4 Months

 This little girl was 4 months old on Monday. I am so happy and sad at the same time. I feel that motherhood is full of these directly conflicting feelings. You love these little babies with your whole heart, but are so exhausted at the same time that all you want to do is squeeze them and play with them, but you also just want them to go to sleep. Or in her case I am so happy she is growing, doing well and not as dependent as she once was, but oh how I miss the tiny, sweet, delicateness of the newborns. I just try to enjoy and soak each stage in as much as I can and accept that it is ok to have both feelings at the same time.

J is a big baby. We go to the doctor tomorrow and will find out just how big she is.  (Update she was 16 lbs. 14 oz, and in the 99% for height and 93% for her head) She currently wears 6-9 month clothes. She is still nursing. I feel like this is a huge accomplishment for both of us. Natalie weaned herself about this age because I had a low milk supply and J had to use a shield for the first 8 weeks. Because of my history and for the first little while with J, I was worried we weren't going to make it, but perseverance has paid off along with herbal supplements, and focusing on where I am at in life has helped us make it this far. I hope to continue for a year.

 J loves dad, Natalie, but mostly mom. She is really working on trying to pull herself up to a sitting position. She hasn't been able to roll over yet, mostly due I believe to her being such a big girl. She is very smart and still ceases to amaze me with her ability to communicate her needs and wants along with understanding what we are saying. She does pretty well with others holding her until she gets tired. Then she is DONE! She is always ready for bed every night by 7 p.m. if not earlier. She still loves her bath's and is pretty wild in the water with kicking and splashing around.

 She still wakes up to eat at night, but goes right back to sleep. Sometime is she wakes up at 4 a.m. and needs her diaper changed, she gets confused and thinks it is wakeup time for the whole day. This has only happened a handful or less of times, but very frustrating when it does. She has had a few nights where she has slept 6 hour stretches. These are wonderful, but rare.

 She has the best smile and loves to laugh and talk. She is not a huge fan of tummy time but tolerates it. Her favorite thing is to lay under her play mat and try to grab the dangling animals. She is also into grabbing your arm when you change her diaper.

 One unique thing about her that we have been struggling with is her head shape. J was born with torticollis and would constantly end up lying with her head one way every time she was laid down. Not being aware of how severe this was and having a hard time healing myself/nursing/not sleeping/ adjusting to having two children/ being Primary President, I didn't take the proper preventative measures for J's head. Thus a pretty severe flat spot developed on her right side. We have been working the last couple of months diligently on getting her up off her head, positioning her on the opposite side at night and during naps, ordering and using a very expensive medical supply baby pillow to relieve the pressure, and seeing a chiropractor twice a week for the last five weeks for craniosachral therapy. While all of it has helped some, I don't know if it will be enough to prevent the helmet. Tomorrow we will see what her pediatrician says and then reevaluate from there.

If she has to wear it, I will be a little sad and feel bad for her, but truly it is such a minor thing compared to what many deal with. I am grateful that there is medical technology out there to help us correct this minor bump in her development path. It has been very stressful for me for the last two months worrying, researching, positioning her, thinking about it, looking at it and praying about it. I am ready to hear from the doctor what we do now.

 

It is going to be so interesting to see J's personality continue to emerge. She seems to know what she wants out of life already. I love this sweet dark haired baby and am so grateful everyday even at 2:30 in the morning that she is mine. She is incredible and perfect. Here's to 4 months with her and many more to come!

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Wrapping Up October

The last few days of October were insanely busy for us. We squeezed in a couple different Halloween parties. Playing with friends, feeding the missionaries, and the weekly church preparations.

 J is doing so well with sitting up in her bumbo. She is very patient while I do my hair in the morning.

 A rare morning where we were home and were able to go on a walk together. It was WONDERFUL! I was able to do this so much more when it was just Natalie and I. But now it seems we have somewhere to be almost every morning.

 Natalie

 Natalie checking out the Target Toy Catalog. She has loved it and is very excited for Santa Claus this year. She would say, "I want this one."

 Blurry picture, but she is happy! Working on her core muscles. Usually she isn't such a fan. 

This little girl has been telling people all month that she was going to be Cinderella for Halloween. Well, she thought she would just wear a church dress to accomplish this. When I surprised her before her nap on Friday with this dress and the 'glass' slippers, she became to excited to sleep.

