New things

So there has been so many new things that the kids have done and said...I know I'll never be able to remember them all, but I'm going to try my best.

Sonja- she started smiling really well the weekend of 3/21/09- and it's only gotten better since! Now she is even starting to coo a little. She is getting a better sleeping pattern. She now sleeps during Xander's nap ( a WONDERFUL accomplishment!), and at night she sleeps until 2:20, then wakes up again around 5/6. Not bad, as long as I go to sleep at a decent hour (which rarely happens). She is so adorable and loveable. She is getting a little bit chunky. I think she may be looking more like Xander than Jayna...which is fine...ALL my kids are adorable!

Xander- Mr. Potty! He is doing so great with his training! I am so proud. He's not even going to be 2 for another month and a half. He says "I DID IT!!" and dances around every time he goes pee in his chair. He really gets into it...screaming I DID IT all over the house. Then we go and dump his potty in the toilet and he flushes it, and runs out with his cute naked butt declaring once again, "I DID IT". I love it.

His famous saying is "Momma? Ummm....." and then he rambles on and on. It's so cute. He has so much character, and really is starting to talk well. The thing he does that is so cool is copy what we say. He will attempt to say anything...sometimes he mimics it really well, and sometimes it's nowhere even close! But, it's still so dang cute!

He also says cute little saying that catch me off guard, such as "I can't reach", "I want to get up (every morning, its DAddy, I wanna get UP); he tells the baby "Ssshh, don't Cry, baby" or "it's ok" or he'll say "Oh, MY " when she does cry.

His favorite show is Ni-haou, Kai-lan (sp?). He has a big crush on Kai-lan. Just like Jayna had on Diego! So funny! Every time it comes on he dances around and sais "Ni haou!!!" haha!

He also likes to play "swiper" with me (from Dora). He'll pretend to take something, and I'll say "Swiper, NO SWIPING", and he says "Ah, man!" He really gets into it! He lowers his eyes and acts all depressed! Sometimes we reverse roles and he tells me "Swy, no Swy!!"

He also loves to be "Max" from Max and Ruby. Max is the little brother that always gets into trouble. It works out great because Jayna loves to be Ruby, the older sister. We play max and ruby all the time. Xander loves to say "Maaaaaxx!" just like they do on TV.

It's so funny how most of our games during the day have to do with the shows they watched the night before. We don't even watch TV during the day hardly at all! Just in the evenings.

Jayna and Xander fight a lot, but they also really enjoy playing with each other. Days really vary for them...sometimes they really get along and the whole day is a pleasant one. Other times I play referee all day and get so worn out and irritated at all the FIGHTING! Now I know how my mom felt. My brother and I were relentless!

Jayna- Jayna is 4 years old now, and shows it by her ever developing intellect. The way that she thinks is so amazing. She really thinks for herself, and her reasoning skills are awesome. She also is Ms. Rulebook. She makes sure we are all in line! If I say "chew with your mouth closed", then she makes sure everyone, including other people's kids or even me and Jason, abide by it. It's kind of irrating really, but I am glad that in her eyes, my rules are THE rules. I think that she has the impression that she is an adult sometimes. I'll go to do something and she'll give me permission to do it. Like I'll grab some milk, and she'll be like "Ya, mom, you can have some milk if you want". Ha, 4-year-olds.

Jayna is the sweetest big sister/daughter around. She is so encouraging, and very thoughtful. She has gotten really good at sharing. I catch her giving Xander a toy that he wants, even though she was playing with it first. She makes sure he has his food, or his chocolate milk. She helps him get up and down from his chair without me even asking. She really is a good sis. She is always concerned when Sonja cries, and makes sure I know what Sonja or Xander needs (ha). She apparantley is fluent in both Baby and Toddler speak.

She always compliments me, saying things like "mommy, you are beautiful", or "mommy, you have great ideas". Such a heart of gold, that one has.

Jayna's sayings/doings- Remember how I said Xander says "Mommy, Umm.." Well, one time after he said that, Jayna laughs and says "I like Xander 'Umming'!"

