Thursday, September 29, 2011

Dear sweet baby Jack............
What is going on with you baby boy?? You used to be such a good sleeper, sleeping from 7p until about 4a, eating a bottle then back to sleep until 7am again. And now, bam! Up 4-6 times a night...leaving your Momma VERY sleepy...and this has been going on for over a month now!!!

Ever since you were born, we have followed the same routine...bath, cuddle time, bottle, then bed. You fall asleep most nights around 745p, as your lids become heavy and you finally succumb to sleep. We have always swaddled you tightly, as this is the way you prefer to sleep.  (Brody and Wade hated to be swaddled, and my theory behind this is that they were so squished in my belly the wanted to be free!).  Well, as you have become bigger and stronger, you have kicked and squirmed your way out of my best attempts to keep you tightly nestled in your little coccoon...First the hands, then the feet...we called you swaddle houdini.  OK, so then we realized that maybe you were waking yourself up every hour because you were breaking out, wanted to be re-swaddled...so every hour, as you began to protest your flailing arms and legs, I would re-swaddle you tightly, and would do so each and every time you woke up.  I know, call me crazy, but I thought that is what you wanted.  I then came to my senses and tried putting you to sleep un-swaddled, on your belly, in warmer clothing, lighter clothing, with socks on, without socks, with a paci, without a paci...nothing seems to work.  You are out like a light from about 8p-12ish, and then the fun begins.  You continue to wake up every 1-2 hours, either wanting to eat for a whopping 30 seconds before you drift right back to sleep or you want your paci re-inserted, again falling right back to sleep, leaving your Momma laying there for 15 minutes, trying to fall back asleep, only to be awoken again in an hour or so.  If I do not give in to your sweet needs, you wail like crazy, so I continue to give in.  Because I.  Need.  Sleep.  I know, I am not supposed to be running to your side every time you start to cry, but if I don't, you will really wake up and the process just takes longer.  I feel you are too little to cry it out and I have tried to let you self soothe for 5 minutes or so, but the crying level increases by the minute, and I do not want the whole house to wake up, so I give in and re-insert a paci or let you eat to settle your little belly...and the process just continues.  Some say you are waking up hungry because you are breast fed, and a mommas milk doesn't satisfy hunger as long as formula...so we have even tried giving you formula the past two nights and not a change.  I have come to realize, through my tired state , that we have created bad habits for you, but I do not know where to go from here. 

Any advice blog readers??


Friday, September 23, 2011

Few pics from school!

Once again, I am completly enamored by the teachers at the boys school. They are fantastic...patient, kind, silly, educated and knowledgeable. I feel at complete ease dropping ALL 3 of our kiddos off each morning. The entire staff seems to know each and every child, inside and out. They know their little idiosyncrasies, their temperaments, their quirks...when they are down or happy or feeling under the weather. Their school is like a family...all of the parents know the other parents, kids and siblings, for the most part. When I arrive in the morning and when I leave, I am greeted by at least 10 little voices, "Hi Brody's Mom" or "Hi Wade's Mom" or "Hi Miss Carly"...it is such a special part of my day!! Miss Jamie, Miss Carmen, Miss Jessamyn, Miss Monica, Miss Holly, Miss Cristy, Miss Kim and Miss Emily...Miss Biz and Miss Sara...We appreciate you all!

Thank you all for helping to mold our boys into smart, sweet, determined little guys that they are becoming!

A few pics from this week at school, courtesy of Miss Carmen and Miss Jamie! There were other pics of Jack and his 2 "friends" from the infant class...but I didn't want to post pics on my public blog because I do not know their Mom's yet!
Wade built a tractor...pretty impressive!
B-man painting up a storm, tongue out and all...he loves to paint!
Jack sleeping...melt my heart... and just looking cute!
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And here are pics from Jack's first outing to the playground! Miss Carmen said he was talking up a storm when he touched the sand!
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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

We survived!

JackJack's first day of school with Miss Carmen went perfectly!! The title of the post should read I survived...not we survived...It was a heart wrenching day for the Momma but the babe didn't skip a beat! Miss Cristy sent me pics all day long:
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And she also sent pics of the big brothers!!
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And check out his little foot and hand prints that Miss Carmen painted and all of the sweet pictures she took of him yesterday! Little man isn't even 4 months old yet and is already doing arts and crafts...hehehe:
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And, since I wasn't a mess this morning, I was actually able to take a few pics myself:
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He loves his new school, just as much as Brody and Wade do! We are so blessed................

