8 and 9 months

I may be a bit behind, but I haven't forgotten you, Blog!  At 8 months, Rose began pulling herself up to stand and clapping her hands.  At 9 months, she started standing without holding onto anything, and pointing at things.  Babies pointing may be just about the cutest thing ever!  She now has eight teeth - four top and four bottom - and can copy some of the sounds and movements we make.  So exciting!  She just had her well baby check up this week.  While she is growing and healthy, she is definitely my most petite baby at only the 26th percentile for weight and the 21st percentile for height.  Also, I know she's wearing the same shirt, but I promise these photos were taken a month apart!

8 Month Olds

Rose: 16 lbs 8 oz, 26.75"

Samuel: 22 lbs 8 oz, 28.25"

Amelia: 18 lbs 12 oz, 27.25"

Marley: 17 lbs 2 oz, 27"

9 Month Olds

Rose: 17 lbs, 27"

Samuel: 25 lbs, 28.5"

Amelia: 19 lbs 2 oz, 28.5"

Marley: 18 lbs 5 oz, 27.5 in

I'm Trying

I swear. I really am trying. Somehow I don't think Sam is that impressed. Pretty sure he's counting down the minutes until Marley and Amelia get home. Me, too, buddy.*

*As painful as it is to have to use my imagination, I must admit that I've been really enjoying spending more time with Samuel. Without his siblings there to talk for him (and over him), I get to hear a lot more of what he has to say. He's a pretty neat guy. 

Seven Month Olds, part IV

Rose is officially crawling.  She's getting faster and faster every day.  She's especially motivated by paper, cords/wires, and unattended coffee mugs.  Look out, world!

Rose - 16 lbs

Samuel - 22 lbs

Amelia - 18 lbs

Marley - 15 lbs

Playmates

After a week-long teacher strike, the new school year is finally underway.  Marley is in 2nd grade in, first year teacher, Ms. Mitchell's class.  And Amelia is in full-day kindergarten with, veteran teacher and fellow Schmitz park parent, Mrs. Cook.  They are both loving school so far, and everyone assumes that I am loving having them gone all day.

Which is not exactly true.  And not because I miss hearing their melodic voices all day.  (Ha!) I mean, it's not like I'm free.  There are still two whole children here with me.  And one of them desperately misses his older siblings.  Sam is used to having constant playmates, and expects ME to fill in for Marley and Amelia while they're at school.

The problem is (and this is going to sound really bad) but I don't like playing with my kids.  I mean, I enjoy reading to them.  And I don't mind playing board games, or doing puzzles or building stuff.  But, I just cannot get into pretend play with them.  It's too hard.  My imagination stopped working decades ago.  But, that's all they do!  From morning til night all summer long they pretended things.  Every weekend and every afternoon.  When we're in the car, when we're walking to and from school, when they're taking a bath.  Pretend, pretend, pretend!  And while I really dislike playing with them, I love watching them play. I mean love, with a capital L.

For a while now I've been trying to get a transcript of one of their pretend play sessions.  It's tricky, though, because they play all over the house and I can't keep up with them and type at the same time.  But, I did recently catch them playing in the bathtub and was able to get most of their dialogue.  So, here you go.  A little glimpse into the pretend play world of Marley, Amelia, and Samuel.

Sam: We forgot to choose our names.

Amelia: We were walking without our moms and dads and we tripped and fell into the water.  And two spiders were circling around me and one grabbed onto my head and I got the power of sea spiders.

Marley: To make your power better you could have the power of all underwater animals.

A: I just want the power of some animals like spiders and dolphins.

M: And sea horses?

A:  Yes.

S: What's my name?

M: Tsunami, and my name is whirl.

A: And my name is Spiderina.

S: And a big big boat drove away.

A: And pretend we tried to climb onto the boat, but it drove away.

M: There's a tsunami over there I'm going to go where the whirlpool is.

A: I decided I only take care of underwater spiders.

M: Okay lets see how I make a whirlpool.  I use my power to spin the water faster and bigger until its a giant whirl pool.

A: Pretend I'm helping the spiders by making a stew for them and I need a bowl.

S: And I fall down in the ocean.

