3-Month Update and Multiple Hats

Can you believe it's been THREE WHOLE MONTHS since Miss Lila was welcomed into our family? I certainly can't. But she has melded into our family perfectly and it feels like we were always waiting for her.

She is the BEST little baby. Stu has been having slightly more trouble with her since I went back to work full time, but she is always so calm and sweet and a good sleeper... she's just perfect! (Am I gushing??? :)) It's just such a change from Jackson. In her entire little life, she has never once woke up in the middle of the night and not gone back to bed after she eats. Jackson would constantly get up and never go back to sleep, or scream for hours and not sleep, regardless of what we tried to do to comfort or console him. BUT, on that front, we have good news to report! Jackson is sleeping through the night (almost always)!

As most know, from the time of his infancy, he would always wake up at night, well, after 17 LONGGGGG months, some sleepy time herbal pills, a specific bedtime ritual, and a nightlight later, he is finally sleeping. I had been getting fairly concerned a couple of weeks before I went back to work because both babies were waking up several times at night, and of course at different times, so neither Stu nor myself were getting any decent REM sleep night after night and I was worried I might actually die of sleep deprivation. Luckily (SO luckily!), a couple of days before I was back full time, he started sleeping through almost every night. Sadly, I think it was the nightlight that really did it. I think our poor kid was afraid of the dark and we've just been making him suffer for the past 17 months. Ugh. It was certainly not for lack of effort though.

As far as the rest of the family goes, Kaden is looking forward to Christmas and seeing what Santa is going to bring for him. He is super into it this year and it makes the holidays so much more fun! Kaden actually got to be featured on our local News Channel 7 because he decided to donate the money in his piggy bank to the needy and they thought that was pretty fantastic. (Which of course it was.) Stu and I had been discussing taking the kids to the grocery store so Kaden could pick out some food to take to 7Cares, which was benefitting 2 local homeless shelters and the food bank, and use it as an opportunity to model caring behavior, and when we talked about giving money as well, an eavesdropping Kaden said, “I wanna donate some money too!” And I said, “Ok, bud, we’ll give you some money that you can give to them.” And he remembered that he had his “own” money in his piggy bank. I was delicate about it at first because I thought he might change his mind when we got there, but he was all about it and told the reporter exactly why he was giving his money “to the Mommies and Daddies who can’t buy food or presents for their kids,” but when they went to go live, he got freaked out and they had to talk to Mommy about it instead. My sweet, loving boy. Here is the link to the broadcast.

Kaden on Twitter!

Kaden on the home page of KTVB Channel 7 News' website!

Kaden giving a (very young, adorable) Marine some Toys for Tots.

Stu and Norman (Stu's brother) hung up our Christmas lights when he and Stu's parents were in town for Thanksgiving and every night when Stu turns them on, Kaden wants to run (usually in his socked feet in 30-degree weather) to the edge of the street and look at the house. He is SO EXCITED and it absolutely makes it all worthwhile. We're taking him on a helicopter ride again this year to see the city lights and everything all decorated and he is looking forward to that. He is also stoked that he will be starting preschool in January and can't wait to meet friends and his teacher. I think it will be good for him to have some more socialization with kids his own age (and not little brothers he can boss around). I can't believe my baby will be old enough to start kindergarten this Fall. WHERE has the time gone???

Kaden, Daddy, and Prancer at the Winter Garden aGlow at the Botanical Gardens.

Kaden, moderately freaked out by Santa, at the Festival of Trees.

Jackson is just growing like a weed! He is freaking adorable and SUCH a mischievous little boy. He is so much more cunning than Kaden ever was and he watches for us to leave the room and then he beelines for something he is not supposed to be into. When we take that item away, he runs to the next thing, causing us to literally chase after him all the time. He is hilarious though and I can already tell that he is going to have a great wit and be the funny one. He is definitely a man's man and loves to wrestle with his Dad and never gets hurt when he falls, just a total tough guy! So opposite from my thoughtful, calculated Kaden.

Uncle Norman and Jackson were best friends for the whole time he was here visiting!

Lila is just finding her niche in the family. She is way more laid back than either of my boys were and I think she just knows she has to wait sometimes to get what she needs if her brothers are needing something or causing a ruckus, and she is usually content to just wait her turn. At night she goes to sleep on her own after I feed and I don't have to be a ninja to put her sleeping self down and get out of the room like I did with the boys. She just grunts and wiggles and chews on her blankey and eventually falls asleep. Her favorite activities include chewing on everything she can get her hands on, including her own hands, and hanging out on Mommy or Daddy's lap. She is fairly indifferent about tummy time, but she likes her bouncy chair and her swing. She is laughing now and whatever it takes to make her grin and laugh are TOTALLY worth it! She is my little princess. She's such a girlie girl though, too, which is a funny change from the boys. Her feelings get hurt more easily and unfamiliar noises startle her more easily too.

Lila with the amazing Dr. Shappard at her 2-month check-up. (All 3 babes with the same doctor. We are luckily to have such a great health care provider.)

Lila on her Quarter-of-a-year birthday!

Lila, showing her support for her Broncos!

Santa Lila having a snack at the Winter Garden aGlow.

Stu and I just finished finals for this semester and w're just trucking along as usual with school. Stu is taking a heavier load next semester, and with the addition of a new baby to the mix, it could be interesting to see how that goes. I have a feeling my bathrooms won't be cleaned and nothing with get dusted (but what else is new with our insane schedule?) but school has to be more important than an organized home for now. Stu and I are both into our upper division requirements now (3- and 400-level classes) which is somewhat motivating because it means we are getting closer to graduating, which feels like such a far-off dream sometimes. I remind myself, though, that we are doing this for our kids and family and some day our lives won’t be so exhausting and complicated.

As I mentioned, I am back to work full time now and it is bitter-sweet. While it does feel good to get up and have a purpose other than “just” being a Mom, and bringing home the bacon, it is definitely hard to leave those little sleepy, warm faces in the mornings and be gone all day. On a positive note, because Lila typically wakes up to eat between 4:30 and 5:30, I have been getting up then too, so I am at work most days around 7 or 7:30, which means I am working for a while before the kids even get up, and can get home that much earlier to be with them again. I try to make sure we are getting in some playtime and down time when I am home at night and not just collapse onto the couch like I want to do most days. Again, this too shall pass. (Repeat.)

Mommy got some new hairs for work! :)

You know, when I named my blog “It’s Always Something” some 4 years ago, I didn’t have any idea of what that would really mean. It is always so appropriate for our crazy life.

And now some family pics! :)

We are a regular circus these days!

The whole Fox Family.

Uncle Norman and his babies!

A wintery shot. (With two grumpy babies.)

There is a special bond between Mommies and their daughters.