Thursday, October 1, 2015

7 Months as a Lewman 2.0

All my favorite heads in one place.

Well this little gal has gracefully transitioned from a sweet baby to a mature baby.  I swear I can see the wheels turning when we place toys in front of her. Either there is no interest or it goes in her mouth and she will determine if that was a good decision.  Delaney is still nursing and sleeping like a dream baby.  Oh and sleeping with us.  I have TRIED many times to put her in her crib but we both hate it so for now she'll just always stay with me forever.  I know she needs to be in her own room - I'll get there.  If this really, truly is my last baby - I am just trying to hold on as long as I can. Besides, I have a feeling she'll be the one leaving me ready to go to her crib.  She's pretty determined (yes even at 7 months). She already knows what she likes and doesn’t…



Not a fan of…
Applesauce
Getting in her car seat
Getting out of her car seat
Looking at her car seat
Facing people when they are holding her
Getting her nails clipped
Sun in her eyes
Teething
Socks

Big fan of…
Bottles of any kind (plastic)
Eating anything but applesauce
Music – 90’s club mix
Her brother and sister
Her right foot
And her left foot
And her sister’s foot
Any foot will do
Sleeping with Mom
Walks outside
Crawling
Not growing hair


This past month has been VERY eventful.  Delaney had her 6 month check up and weighed 16.14 lbs. and 26 ¾” in height.  She is really strong.  Sitting up 90% of the time without falling over and using her hands to support her.  She stands on her own for a solid 20 seconds before her little giraffe legs give out.  She is scoot-crawling everywhere.  Long gone are the days we could leave her on the center of the bed and run to the other room for something.  She is mobile and ain’t got time to sit around.  She’s so so so curious about everyone and sounds and sights.  She moves her head so fast around fearing she is going to miss something.  Delaney is a tough crowd in our house.  There is a lot of comedy generated within these walls and she laughs at about 1/10 of our material.  We’ll find her weakness and soon have her in stitches.  Still waiting for that can’t-breathe-bend-over-slap-your-knee type of laugh...but she will grace us with a few pity chuckles here and there. Here's a little vid of her version of spin cycle and a little leg work out with said chuckle...


She had her first (two) colds, and her first fever.  If you would have told me 10 years ago that sucking snot out of my baby girl's nose with a weird tube would be the highlight of my day…I would have raised my beer and said “cheers”! Boy do times change.

4 eyes and 2 smiles - pretty rare!
Her verbal communication is really taking off.  I think her first words were “Deb, Deb, Deb” or “Mama”…or “gah”.  But now that she has her two first little sprouted teeth, I bet all kinds of words will be headed our way.  I am always encouraging Emmy to talk/sing/laugh with Delaney.  Emmy is much smarter than I give her credit for – I will say “Emmy, did you ask Delaney how her doctor’s appointment went?” and she replies “did she see Dr. DeVoe? She doesn’t know how to talk so I didn’t ask her” and then I feel like the fool for even suggesting such a thing.  Emmy is doing great with Delaney as long as it doesn’t have to do with her toys, blankets, books, or anything else.  She has realized now that D is hitting milestones and we celebrate them, she wants to be celebrated too for those same things.  So, we indulge her and think of other things that she can do that Delaney can’t yet.  It’s a delicate balance of letting her take the attention and sharing it. 

He walks to/from school now...CRAZY!

September was the beginning of football, 6th grade, Hayden playing the saxophone and he is about to head to outdoor school.  I have been pushing camp on Tye and Jenny for about…9 years now and I think I might have my chance to really prove how awesome it is if he really enjoys this.  Hayden, don’t mess this up for me!!! Such independence and anxiety and just FUN.  I wonder if it’s too late for me to be an outdoor school counselor?!  Either way – super excited for all the fun events he has coming up this year. 

Tye has finished another round of one-pitch softball  - which he of course, excelled at.  The diamond can’t hold him…THPRID has some deep fences and I think he’s hit 3 or 4 over the fence and had an incredible Tye Lewman catch out in center field.  It’s so fun watching him play – if only I didn’t have two little people to keep track of during his games I would probably volunteer to be water boy.  Makes me want to play!!!

Coming up…HALLOWEEN!  So ready for the temps to cool down and the house to warm up.  Fall in the NW doesn’t get any better.  See you in November!

Emmy and Delaney have the same outfit with the same pose at the same age...and look identical.  



