Valentines Day 2019

Valentine's Day already?

We spent the wee hours of the morning all in bed together: the girls joined us at 4am and Séamus at 4:45.  Thankfully Thomas had a late start today due to the snow so we all got to sleep in until 6:30!!

Both girls got to celebrate in their classes today.  Séamus and I got to hang out together practically all day in the car, going back and forth between school districts to resubmit Ellie's waiver.

We had a "quiet" evening at home, enjoying a steak dinner (Finnley ate cheetos), the kids all got a bath and once they were out Finnley proceeded to run circles around the house shrieking...as she does.  So we're taking recommendations on ear plugs 😉

Happy Valentines Day to You, From my Crazy Crew!!

♥ Ashley

The Séamus Weekly - week 29

We've had quite the week...full of fevers, snot, and snow.  I was so hoping that we were going to get through without anything...but that is just unlikely with all the places we go and things we do.  Séamus was still in quite good spirits despite feeling unwell.

Eats: little Séamus is getting more used to eating "solid" foods.  In addition to what he's already had I incorporated carrots into his menu.  I wouldn't say he loves them...or hates them.  He also got some Puffs and we tried a bottle with no success.  His preference is still straight from the boob and we're just going to continue to go with it.  He is still eating multiple times a day and I think I'm doing a pretty good job and remembering to alternate.  It's so funny how this time around I prefer to feed him on the opposite side I did the girls, additionally it seems so much easier and more natural to switch sides this time around.  Whenever I tried with the girls it just felt so awkward, so I am glad to say it doesn't feel so with him.

Sleeps: Séamus was NOT feeling well this week, so he actually slept quite a bit.  He took naps on my lap as well as long ones in his crib.  We are still putting him into a sleep sack at night (except when he was running a fever) and he has slept from 7:30 to almost 4am for four nights in a row!!  I have gotten up a few times to go in and check on him because I just cannot believe it.  My boobs are so full in the morning that I'm so ready for him to wake up and relieve me!! lol.  In his room we are diffusing Gentle Baby and Sleepyize as well as spraying the Seedlings Linen Spray on his mattress, and we have his sound machine on.

 

 

Goes: not too many places.  We were snowed in from Friday evening to Sunday and No School on Monday or Tuesday.  It was so nice to have Thomas home for an extended weekend and we got so much family time in it was pure heaven.  We did make it out to MOPs this week (and Finnley had her first day of Preschool!!).  On Sunday we made it out to the store and then just stayed at home the rest of the time.  He also had a bit of snot this week so I grabbed some Lemon and Pine with a splotch of coconut oil and rubbed on his chest and back to give him some relief.  I love having these tools at the ready that are safe and natural to support my family.

Does: Séamus came down with a fever on Thursday night that we were able to manage with peppermint baths and tylenol...it lasted through Monday and on Sunday he started to get a mild rash on his trunk.  Since we were pretty much housebound due to snow and we were able to manage his fever, I self diagnosed him with having Roseola.  When we took both the girls in with similar symptoms that was their diagnosis and all our doctor told us to do was give tylenol to manage their fever and comfort...and then gave us a hefty bill.  Even though he wasn't feeling his best, Séamus was still full of smiles and giggles and lots of cuddles.  He still isn't crawling but really wants to so badly...as do I!  He plays so well by himself in his room and is so interactive with his toys.  He is great at grabbing the toy he wants and also pretty good about getting it into his mouth.

Wears: size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothes.  He still doesn't care for footed pj's so we're doing our best to keep the footless ones available and clean.  Lots of onesies and pants are his staple clothing and I've given him one of the girls hats (that Finnley does still wear on occasion) because I just can't get over him in green!!

 

 

Mama: this week was rough with him not feeling well.  Fevers are the absolute worst.  We tried to remain in good spirits and I am so so thankful that Thomas was home for all of it.  So many times this week I would look at Thomas and just tell him how thankful I am that we have our three kids.  I was so nervous about having a boy, even though in my heart of hearts that is what I wanted and I just cannot get over how great Séamus is and that he IS A BOY!!  I will forever have a concern in the back of my head about our girls and comparison.  While we hope that we raise them to know that they are wanted, loved, and cherished I can't help but fear that they will feel a comparison to Séamus because he is biologically ours.  Whenever we discussed having a bio-baby I hoped we would have a boy, because maybe that might help the girls to accept him better.  That they wouldn't read into things and think that our bio-babe gets special treatment because they're biologically ours.  So the fact that Séamus is a boy relieves a lot of that for me...it's still there, just in a different form.