M: Maybe I'll make this whirl pool a bit larger so I swirled around until the whirlpool is the size of a really big lake, like Lake Union.

S: Marley, What is my power?

M: Tsunami - but call me whirl.

S: And I poked the water to make my huge huge salami.

M: Haha! You mean tsunami.

A: Say "su-na-me"

M: And pretend I whispered this to myself and you didn't hear me: "Maybe now I can get some of those pesky spiders."

A: Pretend I picked up all the spiders to hide them so they won't get hurt.

M: Maybe I should make a bigger whirl pool to suck those spiders up.

A: Pretend you said it louder this time and I heard you so I protected them.

S: And my hair is crazier!

A: I love you spiders, I love you so much.

M: Hey Spiderina, I think they're getting a little hungry and they might bite through your skin.

A: I can pour this potion into my hand and they can eat it.

S: (crying) What's my power?!?

M: Tsunami.

A: I am going to go to my castle.

M: I'm going to go into my whirl pool hide out. Let's all go back to our hide outs. There's a boat coming and we don't want them to see us.  I was soaking in my whirl pool.

S: And I was soaking in my drain.

M: You mean your tsunami.

S: Yes, my tsunami.

A: I was in my castle and I got a little hot so I got out.

S: And then I take a rest in my tsunami and then I fell down. And I was going in my tsunami and then it slipped down on me.

M: (whispering) Maybe we can get some of those pesky spiders.

A: Pretend I felt a thorn go into my head, and then I pulled the thorn out and said, "What's this?"  Then I threw it in the garbage on top of your whirlpool.

M: Maybe I should try my plan again.

A: And I threw it into the garbage can.

M: Then I put it on a rope and I swung it around and I tied it onto your chimney and I pulled myself up and I slid down your fireplace.

And that's where I stopped typing.  I guess we'll never know whether or not Whirl ever got those pesky spiders...

Six Months, Part IV

It's amazing how much of a difference a few pounds or inches make at this age!  These percentiles are from the WHO growth charts. Rose hasn't had her 6 month doctor appointment yet, though, so I had to estimate hers (measuring babies is hard!).

She's doing all kinds of fun things now including, but not limited to: rolling, scooting, babbling (mama, dada, baba), giggling, enjoying peek-a-boo, grabbing/shaking toys, putting everything in her mouth, sitting (briefly), trying new foods (banana, avocado, sweet potato, salmon, green beans, zucchini), splashing in water, squealing, blowing raspberries, and lots and lots of smiling.

Edit: And less than a week after posting this, Rose sprouted her first two teeth on the bottom!

Rose: 15 lbs (25th percentile), 26.5" (65th percentile)

Samuel: 20.25 lbs (90th percentile), 28" (95th percentile)

Amelia: 16.5 lbs (65th percentile), 26" (50th percentile)

Marley: 13lbs 13oz (3rd percentile), 24.75" (5th percentile)

Story #1

Rose rolled over and bumped her head while Amelia was playing with her.  Rose began to cry, then Amelia began to cry.  I scooped them both into my arms to comfort them.  "Are you sad because Rose got hurt?" I asked, "I know you didn't do that on purpose." "No, mom, I'm not sad," she explained, "My face is just making me cry."

Ugh.  I know that feeling, Amelia.  My face makes me cry all the time.

Story #2
Sam came upstairs and told me he wanted a potato. After asking for clarification several times, and him continuing to insist that he wanted a potato, I handed him one. As I suspected, that wasn't what he actually wanted. "Not that! I want the one downstairs in the box!" I made him take me down and show me. He pointed to...drum roll please...PLAYDOH!

Eh, same diff.

Five month olds, part IV

Rose: 14.25 lbs, 25.25"

Sam: 18.5 lbs, 27.25"

Amelia: 15 lbs, 26"

Marley: 13 lbs, 24.5"

Ages and Stages

I always mean to post an update about each kid on his or her birthday. Then, when that doesn't happen, I think okay, I'll just post whenever. But then that doesn't happen either. I'm pretty sure I'm way overthinking it. In fact, right now I have a half written post about Marley that I really need to finish. There's just so much that I want to say about each of them. Once I get writing, I have a hard time stopping because I don't want to leave anything out. It's like displaying a half finished painting. But, then again, sometimes it's okay to just drop some stats*.

Rose:
         Age: 4.5 months
         Weight: 14 lbs
         Height: 25"
         Working on: rolling and grabbing

Samuel:
         Age: 2 and 2/3 years
         Weight: 35 lbs
         Height: 37.5"
         Working on: naming colors and counting

Amelia:
            Age: 5 and 1/6 years
            Weight: 40 lbs
            Height: 44"
            Working on: early reading and riding a bike

Marley:
         Age: 7.5 years
         Weight: 60 lbs
         Height: 51"
         Working on: whistling and finding ways to make money

*Thanks for the reminder, Kristina;)

Four Month Olds, Part IV

Rose: 13.5 lbs, 24.75 in

Samuel: 17 lbs, 26.5 in

Marley: 12 lbs, 24.25 in

Amelia: 14.5 lbs, 25.5 in

3 months, part IV

I'm a little late in posting this, and sorry for the poor quality pictures and weird formatting.  I'm trying to get more blogging done from my phone. Rose turned three months back on May 28th. Not that I'm biased or anything, but she's just about the cutest thing ever right now.  She weighs 12 lbs 4 oz and wears 6 month size clothes. She's rolling both ways, cooing, giggling, and reaching for toys. I don't even want to mention how she's sleeping, so as not to jinx it. Let's just say 'very well.'  In fact, better than some of the older kids (I'm looking at you, Sam). Now, I need to go knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder, and reassemble a broken mirror.

Check out my other 3 month olds!

Car Pool

I absolutely LOVE our carpool arrangement this year!  Except, of course, when it's my turn to drive.  In the afternoon, I usually walk to pick Marley up from school.  The school is only 3/4 mile away, and we're not in as big of a rush.  I actually enjoy afternoon pick up. But, in the morning, pulling through the drop off line and letting the boys hop out is the easiest option.  And by "easy" I mean "not at all easy."

Take this day, for example. Here we are, all in the car. Hooray! And we're even going to be on time. As you can see only the two boys going to school are dressed.  And I can only take credit for one of them.  Though I would like to acknowledge Miles' mom for getting him ready and out the door on time - she has twin three year olds!

What you can't see is what it took to get to this point. First, there's getting Marley ready: feeding him breakfast, getting him dressed, teeth brushed, lunch made, backpack packed. I will say that he's gotten a lot better at doing most of it himself. Thankfully! Alas, Marley is not the only child with needs. Rose and Sam are also awake. They want to be fed and diapers changed. This makes the whole thing extra challenging. 

Finally, it's time to go! After buckling Rose, and then buckling Sam, I head back inside to scoop a sleeping Amelia up out of bed. She is not ready to get up. She is NOT happy about being dragged out of bed.

Then Marley remembers that he wants to bring his very delicate Lego Bionicle along for the 4 minute ride to show Miles. He's coming BACK inside to get it as I'm coming out with Amelia. And now Sam wants a toy, too. 

Eventually, we all make it into the car, but Marley can't buckle because he has to hold his toy.  There are several minutes of one handed struggling before he's buckled and ready to go. But, Amelia's still not buckled. She's just sitting there, refusing to get buckled unless she has a blanket*. I toss her a blanket and ever-so-slowly, she finishes buckling. 

By this time, I'm red-faced and sweating. We drive around the corner to Miles' house. Now he has to check out the toy before getting buckled. 

But, we're in! We're all in the car! Once I hear that magical final click I speed off (at 20 mph - it's a school zone) to the drop off line. There's one final moment of stress where I idle in the parking lot, sliding door ajar, and the boys just sit there, NOT unbuckling or hopping out. When they finally begin making their way, Marley will suddenly realize that he needs to hug and kiss all his siblings goodbye. 

Luckily, everyone else's kids are getting out of their cars just as slowly, so no one ever has to honk at us. At long last, I peel away (at 5 mph - it's a school parking lot) and head home to make myself a cup of coffee. And enjoy it like this. 

*That's a really nice way of saying that she had a massive tantrum about it.