Tuesday, September 1, 2015

6 Months as a Lewman 2.0


This blog is particularly difficult for me...half of Delaney's first year has flown by.  And as I look at Emmy, I see how fast this time goes.  How quickly they learn and develop a thirst for knowledge of all things.  I keep looking at Delaney as if she were 4 weeks old, refusing to believe she's getting older.  When Emmy was born I was so excited for the next milestone and how she was advancing through this world.  Now, I feel a twinge of sadness as Delaney learns to sit up, try baby food,develop sounds.  I just want her to stay this way forever.  But who am I kidding, I would love to watch her become best friends with Emmy and Hadyen as they grow into little people.  Watch her make decisions and see how similar and opposite her and her sister are.  As the only child from my Mom and Dad, a sibling is so foreign to me.  I can't wait to see how this works and what it will be like for them.  And then throw a brother in the mix and I am totally out of my element.  I have to be honest when I say, I am truly blessed to live the life I do with the people I live it with.  Watching three children at different stages is so fascinating and fulfilling.  I love them and am so proud of each of them.  Okay, enough of that - let's get talking about chumba-wumba Delaney.

A typical scenario with these three.


6 Months of smiling
She is 6 months old today!  I would guess she's about 17 lbs based on the soreness of my left arm.  She has her next check up in two weeks so we'll see!  She's already in size 3 diapers although I am pretty sure her and I have the same size tush (that's not a good sign for her).  She's already dipping into her 9 month clothes which is fine by me because for some reason I always want to dress her warmer than necessary.  Similar to Randy in A Christmas Story.  Not to mention getting to use Emmy's clothes again is fun for me! We tried giving her some applesauce and peaches...I'll let you decide if she liked them...

Ladies and gentleman, she has found her voice.  She LOVES to cackle and inhale real deep and squeal while exhaling.  She just chats with herself, with her friends at daycare and is still the most jolly person we know.  She is teething pretty hardcore right now so there is another side of her voice that I am unfamiliar with - crying?  It's weird.  The girl doesn't cry and when she does, she's pretty easily consolable.  I've recently been introducing her to her room, one day at a time spending more time in her crib, looking at her walls, etc.  I think she thinks she's going to sleep in our room forever and I will tell you one thing - we will not be sharing our bed with her during her high school years!  No promises on any time before that. :)

Delaney has been very busy meeting people this summer.  Aunt Tiffany, Aunt Traci, Uncle Mark, Uncle Jim, her cousins Taylor, Morgan and Michael ~ she's been to 3 birthday parties, 2 weddings, 8 softball games, pools, parks, beaches and BBQs.  She's never met anyone she doesn't like and will pretty much let anyone hold her and enjoy her company.  Speaking of softball - we went undefeated in regular season, made it to the playoffs and then beat ourselves in the championship game.  Tye was the home-run leader and even in his old age can get around those bases like in the cartoons with dirt behind him.  Proud of how we played - and looking forward to next season with the Skull Crushers for the 6th year.


It's been one whirlwind of a summer and the closer we get to the end, the busier it gets.  Squeezing in those last beach trips, camping, fun activities is keeping us pretty consumed. Plus Hayden started football and it's amazing what one year will do.  He's thicker, taller, stronger and looks like a football player!  Here's a video of him throwing his first touchdown pass on Saturday!  As you can hear, super proud Dad!


Hayden starts 6th grade next week - and I am so excited to participate in his school activities.  This is such a crucial age for kids and Tye won't let me be involved in any more of the serious talks because I divulge too much information so I will leave that up to him and Jenny :) but I'm always here if they need me to be share worst case scenarios!  I think most people remember me as a teenager so I think I have some guidance on how to NOT be.  The girls are still at the Montessori which I really love.  I don't want to jinx anything but either Emmy is phasing out of the "threenager" stage or we are just getting better at the signs and symptoms of a freakout.  We're all working together pretty well right now! SO looking forward to football season, Delaney's first Halloween, and Cinderella to come out on DVD.  Yeah, I said it.  Hope everyone had a fantastic summer and see you in October!


Tuesday, August 4, 2015

4/5 Months as a Lewman 2.0

The 3 best friends that anyone could have.
So, believe it or not- 4 months is absolutely the same as 3 months, however 5 months is a lot different than 4 months!  Delaney is still the easiest baby in the world although we have heard a few cries by now.  She just coos and smiles and I'm pretty sure she said "Thank You" yesterday.  She sits and watches basketball, chills on the couch with us, listens to music as if she's critiquing talent and those smiles will just melt in your mouth. She's just the best! For a moment (very brief) I thought maybe this wouldn't be our last...but then realized any baby after this would just be a nightmare :)


Delaney had her 4 month check up and it turns out she's taller than normal, thinner than average and has a considerably small pinhead.  We met our new doctor thanks to our friend Siobhan, Dr. Hilary DeVoe at Sunset Pediatrics - absolutely love her.  D weighed in at 14.2 lbs (three weeks ago) and because of her turtle like strength in lifting her head I was able to make a visual of her neck!  She is seconds away from laughing with short little bursts of chubby chuckles but not a full blown Belding laugh like her Mom.  We really can't wait to get that girl in stitches. She's already hitting her 6 month milestones by pushing up on her arms, scooting on her tummy and rolling over.  She loves every second of her bouncer, and so do I...




