CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

When Brad got an entire week off (!!!!) we decided to do the sensible relaxing thing... take two small children on a ten hour car ride. Actually it was a lot of fun, if you ignore the many hours of screaming from Reagan. We drove up to Naperville to see Brad's parents. When we lived in Alton it was a quick 5 hour drive so we went up pretty regularly. Now we are double the distance with an additional child so a quick trip to Naperville no longer exists. With a full week on our hands we decided to take advantage. Our first stop was to the Children's museum, which of course Finley found endlessly exciting. Although, isn't it the hallmark of kids to get really into the most obscure parts of a really cool experience? For instance, Finley didn't want anything to do with the cool water ways and bubble pools. She wanted  to play on the stairs. REALLY? STAIRS? We've got a set a home, they aren't that cool. Promise. Also she wanted to carry around a basket of tennis balls. Not put them in the sweet air machine and watch them go through the tunnels. Just carry them around in a basket. Kids are so weird.

Here she is shaving a wax block.

I thought she would love this wood shop. She loved all the dangerous things she couldn't touch. After the seventh "no" she was outta there.

Family picture... wait no... someone's missing.

MY favorite part was the wind tunnel. It's exactly what it sounds like. A tunnel with wind. I even channeled my inner Heidi Klum (I wish) and did some modeling poses (those pictures will never see the light of day. Ever.).

Brad told me that wind tunnel is his ideal sleeping condition. I'm an anti ceiling fan sleeper. And he would... sleep in a wind tunnel if given the option. Who wants to feel like they are sleeping on the wing of a 747? I will never understand.

Well apparently Reagan takes after Dad in this regard - she could not be more asleep.

Although that's pretty much how Reagan felt about the entire Children's Museum. This is my intense Instagraming face. It's serious business. I don't mess around. Plus only have access to Brad's iphone... never.

SISTERS

My new all time favorite picture. I love these girls so much!

REAGAN FIVE MONTHS

Hi. I'm five months old now (well technically nearly six months, but my mom's a slacker and I can't type yet, so I blame her).  I am starting to show a lot personality. Most often I have my eyes wide open learning more about my crazy surroundings. But I really love to smile and laugh.

Mom has a lot of funny nicknames for me (Gipper, Reagie, Monkey) but the current one is: Bunsy. This came from calling me Reagan Buns, then Buns, then Bunsy. Even Finley calls me Bunsy, which mom thinks is sort of adorable.

I don't have any teeth yet, but mom checks my gums everyday. I've been gnawing on mom's hand constantly and sleeping horribly so I'm thinking they should pop through any day now. But I've been thinking that for about two months now... so who knows.

I finally decided to start rolling over, the trick is to tilt my large head to one side and magically my body follows. I can turn both directions. But I've decided I like being on my back best of all. When I get too tired to roll over, I put my head down and pout until mom feels sorry for me. Sucker! 

I've started eating solids (post on that coming soon) and I'm actually beginning to swallow more than I spit out. My favorite part is chewing on the spoon. YUM.

I've started grabbing everything in my sight. Once I can get a hand on something I either attempt to lift it over my head or try to put it in my mouth. If I can't reach something I stare at it for a really long time willing it to come to me.

I don't think I'll ever learn to crawl (or walk for that matter) because mom holds me all day long. If I'm not strapped into the baby bjorn mom carries me all over the house. Which is a good thing, because Finley likes to give me full body hugs. She has also started trying to feed me things and "helps" me drink for her sippy cup. I find it all very helpful, mom doesn't really feel the same way. Something about germs and me not being ready to eat a hot dog yet. Whatever. 

Finley does not love that I'm now the one sitting in the high chair. She tells me "Reagan, get out!  That's my chair!" Sometimes she still thinks she's the baby of the family. Sorry kid!

Even though Finley doesn't always love that I'm taking over the house. I can't wait until I can play with her. She seems hilarious. I laugh at most everything she does especially when I see her first thing in the morning (must be the bedhead). She has also started helping mom with my baths at night which is my favorite part of the day. I get really excited and squeal and kick my legs in anticipation of getting in the water. I hear Finley likes baths, but I LOVE baths.

My parents got wise (aka - took my Aunt Brooke's advice) and finally bought me a convertible car seat. Now I'm more upright and can finally get comfortable enough to sleep. I still complain and cry a lot, but I'm a lot happier overall. Now if only I could turn my head around enough to watch Pocahontas with Finley.

I'm a great eater and constantly get comments on my "healthiness." Mom feeds me well and can't get enough of holding me and squishing my cheeks, so what do you expect?

Mom is also a greedy holder, and has only now started letting other people take turns holding me. And since I'm so adorable I get passed around the room wherever I go. I don't mind other people, but I still like mom best of all.

HALLOWEEN 2012

We had Halloween overload this year. We had four separate occasions to wear costumes which was actually a lot of fun. But the resulting amount of candy is not so friendly on the post baby diet. I'm pretty sure I've only had one vegetable in the last week. And you know you're a swell parent when you think "Oh, finally something healthy! A hot dog." After three days straight of nothing but refined sugar I was happy to see something with any kind of substance enter Finley's body. It's going to be a slow process in explaining to Finley that there really isn't any more candy hiding on top of the fridge (SHHHH. She doesn't have to know I put all the chocolate candy in the freezer.).

I had a good time making their costumes this year. As you can see Finley was our Roaring 20's flapper girl. Reagan was Minnie Mouse. I'm partial to the good old fashioned red Minnie... I don't really love the modern day pink version. For the Trunk Or Treat at our church I managed to dress up as June Cleaver. From the older crowd I got a "You look like my mom!" From my age group I got, "How did you do that with your hair?" or "Oh, I love Mad Men!" From the younger crowd I got a confused, "What are you supposed to be?" Oh generation gaps! LOVE IT.