The other day, She was getting in her pajamas. As she took off her pants, her underwear went with them. She scoffs and says in a high pitched voice "MY PANTIES ARE CRAZY!!" I laughed so hard.

Jayna always wants to play "Max and Ruby"- she makes sure to sing the whole theme song EXACTLY right before we begin playing. It's an easy game to play because we can play it while I clean or care for the baby.

Jayna loves coffee....or coffee flavored milk, I should say. Every time I brew some (which isn't that often) she BEGS me for some. Now, Xander is starting to ask for it too. It's kind of cool, because my Grandpa always made us "Grandma's coffee (very milky and sugary coffee, the same that his mom made him)".

My mom got Jayna a play clothes washer. The other day I saw some water on the ground, and was trying to figure out where it came from. I opened up the play washer, and Jayna's clothes, water, and soap were in it!! It was SO cute, even though it was a big mess.

I love to death that I get to stay home with my kids! I hope that I always am blessed with this opportunity. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Potty

Xander has decided he wants to go potty in the potty chair now. So starting Monday (4/6/09) we have been doing just that! We started out by putting a little water on him when he sat on the potty to help him go...it really works for boys! He went the first time. We used the water trick for the first day, and then on day 2 we used it only when he asked for it. Now, we use it once in a while, but he can usually go all by himself. We still have diapers on because he's not ready yet for #2, but he is doing really well with peeing! I am so proud of my little boy! He decided all by himself, and I think that's why it's going so well. If he decides he doesn't want to do it anymore, I'll be fine with it- but it doesn't seem like that will be the case.

Another Jayna's Birthday/ Sonja's shower

Jason and baby the morning of...he stayed in the

living room with her all night for me :)

On March 28th (Jayna's real birthday) we had a party/shower for Sonja up in Payson. It was cool! I got to see my Grandparents and Aunts as well as a couple of good friends. We again got a ton of gifts. Jayna is SO good about getting gifts. People even made comments about it. She sits and appreciates every gift with equal enthusiasm. She doesn't shove off anything or say rude things about them. Even when she gets a pair of socks, she genuinely cries out "oooh, yay, SOCKS!" She just truly appreciates everything. I hope that she is always like that.

She adored every present

she helped make her own cake, it was fun

March 28th we spent the night at my Dads/Grandparents house. When we first got there (turning off of the 260 highway) we saw a huge heard of Elk. So we immediately hopped on my Dad's Polaris Ranger and our quad and went to find them. They were crossing the dirt trail right as we pulled up! I thought they were running away for good, but my dad joked "Don't worry, they always have to stop and look". Sure enough, they stopped to check us out, then ran some more, then stopped to look again...it was so cool! We joked about how they are telling their little calfs to "look...it's HUMANS". haha yes we are dorks. Then when they finally disappeared into the woods, we headed back to the house.
We had Alfredo Spaghetti Squash. I had NO idea that spaghetti squash was actually like noodles! It was SO good!! I'm sure it's a lot healthier than actual noodles too. I bought a spaghetti squash today to cook myself. I'm all excited

Sunday the 29th was a blast. My grandparents watched Sonja for a couple of hours and Jason, Jayna, Xander, my Dad and I went riding the trails. Xander, my dad and I went in the Ranger (it was a pretty cool ATV! Felt a lot safer than a squad with Xander), and Jayna and Jason took the quad. It was so weird going down the trails I grew up riding. I had flashbacks the whole time! I remember turns that led to bumps and divets that used to scare me, and they seem so small now! There were still a few steep hills and washed out areas that made me nervous, but I'm a scaredy-cat! Jason actually was nervous in one or two areas because he had Jayna on the front...how different things are when you have kids
Jason hurt his wrist while riding. He was trying to keep Jayna from getting a branch square in the face, and miscalculated where a stump was. The stump kicked the handlebars back and jammed his right hand. I felt really bad for him! He had to ride the quad the rest of the way home. I think it started feeling better after a while, but we were afraid he may have broken it at first. That boy is ALWAYS getting hurt!!
For lunch my Uncle Terry smoked prime rib and some kind of pork, and my grandma made really good potato and egg salad. It was my Aunt Vonda's birthday on the 27th and Jayna's on the 28th, so we celebrated with strawberries and Fondue! Very fun! After lunch we all sat around for a couple hours and just talked and laughed. Jayna played with her cousin Kayla and Xander kind of played with Valerie (2 year old cousin). Then my cousin Marlisa (she's 14) took them all out to play on the swings and trampoline until it was time to go. We had such a good weekend all in all. I am so thankful for all the memories we made.

