3 months

Ok so it's really 3 and a half months (in fact in less than two weeks she will be 4 months). I still have to post now though cuz I have some really cute pictures.

Piper is really a joy to everyone in our family. She is pleasant and happy and smiles easily for everyone. She receives many kisses all over her head from her sister and her brothers talk to her often.

Thank you Grandma Sharon for this super cute outfit. She looks like a little feminine doll.

Her big mile stones this month have been reaching for chain links that we put on her bouncy seat and laughing out loud (see below). This poor baby has had no toys except for a cloth book she got for Christmas. I finally made myself take the time to find some old and purchase some new toys for her. She now has brightly colored chain links that hang from her car seat and bouncy seat. She also has some brightly colored rubber dinosaurs that she enjoys sucking and gnawing. She smiles when we squeeze the dinosaurs and blow air in her tiny ears. We ask her what secrets they share but she never tells. Her favorite thing to look at is her "valentine". My mother sent her this valentine and at the time I thought what a waste to buy and mail a card especially for Piper, but then I showed it to her. I thought she might like the bright colors and WOW she couldn't take her eyes off of it. She follows that card with her eyes wherever you move it and will gaze at it until you take it away. It's almost been a month and she hasn't tired of it yet. I think I will laminate it and put it in her scrapbook.

She likes to talk. My mother said rarely has she seen a more social baby. She began talking by cooing and gooing but then moved to a spit gurgle. When she would make eye contact, her eyes would light up and she would say "key" or "cur" with lots of spit. She would go on and on for minutes. In the past week or so the spit gurgle has lessened.

She still loves to be wrapped tight and rocked to sleep with your cheek against the top of her head. I think she still loves the skin to skin feel. Although she loves to be rocked she sometimes makes it easy to ignore her cuz she will fall asleep wherever she is. . . . on the floor, in the swing, propped against a pillow. I find myself getting busy at home and have to force myself to sit and hold her or rock her for a while because she is too good natured to demand it from me. This is a huge change from her first month of life where she demanded to be held at all times. I told Daniel he is our "good luck charm" because since he arrived home Piper has been much more pleasant and easy going.

We love to laugh at her! (OK, part of the reason is that we make her look ridiculous (thank you Debbie Wright for this silly hat)








And in return she gives us lots of smiles back. She has even begun laughing out loud when tickled along her collar bone or when she gets very excited.




She still isn't sleeping thru the night but we are slowing trying to work on this. I no longer feed her when she wakes up in the middle of the night. I will rock her and hold her but I try to limit the feeding to last thing at night 10-11pm until 5-6 am. My doctor told me they don't need to eat in the middle of the night anymore but if every time they wake up we feed them, then they will expect to be fed every time they wake up. So we are slowing working on this, hoping that if she isn't being fed she will begin to sleep longer each night.

We sure are loving her!!

Traffic Jam

This is Ainsley's favorite thing to do. She spends hours lining up her figures and cars in all sorts of formations. She plays "chess" with her figures and tells me they are at red lights.

They drive to the store and get stuff for me. (Isn't she sweet). She aquires anyone's and everyones' figures. She has the boys horses from their castle set and all of the rubber dinosaurs we just got for Piper to chew on.

I love the imagination of children! (The only down side is that these lineups are always in a walkway and can be really hard on bare feet :o )

**I don't know if any of you Hens noticed the Steelers jersey Ainsley has on. It was Daniel's when he played popwarner football. She is the 3rd of our children to wear it to bed. (We'll see if it has enough strength for one more little Hen)

Day Late and a Dollar Short

I am always a day late and a dollar short - Ask anyone if they have ever received an early birthday gift from me! Nope - it's never happened. I am late on my blogs as well. I am just finding it harder and harder to have the uninterrupted time to sit and write.

So going back several weeks to Valentines day - that was our first of two snow days. The roads were terrible and everyone stayed home. We had had a babysitter lined up but canceled because of the roads. On Friday however, Daniel called during his lunch hour to see if we could go to dinner that night. I was able to get a babysitter on short notice and we went out for a little alone time. His arrival from work that day greeted me with these gorgeous roses. He had bought me roses shortly after his return from Iraq but they never opened. The buds just hung their heads and died, but these red roses bloomed the most gorgeous blooms I had ever seen. They are actually still in my kitchen in perfect form and almost completely dried. I have never had flowers dry in perfect form, usually the petals fall off or the flower begins to hang and droop.

