Katie: 4 Months

How is our Katie a quarter of the way to one already!? Time sure moves fast when you are having fun, getting big, and learning new things. 

Katie's most exciting event this month was getting baptized, and you can read all about that here if you haven't already.

She still smiles a ton, and now she will even let out a giggle if you get her going. She is starting to babble up a storm, I'm looking forward to hearing what she has to say. Right now it's a lot of "ah ah ah's", so we'll see what sounds she adds this month. 

She is currently in 3 month clothes and size 2 diapers. We bumped up her nipple size to a 3 and that has really helped speed up her eating. We also discovered that she can go a while longer between feedings and doesn't always need to eat right after waking up. If she doesn't take the bottle right away, give her 30 minutes or so and she usually takes it all pretty quickly. She (thankfully) has also stopped needing to be burped so much. In fact, I don't burp her at all until she is done with her bottle, or until she pushes it away and doesn't want to eat anymore. She is still a dribbler though, so she gets a drool bib when she eats. 

Katie has loved sitting up in her sit me up seat to see what all is going on around her. She loves it when you stand her up and let her look around that way too. She locks her legs and does a great standing on her own if you give her some balance support, all with a huge smile on her face. I've caught her smiling at Brayden and Ashley playing by her, I know she can't wait to join in with them soon. 

Katie is still a fan of the swing and her play mat. Brayden and Ashley like to take the animals off her playmat to play with themselves, so sometimes she ends up with nothing up there to grab onto, but such is the life of the third child I suppose. Her favorite animal to grab has been the monkey. She likes to pull on it and will suck on it's feet or tail. 

Speaking of pulling on things, this girl loves a good hair pull, and she has a tight grip. She's started grabbing onto the O-ball with a little help from me. She also is starting to bring lots of things to her mouth, and loves to suck on her pacifier and her fingers, she's even started getting just that thumb in there, so we might be in for another thumb sucker with this one. A few days ago I noticed she had her toes in her hands, so I'm looking forward to her grabbing those more.

Katie really loves music and being sung to, especially when her daddy does it. 

Loud, unexpected noises will still bring on a good cry from Katie, and she also doesn't like when she is in the carseat in the van and it isn't moving. Other than that, I haven't found much that she doesn't like yet.

At home Katie is measuring 14.2 pounds and is 24.25 inches tall. We go to the doctor Tuesday for her four month check so I'll update with those stats once I have them. 

She is taking five 6 ounce bottles, one around 6, one around 9-10, one around 12:30-1, one around 4-5, and one around 730. She is awake for  an hour and a half to two hours before going down for a nap. She is still swaddled for naps and bed, but I know once we stop swaddling her she will be sucking on those fingers, because I've seen her wriggle her hands out of the swaddle and have them up by her mouth when going to in to get her some times. 

Here's to looking forward to all the fun that our next month will bring!

Katie: Baptism

Katie, the newest member of God's kingdom and the Catholic Church. 

Our sweet girl was baptized on Sunday the 18th during the 10 AM mass at St. Thomas Church in front of God, our family, and the whole congregation at that mass. 

It was such an interesting thing having her baptized during mass. The twins were baptized right in the thick of Covid lockdowns, so it was just family at a private baptism one afternoon. This time, the whole church got to welcome Katie into the faith, and I have to say, it was something truly special. 

I thought I would be prepared since my nephews Austin and Jack got baptized in August and I would obviously be there for that ceremony, right? Ohhh my children had other ideas. Katie decided to have a blowout literally right before we were walking back for the baptism (at least it wasn't during it?), so I grabbed the diaper bag so I could change her clothes. I also didn't prep the twins saying we were going back to the "big bathtub" and that we would be coming back to our seats soon, so they thought we were leaving and not coming back once they saw me stand up with the diaper bag. That let out a strew of screams because they didn't have their drinks or snack cups and didn't want to leave them in the pew. The whole congregation saw my hot mess of a family with Katie with poop up her back and Brayden and Ashley being carried out screaming by Dan and Theresa. To make matters worse, Eric was Jack's Godfather so he couldn't even help in the situation. It's safe to say I didn't see one bit of them getting baptized. 

So I wasn't really sure what to expect when it was our turn. When we went back for the baptism, I was surprised to see all these little kids coming around on the other side of the baptismal font to take a look at what was happening. It really warmed my heart that they wanted to be up there to see her get baptized. Or maybe they were just nosey, but I'll stick with my first assumption ha!

I was extra thankful for "big" Ashley who was on dress duty because my Ashley wanted to put her hands under my dress and lift it up, and was also interested in giving everyone in church a free show of herself as well. Nichole videoed the baptism and I have to laugh every time I see big Ashley pulling little Ashley's hand out from under my dress or pulling her own dress back down. I've included a photo below for your entertainment.

Speaking of "big" Ashley, she was also Katie's Godmother. Ashley and I have been friends since high school and she is one of my dearest friends. She holds a very special place in my heart for multiple reasons- the love she shows my family, my children, my angels in heaven, heck everyone she knows. I was honored to get to stand up with her son Bennett as he was baptized, and it just felt right to have her standing there for Katie. I know she is someone that Katie can look up to and aspire to be like.

