Brooklyn. . .4 Months

Brooklyn is growing WAY too fast.  It is amazing to me that this first year is halfway over!

What's new in Brookie's world?

• Well, I shouldn't have gotten so excited about the sleep thing, because we are back to waking up multiple times during the night.  Rats!!  Brooklyn will eat for a bit, but then she just likes to suck and suck. . .w'ere going to have to break this habit soon!  I'm afraid it's going to take several nights of crying in order to show this girl who's boss :)
• Brooklyn still does not like her bottle. . .and her eating has also become very sporadic.  At one feeding she's hungry and then she'll completely skip her next feeding.  This must be some new diet plan that I'm not aware of.
• She's rolled over from her tummy onto her back. . .sort of.  She showed me, Ryan, Brandon, and Daddy her new trick. . .so she did it a total of 4 times.  She hasn't done it since then.  Does this count?
• Her hair is growing in and I'm fairly certain we are going to have a redhead on our hands.  The boys hope her hair starts to grow faster, oh and they would prefer if it were "smooth."  (as opposed to curly)
• At her last doctor's appointment, Brooklyn was still in the 50th percentile for head, weight, and length and she weighed 13 lbs. 14 oz.

Christmas. . .Bah Humbug!!

I usually get to tease Nate that he is Ebeneezer Scrooge during the holiday season, but this year I must say that it was I who turned out to be a regular Grinch.  I was frazzled, unambitious, and a bit complacent  through Christmas and New Year's.  Not only did it hamper the spirit for the kids, but I felt horrible once the holidays were over because I felt like I had missed it.  I missed all of Christmas and what the focus of Christmas should have been.  Shame on me!!  I vow to do better next year. 

I know Christmas was still exciting for the kids, I just think I could have done a better job.  We went bowling (as we usually do on Christmas Eve), attended our church's Candlelight Christmas Eve Service, opened presents from their Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts and Uncles and Cousins from North Dakota/Minnesota, and went to Aunt Darlene and Uncle Tom's for pizza and snacks.  The boys were excited to get home in order to set out their milk and cookies for Santa. . . .so off we went.

Christmas Day is a bit of a blur. . .we opened presents in the morning and had Nate's family here for breakfast.  Then, it was time to quick pick up, Skype with my family, finish making dinner, all while trying to nurse Brooklyn because she refused to take a bottle, and get ready for Nate's family to head back over to our house to eat. 

The day went by SO fast. . .and reflecting back on things, Nate and I decided that we will change some things for next year.  Oh, AND I didn't get one single picture of this Christmas so this is a no picture post!!  Even writing this post, I feel just wretched. . .Blech!!!

December Events

I have to confess that our December has been atypical with a new baby in the house.  I quickly put up the decorations myself.  Usually the boys and I spend a lot of time on this and they get to help, but since they are in school all day and the decoration boxes sit in the hall until things get put up, I just took care of it. 

The boys and I decorated the tree, but I didn't make a big deal of it like I usually do.  Looking back on things, there is a lot that I wish I could change, but it is hard to juggle everything with a new baby in the routine.  I made myself promise that next year I would be much more on top of things. 

We managed to get some sugar cookies decorated this year (this was the only Christmas baking I did this year. . .Yes, I'm a terrible mother) the week before Christmas.  The boys had a great time decorating.

Brooklyn and I also went to the boys' Christmas party at school.  We got to watch them play games and decorate Grinch cookies. (Oh, and the boys made me promise to make Brooklyn wear a bow in her hair when I brought her to school so the kids would know that she was a girl.  With her pink clothes, pink stroller, pink blankets, pink everything it looks like someone threw up pepto-bismol on the girl.  I'm not sure how anyone could think she was anything other than a baby girl).

Family Pictures

My friend Suzy came and took a few pictures of our family so I'd have something for our Christmas card.  She ended getting a super cute one of Brooklyn (who's 3 months in the pictures) and some great ones of the boys. 

Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving morning the boys got up and headed out to play a game of flag football before dinner.  Ryan and Brandon had a blast!!

 Brandon helping on Uncle Josh's and Uncle Mike's team

 Ryan helping Dad out. . .

Brooklyn hanging out with Becca 

Thanksgiving was at Connie's house this year and we had such a good time.  Mike, Carlene, and Eli were home and Tim, Melissa, and Jack were back as well.  All in all, we had 4 new babies to play with. . .Eli (9 months), Jack (7 months), Brooklyn (3 months), and Kaden (1 1/2 months).  Plus, it was exciting to know that Johanna has our next little baby on the way!! 

I think Ryan and Brandon were a bit overwhelmed with all the little ones.  They are definitely feeling out their new role in the family.  For the past 6 years they've been the ones who have taken center stage and been the center of attention.  This year was different as they seemed to get passed up by 4 babies, but they've been very good about rolling with it.  I am so blessed to have such good kids!!

 Brookly, Jack, and Eli

 Kaden and Brooklyn (don't they look so happy?!) Ha!!

Carlene and Eli

We spent lots of time with everyone while they were home. . .we had family dinners together, watched football, and went to the Festival of Trees.  Eli and Brooklyn got to see Santa for the first time. 

Brooklyn. . .3 Months

A glimpse at Brooklyn:

• She is starting to make giggling/laughing noises
• She's totally chunking up. . .I'm not quite sure how big her cheeks will end up getting :)  Stay tuned. . .
• Brooklyn takes naps very well.  She loves being swaddled and goes down for a nap super easy.  All you do is wrap her up, stick the binky in, and she's out.  SO NICE for Mommy!!
• She does NOT like her car seat!
• She has the biggest, open-mouth, gummy smile that melts my heart and makes me laugh!
• She hates drinking from a bottle.

Halloween

Well, I'm happy to say that this year's costumes had nothing to do with super heroes!!  Initially, the boys wanted to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Luckily, I found some at Target that were reasonably prices and fit the requirements Nate set for me "find the cheapest costumes available."  Unfortunately, Target does not make costumes that fit my growing boys. I brought them home to try on and they were WAY too small. 

So, Nate got to experience shopping with his sons.  He took them to the costume shop and let them pick out their own costumes (interesting. . .dad's don't need to stick to a costume budget when they take kids shopping).  Two elated boys came home with exactly what they wanted!!  This year I got to cruise the neighborhood with Indiana Jones (a.k.a. Ryan Lowry) and a mighty Ninja (a.k.a. Brandon Lowry).

Halloween Day was super busy. . .I volunteered in the boys' classroom for their Halloween Party and then we had Nate's family over for our Annual Halloween Chili Dinner.  Everyone got to see the kids dressed up in their costumes and then we also had family to watch Brooklyn while Indiana Jones, Mighty Ninja, Nate, and I hit the pavement to find some trick-or-treats.

Brooklyn. . .2 Months

A glimpse of Brooklyn at 2 months:

• She's smiling and cooing. . .it's the best sound in the whole world.  She has the softest voice (compared to her brothers) and she's just so sweet. 
• Brooklyn has a really strong neck.  She's already lifting her head all the way up when she has tummy time.
• She might have a soft, sweet voice, but all her bodily noises are so VERY LOUD.  She is a loud eater, a loud pooper, and yes. . a loud tooter.  The boys find it hysterical!!
• She still loves to fall asleep in someone's arms.  It doesn't matter who the person is, she'll curl right up, find a warm spot, and just snooze away.  She particularly likes to snuggle up with her Auntie Jo.
• Brookie is a champion sleeper compared to her brothers.  She's waking up once during the night for a feeding.  She usually sleeps from 9:30-3:00, feeds, and then sleeps from 3:30-7:00.  Amazing!!  Is this really MY child?
• She has a tosis in her left eye.  Her eyelid muscle is a big weaker and so it doesn't open as far as it should.  The doctor said she should outgrow this.  For now, it looks like Brookie is winking in all her pictures.
• We all fight over who gets to get Brooklyn up from her naps.  Whoever unwraps her from her swaddle is rewarded with the biggest, most precious smile ever.  They become her hero!!
• She is in the 50th percentile for head circumference, height, and weight.  At her 2 month check-up she weighed 11 lb. 1 oz.

Flag Football

The Vikings

Ryan and Brandon were so excited to start flag football again this year.  Their team name. .  The Vikings (they are NOT happy about that).  Practices have been two nights a week and then they have games every Saturday.  Nate has been helping out with the practices so the boys have enjoyed having "guy nights" on Mondays and Wednesdays. 

Brooklyn and I have enjoyed watching the games. . .maybe I should say I enjoy watching the games. . .Brooklyn seems to sleep through the whole game which disappoints the boys because they think she would REALLY like the game.  Oh, and I'm supposed to try to dress Brookie in purple so that she matches their team's jersey color. 

Anyway- the boys have improved a ton since last year.  Ryan enjoys playing quarterback.  Hmmmm. . imagine that. . .the boy who wants to be in control of all situations likes playing quarterback!  Brandon plays on defense and also loves to "hike the ball" to his brother.  

Hornet's Nest

So the boys discovered a HUGE hornet's nest in our tree in front of our house.  We showed it to Nate when he got home and I know that the minute he saw that thing he was freaking out.  A can of wasp killer was not going to do the job. . .greater measures were going to have to be taken to get rid of this thing.  Not an ideal situation when you're scared of bugs.  I know I shouldn't talk since I'm not the insect killer at this house, but funny nonetheless.

Nate came into the house and immediately started watching UTube videos with the boys about how to destroy a hornet's nest.  The boys particularly liked the video where the people clipped the nest into a garbage can, dumped in some gasoline, and started the whole thing on fire. 

Nate decided we would probably have to go the route of clipping the nest into the garbage can and then opening the lid a crack and spraying wasp spray into it.  Luckily, Nate's friend who had the tree limb clipper came over to help.  The boys got all suited up so they could help.  As soon as the hornet's started coming out of the nest, I had two little boys banging on the front door.  They finished watching from the front window, but declared Nate and his friend Ed. . .superheroes!!

These videos are funny. . .if you have time, watch them :)

Brooklyn at 1 Month

So, YES, I have been a total slacker and this is probably the picture that I have of Brooklyn around 1 Month old. I think I had a camera permanently glued to my hand when we had Ryan and Brandon, but with this baby I'm always wondering "Where's the camera?" and then I get busy with something and the moment escapes me.

It's funny because in my head I didn't think adding one more child to the family would have that much of an impact. . .I thought it would happen rather seamlessly, but I think because of the age gap between the boys and Brooklyn it's been a bit more difficult that I anticipated. We're thrown back into nap schedules, feedings, and a mommy who's been picking up all day after two messy boys while trying to do laundry and fix supper. 

We've had a lot of help and I'm so grateful for that. Our family has been extremely blessed by our amazing church family. They've helped me out tremendously with meals so that I have more time take care of Brooklyn. Nate's mom, grandma, and aunt have been coming over to help keep up with cleaning.

What's new with Brookie?

• She eats every three hours; day and night.
• She simply goes to sleep if there is too much action around her. Getting passed around too much or seeing too many faces results in a complete shutdown at this point. It's pretty fun for whoever is holding her though because she'll just cuddle up in your arms and sleep away.

Brooklyn's Baptism

Auntie Jo and Uncle Josh with Brooklyn

Grandma and Grandpa

Brooklyn was baptized at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church on September 28, 2011. A new life being given the gift of faith through the beautiful blessing of baptism. What a truly special day!! Knowing that your child is entrusted to God is such a joyous feeling.

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

What did we do when Grandma and Grandpa came in September?

• Snuggled and cuddled with Brooklyn
• Took flag football pictures and played with Nerf guns in a dart zone
• Went for a motorcycle ride (Nate, Grandma, and Grandpa)
• Threw Grandma a birthday party
• Baptized Brooklyn
• Played Lego Creationary
• Took McDonald's to school and ate with Ryan and Brandon

A Look at Ryan at the start of 1st Grade

• Easy-going. . .Ryan is a happy, go-with-the flow kind of kid. He has a great attitude (unless he's really tired!)
• Wants to be in control ALL the time. . .this may come from being the oldest (by 6 minutes), but Ryan wants to control all situations and be the boss. Most of the time Brandon is ok with this, but it can wear on Bran's nerves after a while. Ryan has also decided he wants to be the boss of me too. . .that doesn't go over so well.
• Favorite color is still blue. . .He picked out all blue shirts when we went Back-to-School shopping.
• Wants to be EXACTLY like his dad. Ryan has always gravitated a bit more toward Nate, but just this past year Dad is WAY cooler than Mom.
• LOVES being a big brother. Ryan loves to help with Brooklyn and is a great help to me when I need it.
• When asked to make a decision, Ryan will make his choice and then ask, "What did my brother pick?"

A Look at Brandon at the start of 1st Grade.....

• Is all about having fun!! Brandon is always up for a good time as long as he's playing with friends, swimming, boating, or playing sports.
• Has already lost 8 teeth. He must be the richest kid on the block :)
• Favorite color is still red. I'm not sure this will ever change. I took the boys school shopping and Brandon came back with an entire pile of red clothes.
• Loves a good joke.
• Enjoys football and soccer. . .Brandon attended our church soccer camp this summer and he's now in flag football.
• When asked to make a decision, Brandon always answers with "What did my brother pick?" and then Bran makes his choice (usually the same one as Ry).
• Makes friends easily, but has a little bit of anxiety about new situations.
• Drama Boy. . .Brandon still seems to need a great deal of attention when he hurts himself, doesn't get his way, or is being bossed around by his brother.
• More of a follower. . .Bran definitely let's Ryan take the lead, but Bran often gets frustrated when he's pushed around too much and then WATCH OUT!!!! It's not a pretty sight.
• Very Passionate. . .When Brandon is super excited about something you can tell. He starts talking really fast with the biggest smile on his face and then his voice gets louder and louder.
• Although Bran still usually comes to Mom first, he's growing up and wants to hang out with dad a whole lot more. Pretty soon. . .I'm gonna get ditched!

First Grade, Here We Come!!

First Day of School. . .2011-2012

Ryan and Brandon are SO excited for school. This year they are in Ms. Unger's 1st Grade Class. Both boys are in the same class and a few of their favorite friends are in their class too, Tyler and Ripley. They've already decided that it is REALLY cool to eat hot lunch so they are going to do that every day and riding their bikes will be their favorite way to get to and from school.

I can't believe that this day has come. I'm so excited we have kids that are truly excited for this new adventure, but it's a bit sad to realize that someone else is going to spend more time with them than I will. I guess they aren't little boys after all. . .

Settling in at Home

How are we doing the first week with baby?

• Brooklyn sleeps ALL the time (of course). It's what newborns do best.
• Brooklyn is a champion nurser!!
• Ryan wants to help with EVERYTHING!! He's super interested in feeding time (a bit weird since it involves him staring at my boob), wants to help change her diaper (would do it himself if I'd let him), and doesn't understand why I won't let him carry Brooklyn all around the house. He loves giving Brookie snuggles and cuddles.
• Brandon wants to know why we never get to do anything any more and he's not too excited about snuggling with his new sister. . .actually he's kind of kept his distance.
• Brooklyn got to sleep in Nate's and my room for about 3 nights before Dad kicked her out. I will admit it's a bit hard to sleep with a baby in the room.
• We are ALL so in LOVE!!

Brooklyn Meets her Brothers

Once Nate, Brooklyn, and I were settled into our hospital room, we called the family to come visit. I was anxious to see how Ryan and Brandon were going to react to their new sister. They were so excited in the days leading up to her birth, but you never can tell what their true reaction will be.

Unfortunately, Ryan was under the weather so he had to gear up before he came in to see Brooklyn. I think it was love at first sight for Ry. He immediately wanted to know EVERYTHING about his sister. Then, Brandon came in, looked at Brooklyn, and sat down on the hospital floor to play with the new car that Grandma Connie had gotten him at the dollar star. Hilarious! I guess it's just going to take him a bit to ease into his Big Brother role.

Introducing. . . Brooklyn Michelle Lowry

Nate and I got to St. Luke's this morning at 7:00 a.m. to check in for our induction. Once I had my I.V.'s put in and the baby monitor on, the nurse came in to give me the gel to begin contractions. The morning was off to a good start. My contractions began half an hour later and as with most inductions, were very strong. I was also lucky enough to experience back labor. Holy crap. . .It is SO much worse than regular labor. I spent a lot of the morning breathing, concentrating, sitting in the bathtub. Finally, I decided that I didn't need to be a hero since I was going to get an epidural anyway. My epidural came at 12:00 and Dr. King broke my water around 1:00.

Brooklyn had some problems with my contractions after my water broke. Each time I had a contraction, there was a marked drop in her heart rate. The doctor noticed that when she broke my water, there wasn't much amniotic fluid that drained. I also wasn't dilating as quickly as Dr. King would have liked. With Brooklyn in distress the doctor began discussing the possibility of having a C-section with us. I really wanted to try to avoid this, but the most important thing was making sure that Brooklyn was o.k. They had Nate get scrubs on just in case.

We Have a Date!!

Last picture of the Lowry family of 4