Half a year

Dear Jocelyn,

I feel like this has been a really big month for us. This is one "month milestone" that did not catch me off guard. I have been gearing myself up for you turning six months old, and today was the day. Even though I was prepared, I feel like you got drastically bigger just during the day today. I swear that you are talking more, smiling more, grabbing at things more, nursing more socially, looking around more, and just being more and more cuter. I guess you realized it was your half birthday too!



In spite of all your "getting bigger," there are some ways that you are definitely staying a baby. I actually think you were more of a cuddler this month than you have been any of the other months. You fell asleep in my arms a few times while we were at the beach. You allowed me to rock you to sleep in the brown chair on a few evening occasions where your shorter afternoon nap didn't quite get you all the way to bedtime. You have converted to liking the Ergo. I had to show you a few times that you really can still suck your fingers while in it, but now you believe me. I love it too. When you ride in it, it is like you are giving me a constant hug. We both are pretty comfortable that way it seems. We took another Disney trip this month, and you were even more content now that you were willing to chill and then nap in the Ergo. I'm loving the cuddly side of you.





You rolled over for the first time just a couple of days into this month. It was when the Wessels were getting ready to head back to Maine, and it really caught me off guard. You were just chilling under your "hi baby" toy and the next thing I knew you were on your belly. You seemed pretty proud of yourself, and you did it quite a few more times that day. It quickly became a fact that within two minutes of being placed on your back, you would roll to your belly, even if you didn't really like it once you had done it. Since you know spend a lot more time on your stomach, your head control is getting much better! Two weeks later you figured out how to roll off your stomach and back onto your back. You did it twice that day and haven't done it since. I would really think that that direction would actually be much easier, but who knows. Silly girl.


(Taken with the camera on my phone, right after you rolled for the first time.)




You got pretty sick again this month. We'll blame your loving older siblings again. One Sunday afternoon you woke up from your nap with a cough, and by 5:00 you had a goopey eye, and by 8:00 you had a fever. The doctor put you on an antibiotic for your eye, and that cleared up quickly. Your cough and congestion moved to your chest, and you had to be put on the nebulizer and a steroid for your breathing. It was wheezy and pretty rapid, but just as I was starting to get more worried, your breathing slowed down. I am thankful. Also thankful that you seem to have escaped catching the most recent cold M & M have had. Glad your immune system is growing!

You have discovered Peekaboo this month. When I put your bunny blankie on your face, you will pull it off and smile at me. It is fun to interact with you more. You also learned to sit up kind of out of the blue. You are so "go with the flow" that you were willing to lay on the floor and look at your toy gyms, and I wasn't really thinking twice about it. I typically still hold you in the facing out position that you like so much, and you aren't crazy about spending time in an exersaucer or jumper. Your head control was getting better, but I really didn't think you were getting close to sitting up yet. You were starting to really like standing up on my lap, either facing out or in, and we realized that we hadn't really tried you much in a sitting position. One day we tried it, and we realized you could do it if we held your legs on the sides. We helped you do it for a few more days, and then I realized that you could do it for quite awhile if you just held onto one of my fingers for balance. Then you were able to sit up on your own for about 30 seconds. The next day it was 2 minutes(ish). And then it was five minutes or more. You will still fall down, of course, but it seems like you are getting better about realizing when you are going to fall and bracing for it. You typically fall onto your belly, and you don't seem phased by it. You are an official sitter now. You will play with toys more in this position. Sometimes you even play with toys with your feet so that you can keep balancing yourself with your hands. It makes us smile.









I think you are getting more hair. It is soft and blonde, but there is definitely more. When I put a headband on your head, it is clear that it is actually holding down some hair now, not just a little bit of fuzz stuck to your head. It seems like you have about as much hair as Micah did at 6 months. If you continue to track with him, you'll have quite a head full of hair at 1 year. We'll see. I'll love you regardless, of course.

You are getting a little freer with your sense of humor. You consistently laugh whenever anyone jumps up and down in front of you. You will now grant your immediate family with the privilege of a laugh, not just strangers. Mackenna got you to crack up the other day as she danced around in front of you waving a strand of beads in the air. All was going well until she hit you in the head with that strand of beads - oops (Mommy knows nothing about what it is like to hit you in the head. She has never dropped a camera on your head - no. never.) You also will laugh at the kitty cats sometimes. They really attract your attention; you will follow their every move. Cushan will rub up against you, and you have definitely petted him and given him some love. If you are anything like your sister, you'll be best buds soon.