Sisters: We've had a lot of playtime this week.  Ellie has decided that she is now old enough to carry little man wherever she wants...which makes my heart stop.  But I need to let her do it so that she feels confident and can learn to do it, I've even asked her to carry him over to me so that is major growth on my part.  Ellie absolutely adored the snow and wanted to go out and play all the time.  She did quite well at keeping herself entertained while we were housebound and is quite the helper.

Finnley still has issues respecting Séamus personal bubble and has been quite rough with him lately.  She is definitely testing the boundaries of what is acceptable torture for him (newsflash...none of it!!) and still cracks us up all of the time.  Her diet consists of graham crackers, ritz crackers, yogurt, applesauce, and cheetos.  She does love to play and has quite the imagination and sings songs all the time.

 Previous Weeks

Séamus week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4, week 5, week 6, week 7, week 8, week 9, week 10, week 11, week 12, 13 weeks, week 14, week 15, week 16, week 17, week 18, week 19, 20 weeks, week 21, week 22, week 23, week 24, week 25, week 26, week 27, week 28

Finnley at 29 weeks

Ellie at 29 weeks

♥ Ashley

The Séamus Weekly - week 28

Sweet Séamus boy is already 28 weeks!! Like how did that even happen?  We had a big week with Snow, Outings, and lots of family time!

 Eats: we've started to introduce some solid foods for little man.  Peas, oatmeal, raita, hummus, avocado, applesauce, and french fries so far.  I wouldn't say that he is in love with any of it yet, but we're still trying it all out.  He more or less moves it around in his mouth with the most inquisitive facial expression and then it seems like about half of it comes back out with all of his drool...he is still absolutely adores breastfeeding and so do I!  He still eats at least once if not twice at night but seems to be going for longer stretches.  I can tell that when I drink plenty of water that helps him to stay fuller for longer as well.

Sleeps: I feel like little man has done most of his sleeping on the go this week.  Thankfully he has a very adaptable personality so far and doesn't seem to mind it too much.  He naps all throughout the day, no set schedule here...though he does tend to nap right around the time for dropping Ellie off at school and picking her up, so that's super convenient 😜.  We've been getting his diffuser all set up in his room with Sleepyize, spraying his crib with the Seedlings linen spray, and making sure to use his Baby Roller on his feet.  Also I've been diffusing Aromaease in the car and we all love it!!

Wears: As I was doing laundry I happened upon a couple of 0-3 month onesies that I must have missed, so I pulled those out of rotation.  It's so fun seeing him growing and fitting into his clothes better.  He is still quite petite (which I love) but I sure do hope that he has acquired Thomas's height genes...

Goes: we had SNOW this week and lots of it!! School was cancelled, and then delayed, so we ALL got to enjoy some extra family time together!  Séamus wasn't too sure of the snow, he was all bundled up (wearing his sisters socks 😉) and the hat we got in Finland in 2017.  I absolutely adored getting to see him wear this hat because it was on that trip that we began serious talks about starting IVF.  Séamus and I went to my friend/business partner's house for an Oily Party and we had the best time chatting, learning, and sharing! He had is 6 month photo's done as well and despite falling asleep minutes before it was our turn he did a fantastic job smiling it up for the camera!

My mom was obsessed with Pigs (who knows why) and she also enjoyed hosting a Chinese New Year party each year.  This year is the Year of the Pig, so my sister hosted a family gathering in her honor.  It was so nice to spend time all together, share memories of her, and watch all the cousins play and enjoy each other.