My beautiful girl.
I have been so busy I haven't been able to write, so here's the last two months in a nutshell.  Since Delaney has been born all our lives have changed but I think the one most impacted has been Emmy.  She is still so adorable with her little sis but she requires A LOT of our attention.  Thank God I have the easiest baby in the world because I don't know how I would be able to do it.  She has had a few setbacks with potty training and throws some pretty impressive car tantrums.  In those situations you can go one of two ways, punish or love.  We have chosen love.  Pretty much only after realizing punishment doesn't work because she's just a little emotional ball of CHILD.  Don't get me wrong, I have lost my shit multiple times, sometimes I have cried harder than she has during one of her episodes.  But in the end we know that she is still adjusting to a new family member, a new school, new rules and we're going to help her, along with Hayden.  He has been so amazing with her.  I know he's only 11 but I know he's going to make an incredible father one day - especially with the role model he has. Hayden has sat in between the two car seats while both girls needed attention and his eyes may have been crossed but he didn't complain.  His only frustration is that he couldn't help them both at the same time.  He's a phenomenal big brother!  We will celebrate him on Saturday for our family holiday "Brother's Day" - 8/8 of every year since "8" is his favorite number.  We're going to a Hops game - which should be interesting with the girls plus maybe a campout in the backyard!
Hayden explaining that the Howlin' Tornado is scary.


Delaney is officially not the youngest baby in the baby room anymore.  She's 5 months and considered one of the old broads now...although, still the favorite (even though they're not supposed to have one, I've been told she is).  It's gotten to where I walk in and she is smiley to hear/see me which is like a double rainbow because then I grab Emmy and she is all smiles too!  At least until we get in the car and there is usually some type of disagreement on whether her Alex or my Alex (I don't have an Alex) is coming to her birthday party (which is in February) to which I say, "no, he invited you to his birthday party" and then she says "I don't WANT to invite him".  That's a pretty typical conversation with us.  While Delaney just stares on wondering when her older sister will start crying again.  The one thing that saves us every time - is making a joke about Delaney driving, or running or eating ice cream because Emmy thinks that is hilarious since she's a baby.  So, I've got one trick that works...

Baseball has officially ended.  Tye and hayden are back at home during the week, and I am loving it.  Hayden has had several camps this summer; swimming, zombie parkour (yes, zombie anything is a thing), rock climbing, football and even code camp where he gets to build his own software/video game.  I am still pushing for outdoor camp but I think next summer might be perfect going into 7TH GRADE!  Which means he starts school next month - 6th grade/middle school.  So excited to see how he adjusts to growing up and this crazy time for kids.  Football starts in two weeks and we are thrilled to see how he's improved from last year.  

"Mama, can we go to the pool yet?"
This summer has been a hot whirlwind that is literally killing my grass and flowers.  Along with the massive 50 ft tree that fell into our backyard.  It was the most surreal thing to stand on my back porch and be eye level with a tree on it's side.  We have exceptional neighbors that cleaned it up right away and rebuilt the fence within 48 hours!  It was located in in their yard and unfortunately an arborist had to come out and remove 4 beautiful trees from their yard which also opened up a lot of sun to our backyard.  Just glad no one was hurt or the house was damaged.  And most importantly, the plastic kiddy pool was not harmed.  We went to San Fransisco for an adult only weekend to watch our friends get married in a stunning ceremony.  We went up to Great Wolf Lodge where I am pretty sure Emmy discovered for the first time why we are awesome parents.  She absolutely loved it.  This is a picture of her sitting in bed, waiting to get up to go to the pool at 6:30am the next morning.  
 We are experiencing higher than normal actiivity so please be patient - I will get the next blog out as soon as I can.  Give or take a month :)Next up is camping (without the kids) thanks to both Jay/Carol and my mom for taking them and then a Labor Day beach trip with Chris & Laura who will just be celebrating their 1st year of marriage!  And since Laura is 30 now, we'll probably just play scrabble and go to bed a little after 7pm.  :)

Have a great summer and see you in September....do you remembah...





