Chloe Has Been Ours for 4 Months? Mo Way!

Chloe's new phrase is "No way!" Which she says, "Mo way!" As in, "Do you want your eggs?" "Mo way!" Hehe.

We went to visit the Bucys this weekend. Justin and the boys helped fix up the farm house and Chloe and I went to Erica and Jay's baby shower. Baby Tyce Justin Michael Bucy should be coming along by the end of the month. We can't wait to meet him. Chloe entertained herself for hours by telling Jay and Erica's cute little cocker, "Mo, mo and MO!" If Bailey would dare lose interest in any of the things Chloe was telling her not to do, Chloe would wave the toy or whatever it was in her face again and the game would resume. She started by calling her Bay, then Baby and then after only a couple hours she could say Baily perfectly. She was still talking about Baily today. At the shower Chloe was an angel. Here she is having a little punch with the adorable little Johanna.

It is so cute the way little girls will find each other and then parade around hand in hand.

I wish I had a picture of the boys by the end of the day on Sunday. Wyatt was so tired he said his arms and legs were shaking. We got home way past bedtime and then with the time change we were all zombies in the morning.
Winter has taken a little break with yesterday in the upper 50's and today may get into the mid 70's! Woo hoo! We took a walk after school and played outside. We may go to the park after school today. We better enjoy it as much as we can because it will be in the 40's tomorrow through Sunday. Blah!

Notice the count down ticker... 10 days plus a few hours and minutes until spring break! Woo hoo!

Happ Birthday to Daddy's Little Sister

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I Hate Today!

Today is a day I've been dreading for a while. There are parent-teacher conferences tonight and tomorrow night. So, the only tme I'll get with the kids is the short time in the morning. Chloe is so used to me picking her up and putting her to bed, etc. I am so worried about how she's going to handle this. I know I'm not handling it well.

Happy 33rd Birthday Missy

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Notice Chloe trying to kick Jake out of the chair.

Jake's Lullaby

One great thing about having three kids is that when you're busy putting laundry away they are likely to find some way to entertain themselves. I walked into Chloe's room and the boys were in her crib with her and they were taking turns singing and tucking in Chloe and the other would pretend to be a baby. Jake agreed to start his song over so I could get the camera. Chloe seemed kind of pooped all weekend like she might be feeling a little under the weather. But, so far no signs of illness. Remember pause the music before listening. Oh, I should add that "Sunshine" is the song that I always sang to the boys, I love the verse Jake added.

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15 Weeks Home - Chloe Update

Chloe's been home for 15 weeks. So, a little Chloe update.

Sleep

Chloe is an awesome sleeper! She rarely cries out in the night. She goes down pretty easily around 8:00. It used to be earlier when I was home because she took her nap earlier, but now that she naps for 2 hours at daycare starting at 1:30, she's not quite ready for sleep again until 8:00. Many mornings I have to go in and wake her up at 7:00 so she can have a little time with us before we leave for school/daycare at 8:00 - 8:30. On Thursday I went in and she kind of peeked up at me with a little "gimme 10 more minutes" kind of look and then rolled back over to cuddle up and go back to sleep. She eventually wakes up and wants me to hold her but she doesn't really want anyone else giving her attention until she wakes up a little more. Well, forget that because the boys are certified morning people and act like she she walked into her own personal surprise party. They run over and are yelling her name and reaching up to touch her. She tells them, "Mo, mo." This is how she says, "no." It's funny! She is also getting better at going down at night. I always rock her in the chair first and then I get up and continue to cradle her while swaying back and forth before putting her in bed. She often stands back up and wants me to hold her. Then she say, "Chee" and point at the rocker because she prefers sleeping in my arms while I rock. So, now I don't do that I just sway her for another minute or so and lay her back down. I may have to do that twice and then she's fine. I've also been able to leave more often without laying on the floor until she's asleep. She seems to be getting more comfortable in her room and feels safe. She also doesn't cry anymore when she wakes up. She calls, "Mama, Mama."

