Sweetie Pie: Four Months

Goodness gracious, I love this peanut so much! At four months our Sweetie enjoys sitting up with help and being right in the middle of the action. She gets upset at us when we sit down to eat and leave her in her bouncy chair on the floor. It is as if she is saying, "I am a part of this family, too, guys!"

Her siblings all love her and she loves the attention that she gets from each of them. Mr. Shortcake will bring her ALL of the toys and pile them all up around her. The girls love talking to her and seeing what she will grab on to.

Her sleep is all over the board at this point. She gave us her longest stretch this weekend and slept 9 hours!! Then the next night she was up six times, I think. (I lost count!) I often bring her in our bed to nurse in the night and find myself fallen asleep with her. I think she likes being in our cozy big bed.

Looking at her cheeks and rolls we know she doesn't need to be up at night! She is weighing in at 16#12oz and measures 24 inches long. She is definitely a squishy baby!!

She is desperately trying to figure her hands out. She will sit and work and work at grabbing something. Quite often this involves flapping her arms around uncontrollably. So beware is you are holding her, you just might end up with a slap to the face.

She has yet to roll over. I blame this on the fact that I don't do much tummy time with my children. She doesn't like being on the floor because of a strong FOMO! I am trying to get better at giving her time on the floor to figure those large muscles out. She does love to lock those chubby legs and stand, though. Maybe she will go straight to standing.

Sweetie Turns 2 Months

This little lady is such a happy addition to our tribe. She loves being right in the mix of things and prefers sitting up in our laps to reclining just so she can see what is all going on around her. We have even done some Bumbo sessions and she loves it.

Thankfully she doesn't mind being on the go which happens pretty regularly with three older siblings. When I take all four of them out I get many comments about how busy and brave I am. It is funny how it really isn't all that big of a deal most of the time. (Although the older ones can cause the most trouble. Why is that?) And if you really want a parenting challenge, take all four of them to a few flooring stores in an evening. Yikes!

Sweetie is doing fairly well on the sleep front. She usually wakes up about 6 hours after she first goes down and then again in another 3ish hours. Most of the time she settles back down pretty quickly although some nights we play the pacifier game for a while. Insert paci, wait for it fall out, re-insert and repeat.

She is a very efficient eater and has the rolls to prove it. She actually weighed in at 14 pounds and 4 ounces at her two month appointment and measured 22 inches long. It is a blessing to not have to worry about how much she weighs or how much she eats. She has taken about two bottles, but otherwise she just hangs out with mom and gets her milk that way.

She definitely has her social moments these days. She will coo and smile and really likes her siblings to pay attention to her. And she gets plenty of attention from them. :D

We love, love, love our little squishy and feel so blessed to have her in our family!

Sweetie's Birth Story

Going into the last month of my pregnancy I had many thoughts. When would I call Mr. Cherry to come home from work, what would I do with the other three kids, would I get sent home from the hospital like I had with Peachy and Shortcake . . .

While I knew I had no control over these details and something would work out, I couldn't help but think about it. I am a planner. It is just the way I am. However, Sweetie's birth worked out wonderfully. I keep thinking about how God's hand of providence was over us all working out the little details as well as the big.

Mr. Cherry's sister was visiting us for a few days and we kept on joking/hoping the baby would come while she was at our house. However, three days came and went and there wasn't anything too promising on the baby front. I was doing all that I could to encourage the baby, walks, squats, sitting on our balance ball. I had a few times I thought it might be the start of something only to have it fade to nothing.

On Saturday night Mr. Cherry and I said we were going to bed at 10, because we couldn't guarantee a good night of sleep once the baby got here, so we should take advantage of the nights we had before he/she came. A little after we got into bed a I had a strong contraction and felt a pop. I checked and it sure seemed like my water had broken. With my other three deliveries, my water didn't break until I was in actual labor at the hospital and with an epidural, so I wasn't exactly sure that is what had happened.