Friday, June 19, 2015

3 Months as a Lewman 2.0



This butterball of lovin.
 My, my, my how this little girl has grown.  Literally she is busting out of her onsies. I cannot contain her thigh rolls any longer in newborn clothes.  She’s now wearing 3-6 month outfits.  Delaney, or “D” as I call her has never met a bottle she didn’t like.  Her teacher Ms. Cassi says she is downing 6 oz per feeding and then likes to take a little siesta.  Her cheeks are like mini mountains of baby sugar!  She is standing on her own and holding her head up like a tipsy college girl.  She is pretty strong with her neck, although I still haven’t actually seen it yet.  I’m sure it’s there but I am not in any rush to locate it under those rolls.  I have no idea how much she weighs but if I were a betting man, I would say 15 lbs., which is giving my arms quite a nice workout.  Here’s what’s been going on in Lewman Land.

Emmy adores Delaney, Delaney is meh.
Delaney is STILL not crying.  I cannot express how grateful I am for this.  She isn’t a mute but she really only fusses if she is cold or hungry.  This morning she was babbling and squealing away in her car seat.  Just learning what kind of singer she’ll be.  She has the most adorable smiles and I absolutely love getting her to snort from pre-giggles (because she’s not quite giggling yet).  She sports what I would call a “bitter-beer-face” about 90% of the time but the rest of it is just happy baby smiles.  It never gets old to anyone in the family.  Someone is constantly tickling her or “tss-tss-tss-tsst’ing” her face.  This is when the magic of having a baby really starts for me.

A little rouge & lipstick.  BIG treat.
Emmy and Delaney are doing SO well at their new school/daycare.  I am really happy that they are acclimating so well.  Emmy is going through a phase where she wants to play by herself.  Friends will ask if she wants to play but she declines and just watches everyone.  Her teacher told me she is not part of the rowdy crowd (she got that from her Dad) but more of the quiet and reserved crowd.  That of course is hard for me to understand so I am trying to ignore my urge to just throw her into a crowd of kids and yell “play or you can’t have cookies ever again!” because that’s not appropriate I’ve heard.  She has one friend that she talks about all the time Shawni and I am so curious to meet her but every time I go to pick-up she has already been picked up.  Maybe this summer she will come around to getting to know everyone at her own pace without any pressure. Since Emmy has been at her new school (4 weeks) she has learned The National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance, God Bless America, the days of the week, the months and the planets.  I am in awe of how smart she is and how she has grown so much just since Delaney has joined us.  Emmy loves to dress up and wear Mama's shoes, makeup, dresses, scarves, chapstick and especially jewelry. She's got A LOT of personality and equal bossiness. 

Blando & Lemon
Since the first week of March (when Delaney was born) Hayden and Tye have been consumed with baseball.  As much as I love watching them during the season, I am very ready for this season to end and enjoy our summer together.  Hayden has completed his last year of elementary school, which was a lot harder for me to cope with than I thought.  I am definitely a crier but I was even shocked at how emotional I got on his last day.  Jenny, Tye, Mike and I all joined forces and watched him walk through the halls one last time at Cooper Mountain Elementary.  Here’s his final walk as a 5th grader with his best friend Ayden and classmates (and teacher Mr. Lewis):


Aside from that, Tye and I start softball on Sundays at Gabriel Park.  Looking forward to spending time with our friends and family for the games. I have spent a lot of time getting the backyard ready and the hours upon hours of watering flowers/grass.  Sometimes I fantasize about what it would be like to have a sprinkler system….one day!  My Grandma turned 86 years old last week and we celebrated by making her favorite foods; meatloaf,
GG and her wish <3
mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and tiramisu.  Next up is my mom, my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law’s birthdays this summer!  Tye and I are taking a little vacation next week WITHOUT THE KIDS to Petaluma, CA to celebrate our friend Garrett & Kristen’s wedding.  I am really, really excited to spend some time with just with him but I know that I will miss them terribly and look at all the thousands of photos I have taken of them.  Too bad it just happens to be Emmy’s first recital at school that she has been working so hard for.  Thanks to our amazing family, everyone will be there to record for us. 




A busy summer is upon us (aside from baseball) we have a few family trips coming up with camping and birthdays and weddings and there will be LOTS OF SWIMMING.  Here’s a look at the last month to Emmy’s new favorite song.  Thank you so much for reading.  I can’t wait to show this to the girls when they are older.


Thursday, May 14, 2015

2 Months as a Lewman 2.0


Well, life has officially been altered.  Having two little ones is an entirely different ballgame.  The kind of game that you are never fully prepared for even when you have spent hours trying to prep, plan and expect the unexpected – something completely blindsides you and the GAME WINS.  I am back at work and the girls are at school/daycare and I sit and think about what has transpired these past ten weeks. What a ride.

