Catching up with Presley Anne

I have come to call this little one Presley Anne most of the time. She fits that name perfectly. I got some great pictures of her over the last few days.

This morning I got her giving me a half smile. She was just staring off into space and smiling at nothing. I can't believe I got it on camera, but she is going to have a fantastic smile. Every now and then she will give me a 100%, full-out smile. It has me wrapped around her little finger already.



Seconds later she started crying. I have this saying that it's not really a cry until her lip starts quivering. It is so sad to hear the little babies cry like that! She rarely gets to that point, I can't stand little babies crying. I'm a sucker for newborns.

Apparently Hunter feels the same way, when she started crying he looked at me and said "Baby Presley crying" and then gave her a kiss. It was one of the few times where she stopped crying when one of her siblings got close to her. It was so sweet!

BTW, do you love Hunter's outfit? It was hilarious, I was sorting laundry and he grabbed Madison's nightgown and put it on all by himself. He put it on backwards and inside out, but he didn't care. He would NOT let me take it off, I finally got it off of him a few hours later when it was nap time. He was fussing so much over naptime he hardly realized I got it off.

The other night when I was making bread she didn't want to be in her bouncy chair anymore so we got out her Bumbo chair and put her on the counter right by us. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but we got about 10 minutes of fuss-free time to finish up what we were doing. It worked out perfect.

Now that I know she will chill out there I have a feeling I will be putting her there more often.

This is how she hangs out with us most nights. When we sit in bed and read or watch TV we wrap her up and put her in this pillow I have that has no "kooshie-ness" to it (Ryan calls it my handicap pillow, it's made to help with neck pain so it has a cutout in the center that keeps her from being able to roll out of it). She goes to sleep for a bit before her last feeding of the day and bedtime. She looks so cute with her little arms in the air and all wrapped up.

Ryan's mom got the kids their own John Deere to play with at her house. Considering she lives on a farm it's perfect for them! Hunter liked it, he can't wait for the pedals to be fixed so he can actually get around without someone pushing him. I had to snap this picture to prove that he does get some "boy" toy time. Considering he thinks he's a girl, he really does love "boy" toys.

Looks like he'll have to give up trying to drive Papa's John Deere.

I'm finally figuring it out

I have finally figured out my wheat grinder, the intricacies of yeast, and my kitchen aide. This is my result. Yummy whole wheat bread made unhealthy with cinnamon and sugar rolled into it. We love this bread and are going through it like crazy. I figure if I make homemade bread I don't have to make breakfast, lunch or any snacks. We can just eat that.

I'm only halfway kidding.

On rare occasions.....

...the fighting stops long enough for a great picture.

I savor these moments....unfortunately, I wasn't around for this one, I was in labor with their new baby sister. But I still melt when I look at these pictures. Thanks Aunna!

I don't know which one I love more, I think I just love that they were posing for the camera. Sometimes they do such grown up things and I forget that they are not babies anymore.

Yee-haw!

I love how Madison's school has fun days for them throughout the year. A few weeks ago was "Cowboy/Cowgirl Day" at school.

Thankfully we had her outfit from last 24th of July that her Gigi got her for the rodeo.

I can't get over how dang cute these kids were.

A future "What Not to Wear" candidate

You know how some days your kids are "on one" (I don't know any other way to explain some days). Well, the other day Hunter was "on one." He started throwing a tantrum when we (and by "we" I mean 3 of the 4 adults in our house, it was a tag team night, he was that grumpy) were getting him ready for bed, he did NOT want to wear pajama's. Needless to say, he had refused to take his nap, he just cried and played during nap time. We were finally able to get some sweat pants on him after much battling, but he didn't want any of his t-shirts, he wanted to wear his swim shirt. It was clean, I didn't care if he wore it. He came downstairs to say goodnight to everyone and he "escaped" our grasp and decided he wanted to go outside and play. So he grabbed Madison's shoes, they were the first available, and put them on and went to the back door and started opening it.

Luckily I had the camera close by so I could get a picture of him in the first outfit he put together all by himself. He even took a break from the screaming to smile for me.

****It's all about distractions folks****

He was dead asleep 5 minutes later and was MUCH better the next day.

Special Days

Special days are few and far between. Last Saturday was one of those rare special days for our family. We were able to go with Ryan's grandma as she went through the Temple for the first time (she is the cute one in the middle wearing a pink sweater). It was a truly wonderful experience to be apart of. I am so grateful to know her and for the opportunity for my children to know her. She is one of the sweetest, most kind, most generous people I have had the privilege of knowing. It was an honor being with the Ainge family as they were able to be sealed together.

As joyous as the entire weekend was, it made me miss the grandparents that have passed away more than ever.

Aren't grandparents the best? I know mine were. I miss them every day.

What!?! I'm supposed to sleep in my bed??? Who knew....

A few weeks ago Madison was having a hard time going to sleep (really, what's new there.....). Anyway, so she was whining that she didn't want to be left alone. Usually she says that and we tell her one of us will stay upstairs with her and she is fine. Ryan and I told her that we would just be in our room watching TV, so she didn't need to be scared. Heck, we can see in her room from our bed, therefore, she can see us. Apparently it wasn't good enough for her that night. We came out a little while later and this is what we found. It was priceless. She had made herself a bed on the floor, in her doorway, so that she could still be in her room (which is our rule) and yet still be THAT much closer to us. Plus, she covered herself with her Kai-lan dolls (and Hello Kitty doll, lest she be left out) and then promptly fell asleep.



Hunter, on the other hand, has no problem going to sleep by himself. He has been that way since the day I brought him home from the hospital. His sisters like to snuggle and sleep on us, but he wanted to be in his crib the second he fell asleep. Go figure.....

Anyway, we get up in the morning and get him ready, and then when I take a shower and primp (or when I want a few more minutes of sleep) I put him in his crib with some toys and he is happy as a clam for about an hour. Madison will go in his room and play with her toys next to the crib. It is so cute and I get to get ready without chasing him down every few seconds. I used to stick him in the bathtub, without water, but he learned to climb out. I guess that is what happens when they grow up.

Time goes way too fast

My baby girl turned 4 weeks today. I am so sad! I just want her to stay this little forever. She is so incredibly sweet and just wants to be held all the time. I have had a ton of help so I have obliged her as much as I could.

She is growing like a weed, but is still small, much like my other two. She still wears newborn diapers, but this isn't too surprising since Madison was in them for 6 weeks. She eats like a champ and is my only baby that didn't lose weight her first week.

She is a great, great sleeper. We haven't had a "pacing" night yet (knock on wood, literally, I'm knocking on wood) but she does like to snuggle, which is awesome until I want to sleep, then she protests, quite loudly, that she doesn't want to sleep by herself. It's a battle we are working out.

Overall I love this kid to death. She is so sweet and I am so grateful for her (not to mention that I am so incredibly grateful that I am no longer pregnant).

I don't look forward to doing her 2 month post because I know I will be having a hard time with how fast the time will go between now and then. Until then I will simply enjoy the snuggle time she allows me each day.

Getting to know you...a Q&A

Q: Presley? You named your daughter after the late, great Elvis?

A: Let's get the big one out of the way first....Yes and No. Yes, I am from Memphis and do actually really like Elvis, but NO, we did not name her Presley as a tribute to Elvis in any way. Mostly it was the name Ryan and I felt most suited her. I think it is ironic that we ended up naming her Presley, but it is not intended to be anything more than a name we both love. Heck, after the almost marriage ending task of naming Hunter I was relieved that we could actually agree on a name period.

On a funny, quite apropos, side note, "Blue Hawaii" was on while I was in labor so of course we had to watch it.

Q: What about Anne? Where did that come from?

A: Well, two places actually. We asked Madison what she wanted to name the baby (I was simply curious). She said she wanted to name her either Anne Shirley or Shirley Temple (can you tell what movies she had been watching recently????). I immediately vetoed Shirley, for obvious reasons, but told her we would think about the name Anne. As Ryan and I discussed it we felt it worked well together and as an added bonus Anne was one of my Grandmother's middle names and we thought it would be a nice tribute to her. We like to give our children middle names that have some family, or special, meaning.

Q: Is Presley a good baby?

A: Oh, yes. So far she is great. Her first 24 hours were a little rough, but she is an angel now. Her first day she was not too happy of a camper. She didn't like to be messed with and cried any time the nurses moved her, took her vitals, etc. She was fine being held but as soon as she was juggled or moved she would scream. That was fun.....

She is much better now. She still doesn't love all the fussing, but she handles it much better now. She is slowly getting used to her siblings and their constant desire to touch her, poke her or hold her. She still screams at every diaper change though, can't say I blame her much.

Q: What about eating? Is she a good eater?

A: This girl is a champion eater. From the moment she was born she wanted to eat and hasn't stopped yet. This is my first baby that would eat during the first 24 hours of life. She wakes up every 2 1/2 hours, I've never had that before! It is such a relief not having to worry about making sure my child is getting enough to eat and hoping that a schedule will be introduced at some point. This girl takes after me, she loves to eat and will eat for 1/2 an hour at a time....another first. My first two barely ate for 5-10 min a few times a day at this point.

Q: Who does she look more like?

A: Well, she is definitely a mix of both of the my children. She has Madison's lips and Hunter's chubby cheeks. She came out tan and with dark brown, almost black, hair, which both of my other two did as well. I can see blonde under the dark brown and she has light eyebrows and almost no eyelashes (she gets that from me, sorry kid). I'm excited to see how she grows up, just not yet, I love the newborn stage.

Q: How is daddy doing?

A: He is doing great. He is a little tired of changing dirty diapers, but hey, I get tired of changing them as well! He is slowly getting to bond with her, he has to fight Madison and Hunter for her. He is just so happy to finally have the baby here and no longer have to hear me complain about being pregnant.

Q: How is mommy doing?

A: I am great. I have been on a euphoric high from no longer being pregnant, I'm in heaven. I feel great and have so much more energy now. I'm not too sore, just sleeping a ton.

Q: How is Madison doing?

A: She loves, loves, loves being a big sister. She wants to hold the baby all day long, sadly Presley doesn't love it. Madison wiggles just a little bit too much for her. She is so proud of her and loves to introduce herself as the "Big Sister."

Q: How is Hunter doing?

A: Hunter is cracking me up with Presley. He runs over all the time and points to her with the biggest smile and says "Baby!" He pokes her and looks at her and just does not know what to make of her. He's pretty mellow with her right now, I'm just hoping it stays that way.

Introducing Presley Anne Ainge

Ten little fingers.......

Ten little toes.....

Bright blue eyes.....

Dark brown hair (and a cowlick all her own)....

Makes the Hanson/Ainge baby mold

Breaking the mold by becoming my first "Binkie Baby." No other baby of mine has taken a binkie, so I am quite excited that I will be able to use one.

Our first new family photo

Mommy with the kids

Coming home. It always amazes me how small they look in this huge new carseat.

The kids are enamoured with their new baby sister. They love holding her and trying to get her to take her binkie.

Before:

After:


Stats:

Presley Anne Ainge

born March 30, 2010

at 5:04 pm

weighing in at 7 lb 3 oz

19 inches long