This is Finley and her friend Eli. They are the two rascals of the nursery every Sunday. Definitely partners in crime with a love/hate relationship. What great historical duos aren't described that way? Well the infamous ones anyway.

One tired little Minnie Mouse at the library. Trick or Treating is exhausting!

This was a Halloween miracle that we got these three to sit still long enough for a picture. Never mind that they are totally unimpressed by the fact that I wanted to preserve this special childhood memory for them.

One of my favorite pictures ever! Not the best quality but the pose and facial expressions are awesome. Finley and James must get married when they grow up so they can recreate this pose for their 50th wedding anniversary.

Finley and James with their little sister and brother (respectively). This lasted all of three seconds before they both started pushing their siblings over. Eh. It'll happen.

 The dragon (Logan) and the Mouse (Reagan) got the best ride of the night.

Stroller brigade alert! We went to our friend's neighborhood dinner before we went trick or treating and this is the sight the neighborhood saw approaching! Ha!

It was dark by the time we started Trick or Treating - but my friend Joni was smart enough to have glow sticks for the kids. It also made for pretty awesome night pictures.

 

Aaaaaand this was Finley's response when I said "bathtime!" No she's not sleeping, she's pouting in her typical sprawled out fashion. I guess she was too tired to cry. Halloween was fun, but after a party and three separate trick or treatings I'm kinda worn out. Now excuse me while I go eat some Almond Joys like a good mom should.

HALLOWEEN SNEAK PEAK

I'm determined to finish Reagan and Finley's costumes today. And let's just say that I've decided to never sew with fringe ever again. It's made my positive "let's whip up this costume from no pattern"  attitude turn quite sour. I might be up all night but they will both be done before I go to sleep!

REAGAN - FOUR MONTHS

Reagan is continuing to be the sweetest, happiest baby. But what? Reagan is four months you say? She's growing? I'm SHOCKED. No really. I'm shocked. You can tell by the fact that just last week I was still trying to stuff her in to newborn clothes. It finally dawned on me to pull out the next set of clothes and not only does she not fit in to newborn clothes she now fits in to two sizes bigger: 6 months clothes. I'm kid of in denial sometimes. I really really really don't want this one growing anymore - I'm not actually sure what's going to happen when I have two mobile children. I didn't sign up for that model. Just the snuggly, squishy, sleepy kind. So this one is going to stay four months forever, deal?

She has just started being awake during the day more than asleep. Which is a good thing because we are starting to see more of her personality come through. She responds the most to singing and gets so excited when Finley and I sing that her whole body shakes and she puts both fists in her mouth to contain the excitement. She hasn't started rolling much yet, but in the words of the pediatrician and not mine, "She's just lazy. It looks like she could do it if she wanted to." And I pay this person for the well being of my child. Actually we love our pediatrician, she said it in the kindest tone. I think.

I call the above picture "Fists of Fury." This pose will someday be used to get back at her sister constantly hugging/smothering her to death and having a strange obsession with trying to touch her eye.

Finley could not stand Reagan getting all the camera time (even though Finley hasn't willingly looked at the camera on cue in over a year) so she had to crash the shoot. Both of these shots are totally out of focus but they show a few sweet moments that I didn't have to force. Notice Finley's sunglasses. She demanded I take about 50 pictures of her wearing those sunglasses but since this is Reagan's post I'll save those for next time.

Reagan much prefers her hand to any toy or pacifier at this point. This is what she looks like the majority of her waking hours.

Am I crazy or are her eyes totally going green? THAT would be awesome. I longed for green eyes when I was in middle school when those where the type of concerns that dominated your thinking time.

- She is most ticklish right at the bottom of her rib cage.
- She doesn't like taking medicine - AT ALL. She cried worse during the oral immunization then during the shots.
- She still HATES her car seat and rarely sleeps in it anymore. So I'm seriously considering an upright (rear facing) car seat in the near future. Possibly when we drive for ten hours to Naperville in two weeks.
- She still loves the Baby Bjorn and does a lot of really good napping in that thing. It is a lifesaver while running errands and especially at church (I spend two hours every Sunday running around doing things as Primary Secretary. For those not in our church "Primary" is what we call the Sunday School program for 18 months - 11 year old kids ).
- Her sleep has gotten a little out of whack since both her and Finley had terrible colds mixed with eye infections plus Reagan has started teething all in the last month. It's been super fun. Aaaaaand I might have just purchased three of the biggest bottles of hand sanitizer you have ever seen. I keep one in our car and one upstairs and downstairs. We go to way too many playgroups now to even begin to be completely germ free but I never want to repeat the last five weeks of colds on top of colds on top of sleepless nights. NO THANKS.

- She still prefers mamma. Yessssss. So far, I love it.

- The comments of her looking "just like Brad" have started. FINE. I guess none of my children will look like me. I'm FINE with it. Can't you tell?

- One of my favorite things to do is at about 3:30 set Finley up with a movie (since Finley has all but given up nap time I demand at least "quiet relaxation" time for everyone's sanity) and then Reagan and I doze in the recliner. I look forward to it everyday and count it as special me and her time. I had so much of that with Finley and I'm glad I can still kind of do it with Reagan. Occasionally Finley will fall asleep too... and then it's just pure heaven.

Did I just admit that I love my kids most when they're napping?

Honestly though, I love my girls so much. I feel so incredibly lucky. These days of single parenting are so tough and I'm glad among the fits and crying and smelly bums that I get to laugh and hug and sing silly songs. And as for mellow babies - I highly recommend you pick one up.