Juniper, Week 14

My name is Juniper and I came to party.

Friday Photo: Juniper, Week 13

She'll be 3 months tomorrow.

I can hardly believe it.

As you can see,

neither can Juniper.

Friday Photo: Juniper, Week 12

We had her two month check up and this little nugget is, well...a little nugget.

10.1 pounds, which is in the 9th percentile.

Her height is in the 14th percentile and her head, the 4th.

She's right where she should be on her growth curve,

so she's not undernourished or anything--

just small.

When her pediatrician started looking at her,

she said "Juniper Betty, you are all fudge!"

It's true. She's rolly polly and fattening up nicely.

Next week I'll post a nakey baby pic and prove it.

Friday Photos: Juniper, 11 weeks

This tough little newborn is turning quite nicely into

an extremely chill, chubby, happy, little baby.

Here are some classic Juniper-faces

for your viewing pleasure.

Things

-The girls start school tomorrow and are very much still on Pacific Coast time, which is three hours behind our current Eastern Standard time position. Ouch.

-I never thought I'd say this but I am so excited to move to Las Vegas, that I can barely contain myself. I've come to learn that when it comes to location, sunshine and family is all I need to be happy and that freaky place has an abundance of both.

-Speaking of sunshine, I started taking Vitamin D supplements in hopes to thwart my raging S. A. D. If the supplements don't get me through this last winter here in the dark northeast, Zillow will.

-I am not making any official New Years resolutions this year. I'm pretty sure selling a house, moving across the country, buying a house, starting a business and getting it off the ground will be overwhelming enough. Not to mention still getting use to having four children and keeping them happy, healthy, well feed, clean-clothed, etc.

-The official purge of our home to get ready to sell and then move has begun. Most of our stuff is so junky, though, I'm totally embarrassed to give our stuff away to people I know. Everything is so old (1970's and not the cool 1970's) and broken (Ikea) and just bad looking (garage sales and dumpster dives) that I am having a really hard time asking people I know if they want our junk for free. I feel like I should be paying them for actually taking the crap off my hands and out of my house.

-This trip back home and to our future home was probably my favorite Christmas trip ever. Lots of tender and good things went down. Exciting things are happening for our family members.

-Juniper will only nap in her carseat in the car or in her swing. This worries and frustrates me. I've never had a kid that refuses to go to sleep (during the day) in her crib. Suggestions anyone?

-My baby weight is not shedding the way it usually does. This concerns me. I'm trying to approach it by focusing on health, mostly to set an example for my girls. I don't want them focusing on weight. I want them focused on health, and so I will too. Its going to be slow going and it's hard not to get discouraged.

-I walked around in what will probably be (haven't officially signed anything yet but a verbal acceptance has been made) Go's office. We will (assuming things go as planned) be sharing the office space with an existing physician and when its official, I'll expand. Even though Go's stressed out of his mind about starting up, I'm so excited for him. He's worked so incredibly hard, harder than anyone I know. I just keep thinking of that first appointment he'll have. It's a good thing I won't be there with him, otherwise I'd be blubbering all over the place. Awkward. Also, I can't wait to get my hands on the current waiting room of his office. It needs some TLC and I'm ready to give it some.

-Lately, I've been told by several strangers (three different times at the airport, twice while at the doctor's office/hospital, etc) the same sentence: "You have such a wonderful family." I find it a peculiar thing to say to someone you don't know. How do these people know my girls are wonderful by merely observing them for a couple of minutes? I don't know, but they always seem sincere and I've decided just really good judges of character.

-That is all.

Christmas Eve at the Beach

Juniper (and Ruby and May): 9 weeks

On Uncle Joe's old bed this morning. Olive was down stairs getting into the cereal like the raccoon she is.

Friday Photo: Juniper Week 8

We're photoboothing it today. Tomorrow early, early, early we leave for CA, so today that means laundry and packing and cleaning and saying prayers for nice and understand people on our 1.5 and 6.5 hour flights. THIS IS THE SECOND-LAST TIME I'LL EVER HAVE TO DO THIS, fly alone with all the kids. And the next time, I won't have a return flight, which makes me want to dance around with a lamp shade on my head.

She's like: "My, what big roots you have!"

Remember That Time When I Used to Blog Regularly?

...that was awesome. After "THE MOVE", I plan on jumping back in, FYI. But probably not before that, as on most days, I feel like I'm drowning and with all that lies ahead in the next 6 months, it's almost completely overwhelming...and I'm not someone who gets overwhelmed easily.

Lately:

-Juniper, my dear, sweet, darling fourth child has been kicking my booty. I wouldn't describe her as colicky but she's definitely gassy and has trouble getting that gas out, which makes her extremely fussy at times and still nursing every 2 hours, and not very well. She sleeps ok at night but hardly at all during the day--only if she's in her swing and only for 20 minutes at a time. It's hard to get anything done and go anywhere. It's just been...hard.

-I've been dealing with a number of ailments, two of them being a crazy, unexplicable, insanely itchy rash that covered my body for about 4 or 5 weeks and then last week, a bout of the stomach flu which hit me (and Olive) like a wrecking ball.