We haven't started any solid foods with you yet, and I haven't decided if I'm going to yet. You are still nursing well, and I'm confident that exclusive nursing is actually the most calorie rich way to fill your belly. For now, I think that is what we'll stick with. We'll see. I am very curious what you weigh. I think you are growing and filling out, but I also think you might have fallen off your growth curve a little bit. I'm very curious to see what that scale says at your check up tomorrow. Besides it saying that you are perfect.

Your naps have been getting a little shorter, which I think has contributed to your occasional crankiness, but that also could be your teeth that haven't surfaced yet. If you are really tired, you will cover your eyes with your right hand while sticking your middle two left fingers in your mouth. We have decided this position is now the international sign for "I'm done." You have been a little crankier this month than previously, sometimes you are only happy for about an hour after waking up from a nap, instead of two or two and a half. However, for the most part, even if you are way past nap or way past feeding time, if someone is holding you, you really don't put up a fuss or fight. You were mama's little companion as I worked at the Global Outreach Conference at church, and you were just along for the ride on my hip or in the Ergo. You were happy as a clam because you were with me, even though you were tired and hungry sometimes I'm sure. And then there came a point where you weren't happy, you were done, and everyone knew it (you gave the international sign). But you reached that point way past the time where you were fully justified to reach it.





Here is your routine, as of now.
(You no longer sleep through the night. Haven't all month. We are rolling with it.)

• Around 5 or 6ish you usually wake and nurse and then go back to bed...still in your pack n play in the bathroom (without the bassinet part now).
• You wake sometime around 8 and nurse and start our day.
• Back in bed between 9:30 and 10 - usually don't nurse before this nap - swaddled on your back
• Nap until noon - HOPEFULLY - but at least until sometime after 11 - nurse
• Play until 2ish - depending on how long the first nap was
• Nurse before afternoon nap - swaddle on back - sleep until sometime between 4 and 5
• If you wake before 4 or 4:30, you have a really hard time making it very long in the evening. Sometimes you will catnap, or it just means that we have to put a little more effort into making you happy in the evening. If we are on the go, this isn't usually a problem.
• Sometimes you get a bath at night - but not every night - sorry :)
• You will nurse and go to bed between 7 and 8
• Sometimes I wake you up before I go to bed around 11 to nurse you - to hope that you will sleep until 8 - but this hasn't been happening, so I might stop waking you. We'll see.

And that is your day :)
Also, you wake up really happy. I would love it if this would continue throughout childhood. Happy wakerupers make for much happier and smoother mornings, just saying.



Your brother and sister still adore you. Micah probably says at least four times a week, "I love having a baby sister, mom." Today he added, "I love having one baby sister, mom." I do too, buddy. I really do love that you are a single baby. I love getting to know you differently than I knew the twins. I love taking care of you and not feeling so overwhelmed. You fit in our family, and I'm really not too frazzled about it. That is great. (I was even able to take all three of you to the beach without dad one day this month. You had your fussy moments, but I was able to handle it, because there is only one of you. So thankful!) Mackenna adores you, but I must say that she expresses this adoration mostly by showering her baby Raelyn with love. That is probably a separate story, but it is safe to say that Raelyn is a well fed, well changed, well dressed, well played with, well photographed little baby doll - as you are.









We really do love you and are so very thankful for you. Daddy says that if we have more children it will be because of you and how easy you were. We'll see. All I know is that I really am enjoying being your mom. The way you were babbling and getting more active today made me excited to keep finding out the girl you are going to turn into. I can't wait to get to know you more.



I love you,
Your Mama

Daddy Daughter Letter

Dear Jocie,

6 months. Wow! The recent rate of change is staggering. You’re developing into such a sweet little girl. You have your limits. You certainly let us know when we’ve gone past them. If you’re hungry or tired, you cry. If you’re really hunger or tired, you’re quite clear about it. But most of the time you’re content to be carried around or even sat on the floor with a few toys to bring to your mouth for exploration.

