Just a quick mommy moment...yesterday, Caleb was pushing a car around on the floor and making car sounds. He is such a BOY. It must be inborn for them to make car sounds. He is also loving table food. He is pretty much done with mushy baby food. He has 0 teeth but he manages to chew food anyway.
My "party." Kylie was not in the mood to be in the picture.
Caleb enjoying watermelon
Caleb eating cake!!
I forgot to mention I also got to pick out two new outfits for my birthday and got two new CD's. I think I need to turn 32 again. I haven't had such a great birthday in a long time.
So the sleep thing isn't going great. Thursday night was about like night two. Last night I shut my door turned music on and let Kirk sleep in the living room. Worked for me!!! Caleb cried from 12-1 then whimpered every 10 minutes til 2:30n then slept til 7. Naptime today he cried about 10 minutes and bedtime the same. I guess we are getting there. The guilt is what gets me. Guilt over making him learn to go to sleep on his own and sleep by himself at such a late age. He only knows what I have taught him. He likes to be comforted, sleep next to someone and be lulled to sleep!!
So on to Birthdays? I was just thinking how different people view and celebrate their birthdays. Last year, I totally screwed up on Kirk's birthday and learned something new about my husband, after 10n years of marriage. He likes to receive gifts and he needs to celebrate his birthday ON his birthday. We had a party with his cousin for their birthdays on a Saturday and then I didn't plan anything ON his birthday and he was really mopey. So I asked him what was up and he said "you didn't even have the girls make me a card or anything." So we had a un-birthday party for him with cake and balloons and everything. That seemed to smooth things over and now I know how he feels. Also, if we have a party for the girls on a different date then their birthday Kirk feels like we also need to have a mini party on their birthday.
I ,on the other hand, don't think that is necessary, especially while they are young. Last Saturday, Kirk's brother and parents came down to visit and we did the birthday thing for me and Kevin. My actual birthday was Thursday and we didn't "celebrate" it so much but that was OK. What made me sad was not receiving cards in the mail or phone calls. Every year on my birthday I think I am going to do a better job of calling or sending cards to others because that is what I like and every year I fail miserably. (Just so no one thinks I want you to feel sorry for me, let me explain. I grew up away from my family, as my dad was in the Air Force, so I always got lots of mail and calls on my birthday. )
Now, Kirk is big into celebrating birthdays ON the birthday. We went out to dinner on my birthday and tried to go shopping but that was asking a little much of our four children. My neighbor and I got pedicures together this morning. Then Kirk and the girls made a cake for me today and we cooked out with our neighbors tonight. It was great. I got new dishes from my parents and my ears pierced. I had a wonderful birthday week!! So I guess birthdays and how we celebrate them or expect them to be celebrated are different for everyone. I don't think any of that makes since but it has been on my mind for awhile. I just wondered if everyone else has their own expectations for birthdays??
Just a side note...I am so excited for Caleb's first birthday after watching him today. We sat him on the table and he reached right into the cake. Then my mom was sharing her cake with him and he watched every bite that she took. She could take one for herself and then he was making noises for his. He was so cute. OK, so I tried to post some birthday pictures but it didn't work. I will try again later.
So Caleb slept an hour and a half at naptime. Then we went to Target last night to shop for my birthday present. Not a good idea with four kiddos at 8pm. Anyway he fell asleep on the way there and on the way home. When we got home I nursed him and put him in bed and he stayed asleep. Then he woke up at 9:45, so I nursed him on the other side and put him back in his bed. He slept until 3:30. I went in and nursed him but he would not go back in his bed without screaming bloody murder. He woke Cara and Karissa which means they would end up in our room, too. Soooooooooooooo I put him in my bed....I know I know so shoot me. I was tired and am getting sick so I didn't stick to my guns. Just as I thought we woke up with the girls on the floor in our room and Caleb in our bed. He slept til 8:20ish. I just put him down for his nap and he cried for about 25 minutes. Hopefully he will sleep for awhile:) I am sure most of you don't care about the day to day struggle of teaching Caleb to sleep but it helps me to vent.
So last night we decided was THE night. Caleb was going to learn to go to sleep. I took him swimming to try and wear him out. Then I nursed him and rocked him and he was almost asleep. I thought"this was easy maybe he'll just drift off." Yeah right. He cried for an hour and 15 minutes. Kirk checked on him a few times and I hid out in our bedroom reading with itunes turned on. Then he slept til 2:30am! I got up and nursed him and he went back to sleep IN HIS BED until 7am. I got up and nursed him again and he fell back asleep until 9:20. Who knew he could sleep that much!!! So I just put him down for his nap and he cried for about 5 minutes. I know tonight will be bad again but at least we are on the road to recovery:) Thanks for all your advice and support. Sometimes it is hard to hear what you already know especially about your kids. I knew he was spoiled but I couldn't seem to stop it. Kirk being wise just waited til I had had enough and then jumped in to support me. Thanks Honey.
Cara and Kenna
Karissa and her perch(she refused to hold the line).
Kiddos eating watermelon on the back porch
Caleb after spaghetti and watermelon.
We are well for the most part. Kylie is still weak and doesn't want to eat. Any ideas on how to gain weight fast??? She is so small that throwing up for three days just wiped her out. Caleb had real spaghetti tonight and loved it. He also had watermelon, which we discovered he also loves. I was going to blog about our fourth of July but Kirk beat me to it. Except for the getting sick part, it was a wonderful, adventursome trip. It is great to be a grown up at the lake and not have to wait on the grown ups to take the boat out. I even relived my younger days and tubed. Karissa had fun fishing and caught 3 fish. My brother, Doug caught enough for us to have a fish fry on the 4th. I don't even like fish but it was yummy. Unfortunately I had to watch him clean the fish the night before, not so yummy. Cara met a little friend, Kenna,next door and they became best buds for the weekend. When we got home our neighbors were cooking out grilled quesadillas(sp?). They were scrumptious. Then Cara began throwing up and the next four days run all together. I hope all of you traveling bloggers are having a good time and safe travel.
Well, I won't be sleep training anytime this week but I really appreciate all your comments. It's kind've funny that I have four kids and I still need advice. We had a great time at Lake Palestine over the fourth and I will blog about it later. For now, I just wanted to let everyone know how much fun I am having. Yesterday, Caleb woke up throwing up and since then Cara, Kylie, Karissa and Kirk have joined him. Yahoo for me. I have been doing laundry all day and wiping heads and bottoms and fixing drinks. My brother and nephew got sick while we were at the lake and now we all have it. So far it is only vomitting except for Caleb. He has a bit of the other end going on, too. Hopefully, he is the only one. Pray for immunity and endurance for me.
When you look at this picture you think "he's looks so sweet when he's asleep." I think "thank goodness he is finally asleep." I need some help. I have let my soft heartedness towards Caleb overrule my knowledge of child rearing. Caleb is 9 months old and he doesn't sleep through the night (not even close...maybe four hours at a stretch), he doesn't go to sleep on his own, and most the time he doesn't sleep in his own bed!! It usually takes me longer to get him to sleep than he actually sleeps. I know I should let him cry himself to sleep but then what do I do the other 4-6 times he wakes up in the night. He fights sleep like there is no tomorrow. I have such a hard time letting him cry and I feel so guilty that I didn't make him learn to go to sleep on his own when he was younger. Just so you have a clear picture let me give you a sample day...
Wake-up 7:30am
nap 10-10:30 only after rocking and bouncing for 20-30 minutes and usually nursing
2nd nap 4:30 -5:15 again after rocking and bouncing and nursing
bed 8:30 after nursing and rocking
#1 wake-up 10:15 back to bed at 10:30
#2 wake-up 11:00 rock while I finish a movie then put in bed at 12 and immediately wakes -up
feed him put him in my bed and cuddle goes back to sleep about 12:45 have Kirk put him him in his bed
Kirk says it's not happening as he hands him back to me...finally asleep in my bed about 1:30
#3 3am wakes up eats
#4 6am wakes up and eats
This is a typical night and day! HELP
I am starting to feel smothered by him because there is very little time apart in a 24 hour period.
All you moms of sons or just sleep experts out there I am counting on your comments!!!
Today was Caleb's 9 month check up. He had to get two shots and have his blood drawn. On top of that, he has a virus which caused an ear infection. He is a pretty miserable guy tonight. This is the first time I haven't been holding him, other than a 90 minute nap, all day. By the way, he is 29 inches long and 21 lbs 14 oz. I can't believe it is only Monday!!!
We had a great week last week at Kids Kamp. Karissa finally made some friends at our church and she had a blast. Even the preschoolers had the same theme as the big kids,"serve one another in love." All the kids had a good time but we were exhausted by the end of the week. We basically stayed home this weekend. Saturday we bought flowers for our beds around the trees in the back yard. We only finished one because I thoght I was going to have a heat stroke. We cleaned up and our friends the Trimbles from WF came over for dinner. We had a great evening, good food and good conversation. The big kids even played well together. Caleb was a bit fussy(and now we know why). The older kids went for an after dark swim and all the kids were up til nearly 10!! Sunday we stayed home from church and slept in (as much as you can sleep in with four kids). Then my dad and step-mom and brother and sister-in-law and nephew came over for a cookout. We had a great visit. We took the girls swimming Sunday evening and discovered Cara is a little fish. She is swimming under the water and jumping off the side. She is tireless and loves the freedom of no floties. We still have to keep an eye on her but she is fearless in the water.