My dad has left for Uganda for a few months, so I took the little's up for a visit before he left.  We got to check out his new Train Set, that looks so great and works well, the kids loved it and then we headed out for lunch.  We decided to try out a local Indian Restaurant, Finnley enjoyed the Naan and Rice, while I let Séamus try out the Raita...which he enjoyed!!  While at lunch one of my friends from High School showed up and we had a great time having a little bit of catch up!! We haven't seen each other in nearly 12 years and it was such a special moment.

  Does: little man loves to sit, get on all fours, rock, land swim, stick all the things in his mouth, and play in the exersaucer.  He has become quite infatuated with the dogs and will reach out for their tails...whoops!!  He smiles and seems to be so content, though he gets the biggest smile when he spots me (swoon).  He has been chewing on his fingers, drooling like a madman, and hangs out in the Bumbo and High Chairs!  He sleeps on the go and he and Finnley have screaming matches, which I suppose is cute but really needs to stop!!

Mama: Oh my word, I just can't believe that he is really here.  My heart is swelling with love, pride, and appreciation.  Getting to do this babyhood thing one final time has been so enjoyable.  I really feel confident in what we're doing, love that we have our Oils as tools for our well-being and that we can be making healthy and safe choices with the products we bring in our home.  I am loving the Oils Business and getting to share these products with others, helping them improve their families wellness, and eliminating chemicals/toxins from their homes!  Often times I will just be sitting looking at my children and become overwhelmed with gratitude that we are here, doing this parenthood thing, and that I get to experience it all.  Pregnancy wasn't easy for my emotional state but Motherhood is so natural.

 Sisters: Ellie and Séamus got to have some morning time on the couch and getting to see these two together is so good for my soul.  Ellie absolutely loves her baby bro and says multiple times a day "I love you little bababababy boyyyyyy!" the cutest ever.  She loves to be the biggest helper and can now get him completely unbuckled and removed from his car seat all by herself 🙌.  She also loves to pick him up now and carry him around.

Finnley adores Séamus as well.  She is constantly squealing in his face, mimicking all of his sounds, and brings him all the toys.  She has no respect for his personal bubble and cracks up at all of the things he does.  She gets most excited when he is awake and has been known to wake him from his sleep more times than I care to mention.  She really is doing so well at being a big sister and I love that she gets to be!!  Her confidence is growing and she is able to enjoy so much more of life with her unicorn roller applied to her neck and shoulders.  She is still refusing to take photos, so getting a good one of all the siblings has been quite the challenge the past several weeks...this is our reality and I need to embrace it!

Previous Weeks

Séamus week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4, week 5, week 6, week 7, week 8, week 9, week 10, week 11, week 12, 13 weeks, week 14, week 15, week 16, week 17, week 18, week 19, 20 weeks, week 21, week 22, week 23, week 24, week 25, week 26, week 27

Finnley at 28 weeks

Ellie at 28 weeks

♥ Ashley

The Séamus Weekly - week 27

I'm kind of in disbelief at how quickly time is passing with little Séamus.  We are soaking up every single minute of babydom and my heart could explode with gratitude and love.  He is the perfect addition and completion to our family, his personality fits in so well and so far it's true what they say about the 3rd baby.  He is super chill, goes with the flow, and is really quite the happy boy.

 

Sweet little Séamus hit the half way mark and has made the past 6 months the best ever! So many milestones have already been met and many more changes are going to happen before he turns 1! He is quite the little petite boy at 13.1 lbs and 25" tall.  Of course this comes as no surprise seeing how small I am.  He is perfect in every way.

Eats: we are still nursing all the time and in the night.  He absolutely loves it and I am convinced that he has started signing "milk" all on his own!! Probably just a coincidence but we're going with it and calling him a baby genius.  We have pretended to introduce some solids...that he has wanted nothing to do with (except he has a weird affinity for Thomas' beer bottles), so far we've given him the tiniest of tastes of french fries (he sucks on them), hummus, avocado, and lentils.  My friend gave me the idea to mix up with breastmilk (why didn't I think of that??) so I will be trying that out this week!!