What I think about when I picture you is the way your eyes light up and your smile when you see either your mom or me. After you see us, your eyes squint just a little, and you give a devilish little grin, as though you were up to something. It’s such a cool feeling to know that you know me and that you like me. I want you to know that I love you so much.

You’ve just recently figured out how to sit up. That seems to help you feel not so alone when you’re on the floor. You do like to be around people, but you’re not so clingy that you can’t be left alone. You have a love/hate relationship with the cats. One minute you’re crying and the next you’re giggling over them. You love to be entertained by your brother and sister, but you’re not too fond of them when the entertainment gets more up close and personal. So you seem to know what you like, even if I don’t often know what that is. Maybe you’ll be a bit more decisive than your father.

There are times when this more decisive quality has brought with it a great deal of consternation. There are moments where your heart is set on being carried around so much so that being put on the changing table is met with quite the protest. Normally, you’re content with a diaper change, but at these times, I don’t think you understand what’s going on. You want to be held so much, you’re not willing to put up with even the slightest break. It shows that no matter how innocent you seem, you have a built-in selfishness. You want what you want, and that’s all there is to it. But I have great hope, not in you, but in the God who shows a grace that exceeds sinfulness. I’ll continue to pray for God’s intervention in your life so that one day I can echo John’s words, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4).

With great affection,

Your Dad

A sports post

This is obviously not a sports blog, but today I have a few things to say. I actually had a few things to say a few weeks ago when this all happened, but this is the first time I've been able to say them.

I'm a proud Colts fan. I'm sad Peyton is gone. I cried during his press conference. As I thought about why it matters to me so much, I realized a few things. Of all of the seasons that Peyton was our quarterback, I only lived in Indianapolis for one of them, and only lived in Indiana for five of them. It has been my experience that living a distance from a sports team only increases your love of them. Time and effort is put into being able to watch the games - whether it is going to a sports bar, getting a sling box, or even having a family member set up a webcam and skype so you can watch off of their TV. Colts colors are worn more proudly, because it isn't just a team that you are advertising, it is your home state - a state that you love and miss. There is a great deal of pride when your home state does well, because for once, the whole world is talking about your state, the place that your brain talks about all the time.

What a wonderful honor it was to have Manning as a part of that home state's team. We happened to move to the town where Dungy had left from. People like both of those guys here. I can't tell you how many conversations were started with complete strangers because of the Colts. Most of the conversations were positive - you couldn't really say anything bad about either of them. We moved to Florida from a state full of corn. It was so cool to have that no name corn state talked about frequently on national sports news, and talked about highly. That was because of Peyton. Before we had a slingbox, we could count on at least getting to watch 4 or 5 colts games a season because of Peyton and the way the nation followed him. He put Indiana on the nation's map - and it was just nice to have people know a little bit about a huge part of us, all because of football.

We will miss him....and yes, we will keep missing Indiana and the corn and the people...that goes without saying.



On a related Indiana sports note. When you live far away from the people and state you love, you begin to cheer for any team that is related to that state...even teams that just have players on them from that state. Any hatred for teams in that state that you didn't grow up cheering for kind of fades away. It is about pride in your state, not just your school. You want other people to like and talk about your state too. So, I will be cheering for the Hoosiers, as my husband also cheers for Purdue (as long as they aren't playing each other).

What a difference 6 months makes

Here is a quick list of some things that the older kids can now do that they definitely couldn't do 6 months ago..

