Sentences Only Parents Say.

I think every parent remembers the feeling they had when they first uttered a sentence they never in a million years thought would come out of their mouth. I remember it. I don't exactly remember what it was, but I remember an overwhelming feeling of "Wow, I am officially a parent. My childless self would have never had any imaginable reason to say that sentence."

Well now it happens on an almost-daily basis. I hardly flinch when it happens anymore, but sometimes it is just so ridiculous that it's hard for me to even believe. So I started writing down some of my favorites.

Without further ado, here is my first installment of Sentences Only Parents Say:

"Honey, your back is attached to you so it's always touching you."

"You may not kiss your brother's butt. We only kiss lips, cheeks, & sometimes hands."

"You don't give shots on peoples' faces!"

"Buddy, don't lick your sister's nose."

"Stop kissing the wall! That's gross...and really weird."

"Babe, they don't put pepper in gummies. Sugar? Yes. Pepper? No."

"No licking belly buttons."

"Don't hit the baby with the bobblehead."

"You can like the baby. You may not lick the baby."

"We don't stand on the couch and we certainly don't stand on our sister."

"Your feet aren't exactly clean so please don't put your string cheese stick between your toes."

"Do not eat the noodles that are stuck to your Skyline chair!"

(Upon further review of these, I've determined that I really need to just staple Joe's mouth shut. I'm shuddering remembering some of these situations.)

Joe is 3!

Our very rambunctious, loud, silly, empathetic, and sweet boy is 3 today! He's equal parts adorable and insane. He has more energy than we realized was possible for such a tiny human. Two was a very tough age for us with this guy - he's just too busy to stop what he's doing to listen to us. But it was also so completely awesome. He talks non-stop and has hilarious things to say. His vocabulary is that of someone much older, especially for a boy. He is so smart, much smarter than we give him credit for (poor 2nd child...) He has the most infectious giggle and a very high-pitched screech. He is the epitome of the expression "full of life".

I can't wait to see what this coming year has in store for him. Between potty training and preschool, he's almost completely transformed into a Big Boy. It's going to be fun to watch, that's for sure. Love this crazy boy to pieces!

Joe's Birthday Interview: Year 3
1. What is your favorite animal? A doggy. (This is a lie, he's afraid of dogs. He's big on the giraffes at the zoo.)
2. What is your favorite food? Bagels.
3. What is your favorite show? Scooby Doo. (He's seen it twice. He's not allowed to watch it anymore because we really don't need scary ghosts to be yet another reason he doesn't sleep at night.)
4. What is your favorite color? Red.
5. Who is your best friend? Owen & Molly.
6. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Super Why cereal! (Alphabits, with Super Why characters on the box.)
7. What is your favorite restaurant? Skyline.
8. What is your favorite book? Superman.
9. What is your favorite song? Buzz & Woody (You've Got a Friend In Me) and the Bear Hunt song.
10. What is your favorite toy? My planes and my Buzz Lightyear.
11. What is your favorite snack? Chocolate bears. (Teddy Grahams)
12. What do you like to sleep with at night? My puppy doggy and my duck.
13. What kind of birthday party are you going to have? A Lego one!

Four months old.

Dear Jack,

Well, kiddo, at 4 months old, we’ve officially reached the playful stage! You are such a spirited little guy who just loves to play. You’re finally at a point where you’re happy to play independently for quite a while, and we have lots of different places for you to be entertained so you don’t get bored. You were introduced to the exersaucer this month and you’re just so intrigued by all of the sights and sounds on it. You still enjoy your swing and bouncer, but you’re getting pretty close to being too big for them (how is that possible already?) One pretty exciting development that has seriously changed your playtime is that you learned to roll from your back to your belly this month! You started out the month rolling over onto your side, & within the last week or so you’ve turned that roll into a complete flip. Here are some of the things that thrill you (and a few that upset you) this month:

Favorites

Eating your hands - Those hands of yours spend so much time in your mouth. And I do mean hands, plural. It’s not uncommon for you to have 5 or 6 fingers in your mouth at one time. 

Tummy time on Mommy - One of your favorite “games” to play with Mommy is tummy time on top of me. You lay on my stomach and push up on my chest with your hands. You usually manage to push & kick your way up so that your face is right next to mine. Even though I often get spit up on, I don’t mind the opportunity for extra kisses! Your brother and sister beg me to let you have tummy time on them, too!