Food
She is still pretty much a bird and just eats like a toddler. She eats a scrambled egg for breakfast and I also try to get a little yogurt and banana into her. Miss Pat says she's eating lunch and has even gotten the grand lunch time prize of "the cookie" for finishing her food. At dinner she will eat a small amount. She's sometimes so hungry when she gets home that she has some Cheerios, yogurt and banana and then won't really eat dinner. She also drinks about 16 ounces of milk with Carnation instant breakfast in it. That is equivalent to two meal replacements, so that's good. All in all she has very normal eating habits and we really don't have any issues with food. She eats when she's hungry and stops when she's full. It's the second part that I really need to work on. He he. Language
She is just amazing with her language development. I really can't keep track of the words she uses because there are so many and she keeps adding more all the time. She often tries two words together. I think she is trying to put "me" and "I" with words. One day she pointed to Jake's pajamas and said, "goggy" he said, "That's Scooby Doo." Chloe said, "Mo, dats goggy" Translation, "No, that's doggy." Wow! She looooves Dora but that is one of the hardest for her to pronounce, but she can say "Boots" (that's Dora's Monkey) perfectly. So, it sounds like this, "Uh-uh, Boots." Funny! Here are some other words since last time. I'll keep coming back and adding words as I think of them.

Family Bonds
She is a total Mama's girl. Before I went back to work she had relaxed enough that I could go get a load of laundry or load the dishwasher without her wanting me to hold her. Then last week she needed me pretty intensely, but by the end of the second week she was back to the way she was before I went back. She will play independently enough that I can function around the house and get the basics done. But, she likes to be with me and I love it. If I give her something to do and interact with her, she will let me simultaneously fold laundry, help with homework, make dinner, etc. She loves to talk and I think the more her language develops the more she will enjoy chatting about what she's doing. She is also a huge fan of her Daddy. No one can make her smile that certain smile and giggle the way he can. She was letting him do more with her before I went back to work and I think she'll get back to that as well with a little time. She completely has him wrapped around her finger. She also wants to be with her brothers and loves them. She knows they will do anything she wants and I'm afraid their going to spoil her rotten. Her interactions with Jake are more like they would be with an adult. He makes her laugh and gives her what she wants and she seems to know he's her biggest brother. Wyatt plays more "with" her and gets a little annoyed when she whines for something and will whine right back at her at times. You can imagine how much Justin and I looove the sound of dueling whines. I tell them that whining makes my ears bleed. But, Wyatt is often the one she is looking for. They seem to be developing a more typical sibling relationship whereas Jake's is different because he is even older. Here's Chloe letting grandma help her into a chicken costume. Or is it a duck? HmmmmHere's Chloe getting to know her cousin Joey.

Daycare
You're pretty up to date on her separation issues, but a little more about her time there. She seems to really enjoy the other kids. She spent the day holding hands with one little girl and is eager to play with other kids. She seems very interested in finding kids her age to play with. When we are out and about she will point out babies and if older kids try to entertain her, she's game for that. But, she really goes out of her way to initiate contact with kids who look to be about her age. She is also very good about the way she approaches them. She will go stand near them and if possible give them a near by object or point to one and babble something. She is careful not to touch them but is patient when they try to touch her. She seems well aware that kids that age are likely push, pull, bite and scream, so she approaches carefully. I can completely trust her to not do anything aggressive and if she gets pushed down, she just sits there and waits to be rescued but stays very calm. Here's Chloe with her daycare buddy Ian and Ian's mommy who is also Wyatt's kindergarten teacher. Small world, huh? You'd think we lived in Mayberry or something.People always comment to me that Chloe walks with a certain determination and it is so true. It is especially noticeable in someone so small. You expect to see such a short little thing kind of running around and falling all over the place, but she has a calmness and determination about her. What a girl!

Wyatt Video Clip

Here's a fun little video clip. Wyatt was jamming to Chloe's baby Einstein video. Make sure to pause the music at the bottom of the blog.

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Kindergarten Patriotic Program

Last night was the annual Kindergarten Patriotic Program and my little Wyatt's stage debut. It was very cute! Here's Wyatt doing his thing:

This is Wyatt with his teacher who also happens to be a good friend of mine. I;m so lucky to have the boys at my school. I told them today that when Jake is in 5th grade, Wyatt will be in 4th and Chloe will be in kindergarten. They thought that sounded awesome.When the show was about over I showed Chloe where Wyatt was and she scrambled off my lap and went running toward the stage yelling, "Wyyyyaaaat." It was so cute and got a giggle from several audience members. Here we are all together. I love these family of 5 pictures:On the Chloe front... She is doing well in daycare although still crying. Today she got hip to our little morning routine and started to cry and cling to me when we started to pack up. So, now I can add loading the car onto the list of things I've learned to do with one hand. Hehe. Here's Chloe and Daddy at the show last night.

