Yup, we've got strep

Doctor confirmed yesterday that Grace does have strep (small proud mommy moment when I realized that I had diagnosed my child correctly without even calling my mom!). They gave her penicillian, but this morning Grace woke up itching all over her body (but no rash) so I'm waiting for the on call doctor to call back with a new prescription. I don't mind getting a different one since Grace HATES the penicillian and cries whenever she even thinks of taking it.

The worst thing about this is how SAD Grace is that she can't be near Moira. The doc said she hasn't seen many cases of baby strep, but to play it safe. So I let Grace sit near Moira and talk to her, but then she gets this super sad face when I remind her not to touch the baby. She's such a loving older sister.

Ok, off to continue my spring cleaning. Kaylon just took a huge pile of stuff to Salvation Army and I'm washing my sheets and comforter... I love fresh sheets!

Bath Time!

Moira has decided that she does, in fact, like bath time, which is a relief to me. She's very cute as she kicks and (accidently) splashes. Check out her rolls :)

Right now she's looking in amazment at herself in a toy mirror. Don't know how much longer she'll entertain herself, though.

I'll try to weigh her at the doc's this afternoon- looks like Grace has strep throat. You know Grace is sick when she agrees to take a nap without a fuss. Poor thing.

Little Miss Boss

I know I shouldn't, but I love watching Liliana trying to boss others around. Watching her, you can't doubt that she truely believes that everyone should be obeying her. She backs me up when I'm lecturing Grace ('Gese (ie. grace), no! no! no!'), she puts Kaylon is time out ('Daddy, No!no! You time out! One...'), and just a few minutes ago, she tried to tell Yoda to go in the stairwell when he started barking at the neighbors ('Yoda! In here! In here!'). If I need to know what I'm saying to others when I'm mad, I just listen to her. She has also started tattling on Grace, which is so cute I sometimes forget the point ('Momma! Gese -sniff- me -sob- hit.').

I never imagined being the mom of all girls, but I'm really enjoying myself. They each have their own personality and flair. I love them all.

And now I'm off to read my new book that just arrived in the mail. If I don't answer my phone, I'm sorry... ;)

Where does she come up with this stuff?

So, many of you know that I bought a Roomba a couple weeks ago with my birthday money. (I love it, by the way- it inspires me to clean!) I use it almost everyday- I just let it loose on a floor or in a room and it does its thing. I know it makes me sound lazy, but I actually clean more because of it, so I ask, is it really such a bad thing?

So Saturday, 'Rudy' finished cleaning the main floor and played its little "I'm done cleaning" melody and I went to clean the bin. Grace heard it and asked what Rudy had told me. I said that Rudy had told me it was done and that she should say thank you to Rudy for cleaning since he did such a great job. So Grace says, "Thank you Rudy! Great job! You were sent from the gods!"

I about lost it. Seriously, where did she hear that? The only think I can figure is Hercules... but the girl does have a point!

Look -A- likes?

People have asked me who Moira looks like... I'll let you decide

Moira Liliana
Grace

Smiles

Moira finally smiled at me.

It happened yesterday while I was changing her diaper. It was brief, but sweet and genuine. She looked right at me and smiled. I'm always anxious for that first show of affection- cuz really it makes all those sleepless nights worth it. This was no different. And lucky for me, her sleep habits are getting better. It helps for me to not eat chili... that really wasn't smart on my part... (but soooo yummy).

Now comes the challenge to catch it on the camera...

Tummy Time

That dreaded time has come- Tummy Time. None of my children have liked it, and Moira is no different. Although she did give me a couple minutes to take these pics before screaming, so I appreciate that. I also included a few others that I thought were cute :)

I love how chubby her cheeks look here.

I'm jealous of their naps.

In her swing, watching the fish.