The Noble Duke of York - This song (and the accompanying motions) is one of the ways to get the biggest smile out of you. You really love bouncing up and down on our legs!

Brooke - You still have a deep love for that big sister of yours. She gets so many smiles out of you! She has learned to be very gentle with you (most of the time) and can cheer you up when you’re fussy. She’s even managed to put you to sleep a time or two!

Pulling Hair - Jack, this is one pasttime that is not very enjoyable for your long-haired mother & sister! You are such a hair-puller. You grab on for dear life and won’t let go. At any given time, you can usually find a strand or 2 of long blonde hair in your fist. Mommy is living with my hair up in a bun these days, thanks to you.

Mommy - What a Mama’s Boy you are becoming! Now that you are so much more aware of what’s going on, you totally understand who your food supply is and who will provide the most comfort to you.

 

Not-so-Favorites

Belly time in your crib - Thanks to your fairly recent ability to flip to your belly, you’ve become a belly sleeper. You seem to sleep a tiny bit better because of it, but boy do you get mad when you wake up!

Having your eyes wiped - Your tear ducts are still blocked so you live with green goop around your eyes. We probably wipe them 30 times a day and you’re not a very big fan.

Anyone other than Mommy - See above. If you’re even the least bit crabby and you can see or hear Mommy, you must have me. You’ll just stare at me with those big (still blue!) eyes and whine until I take you. It’s very pathetic, and yet, I fall for it every time.

 

It’s so crazy how fast this summer with you has gone. Even your sister noticed, telling us the other day, “Wow, Jack sure did get big quick!” At around 18 lbs, you’re just about to make the jump up to size 3 diapers and size 9M clothes. You’re getting really strong, too. You are already trying to sit up when we lay you down, lifting your neck and shoulders off the ground. Before we know it, you’ll be sitting in the high chair, eating solids, and cutting teeth (which has to be happening sooner than later with the amount of drool exiting your mouth on a daily basis.)

 

We are so smitten with you, Jackaroni & Cheese! (You’ve acquired quite a few nicknames lately, including Jackeroo and Jack-Attack, but this silly one is a family fave!) Love you!

 

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

One quarter.

 

Dear Jack,

 

Three months old already? Holy cow, buddy! What a fun month it has been! You keep getting bigger and stronger. You're still in size 6 month clothes, but fit just fine in some of your brother's hand-me-down 9 month sleepers. You've hit so many milestones this month that it's been hard to keep track! You rolled over for the first time this week, from belly to back. It wasn't just a fluke - you did it multiple times over a few days. Mommy shrieked when she saw you do it the first time; so very proud of our big, big boy! We also heard the first genuine laughs from you this month. You're a very ticklish little guy, and the laughs are just the cutest! And you're sleeping through the night more than half of the time, which is just pure heaven. Here's what has been peaking your interests this month:

 

Favorites

Your Hands - How convenient for all of us that your favorite playthings are your hands! Any chance you get, you put those hands in your mouth.

Daddy - You & Daddy are finally good buddies! You love to have little chats and you give him gigantic gummy smiles. Daddy is usually the bottle-giver when you need to have one, and you always take it from him without a fight. He is also having more and more success getting you to sleep lately, which gives Mommy more flexibility at night. It won't be long before you two are playing basketball and wrestling on the floor.

Hanging Toys - Since you don't quite have the hand strength to hold toys yet, toys that hang from various contraptions that you can try to grab are your jam. You enjoy laying on your play mat, kicking your feet and reaching up for the butterfly that hangs down and plays music. We have a bouncy seat that sits in the middle of the kitchen floor that is our go-to for you when we need to cook dinner or make breakfast for your siblings. You usually tolerate it for a good 10-15 mins before needing a change in scenery. You love to swat at the bugs that dangle down and try to pull them to your mouth. We also have toys that dangle from your car seat to help entertain you in the car. You love them all, especially the ones that hang low enough for you to pull them to your mouth!

Being Tickled - You are just now getting ticklish and absolutely love it. While your feet are slightly ticklish, the biggest laughs we get are when we tickle you up by your neck.

Standing - You have been a very strong boy from Day 1, so it's no surprise to us that you love to hold our hands and practice standing already.

 

Not-so-favorites

Getting Dressed - You are not a fan of getting dressed! Mommy thinks maybe you're scared when the shirt goes over your head. Or maybe we go too slow and you just don't like being put down for that long. Whatever is the case, you start fussing the minute we lay you down to change you.