I called the hospital and told them we were coming in. We gathered our things and drove the five minutes to the hospital where we checked in through the ER because it was after hours. By 11 pm we were up in the labor and delivery until in a room. They ran a test and determined that my water had broke, but by that point I was pretty sure that it had. Also my contractions were picking up.
The nurse called the midwife on call, one of the only midwives that I hadn't met yet. In the meantime, they got my iv going and started administering antibiotics because I was group b positive again. The midwife arrived and told us she had almost hit a deer on her way in. Shortly after she arrived I decided that I wanted an epidural again. It didn't take long for the anesthesiologist to arrive. He was really good and had it in and working pretty quickly.

Little Miss decided to give us some excitement in the next couple of hours. Her heart rate dropped and they ended up connecting her to a scalp heart monitor. She did it a few other times. Each time they would roll me to my side, give me oxygen, and increase the rate of my iv. Thankfully she came around each time. The final time, the midwife told me that I was far enough dilated that we would just deliver her and be done with the drama. She decided that I would deliver on my side since that was the position the baby seemed happiest in.As with my other deliveries, the pushing portion went very quickly. A few pushes and there she was. Our little lady. She did have the cord around her neck, so that may have been why she was having heart decelerations.
However, when  she arrived at 2:42 am, she was perfect. Mr. Cherry told me that she was a girl. We decided to use the girl name that had in mind for Shortcake. (We really struggled with names this time, but it is the perfect name for our Sweetie.) She weighed in at 8 pounds and 10 ounces and measured 20 inches long. (Just about the same as her siblings.)
While it was a long night, it went so smoothly. All of my worrying was for nothing. And I finally got my wish to just have my water break rather than worrying about timing contractions and deciding when we should go in. God has truly blessed our family.

Sweetie at One Month

One month ago our fourth little blessing entered our family. She is growing by leaps and bounds and doing really well. Her siblings love her and would like to hold and play with her all of the time! She is a champion nurser and can go for about three hours between feedings, but often likes them a little more frequently, especially during the day. Just over the last few days I have noticed that she has much more quiet alert time. She has even graced us with a few sweet smiles and some intentional gurgles.

Her favorite place to be is up on momma's shoulder, but has started to tolerate other people and positions a bit more as of late. She is not a fan of being in her swing or bouncy chair. (Bummer for me, but I do enjoy the sweet snuggles.)

She had her first road trip and night away from home last weekend when we traveled to a wedding three hours away. She actually was a rockstar at the hotel and slept the longest she has yet, from 11 pm until 5 am.

As I was sitting there rocking her the other night I was thinking about how amazing it is to add a little person to your family. Even though she is our fourth, it just never gets old.

Welcome Little One

I am breaking my blog silence to introduce you all to our newest little blessing.

 On Sunday, May 29th at 2:42 am we welcomed our fourth child and third red-headed little lady. 

We are all thrilled and feel so blessed. 

My heart truly runs over.

March Marches On

Here we are over a week into March! I thought I would do a quick catch up post today, so get ready for some randomness.

**Today I have been a cleaning machine. Besides the fact that the house just plain old needed it, Cream is sick AGAIN! Cream and Shortcake seem to be sick just about every other week right now. We are in good company as it seems like the entire upper-Midwest has seen extra viruses this winter. I just want all of the germs to go away. Please. Right now!

I won this adorable apron at the craftfest. The kids loved it and the bag it came in!

**I will do an entire post on this, but I was able to participate in my favorite Craftfest (EVER!!) the last weekend in February. It was a great time.

Chilling and reading on a Saturday afternoon.

**However, I was soooo worn out the entire following week. I was starting to wonder if that was how I was going to feel the rest of this pregnancy. Thankfully, I have been feeling much better this week.

The girls love activity books. After Cream spent an afternoon working on this Eric Carle sticker book, I decided to order some activity books for their Easter baskets. #Amzonprimewin

**We have had a lovely streak of beautiful weather the last few weeks. Monday was a perfect spring day. The sun was shinning, the snow was melting, the birds were singing, and it was almost 70 degrees out. Today is a bit more seasonable, but that taste of spring was lovely!

Shamrocks rock!