Samuel Says

Samuel is so funny right now. I wish I were doing a better job writing down all the hilarious things he says, but he has us in stitches all the time. 

Part of it is the adorable way he mixes up his words and sounds.

Hospital = Pasta bowl
Torpedo = portedo
R2D2 = RT do T
Bowser = Fowser,
Pancake = panpake
Breakfast = breksist
Quesadilla = case of dee-uh

I heard him singing the alphabet the other day and he said, "A, B, C, D, E, F, G, how I wonder what you are."

He also gets confused about things we say sometimes. One day when I told the kids we had to stop by Marley's school office, Sam started to cry, saying he didn't want to go. When I asked him why he said that he didn't want to go to the doctor's office because he didn't want them to give him a shot.

Sometimes he'll be crying because he got hurt or had an argument with one of his siblings. Suddenly, with tears still streaming down his face, he'll declare, "I'm happy!" And that will be that.

Then, there are all the things he says to actually try and be funny. This conversation happened the other day.

Marley: If we call Rose: Rosey Posey Lemon Bosey*, can I be Marley Warley Chocolate Charlie?

Amelia: And I'll be Amelia Delia Strawberry Stealia!

Sam: And I'll be Sammy Whammy Hamburger Darkness.

And here's a Sammy original joke:

Why did the hot dog jump into the hot pan? Because he was Captain America.

Finally, here's an unedited story he dictated to me the other day:

Once there was a robot, and once he turned on the TV. And he watched and watched until Rose saw him and he was gone.  And then he was walking and walking and walking.  Then, he was sitting on a chair and there was a chair walking past.  The end.

*Yes, we do, in fact, call her Rosey Posey Lemon Bosey.
*Sam gave up the binky for good quite suddenly on June 17th.

Doing Nothing

Back before I had kids, I did everything that I wanted.  Okay, so there were some places I wanted to travel to that I never did, and maybe some big projects that I couldn't find time for, but pretty much, I did everything.  I slept as much as I needed to.  I stayed at work as late as I wanted.  I went to the gym whenever I wanted to, and stayed there as long as I felt like.  I made dinner whenever I got to it (or not), and sat enjoying my meal for as long as I cared to.  My house was SO clean!  I showered daily, washing my hair AND shaving each time.  I stayed up late drinking, talking and playing games with friends.  I talked to my husband as much as I wanted, without interruption.  I had hobbies!  I watched television!  I went shopping!  Okay, so maybe life wasn't quite as perfect and carefree as I'm remembering it, but it was pretty darn close.

Of course I knew that once I had children I'd have to make some sacrifices.  Duh.  I knew I wouldn't get to do everything I wanted all the time.  And I was okay with that.  I was prepared to make some sacrifices.  After we had kids, I pushed aside my scrapbooking materials.  I drank extra coffee to make up for the lack of sleep.  I went to the gym less frequently.  Sacrifices.  I got it.  I was totally cool with that.

Then, I had four kids.  Not only can I no longer do everything, but now I don't have time to do anything.  At all.   I'm not kidding.  The entirety of my day is spent meeting the needs of others. Brushing teeth, feeding, wiping, changing, dressing, shuttling, reading, playing, more feeding, more wiping, and on and on and on.  And some days, I'm barely able to do those things.

There is simply no time for even the basics, let alone anything remotely luxurious.  Jeff and I have gone on exactly one date since Rose was born.  And she came with us! Our house is actually frightening in its untidiness.  I get queasy at the thought of even entering certain rooms.  Every day I have to make choices that no one should be forced to make.  Eat or shower?  Get dressed or brush my teeth? Do laundry or dishes? Pick up toys in this room or toys in that room?  Sleep or have an uninterrupted conversation with my husband?

In fact, I do not have time to write this blog post right now.  Sam and Amelia are upstairs playing - hair and teeth unbrushed, jammies still on.  Amelia has to be at school in half an hour and they haven't eaten lunch yet.  Sam's not wearing a diaper.  He's probably pooping on the floor.  But I digress...