Our 1st day back to school and work.
Delaney might be the most perfect baby.  She is so sweet and calm. I am not sure if there was a malfunction in her creation but she didn’t come with a cry button.  Only a grunt button, a smile button, an eat button and an angelic sleep button. Delaney is cooing and reaching and staring at our faces, studying them and hopefully remembering that those faces are the ones who love her most (one more than the others…). She loves to look outside and sit in her swing if she isn’t in my arm.  She sleeps through Emmy’s wild tornados and Hayden’s inability to control the volume of his voice. I realized that I live with three very loud people, time of day is no concern to them. I am pretty sure Tye thinks he will win some sort of prize if he throws the kitchen cabinets back on their magnetic hinges.  Emmy has really taken to the line “the sky’s awake so I’M awake” from Frozen.  So our current wait time until zero dark thirty is about 2 hours at bedtime. Thank you Frozen.  Hayden spends most of his time downstairs in the dungeon and needs to yell his sentences instead of walking up the stairs to ask us what's for dinner.  Teen years are among us people.  And then there is the newborn – who literally just watches quietly and plans her day in harmony.  I am rather quiet as most of you know so this is a non-issue for me.  ;-) 

Here’s a video of her quietly being unamused with Tye’s jump game.

These two mid snug.
At Delaney’s 2 month appointment she had reached 22” and weighed 10.14 lbs – I would imagine she’s probably at 11.8 lbs by now since we know she’s eating around 30oz per day but l swear about 15oz leaves her body every day too!  She started daycare on Monday and has been a dream for her ladies.  She is the youngest in the infant part of the school and they just love taking turns holding her and feeding her.  She already made me a Mothers Day gift with her tiny footprints!  I feel REALLY comfortable with her in their care. And especially because her big sister is just a classroom away.  Emmy gets to see her little sister whenever she wants.  THAT makes me so happy.  If one of them is having a rough day – they can comfort each other.  Which is the precise reason of me wanting more than one child.  Emmy says she will protect all the babies in the baby room so they won’t get out.  She has been so good with Delaney.  Every night needs to kiss her goodnight and hug her so tightly it’s dangerous, we are working on that.  I can’t wait for the ONE day they are playing together in peace and enjoying each other.  I said the one day…


Crazy times, sometimes scary!
Aside from the many hours of fighting about why her shoes hurt (because they were on the wrong feet) and crying about not being able to wear her Elsa dress (because she ripped it into a midriff blouse) and why it hurt so bad to brush her hair (because she dipped her braid in paint) and of course why there has to be an ending to Beauty and the Beast, we will never know.  Aside from all of that, we went to the zoo, we went to breakfast, took walks, went to about 10 different parks, went to the library and read new books, tried to get kicked out of the Japenese Gardens, built a fairie house (now, land), made art projects, cooked breakfast together, watched a lot of Letter Factory, watered flowers, went to coffee and muffins, hammock swinging,  spent a lot of time at GG’s, had play-dates, cleaned and decorated the back porch and my personal favorite – planted flowers and watched them grow.  We snuggled and laughed and I will never ever forget this time together.  As comfortable as I was to get them into a routine, I am sad that this part of our journey has ended.  Many, many other amazing stops on our adventure I know.  But this one was pretty special, thank you to Delaney.

In other news, Hayden is killing it in baseball this year.  We are truly enjoying watching him play.  Jenny and I are on the sidelines keeping score (with the help of my mother-in-law, Carol) and taking turn watching the girls. It seriously takes a village and a town and part of a city to raise these little people.  But we all enjoy it.  Life has been crazy these past few months with baseball taking up about 4-5 nights per week and Tye coaching but it’s so exciting to see how far they have come as player & coach.   Hayden is weeks away from being a 6th grader and starting MIDDLE SCHOOL.  He’s just so damn smart and mature and well rounded.  It’s pretty amazing to watch him go through this stage of life and how affectionate he is with both Emmy and Delaney, even when Emmy is being a complete jerk to him.  Looking forward to seeing how the dynamic of the three of them unfold. 

As for Tye and myself, we are just wingin’ it.  We have no idea what we are doing with this many kids and working and coaching and I somehow picked up a new hobby of maintaining the neighborhood Facebook page and all the other crazy things I get myself involved in.  We are living the life we want.  Looking forward to starting an incredible summer…thanks for reading!

Here is the month in pictures to a little Kenny Loggins!


Year 5: Emmaline Rose

Emmaline is 5 years old.   FIVE YEARS OLD.   The first 3 years went by at a normal pace.   I could enjoy every milestone, every lau...