-Things have been clicking right along with setting up the practice. We've got our sights set on an office space and hope to solidify that soon. We'll be located in and affiliated with the beautiful San Martin Hospital in southwest Las Vegas for the next 3 years.

Things on the docket for the next 5 months and well, year and years to come:

-get our place market-ready

-sell our house

-get rid of a bunch of our stuff

-move to Vegas

-find a fantastic rental home in a fantastic neighborhood zoned for a fantastic school in a fantastic ward, close enough to Go's office and within the same high school where we hope to build in the next several years...this seems like a large feat, with a lot of moving parts, but I have hope all the stars will align.

-physically set up Reynolds Plastic Surgery

-make enough money to replace a bunch of the stuff we chuck

-repay med school loans

gah.

Juniper: Week 7

Friday Photo: Juniper, 6 weeks old

Besides Eating Yesterday, We:

Napped.

Woke up to cameras being stuck in our face.

Snuggled. Safely, of course. Safety first.

Took a walk/rode bikes with (not shown here:)

silky polka dotted scarves and macaroni necklaces.

Decided we were through walking halfway through the walk:

Enjoyed some pretty sunlight.

Stayed warm.

Enjoyed some more pretty sunlight.

Believed we could fly.

Were cute.

Thought about pie.

Thought about pie some more.

Happy Spanksgiving

This Thanksgiving is weird. For the first time, and for the last time, I am making a full Thanksgiving feast. I have never made it all myself before because usually we spend it with our med school buddies and I only have to make a third of it. I'll never have to make a full feast again because after this year, we'll be living in Vegas and will switch off between spending it with either the Reynolds or the Garlocks.
Making a full Thanksgiving meal right after I've had a baby isn't the easiest, in fact friends have suggested I not do it at all, suggest we just order a pizza or just go to the hospital cafeteria and eat the free and surprisingly not horrible Thanksgiving meal they provide, but I think I have such a desire to have my life back to "normal", that I'm willing to try the seemingly impossible: make a giant Thanksgiving meal whilst taking care for a cluster-feeding and often colicky newborn. Also, there are gluten issues to work around of course, so both of those suggestions are out anyway. I had also considered trying to potty train Olive this week but I smartly put that off until next week.
So how does one prepare a feast with a Juniper Betty? You stretch your work over three days and you strap that baby on with your new Ergo baby carrier your MIL gifted you with. You also tell yourself it's ok to take short cuts, like using premade dough for the apple pie, Rhodes frozen dough for the rolls, a purchased Costco pumpkin pie and drop the gluteny and/or baby-gas causing non-essentials off the menu, like dressing, corn bread, corn, green beans, and basically any other vegetable, which is sort of appalling, having no vegetables at dinner but thats the way we are rolling this year. Dont judge. So what is on the menu? Pre-Thanksgiving hors devours: lil smokies, artichoke dip, olive/pickle/cheese platter, veggie/fruit platter. Then for the main meal: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, pretzel-jello salad, plain jello for Ruby, sweet potato casserole for Go, orange-cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries, cranberry sauce from the can, apple pie made with locally grown Gala apples, Costco pumpkin pie, gluten free pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap crust, and Martinelli's to drink. Everything is already done except for the turkey, potatoes, gravy and artichoke dip.
It's been a lot of work but it's been good for my soul to have a little sense of normalcy and to be cooking again, even if it is with an infant strapped to my front. It's probably fitting though, as she is my number one reason for thanks-giving this year. I am so grateful for my sweet Juniper sister-baby.

Good Morning!

Juniper: Week 4

She started smiling 2 days ago! And eating! But not sleeping. Two steps forward, one step back. That's the life with a newborn, I guess.

The Whitest Shade of Pale

Ready

Today is Juni's first day with only her Mom to take care of her and her sisters. Wish her luck.

Look Who's Feeling Good This Morning

Juniper: Week Three

I spoke too soon. Zantac worked for like two days. Filling a script for Prilosec next week, which in the mean time will feel like a life time. When she's not acidy or gassy, she's a sweetie. Unfortunately, she's acidy and gassy most of the time she's awake, which is problematic for nursing and sleeping and really hard to deal with in general. I'm also cutting even more out of my diet in hopes to alleviate some of the gas. Hopefully we'll get some positive results with these changes and get her figured out soon. I have faith we will--we better because I'm pretty determined to keep nursing. Here she is in a sweet moment.

My Interest in Pinterest

I don't understand all these people I hear saying (or read posting on Facebook or on blogs) "What's the big deal about Pinterest? I don't get it." What's there to get? You see something you like on the internet and you pin it. I think some people pin for different reasons, but for me, I think of it as an easy filing system of good ideas. Beats having a million bookmarks or having to write the whole stinking URL into a Moleskine book.

According to the stats on my account, I've pinned 580 items. I love the internet! So many great ideas. Most of those things I've pinned are gift ideas or for the future when our bank account is different or my time is a little more free or items or recipes for special occasions or non special occasions, but I have actually managed to make/do a a handful of things that I have pinned:

I've read/obtained these books:

Rocked these looks:

Made these recipes:

Sewed these things:

Implemented this tradition:

I love Pinterest.