Happy Mother's Day and Baby A at 4 Months Old

Happy Mother's Day!  

I've had a great Mother's Day.  John went out of his way to make my day peaceful and special - cards, roses, new picture frames, breakfast, and no dishes!  Thank you!

(For pictures of the baby, scroll down)

Today, I am extremely grateful for all the mothers in my life.  My mother is wonderful.  I could give you lists and lists of reasons why she is amazing, but I think it's summed up as she loves me unconditionally, seeks for me to the best me possible, supports me, laughs with me, and is my friend.  I love that we talk almost daily, laugh about random things, and are great friends.  In a state where I've felt very isolated from deep friendships, it's been wonderful having her nearby - the person that I love doing nothing with!  I also love that she's an extremely wonderful example to me and reminds me what motherhood is truly about, especially on the hard/frustrating days.  I love you Mom!

I've been very blessed to have many other great mothers as examples in my life.  My grandma is awesome - she is an example of charity and sweetness in a way that I wish I was more like.  My mother-in-law constantly provides a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, and an example of unconditional love and service.  I love my relationship with her and the fact that she considers me a daughter and treats me like one of her own! 

As to my other "moms", they include my friends' parents (especially Ma Miller) and the wonderful women at church I grew up with (Kim, Jayna, Sis. Wirth, Sis. Olsen, Sis. Knight, Sis. Gillis, and everyone else!), I'm grateful that they have given guidance, been examples of Christ-like love, and provided mothering when I've needed it and sometimes when I just wanted it.  Especially after Mom and Dad moved from PA and I was still there in the summer, I felt loved, cherished, and like I still had a home in Doylestown.  These women I've looked up to, relied on to show the way, and have enjoyed learning about the qualities of motherhood from. 

Lastly, I am grateful for my family and friends that are moms in their own right that I have been able to call on when I've needed timely advice, watch from a far and see how to parent successfully.  My sister-in-law has done such an amazing job with my nephews and nieces.  She is patient and respectful, caring and giving, and by watching her I've learned how to play with my own children.  My cousin and my cousin's wives (although all younger) have been great examples of me of how to be a "good" mom.  Somehow, these three women (and my sister-in-law) have made motherhood look easy and haven't been afraid to get their hands dirty, play, try new things, and show me that it's possible to be a stay-at-home mom, have more than one kid, and not go crazy.  My friends that have kids daily show me that there are different ways to parent, different ideas to try, and remind me that I'm doing okay and I don't have to be perfect and I'm not totally scarring my children. 

As for me, I love being a mother.  It is challenging in ways I would have never guessed three years ago when Lil' D was only 4 months old.  The joy I feel in little things is exponentially maginfied when watching Lil' D or Baby A reach a milestone or discover something new on their own.  The worry and concern I feel is heightened in ways I could have never imagined before becoming a mom.  Motherhood is great! 

Now - for what I know most of you read this blog for - news about the kids. 

Baby A turned 4 months old on May 3rd.  She is getting big!  She's able to coo and will giggle occasionally, smile before I smile at her.  Baby A is holding and grabbing everything - especially my hair - and discovered her toes this week!  I think she's teething because she is gnawing on everything.  She continues to like tummy time, car rides (as long as she's not hungry) and is scooting around on her back anytime you put her on a flat surface.  Here are some pictures of her:

 

Lil' D is pretty much the same - I'm still struggling with him being 3 and he's still precocious.  Lately his reason for doing anything is because he's a big brother.  For example, "I can drink out of a big cup, because I'm a big brother." Or, "I can wear your shoes, because I'm a big brother."  I find it adorable!  He loves Baby A and is very gentle with her.     

Update

Wow -

I can't believe it's been over two months since I wrote a real post.  I can do many things one handed, I am even a fairly good typist one handed, but actually writing something that resembles sentences is difficult when I'm one handed, which I am most of the time now. 