What I mean to say, is that even the smallest tasks are just SO HARD.  First, there's the things we have to do to the kids.  I'm talking about things like dressing, bathing, putting on footwear, applying sunscreen, and the most hated of all - brushing teeth.  They like to keep us on our toes by putting up varying levels of resistance from day to day.  We never know who is going to be the cooperative one at any given moment.  It's usually Rose, though, since she can't run away yet.  They even like to put up a fight about things involving their basic needs, like sleeping, eating, and using the bathroom. Seriously?!? Stop dancing and just pee already!

Sometimes I just think to myself, "Fine! Go off and play in your underwear with your messy face and your tangly hair.  I'm going to do something that doesn't involve the care of children.  I'm going to accomplish something!"  This morning, for example, I was determined to tighten Sam's door knob that had been loose for weeks.  I went to the garage and came back with a screw driver.  After exactly one twist Sam was by my side wanting to "help." Then Amelia wanted a turn.  Because I'm a sucker for "helpers," plus I know one day I'll actually want their help, I let them.   Then, they wanted to use the screw driver to "fix" other things around the house. Then, Rose woke up and wanted to be changed and fed.  And now I'm not really sure where the screw driver is.  And the doorknob is still loose.

Two Month Olds, Part IV

Rose 10.75 lbs, 22.75"

Samuel 13.5 lbs, 23.5"

Marley 7.75 lbs, 21.5"

Amelia 11.5 lbs, 24"

One Month, Part IV

Rose 10lbs

Amelia 9lbs 8oz

Marley 5lbs 15oz

Samuel 11lbs 12oz

Breastfeeding

With a newborn in the house, the kids get to see me breastfeeding a lot. This results in some pretty sweet pretend play. 

Amelia has been breastfeeding her dollies. Here was her instruction on what to do: "Lift up your shirt. Put the baby's mouth on your booby. Now say, 'Ouch!'"

Sam attempted to breastfeed his stuffed bear. He lifted up his shirt, but wasn't sure what to do next. After lots of searching, he settled on nursing the bear from his belly button.

Thankfully, Rose's latch has gotten much better over the last week. Pair that with the breaks I get from Jeff giving her a bottle, and I'm saying 'Ouch!' a lot less these days!

This is hard

We survived our first two weeks as a family of six!  I think Jim Gaffigan, now a father of FIVE, best described what having four kids was like.  "Imagine you're drowning," he explains, "and then someone hands you a baby."

Yep.  That's pretty much what it's like.  It is a rare moment that I'm not busy meeting someone's immediate needs.  The day is a blur of dressing, wiping, feeding, changing, brushing teeth, more feeding, more wiping, and so on, and so on.  And this is with Jeff still home on paternity leave!  The thought of having to do this alone all day makes me break into a cold sweat.

This time around, we only spent just over 24 hours in the hospital.  (Special thanks to our friends, Amanda, Nancy, and Mike, who all stepped in to watch the big kids while we were at the hospital!) And we hit the ground running as soon as we got back.  In fact, I really felt that I overdid it on our first day home, and was in a lot more pain than I should have been that first week.

It's been two weeks, and I'm feeling pretty good, physically.  Eventually, I'll post Rose's birth story, but basically, it was fast.  I felt the first contraction around 2 o'clock that afternoon.  By 3 o'clock we were eating ice cream outside of Husky Deli.  We arrived at the hospital at 5 o'clock, and were admitted to the birthing room around six.  Rose was born at 7:10 pm.  Phew!

Since all my other kids had some degree of tongue tie, it was one of the first things I looked for with Rose.  I could see immediately that her frenulum was tight and attached almost all the way to the tip of her tongue.  Our family doctor said she could perform the frenotomy right in the office as soon as we wanted.  I brought Rose in on that Monday morning to have it done at less than 2 days old.  I'm SO glad I didn't wait.  We didn't have Sam's done until he was a week old, and by then nursing had become so painful that I was in tears every time I had to feed him.  

Feeding Rose is still painful, but it's getting better as she learns how to extend and use her tongue properly and not rely on her lips and gums (ouch!) to nurse.  We actually have a bunch of tongue training exercises that we're supposed to do before each feeding.  She's doing great, though, and has already surpassed her birth weight: She was 8.5lbs at her 11 day doctor's appointment.  She's doing so well that Jeff gave her her first bottle of pumped breast milk yesterday, which she took like a champ.