Our dinner was great, we went to Chilis and got my favorite chips and salsa. We also got their hot spinach and artichoke dip. Then we shared an entree. We have begun sharing the entree at restaurants and this allows us to enjoy an appetizer and/or dessert. Plus we leave feeling satisfied and not overly stuffed. Another added bonus is the bill which comes to the same or less than we've typically paid. After dinner I made Daniel go to the fabric store with me. I picked out some fabric to make a rag quilt for my sister's baby. They were having a sale and almost all the flannels were $2 a yard. But because we don't know the gender I had to get all greens and yellows. (later when I showed my mother the fabrics, she had gotten many of the same fabrics for receiving blankets. Oh well, there are only so many gender neutral fabrics out there).

Sunday, the 18th, we had dinner at my parents house to celebrate birthdays - my father's and mine. It was a very nice dinner and my favorite part was not having to do any dinner preparation or clean up! I got to just sit and hold the baby! :) It's nice to have a day off now and then. I got a game that I have been looking for for 2 and half years. It's a cranium game called Hoopla. It's fun for a group of people and it's everyone against the clock. Daniel found it at TJ Maxx of all places. My sister got me my favorite apples from this specialty choc/ice cream place run by members of our old ward in Valley Forge. It's a large granny smith apple dipped in thick caramel, rolled in toffee crumbs and drizzled with white and dark chocolate. SCRUMPTIOUS!! I also got some money that I will be mulling over how to use ( I always spend a lot of time thinking of what to buy cuz once it spent, the options are over) and a few new clothes - all black and white. I was sort of feeling boring when I was talking to a friend I really admire (who always seems to look great and usually has black and white (or sometimes blue) on) and she says if you stock up on black and white then you always have coordinating outfits that you can pick out fast in the morning. Also they are classic colors that won't go out of style so you can wear them forever. I don't feel so boring now - I feel rather practical.

On Monday, the 19th - my actual birthday, the kids had off school for inservice. I had completely forgot it was my birthday until Daniel called around 10:30 am to wish me a Happy Day. He brought me home this candy boquet (the kids have really been digging this, although it's the last thing they need) and the promise of allowing me to take some quilting classes. That's what I told him I wanted. So I got my first one that Friday night (23rd). It wasn't an actual class, it was a "sew-a-thon" where you go and work on any unfinished project you have. They give you a time a place to work and feed you dinner for $10. Not a bad deal. It's at this specialty quilt shop near my parents. The class is the last Friday of the month from 6pm-11pm. Because Daniel didn't get home from work until about 5:45, I missed the first half hour or 45 minutes but it was FANTASTIC to have several hours with no interruptions to work on a project. Daniel took the kids and hung out at my parents and fed the baby a bottle so I truly got to work the entire time with no worries. I brought the quilt pieces for a quilt I had started 14 months ago. It's a double irish chain, probably the most ambitious quilt I have emarked on (lots of 2 inch squares). I will post a picture when it's complete.

I know I have gone on and on but that's what happens when you delay. Too much to catch up on. Next I will have to do Piper's 3 month update (now that she is 3 and half months).

This picture is just cuz she's cute!!!!

Ainsleyism

Tonight at dinner, Ainsley informed us she did not like one of the choices.

She said, "I don't eat SPA-KER-A-PUS."

Do you have any idea what she was referring to??????? Although I immediately knew what she was talking about a few people at the table were a little baffled.

She was referring to asperagus.

Can you find the baby?

Maybe you can see now - a little closer.

Piper is definitely not suffering from lack of attention. Infact she Loves it!

Here's the culprit!

Engineering

In a previous post I made mention to the engineering feats of the very brainy Hens. Here are some photos so y'all can have a visual.

Ladder Pulley:

Bike Pulley:

And here is the new kitchen light we had installed. Now we did have it installed by a friend who does this kind of thing because I think trained people need do electrical work and not novices. I don't think electricity is something to be messed with - the ramifications can be too great.

Our friend came over on quick notice and I hadn't gotten out to get a hook which we really needed so we could center the light over the kitchen table. The builders (remember we bought this house new but it was already built, the only thing we got to choose was the color of the front door) installed the overhead electrical device and hung the previous light in a very UNcentered spot. One side of the table was bright and the other side was very dark and people were forever banging their head on the light because it didn't hang over the table, it hung over the chairs. Not to metion that I think the builders got this light on a 1970s clearance table. It really looked like a white frisbee with a lightbulb stuck on the bottom. I wished I had taken some before pictures. The Hen men cut the chain to the appropriate length and installed a hook so that the light now hangs centered over the kitchen table. I am so pleased with the final product!! And all our visitors are grateful for the head room.

Snow Day!!!

Well that elusive snow finally appeared. My kids thought it would never come, but alas it's here.
The snow began early on Tuesday morning. We awoke at 7am and there was already an inch on the ground but no school delays. Daniel dropped Chase off at school at 8 am (on Tuesdays Chase goes in early to study for the "Envirothon", a quiz bowl team he's on). He then was headed to the dry cleaners when he attempted to make a turn and the tires refused to turn on the snowy road and his car slid off the road hitting a curb. It damaged the rim on one tire, a sway bar and knocked out the alignment. So I love the snow, I really do! One little slip off the road and we are out about $700. That is not including what the insurance is also paying. I am thankful it wasn't worse and that no one was hurt!

The kids got out early on Tuesday and then had off Wednesday and Thursday from school. Daniel's office closed on Wednesday too because of the icy weather so we all spent the day home enjoying the snow.

Most times of the year we hate our steep driveway and the obscene hill in our front yard! But when it snows the kids absolutely LOVE it.

But we must remember: Going down.....


is always more fun......than walking back up!!

When Daniel finally finished shoveling the driveway, he got in on the fun too.

Let's try a double!

The double looked so fun, someone else wanted in on it. What the heck - Let's try a TRIPLE!


Of course sometimes there were pileups.

Overall, everyone enjoyed the snow days. (although when we are making them up at the end of the year - we'll see if it was still worth it!)

Really Nice Friends

I have some really wonderful people in my ward. A friend of mine from church really wanted to have something for me to celebrate the baby coming and me surviving all the while Dan was gone. But with the baby not coming home til December, me being consumed with children with Dan still gone, everyone busy with Christmas preparations ... it just had to wait. She told me once Dan got home and we settled in, then she'd put something together.

Wednesday, February 7th a group of friends gathered at Panera for dinner in my honor. It was great! We all ate and talked and laughed. They even brought me gifts which I totally didn't want, but were really cute and much appreciated. I just wanted people to come and have a ":girls night out" and not feel obligated to bring gifts. But I got pjs, a dress, sweat suit, and jeans and a sweater for the baby, I got gift cards to Target and Barnes and Noble for me (or baby), bath sets (calgon, body scrub, eye mask etc..) for me and cute headbands for Piper. I also received these cute silver plated birthday candle holders in animal shapes to go on the honorary birthday kid's cake. ( I told Piper she'll have to share those with her siblings).

It's funny because I have been to Barnes and Noble and spent almost an hour browsing. I didn't buy anything yet because I don't get gift cards very often and I have to make sure I am buying the most perfect thing. I'll probably go back at least 2 more times before I decide. I think half the fun is shopping and imagining all the things you could get. It's hard to make that final decision. If I had to choose right now it would be the "Quilters Stitch Bible". It gives instructions for all kinds of fancy interesting hand and machine quilting stitches and when to use them. It also goes thru all the basics of quilting - how to start, bind and finish quilts. I need more time to see what other options I have. I also saw some fun looking games. Hmmmm....... still thinking.


Since I use the blog as my journal keeping, I must list who came. Penny Swank, Kristen Young, Bethany Cherry, Amy Gillman, Amy Elmore, Sue Rapp, Melissa Hasson, Kim Ames, Deb Fox, Pam Nielsen, Jill Dresser, Kaylyn Swavely and my Mom.


The cake was really cute and I love what they inscribed on it, "Great Job Brittney". It was hard but I do think I did a pretty good job of it - juggling everything while Daniel was gone while I was pregnant, delivering a baby without my husband, balancing my time between the baby and the other kids during the week the baby was in the hospital. I never could have done it on my own however, I know I was able to do it because of all the help I received from the Lord and family and great friends.


We saved the pink icing booties from the cake for Ainsley. She loved them and wanted to eat both of them in one sitting before breakfast. I put the brakes on that idea and made her eat them on separate occasions after breakfast but before lunch. I wanted her to eat them early enough in the day that she would have plenty of time to burn them off before bed. :)


Thanks guys! It was great!

