Happy 3rd Birthday Katie!

Praying before her birthday dinner.

Katie had insisted she wanted a Power Rangers cake. I searched high and low, but could not find one - thankfully! So instead I went with something pink and girlie. 

Her birthday presents this year all followed suit - very girlie! Disney princesses, tiaras, make up, jewelry, Rapunzel dresses, clothes, and only 2 power rangers :)



The Return of the Soo Soo Berry

Its time once again for a visit from the Soo Soo Berry. Even though both Katie and Logan were the same age when we said good bye to their soothers, Katie seems so much bigger/older and I can't believe we let her keep it this long!

Every night when we check on Katie before we go to sleep she has her soother in her mouth (where as Logan had barely used his at the end - maybe only when he was hurt or upset). We were a bit worried about how Katie would handle the visit from the Soo Soo Berry. But thankfully Logan was a great helper and got Katie all excited for her "getprize".



 

Mark helped Katie hang her soothers in the tree for the fairy to come and get them and then bring them to new babies who need them. (Just a heads up to the Bouwman and Brandsma babies - Katie may try to take back "her" soothers when you're born.) The kids then went inside and camped out infront of the window waiting for the Soo Soo Berry to show up. Mark had to explain that she is very shy and wouldn't come until no one was looking. So we distracted them with a bath.



And sure enough, after their bath the Soo Soo Berry had come and gone - the only evidence of her was the "getprize" left hanging in the tree. (You dont even understand how badly I wanted to dress Mark up in Katie's fairy wing costume and take his picture. haha)

Katie was thrilled with her new stuffed tiger. That soother fairy is one smart cookie. She must have known about the on going war in our house over the white siberian tiger stuffy Logan recently got. Now the two kids play peacefully together with their tigers, Namaste (named after the white siberian tiger in Hilo) and Kimberly (named after the pink retro power ranger).

5 Months

Mom's propping me up on the couch for pictures again, so it must be that time. I am now 5 months old. I guess I'll humour her and put a big smile on my face. If I have to. I do smile a lot, though I like crying better. I've learned that if I cry and cry and cry mom and dad have to hold me. Sometimes I cry so much that mom starts pulling out her hair - that's pretty funny.

She also gets pretty upset when I wake her up in the middle of the night. I'm not actually hungry, I just miss her and want to snuggle. Sometimes I wake her up three times a night - I just love her so much!! Mom keeps trying to give me a soother to suck on - but my fingers are so much better! I love to slobber all over them.



Mom and Dad also keep trying to get me to roll over - what am I? A dog? I'll roll over when I want to roll over! And they keep giving me all these colorful toys to play with, when really, just give me my blankie to suck on and I'm happier than a fat kid in a candy store.

Mommy hasn't taken me to the doctor at all recently. Thank goodness! I was getting sick of that place. I feel really healthy and am outgrowing all of my old clothes. They've started calling my Chubbers, which is really mean. It's all diaper. And Mommy keeps fussing over my hair - I guess it's finally starting to grow back. She keeps worrying that its turning red - not because it looks red at all, but because of my stubburn streak and bad temper. I am her child after all. Grandpa says its payback for all the times Mommy was naughty for them when she was little.

I think its time to throw a hissy fit again, that or poop so much it explodes out everywhere - thats always fun and gets a good reaction from mom. Plus I get to play in the tub then, and I love the tub! See you next month!

4 Months

We just got back from Carson's first check up with the pediatrician. (FINALLY!) She was very happy with Carson and how well he is doing. He weighs 16.5 pounds and is between the 75th and 90th percentile for weight. For height he is on the 50th percentile, and his head is on the 75th percentile. His latest chest xray (taken just before we left for Hawaii) showed his thymus to be shrinking in size and his upper right lung still partially collapsed. Dr, Jackson looked at the xrays herself and she isn't concerned about the lung at all. She says it was so hard to see on the xray that if they weren't already looking for it, they'd never know - plus his lungs sound nice and clear. Dr. Jackson still wants to stick to the oncologist's plan of follow up chest xrays and blood work. However, instead of monthly she feels comfortable doing them every 6-8 weeks.

Personality wise, Carson is a very happy little boy (for the most part). He can still throw a temper tantrum, but those are usually fixed with either a diaper change, nap or feeding. By far his favorite activity is chewing on his hands. He is a fountain of drool (no sign of teeth yet however). He's very good with his hands and can grab toys with no problem and instantly put them in his mouth. When we got home from Hawaii we pulled out the exsersaucer for him. He's still not 100% sure what he's supposed to do in it, and usually just ends up sucking on the edge of the seat. But as long as he's stiting upright, he's happy. He always wants to see what's going on and be part of the action. Sleep wise... Carson is a great napper. Everyday he has a morning and afternoon nap usually for 2 hours each. Somedays when he's a bit more tired he will still sneak in a half hour-45 minute nap around dinner. Over night... over night... oh Carson, you're lucky mommy loves you. Over night we are still going only 3-4 hours. We occaisionally have a night where Carson will sleep 7 hours, but those are very few and far between.