Spring Break: Part Two

For our second day trip we went to DC. We had lunch in Chinatown so that Grace could get her favorite: egg drop soup. Then we went to the Air and Space Museum and on the way we got to see the President's motorcade going by. It's pretty amazing the amout of firepower they have in that line of vehicles. The girls got bored with the airplanes faster than we anticipated, so we headed to the zoo to see some animals- it was kinda cold and late in the day, so we didn't get to see much, but the girls still enjoyed what they did see. It was St. Patty's Day, so I had to get some green on the girls- Liliana had a shirt, Moira had a sweater (thanks Grandma Jay!), but all I had for Grace was a bow (thanks Ang!). They were quite cute though!

(doesn't Liliana look older with her hair like that?)

Spring Break: Part One

Kaylon got 4 days off for Spring Break (one benefit of working for a university) so we decided to plan some day trips (instead of just sitting on our butts all that time). I'm so glad we did- we all had a great time.

Last Friday we invited my dad, and went to Baltimore to the Children's Museum there- Port Discovery. I had never been before but it was amazing. They had a huge climbing structure in the middle that you could use en lieu of elevators to get to the other floors. Each floor had multiple stations. I think our favorite was the water room- you can build water fountains or sail a rubber ducky down a stream. They provide rain jackets and crocs to keep you dry. The girls had the best time and Moira stayed fairly happy the whole time, thanks to the sling. After the museum we went to eat at ESPN Zone (my first time!).

The ball pit

Moira in her carseat looking cute

Our cowgirls roping daddy

Pop and Liliana

Why can't Grace look normal in pictures?

Sweet Moments Within Chaos

I'm not very proud of the way I've been acting lately... I'm tired and frustrated, and I tend to take it out on the girls and Kaylon. It's so hard to relearn how to manage my time- and the girls have learned that they can do whatever they want when I'm feeding the baby, which tests the limits of my patience. It makes the days long, to say the least.

So yesterday I was rocking Moira while the other two were down for nap/quiet time. She was upset, so I tried singing to her. I was touched that she started to quiet down and close her eyes after only one song. It was really a beautiful moment- I even got tears in my eyes. It only got sweeter when Grace came into the room after quiet time and exclaimed, "Mommy, I heard you singing to Moira during quiet time, and it was Beautiful!"

I'm gonna try to be nicer to my family :)

Time Warp

How is it March already? Wasn't it January just yesterday? The only days I can remember clearly are the ones leading up to Moira's birth... from then on it's a sleepless haze. Seriosuly, I lost February somewhere (which I'm not so sad about- I have February- too cold). When I watch the news (pretty rare) they mention things that happened a month ago, and I'm floored- to me it happened a week ago- maybe. I really need to get some sleep...

But on the positive side, Miss Moira is now a month old (5 weeks actually). She weighed in at 10lbs 1oz on tuesday, which follows Liliana's growth pattern more than Grace's. She is sleeping a lot these days- the second half of a growth spurt I'm pretty sure. She made it known to me this week that she no longer wants to be rocked to sleep- which makes me happy on the one hand- all I have to do is lay her down in her bed when she's drowsy and she is out in a few minutes- but sad on the other hand. I really cherish the times my girls snuggle with me and I miss it already. Liliana was very similar- something that confused me after dealing with Grace for 2 years who needed (needs) constant affirmation that I am there. Grace didn't sleep through the night for months- while Liliana did in a matter of weeks- and with no rocking from me. Things went smoother when I figured that out, since she screamed more when I rocked her. Now if Moira could just learn about sleeping longer than 3 hours at night...

Oh and on a side note, I hate the Vital Records Dept of Maryland. They mistyped Moira's name when recording her birth certificate. Technically, her name right now is Moirae (idiots). After many calls, to many places, I finally got the hospital to prove to the state of MD that her name is actually Moira. They are making the change and now I can pay another 12$ for a new birth certificate. Sadly, the change does not move automatically to the Social Security Dept. Nope. Once I get her new birth certificate I have to go in person to their office and prove that the vital records dept screwed up her name (not me!). That will have to be a day that Kaylon is home since I am not going with 3 girls under 5!

I'll have to get some new pictures up soon- we should be going out this afternoon to enjoy the beautiful weather we have today (72 degrees!) so hopefully we'll get some then. :)