib in the computer room this weekend, so he will soon be in his own room. I will miss having him so close, but am looking forward to having the space by my bed back. Now if I can only get his three brothers to sleep in their rooms!

Before I go, it is customary for me to show each of the kids at this stage, so here are the four Luty boys each at six months old.

Joey was my little lover baby, and in this picture was having quite the conversation with me!


Nick was such a ham, and from the very earliest of ages, showed himself to be of very strong will. (He still shows his strong-will on a daily basis.)


Ethan was still flaunting those chubby cheeks of his. Even now, we know that his cheeks haven't shrunk at all, he's just finally growing into them a bit.


Andrew, my little Pea-head. (His head looks like one of the VeggieTales French Peas) I love having him around. He makes it worth getting out of bed for. (Not that the others don't...don't get me wrong here.) He is very exploratory right now, always grabbing at what is around him to figure it out. I don't think I will ever understand how the secrets of the universe can be unlocked in a baby's mouth, but apparently it works for them!


Four of my greatest blessings.

Intensity

Andrew does most things with great intensity. If he goes after a toy, he does it with everything he's got. Even in his talking, you can see and hear the intensity. He is adorable! Makes me wonder, though, what we may be in for when he's older.

Five Months Old Today

I don't have much time; Andrew is ready for a nap and is declaring his impatience quite vehemently. However, I wanted to take a moment to show what each of our kids looked like at five months old, as Andrew is five months old today.

To start us off, here is Joey, a sweet cuddler.
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Nick was a bundle of energy, even at five months old.
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Ethan was too adorable with those chubby cheeks.
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Andrew is (except for now, while he's screaming) such a happy baby, content and a precious snuggler.

Note To Daddy

Yesterday while I was gone with Ethan, Joey wrote a note to Daddy. This is what it said:

Dear Dad
I hope you feel better soon. You are a good dad when you do stuff for us. When you sick, you are still a good dayd for all of us. I hope you feel better quick soon.
Good job DaD.
"hug me soon" was written inside a heart.
from Joseph

I Had Such Hopes

I had such hopes of the day turning out well. After my smooth morning, I was anticipating smooth errands.
We dropped Nick off at Urgent Care for another round of IV meds and went straight to the salon for the boys' haircuts. They were very busy, but other than it being a bit hectic, things went smoothly. It was so sweet to watch Ethan on the way out to the truck, because he was turned around waving back at the salon saying, "Bye, sanks" the whole way. (He has such good manners sometimes.)
We headed back towards Urgent Care to wait, for however long, for Nick to be done. While we were just down the street, Nick called to say he was done. Yeah! We didn't have to wait at all.
Errands went off smoothly.
Since it was lunchtime, we headed home. I still had grocery shopping to do, but I was going to do that later in the afternoon, perhaps when the boys (yes, all of them) laid down for a nap. I was planning on taking Andrew and that would give Nick a chance to rest as well, since that is a crucial part of his recovery.
I was going to make Noodle Soup for lunch (Top Ramen) but Nick wanted macaroni and cheese....so I decided to make both. Joey and Ethan would have soup, Nick and Nick would have mac 'n' cheese.
While I had the water coming to a boil, Ethan reached up to point at the pretty, bright orange, glowing burner. He pointed too close. I was right there, and I still could not stop it from happening. Immediately, I wrenched him away and threw his finger under cold running water. It was just the quickest of touches, but that is all it takes. Poor Ethan couldn't even catch his breath, he was screaming uncontrollably. He didn't like the water, but I had to be the mean Mommy that made him keep it under. After that, he didn't want me anymore, he only wanted Daddy.
Since it looked like it could be a third degree burn, I was advised by my wise Mommy to take him to have it looked at, because it could get infected easily.
So, back to Urgent care I went. We were there for over three hours! Ethan was so well behaved, we were entertaining each other as best as we could. At one point, Ethan asked where Daddy was. I told him he was at home. He asked again. I told him, again. He asked a third time. So I said, "Daddy is hanging upside down!" Ethan said, "No way! That's apossible!" I laughed so hard.
But the longer we were there, and the closer he got to seeing the doctor, the more upset he became. Ethan is afraid of going to the doctor. When I told him in the car where we were headed, I asked him to be a big boy for me. But after getting hurt so bad, he can only be a big boy for so long, and they took too long for him to keep it up. I was so proud of him, though. He did his best, and even though the situation wasn't pleasant, I loved spending one on one time with him.
When we left home, it was cool but dry. I didn't bother grabbing coats. When we came out of Urgent Care, it was pouring down rain; buckets of rain. And we still had to do the grocery shopping. In the car was a flannel and one of Nick's pull over coats. I wore the pull over and I buttoned Ethan up in the flannel. I rolled the sleeves up about seven times, and I tied the bottom in a knot to keep it from dragging. We looked great! I realized on the way that I had forgotten the coupons for Costco, so I decided to skid Costco for today, and just hit Freddy's. Ethan was a very big helper; he held the list for me. And every time we passed something, he would say, "Mommy, my see..." He was very observant. What an absolutely precious child he is.
By the time we got home, it was almost 6pm and we had been gone a total of almost five hours! Neither of us had eaten lunch, and I hadn't eaten anything before that either.
Nick was supposed to be resting, but he was stuck watching the other three boys while I was gone. So as soon as I got home, he fell asleep on the couch and got some much needed rest. Hopefully he will be able to sleep better tonight than he did last night.
Well, the first child of the night is up and wanting to rock for a few minutes, so I better go. Motherhood is no 9-5 job; it's 24/7.

