Anna--4 Months

Anna had her 4 month well check today and weighed in at 14 pounds 11 ounces. Our big milestone for 4 months is introducing cereal. We basically use it as practice so that by 6 months they are ready to actually swallow baby food. I start out offering cereal once a day for a couple weeks and when they start to get the hang of swallowing I give it at every meal. It also helps to set up a regular meal schedule.

Anna wasn't quite sure at first.

I'm still amazed at how laid back Anna is. I can't wait to see how her personality develops. She got two shots today. On the first one she grimaced. On the second she let out one wail, collected herself and started smiling and talking again. (I don't think she get laid-back-ness from me!)

Surprise Party

Jeremy's Grandpa turned 80! We spent the weekend in PA to attend his surprise birthday party. I think he was surprised and enjoyed the party. The party was from 1-4 in the afternoon. That is not a time of day that I have confidence in my childrens' stamina or behavior. They did very well. So well that I was able to enjoy the party. Anna was fabulous. She was passed around to so many people and didn't fuss one time.

We stayed with Jeremy's aunt and uncle. They really adopt us while we are there. The children are super comfortable with them and we make ourselves very much at home. Uncle Darryl does construction for a living so he has a truck full of tools. Josiah LOVED going out to the truck, sitting on the tailgate and looking at all the tools. He convinced Darryl to take him out to the truck at least 5 times. Darryl patiently described all the tools to him and answered all of the Josiah's "What's that?" questions.

Now that we've been married almost 10 years I'm starting to feel like I'm making a few connections in Jeremy's extended family. It's a good feeling.

A Couple Firsts

It's funny. I almost did not post our mealtime rules. I thought it was too insightful into my household. Thanks for your comments. It is good to know I'm not fighting a unique battle!

Tonight was the first night that Aliza cleaned up her plate. That included her 5 green beans. They have to take as many green beans as they are old. It was very exciting to give her a snack! Josiah, well, he ate everything except his 3 little green beans.


This was not Josiah's first haircut. It was the first time he sat by himself for his haircut. I was a little bit sad because he used to cuddle right into me because he was a little scared about getting his haircut. It was nice, though, not to have hair all over me.

This is how very, very close Anna is to rolling from her back to her tummy.

Just Call Us the Berenstein's

We have been reading a lot of Berenstain Bear's books recently. They seem to follow a pattern. A certain behavior deteriorates over time. Mama Bear gets fed up with that behavior. She gets Papa Bear on board. They tell Brother and Sister Bear the new rules and the family is much happier.

I suppose that is what has happened in the Heslop household. Mama Bear got tired of the craziness at the table and her childrens' pathetic eating habits. It happened over time for many reasons not the least was a pregnancy and subsequent newborn baby in the house. I made some rules, got Papa on board with me. Papa presented these rules at the supper table, and they were posted where everyone can see them. There has been an immediate attitude adjustment in the children; however, no one has had any snacks after supper yet.

There are going to be more measures taken in other areas of household life. That means Mama Bear is working hard during wake time and thinking hard during sleep time!

Aliza's Birthday Party

Aliza was feverish and miserable on her birthday. I was so disappointed for her. She said she was going to smile all day because it was her birthday. Aliza had a great attitude. She sat up long enough to open up her presents and put her Strawberry Shortcake costume on.



Aliza's birthday party was scheduled for the day after her birthday. I really thought Josiah was getting better that day. He didn't have a fever and was more active. Aliza had a bit more energy and Tylenol in the morning kept her fever down. (Little did I know that night would be horrible!) Jeremy's parents came for the party so I decided to just keep it as scheduled. Aliza had a super attitude when several people decided to avoid the germs and skip the party. She said, "It's ok. We'll take lots of pictures and put them on Facebook." For Aliza, the most enjoyable part of her birthday was the anticipation, the decorating and the planning.

One of the things Aliza really wanted was Strawberry Shortcake's friends. I splurged when I found them. I just couldn't resist. I think she was surprised when she saw her cake.
The decorations were completely Aliza's idea. The papers on the wall have Strawberry Shortcake stickers on them. She picked out the streamers and told me she wanted a line of yellow and a line of pink. Aliza has printed and cut out many, many Strawberry Shortcake friends. She wanted a friend where the streamers went "up."

Strawberry Shortcake. My Little Pony. Princess. Crafts.

The other thing Aliza really wanted was a pinata. I'm glad I found one one sale! Aliza picked a string to pull first and she picked the one that opened the pinata.

Aliza, Grandma Karen and I took a trip to Wal-Mart together. Aliza got to choose one thing as her gift from Grandma and Grandpa. The only stipulation that Grandma gave her was that it had to cost less than a thousand dollars. This was the hardest decision that Aliza ever had to make. She would narrow it down to 2 or 3 toys and then she just couldn't decide or she would see something else. I had to tell her that a few things cost a "thousand" dollars. Ultimately she narrowed it down to 2 things and said, "Mommy, you choose."

I can't believe I have a 5 year old. It feels like I've entered a new era in parenting.

Sandbox

Between birthday parties Grandad built his birthday present for Aliza and Josiah--a sandbox. A very very big sandbox. It was my idea. I had a flowerbed that I wasn't keeping up with so I thought if we squared off the corner it would make a great sandbox. It does! A sandbox big enough for the entire Sheats family community of cousins!

Yeah. That little square is 12 feet by 9 feet.

The first day Dad brought a truck load of sand. It was enough to play in, but didn't go very far in filling up the box. Aliza and Josiah had a bit of fun that day. (They were getting sick.)

On Friday Grandad brought basically a beach to our house. The kiddos were pretty sick that day, but did their best to enjoy it.

They helped shovel the sand off the trailer and played a little bit.

Thank you Grandad!!!! We will have lots of fun this summer.
(and I'll have lots of fun cleaning my house! haha)

Josiah's Party

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming... It sure is nice to have everyone feeling better.

Josiah's birthday party was perfect. He absolutely loved it. The next morning he woke up and told me that he lost his birthday party. He wanted it back.

Before his party started he could hardly contain his excitement. He and I were talking about what was going to happen at his party and he stopped, thought for a second and said "Thanks Mom" and gave me a big hug. All my efforts were totally worth. (The moment made his Grandma Karen cry!)

Trucks, tractors and tools. That sums up the party. Meghan helped me with his cake. I was thrilled to find these candy filled tools for favors.

Josiah was so excited about his cake. I had an extra truck that I gave him. I also gave him free run of the back of the cake. He drove his truck and tasted the frosting.

A shovel and rake just his size. That's a craftsman shovel. He can abuse it however he pleases...it can be replaced for free. Thanks Grandad!

Caleb's idea for a gift for Josiah was a tractor calendar. Perfect. 3 year old Caleb knew just what his 3 year old cousin would like.

Josiah thanked everyone and just genuinely enjoyed every gift. Of course all of his gifts were trucks, trains, tractors, or tools!!!

He was exhausted by the end of the evening. At 7:30 he said he was tired and asked to go to bed. He took his trucks and tractors upstairs, played for a little while and then went to sleep. Little did I know he was getting sick.