Blessing Day

I am just getting to this now, but last Sunday, February 4th was Piper's blessing day. We were extra lucky to have Grandpa Roy come and stay the weekend. We were also blessed to have had Aunt Christine and Uncle Aaron join us.

Saturday the men went the man store (Home Depot) and bought a 12 foot ladder so we can change our lightbulbs in the lights on our vaulted ceilings. But if we have a 12 foot ladder we have to have a place to keep a 12 foot ladder. So the term "back pocket engineering" came into play as the "braineeack" Pennhen men jotted down calculations and gathered items. They came home and rigged up a pulley system that cranks the ladder all the way up to the ceiling of our garage. Since they were at it, they decided to hook up another pulley system that is now suspending a bicycle from the garage ceiling. They also installed a hook so we can take our new kitchen light (which is suspended from the ceiling by a chain) and hang it centered over our kitchen table. Picture to follow of our new kitchen light - I love it!! Grandpa Roy treated us all to icecream sundays at Friendly's. It was awesome and enjoyed by all! It brought back many memories to Roy, Daniel and Aaron of childhood visits and fun family times at Friendly's.

Piper got to be surrounded by both Grandpas, her daddy, uncle Kent, uncle Aaron, friends of the family - Brad Mead, Steve Fultz, Don Dresser and Bishop Smith in the circle as Dan prounced a beautiful blessing upon her.

Here's Piper with cousin Slater.

Even though it was Super Bowl Sunday we did not have a Super Bowl party, instead we had a Soup Bowl Party. We returned to our house after church for soup and rolls. We had a mexican soup and homemade vegetable beef. He we are preparing the soup.

Piper was the 4th granddaughter to wear the blessing dress that my mother made. My mother only has 4 granddaughters - so everyone of them has worn it. It is beautiful and we are anxiously waiting to see if Brinn has a girl so we can pass it down to her.

2 Months Old

Piper is going to be 3 months before I've had the time to write about 2 months. There are so many posts I have been wanting to get out but I just don't seem to have the time. I might just end up posting pictures for you to enjoy because I haven't had the time to sit and write.

On January 23rd, our sweet Piper turned 2 months old.



She had her 2 months check up where she received immunizations for 8 diseases. Luckily they have them combined to 3 shots and one oral dose. She was our shortest at 2 months. She measured 22 inches, Ainsley was 22 1/2, Chase 23 and Gregor 24 inches.

As far as weight goes, she comes in between Ainsley and Chase. Ainsely was 11 pounds 8 ounces, Piper weighed 11-10, and Chase came in at 11-12 ozs. MacGregor was off the charts at 15-4.

She still spits up quite a lot. We never go very far without a burp cloth on our lap or shoulder. Piper goes thru about 8 bibs a day. I only have 19 bibs so I wash them about every other day. We like the bibs with the plastic backing because otherwise she soaks them thru. She has gotten over the need to be held at all times. She now sits happily in her bouncy chair in the kitchen while we eat dinner or as I fix dinner. She takes naps in her swing and likes to lay on the floor in front of the fire place. She will lay on a blanket next to Ainsley as Ainsley watches cartoons and be very content for 20-30 minutes. This makes my life much less stressful as I can get a few things done during the day that require 2 hands (like dishes, folding laundry, preparing dinner). She is quite smiley after eating and first thing when she wakes up. She likes to talk and will focus her eyes very intently on your face as she coos and gurgles. She MUST be wrapped very tightly to go to sleep (we often double wrap her) and still must be rocked in someones arms to sleep, but it usually doesn't take very long for her to go out. She transfers easily to her cradle or the swing. She is sleeping pretty well now only waking up one time during the night and often that isn't until between 5:30 and 6:30 am at which time she usually eats and goes back to sleep. She usually isn't so keen on being buckled into her carseat but once the car gets going and warmed up she ususally sleeps pretty well as long as we are moving. I curse red lights because she will start wailing so I often pump by brakes repeatedly until the light turns green. I get a lot of funny looks by other drivers and I really hope I never have to explain myself to a policeman.

She is adored by her brothers and sister and they are very helpful. They rock her carseat or bouncy seat and talk to and smile at her until I can get her picked up.

We love our happy girl!

Northwest Indians

Chase had to do a report and project on the North West Indians. He had to incorporate the subject of his report into his project. His report was on whales. He told how the indians hunted whales and how they used all the different whale parts. Here is his project:




He did the totem pole and most of the painting himself. Daniel helped a little with shaping the canoe.