• Buckle themselves in their carseats (I no longer have to climb into the back of the van to buckle them in. Glorious.)
• Play by themselves at church for hours (The 1 and 2 year old rooms are magical once they are no longer in there on Sundays. We discovered this during GO Conference week while I was doing work at the church. I seriously couldn't believe how well they played and pretended together, virtually unattended.)
• Tell me when they are sick (They both have self diagnosed themselves with ear infections. Micah saying that he couldn't eat dinner because his ear hurt too badly, and Mackenna telling us she couldn't hear. This allowed us to get treatment before they woke screaming in the middle of the night. This is wonderful blissfulness! - who would have thought that I would be using blissful and ear infection in the same sentence)
• Mostly take care of themselves in the bathroom (Maybe this is why my bathroom smells worse than ever!)
• Dress themselves - picking out clothes and putting them on, taking off their dirty clothes and putting them in the hamper (I'm learning to relax and only say 'no' to outfits when I really have to. This is a work in progress for me.)
• Count backwards from ten (with some help - sometimes their play cell phones will provide all the visual help they need, sometimes they want me to hold up my fingers and help them with some of the higher numbers)
• Sort rhyming word picture cards (with me reading the words)
• Kind of write their names (Micah got the good end of the stick here. Mackenna is really good at M, A, E, N - C and K are hard for her.)
• Do 24 piece puzzles - the kind in the box (They have their own ways of doing puzzles. Micah likes to obey 'my rules' and start with the edges and corners. Mackenna is really good at looking at the whole picture and just kind of knowing what pieces would make the picture come together. She is quiet and steady, slow at first, but sometimes getting done before him.)
• Lace beads on a string (Maybe they could do this before, but they seem to like it now.)
• Complete patterns, kind of
• Put away their toys, knowing exactly which bin each toy goes in (I think Micah actually enjoys cleaning up!)
• Ride their trikes
• Pump on the swings, kind of (Mackenna is better at this.)
• "Feed" their babies their "milk." (Yes, both of them do this sometimes, but Mackenna is the better mommy in this department. She also told him the other day that he didn't have the milk his baby needed. He disagreed.)

And a few things that they still do, that still melt my heart..

• Micah asks me to snuggle with him at naptime on a frequent basis
• They still snuggle with me in the morning in bed
• And Mackenna frequently tells me that I'm the best mama ever
• They play and pretend together like no one's business.

We're not even going to start thinking about all the ways that Jocelyn isn't different today than she was 6 months ago....That is for tomorrow.

Be Still

This week's p52 theme was "Be Still." These images from this week immediately came to mind. Sometime in the last year, our older kids started getting into bed with us in the morning. They usually make their way individually into our room sometime after 7, and we can usually keep them with us until around 8:00. Sometimes they are restless and chatty, but many times they fall back asleep as we slowly start our morning together. I was debating changing up this routine, but the day I heard this conversation between Micah and Mackenna, I ended that debate in a hurry.
Micah: "Mackenna, Mackenna, wake up. It's light outside."
Mackenna: "Oh."
Micah: "Do you know what that means? Do you know what time it is? .... It's SNUGGLE TIME!"
And then all I heard was two pairs of feet running into my bed. Pure Sweetness.

On this particular day, they must have been really tired, because Curt and I both had gotten up and taken showers before they even moved. My sleeping babes. Still. Sweet.







And, yes, that is a boy holding his twin sister's hand. I'm so glad they have each other.

Great Leap

I was so proud of my big boy on our first beach trip of the year. It is so neat to see so clearly how they grow up in the few months that we are away from the beach (about five months this year). The water was still a little chilly, which would usually send him running for the sand. Instead, this time he happily splashed the water on his head, jumped in with both feet, and danced around.





He was proud of himself too.

Cabin Fever

Well, I didn't quite make it in time for last week's challenge. In the spirit of following through, here are my cabin fever images. There is no better way to celebrate a beautiful February day (and help our visiting Maine friends burn off their cabin fever) than by going to the beach. It does the heart good. (Maybe this won't feel like quite as much gloating since I'm not able to link up to the rest of the group.)

Blur

Dearest Jocelyn,

Well, safe to say that this month has been a blur. A sweet and happy blur, but I still can't believe how fast it has gone. (If you want further evidence of this, dare to compare the date of this post with the actual date of your 5 month birthday.)



You have been super sweet this month. You are extremely laid back, squishy, and smiley. You are pretty easy to please, especially when we stick to your routine. If your belly is full, you are more than happy to lay on a blanket and look at your toys or bat at your toy bar. You may grunt/talk a little bit, either happily or to let me know that you are ready for a change of scenery. Often, when I hear you starting to grunt, I look at the clock and realize it is about the usual time for your nap. I lay you in your bed, wrap you up, you smile at me, and then you stick your fingers in your mouth and turn your head to the side and go to sleep. Sometimes, to add a little drama to this, you will drape your other arm over your eyes as you are going to sleep.