And James is Katie's Godfather. He is such a great uncle to my kids and has the biggest heart around. He takes a huge pride in his family, which just felt right having him stand up with Katie on her big day. I'm looking forward to seeing the bond the two of them have as she grows up.

But back to the baptism....all things considered it went pretty well. Katie wouldn't eat all of her bottle before church or during church before the baptism, so I knew she was hungry. And while she normally loves baths, she apparently doesn't like just getting water poured on her head, because she instantly started crying once Father did that (and proceeded to cry for what seemed like forever). We got her baptismal cloak on and then went and changed her into her baptismal gown, which is the same gown that myself, James, and Brady were all baptized in (which my mom made!). Then Father paraded her down the aisles so the congregation could see her- and she cried the whole time. But from what I heard, everyone had a huge smile on their face as he came by with her, so while I was totally stressing that she was crying her head off, no one else seemed bothered by it. 

Eventually we got her to stop crying and eat her bottle (thank you big Ashley!) and actually take a little nap through the rest of the service. Here's pictures with grandparents and great grandparents.

And with Father Dean.

We headed back to our house for some yummy brisket (thank you Dan and Theresa!) and then cake (thank you mom!) and ice cream. Katie made it through a picture with her cake once we got home, then she slept for like 4 hours. Apparently a baptism wears a girl out. Poor thing missed her whole party haha. Regardless, fun was had by everyone else in attendance, and we couldn't have asked for a better day celebrating our girl being baptized into the faith. May God always guide your way, Katie!

Out with the Old, In with the New

We've officially been living in the new house for almost a month now, and things are finally starting to feel like home. 

Last week, Matt Wilson came and had our old house and small barn torn down, taken to the dump, and dirt work completed in five days- can you say amazing! Last weekend we took one more picture of us in front of the old house to commemorate the ending of that chapter of our lives.

On Tuesday when we got home from work, half the house was gone! 

Brady and Ashley took a little time to wave a final goodbye to the house as Matt continued to knock it down. 

By Wednesday all that was left was a little concrete. 

And by Saturday we ended up looking like this.

But I won't lie and say this whole process wasn't a little bittersweet. While our first house together was technically in Pinkneyville, this was the first house that we actually owned. I remember the pride we felt making that final house payment and getting that debt off our back. 

I still see myself crying on the couch in the living room when we found out that Ian had died. I know exactly where we were standing in the kitchen when I told Eric we were pregnant with Madison, and then again where we cried when we found out she too would die.  And that same place we held each other when mourning the loss of Jordan. 

The wall in the "extra" room saw my belly grow with Ian, Madison, Brayden and Ashley, Jordan, and Katie. 

The house was filled with the sounds of baby cries, laughter, and little footsteps once the twins arrived. I'm pretty sure there are dents in the carpet where I shushed them in front of their cribs when they were crying. I could show you exactly where each one took their first steps. The guest bed they loved to play on. The path in the kitchen and living room that they wore out running around on.

There were so many Christmases, birthdays, and anniversaries celebrated in that house. There were tears of joy, of sadness, of anger, of love. We went through our highest highs and our lowest lows there. Grew as ourselves, as friends, as husband and wife, as a family. Brayden and Ashley might not remember their first house, and I know that Katie sure won't. But we will. 

As much as I wanted to finally get out of that house for good, there will always be a tiny part of me that wishes we could hold on to it for one more minute longer. It served our family, and all those families before us, well. 

But now, there's no looking back. We're in the "boo" house (as Ashley calls it), and we couldn't be more excited to see what it has in store for our little family. 

Slow Down Summer

With August coming to a close, that Thomas Rhett song keeps ringing in my head. "Slow down summer, just wait a minute, we weren't finished." 

I feel like every year summers go by quicker and quicker, and as August has ended and I'm back to work after my maternity leave, those lyrics will continue to play in my head. I wish these late summer nights, playing outside, and relaxed days weren't over. Thankfully with the end of a season there's always the joy and excitement of a new one to come, but let's look back at our last month of summer.

Since we knew we were moving in to the new house this month, we really focused on trying to get Brayden and Ashley potty trained. We did the naked method, and didn't really care if they pee-ed on the floor because we were tearing the house down anyway. Ashley caught on really nicely, and after two days we were able to put underwear on her and only had a limited number of accidents. Brayden on the other hand just wasn't getting it. He would sit on the potty, then get up and go pee on the floor. I think after day two of trying with him I decided he wasn't ready yet and we went back to diapers. It was the best decision for us, because I truly think he just needs a little more time, and we were able to give Ashley the attention she needed to really get her potty trained. It took a while for her to go poop on the potty, and here at the end of the month I've still thrown some underwear away after she's pooped in them, but she's been doing so much better, and is waking up from naps and even overnight with a dry pull-up. She still needs reminded to go potty some times, especially after meals (that has been when we've noticed accidents happening), but it has been SO nice to have one less child in diapers. And in a few months we will hopefully have Brayden potty trained as well. 

The 17th was our last night in the old house, which meant the last night in cribs for Ashley and Brayden and the bassinet for Katie. 

The twins graduated to twin beds and Katie graduated to one of their old cribs. You really underestimate how nice a crib is once you no longer have them. I didn't realize how much Brayden and Ashley would just get up and move around once they were put to bed. That first night at the new house Ashley did really well, but Brayden came out of the room crying after about a half hour. I can't blame him, it was a lot of new all at once- new house, new room, new bed. I had to stay in their room for quite a while that night before they finally settled down to sleep. After that night, Brayden has done really well, and Ashley is usually the one to get up out of bed and come out of her room. Thankfully now after being in the house for a few weeks we don't get that anymore and they both stay in their room (for the most part) until morning. We've also realized our time of ever sleeping in is pretty much over, because once the kids are up, out of their room they come. Maybe one day we'll get to enjoy that little luxury again!

The 19th was Eric and I's summer Friday day date. We golfed, ate at Heron Cove, and enjoyed some wine at Cameo. It's one of my favorite days of the year, and much needed time together. 

That weekend Eric and I (along with help from some nice friends and family) finished moving everything over to the new house, and Nichole and Connor took the twins to the park and The Freeze for a few hours so we could get things done. From the looks of the pictures, I think they had a great time with their cousins! 

On the 21st we celebrated the baptisms of our nephews Austin and Jack. (Katie gets baptized in a few weeks.) Eric is Jack's godfather, but I failed to take any of my own pictures at the baptism (probably because I was overwhelmed with the twins who were being less than cooperative and Katie who pooped up her back right as church was starting.) I was thankful we decided not to get Katie baptized that day and to hold off a little longer. We did manage to get a family photo after church was over, don't mind Brayden's lack of enthusiasm. If I can track down a photo of Eric with his godson Jack I'll be sure to update this post with it.

The 29th was back to work for me, which meant Katie's first week at daycare. I was thankful I had a special education coordinator meeting in Ste. Marie that day and didn't have to be so rushed that morning. I would have been about 10 minutes late to work that morning if I had to get all the way to Palestine. It was a good test run, and I was on time for work the rest of the week!

Dropping Katie off at daycare was way less emotional for me than it was when I dropped the twins off for their first day of daycare. Maybe it was because I was home with the twins for 6 months, or because they were my first kids to drop off at daycare, or because I didn't really know Amanda well yet, but I was a wreck the night before dropping them off. But Brayden and Ashley both love Amanda and going to daycare, and I know all the kids there and their families now and I know that Katie will love it there too, so I had no hard feelings about sending her that day. From the looks of the pictures from her week, it looked like she had a great time at Amanda's!

We had a a pretty low key Labor Day weekend that started with our first Eagles football game of the season (with a big W), and ended with us enjoying the new house, playing outside, and getting some much needed family time in. 

We also said our official "goodbye" to the old house- it should be coming down very soon! Don't worry, there will be a blog post to come on that one. 

Katie celebrated turning three months old this month, and has really turned into such a smiley, happy girl. If you want to read more about her month, you can check out my blog post here.

August did well for Brayden. His vocabulary has soared this month, and you can really understand so much more of what he is saying, and he's saying a lot of things. He's been copying about everything Ashley does (which has its perks and disadvantages), but I do think that has helped his speech come a long way. He is a lover of all things animal, tractors, and monsters. I think we've watched Monster's Inc. and Monster's University so many times I have them memorized. And I know we've watched them enough for Brayden to have them memorized, because he loves to act out certain scenes in the movies- my favorite being when he does the scarer line up in Monster's Inc. before they all get ready to go through their doors to scare the kids. He has that thing down pat. He loves ice in his cup, his pillow, the Diggersaur book (seriously, I'm buying another one of those if it every gets ruined), and the color blue. He is also a fan of sleeping in Ashley's bed instead of his own. 

Ashley loves being her own independent person. She always has to try something by herself first, but does eventually want you to do it if she can't (which can be very annoying when you tried to do it for her in the first place but "no, me do it!"). She loves helping out with Katie, having ice in her water cup, and being tucked in for bed. She also loves for you to give her "one more hug kiss". She is more often than not the instigator of everything, but she will be the first to come crying to you saying Brayden did it. I hope I can always hear the sound of her saying, "K, Brady?" when she is convincing him to follow her to do something. She is also a fan of the monster movies, and prefers "monsters on the school bus", or Monster's University.

I'm loving the bond that all three of them share. Brayden and Ashley adore Katie, and love loving up on her. Katie sometimes gets overwhelmed by their love, but she'll get used to it ha! Brayden and Ashley also love each other so much. They play very well together, and while they have their fights, they have many more moments of love. 

August was definitely a great way to end the summer. And now that it's September, it's on to all things fall. Bring on the pumpkins, cooler weather, and changing leaves. This Schackmann family is ready!