There's Something About Mary

Disclaimer: This will not be the last post with a cheesy Mary title. It's just too fun and the possibilities are endless.

Mary is a month old!! I wish I had some great photos of her in cute little outfits, documenting how she's grown over the last few weeks. But, my reality leaves me very little down time with my camera. Especially this past week when school started, I'm lucky if I can change her out of her pajamas and keep toddler hands away from Mary while I go about the day. The camera is usually not close by, and taking pictures is the last thing on my mind!

However, I do find myself taking pictures with my phone, since I usually have that handy. And, most of the shots I've taken of Mary this past month have been during our quiet moments in the evening after the big girls are in bed. I love this time of night!!! No matter how busy we are during the day, and how much Mary is largely ignored and schlepped around, she has Matt and I all to herself after about 8pm. Cuddling with a tiny newborn is the sweetest way to end your day, I'm telling you!! Especially this baby. There's just something about Mary (I warned you about the cheesiness) that makes her sweeter, easier and more patient than her sisters ever were.

I realize many of these pictures are very similar looking, and that's because most were taken while Mary was on my lap, or on my shoulder, although there are a few with her in the girls' laps too. And even a sleepy smile too :)












































































Did I mention how mellow and easy she is? Well, in the event that she's ever unhappy, she's a sucker for a little foot massage. And I can't resist obliging :)





- posted from my handy-dandy iPhone, with Blogpress

3 Days In...

We're only 3 days into kindergarten. It's going to be 12 LONG school years for Megan if our experience yesterday is any indication of the emotional drama in our future. I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise to me that raising school-age girls pretty much equals drama, but I really felt the weight of it yesterday afternoon.

Our day started well. Matt was home to take Megan to school, and I was left with the other four. I decided to take the younger girls to Target, and I was feeling so proud of myself. They were all amazingly well-behaved and we got everything we needed. Now, I should add that a key part of my winning strategy at the game of shopping Target with toddlers in tow is Starbucks. Not for me -- for them. Before we even start throwing unnecessary items in our shopping cart, each kid gets a little bag of coffee cake to keep them fed/entertained. And yesterday, they even had a little bottle of OJ to share.

Fast forward to picking Megan up from school. Not only am I on time -- I am early! I know, this is turning into a banner day!! The little girls were running around in the schoolyard, playing nicely, making me look like a pretty ok mom.

And then, Megan's class was released to the yard. Megan was all smiles when she saw us, and i could tell she was about ready to burst with details about her day...until she saw the OJ bottle still in Bridget's hand. And then, all hell broke loose!!!

I can't believe something as innocuous as a juice bottle ultimately had me dragging a screaming, crying Megan back to the car, all the while juggling Mary in the sling and trying to propel three other little people across the expanse of the school yard as fast as possible. Megan was...hysterical!! Just crazy. A No-talking-rationally-with-her kind of hysterical. All because she didn't have a juice as well. I did not see that one coming.

Of course, Megan was overly tired from her first real day of school, but she continued with the drama (door-slamming, tears, demanded privacy when she changed out of her uniform) until she was fast asleep at naptime.

Oy! Are we really staring down the barrel of 12 years of this multiplied by 5 girls??

Pray for us.

p.s. My secret weapon in negotiating with this crazy kindergartner? I very nonchalantly told her that I needed to go call her principal to tell her that Megan wasn't ready for kindergarten, and that she needed to go back to preschool.

I know, this was pure evil, but it worked like a charm :).



- posted from my handy-dandy iPhone, with Blogpress

Let the School Daze Begin!

It's official!  We have a kindergartner.  I know I should be happy and proud about this, but all I can do is gasp at how quickly the last five years have passed, and worry that the next several years will pass just as quickly...

But, I'll just focus on the cute right now.  Like this.  I'm pretty sure Megan had the biggest fan club in her schoolyard this morning.

And, speaking of mornings, I'm not quite prepared for this school year that will require me to be up and out of the house with five kids, one of whom needs to have a lunch that I will supposedly pack at some point, by 7:30am.  Yikes!!  Not only do I have a kindergartner, but I am suddenly a bona fide MOM!!  The lunch-making, car-schlepping, permission-slip signing type. Can't they just stay home with me forever?  OK, I guess they can, but then I'd be the homeschooling mom, and let's face it, that would be even more work for me!  Catholic school it is.

(Mommy is the guilty party responsible for these bangs.)

Tahoe 2011

As it turns out, 9 days old  is an ideal time to take an infant on vacation!  At least, that's what we're telling ourselves now that we're home from a quick trip to Tahoe to give the girls some much deserved beach time.  Mary was along for the ride, and has proven that she's a Tahoe baby!  Some babies don't do very well with the altitude there, but Mary had her best nights of sleep so far there, giving us a six hour stretch one night!  I think she decided she needs to go with the flow with this crazy family -- she is our most mellow baby yet.  I really hope I'm not jinxing us by writing that here!!

We spent four days in Tahoe this year, a lot less than our normal two weeks, but it was just enough time for the girls to build some sandcastles,

go snorkeling (or at least try the snorkels on),

don their "floaties" for some dips in the lake,

ride Daddy the Whale a few times,

and soak up some sun.

In the past, we've always prided ourselves on getting the girls to nap on the beach every day, more for our own sake than theirs'.  It was always nice to be able to relax for an hour or two, and maybe play a card game or read a book.  Well, our napping tent didn't see much napping this year.  Tessa did take a nap one day,

but otherwise, it was just another play spot. 

And, Mary was there at the beach with us!  She was as relaxed as can be in her car seat most of the time, parked under an umbrella.

She, and the other girls, made it into a big Stecher cousin picture, too.  And even though we stayed with Cecchin cousins at our cabin in South Lake Tahoe, we forgot to get a group shot of all of the kids.

Maybe the trip was worth it.  These girls look like they had an okay time.

Can someone rescue this baby from excessive petting?

And this family picture won't be hanging on our wall anytime soon.  Maybe we'll position ourselves a little better next year, and not have us all look right into the sun :)

Megan is a Cougar!

Not that kind of cougar, people! She's only five, after all :)

She's a St. Stephen Cougar! An official little Catholic school girl, she now has her school uniform. I guess she really is about to start kindergarten, as much as I would like to pretend it's not happening.

Megan, Mary and I set out yesterday to buy her uniform at her new school, and then headed to the mall for a new backpack and ice cream. She's pretty easy to please! Actually, I had my two easiest kids for the afternoon :) Mary slept the entire time and Megan played quietly on my phone during our one stop to nurse the baby. Without two two-year-olds peeing their pants every 5 minutes, I was in kid heaven!

Here's Megan sporting a new-to-her St. Stephen polo that was handed down to us. She insisted on wearing it yesterday. Happy girl...






and even happier here!





- posted from my handy-dandy iPhone, with Blogpress

Bridget's Digits

As much as we'd like to bask in Newbornville over here, these big girls of ours just keep getting bigger. I'm not sure how four years has passed since Bridget was born, but it must be so because she just had her 4-year check-up -- at the same time that Mary had her 4-day weigh-in. Bridget was elated (is that a strong enough word? I'm not sure) to go to the doctor with Mommy and Mary!! Leaving the other girls home and walking out the door with our resident superstar baby had Bridget on cloud nine!! No matter that she had two shots coming -- she didn't even cry at those!

Petite Bridget weighed in at 31 pounds and stands 38 inches.

And, thanks to a cooing baby in the audience, she sailed right through her hearing and vision tests with a smile on her face.







 
There's something about that little Mary. She's got her sisters wrapped around her tiny fingers. We hear "Where's my baby sister? I neeeed her!" from the twins, along with a chorus of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" all day long. And Megan and Bridget aren't tired if holding her yet. We'll see how long this spell lasts!

- posted from my handy-dandy iPhone, with Blogpress