We are headed to Lake Palestine for the fourth of July. We leave Friday to spend a coulpe of days at my Aunt and Uncles house, right on the lake. Hopefully, Caleb is well and no one else gets his virus. Kylie seems to have a touch of something but hopefully it is only allergies. We have been well for a long time so I guess we are due a sickness or two. My parents and two brothers and their families are meeting us at the lake. We are looking forward to all the fun times with our family. I guess that's all for now.
I just wanted to send a Birthday wish out to the numerous people with birthdays this week. I have been so busy I didn't get calls made or cards in the mail. So Happy Birthday Darrin, Kylie, Kristy, Dad and Dad. We love you and hope to see you soon.
This week we are doing Kids Kamp at our church. It is CRAZY. Today was the first day that the kids came. We were expecting 600 kids but actually had over 800. There are about 300 adult volunteers and 125 teen helpers. It is so great to see all the busy little workers everywhere. Things are definately not like clockwork but it is still great. I am glad we decided to bite the bullet and drive everyday. Most of the camp is outdoors. It is really run like a youth camp. There is live music(our worship leader and a college intern wrote all the songs for the week), drama (written entirely by our pastors wife), puppets, snacks, art, rec time. Tomorrow is my first day to have kids. I am just a art helper and they only have art on Wed and Fri. We will have two groups of 60 kids for 35 minutes. Yahoo. We have all been really tired this week. Today is Kylie's actual b-day. She is 3. She thinks she is so big now. She follows everything by "I'm a big girl now."
Cara and her friend at VBS "Brick"(Brook)
It sure is hard to get all three faces looking at the camera!!!
Karissa, Sheridan and Brianna. Karissa spent several afternoons with her friends!!! And so it begins...
Caleb loves the water. He kicks his feet like a fish.
We had an impromtu b-day party for Kylie Saturday to save everyone a trip down to Saginaw. She had a fun Dora adventure. SHe will be three next tuesday and is really showing a Texan accent in her speech.
We spent most of our week inside or in some type of water due to the 100 + temps. We even gave the kids their bath outside a few nights. Cara and Karissa discovered they love to take showers. Caleb has no fear. He leaned over the side of the pool and nearly fell out several times. He has really good balance and is standing alone for much longer than before.
I am sure you are all tired of seeing Caleb crawl. I was going to blog when we returned from W.F. but Kirk beat me to it. We had a wonderful week in W. F. Karissa and Cara went to VBS at Grace and renewed old friendships. I got to catch up with my girl friends and even get closer to some. I also got to meet Chandy's new baby and have a long chat with Charma. I have missed her quiet wisdom since I have been here. I really don't have much to say. Karissa is attending another VBS with her friend, Nathan, from school. The girls have been fighting continuously and yelling mine. Today I had enough. I put all their toys, movies, books etc. in the closet and closed the doors for a whole day. After tomorrow I told them anytime they share or are kind to each other I will let them choose a toy but if they scream or fight I will put it all back and they will start over. I just have to remember the goal is to reinforce positive behavior not to never have their toys back. Hopefully, this will teach them the value of what they have and to be more generous. I guess that is all for now. I am extra tired this week. I am still recovering from not so much sleep last week.
I tried to post these in my other post but I couldn't put them where I wanted without typing everything over again. By the way, Caleb is already trying to stand up by himself. He pushes himself up and then lets go. Sometimes he falls right down and other times he balances for a few minutes.
Caleb had fun bowling, too.
Karissa new BIG bike. It has all the bells and whistles.
This is the little Kylie and J.T. The kids we babysat from across the street.
I haven't blogged in the last 12 days.
1. Saturday 13th We babysat our neighbors 4month old and 3 yr old. 6 kids is a LOT more than 4.
2.Mother's Day...breakfast in bed. YEAH!
3. Monday 15th Kylie had a severe Asthma (they have finally diagnosed her) attack. We had to give her breathing treatments every three hours for 48 hours. Hey, I 'm already up with Caleb so let's just stay up all night!
4. Tuesday 16th We went bowling at Main Event and had a great time. They have cool automatic bumpers that pop up for kids and down for adults. 1\2 price Tuesdays are great.
5. Wednesday 17th Mom and Debbie and Mike came for a visit. Karissa got a brand new 20 in. bike(Thanks Debbie and Mike) Cara learned to ride Karissa's old 16 in. bike with training wheels. Yeah...now we can take walks. And Cara and Kylie got the cutest summer hair cuts(Kylie's first ever).
6. Thursday 18th Took Kylie back to the doctor to find out they wanted to put her on Singulair which runs $100 a month. Luckily the doctor had samples!!!