Jayna's Birthday and A Fun Weekend (LONG)

MY LITTLE GIRL IS 4 ALREADY!!

Jayna is 4!! I cannot believe it! Time flies. It is so bittersweet having your child get another year older. I am excited to see her growing up and becoming her own little person, but at the same time I'm scared that my baby is growing up so fast! Only other moms can understand where I'm coming from!

4 CANDLES ON BLUES CLUES CUPCAKES!

We had an AWESOME birthday party for her on March 21st. Daddy and Uncle Robbi put on a "Blue's Clues" show for her...and they went all out! It was so cute! They played blues clues to find out where we were going to go for her party (which was Chuck E. Cheese's). I got it all on video and also took some still shots, but nothing compares to the real thing! I hope that Jayna never forgets it! Here are some pics of the show:

A CLUE A CLUE!!

"WHERE SHOULD WE GO, BLUE?"

UNCLE ROBBI WAS A GREAT BLUE

HANDY DANDY NOTEBOOK

THE KIDS LOVED IT!! O AND THERE'S ME IN THE BACKGROUND

"MAIL TIME!"

JAYN DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS UNCLE ROBBI!!!

All the Ritter family was there, along with the neighbors Felicia, Vince and kids, and my Dad ("Candy Grandpa") and my brother Jason. It was such a blast! Jayna got an enormous amount of gifts. I don't know where I"m going to put them all! I'm going to have to get rid of some of her old ones. Its actually kind of hard to do because most of them she still plays with. She's always been really good about playing with all of her toys. But something's gotta give haha. Especially since in a few months she'll be sharing a room with little Sissy.

SOME OF THE GUESTS

READING HER "MAIL (IT'S NOT A CARD ITS MAIL MOMMY) AND OPENING HER PRESENTS

RENAISSANCE

On March 22nd we went to the Renaissance Festival. It started out "iffy" but ended up being a lot of fun! Carmen, Stephen and the girls, Robbi, Brittany, Britt's mom,and Titus, Jason's parents, and our crew all went together. We started off going to a couple of shows, which were honestly a little lame. The first one was a firewhip one, and that's all he did...crack a whip. He did light it on fire at one point but that's about it. I guess I'm not too easy to entertain..haha. When that show was about over, we went to get those famous Turkey Legs that everyone talks about. They were good! Jayna ate an incredible amount! I couldn't believe it!! She absolutely loved them

SONJA WASN'T TOO HAPPY AT THE SHOW

The next show was a bird show, which was interesting because of the different birds that were there (eagles, vultures, etc), but again, not too thrilling. Xander and Sonja were not very entertained either. It was kind of frustrating. We tried going to a sword swallower's performance, and those 2 would not have it. At that point I was ready to go home...and it was only like 1 o'clock. Luckily, things got a lot better. W.e took the kids to the petting zoo, and then went to get a drink. On the way to get a drink, Xander fell asleep...thank goodness! He was so grumpy.
From that point, things got a lot more fun. We went through a story-book museum, then went to the jousting tournament. Unfortunately we had to park the sroller for that and so Xander woke up. he was pretty grumpy for most of the tournament. Finally I gave him some ice to crunch on and he perked up some.
Next, we took Jayna rock climbing. She has been dying to do that. I was a little nervous because Jayna was by far the youngest one in line. I thought maybe she'd back down once they hooked her up. Myah (her older cousin who is 7) went right before her. Jayna was determined and took off climbing right away. You could hear people in the crowd commenting on the tiny girl who was climbing so well. Daddy and I were so proud...especially Daddy. He was grinning from ear to ear. She got about half way up (15 feet or so) when she couldn't quite reach the next rock comfortably. The guy tried to pull on the rope to help her to reach it, and it freaked her out. She started bawling. They quickly helped her down, and she calmed down really fast. They gave her the $5 back and told her it was HER money, not ours, and she should buy some yummy chocolate. That made her really happy. We are so proud of our brave girl.