Sleeps: napping has been off this week, probably partly due to our schedule, but he has been catching those zzzzz's when he gets a chance.  I have successfully transferred one time from the car seat to the crib this week and am patting myself on the back for it.  He still falls asleep in my arms on the couch at night, I transfer him to his crib, and he is there from about 8pm to midnight.  A couple of nights he has made it 1:30-2:30 and other nights we see him again in our bed by 11pm.  He wears a sleep sack at night and still does not like sleepers with feet on them.

Does: Séamus is getting up onto his hands and knees every chance he gets and rocks back and forth, he's moved his legs and got his arm to move once!!! so exciting getting to watch him attempt to crawl every day!!  He is reaching for all the toys, putting everything into his mouth, loves Copaiba for all the teething and gum support, watches his sisters do their crazy things.  He loves tummy time and will roll himself over every single time.  He can move all around the living room and bedrooms to get to where he wants to go and has some super epic gas ;)

Goes: Oh man this little guy (and us) were so so busy this week!! On Saturday he and I attended a Make and Take with one of my friends who is a business partner!!  He was so well behaved and we had a GREAT time!!  On Sunday we attended a 2nd birthday party and all three kids had a blast!!  Monday Séamus had his 6 month appointment and was a total champ!  We also visited two libraries for Play Group and both Séamus and Finnley had so much fun, even Thomas got to join us for the first time...it was perfect too because it was Dinosaur day!!!  Ellie had her first big girl gymnastics lesson and all five of us attended, one of Ellie's friends from when she did ballet is in her group so her mom had so much fun holding the babe!! 

Wears: 3-6 month every thing.  Socks and those fleece booties have been so great to have this time around. He'll wear hats...as long as they stay on his head, some hoodies and he is in size 2 diapers.  I am loving dressing a boy way more than I anticipated and am quite pleased with what they have to offer for their style!!  We are also completely obsessed with the Seedlings line from Young Living.  All of the products in this line a specially formulated for babies and are made of pure, safe, and nontoxic, chemical free ingredients.  The wipes are by far our most used product closely followed by the calming linen spray for his crib!  I also have really liked the diaper rash cream and the lotion is too die for soft!! We all use it and it's so gentle on our skin.

Mama: Oh my word I am jut loving all of this baby stuff.  Watching my kiddos grow up and being present in their lives, daily.  I love that I get to focus on them so much and that we are all benefiting from Oils.  Our sleep has been so great, our immune systems fully supported, and most importantly we are all getting the emotional support we need.  This postpartum stuff is no joke and I am just so grateful to have tools to help!  I am also just loving my Oils business and bringing wellness into others homes.  I have some big goals and know that I will get to achieve them through this business.  If you've been thinking about getting into Oils I couldn't recommend it enough!! They have made a world of difference in our lives, and of course I would love for you to Join My Team!!

Sisters: it's always safe to say that Finnley is obsessed with Séamus.  While I find myself constantly telling her to leave him alone or to get off of him or to be gentle, I am so happy that those are the words coming out of my mouth.  I really wasn't too sure how my sweet Finnley Ann was going to adjust to being a big sister since she is my leech but I am so so glad that she loves him.  She has gone above and beyond my expectations and is seriously so good at helping out with little bro.

Ellie once again does not disappoint in the Big Sister department.  She is constantly telling us that she always wanted a baby brother and now she has one.  She is always showering him with kisses and gets so excited for all the new things he does.  She without fail smothers him (whether he is sleeping or not) when she gets out of the car or into the car for school, wants to carry him around.  She is also still totally rocking it at being Finnley's sister and includes her in a lot of things.

Lately both of the girls have been putting on "A Show" at nighttime where they get dressed up in princess dresses and fight over the step stool in their room while singing and dancing.  I can't make out what song Finnley is singing but its the same one every time.  And Ellie is singing some song that she heard from somewhere and its the cutest ever.  Finnley will come out and get us repeating incessantly "We're ready!! Show ready!!" and it is hands down the sweetest thing ever!

Previous Weeks

Séamus week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4, week 5, week 6, week 7, week 8, week 9, week 10, week 11, week 12, 13 weeks, week 14, week 15, week 16, week 17, week 18, week 19, 20 weeks, week 21, week 22, week 23, week 24, week 25, week 26

Finnley at 27 weeks

Ellie at 27 weeks

♥ Ashley