Author Archives: sylcell

Rhea is 5 months!

I know what you are all thinking. But what about her four month update? Well, friends, she turned four months on Ruth’s birthday when we were traveling to Florida. So, I was a little preoccupied. Also #fourthbaby. Also, I am aware you actually didn’t even notice I skipped her fourth month update.  Moving right along! 

 Milestones: Sleeping through the night!!!!!!!!!!!!! My most favorite milestone of all. I realize there might be some regressions in our future, but I am living in the now and enjoying all of this newfound sleep. She is currently still in her little cradle, but if she keeps this up, I am going to move her to the crib in Ruthie’s room and we will have (gasp!) girls sharing a room. We’ll see how that goes. She also consistently rolls from her back to her belly, but can’t seem to roll from her belly to her back. This leads to a lot of frustrated tummy time on her part. You’ll get there, Rhea. And as you can see, she is very close to sitting up unsupported! Girl has got some core strength. I am so relieved because it is much easier to hold her on my hip than try and support her back. She is also standing in the exersaucer and twirling around to play with all the toys. She has been my most phyically ambitious child.  read more

Rosie’s birthday and why I’m taking a break from big birthday parties

I am on a big birthday extravaganzas for children hiatus. Forget Pinterest-worthy themed birthday parties, I’m not even having the party! We have reached a new familial low. Or have we? Quite frankly, with four children it was becoming unmanageable to have four big birthday parties a year. (And any party where we invite all of our close family members and friends is going to be big.) I had to clean the house, borrow a large folding table and chairs in order to have enough seating, spend a small fortune on paper plates, cups, napkins, food, drinks, and cake for everyone, and then figure out an activity that is fun for the children but won’t break the bank. And then after everyone leaves,  there is the epic clean up. I’m not saying all this to be whiny, it was a labor of love for sure, and we enjoy seeing all of our loved ones! However, with four little ones at home, doing all of the above four times a year every year was just too overwhelming for us. So Scott and I discussed it, and we decided to take a break from hosting large birthday parties this year.  And it has been liberating.  read more

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Every night, I relax with a (hopefully) good book. I am a devotee of the classics, but I am not above re-reading the entire Harry Potter series every year. It helps me to unwind after a hectic day and keep my mind diverted on lighter things (instead of worrying) and drift off to sleep. I have done this for as long as I can remember. I remember being scolded as a girl because my reading lamp was still on late into the night because I kept saying to myself, “just one more chapter!” I already did a list of books I wanted my girls to read here , but I wanted to divulge what I have been reading lately. Just for funsies. read more

Confession time: I am a Halloween Grinch

Yes, I admit it. I am a veritable Ebeneezer Scrooge of Halloween time. 

You know when you are growing up and you swear you will never inflict the horrible persecutions your parents inflicted on you growing up? Well, not properly getting into the spirit of Halloween was what I swore never to do.   HA!

For Ruth’s first Halloween, she was one month old. I dressed her in a little Halloween themed outfit that my sister bought for her and went to my aunt and uncle’s house to join in their neighborhood Halloween block party. Ruth pooped all over her cute outfit the minute we arrived and got so fussy we had to leave soon thereafter.
Not to be deterred, I took Ruth and two week old Rose out treat or treating the next year. Ruth donned her adorable pumpkin costume (the cheapest one I could find at Pottery Barn), I put Rose in Ruth’s old Halloween outfit from last year (underneath some bundles because it was cold) and we doggedly tried to go trick or treating. Ruth was one, so she was finished by the time we got to the end of the driveway.  read more

In which I fish Wren out of a pool and other notable events from our vacation

Bright and early at the crack of 10:30 am (just like we planned) on Ruth’s birthday, we left to go see Scott’s many relatives and my aunt and cousins in Florida. Ruth was very excited to “have [her] birthday in Florida.” I had just bought some fall/winter church shoes for Ruth and Rose, and they insisted on wearing them in the car on the way to Lakeland, Florida. We knew that we would spend most of the day in the car, so Scott and I reluctantly agreed. The shoes, specifically, were these . And let me tell you, they are the worst. The girls had to stump around like Frankenstein’s monster to keep the shoes from flying off their feet. And that method wasn’t even always effective. We got some weird looks dragging two girls walking around like their knees didn’t bend into the Chick Fil A when we stopped for lunch. read more

In which we take a preschooler, two toddlers, and an infant to Disney World

“Brave” was the adjective most utilized when we shared our pictures from the trip. “Crazy” was the adjective used by my husband when I asked him if he thought it would be feasible to take Ruth to Disney World for her fourth birthday. So, I let it lie. But right before our annual trip to Florida to visit Scott’s family near Orlando, I got in touch with our dear friend (who lived next door to us when we were in law school) who works at Disney and asked him whether he thought I was out of my mind to hope to take Ruth to Disney. “Not at all!”, he responded. “Head on over, and we’ll take care of you.” read more

The Post of Ruth

Ah, Ruthie, Rutabega, Rue, Ruey, Baby Ruth, The Rue, Rue Baby. Rose calls her “Roofie” and our housekeeper from Guatemala calls her “Rudy.” An entire post can barely contain her, but I will sure as heck try.

  
She has always been precocious, but she was our first child, so we didn’t notice. She never ceases to amaze me with her memory and her observations on life. She turns 4 on Saturday (waaahhhhh!), and she keeps asking for a bouncy house like she had last year. Except this year she wants a “Frozen” bouncy house instead of an Ariel bouncy house like last year. I haven’t had the heart to tell her that this year we will be out of town visiting relatives, so a bouncy house most probably isn’t in her future.  read more

What we can learn about social etiquette from a baby 

Hi there! Baby Rhea here. My mom didn’t call me “Baby Lady” for nothing. I am a master at proper social etiquette. How else do you think I can wake my parents up several times a night (regrettable, but necessary to maintain my impressive corpulence) and still have them eating out of the palm of my hand the next day?

  
If you follow my simple rules of etiquette, I guarantee you will brighten the lives of all those around you.  I have perfected this art to such a degree that people seem to light up the second I enter the room! I can even have an off day and feel kind of grumpy, and people will still giggle at my grump face. Exasperating, but a burden I must bear. Anyhoo, I will outline my rules below. read more

Labor Day Weekend with a side of Agony

Hello, dear readers! I hope both of you had a lovely Labor Day Weekend. We had an interesting one.

   
We spent most of the weekend with my parents, which was exceedingly enjoyable. I’m sure they were getting real tired of us, but hey, if you offer us a meal (or six), we are not going to turn it down. It was like that scene in “Winnie the Pooh,” where Rabbit half-heartedly invites Pooh to stay for lunch purely as a matter of form, and much to Rabbit’s dismay, Pooh accepts and eats Rabbit out of house and home. That’s what you get for being polite!  read more

Everything’s Coming Up Rosie

Her chubby baby rolls have transformed into solid toddler limbs, but she will always be my roly-poly Rosa bear. The child is only 2, and she is wearing size 5T. And yet, it seems like she is constantly turning her nose up at meals. She is the most stubborn little big girl. I dedicate this post to my Rosie girl.

  
That is her favorite dress. She requests the “anchor dress” every day. And when I tell her it is dirty, she informs me that I need to go ahead and clean it. The dress is only a size 3T, so it is a little snug on her. But it seems to bring her so much joy, I cannot bring myself to telling her she can’t wear it any more. Here is the famous anchor dress on her a year ago: read more