Being Startled - You start crying if something startles you. And living with a very loud and rambunctious brother, you are startled often. Because you're not really old enough to understand that an approaching noise means someone is coming closer, Joe often scares you when he suddenly pops around a corner or stands over top of you while you're playing on the floor. We're trying very hard to teach him how to approach you more slowly.

Belly Pain - Your digestive system has gone on strike; you only poop once every 5-7 days these days. And none of us are super happy about this - it breaks our hearts to watch you struggle through the gas pains.

 

All in all, you're such a happy guy! Your coos absolutely melt our hearts and your smile is infectious. It's impossible to be grumpy around our joyful boy! Now that you are developing a little personality, we are just so excited to see how you will fit into our family. Will you be our calm, level-headed child (we don't have one of those yet...) or will you follow suit and be as passionate and stubborn as your siblings? One thing is for sure: you'll be loved harder than you could ever imagine!

 

We love you, sweet boy!

 

Love,

Mommy & Daddy 

 

Right now.

10 random facts about us right now:

1. Joe stayed dry in Big Boy underwear from breakfast until lunch today. This is a BIG DEAL. Of course, it only happened because I set my phone alarm to force him to try to go every 45 minutes. Otherwise it never would have happened - he has yet to go potty without being prompted to go. The potty training for this child is very slowly wearing me down; I'm gonna have a breakdown soon.
2. Jack rolled over for the first time today! He went from belly to back 3 separate times. He's becoming such a big boy!
3. Brooke's favorite thing to play these days is "cooking show". She's obsessed with the Food Network, and she has taken this obsession into the playroom with her. The husband and I are often asked to be the judges for her as she plays Chopped (a cooking competition show on FN). She presents her dish exactly as they do on TV: "Today I have made for you cream cheese soup and a spicy raspberry pizza topped with a cinnamon salad." Not surprising, she always wins the competition (though we are pretty tough judges.)
4. I really really really really really really really need a vacation. (I keep saying it out loud like some kind of Vacation Fairy is going to come whisk me away to a beach.)
5. The husband is just a few weeks away from graduating from grad school, & I could not be more excited for him. He's been busting his ass for 2.5 years, spending many weekends and vacation days working on projects and homework. The kids and I are thrilled to be getting him back full-time!
6. Jack is super ticklish and it's completely adorable. He has the same silent laugh his big brother used to have. It's far cuter than I can even describe.
7. Brooke is killing it with her reading lately! She can read so much more than we give her credit for. I love seeing how proud of herself she is. We really can't get anything past her anymore. Gone are the days of spelling things to each other so the kids don't know what we're talking about!
8. Joe doesn't ever stop talking. Ever. I'm serious, ever. He talks from the moment he wakes up until the moment he falls asleep. I've never in my life met a boy that talks so much. Someone once asked me if I had a word quota I had to hit every day because I talked so much - this little boy's quota is triple mine. Like mother like son, I guess.
9. Brooke & Joe were recently given kiddie umbrellas. They got to use them for the first time today, and it was single-handedly the best 30 seconds of their day, if not their week.
10. I'm way more overwhelmed by 3 kids than I expected to be. Not physically, but mentally/emotionally. By the end of the day, my brain is just fried. (See #4.) Parenting these 3 little friends at this stage (preschooler + toddler + infant) is the hardest thing I'll ever do. It also happens to be the greatest.

2 months!

 

Dear Jack,

What a difference a month makes! You have grown so much this month, both physically and developmentally! You've started growing in true Reeder style, i.e. very quickly, topping out at 14 lbs 9 oz now. You're in the 95th percentile for both height & weight. Thank goodness we received lots of size 6 month summer clothes for you when you were born because you outgrew most of your 3 month clothes weeks ago. You also moved into size 2 diapers this month. Such a big, heavy boy! You pass out smiles like it's your job these days. It's so darn cute! And you coo all the time. You love when people talk to you and try to talk back. And quite possibly the greatest development of the month is that you've started sleeping through the night! (Although I'm afraid that now that I've written it down, I've just jinxed us...) Just this past week you have started skipping your 2 a.m. feed and sleeping until 6-7 a.m. Mommy feels so spoiled! Here's a little taste of what makes you a happy (& not-so-happy) boy these days: 

