Kiddie updates

The boys at COSI with daddy recently (while mommy was at Children's with Lily.) .












Lily at 2 weeks old.











Lily is 3.5 weeks old. At 9 days old she weighed 9#4oz and at 18 days old she weighed 10#3oz. She needed to have blood drawn at Children's as a follow up to her PKU test. We STILL don't have those results! At 5 days old she was watching my face while I was talking to mom, and she got the biggest smile on her face. Then, 2 days later in church she did the same thing. At 2 weeks old she started hitting her toy giraffe rattle that hangs from her vibrating chair. And yesterday I caught hr staring down her fist. She was EXTREMELY fussy her 2nd and 3rd week so the midwives suggested I remove dairy from my diet. Ever since she has been much much calmer. Not fuss-free, but calmer. We don't have several times during the day where she has outbursts that last an hour plus, and at night we don't have 2-3 hours of crying. Hope its really the diary removal since I am dying for a glass of milk or a bowl of cereal. I tried the soy milk on my cereal.....that lasted 2-3 bowls.

Justin is doing better w/his new sister. He started asking to hold her about 1 week ago. He still has screaming fits when he can't nurse on demand, but the duration is getting shorter (I think). I think he is cutting his last 4 molars because he has been shoving all 4 fingers as far back into his mouth as he can and biting down. He is also biting furniture, toys, and occasionally his brother and daddy. He is talking a lot more and much better. Probably the cutest thing he does right now is stress his T's at the end of a word. Don't know why or where it came from, but its funny. A couple of weeks ago he got his first shots in his legs and he was pretty sore. He walked hunched over and wouldn't bend w/his knees to pick things up. Very sad to watch.

Austin has gown 4.5 inches in 1 year. Doesn't resemble a 3 year old in height. Watch him have a fit over something and he reminds you of a 1 year old! He seems very interested all of a sudden in learning school things: letters, numbers, counting, etc. He keeps asking me if he is going to go to school, and can I start teaching him now. I can only hope and pray that kind of enthusiasm lasts the next 15 years!

Cookies, Cousin's, and Grandpa

Grandma Sue and Austin making cookies......they were delicious!!!






















Cousin Sabrina (1 month old) came to visit her new cousin Lily. awwwwwww!















Grandpa Fritz holding Lily for the 1st time. Much earlier than normal for him. He prefers to wait until he can't break them.

Lily Renee' Bauer makes her debut!

Lily was born July 4th at 9am at home in water, just like her 2 brothers. They were both there and eager to play in the water and throw things in the water, as well as give mommy some encouraging hugs, kisses, and words of advice. Austin said to me several times, "Just breath mommy," and "Don't cry mommy, just pray to God." Lily was 7#14oz, 19.5" long, and I think she looks like Justin did when he was born.

More birth details: My contractions started at 3:30am and were 10 min. apart and 45 sec. long. After 1 hour, went out to the couch to continue watching time and length. I wasn't sure this was the real thing. After 2 hours of this, Matt came, got an update from me, and then asked if it was safe for him to go to the bathroom (you would have to know story of Justin's birth to appreciate that question.). I decided to call 1 of the midwives to see if she would be willing to come check me and give me her professional opinion. I didn't want to call everyone over if it wasn't the real thing and ruin anyone's 4th. After she got here at 6:30am and checked me, my contractions immediately started coming every 5 min. It was decided to call everyone else. Matt had already started filling up the tub w/water. By the time Lily arrived, the water had just gotten warm enough for her to be born into it. My water hadn't broken, so as I was pushing it felt like trying to birth a water balloon. Matt was able to help deliver her, which he hadn't been able to do with the other 2.

Altho water birth is far from pain free, I can't imagine it any other way.

New baby #5 at RBC

Congrats to the Knudsen family on the arrival of their newest son. Beth was scheduled for an induction next Tuesday, but after Beth was put through the ringers at a baby shower last night (she had to walk/waddle w/a water balloon between her legs from one end of a yard to the other....as did the other 4 pregnant ladies and all of the other non-pregnant ladies), the baby could wait no more. Only 4 more to go, that we know of!

A Few Pics....

What happens when you allow a 1.5 year old to hold a baggie newly filled with cheerios/kix....













COSI with daddy.
I bet you didn't know the boys went to Cairo that day!











COSI slide fun.











Clifford at COSI.












After 3 hours at the Arts Festival and 5 min. in the car.......(anybody wondering what happened to the driver/picture taker?)





Couple of updates:
Austin is making an effort to move his tricycle by using the pedals after seeing his friend Jack from church riding his own big boy bike. Austin knows there is a big boy bike in our shed that he can ride when he is big enough and can peddle really good.

Justin is cutting his left upper and lower canines. They started coming through at the end of May. 4 more molars to go!

New baby is allowed to make an appearance anytime in July, so say the midwives. Possibly even late June depending on their general consensus. However, all 3 birthing tubs are currently out, so someone has to have a baby before I need it or it will be into my own bathtub, and after using a birthing tub twice, that doesn't sound very comfy!