SHE WAS READY TO CLIMB!!

LOOK AT HER GO!!

Jayna bought chocolate covered strawberries and we went to catch up with the rest of our family. They were watching another show. A guy with a big unicycle was on. Robbi got called on stage, which was exciting! It ended up being a super cool show. The guy juggled with Robbi over a pile of guys (high stress for Robbi haha!) and then got up on his super tall unicycle and juggled torches that Robbi lit. It was really fun to watch someone we knew up there, and I think it really made Robbi's day too.

ROBBI'S 15 MINUTES OF FAME

Next we took Jayna on a jousting ride that had a horse on a cable and swung from one side to another. A guy jumps on at the end of the ride to slow it down (all the rides are manual). Jayna loved that ride! When the guy jumped on her horse, she said "hi, my name is Jayna (she's not shy at all)". The guy was tickled pink and said "hi, Jayna...I'm Jake". It was so cute.

JAYNA AND JAKE

We did a little bit of window shopping to kill time before the final jousting tournament. There is a lot of shops! I had no idea! The final jousting tournament was fun! We got ice cream and sat down with the rest of the family. Jayna and Xander were yelling and cheering away. Our leader, "Jet" was really loud and fun.

The rest of our family went home after that (5pm), but we decided to stay until closing time (6pm) so that we could leave and go get dinner and then have the kids fall asleep on the way home. We went to a few more shops and decided to buy the kids a souvenir each. Jayna got a princess wand and a big flower to pin in her hair. Xander got a sword. It was so cute when we got it for him. He thought we just handed it to him to play with, and he was all ready to put it back. We had to really talk him into taking it away from the shop. He was so excited when he finally understood it was now HIS sword. It was precious. We didn't get Sonja anything...there just wasn't anything for babies really.

We went on 2 final rides to finish off our day. The first one was a huge slide- it was really fast and Jayna didn't want to go on it again..haha! There were teenagers coming off of that slide scared, so I was pretty proud of my girl for even going on it the first time. The final ride was a huge (like 20 feet tall huge) rocking horse. I took Jayna and Xander on it. It was manually rocked by 2 teenagers that seemed exhausted!! I felt kind of bad making them rock us, but my kids really wanted to go on that thing all day. It was actually a little scary for me! But I'm afraid of heights!

CLIMBING THE HUGE HORSE..YIKES

IT WAS FUN!!

By the end of that ride it was about 6 o'clock, so we headed out. We stopped at the Jack in the Box in Apache Junction on the way out. Because of the Festival, they were out of French Fries, chicken, and milk shakes. It was kind of a bummer! We got egg rolls and mozzerella sticks instead of the fries, but they charged us extra...dumb!! After dinner we headed home. The kids fell asleep on the way and that concluded our eventful weekend!

WHAT A DAY!!!!!

All in all it was such a great weekend! One I will never forget!

Sonja is 1 month

My baby is a month old today...wow that went fast! I haven't written in the blog about anything happy for a long time...I'm overdue!

Sonja is such a sweet and precious little girl. She is a lot more easy going than the other 2 were at her age (knock on wood), and seems perfectly content watching her family from a distant or cuddling up close. She has amazing big blue eyes and the prettiest little complexion. Yes, I am in love :). Her big sister absolutely loves to help dress her, feed her, change her diaper, and hold her. Big brother wants to help too, but he hasn't quite learned what "gentle" means yet. Still, he helps give her a binkie and attempts to rock her to sleep. Sibling love is such an awesome gift.

