March 29, 2011

Ouch!




Guess who has grown five sharp teeth in six short weeks!?!?

Picture Post




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Two Months of Tears

Sadie with Sister Stinson, the Primary President.
With the start of the new year the Primary President in our ward gave us the option of moving Sadie up to primary even though she technically missed the cut-off by three weeks.  For the past year and a half we've worked to get her to go to nursery but with no real success.  We've been patient and reassuring, but the second we even thought about leaving she would go into complete panic mode.

So, we decided to take the primary offer with hopes of finding success.  However, Sadie had other ideas.  She sobbed and sobbed through the first week.  Finally after 45 minutes I went and sat with her.  The second week parents were invited for the first half, so again, she only had to endure an hour - all of which she cried through.  By the third week, her tears started on the drive to church.  She kept begging, "No, Sadie need go home. Want Mommy!"  That's the week my tears started, too.

I knew I was on the verge of giving up.  However, I also knew that with a new baby on the way there was zero possibility I could handle three kids for all three hours of church.  And, I knew it would be easier for Sadie to adjust before the new baby came rather than feeling displaced by the baby's arrival.  Also, I kept thinking, "How is she ever going to attend Kindergarten if she can't go to two hours of primary with us so nearby?"  So, Ben gave me a pep talk and he started taking her to primary instead.

That fourth week was much better.  She still cried during the opening and music time, but she was happy as could be during her class.  Yes!  Her teacher, God bless her, started keeping Sadie in the classroom when all the other children were in singing time because she was happier in the smaller group setting.  The fifth week we missed due to an illness.  And the sixth, seventh, and eighth weeks were similar to the fourth - tears on the drive, sobbing for the first hour, but content by the end.

Finally after two months of tears we had a break through.  Sadie made it an entire Sunday without any crying! Yes, yes, yes!!  Since then things have continued to improved, and she now attends singing and sharing time, too.  She is even sad when I pick her up at the end of the two hours.  She talks the whole way home (with her limited vocabulary) about the songs they sang, who cried, the craft projects they did, and about her dear teachers - Sister Waters and Sister Stintson.  Whom, by the way, I pray for every night and thank Heavenly Father for!

It's really not easy to know what to do as a parent.  I always thought it was best to be as loving and attentive as possible, but I think Sadie would have still been sitting with us when she was 13 if I had continued as before.  Sadie is so pleased with herself and I'm so happy that she's made this step towards being more independent.  It was a torturous two months but well worth it in the end!   

March 18, 2011

Sweetness


Sometimes Ben and I pause, look at each other, and one will say, "Jax is such a perfect baby."  He has his bad days and still wakes occasionally at night, but overall he's so easy going and a great baby.

This past week he hit his 9 month mark and it made me reflect about quickly this time has gone and how it has been so much easier than I expected. However, I have a feeling he'll be a hyper, active little toddler so I thought I should record what a perfect baby he's been to remind myself in future months of how fortunate I've been.  These are my thoughts on the little guy.


Jax is such a little man.
 
He's independent yet loves attention, 
enjoys toys but allows them to be stolen,
gets excited to be held yet wiggles to get down.

He hates baths but loves to get dirty,
enjoys interaction but allows Sadie to be the center of attention.
He's curious, observant, and playfully shy.

Jax is surprisingly vocal and loves to be sung to and rock/dance to the music.
His favorite song is "Baby Shark" and he's starting to do the actions.

Nicknames include: Tank, Little Man, Jaxamillion, and Brother.


Jax is tough and sturdy,
but gentle and loving.

His laugh is a deep roar, 
but his coos are sweet and soft.

He adores his sister and idolizes his dad.
His favorite activity is roughhousing at night with them.

His health record is fantastic -
two colds in 9 months and neither one bothered him.

However, his teething is another issue...
he's recently sprouted 4 teeth in 4 weeks.
It's been a long four week!


Jax has suprisingly blue eyes and a tinge of red in his hair.
His hair has fallen out three times in the last 9 months.
(Perhaps a sign of things to come?)

He's plenty pudgy yet plenty strong.
His body is stalky and wide.
So, so wide - his hips are bigger than Sadie's!

He has his dad's smile, cheeks, and personality.
He has his mom's eyes, nose, and appetite.


We're all quite smitten with this little guy!
He's a perfect fit for our family.

Christy Haggard

Christy is getting married, had you heard?

Christy and Matt shown above.

She is marrying Matt Haggard in the Provo temple on April 23rd.

Matt is from Provo he majored in electrical engineering (I think) and now he works on computers.  He is very tall - 6"5'.

He makes Christy very happy. That makes me happy.

The end.

March 06, 2011

According to Sadie....

According to Sadie she is pregnant and she's naming her baby Dora, even if it's a boy. She chose the name Dora after her best friend's dog. Hmmm.

Incidentally she often calls this dog, "Gamma Doris" after Ben's Grandma.

Also, according to Sadie, I am not pregnant (which I still am) and she is not interested in expanding our family any time soon.  But, if she has to have another sibling she hopes it's a girl and she insists that we're naming her Dora, too (which we're not, don't worry!).

That is the world according to Sadie.