Relinquished

I moved away from Oregon in late August of 2006.
I lived in Alaska for just under three years.
I moved to Yakima, WA in July of 2009.
I lived in Yakima for just over one year.
I moved to Rochester, WA in November 2010.
Today, I finally relinquished my Oregon Driver's License for a Washington Driver's License.
Boo. At least I'm legal!
But, it was the least painful thing I have ever done! They didn't even need any of the important papers I brought with me (Soc card, mail with current address, birth certificate, marriage certificate). I didn't even have to fill out an application; they did it on the computer with a few informational questions. I am also now registered to vote for the first time in over four years!

The agenda for the rest of the day:
Drop Nick off at urgent care for another round of IV antibiotics
Take the boys to get their hair cut
Pick Nick up from urgent care
Do the grocery shopping
I wish the rest of the day could be as painless as the beginning.

Date Night

Nick and I had this night planned for a week now; a week of looking forward to some time to ourselves, to focus on "us" rather than the kids. Brent and Kacie very generously offered to watch the boys so we could go out. This is what we planned:
The boys were going to get their hair cut at 5:30pm. Afterward, we were going to pick up a Papa Murphy's pizza to bring home. While we were gone, the boys were going to have pizza with Brent and Kacie, play and show off for them, and then get to have a "sleep over" in the living room. I figured they could lay in bed and watch a movie (hopefully falling asleep in the middle) until we got home.
All day I had been finishing the cleaning; sweeping, unloading and loading the dishwasher, cleaning the downstairs bathroom, taking out the trash, and getting a well timed shower so that I could get hair and make-up done before it was time to leave to pick up Nick.
Everything was cleaned before I took my shower. I was out of the shower and had my hair dried by 3:15pm. Just as I was coming downstairs with my arms full of make-up and hair stuff (I didn't want to be locked in my room for another hour....I had kids screaming downstairs) I get a call from Nick to cancel our date out. He was sick and didn't think he could make it.
So instead of my carefully planned evening, THIS is what we got instead:
Three kids screaming at the top of their lungs while I tried to rearrange the day.
Trying to feed Andrew while getting shoes on Nick, Ethan, and I.
Getting the kids buckled in while waiting for Joey to get off the bus.
Picking Nick up early from work and rescheduling haircuts for a little earlier.
Getting to the salon a half hour before appt to be told by Nick that he had to go to Urgent Care right away...he was feeling awful. Went in to salon to reschedule again for tomorrow morning.
Spending over two hours at Urgent Care with four kids running around the waiting room, just to have Nick come out in a gown telling me to take the kids home, he'd still be awhile.
McDonald's for dinner at 8pm.
A call from Nick saying he had pneumonia, they were giving him a nebulizer treatment and IV fluids as he was dehydrated as well.
A call a little later saying that they had him on IV antibiotics and he would be there for another hour, but they gave him a cab voucher, so he should get home for almost free. He will need to go back for two more IV treatments, but will still be able to fly to Alaska on Sunday.
Three kids on the living room floor in sleeping bags watching a movie.
One baby upstairs in his bassinet, asleep.
One exhausted Mama.
Still waiting for my husband to come home.
And I have a week of "single-parenting" to look forward to next week!

Not exactly the night I was anticipating. We will try to reschedule for sometime after he gets back from Alaska. I'll try not to look forward to it too much. Who knows what may happen!

Have a great weekend and a very happy Valentine's Day!