Making Progress

Just a quick little update on Chloe's adjustment to daycare. Monday was every bit as traumatic as last week with a little, "Hey, I thought that was just a one week deal thrown in" thrown in there. Then yesterday I dropped her off and while she was sobbing quite hard, I could tell she was a little excited to see her friend Vivi. Then when I picked her up, Miss Pat told me that she had turned a corner and hadn't cried when other moms picked up their kids or when she went down for a nap. She was still crying slightly when she saw me and saying, "Momma" over and over like she wasn't quite sure I was coming to get her. So, it seems like she's adjusting. She is really so resilient and happy, just an amazing little spirit she has.

Here's the 3 cuddled up watching TV.

Here's Chloe having her first tea party with Momma and the dolls.

Here are a couple pictures of Chloe with her Aunts. Auntie Missy has two boys and Aunt Shawna has one, so they are glad to now have a niece to share all that girly stuff with.

Chloe Jabbering

Make sure to pause the music at the bottom before pressing play.

Chloe was a little more upset to be dropped off on Thursday than she had been on Wednesday. Miss Pat says it will get worse before it gets better. Then throughout the day she was fine except for pick up time. It gets her all upset when other mommies come. She kept asking for Jake. Then when I got there she burst into tears and fell into my arms. Another mom had just come and gone and she was trying to not cry and seeing me just made her fall to pieces. She had only slept for 45 minutes and ate a banana and a bunch of cereal when she got home so I think she was hungry and tired. I rocked her to sleep at 7:00 and she is still sleeping.

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Wyatt's First Year

Oh, Wyatt and Jake do not like that the beautiful girl music is playing while their pictures are up. They want everyone to know they are NOT girls. He he.

My Baby Wyatt

What a little pumpkin he is. Here he is when he was born. His hair was so thick, black and curly that when Justin came back from watching his bath he said, "That baby looks like Ernie from Sesame Street." Wyatt loves that story. Wyatt was only a few weeks old when the presidential election came along. I was one of the few people who really got to experience how confused the media was about whether Bush or Gore won. Each time I got up to feed Wyatt I'd go back to bed and tell Justin who the current winner was. I'll never forget that.

Here's Wyatt when he was 3 months old on his first Christmas. He was an easy baby and really just liked to be held all the time. He did has a little reflux and I had to keep him upright for 40 minutes after nursing him. Fun, fun!

Here's Wyatt when he was 4 months old. He was just sitting there happy as a clam and just drifted off. Here's Wyatt at 4 months. I loved this smiley stage. Wyatt has the cutest little dimple and I always tell him that that dimple has gotten him out of a lot of trouble over the years.Here he is at 6 months. I love how fat his little face looks in that car seat. Here he is at 7 months. He was crawling around and such a happy little guy. He's already had a hair cut because he had the craziest hair:Here's Wyatt at 8 months. What a face!Here's Wyatt at 11 months. I had just gone back to work. That was a hard time for me, but Wyatt did great. This covered with food look is one that Wyatt still frequently sports. For a long time the sensation of something sticky on his hands made him need to rub his hand in his hair. Here's Wyatt when he turned one. At this point we had a 1 year old and a two year old. That was a very busy time. Wyatt didn't start walking until he was 14 months old because I think he had a very reasonable fear of being knocked over by his big brother. He was rapidly learning to talk and named his blanket, "Cuddly" because when I would hold him and him blanket I would say, "OH, cuddly boy." He thought I was talking about the blanket and the name stuck. Of course when he said it it came out "Cully."

Big Brothers Can Make it all Okay!

Today I had a meeting after school and instead of having Jake go to the babysitter who watches school age kids after school, I dropped him at Chloe's babysitter. He was excited to go because it's where he was from 3-6 and I think he misses it a little. When I picked then up Pat said that Chloe had a great day, slept for over two hours and was so happy to see Jake. She didn't cry when other moms picked up their kids because Jake was with her. So cute. Here's a picture of Chloe that Jake took today. She's crying because he won't give her the camera.