Favorites:
Smiles - When someone smiles at you, you can't help but smile back. Sometimes, when you're starting to get really crabby, a giant smile from Mommy can turn your mood around.
Brooke - You just love your big sister! She can get you to smile and coo better than most. If you're getting fussy & Mommy has something to finish, I often send Brooke over to talk to you or give you your pacifier. She's quickly learning how to be gentle & calm with you. Even with the 4.5 year age difference, we can see the 2 of you having a very sweet relationship in the future.
The "Mommy Hold" - There isn't really a good way to describe this, but Mommy has a hold that instantly calms you. You curl up into my chest, with your pacifier smashed up against my shirt so it stays in your mouth. Your legs are then scrunched up a bit to help combat gas, and I often hold one of your hands in mine. You spend a good portion of your day in this position, as it's Mommy's fool-proof way to get you to sleep. Others have had some success with the same position, mostly women (a man's chest just isn't as comfy!) But if you're really upset, Mommy holding you in the "Mommy hold" is the perfect combination.
Eating - You just love to eat, not surprising considering you gained 3 lbs this month. You're still eating roughly every 3 hours during the day and (sometimes) once at night. Though you love the comfort of nursing, you do not turn away a bottle. In fact, you've embraced them. You will happily take a bottle from just about anyone, and you don't really care what's inside. You've had several bottles of formula or a formula/breastmilk combo without complaint. This is such a relief to us, as it gives us major flexibility that we never had with your bottle-refusing siblings.
Holding Things - You are happiest when your tiny little fists are grasping something. Though you aren't quite holding toys yet, you love to get your hands on cloth (burp cloths, blankets, etc.) While in the "Mommy hold", if your hand isn't wrapped around a finger, you're usually holding onto Mommy's shirt. And you don't just hold it - you get a death-grip on it, even after you're fast asleep.

Not-so-Favorites:
Getting Dressed - Having to get dressed is your least favorite time of day. Because you're a summer baby, we have to change you out of your pajamas every morning and into a cooler outfit (unlike your siblings who just stayed in their sleepers all day & night because of cold weather.) It's very rare that you stay quiet while we change you.
Taking a Bath - You probably scream the loudest getting in and out of the sink for bath time. You're 50/50 on being in the bath; whether you enjoy it or not just depends on the day. It's a torturous event for you, so you're lucky we only bathe you every 3 days or so.
Wiping your eyes - You have 2 blocked tear ducts, so your eyes produce a lot of goop. Though some days are better than others, we're constantly having to wipe the green goop out of your eyes, & you are not a fan! You especially don't like it when we have to use a warm wash cloth to do it because your eyes get too crusty to open! Sorry, kiddo, this shouldn't last too much longer!

You've had another eventful month. The biggest event was your baptism. You happily slept through most of it, crying just a minute when the water was poured on your head. You were a very sweet boy as you were passed around the party to our family members and friends. Also this month were several more firsts for you, including your first church festival (a big deal in the Midwest), first swim in a pool, & first trip to Don's Creamy Whip :)

We started calling you Jack-Jack (after the mouse in Cinderella) very soon after you were born, and the nickname has stuck. Just like the playful little mice, you are as playful as a 2 month old gets. You are so happy and alert all the time. You are starting to get bored easily, a sign that you're ready for even more stimulation. Time to break out the toys! Mommy is just waiting to hear that first little giggle out of you! We're so excited to see what other milestones you hit next month, too!

We just can't get enough of you, Jack-Jack. Love you tons!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Jack, via Instagram.

A certain newborn has taken over my Instagram feed these past 2 months, and I'm not sorry about it. As cute my other 2 are, this precious little guy is just too picture-perfect not to obsess over. And since I haven't had any time to blog about him (because, well, 3 kids), consider this your glimpse into life with Mr. Jack since he was born.

 



My oldest & my youngest. #lovethem

 How we do Friday night around here. #5daysold

 Spending the morning with this guy. Life is pretty awesome right now. #8daysold

 I really need to get up & be productive, but someone is pretty comfy where he is. #babyseatbelt

 Baby's 1st Reds game. #2weeksold

 Belly nap for the win. (I'm right next to him. Relax.)

 They all belong to me. When did that happen? #lovethem

 Up for the day at 4:30 a.m. It's a good thing he's really cute. #lovehim

 Spending the day at Childrens', i.e. the saddest way ever to spend your 6th wedding anniversary.

Baby's face pretty much sums up our week. I'm scared of them too, buddy.

 5 weeks old already. Because time is a jerk.

Well hello there, happy boy. #6weeksold

Big sisters are the best. He already loves her. #7weeksold

 It's really a shame this guy isn't a happy baby... #8weeksold