Growth Breakdown

Okay, so Andrew had his 4 month check up a couple weeks ago and I haven't posted results yet. Andrew is a very healthy grower. He was measured at 25 1/2 inches (I wonder if that was a little short, because he seems bigger to me.) and weighed in at 18 pounds 10 ounces. He is in the 80th percentile for height and over the 97th percentile for weight. We have tried feeding him solid food but he hasn't figured out yet that it is food, so he hasn't eaten more than a few bites at a time. I'm giving it a bit of time before I try again.

At the same age, Joey was 25 3/4 inches tall and weighed 20 pounds 3 ounces, Nick was 26 inches and 15 pounds 4 ounces, and Ethan was 27 inches and 17 pounds. So if you think about it, all four boys have been in the same ballpark; within two inches of each other, and within five pounds. Not only do we make extremely adorable kids, we also make them fairly consistently sized! (Now THAT'S talent.)

As a side note, I must be very tired, because at the beginning of the post, when I was trying to type the word "results", I couldn't figure out why the kept saying that "reSLUTs" was spelled wrong! Bed time!

Kind Of Scary

Oh, I am so scared right now. I love watching my boys dance, and they love to dance. Any time there is music on; a commercial, end credits in a movie, etc., they are always dropping everything to dance.

But when I saw Nick dancing like THIS, I was frightened. That's not to say that I didn't find it hysterical. It reminds me of another dancer around the same age....she had long curly hair, and she danced to "The Bunny Song" from VeggieTales in just her underwear! (Not trying to embarrass you, Ravyn...I thought you were awfully cute then.) Wish I had a way to put THAT video on my blog.

One thing for sure...I can GUARANTEE than Nick didn't learn to dance like that from me!

Unlikely Assistance

Ethan LOVES his bear. He has named him "Bear" or "My Bear." Bear goes everywhere with Ethan. We have to convince him that Bear would be better left at home or in the car than at church, the store, or the restaurant.

Last night, I was making spaghetti for dinner. Nick was working late and I couldn't open the jar of spaghetti sauce. My hands were sore from trying to open it and I just had to take a break. Ethan asked me, "What's wrong, Mom?" I told him that I couldn't open the jar and if I couldn't open the jar, I couldn't cook dinner.

Ethan went to the pantry where he left Bear. He brought him over to me, handed him up to the counter by the paw and said, "Bear opens things."

So I put Bear's paw on the jar under my hand and twisted one more time. Lo and behold, the jar opened! Ethan was ecstatic! All night long, he reminded me, and anybody else who would listen, that Mommy didn't open the jar of sauce, Bear did.

January 14, 2011

Once again we have reached a monthly milestone. Andrew is four months old today. One third of a year old. (Hold on a sec, I'm hyperventilating.) I know it doesn't make sense to anybody else, but I feel the swift passage of time quite acutely.
So let's take a quick visual tour through memory lane.

Chubba Bubba


Cute little Bug


Smiley Riley


Squishy, my AndyDrew

Overload

You may wonder why I always seem to be on overload. So I have given you a small taste. This video demonstrates what my WHOLE day is like. And this was just before 8 o'clock in the morning! It's not the best video quality, but I was going for sound more than visual. Enjoy a taste of my day.

This Is For You, Mom

Ethan was singing "Shake Your Booty" at snack time. It's supposed to be "Shake Your Groove Thing", but when children try to translate from listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks, well, you never know what they're really going to hear. And Ethan's "Shake Your Booty" somehow manages to be about ten syllables, rather than four. So I wanted to get a video of him singing it. I was unsuccessful. However, what I did get instead couldn't have been planned. In just these two tiny seconds, I received the greatest gift; laughter. I could not stop laughing. I could hardly walk up the stairs to show Nick what his son just did. I couldn't stop thinking of my Mom and how she would have loved to see this. Usually, I am reduced to trying to describe an event and leave it up to her amazing visualization. This time; I get to show her!

So this is for you, Mom. Enjoy these two tiny seconds as many times as you want. Believe me, I have already watched several minutes worth of this video and am laughing each and every time. It doesn't get old, to me, at least.

The greatest thing about it, was that Ethan just stood right up and kind of chuckled at himself. He pops right up and laughingly said, "Oh, sorry Mom."

Later, when I got the video uploaded onto the computer, I showed Ethan, over and over and over again. And he was laughing as hard as I was. I hope he keeps that attitude. He seems to have inherited my grace. That, coupled with his complete inhibition is a little scary, but can be oh, so funny, too. I hope he can always laugh at himself. It took me years to learn to laugh at myself, and I spent many a miserable hours watching others laugh at me. When I found to humor in my "gracefulness" I was a much happier person. Now, I'm usually the one laughing the hardest....unless my Mom or sisters are around.

