What spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E?

KATELYN!


I love this little girl, but she is giving me a run for my money.
Friday night while watching a movie she decided the popcorn would taste better dumped all over the couch. She also thought she should eat the whole bowl of popcorn and almost did.
She knows that when I am feeding the baby I can't get to her as fast or at all. So, this is what has happened over the past week...

• coloring with crayon on the tile in my bathroom
• water spilled all over the kitchen floor and laughing while she is doing it
• climbing up on the chairs and then screaming for help to get down even though she can get down herself
• pulling all the kleenex out of the box to "blow" her nose
• using several wipes to also blow her nose (I don't mind if she uses one or two, but when she goes through 3 or more it bugs me because we go through wipes so fast at our house.)
• playing in the bathroom sink and coming away soaking wet
• I have tried giving her something to do like playing with playdoh or coloring, but that usually ends up with her throwing everything on the floor.
  

I realize that some of these things I can prevent by thinking ahead, but when I am sleep deprived and the baby is crying, all I can think to do is feed the baby. I have started locking the bathroom door and putting on a show for her or having her get some books and that has helped a little. I also realize that she is doing this because she needs more attention, I'm working on it.

A couple days ago I painted her toenails and she just loved it. It was so cute! Then on Sunday she wanted to have curlers in her hair like mom. I love these girly moments and she does too!
(She wanted the curlers, but she didn't want to take a picture with me. I'm pretty much holding her down on my lap. Anything for a picture!)

One Month Old

Ashley weighs 11lbs. 2.5 oz. and is 22 inches long.
She is now sleeping a 4 hour stretch at least once during the night. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it is so much better than just a 2 hour stretch.
She is starting to smile and really follow us with her eyes.
She gets tons of attention from her brother and sister. Sometimes a little too much attention. :)

I can't believe how big she is getting. They grow so fast! I love her chubby cheeks in this picture. They are so much fun to kiss!

Feeling Very Grateful

I am so grateful for all the help we have received from friends and family since Ashley was born.
Thank you for...

• the visits
• the yummy dinners
• the cute outfits and blankets
• inviting my kids over to play
• the phone calls
• the yummy treats
• helping me with my calling
• the nice comments on my blog
• fun cards and gifts in the mail
  

It is overwhelming to me how much people have helped. I hope to be as helpful and kind in return.

I am also so grateful for my three kids who keep me going every day. They wear me out most days, but what a blessing they are in my life. I have come across a few blogs lately where the mothers of very sick babies have been documenting their experiences. The daily hospital visits, the ups and downs of their baby's progress, the surgeries, the yearning to hold their babies, etc. It makes me teary just thinking about it. I am amazed at the strength of these mothers and families. It makes me want to be more patient and loving to my children and to cherish them.

I don't even know if what I have said makes sense, but I just wanted to express my gratitude and type out some of the things I have felt lately.

Three Kids

Life with three kids is definitely an adjustment, but one I am very grateful to be working through on most days. :) This week will be the real test for me. The first ten days I had my mom here and then a couple of trial days by myself until Kevin's mom came for a few days this past week. So far Ashley has been a very good, sweet baby. Luke had a couple hard days adjusting at the beginning, but has really turned into a great helper for me. Katelyn was fine when we first brought Ashley home, but now is showing major signs of jealousy. She wants me to do everything for her or wants me to hold her right when Ashley needs to eat. If things don't happen Katelyn's way then the crying begins and lasts for a long time. It is hard to reason with a 20 month old little girl. :)

Here are some recent pictures...


My good friend gave the kids these cute "big brother", "big sister", and "little sister" shirts. I really wanted a picture of all three of them wearing their shirts to possibly use for a baby announcement, but not everyone was cooperating. This was one of the better ones. :) This was taken when Ashley was 9 days old.


Ashley at 11 days old.

I took this picture today. She is now 16 days old. At her first doctor's visit at one week old she only weighed 8lbs 14 oz (still not back to her birth weight). But at her two week visit she was up to 9lbs 10 oz. That's my girl!

We are so excited...

to welcome
Ashley Ann Hutchings
to our family!!!

Weighing in at a "small" 9pounds 2 ounces
and 20 inches long.
She was born on April 3rd at 12:50pm.

(I'm not sure why blogger is making the font so big. That was not how I typed it. Oh well, the easier to read, I guess.)

A Whole Bunch of Random Stuff

This is to catch up on all the latest happenings in our home. So be prepared for randomness...

• Luke earned all his "good boy" tickets and got to choose something fun to do. Last time he chose to go to Chuck E Cheese. This time he wanted me to take him to a movie. So Luke and I went on a date to see Horton Hears a Who. It was a cute movie and Luke loved it. It was fun for me to have the much needed one on one time with Luke.

• We purchased a Toyota Sienna minivan from the car auction and got a great deal!!! I never thought I would be so excited about a minivan, but I really do love it. I love the easiness of getting in and out and all the room. We are still trying to sell our Toyota Camry, so if you are interested, let us know. :)
  

• Katelyn has discovered she loves climbing. She is still not the best at it, but isn't afraid to try. Yesterday I heard her awake after her nap and was getting ready to go get her when I heard a loud THUD and then screams. I have never made it that fast up our stairs in the last month as I did yesterday. She was just sitting on the floor screaming. I don't think she was hurt, but was pretty scared. Hopefully she won't try that again.

• We have loved the beautiful weather and enjoyed some great outside time.

Easter outfits for 2008. I tried to get one of Luke and Katelyn together, but the separate ones came out a little better. Katelyn is in the middle of saying "CHEESE" in the middle picture. I thought it was pretty funny.



We had a little Easter Egg hunt in our backyard. Luke was very into it and Katelyn was more excited about the fake grass in her basket.

• Thank you for all your suggestions and help with finding a new digital camera. We ended up purchasing a Sony Cyber-shot DSC/H3 at Costco. It was a pretty good deal and I liked the features. And by buying it at Costco I have 90 days to try it out and return it if I don't like it. I will let you know how it goes.

• My next post will be pictures of our new baby girl. I am scheduled to be induced at 2am Thursday morning if she doesn't decide to come before then. I know, I know 2 am is a crazy time and is probably all for the convenience of the doctor. My husband is not too excited and I can't blame him. I am just ready to have her so it isn't bugging me as much. I went in at the same time w/Katelyn and it worked out fine.
  

Pregnancy pictures as requested, I told you I was huge and the first one is from Feb. and the last one from early March. So just use your imagination to picture how big I look right now. I can't go anywhere without people giving me the sympathy look. I even had a guy in the elevator on the way to my doctor's appt. ask, "Does your back really hurt?" That is how he started the conversation. I guess he figured it had to hurt with how far out I am carry this baby. Oh well, hopefully it won't be hurting in a couple of days.

Help!

We are in need of a new digital camera. I was just wondering if anybody had some suggestions. We have had a Kodak Easyshare c743. It takes good pictures, but goes through batteries so fast. I am spending way too much money on batteries. I am not a photographer, but would like a camera that takes nice pictures, doesn't eat the batteries, and doesn't cost a fortune.
So, if you have any ideas, I would love to hear them.
Thanks!