Monday, September 19, 2011

YaY!

I just got back from a visit with Jack and he was all smiles! He had just woken up from a long nap, polished off 5 ounces and was rocking with Miss Carmen. Oh thank God. That little visit made my whole day better!!!

Jack starts school...

Sweet baby Jack....I dropped you off today for your first day of "school" and my heart is breaking. Somebody else gets to watch you smile all day. Somebody else gets to make sure you are perfectly swaddled. Somebody else gets to feel your contentment as you polish off your bottle. Somebody else gets to hear you giggle and explore your little world...........I am literally breaking inside. I know that we will both adjust in time...heck, you were fine and smiling with Miss Carmen when I left and Ms. Cristy has already sent me a picture of your sweet face, but I am struggling without you little one! I have absolutely NO DOUBT that you will be perfectly taken care of, as there is no where else I would rather you be, if you are not with me...it's not that at all. This is the first time I have had to feel that separation between the two of us.  And I do not care if you are 4 months old, 2 years old or 10 years old.  It's just hard!!  I remember leaving your brothers for the first time at school and my heart broke just the same...I know you are in good hands and I am counting down the minutes until I get to cuddle your little chunky body against mine!!  And Wade and Brody promised me they would check on you throughout the day and take good care of you...talk about sweet! I love you so much sweet pea!

I did not take any pics this morning at school, as I was a crying, hot mess, but I did take a pic of Brody, Wade and Jack's little outfits laid out the night before!  (Miss Carmen snapped a pic this morning and I will take more this afternoon!)
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And here is a picture of B and W on their first day of school! They were 14 months old!
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Peaceful, Easy Feeling

This past weekend, the Harrell and Garber families were invited to spend the weekend with Stacey and Drew Smith at their beach house on St. Teresa Beach! Thank you both so very much for spoiling us with the beauty of your beach, the peacefulness of the backyard and porch and the comfy beds. We danced with the butterflies, ran up and down the beach, took naps on the porch, relaxed in the hammock swing....The boys drank as much juice as they wanted, ate extra hotdogs smothered in tons of ketchup, ran around naked for hours on end...we had a dance party in the living room, built sand castles, got our first sticker/pricker in our feet, and celebrated FSU finally playing some decent ball...We played hard, napped long and still smell like sunscreen!! Thank you again Smith's, we cannot wait to do it again!
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On Sunday morning, while the entire house was still fast asleep, me and my 3 boys headed down to the beach. There was not a soul in sight...It was a moment that I do not think I will ever forget. The boys where unusually quiet...we all just listened to the waves lapping against the shore, the seagulls squacking and watched as the sun rose high in the sky. The boys ran with a new found freedom on that wet, sandy ground. Gotta love that peaceful, easy feeling of the beach...............
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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Hodgepodge

Hodge-podge is a word used to describe a confused or disorderly mass or collection of things; a "mess" or a "jumble".[

So there ya have a it. Hodgepodge best describes this blog post.......

We had the most wonderful visit with my Brother, Uncle Dave, who flew up from Thursday - Sunday. We ate lots of homemade dinners cooked by Nana, enjoyed a trip to the Harbor, watched football and just had a good old time together!

We picked Dave up from the Pensacola airport and took the scenic route home...Gotta love Navarre beach!
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One of our dinners at Nana and Gator's house...hamburgers on the grill, mac-n-cheese, stuffed mushrooms and zucchini skewers!  The boys love, love, love to help me in the kitchen!
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Our trip to the harbor was breathtaking............The view never gets old! (I did not take many pictures though) I love it when people come to visit, because I actually see it through someone elses eyes who doesn't live here. And who doesn't take it for granted. We live in Paradise!
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Now is when the blog post really gets "hodgepodged".

A few weekends ago, the boys took full advantage of the sprinklers!
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And somebody is getting better at tummy time and has found his feet and loves to hold and grasp anything he can get his little hands on!
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Jack was the first family member to wear jeans after the long hot summer, we broke out our game day attire and loved on Mr. Bear:
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We enjoyed a Sunday evening playing in the Bay, across the street from our house:
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We continue to practice our "aim"...
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And the smallest Harrell is such a trooper and just enjoys the ride!
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We dressed like twins and declared that we were best friends...well, for that day anyways.
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And bragged to Jack about being 3 and being big boys.  Check out all of their boo-boo's, covering their shins.  Hey, at least they aren't sissies.
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And would not get near each other for a picture...and declared that we were not friends, well for that day anyways.
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Y'all come back now, ya here??