We've Reached That Point...

Andrew is already in 6/9 mos size clothing! Just 3 1/2 months old and in 6/9 mos clothing. He's becoming more aware of his surroundings. He's starting to reach for things close by; mostly my fingers or the collar of my shirt. He is also becoming quite vocal at times. I love to hear him talk. He is not necessarily soft spoken! And there is a clear transition from him talking nicely to getting upset. It is so funny to watch, because there are times when his face looks happy but his voice is not, and there are times when his voice is happy but his face is not! Usually when he reaches that point, he is ready for a nap. By the time I pick him up and sit in the rocking chair, he is out almost before I can start rocking.
Andrew is such a happy, contented baby for the most part. I enjoy him immensely.

Joey went back to school today after Christmas vacation. He enjoyed his time at school, but was in a stew about having homework. He decided that he just wasn't used to doing homework and he shouldn't have to do it anymore. Poor Joey. I'm wondering though, why the homework sent home today was the same homework he had done before going on break. I wonder if there was confusion since there was a substitute, and if different homework will come home tomorrow. We'll see. In any case, Joey has even less of a reason for throwing a fit, as he has already done this homework and it should be that much easier!

Nick has highs and lows, and not a lot in between. In one half hour of time, he can throw the biggest fit about having to clean up, to changing it around and being the most helpful. Usually there is a paid consequence in between, and I'd like to think that he learns his lesson. But he does the same thing the next time it's time to clean up....or whatever the task may be. He can be very defiant and unloving (literally saying things like "I hate this family" and "Do you want me to punch you to death?") to being one of the most loving, cuddly kids, craving attention and affection.

Ethan! I don't think he could squish any more character and personality into that little body of his. He is an absolute riot! He keeps me laughing more than anybody right now. Unfortunately, I'm usually laughing when trying to discipline him...which isn't very effective. You would think that by my third child I would have learned some control. The thing is, as they get older, it is much easier to be ugly when disciplining. But the problem is, that by the time they are old enough for that, they have learned that I'm not an effective disciplinarian (since I laughed for the first few years of their lives) and they don't listen, obey, or respect me...hence, getting ugly!
But Ethan...I wish more people got to see him in his "natural habitat" because he is a ham! When we come to town, he can be funny and outgoing, but he never gets quite to the level that he gets to at home. And if he catches you watching him be funny...he'll stop and get all shy.

Well, even though I may have more to say, I should probably try to get some sleep. Goodnight.

Remiss

I know I have been remiss in my duties of keeping up my blog. I know it has been over a month since I've written anything. And boy, has it been a busy month! Of course, it's the holiday season...you've got to cut me some slack.
But more important, I've been remiss in keeping up with my "comparisons." Andrew turned three months old on the 14th of December and I'm just now getting pictures up. I have just one thing to say; they are most definitely brothers!

Joey was looking good all spiffed up!

Nick had his difficult moments (and it seemed like a lot of them, at the time) but when he was happy, he was the sweetest kid.

Ethan was a happy kid mostly. Even from early on, he showed a tendency to march to his own drum; never following, but forging his own path.

Andrew couldn't get any sweeter. He is such a calm, peaceful baby. He sleeps well at night, and as long as he has someone's attention, he is happy as can be. There are three things he doesn't like; to be wet, to be hungry, or to be alone. Not that he is ever alone, but I mean, if I have to put him down and fix a meal or clean something up (not that that ever happens!) he will scream unless, or until, someone pays attention to him. Even when he gets "floor time", time to wiggle and play instead of being held, he would prefer someone sitting in his line of vision so that he can see he is the center of attention. (He's gonna have to grow out of that!)

So here are all my sons at three months old!
(I will do my best to keep more updated on my blog.)

Don't

Ethan doesn't say the word "don't." So when he eats something he doesn't like, he says, "My like it." You can tell he doesn't like it by the look on his face, the tone of his voice, and his shaking his head back and forth. It's the cutest thing.

One thing I'm trying to work on with the boys is to resolve their issues between themselves. If something is done or said that they don't like, they need to talk it out together, rather than running and telling me every single time. These boys are CONSTANTLY tattling.

Poor Ethan. When I tell him to use his words and tell his brother he doesn't like something, I hear him say, "Please push me. I like it." Of course, what he REALLY meant was "please DON'T push me, I DON'T like it." He's too cute.

And here's proof!