Sonja's first real smiles started today. She just woke up for the day, and I was holding her talking to her when all of a sudden she breaks out in a big toothless wide grin. I thought maybe it was gas, but then she smiled again...and again. I had Daddy come downstairs to look, and she smiled at him too! It was so amazing! I have been waiting for an interactive moment with her for a long time!!It is so rewarding when it finally happens!

A week ago, Sonja rolled from her tummy to her back- she was on the couch though so it was easier. On the floor she can almost roll, but her little arm gets in the way. She is also holding her head steady. The other day I was on the phone and Sonja was crying. Jayna, trying to be a big sister, went to pick her up. I kind of freaked out, but realized that Jayna did a pretty good job and Sonja held up her head just fine. I still let Jayna know that she definitely cannot do that again, but it was a pretty cute moment. Jayna is totally my little helper. She wants to do anything she can to be a "big girl". I love it! I can't believe she turns 4 in a few days. Time flies WAY too fast!

Xander calls his sisters "sisis" and "baby sisis". He always wants to do what big sissy does, he really looks up to her. It is so cute. And he loves to try to take care of baby sissy, but it's kind of dangerous! haha.

Sonja Jordyn, I love you so much. I am so happy that you are hear and safe and healthy. I am excited to watch you and Jayna and Xander grow up together.

Wednesday Update

Sonja isn't getting well quite as fast as we had hoped. It looks like we will very likely be here thru Friday. The nurses have been deep suctioning her, which really helps because she is just too little to be able to cough up the phlem by herself. They have also done a breathing treatment, which didn't really seem to make any difference.

We are just waiting this thing out...she doesn't seem a whole lot better, but at least she's not getting worse

Praying For Sonja

Our poor little baby is in the hospital at 2 weeks old. She has RSV and Pneumonia. She caught the RSV from Jayna and Xander, but it is just going around like crazy this time of year. I am here at the hospital with her now. Jason took the night shift, bless him, and I am taking the day shift. It is so horrible to watch your child go through anything, much less a newborn having to spend days in the hospital. We have awesome family and friend support, and lots of prayers going up for her.

I took all of the kids to the doctor Monday morning because they have all been sick, and the baby was starting to cough and that worried me. I had their Auntie Carmen come and help me because bringing 3 kids under 4 to anything is insanity (haha). The PA was the one who saw the kids. She started with Jayna- she has 2 ear infections and was given steroids to help with lung inflammation. Xander was next- he has 1 ear infection, was also put on the steroids, and also a breathing machine. He's pretty sick, I am so sad I can't be there with him now. Last she looked at Sonja. With how young she is and the fact that the PA thought she heard some wheazing in her lungs, they sent us straight to the hospital. That was totally unexpected for me. Sonja just barely started coughing Thursday evening, so I just assumed they would put her on antibiotics and send her home like everyone else. The kids went home with Carmen and I headed to the ER.

5 hours and numerous tests went by. Blood, urine, and spinal fluid (horrible) tests were conducted. An x-ray was also taken, and a snot test for RSV. The x-ray and the snot test revealed that she has RSV as well as pneumonia, and the spinal test told us that she had bacterial pnuemonia (vs. viral). We finally were given a room at 6pm... almost 6 hours after we arrived here. And here we are, having Sonja hooked up on antibiotics and monitors. It really is heartbreaking. I just pray that everything goes smoothly and she heals extra fast. I want to bring her home and get home to my other babies.

Last night I brought the older 2 kids' medicines to them. They are with aunt carmen and grandma and grandpa. I was relieved because they wanted to stay there, they didn't even cry to come with me. I am so thankful that they love it at grandmas house. It would be so hard if they were in an unfamiliar place.

Anyways, that is all the information I have for now. I am sitting here with Sonja trying to have a Lord of the Rings marathon, for lack of absolutely anything else to do! I have never seen them before, so I may as well.

****The pediatrician just came in. Said she is "safe"- meaning nothing is life threatening, and that all of the other tests came back negative. So were are soley dealing with the RSV and pneumonia. Thank goodness.