April 2020

  

I kicked off the month by failing the 3 hour glucose test and being diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It wrecked my world for a little while there until I got the hang of it and gained some confidence in what was going on. The first finger prick was terrifying, but it turns out you get used to it really quick.

The one good thing about it was all of the extra ultrasounds I got.

 

My birthday happened.

I had a girls' night with my closest friends

Megan got me this cute little basket complete with sugar free ice cream because diabetes..

Ayancy surprised me with a shirt so I could match the other girls.

Tana got me a candle and some self care supplies like face masks and a scrub.

Megan also made THE BEST cheesecake for my birthday cake.

Taylor gave me a gift card to Sunnyside Gardens- a local nursery, and it was literally the perfect gift because he knew I wanted trees for the yard but I would want to pick them out.

Easter happened!

   

A little Instagram versus reality..

There wasn't any church services this year because of Covid, but I couldn't resist dressing up the kids in the matching outfits I had ordered.

The day before Easter we dyed eggs with the kids.

It actually went pretty well, and I don't think any dye was even spilled.

The Easter bunny came!

  

Hudson asked for those "twin pups" for months.

It was really fun for him to finally get what he wanted so badly.

  

The Easter bunny hid eggs in the basement for the kids to find because it was too cold to do it outside. Avery was very indifferent to the whole thing.

I made us a nice dinner made up of a roast, veggies, green bean casserole, funeral potatoes, and rolls. Taylor's parents came up for a few hours and also ate dinner with us while they were here.

Hudson had to get put under to have some dental work done.

We've been told since his first dentist appointment that his teeth are really close together, and it basically was just a matter of time until cavities in between his teeth got bad enough.

Taylor stayed home with Ella and Avery while I took him in.

The poor kid was so bored waiting to be taken back that he actually fell asleep on me.

Overall, everything went well.

He is pretty proud to be the owner of 6 shiny silver teeth.

Ella was busy fixing a tractor one day.

My friends helped me dye my eyelashes! 

I loved the look and the difference it made to my blonde eye lashes.

For my birthday my parents gave me money to finish the accent wall in our master bedroom.

It was such a fun, relatively easy project, and it totally transformed our bedroom.

Taylor stepped in to paint Ella's nails when I took too long in the shower.

Cutest little friends getting a ride from Ayancy.

12 Months of Oaklee// Month 2

Weight: 10 pounds

Diapers: Size 1

Clothes: Newborn

Sleeping: Oaklee continues to be a pretty good sleeper. She still loves being swaddled for sleep. Her swing is one of her favorite places to sleep. She usually goes to bed at 7ish when all of our other kids do and then she is up for the day around 7-7:30. We feed her when we go to bed and she wakes up one other time to eat around 5 hours later. I think she takes 3 naps a day, but honestly she naps when she's tired and sleeps when she can on days that we have appointments or errands to run so it really depends on if any of her naps have gotten interrupted. She can only handle being awake for about an hour at a time right now, so that is what determines her nap schedule.

Eating: She eats 3 ounces of formula every 3 or so hours during the day. 

Milestones: First night spent camping. She was given her blessing by Taylor. First road trip. She was a great traveler! She slept the whole way there and back besides waking up long enough to eat once each way. Her hair has started to grow, which means she has some peach fuzz on top instead of being completely bald. She is starting to find her voice. She can hold her head up while sitting, but it can still be a little wobbly at times so she hasn't perfected her head control yet.

Likes: itsy ritzy brand binkies- she doesn't like any other brand. She doesn't even take the binky on wubbanubs as well as itsy ritzy even though they're basically the same. white noise. eye contact- makes her smile every time. Sit-me-up chair.

Dislikes: baths- hates being cold in the bath. hiccups. tummy time isn't an absolute dislike, but she doesn't last too long before she starts fussing.

Overall, Oaklee is a pretty easy baby. She has a pretty laid back personality and is usually content to just hang out. Although, it can be hard to let her just hang out since we have to constantly watch her to make sure she doesn't get trampled by her siblings or Macey. She is getting more interactive and smiley every day, and we can't get enough of it! Hudson and Ella are pretty obsessed with her smiles too and we hear lots of "aw she's so cute!" from them. I'm sad to see the newborn stage go, but I'm also ready for her to interact with us even more and be entertained by toys.

   

little workout partner.

I started working out again at 4 weeks with some low impact barre workouts, and it has felt so good to get my body moving again.

Barre workouts aren't my favorite, so now I'm now very happily doing my normal workouts again.

   

   

The yawning picture basically sums up her blessing. She was tired and ready for a nap, so she fussed during the blessing. After the blessing she was passed around to some different family members which led to more fussiness because she really just needed sleep and no one knows her like mom does haha, but oh well. All in all it went pretty well, and it was a special experience to have her blessed in our home.

  

12 Months of Oaklee// Month 1

Weight: 7.8 pounds

Diapers: Newborn

Clothes: Newborn

Sleeping: She is probably our best newborn nighttime sleeper. She sleeps in a Mory June bag (a type of Moses basket) at night. We feed her before we go to sleep, and then she wakes up twice a night to eat. We haven't had any trouble at all getting her to sleep at night, and that has been a huge blessing. No nights spent rocking her, walking around the house, or letting her sleep in the swing. During the day she sleeps wherever is convenient- being held, the couch, her swing.

Eating: She eats 2-3 ounces of formula at a time. She usually drinks only 2 ounces in the mornings, but later in the afternoons and through the night she will drink up to 3 ounces.

Milestones: First 4th of July. She has started to be awake for longer periods of time. Some of her awake periods are really long for her age, but she always falls asleep before she acts overtired.

Likes: being swaddled, itsy ritzy brand binkies, white noise

Dislikes: hiccups- at least half of the time she gets the hiccups about 15 minutes or so after she eats

The kids were so ready and excited to meet their new sister when we got home from the hospital.

The second we stepped out of the truck, the girls were right there looking at and helping with Oaklee.

Hudson thinks she's so cute, but mostly goes about his normal day. He's been there done this new baby thing before

Ella is obsessed with her and asks to hold her all the time.

Avery is more or less indifferent to her. She doesn't seem jealous at all. She thinks that she has to make sure that Oaklee has her binky at all times. Avery often wakes Oaklee up by trying to put a binky in her mouth.

 

First time holding Oaklee

 

 

Oaklee and her cousin, Chloe.

They are exactly 1 month apart!

 

lake life

 

Hudson has been so sweet with her and always wants to share his special elephant with her.

He even let her sleep with it all night long one night just because he wanted her to have it.

As evidenced by the following pictures, Oaklee has no shortage of people who want to hold her all the time

 

Haylin and Jovi.

Little Jovi is absolutely baby obsessed, so seeing her with a real baby has been adorable and only slightly terrifying haha.

 

 

 

I set Hudson and Ella up with a show, put Oaklee in the swing, and then went to get in the shower.

Before I could even get in I heard Oaklee crying. I opened the bathroom door a few seconds later to see Ella sitting on the bed holding Oaklee. I was so shocked because that was absolutely not where I left the baby. Then we got to have a discussion about how we shouldn't pick up the baby without help from a grown up.