The other kids are adjusting, too.  Marley adores Rose, and is excited to hold her each morning.  In fact, he and Amelia usually fight over who gets to hold her first. Amelia is probably the most interested in taking care of Rose.  She always wants to hold her, change her diaper, and dress her.  And then there's Sam.  He's really not very interested in Rose, but he does miss having Amelia to play with all morning.

Rose Eleanor Franklin

Born on February 28, 2015 at 7:10 pm

8 lbs 6.5 oz

19" long

We are all at home now, and getting used to life as a family of six! A few people have asked what we need.  A friend set up a meal train calendar for us. We've had our first two dinners at home delivered, and it's been wonderful! Here's the link, if you'd like to sign up: Food Tidings.

Stay tuned for more adventures starring Rose!

A thousand words

As always, Bella Baby Photography did a phenomenal job with the newborn photos. Our photographer was able to capture the first moments of the big kids meeting their new sister.

To view the photos go to Bella Baby Photography and enter the password Lyou0301franklin.

Oh, and have a tissue ready. You've been warned!

She's Here!

Baby Quattro is here! More details, including a name, to come! We are all doing great, and so in love! 

Baby Update: 40 weeks 4 days

I went in for another NST today, and baby did great - very strong movement and heartbeat!  Hooray!  We bought ourselves another few days.  My next appointment is scheduled for Monday morning.  If baby doesn't come over the weekend, I will have my regular appointment with NST, followed by a trip downtown for an ultrasound to check fluid levels, placenta, etc.

After that, things start to get down to the wire.  Though, I know a few people who've gone beyond, 42 weeks is pretty widely (though NOT completely!) accepted as the end of pregnancy.  Since I've chosen to have a hospital birth with an OB, I guess I've agreed to this (as opposed to a birth center or homebirth - midwives tend to be a bit more flexible with going beyond the 42 weeks).  But, I have to say, I NEVER thought that I would have to be even remotely concerned about a pregnancy of mine going too long!

Inductions are really common, and many people opt for them, even before their due date.  And most of those have no complications and result in a healthy baby and mom.  But, it's just not the experience I want to have.  Especially since I've had THREE spontaneous vaginal deliveries!  I KNOW my body can do this on its own.

Not only that, and this may sound crazy, but I actually enjoy labor and childbirth.  Sure, it's painful, and a little scary.  But, it's also exhilarating and empowering, especially when I get to do it the way that I want to.  I love my hospital because they are very supportive of allowing women to labor how they want.  I've had great experiences there so far.  I'm really hoping to have one more great experience.

Even if I end up being induced, hopefully I will have at least given my body enough time to begin the process on its own, and I'll only require the smallest dose of drugs.

And of course, in the end, all I really care about is holding my new baby girl! 

When you have a seven year old brother

So, we have this talking Abby Cadabby doll. Here is an actual conversation that we overheard the other day between Sam and Abby.

Abby: It's fun to learn a new word every day!

Sam: Yeah!

Abby: What word did you learn today?

Sam: Buttcheeks Robot!

Ps. Still pregnant. 

We have a winner!

Well, Baby Quattro is the first Franklin baby to officially make it to her due date (and beyond!).  I guess, as the youngest, she wanted to make her mark early.  

I saw my doctor today, and she had me do another non-stress test, which baby passed with flying colors.  Then, I headed to the hospital for an ultrasound to measure amniotic fluid, check the placenta and umbilical cord, and observe baby's movement.  Everything looked absolutely perfect!  

And now, back to waiting.  If she's still not here by Thursday, I'll go back in for another NST.  And if she's still not here by the end of next weekend, I'll see my OB again on Monday for a check up and another NST.  

I'm not really in a rush, though I am excited to meet her (and have room for my insides again!).  But, I'm terrified of the possibility of having to be induced.  So, cross your fingers and toes, and anything else you can, that my body kicks things into gear soon!  

Here are some photos Jeff took of me on Sunday, at exactly 40 weeks.  After all, this is a pretty momentous milestone!  And yes, it's been as beautiful outside as it looks, with sunny weather in the mid-upper 50's.  (Sorry, friends and family on the east coast and midwest!)