Sledding with Daddy and Shane!

6 Months and 4 Year well check!!

Having a fun snow day!  And then coming out of quiet time with a BATHING SUIT?  In snow?  Only her...

Sadly, I have not been updating like I would like.  We have been too busy in this house trying to get well.  We are still dealing with the tail end of pneumonia and Abby Kate has a really bad cold too.  We went to the doctor yesterday for AK's 4 year well check and Bo's ear recheck and found out Bo now has a double ear infection and Abby Kate has one too!  SUPER FUN!  Bo was soooo much better for about 4 days, eating, sleeping like a champ, etc...and then it seems it just returned in the middle of the night (always) like it had never left.  So I am back to giving them both breathing treatments and they are both on antibotics.  Did I mention I am SO over winter?
But in the midst of all this, our sweet boy passed the half a year mark and it has had me in puddles.  I literally have had no other time in my life that has passed so swiftly.  Yes, I am exhausted.  Yes, it does feel like 6 months since I slept a full night, but in other details, not so much.  These last 6 months are intense in my memory but somehow hazy as well.  Guess it is the lack of sleep.
We have had some big milestones these past few weeks.  A first tooth.  Starting to scoot.  Rolling all over to get across the room.  Sitting up.  I finally moved him to a 4 hour schedule without any fanfare.  He was more than ready but I kept thinking I had to follow advice I read online to wait until he was sleeping through the night.  But this move has been incredible and has actually extended his night sleep to consistently 8-9 hour stretch.  He is now awake 2 hours and sleeps 2 hours twice a day.  It has been amazing.  He goes right to sleep when I put him down for his naps and he has literally doubled his solids this week.  Once he is feeling a bit better, we will start introducing foods other than brown rice cereal and oatmeal.  He is eating twice a day now as well.
Abby Kate had her 4 year well check and was in the 97th% for height (43") and 80th% (38 lbs) for weight.  We adore our peditrician and she did truly complete check.  She asked her if she could right her name and she said, "No but I can write an A!" (which she did) and then identified tons of shapes and colors and numbers and letters.  She was asked her age and she asked her to hold her arms out and stand on one foot which literally lasted about 2 seconds until she said "watch Dr. N!  I can fly!  I can fly!"  We were all dying laughing at her.  The one hard thing was that she recommended us to see an opthamologist due to her eyes not focusing correctly and her not being about to read small letters unless she was close.  We shall see what he says.  So all in all, it just seems my babies are growing up so fast.  When Bo started sitting up this week, Abby Kate exclaimed, "Bubby!  You aren't a baby anymore!  You are about to be a kid!"  And boy, I know that he will be before I can blink.  So I am savoring this time.  (with a dash of coveting a little more sleep :)

A few little things...

First off, this last pic was just funny.  Abby Kate wanted to play in the snow every day and this day, she decided she wanted to wear flip flops.  I died laughing, due to the fact that not 10 minutes before, she had started crying b/c a little snow had gotten in her boots.  I silently wondered what kind of reaction I was going to see as she stepped in the snow with her flip flops.  Needless to say, it only took 2 steps!

As for a little Bo update, we truly would LOVE your prayers.  He has pneumonia and has been super sick since last Thursday.  We are doing breathing treatments every 3 hours.  He has an ear infection, had pink eye in both eyes and then yesterday, bless his heart, he got his first tooth!  Talk about miserable.  But as you can see from the pics, even at his worst, he is such a sweetheart!  We are so blessed.  Thank you for praying....

Updates

Going

Going

Gone

I have been meaning to add a 5 month update for my records.  Up until just recently, I was SO not sure I wanted more children (even though we started out wanting 4), but just this week my desire for a bigger family has returned fully so I want to make sure I make notes this time.  I cannot tell you how often I look back on this blog to see when Abby Kate did certain things.  And I did not do a good job recording them!
Bo is still such a joy.  He is a happy, contented baby.  He is a great eater.  I am still nursing every 3 hours and he is still not consistently sleeping through the night (10-12 hours) so I do not see us moving to a 4 hour schedule until that happens.  We started cereal around 4 months and this week started eating cereal in the mornings as well.  We are on a loose schedule (within 30 minutes of these times)

7:00am-wake/nurse
7:30- cereal
8:00-back down for nap (sleeps 1-2 hours)
10:00-nurse
11:15- back down for nap (sleeps 1 hour)
1:00-nurse
2:00-2:30- back down for nap
4:00-nurse
4:30-cereal
6:30-bath
7:00-nurse/bedtime

He is wearing a size 3 diaper.  He weighed 19 lbs 6 ozs this week.
We went through a horrible month last month due to him starting to roll from tummy to back at around 4 months.  He could not roll back so I would have to go in and gently hold him down so he would fall back asleep.  He is a tummy sleeper and would NOT fall asleep on his back.  3 days before he turned 5 months, he began rolling from back to tummy and now LOVES to practice.  I went back to letting him fall asleep on his own and he does wonderfully!  It usually takes him about 30 minutes to fall asleep after I put him down.  He usually plays and then cries for a minute before falling asleep.  He does not cry at all at bedtime.  He will not take a paci.  He does not like a bottle either.   We are trying to work on this.  I am taking a trip with my sweet college buddies in March so this has to work!
We are working on sitting up.  He can do it for a few seconds and I believe will be able to soon.  He is grabbing for things and does this funny thing with his thumb, just as his sister did.  They try to pin things down with their thumb.  Weird and funny!  He is drooling like crazy.  Notice the awesomely red face.  He literally staying constantly wet.  His cheeks stay red too b/c he sleeps with his cheeks in wetness too.  I cannot keep his sheets changed enough.  Not sure when the teeth will get here but I sure am ready. That is about it for 5 months!  We love love love this little man!!!
As for the last 2 pics.  I was so proud of Abby Kate.  We were making crafts with these little balls and I stepped out to get some glue.  I came back and she had seperated them.  She told me one was "deep dark" and the other was "light."  I was super proud of her sorting without direction and even finding unusual groupings for her age!  She is so smart :)
Love you all!!!

A Cowboy and a Haircut...

Sweecie and Poppy got Bo the most ADORABLE frame for Christmas and I have been dying to snap a cowboy hat pic of Bo to go in it.  We had a little photo session (as you can see, he was still in his jammies) and I like this one.  I may try again but for now, this was the cutest of the bunch.  And our little girl just got 4 inches chopped off her hair and she also layered it.  You may not notice much of  a difference but there SO is...she HATES having her hair brushed and I just have been so frustrated.  So this cut it super cute, low maintainance and is much easier to brush!

Crowned...

Aunt Ashley, Uncle Hal and Liv got Abby Kate this adorable crown making kit for Christmas.  It has provided numerous hours of entertainment and Abby Kate wanted to make Bubby one yesterday.  Thought they both looked pretty royal (-ly cute!).

Christmas Fun!

Beware!  TONS AND TONS of pics ahead!!!!!

Making our gingerbread house.  This was SO much fun.  Abby Kate kept saying, "Momma, I am having so much fun with you!"  Oh melt my heart.  It really was super fun though!

Finished product!

Making Christmas cookies with Aunt Ashley.  She LOVED this!  Aunt Ash is always prepared and had everything ready to go for Abby Kate to just dig in and help.

Annual Robbins Christmas PJ pic....

First white Christmas!

Abby Kate got this super cute book in her stocking called Tickle Monster and it came with these super fun tickle gloves.  Believe me, we have had super fun with this!

Aunt Ashley is SUCH a champ and braved the cold NUMEROUS times to play in the snow with our girl!

Building a snow fort with Daddy....

Agh...warming up with hot cocoa!  Could there be anything better?!

I LOVE this pic.  Bo looks so big to me.  This was AK's my first anywhere chair and she got a big one for Christmas and Bo got a cover so he can enjoy.  He loves it and Abby Kate loved him sitting next to her.