You are so easy to please that sometimes it is hard to come up with what you "really like." I would have to say that your favorite place to be is still on your back looking at your toys - either your "Hello Baby" toy gym, the Baby Einstein activity bar, or your crib mobile. You definitely prefer to be facing out when someone is holding you - you can tend to go a little ballistic if someone tries to snuggle you in any other way. Sometimes you will turn your head around backwards in order to look up at whoever is holding you while in that position. You will usually grant the person a smile once you see them.





You are doing better and better with sitting up on our laps. You will usually lift your head straight up and look at us if we are talking to you. Actually, I think you probably prefer standing on our laps and looking at us instead of sitting there.



Daddy has started doing the "Superman" game with you. When you hear him start to sing the song, you will usually give him a big smile because you know he will lift you up to fly at the "BUM-bum-bum" part.





You haven't latched onto a favorite thing yet. Sometimes I will give you your rabbit blankie and you will grab onto it, and sometimes you seem to like rubbing on your muslin swaddling blanket, but nothing has totally won your affection yet. (Except me of course, right?)

You are definitely noticing more and more about your surroundings. I love the big smile you give me when I come into your "bedroom" (yes, you still sleep in the bathroom) after a nap or nighttime. When I flip the light on, you take some time to squint and get used to the light, and then you usually will give yourself a great big smile in the mirror. You think you are pretty great, too.  The other day, one of the cats walked by you and totally caught your eye. You followed him wherever he went after that. You are also getting more social with your feeding times. You have started the super cute thing of taking a break and smiling or just looking at me while you are eating.



You aren't growing by leaps and bounds, which seems pretty similar to what your brother and sister were doing at this point. You seem to have a healthy amount of chub all over your body, but you aren't gaining much weight. To be honest, you don't eat super frequently during the day, but you are extremely content between feedings and you are willingly sleeping all night. You still absolutely refuse a bottle (more on that in just a second), so I don't think that supplementing is a solution, even if I was interested. You seem quite healthy in this aspect, and I will hope that you either have a growth spurt in the next few weeks or that the pediatrician agrees with me at six months.

I did spend a couple of days away from you at the beginning of February. I went to a photography workshop down at Clearwater Beach. I had thought that daddy would be able to keep you and feed you while I was away. Even the idea of this made you very angry with us, and you let us know every time we tried to give you a bottle in the days leading up to the workshop. We decided it was best if dad just brought you down (with your brother and sister) twice a day for me to feed you while I was gone. You seemed to approve. If I haven't told you lately, you have a really great daddy.



At three months old, you were seeming to be turning into quite the chatterer. You have definitely mellowed out and quieted down. That is okay, but we do love to hear what you "have to say" so feel free to speak up whenever you would like. (Notice I said "speak up" not "scream up.") You do like to laugh, but not really at your immediate family. You cracked up at two of your little friends on Valentine's Day as they were jumping up and down and the same with a little boy in the nursery. When I try to do silly things to make you giggle, you look at me like you are bored stiff. I'll keep trying. (So will your brother and sister, so please continue to humor us from time to time with a laugh, even if it is just a courtesy laugh.)


You are happily looking at your loving brother in this picture.


And putting up with being snuggled by your adoring sister in this one.

I've mentioned before that you have been super sweet and laid back this month - to further emphasize that, I should also add that this sweet behavior has been in addition to me adding dairy back into my diet and weaning you off the Zantac. Sometime this month we stopped giving it in the middle of the day and then stopped altogether. You seem fine. I'm enjoying my cheese and ice cream again (specifically, baked ziti and double fudge brownie ice cream - not together of course).

On the day you turned five months old you took your first trip to the beach - Ft. DeSoto. You were great. You even took one nap inside the tent. You also were willing to chill out in there even when you weren't sleeping. Daddy was kind enough to come into the little tent and get you to giggle at him (Don't be fooled, he was also trying to get his charbroiled skin out of the hot sun).









We had a great day together as a family; we were so glad to have you along with us. I'm just so thankful that you are a part of our family - you are a great fit. We love you very much.





I'm going to try and not panic too much about the fact that in three weeks I need to begin writing a six month letter! I'll just keep soaking in your sweetness and telling you just how much we love you, our little Jocie Bit.



Hugs and Kisses,
Your Mama