Life in the Schlesser house continues to evolve and change daily.  Baby A is wonderful.  Her eating and sleep schedule are constantly changing and evolving and suprisingly I'm not stressed about it yet.  I know that in about 2 weeks the doctor will tell me it's time to try to get her on a schedule, so I'm not even bothering yet.  She is a great sleeper (so different from Lil' D), and sleeps from about 10:00 - 11:00 pm to when John leaves at around 6:30 - 7:00 in the morning.  She's alert, smiling and even giggling at me, holding her head up like a champ, rolling from her tummy to her back, and grasping things and putting them in her mouth. 

Baby A received her name and blessing (we don't do baby baptism in our church, instead we give babies special blessings and officially record their names) on April 7th.  It was beautiful.  I was especially grateful that we had so many family members there to support us.  My brother, sister-in-law, and nieces and nephews came for a visit and were there for the blessing.  My brother-in-law, Mama, and Mom and Dad were also there.  Baby A cried the entire blessing, so it was short, but she was told some amazing things.  One of my favorite things she was promised was a testimony to know her Savior.  It was a special day.  Here's my favorite pictures from the day: 

Lil' D is definitely 3.  3 is HARDER than 2 years old.  And, when you have two opinionated parents and have been taught to say what you think, it makes it harder on Mommy.  Currently I'm struggling with nap-time, whining, and yelling.  Suggestions?  Luckily there are WAY MORE wonderful moments with Lil' D than there are frustrating ones.  I am constantly having to remind myself that (to quote Mama) "This to shall pass" and remember the sweet way Lil' D just helped me with Baby A or the funny thing he said or creative way he did something.  The 90% of the time he's great sure does help with the 10% when I want to throw him out a window. 

February and March flew by - the only super exciting thing that happened to us is that Lil' D went to the emergency room after biting through his lip.  He was a trooper, and it's much better, but John and I were VERY grateful Mom and Dad live so close to us so they could watch Baby A.  We all enjoyed Easter and General Conference Weekend.  Spring break was a lot of fun - the big kids were here, we got to see Aunt Becky and Uncle Andre for a couple hours, and then next week my brother's family was in town.  This now means that Baby A only has 1 uncle left to meet (come on and visit Uncle Dan!) and she's meet everyone!

That's it from here - I'll try to post more often - that is when I get two hands free... technically I should probably be cleaning somethings, sleeping, or cooking, but.... :)

Updated Photo Books

Hello!  Time to type on the computer has been tough to get lately...
I will try to catch up on our lives in the next week or so.  In the meantime, enjoy these photo books about Christmas and Baby A's 1st two months!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMWrhq0ct2Hk

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMWrhq0ct2HX

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've always loved Valentine's Day.  My mom and dad did a great job growing up making this day a day about family and love within our home. Mom always had candy in these cute little hearts, heart shaped food, and of course, the SUPER KISS (made from rice krispie treats - so good!).  Dad always made sure (up until I got married) that I had a special Valentine's Day card just from him.

My nieces and nephews have always been great about sending me a valentine (thanks Jen!) and I've loved them.  I also have really enjoyed Valentine's Day in my classrooms.  It's been fun.  

Now, Lil' D is just starting to understand what holidays are for, and Baby A is clueless, so I haven't gone all out yet.  But, we did make Valentines for our family and then send them pictures.  This is the generic Valentine from Lil' D and Baby A to all of the rest of you:

We also made some delicious chocolate covered strawberry cookies (thank you pinterest) and made a special steak dinner for Daddy.  It was a fun day! 

These pictures are when Lil' D broke down in laughter while we were taking the Aunts and Uncles Valentine pictures - he's adorable!

Baby A - 1 Month

Our littlest one has been here for a month!  We took some pictures of her on Sunday (when she was exactly 1 month old).  At one month she is:

• very alert and loves looking at when you when you talk
• tracks objects and people by turning her head and moving her eyes
• able to find her hands and shove them in her mouth
• enjoying tummy time (especially when Lil' D shows her how it's done)
• letting Mommy sleep 3 - 5 hours at a time at night! 
• enjoying her first couple of short baths
• liking car rides
• does NOT like gas of any sort!

I can't believe how big she is! These pictures were taken in MY old red dress!  Thanks Mom!