We had SUCH a blessed Christmas.  I cannot wait to see all God is going to do in 2010.  We have had such a precious, special year.  God showed Himself strong in our lives time and time again.  We are so humbled and so thankful for the immeasurable love and grace He lavishes upon us.  What fun it was to celebrate the birth that changed our lives.   We pray yours was special too.

A Boy Who...

loves his food...

                But loves his sissy even more.

Our Big 4 year old!!!

Oh my heart!  How do I have a 4 year old already?  I know many parents have asked this question before me, but I will ask it again.  Um, can you please tell me how to stop time?  I would so love to freeze time right now.  Abby Kate is such a delight.  She has been from day one but to hear her independant thoughts, her quirky personality, her sense of humor, her delight in all things...well, to say the least, she is so fun.  She kept asking us at dinner tonight why we loved her.  How to you explain to a now 4 year old something so deep that you cannot understand it yourself?
So, lets recap.  First off, what a super fun day!  Aunt Ashley made an amazing Happy Birthday banner which we put up over the island and we went in her room this morning with doughnuts (with sprinkes of course) and sang happy birthday.  She kept thanking us for making her birthday come and asking us if she was finally 4.  We went to the aquarium and to eat lunch at one of her favorite places.  We then came home and made cupcakes and she got that adorable balloon delivery from Sweecie and Poppy which delighted her to no end.  We then went to Incredible Pizza tonight and had a ball.
And what an incredible year.  We started by a fun trip to Disney World followed by so many fun memories...she gained a new brother, started and quit ballet, fell in love with church, memorized many verses, learned to use the computer, learned new songs and loves to sing all things (even if it is "MOMMA!  Is driving down the roooaaadd..."), learned to dress herself, potty by herself, learned the word and meaning of responsibility, started understanding obedience, forgiveness, gratitude and grace.  Oh how can I tell you all that is this little girl we are so passionately in love with?  Bobby and I laugh at her numerous times a day.  She has an incredible imagination.  She loves to draw.  She loves to role play.  She has a near photographic memory (not sure how this is going to play out in God's plan.  Today I was telling B that I did not have any eggs to make cupcakes over lunch at a restaurant and she quickly said, "oh yes you do Momma, you have one."  Only to return and see she was EXACTLY right.)  She is infectously excited about almost everything.  Basically, she is everything I ever dreamed a daughter would be.
Thank you so much Father, for the precious blessing of Abby Kate.  May you draw her to yourself every day of her life.  May she know You as You know Yourself to be.  May she find her worth and identity in You alone.  Please show Yourself strong in her life.  May she be in love with your Word.  Please grant her a seekers heart and an obedient spirit.  Please keep her safe and healthy.  Perserve her delight precious Father.  And may she use all things that You designed in her to bring YOU glory.  Thank you for entrusting her to us.  We are so unworthy.  Please parent her through us and help us to point her to You in all things.  

4 years old tomorrow....

I will write more tomorrow, but I just wanted to share some fun pics from over thanksgiving weekend.  Abby Kate LOVES playing dress up at Sweecie and Poppy's in my old prom dresses (focus on the cute girl in the dresses, not my fashion choices).  She was AMAZED at the sparkles the sunlight cast onto the walls, floors, doors and ceiling.  My Mom exclaimed "Oh Abby Kate, it is BEAUTIFUL!  Thank you for making my walls so gorgeous."  And she replied, "You're welcome.  No problem.  It's my pleasure." We then got to celebrate her birthday early at Neannie and Pop's.  Audreia helped her decorate her cake which she LOVED.  We surprised her later by singing (you can see the look on her face when she came in the kitchen in a few of the pics).  She was so delighted and kept asking how everyone knew it was her birthday as well as, "this is SO nice!"  She really is so sweet in that she is geniunely grateful.  I can't wait to celebrate her all day tomorrow.  Her Daddy and I are taking her to a hotel Friday night for a slumber party and to let her swim.  We are so looking forward to it!  I simply cannot believe my baby will be 4!