All My Children

For a while now I've had an album on Facebook with pictures of my kids at the same age. I was thinking about it the other day and realized I don't think I've shared anything like that here on the blog. These were all taken when my babies were around 7-8 months old.

Kaity

Joe

 

Selah

Lauryn

I couldn't find any baby pictures of Jeff for comparison purposes - I'll try to get one next time we visit his parents, but for now, here's baby Jennifer:

Hi, Mom!

Gingham Girl

Hands down, my favorite outfit from Kaitlyn's babyhood is this pink gingham set. All three of the girls have now worn it and it's still so stinkin' adorable!

Daddy finally has his brown-eyed girl!

Since it was such a beautiful day and Lauryn and I were inadvertently kinda matchy, I got Kaity to take some pictures of us.

Ack! Look at those toes! Those chubby little hands!

My Clever Design Genius

I sent the boy upstairs to clean up the LEGO explosion on his floor, so naturally he came down later to show me what he had built. (Sigh ...)

Regardless of the disobedience (which I did address, Mom), Joe did create something pretty cool: A mad scientist's laboratory!

That's a ladder on the left-hand side, leading up to the lightning rod on the roof.

It's hinged in the middle so you can see the inside ...

Because every mad scientist's laboratory needs a disembodied head.

 After Joe explained each of the elements in his laboratory, he summed up by crowing, "Who's a clever design genius? I'm a clever design genius." He certainly has the healthy Ralston ego. That's my boy!

New High Chair

Feeding Lauryn baby food while she sits balanced on my lap has certainly been an adventure - one on occasion fraught with peril - but it was time for us to buy a high chair. With such limited space in the kitchen I was careful to find one that is fairly compact. That ain't easy, I'll tell ya! I'm pleased with the purchase, though.

At any rate, Lauryn loves her new high chair! She thinks it's delicious!

Seriously, I had to pry that strap out of her little clutches more than once.

"Oh, you put FOOD on it, too? Awesome."

It is both a proud and an agonizing time watching babies learn to feed themselves independently. I really can't look sometimes. I can't explain it, it just makes me squirm! More (off-brand, organic) Cheerios ended up in the chair than in Lauryn, but I helped her get some in that cute little mouth and fed her some banana, too.

My Poor Daughter-In-Law

I promise we're not raising a sexist pig, but that boy ... I'm in the middle of painting a bookshelf and Joe walks in - "What are you doing painting that? Dads are supposed to paint things and moms are supposed to do the cooking and cleaning." ?!

When I recovered from the shock and could speak, I said, "What in the world gave you that idea?" Oh, boy, did he backtrack! As he tried to stammer out a response I told him, "I'll tell you what. If you can point to just one thing in this house your daddy has painted, I'll give you $50."

After a moment of reflection, he responded, "Um, the kitchen?"

"Nope. I painted this kitchen while I had a ONE WEEK OLD baby."

He gave up after that. Honestly, I have no idea where he gets these things ... but I had to laugh. It's going to take a special kind of woman to marry my little fella. Bless her heart.

Just An Old Sweet Song ...

Today was an absolutely stunning day in Georgia! Terrible mother that I am, I forced the children to go out and play in it. Actually, Kait was the only reluctant one - "But I'm cleaning my room!" (I know, weird kid.) Selah was very insistent that they needed to put plastic bags over their shoes "Like Daddy did!" It took some major effort to convince her it was no longer necessary.

As soon as I finished what I was doing in the house I loaded Lauryn into her stroller and we all headed out to the graveyard for a walk.

 It's a slightly different world than it was just a few short days ago!

Of course they brought along LEGO creations!

Gorgeous blue sky!

Kaity posed Joe and took this shot.

Is There A Doctor (or a Vet) In The House?

Selah has always had a fascination with medical terms, anatomy, germs and the like. Her latest foray into the medical field includes taking turns at being a concerned mother and pretending to be a doctor. Of course, when she's the mother, I get to play the part of Dr. Pittard, pediatrician extraordinaire.

As the young mother, she gingerly carries her baby and in a sweet, earnest tone says, "Doctor, my baby is sick! She has a fever." Sometimes she is an older mother, stooped over and limping slightly. Then her voice quavers slightly as she details her baby's numerous ailments.

As young Dr. Pittard, she uses a (hysterical) deep voice and questions me about what's wrong with my baby. She has a big fake laugh, during which she throws her head back and places her hand on her stomach. No matter what affliction my baby is facing, the cure is always more (no, not cowbell) Band-Aids.  Ear infection? Band-Aids. Upset stomach? Band-Aids. Who knows - maybe she'll revolutionize Harvard medical school someday.

Okay, so I had to add this edit - I've been working in the kitchen this morning, cleaning up, prepping produce and taking care of dinner preparations. Now it's hard enough to work when there's a real cat underfoot (I'm lookin' at you, Daisy!) but when this happens ...

Now picture me standing in the corner there, trying not to trip over the cat or its kitten.

It's especially challenging to interpret how I'm supposed to interact with the cat because, of course, she only meows.

She dressed herself this morning, can you tell?

Lauryn ~ 7 Months

 This is seriously the cutest baby ever. Well, in the top four at least, ha-ha. Couldn't you just eat her up?

Smiles!

Of course, big sister had to get in on the action:

Snowmaggedon 2014

Jeff and the kids walked up to the graveyard yesterday to play in all the fresh snow. They built a snowman and smaller snow sculptures.

Kaity's snow sculpture.

This is the most snow we've had in Georgia in a really long time! It was absolutely wonderful for us - we kept our power the whole time - and I'm glad it's over now. The temperatures were in the 50's today, so the snow that turned to ice has now magically disappeared from our yard. Someone told me temperatures were projected to be in the 70's next week! I love Georgia.

Splish, Splash

Selah and Lauryn love getting baths together! I snapped a few pictures tonight while they were playing.

These expressions are hilarious to me.

Can you tell how agitated the water is? Lauryn's hands were practically a blur splashing water everywhere!

Matching pajamas!

Lauryn's "camera expression"

Obligatory Snow Pictures

After breakfast, we bundled the kids up and Jeff went out with them to enjoy the snow for a while. This is the most snow we've had in long time! 3 inches here at our house, other areas had even more. It's been a mix of sleet and freezing rain most of the afternoon, and "they say" we'll have more.

Kaity drew a face on the Beetle.

 

After everyone came inside, I bundled up and went out for a walk. Joe asked me why I was going outside. I told him I wanted to enjoy the snow, too. He expressed tremendous shock that moms like to have fun, too! As much as I really dislike being cold, I forgot how much I love snow! The crunch under my feet, the crisp air, the childhood memories, the sting of what was by then sleet hitting my face, the stillness, the way the snow covers everything and makes it beautiful, the smell of burning firewood ...