Some interesting trends (and you know how Karen likes trends)....on Matt's side of the family they have had 3 new babies this year, all girls. At our church, we have had 4 new babies born this year, with 3 more due in July (me included), 1 in Sept., and one in Oct. All but 1 of the babies have been born/will be born to mom's w/other children. All of them have had or will have the opposite of what they had last (with the exception of the Oct. baby because they haven't found out the sex yet). So, based on both of those trends, we should be having a girl. However, I never really fit into trends well, no matter how hard I tried :)

New teeth/New sleeping arrangements/New baby

I keep forgetting to post that Justin has 2 more teeth, the upper right and lower right canines. They broke through at the beginning of May. Only 6 more baby teeth to go!

Justin is talking a lot (altho still only understandable to mommy & daddy & Austin), and appears to be trying to repeat most of what he hears. It is very cute when we say we are going somewhere, albeit to bed or outside, he swings his little arm nearly out of its socket while saying "mawn, mawn", that would be "come on, come on". He says "I'll get it" which sounds like "i et it" and "meee" is "please". He does "thank you" pretty well, "oh man", "uh oh", "ball", "mommy", "daddy" , & "apple" are all pretty well understandable. He readily shakes or nods his head in accordance w/questions, appropriately most of the time. He understands and participates in meal prayer time, however, don't give him his food first if he's starving or you can forget participation. Love this age of discovery, hate this age of discovery (only because both of my boys miraculously became/become deaf when it comes to listening outside around cars & traffic!). The gray hairs just keep on coming! But once again, they will not be this age forever, and altho I occasionally feel guilty about not getting enough done at home, it doesn't take long for me to remember that some day there will be plenty of time to get my list done. I ask myself, and occasionally God, why I am blessed to have these experiences (its a rhetorical question really, because in all honesty I am SCARED TO DEATH of the answer).

Austin is finally in his own bed at age 3. Altho Matt and I are pro co-sleeping for our family, even a king sized bed isn't big enough for the 4 of us with me getting bigger every day. We had been telling him for 2 months, prior to turning 3, that when he turned 3 he was a big boy and he would have to sleep in his own bed (Funny side note, he has been very proud of turning 3 and being bigger, but as soon as it came to actually having to sleep in his own bed he has informed me a couple of times that he is only 2.). I fully expected the worst but prayed for the best. And, thank you God, we have mostly had the best. There were some tears the first night, less the second night, no issues w/getting out of bed disobediently, and so far no pottying the bed (Matt makes an effort to get him up at least 1x each night). He has noticed that if he gets up closer to morning and if Matt isn't in bed, that I let him get in the bed and stay there. He said tonight, when we went to Dairy Queen, that the reasons he can't sleep in our bed are: I'm 3 and a big boy, daddy coughs all night, the new baby is coming, & mommy doesn't have enough room. He got most of them right. Then he proceeded to tell us that when daddy's spot is empty he can sleep in it. He is very eager for Justin to join hi in the room, but we have told him that can't happen until Justin stops nursing (prayerfully no later than age 2, like Austin). He wants bunk beds for him & Justin, which we have told him they are to little right now, but they could have them some day when they are a little bigger.

This pregnancy has definitely been the worst I have felt consistently, if that makes any sense. My lower back, which hurts often anyway, often hurts so bad I feel like I look like the Hunch Back of Notre Dame with the way I walk. My pregnancy induced carpel tunnel is HORRIBLE this time around. My hands/wrists are at their worst at night, but even during the day just eating breakfast or peeling potatoes or typing on the computer or writing causes them to go painfully numb (isn't that an oxy moron?). This baby has been very active the last month, to the point that I watch my stomach do the wave, back & forth. Of course we continue to pray for a healthy baby, a healthy pregnancy, and we continue to pray that I will be able to have this one at home in water just as we did the other 2. Having had 2 babies at home, in water, I feel very disconnected at the thought of having to go to the hospital. It seems like such a foreign concept to me. I hope it stays that way.

F/P/B

F-Friends forever, Austin & his cousin Savannah

















P-Playtime in the backyard!

"Hey daddy, I think the grass needs mowed."













"I think I can, I think I can, I think.....ok, maybe not."














B-Birthday celebration begins!

Austin mixes the cupcake batter for his 3rd b-day party.
















Austin decorates the cupcakes with edible Diego faces.
















We have celebrated Mother's Day & Austin's b-day together for the past 3 years.










"I wish you would just let me eat one already!"










"I am THRILLED to get yet another piece of clothing!"











One of 2 of his favorite gifts, new sandals from g-ma Paula.











2nd favorite gift, a goodie box from Karen Stevens full of things mommy never lets him have.











Bubbles anyone?













Busted! Thankfully, altho mommy doesn't approve of going potty outside if it isn't an emergency, Aunt Therese had the where-with-all to move him beside the shed where the very high winds wouldn't create a really big mess!