Stats

Today I went in for Maddie's 2 year apointment (yes I realize she turned 2 back in November.) and Connor's 4 month appointment. Well, lucky for Maddie, or rather unlucky, she had a double ear infection and a kid-version sinus infection, so little missy didn't need to get her shots just yet. But...my poor baby is so sick! Despite her sickies, she is growing really well....maybe a little too well!

Height: 95%

Head: 99% (that means only 1 person has a bigger head than her, out of 100.) :)

Weight:85%

Holy cow! I loooove my cute girl! She is just growing great and talks so well, and she is such a sweetheart.

And then there was my peanut, Connor. He is doing great, growing right on his own little curve. His little problem is his eczema. Really bad. Oh, and he has a herniated belly button. Look it up, they are a little scary and painful looking. Back to the eczema. 2 different doctors looked at it, and since there is some psoriasis in the family, they want him to go to a dermatologist to look at it and make sure it's only eczema. That's how bad it is. I really can't imagine being a tiny baby and not being able to scratch where it itches.....ugh! Anyway, here are his stats:

Height: 75%

Head: 75%

Weight.......10%

SERIOUSLY!!! He eats EVERY 2 hours and then every 3 hours throughout the night......and only 10 PERCENT!?!? Oh dear....Oh well...The doctor wasn't concerned. At least he is super tall compared to his weight. But then the doctor had the nerve to say that Maddie will probably be taller than Connor when they get older. Thanks lady. Just what I wanted to hear. (for those of you that don't know this about me...I hated being so tall in highschool because there weren't a lot of guys taller than me, so I was self conscious about it.) I am sure my girls will be a good height, but lady please let me believe that my son will be taller than my daughters someday.

please excuse that little rant.

Anyway...good to know that my kids are somewhat healthy and growing and have no major problems. And thank goodness for modern medicine.

I hate that I am once again not posting a picture....

(post-blog edit: Just so everyone understands...I will still completely love all of my children no matter how tall or not tall they are, and I will support and encourage them to be confident with however tall they may be. I just didn't think that lady needed to say that....that's all.)

4 months!

I can't believe it. My little man is 4 months old. Have 4 months really gone by already? I guess that makes Law school go by faster. We only have 15 months left of Law school....then no more school, ever? So weird. Anyway, I have to admit...the first 3 months of Connor's life were pretty hard. He was not an easy baby the way the girls were. He ate every 2 hours. 8, 10, 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, then he thankfully slept 6-8 hours every night. I think if he hadn't, I would have gone crazy. And it wasn't just the every 2 hours....he spit-up a lot. He cried a lot. He had to be held constantly. If I set him down, he would be happy for maybe 5 minutes. If he were my only child, I could probably handle it. But...I have a 4 story house and 2 other children to take care of, along with cooking meals and whatever the daily routine consists of. I had to learn to do everything with one hand, basically. And then he stopped sleeping through the night- waking up every 2-4 hours...so I was sleep-deprived too. I feel like we are always supposed to praise our kids and talk about how perfect and wonderful and easy they are. And it's too taboo to talk about the hard times, or that I should just be grateful that I have kids...Well, if you don't like this post, then don't comment. Those 3 months were not easy.

One of the many things that helped me get through it all, though, was his amazing smile. After just a few weeks he was smiling. And if he wasn't crying, he was smiling. Every time he would smile, it would melt my heart and I would forget about how exhausted I was.

But NOW....he is a completely new person. And so am I. He still eats every 2-2 1/2 hours, but he is happy so much more, and he knows how to roll over so he loves to be on the ground! And he loves interacting with his sisters! And he smiles and laughs even more! It is so wonderful! I feel like I can breathe now. And he is starting to sleep longer in the night, and take longer naps. And, I have gotten used to doing life with 3 kids. I really feel like a new person. What a relief. I really am so grateful for him, and for my sweet patient girls. The Lord definitely knows us and what we can handle, and he knew what order to send down my children. Hallee is an amazing big sister. She helps Maddie with so many things, and she drops everything she's doing if I ask her to do something for me. And Maddie is our entertainer and sensitive one. She is always willing to share with Hallee if she knows it's helping us out. She is so silly and so funny. Those girls are inseparable, and I am so grateful for that. They are the best big sisters a little boy could have, too.

Anyway, this is mostly for journaling purposes...I love my family and I am just glad the newborn stage is done with Connor. He is my sweet little boy, and yes, I am so grateful for him!

Dreadful

So, I have this issue with blogging. I don't exactly love doing it. I would actually rather just write in my journal all the time. But here I am. And then, if I wait too long and too many things happen, I start to feel overwhelmed with how much I need to write about and how behind I am with blogging. So...I just don't do it. I know....lame.

Christmas was really fun. We went to Albuquerque and spent 2 1/2 weeks with Kyle's family. It was nice because we were able to relax a lot and just hang out. His mom planned this fun thing where everyone (over 12) had a turn cooking dinner each night, because let's be honest, cooking for 17 people for 2 1/2 weeks is enough to kill someone! :) Anyway, since everyone only cooked a couple times, they all wanted to make their favorite dishes, so we ate some GOOOOD food! But, luckily Kyle's sisters love to exercise as much as I do, and one of them teaches yoga, so I was able to keep the holiday pounds off by exercising with them.

We were also supplied with 24/7 babysitters! Definitely a perk of being the oldest of 9 kids! We were able to go on dates WITHOUT the baby and I could literally forget about my children from time to time. Not gonna lie...it was great! A much needed break. It was fun to get to spend time with his family since we only see Kyle's siblings once or twice a year. Big thanks to Mia and Gramps for a fun break.

Anyway, school has started again, and I am finally getting the hang of juggling 3 kids, house chores, and cooking meals. Still a work in progress, but at least I don't feel like I am in over my head anymore. I just love my little family and I look forward to the new year and all the adventures it will bring.

And since I can't blog without pics, here are a few we took over christmas. Kyle's not gonna be happy bc some aren't "edited" yet, but oh well!

Speed for Space

Christmas Party

See and download the full gallery on posterous

I asked Megan if there is anything to say about our ward Christmas party.

It was crazy.
There was a lot of people.
Megan helped cut the ham.
She burned herself.
Maddie fell on her head.
The dessert was good.

I'll add that Santa came and the girls were very excited to see him...not scared.

Thanksgiving

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Even though the Harry-Hermione scene was a little disappointing after all the hype, we had an awesome Thanksgiving. The masterful chefs were, well, masterful. And the grub was just as it should be on the day we celebrate food. The kids had a blast with playing with cousins, "helping" decorate for Christmas, and making s'mores by the fireplace. In the end I came to the realization that I'm thankful for days centered around what's for dinner.

Forgotten memories

So, before it's Christmas and we get all wrapped up in the festivities, I never documented the blessing of our sweet baby Connor. On November 7th, Connor was blessed by his daddy, and Grandpa Baillio, Gramps Payne, Uncles Aaron and Brad, and their families were there with us. It was so wonderful to have Connor's grandpa's fly in for the weekend so they could be there with us.

Connor was blessed with many great things, and I know he is a bright and humble spirit and his Heavenly Father loves him and has a plan for him. Connor will be a beacon of light to the people around him as he grows up. I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed us with this little guy.

Not gonna lie, I am still feeling the baby fat, so I only post the last pic because everyone else looks so cute. (This is also the weekend that Maddie got a black eye. She fell down the basement stairs from top to bottom and smashed the side of her face right on the bone outside the eye. The black eye was inevitable. It was so sad. I saw the whole thing happen and I couldn't get to her fast enough...my poor baby! But it was gone in a week. And she's fine again.)