7. Friday 19th Karissa's friend Raven spent the night and we hung out out side til late.
8. Saturday 20th Karissa had a birthday party. Boy was it hot.
9. Sunday 21st Kirk and Karissa went to Hurricain Harbor and had a blast(thanks Amanda) and the other three and I went to a birthday party.
10. Monday22nd Went back to the doctor. Caleb has an ear infection. He hasn't slept well since last Tuesday. Boy am I tired or maybe just too old for this.
11. Tuesday 23rd cleaned house, did laundry, changed diapers, fed kids, played treasure hunt with kids, bathed kids( while Kirk helped fix the neighbors air conditioner) put kids to bed. Have I mentioned what great neighbors we have?!!
12. Wednesday 24th Caleb is finally sleeping...I should be, too.
Cara is learning to drive the truck. It is very scary. I can only imagine driving with them when they are 16. Cara just runs into things and over things. Kylie can't drive the truck yet so she is at Cara's mercy. I think she is very easily distracted. I bought Caleb his first baseball caps. Having a boy is so much fun!! He even leaves his hat on. The girls would never wear hats.
Big news in the Wimberley house...Caleb can sit himself up. He has also mastered crawling backwards. I bet in a few days he will be crawling forwards, too. He can pretty much stretch or roll or scoot to get anything he wants. We are having a relaxing at home weekend. Today we mowed and worked outside and then cooked out with our across the street neighbors. After over a year we finally have neighbors on both sides of us. Both of them have teenagers. Bummer. At least there are some kids across the street. Our neighbors across the street had their tailights stolen from their truck last night. How strange is that!! He said they sell on e-bay for about$150. We feel really safe in our neighborhood and then something like that happens. We are all healthy and enjoying the cool air and rain before the heat of summer sets in. Cara is in the lying stage and Kylie can't tell a lie. It makes for an interesting dynamic in our home. Hopefully, we can pray about Cara's lying and she will get past it soon(Hey...it worked for Karissa). I guess that's all I have for now. Unfortunately, I don't have any video of Caleb because our camera is broken.
Karissa and Raven after the 100yd dash.
Karissa is the farthest one to the left and Raven is right behind the winner. 
Karissa is on the blue scooter board. It is kindv'e a crab walk on wheels.
Karissa had field day today. Kirk went to work late so we all went to watch her. It rained last night, but not enough to have to cancel everything. It was so much fun to watch her today. She and Raven were partners in the scooter board race. They came in 2nd in a very close race to the end. Then she filled in for a girl who was absent in the 100 yard relay. She wasn't really sure how it worked but had a huge smile on her face. They came in 7th. Then she ran the 100 yard dash and the 75 yard dash. She placed 6th and 3rd. One of her teachers said "It wouldn't matter if Karissa placed 100th she'd still have a huge smile on her face. That's just how she is." I am so thankful she is such a great kid at school. The teachers and students all seem to love her. Her friend Raven did really well, too and was a great cheerleader for Karissa. Overall, it was a great experience, although a little caotic.
For Amanda and everone else who is sick of my old post.
Five Movies You Can Watch Over and Over Again:
1. Pretty Woman
2. Notting Hill
3. Cinderella Man
4. Armagedon
5. Sound of Music
Five Embarrassing Songs You Know All the Words To:
1. Barney
2. All My Ex's live in Texas
3. She Thinks My Tractors Sexy
4. Teen Angel
5. Alabama Clay
Five Memorable Halloween Costumes:
1. Mary (made from my bedroom curtains)
2. Fat referee
3. Tinker Bell (Kylie)
4. Belle (Cara 4yrs and counting)
5. Cinderella (Karissa)
Five Celebrities You Believe May Secretly be Aliens:
1. Angelina Jolie
2. Billy Bob Thornton
3. The Cable Guy
4. Cher
5. Michael Jackson
Five Occupations You Could Never Hold:
1. medical
2. Mortician
3. engineer
4. Auto Mechanic
5. swimsuit model
Five Books You’ve Recently Read Outside of School:
1.Treasures of the North
2.Ashes and Ice
3.Rivers of Gold
4.The Witness
5. Going Home
Five Ways to Perfectly Spend an Afternoon:
1. at the pool
2. reading a good book
3. at the beach
4. hiking in the mountains
5. planting
Not Your 5 Favorite Foods, But the 5 You’re Most Likely Eating:
1. pb & j
2. spaghetti
3. tacoes
4. cereal
5. chips
Five Lines You Blatantly Stole From a Movie, TV, a Commercial, or Song:
1. Buyah
2. I'll be your huckleberry
3.
4.
5.
Five People Who Must Immediately Respond:(Don’t worry “immediately” is relative)
1. Amy...come on it will be fun
2. Josh
3. Laura
4.
5.