Here's the boys before school. Today the entire school went to Medieval Times as the final celebration of our big yearly reading event.

Jake's Post - Birth to Age 1

Here we are on the amazing day that Jacob Jewel Bucy was born. He weighed 8 pounds and ounces and had a smooth little old man head of black hair. It is only because I feel so much joy about that day that I am posting such a hideous picture of myself. I don't know what I was thinking, but in my eagerness to have a healthy pregnancy, I didn't highlight my hair. That was a huge mistake that I didn't repeat when pregnant with Wyatt. I couldn't sleep the entire night that Jake was born. I just kept staring at him and marveling at the fact that he actually came out of my body.

Here is the picture we used to announce the birth of our number one son. What a beautiful baby boy.

This is one of my favorites. Jake's Auntie Missy took this picture of him and I added the little loin cloth before scanning it in.

Here's Jake at 4 months. Here's the little pumpkin's first Christmas. He was 7 months old and was crawling like crazy.

Here's Jake at 10 months showing us his "Sooooo big!" He was walking already at this age and said his first word, "Hi." This was his only word for some time but he used it well. He loved to say, "Hi" to everyone. One night sleeping at Grandma's he was heard saying it in his sleep. His eyes are still blue in this picture but turned green right around his first birthday.
Here's my boy at 1 year old. He was a walking, running, climbing little crazy man and so much fun. I was 4 months pregnant when Jake turned 1. Wow, that seems crazy now!

The Big Bad Day Came and Went

Well, I'm glad it's over!

Chloe cried when I dropped her off and my day went slowly and painfully. My good friend and fellow teacher is mom to one of the 3 other kids at daycare and she picked him up at noon and said Chloe was playing and happy. I found out later that she cried when another mom came and picked up her son right before me but other than that she did great. She ate very little and only slept 45 minutes, but played and was happy most of the day. She spent the afternoon walking hand in hand with another little girl. How cute is that!

When I picked her up she was so happy and ran over to me and kept looking back at Pat and saying, Mo-ee. She was so happy to see me. When we left she started naming everybody in the family and was so happy to see the boys. She was her usual happy self but didn't want to me to lay her down at bedtime. Justin really wanted to put her to bed, but she would not let me put her down. But, with only a 45 minute nap she was wiped out and couldn't fight sleep for very long.

Justin got home at 6:00 and had to leave at 6:15 to take Wyatt to basketball. Chloe started saying "co" and tried to reach her coat to go with them. Then she said, "No go." She was fine when they left, but Justin had to go to basketball with a broken heart.

On another front, I asked my boss if I can work part-time next year and she said yes. It will most likely be part-time kindergarten in the afternoons. I asked for afternoons because that is when Chloe will be sleeping.

Tomorrow and Thursday I'll post the Jake and Wyatt posts that I did awhile back. It's mostly pictures and mostly family that will be interested. Then on Friday I have a fun little Chloe post. You'll need to go to the bottom of the blog and pause the Beautiful Girl song before you click "play" on the new post.

Sorry, no picture today. It was a very busy day!

3 Months and 2 days Home - Back to Work Tomorrow

We had these taken today. I like the candid I get of her at home better. She has so much personality.

We arrived home 3 months ago today. Here is a picture from the first morning that Chloe woke up in her new home:

And here's one from today. Chloe had just gotten up from her nap and was coloring. In the process of my picture taking she worked her way up onto the table and in this picture is telling me with surprise that the light is "hot." Don't worry, it was just warm. No babies were harmed in the taking of this picture.
I can't believe I go back to work tomorrow. I will be counting the days until spring break (see the bottom of the blog) and then summer.

She's a Beautiful Girl

Her face is a map of the world
Is a map of the world
You can see she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl
Everything around her is a silver pool of light
People who surround her feel the benefit of it
It makes you calm
She holds you captivated in her palm

This song plays non-stop on the radio and totally makes me think of Chloe

Also, thank you to Aunt Kris and Krysta for the adorable outfit Chloe's wearing. It fits but is big enough that it will fit for a while. We all love it!

Here's the men hanging out: