Reagan Turns 3!!

I can't believe we have a three year old! What's even crazier is that we have three kids :-) seriously, the night before his birthday I was thinking about what I was doing three years ago (last date night as just a married couple at Chili's). When I mentioned it to Ryan, he said, "ya, and did you think we'd have three kids by now?"

Anyway, we had a great celebration; although it didn't go completely as planned. Aunt Muff and Barry were supposed to be out here to meet Rylan and celebrate Reagan's birthday. Aunt Muff got really sick and was hospitalized (still is), so they obviously didn't come out. We're just praying now that she pulls through this infection and is released soon.

Ryan took Friday off so we could spend the day together. After Reagan's checkup with Dr. B we headed to the Choo Choo restaurant in Des Plaines for a birthday lunch. It's always fun to visit this restaurant!

After quiet time, we decided to let Reagan open his present from us a day early. It was in the low 60s on Friday and was only in the 40s on Saturday. We wanted him to be able to enjoy his new tricycle in warmer weather. He really liked it, but didn't really care about pushing the pedals. I know he'll get it soon and he'll love riding it this summer!

On Saturday, we had a fun-filled day planned. We took the kids to the Shedd Aquarium for the morning. Reagan loved looking at all the fish. He even got to touch one with daddy.

We had the Lehmanns over for dinner and cake Saturday night. Reagan didn't specifically ask for a Thomas themed party, but he really likes Thomas, so I went with it. I made him a Thomas cake, got Thomas plates, and a big Thomas balloon. He seemed to really enjoy all of it. And of course, he enjoyed opening all of his presents the most!

 I think Reagan really enjoyed his birthday. In fact, today he told me I needed to make him another cake because the Thomas one is all gone. When I explained he had to wait until his birthday, he said "My birthday will be this Saturday and I will be three again." So cute!

We are so blessed to have Reagan as our son, he brings much joy and laughter into our house!

Room Sharing

Tonight marks one week since putting Reagan and Kyleigh in the same room. For the most part, I am happy to report it is going well. They love being together, that is evident by the fact that Reagan asks me everyday if Kyleigh will sleep in the "little bed" tonight. I love how close they are!

The first night they spent over an hour talking to each other. Kyleigh kept saying "Raynay" and Reagan would say "ya." And she'd respond with "Daddy's car." This continued for awhile and I couldn't help but smile (even though it was after 9p when they finally stopped talking.)

It is unfortunate that whenever Reagan wakes up (especially if it's around 6a) Kyleigh is then up also. If one of the kids wakes up in the middle of the night for some reason, the other kid wakes up, too. In fact, this literally just happened. Kyleigh woke up screaming and about 5 seconds later, we heard Reagan's screams. But that's just the nature of the beast whenever two kids share a room.

Nap (or quiet) time is a whole other ball game. It's like musical beds around here. Since Reagan rarely naps these days, I don't want Kyleigh in the room with him during his quiet time because Kyleigh wouldn't nap. So, Kyleigh moves back into her old room and sleeps in Rylan's crib. Rylan isn't on a schedule yet so if she happens to nap at the same time, then she's in the pack-n-play in our room. And Reagan doesn't want to do quiet time in his big boy bed, so he does it in Kyleigh's crib. It's crazy, but that's what we have to do- for now, at least!

Such a Boy!

I can't believe Reagan will be turning 3 in just a few short days. I am daily reminded that I am a Mom to a little boy! I'll give you a few examples from the last week or so.

We are finally starting to thaw from one of the snowiest winters on record (currently in 3rd place, I think). It was in the mid-30s one Friday afternoon and I was dying to get out for a walk with the kids. I bundled us all up and we walked around the block. There was still quite a bit of snow on the ground and Reagan picked up a stick and had fun thrashing the snow with the stick. He continued to hit and pounce the snow and fight with it. It was very comical, to say the least.

After a large amount of snow had melted, we were on yet another walk around the block. 

This time, Reagan thought it would be best to stomp and splash in any puddle he saw. Of course, this is natural for any toddler, boy or girl. However, Reagan took it to all boy level when he picked up dirty sticks, slammed the sticks in the puddle, and swung his arms so wildly that mud flew into the air! I kept trying to move him along and ask him to forget about the puddles, but to no avail. He's a boy and boys like to get dirty!

A new obsession of his are the manholes and sewers in the street. As we walk, he stops at every single manhole or sewer and calls down to the "people" in them. He talks and role plays that he's a fireman that will save them. Or he'll tell me that when he's stuck in a manhole, he'll call for help. Gotta love his imagination.

There is a very sweet side to my little boy as well. It is obvious how much he loves his new little sister. He's always wanting to kiss her head. And even though his "I love you, Rylan" is said in a gruff, harsh, tough-guy voice, the fact that he tells her this daily is evidence how much he loves her.

Reagan and Kyleigh - February 2014

Here are my notes from February 2014:

Reagan:

-Very concered about Ryaln and when she cries

-Often tells me it is time for her to sleep or time to put her in the crib

-Wants me to be with him a lot (when he goes to the basement)

-Had a really rough (behavior wise) week at home after the hospital stint

-Knows his shapes

-Has become needier after brining Rylan home (acts out if I don't give him attention, very lovey toward me, wants to talk to me all the time)

-Talks about the hospital every few days and tells us he's not sick anymore and that's he's not going back

-He's insistent on cleaning his own hands and face after eating

-He's insistent on wiping his own nose with a Kleenex (or hands!!)

-Now has 3 animals he sleeps with - munkin (blue elephant), bear (a dog), and doggie (a dog) and all three need to be on top of his belly with the blanket over him before he'll go to sleep

-Loves to kiss Rylan

-Likes to role play Fireman Sam

-Uses Rylan's swing as his firepole and slides down it (hilarious)

-Almost completely giving up naps (once, maybe twice a week if I'm lucky)

Kyleigh:

-Spitting, stomping her feet, and yelling 'no' when we tell her no or ask her to do something she doesn't want to do

-Blows at everything (cats, Rylan, Reagan)

-A little servant; brings anything to you left around the house to you (ie my water or phone that have been left on the nightstand)

-Likes to bury her face in Atticus' fur

-Wants to be just like Reagan, especially when eating (wants things whole instead of cut up, throws her milk to the ground after Reagan does, has to clean her own hands because Reagan did)

-Doing great with puzzles and says "yay, Kyleigh" after she's done

-Getting much better with identifying colors (gets green, yellow, and purple right most of the time)

-Doing well with instructions (turn this off, go to your chair, throw this away, etc)

-Handling the addition of Rylan fairly well; although wants to sit on my lap when I'm nursing!

-Likes to put her finger in her nose and then say "yucky"

-She likes things in order: chairs need to be pushed in, garbage can closed, doors shut, etc

-Very helpful oriented: brings Scout the cat food when Scout was on the couch and then tried to take a piece of food and feed her!

-Wants to wipe her own nose

-Outwardly stubborn: standing on the table while looking us in the eye, bringing her blanket around the hose, etc

-Loves to kiss Rylan

-Runs into our room every morning and shouts "Rylan"

-Needs to know where Rylan is at all times and is very upset when she cries

My First Week

I really, really wanted to write this last night, but that just didn't happen.  We had 6 kiddos here last night and my littlest needed a lot of attention from 8p-11:30p.  By that time, I was ready for bed and blogging was the last thing on my mind.

So here I am, Saturday night, writing my post about my first week home alone with 3 kids.  Since I'm writing this, then I obviously made it through the week!  It was an emotional roller coaster of a week, but I can honestly say The Lord gave me the strength to get through each day.  I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty details of what I did, but I feel The Lord gave me exactly what I needed to get through each day.

Monday-Wednesday treated me with unplanned visitors.  My visitors stayed between 1-2.5 hours, but it was just enough to help me through the rough portions of the day.  On Thursday, I had Moms Bible Study and then unexpectedly went to Katie's for lunch after.  Friday was Rylan's one month (can you believe she's a month already?!) doctor appointment.  So everyday, there was a little something that broke up the day.  I still spent much of the days at home because our deep freeze of a winter continued.  As I told Ryan, with how cold it's been and trying to keep the kids warm, sometimes it's just not worth the effort to get out the door. 

Surprisingly, I was able to handle dinner fairly well.  Thursday was tough - for whatever reason, all 3 kids decided they needed me right in the middle of preparing.  I was able to handle all of the crying well, but it was still a little stressful.  Thankfully, Ryan arrived home after about 20 minutes of the screaming and gave me some relief!  I purposely planned relatively easy dinners and for the most part, it was a breeze to get our meals prepared.

Something I'm learning about Reagan is that he needs a lot of structure in his life or that's when it all hits the roof.  So, my desire is to have a regular, structured daily routine.  I know I'll need to be flexible, but I want to be predictable for the kids so they can get into a routine as well.  However, this being said, this is a lofty goal for the immediate future.  Rylan's days are anything but predictable and I know I must be flexible with a newborn.  On Monday, my first day, I had this great goal of having the day structured and planned and it didn't happen at all.  That's when I realized I need to give myself a little grace.  Not all days will go according to my plan.  I am happy to say though, that Tuesday through Friday, I was able to succesfully have structure during the day and it made a difference.  It also helped that Rylan likes to sleep most of the day ;-)

A random side note about Friday.  Rylan's appointment was the first time I left the house with a destination that required me to get all 3 out of the car at the same time and walk with all 3 into a building (church doesn't count because I can park the car right in front and leave Reagan or Kyleigh inside the front door while getting the rest of my stuff).  I got Reagan out and told him I was going to carry Rylan in my right hand and hold Kyleigh's hand with my left hand.  Reagan then needed to hold Kyleigh's hand as we walked through the parking lot.  I seriously wish someone was walking behind me and would have taken a picture.  I felt like the mother duck with her ducklings as we walked through the parking lot!

Anyway, back on track here.  The Lord used two people this week to minister to me.  They don't know how The Lord used their words, but I am thankful.  The jist of what they said was "The Lord has you where you are right now for a reason.  He will give you the strength, patience, and endurance to get through each day."  Related to this was the thought to not complain about the situation I'm in.  The Lord has me right where he wants me and I desire to be grateful that I can be home with my kids.  While there are difficult days and moments, I know it's a privilege to be home with them and for that, I am extremely grateful.

I made it!  I know I can do this, even during the hard times.  I like to claim Phillippians 4:13 when I feel weak - "I can do all things through HIm who gives me strength." Praise The Lord!