It was such a joy to see her glow all evening as she put her dress on and proudly wore it all over the church or her "ball" that night. Her shoes were too big, but she loved tromping around in them.

 

 This picture displays how excited she was. She insisted on sleeping with the dress and her shoes in the bed with her. I was so glad I spent a little more than I was planning on for this Halloween costume. She truly had two magical nights. Even though on Halloween she had to wear tennis shoes to go trick- or-treating in because of the rain. She actually had a major melt down over this because clearly a princess does not wear tennis shoes with her gown. We compromised and she carried the shoes in her candy bag and then put them on at our friend's party.

She was spoiled by several of her adult friends with large bags of candy and a giant Hershey's chocolate bar. I guess Justin and I were spoiled too. :)

 Lastly, J got this today so she can practice holding herself up and get up off the back of her head. She did pretty well in it. I was happy to get a good deal on it. I can't believe she will be four months soon. I am so happy I have made it this far with breast feeding her. At this point with Natalie I was starting to have problems with low milk supply and her preferring a bottle over me. Jenna is still doing wonderful and I hope to continue until she is one year old. 

We learned a lot over this last week. We need to say no more, and go to bed earlier, and Halloween is so much fun with children. Being the Primary President and having Sunday right after Halloween isn't as fun- sugar crazy kids. I still love them though too. :) 

We have started our Thankful Jar for November and I am working on organizing a large part of the Ward Christmas Party along with regular Primary duties and beautiful little girls. Let's just say I am offering up a lot of prayers to the Lord for his help in balancing all of these demands. It is hard, but I just keep trying and I can testify that God is very good. 

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Weekend

 Morning walk on Friday, anticipating Dad coming home. It has been a beautiful Fall this year. 

 Justin helping me out on Saturday so I could get a nap. He took Jenna down stairs to sleep, because she wouldn't go to sleep upstairs. He fell asleep with her as well. It was a busy weekend with Stake Conference, and church calling meetings and a doctors appointment for Jenna. We enjoyed a good dance party on Saturday night with our mini pizza's.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

3 months and 2 and 1/2 Years

This girl is such a joy to have around. She is a very particular little one, but when her tummy is full and she is well rested, no one can beat her smiles or the giggles she lets out from being tickled. Just within the last couple of weeks she has gained better head control. She is still big for her age and is already starting to wear some 6-9 month clothes. She doesn't mind sitting up in her bumbo, and can for short periods of time. She loves laying under her play gym mat and grabbing the rings and animals that hang down. She is doing better with tummy time and will probably be rolling over in the next couple of weeks. For several night she was sleeping 6 hour chunks, but has since reverted to waking up every 2-3 hours. I wouldn't mind if she changes her sleeping pattern again.

We are working diligently to get her up off her head as much as possible to allow for it to grow correctly. This means a lot of baby wearing, which has grown on her. When she was little and I tried to pack her, she would just cry. She has a fairly bad flat spot on her right side of the head. This developed from having Torticollis in her neck which caused her to always turn her head one way. It is starting to look a little better, and I am hopeful that it does get better before her four month appointment.

I find myself calling her Jenna Ruth very often and Justin just started calling her J-Bird as well. She still enjoys being snuggled and does not mind her bouncer chair. Nursing is going well with her and I think she may be getting to the point she isn't liking the bottle. Which is good and bad. I am happy that she likes nursing so much because this about the point that Natalie started having a hard time with it and preferred the bottle over me, but I know it is going to be hard to ever leave Jenna with anyone if she won't drink a bottle.

Her beautiful black hair is falling out. I cry a little inside every time I see some in her crib or look at her bald spot on the back of her head. I hope that it comes back in dark. She is an excellent communicator of what she wants and when she wants it. She still likes her baths, watching people, going to bed at 7 or 7:30 and is up by 7 or 7:30.  It is nice that she is kind of starting to get a bit of a schedule going. I am so grateful for her everyday and love, love, lover her beautiful smiles and baby cooing/talking. Watching her personality emerge is a delightful experience.