**The spring-like weather reminded me that last fall we planted tulip bulbs around the front yard. I can't wait to see how and when they come up.

My dapper guys!

**I took a little break from sewing last week, but am back at it this week with a consignment order. Actually, I haven't really started sewing yet, it has been all cutting and interfacing up to this point. I remember reading a comment from someone that wondered why they called it sewing because so much time was spent on cutting and pinning.

This picture was taken on beach day. I was showing them how to make the hang loose sign.

Here are the girls on decades day. #groovy (And a slice of real life in the background!)

**It is spirit week at the girls' school this week. They have been having fun dressing up each day. Peachy was all about planning her outfits all out. We went to a thrift store on Saturday and picked out a few items together. We are keeping our fingers crossed that Cream is feeling well enough to go and attend the pep rally tomorrow.

This was taken two years ago of Shortcake! Oh, new baby goodness!

**Mr Cherry and I are still working on name options for the new little one. (At this point we don't even have a nickname!!)

And here he is today!

**I am starting to feel the nesting itch. I want to rearrange our bedroom and figure out where we will put the babe when (s)he comes home. I also have an order of fabric coming to make a few things. Otherwise, I figure we will just bring out the baby clothes bins and make sure we have diapers! #fourthchildproblems

Shortcake: Two Years Old

A couple of weeks ago, our little man, turned two years old. It is amazing to think that just two short years ago our family added our first son. While he is definitely a boy, he is as sweet and laid-back as they come.

**Although lately he has been throwing mini-fits. (Truth be told, they are 95% cute and 5% naughty.) And when he launches into one all we have to do is tell him to go to his room. He instantly stops scream/yelling and does his cute little run right to his room. After a few moments, he reemerges and says, "All done." And that is that. If only that little plan would continue to work in the coming years.**

He takes after his sisters and has a great vocabulary. There is just something so endearing about hearing his little voice explain the way he sees the world. And there is nothing sweeter than hearing him call for his sisters. While Peachy is growing in favor, Cream is his favorite playmate for sure. He loves nothing more than being included in all they do.

He is my first child to go to any sort of babysitter on a regular basis. When I need the alone time to get work done, I take him to a friend's house one day a week. He gets to hang out with two other little boys there. It is cute to hear him talking about his friends.

He has a love for all things that go, which was fully encouraged through his Christmas and birthday gifts.

He is still our little squirt, living up to his nickname, Shortcake, weighing and measuring in at the 20th percentile.
We were able to celebrate his birthday with a houseful of family. It wasn't a super themed party, but what is lacked in decor was made for with love.
I can't imagine what our life would be like without our Shortcake. I am blessed to have him call me momma!

Things That Go

Like many little boys, our Mr. Shortcake has developed a fascination with all things that go! When we recently had a dumpster bag picked up from our driveway, it provided a good twenty minutes of free entertainment!

Fine Feathered Friends

One of the best features of our home is the large and established yard and outside area. We love watching the plant and animal life that is literally out our back door. Lately most of the wildlife has consisted of birds. We have blue jays, wrens, and many days we get to see the flash of scarlet that is the cardinal. The other day I looked out and saw over a dozen cardinals, both male and female in our crab apple tree. While my camera skills don't so the scene justice, here is a glimpse at some of our fine feathered friends.

Snow Day Fun

This past Tuesday we were blessed with a snow day. It really was good timing for my sake. A day at home without any running around was just what I needed.

I had stocked up on some Valentine's day crafty things from the Target dollar spot, so I gave them to the girls right away in the morning. Peachy wasted no time and got right to creating.

Since it hadn't started to snow yet, we made a quick grocery store run for some essentials like milk, peanut butter, and donuts! I let the kids keep their jamas on, which they thought was pretty cool.

We all enjoyed having Peachy home for the day. An extra lap to sit on or someone to read books is always appreciated.

It did eventually start to snow and while Shortcake slept I sent the girls out to play before the wind picked up.

And while it doesn't seem possible, having all three home all day and not having to go anywhere actually let me be more productive. I had a good sewing day and was also able to keep up on the housework. I think it was a needed break from routine for all of us!