Witn Daddy!

Proud big brother!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

 I can't believe our Lil' D is 3 years old (and has been for over a month)!  With Baby A making the scene, I've been looking back at Lil' D's baby books.  The time has flown. When he was born, he was SOOO tiny (4 lbs, 1 oz):

Lil' D in the NICU

At a year, he was all smiles and laughter!

At two, he started to talk up a storm!

And at 3 he's interested in everything and telling everyone all about it! 

Lil' D had 2 birthday celebrations!  He had asked for a cake with candles for his birthday and for people sing to him.  So, with me in the hospital on his birthday, we did just that!  My mom decorated a strawberry (his pick) birthday cake with the number 3 on it (thank you Pinterest for the idea), we gathered around and sang, quickly lit the candles, and watched as Lil' D joyously blew them out! 

The next Saturday, after I was home, we had his REAL party.  Big Sister and Big Brother came down for the weekend, along with Grandma Dee and Uncle Jim.  Grandma and Grandpa Ahrens came over and we celebrated by eating pizza, playing games with the balloons, and opening presents.  Lil' D loved the construction vehicles (an excavator, front loader, and dump truck) from the grandparents and Uncle Jim, Elepfun, a Little People school bus, books, and clothes from Mommy and Daddy, and an awesome outfit from big sister!  We had ANOTHER cake - dirt cupcakes in a new dump truck!  We decorated them ourselves - but here's the cake. 

Lil' D at three loves lots of things and does so many cute things, it would take forever to list them.  I do have an interview with him, that I'm sure I'll get around to transcribing and posting someday, but not today!  :)

Our little girl is here!

On January 3, 2013 we welcomed our little baby girl into the world!  She was born at 8:08 am and weighed 7 lbs 11 oz.  She is beautiful!  She is a good baby and we love having her home.  I'll post her birth story later - I'm tired - but all in all things went VERY well, very different than Lil' D's.  Lil' D is handling changes well and loves his little sister.  He continues to remark that "she's so tiny" and "Baby A is out of Mommy's tummy".  

Life is good and we feel extremely blessed that things went so well and that our little one is growing and healthy!  Two weeks have flown by - we can't believe how alert she's getting!  Now if I could get more than 2 hours of sleep...  :)

Click here to view these pictures larger

Getting caught up

Hello!

Well, I didn't make my goal of having everything updated before New Years Day didn't happen...

I'll post on Baby A in a couple of days!  For now, enjoy looking at what we did this summer and fall through wonderful Shutterfly books!

July through September
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMWrhq0ct2Fs

September through November
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMWrhq0ct2F9

Random thoughts...

Well, since I'm pretty sure I'm the only who still reads this, here are some random thoughts I've been having lately.  Most of them are not interrelated (hence the term random).

1) Maternity clothes are frustrating.  They are over priced, not that cute, and when you only need them for a month because your "big girl" pants fit again, you don't really want them, but the are REALLY comfortable.  I'm hoping that I'll be able to make the next month with the 4 pairs of pants I had from Lil' D and the 3 shirts.  Luckily my sister gifted me with a TON of clothes before she moved and several of the sweaters were over sized...

2) Politics and politicians and all of the newscasters (both mainstream and other) bug me.  I don't understand their lack of understanding.  I am confused by the vote of the American people in November.  I'm not really talking about the President either.  Congress had single digit approval ratings, hasn't been able to pass a budget or accomplish 1 good thing in the last 24 months, and MOST of them got re-elected?  How is that even possible?  Why don't people understand that even more so than the president that congress is responsible for laws?  No budget? - a congressional problem.  A thousand page bill passed before anyone actually read it?  - a congressional problem.  The list could go on forever, but I will not bore you with my frustrations - except this:

Why can we not civilly break apart problems we have and tackle them one by one?  Why does everything have to be included into these super-bills that on the surface start out as reasonable, but then get so out of control NO ONE can vote for them in good conscience?  Take, for example, the health care bill that will be the LARGEST tax increase on ALL Americans (so saith the supreme court - not the spin doctors - a fact that was ignored in the election, for which I don't understand...).  In it there are some great parts that I fully support - especially the room for nursing/pumping mothers at work.  After Lil' D was born, I had to pump in the most embarrassing places.  No privacy, no locks on doors, it was no fun.  So, instead of packaging this up with a TON of other nonsense (I'm still very irrate that I have to pay for EVERYONE'S contraceptives at a hunderd percent next year - yup my premiums and copays all went up and according to our health company it's because of having to cover contraceptives and other new services at 100% - I had to pay for mine with a copay for YEARS! - give me a break!) we either say it's all or nothing.  Wouldn't it have made more sense to break apart this 1000 page bill (that no one read) and vote issue by issue on things?

Lest you say that I am totally naive and don't understand the way the system works, I highly disagree.  Even with being on a media strike for the last 18 months (which I will probably continue until I'm not so frustrated with the lack of real news being reported), I have watched and participated in the political system for almost 20 years.  I know how congress can and should be run.  I'm the junky that used to watch C-SPAN so I knew what was going on and the faces of our leaders.  I just think that we are all so biased and brainwashed that we can't admit that other people might have good ideas and that we should take things little by little.  Sheesh.  Enough of that...

3) I love being a stay-at-home Mom.  Several times over the last couple months Lil' D and I have been doing something completely benign and I've thought to myself "I'd be missing this if I were at work."  I love extra snuggle time, stories, making a crossing arm go up and down for 30 minutes just because we could, laughing at new words, talking about everything, and singing.  Would I still have some of these experiences if I were still in the library or classroom?  Probably.  Would I be able to give the TIME needed to them?  Probably not.  After my experience this spring I have realized more than ever that I, personally, cannot be a good teacher and a good mother (not to mention a half-way decent wife or homemaker) at the same time.  Small people demand and deserve attention and your time.  When' I'm focused on one, I can't focus on the other the way I know I should.  My ability to focus on work suffered significantly after Lil' D was born.  The year I worked after was the most difficult thing I've ever done because I knew I wasn't doing justice to any of my rolls.  Many moms can juggle both, I've decided that right now, I'm just not one of them.  I also think society has perpetuated this lie that women can and should have "it all".  Is it really having it all when you are constantly feeling like you're torn in 800 million pieces?  I think women can "have it all", just not at the same time.  I'm starting to learn that times and seasons are not a bad thing.  I'm extremely grateful that John's job allows me to stay home and that I have a great job on Friday's when John is home that covers our needs and even some of our wants. 

That's it for now!  I'd love to here what other people think about any of the above randomness. I'm still trying to get pictures up from our the rest of our summer and fall.  I may just call it a wash - we'll see!  AHHH!

May and June - Phew!

Okay - I know that I'm REALLY behind on posting, but my goal before Christmas is to have the rest of the year updated.  Also, beware that I've had a lot of randomness going on in my head so there might be less cute pictures of Lil' D in the next few post and more crazy thoughts from yours truly dealing with motherhood and America - the two things that are keeping me up at night. 

The end of May was crazy with work and then a whirlwind trip to PA.  It was amazing to be a part of one of my favorite teacher's celebrations and was MUCH better than a class reunion would have been.   I'm so grateful that the Hopkins let us stay with them and that I got to spend so much time with Heather (which is NEVER enough)! 

Getting to spend a day with Ron and Jen and their family was icing on the cake! 

This book highlights the rest of our May and June! 

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMWrhq0ct2FO

Grandpa's 90th Birthday!

My grandpa turned 90 on June 2nd of this year.  In May, we arranged an almost surprise birthday celebration for him.  The extended family traveled literally from all over the country (Washington State, Utah, Idaho, Virginia, Kentucky, and New Jersey) to get to Manitowoc, WI.  Most of us were there for less than 48 hours, but we had a blast! 

On our way up - John and I stopped in Chicago with Lil' D and went to the cemetery where John's grandparents were buried.  We also were able to stay over night and catch up with our dear friends the Mladineos! 

Instead of posting a million pictures of the event - check out the Shutterfly book I about the event! 

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMWrhq0ct2E5

It was a WONDERFUL time.  My grandpa has long been one of my favorite people and I'm so glad we were able to celebrate and have a party for him!  He's already been asking what we're planning for his 100th! 

GRADUATION! Hooray!

After two years of constantly taking 2 or more classes per semester, on May 5, 2010 John officially graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Technology. We couldn't be more proud of him!  The last two semesters were annoying and I'm bursting with pride to say that John stuck it through, got good grades, and ended on a high note! 

John waving to us from the graduate seats as we were up in the nose bleeds - luckily James has a REALLY good lens!

As a side note - I didn't even know you could bedazzle the cap - I wish I had!  I would have added something really crazy to John's.  Any suggestions?   

On campus with the famous Daniel Boone statue

John and Lil' D

All three of us

Lil' D wearing the Happy Graduation Hat

Grandma Dee, James, Mom, Dad, Lil' D, and I all got to go to the graduation ceremony at EKU.  It was memorable enough that when we drive past the Colosseum  Lil' D goes "Daddy - Happy Graduation!".  He also likes to wear the "Happy Graduation Hat!" and play with the tassel.  All in all, graduation went well and John is taking a well deserved and well needed break from school for a while! 

As a bonus, we went to Orange Leaf and ate delicious frozen yougurt as a special treat AND we got to keep the cap and gown!  :) 

Bloomington Bound

The last weekend in April we traveled to Bloomington, Indiana to see my sister (Jen) and her husband (Dan) before Dan graduated from IU and the headed to Utah for Dan's job the second week of May.  The weekend was a lot of fun, but WAY TOO SHORT! We got some great Chinese food our first night there, help Jen and Dan pack the next morning, walked around IU's beautiful campus and went in the art museum, and then helped Jen get somethings packed up from her classroom.  Mom and Dad showed up and we did a little more packing, ate dinner at this fancy-but-tasty burger joint, played games, went to church the next morning, and then came home.  It was a busy weekend, but one I'm glad we got!  Who knows when we'll get to see them again! We were really busy, so there aren't a ton of pictures.

On another note, Uncle Dan and Aunt Jen taught Lil' D the Stormtrooper's March (now he's really ready for BYU football games) and he's still singing it 4 months later!  

Clock on Campus

One of the statues on campus

Lil' D figuring out how the revolving door works - his favorite part of the Art Museum

Beautiful IU Campus!

Trip to Vinceness, Indiana

The second week in April, John, Lil' D and I went to Indiana.  John's mom (Grandma Dee) and grandma and multiple generations back are from Vinceness.  When John's grandma (Grandma Shouse) died last summer, she wanted to be buried along with Grandpa Shouse at a time when the most people could make it for the burial.  The burial was held in conjunction with her high school class reunion.  It would have been their class's 75 reunion.  The entire Schlesser clan and the entire Cochran clan (John's cousins) were able to be there for both the burial and the reunion.  Lil' D LOVED being around his aunt and uncles and around family.  It was a quick trip, but a good one for the family.  I finally got to meet John's cousins! 

The extended family: John, me, Andre, Becky, Dorival, Grandma Dee, Lil' D, Fatima, James, Nancy, Jeffery, Renee, Aunt Joey, Nancy's son

Grandma and Grandpa Shouse's burial was very interesting for me.  They were part to the Masons and Order of the Morning Star, and Grandpa was part of the army.  Grandma Dee, Becky, Andre, and James were in full military regalia.  Becky and John played Taps and Grandma Dee, Andre, and James were 3 of the 4 flag bearers. 

Trying on Uncle Andre's hat

Adorable!

Uncle James' is TOO BIG!

 John's Dad is also buried in the family cemetery.  Lil' D was fasinated by the headstone because it he recognized the last name and the letters.  You can see him pointed them out to Uncle Jim (who he never let get far away from him the entire day).

 Lil' D also enjoyed playing Aunt Becky's trumpet.  We all enjoyed seeing Aunt Joey! 

Mama and Aunt Joey