 

Natalie is 2 1/2. One day I was severely frustrated with her after having to fight her for several days in a row on using the bathroom before taking a nap. She woke up with a wet bed every.single.day. I finally read a book on child development that my mom had used when we were growing up. Basically it said that 2 1/2 year olds are just difficult people to live with. Try to limit their choices and direct them, but have a lot of patience. It was actually a relief to hear that. She definitely fits this description. If I can distract her and talk to her about what we need to do and what is coming next, she does pretty well. Sometimes she has really great days, and other days are terrible.

 It is such a joy to hear her vocabulary and sentences errupt. She is also very friendly. One of her favorite things to do is to say "Hi" to those walking by, whether they are friends or strangers. She loves to copy a lot of the things we do. It has definitely made us pay more attention to what we are saying or how we are acting. She does really well with J and is very sweet to her. She doesn't hardly ever want to hold her, but loves to hold her hand or just talk to her. She loves Nursery at church and really enjoys playing with friends. She is very quick at learning songs and nursery rhymes. We moved up to the 2 year old story time a few months ago and she loves to follow all of the directions and to practice them at home. Adding in the instructions the librarian gives. 

Having Jenna now and seeing where Natalie is at, it is hard to believe N was ever a baby. She is so much more mature then Jenna and is becoming a sweet, independent, strong, beautiful girl. She is a good eater, sleeper, and hates going in time out. So that method of discipline works out well, because she really dislikes it. I love her so much and just recently she burst out with "I Love You Mama!" That made my heart melt. Being a mother is hard, but those types of pay back make it worth every hard moment. N LOVES her daddy as well. He is so good with her and when he is home she is pretty much wherever he is. Lately, he has had some long work trips. When he gets home she will not hardly leave his side and always asking where he is at if he is not in eye sight. Justin has pretty much taken care of N when he is home since J was born. They have a very special bond and I am glad. 

We love our girls and are grateful for their health and smiles. They teach us so much and help us be better people. I used to always wonder why mom's looked and acted the way they do. Like never being able to remember anything, not having perfectly matching clothes, not wearing make up, forgetting appointments, etc. Well, now I know..... I am that woman, and someday I hope to get it back together, but right now I am doing the best I can and trying to enjoy each moment of these little girls.

Sisters

Just a fun picture I put together to compare how our girls look alike. They are both beautiful, similar, and different all in one.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Happy at Home

This was a rare morning over a month ago when I had woken up before my girls and was getting ready for the day. I think Justin was out of town and so Natalie had slept in my bed that night. This was a moment of gratitude for me as I looked at Natalie sleeping so peacefully and Jenna over in the corner also sleeping. I could tell they both just felt safe and happy. My heart swelled with gratitude for a moment as I thought about how hard Justin and I have worked to create a place where our children feel safe and happy, and I could see that they were! I believe children deserve to have that, and in today's world it isn't always the case. I am grateful that I am able to be home with my girls each day and to get to enjoy this time of innocent childhood with them.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

2 Months Old

 Adjusting to having two children has been a hard transition for me. Hence the reason Jenna's two month post and three month post are getting done in the same evening. She has many nicknames at our house; Jenna Roo, Baby J,  or just J. She is growing very quickly and enjoys learning to use her little body. She loves being in the bath, but cries when she has to get out and get dressed. Is starting to go to bed earlier. 7 p.m. is her ideal time. As soon as she hit the eight week mark she quit using the nipple shield for nursing. It was funny, one day she woke up and we tried nursing with the shield. She didn't like it so I took it off and from that time on she never used it again. The first several weeks of nursing with the shield were hard. She is doing much better at not puking or spitting up as much without it.I love watching her grow and am a bit relieved we are past the newborn stage. 

 She definitely likes Mama, and loves to snuggle all that she can. Hates tummy time, which is no bueno since she has developed a flat spot on her head. Wakes up a couple of times a night to eat. Is wearing 3-6 month clothes already and still has dark hair that fluffs very nicely after bath time. She weighed 13 lbs. 12 oz. at her 2 month appointment and was in the 97% for her height. 

She has the best smiles and is starting to coo and really engage in conversation with whoever talks to her. She seems to do pretty well with others holding her. She does well in short car rides and enjoys going for walks. We went to Ontario at the end of September and she was not a fan of the 6 hour drive. The drive back was pretty stressful for her. She isn't nearly as laid back as Natalie, but is still a pretty happy girl. She is a sweet baby who keeps us marching with meeting her expectations.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard