Operation Week

Okay, it isn't as bad as it sounds, although the participants may beg to differ. These aren't surgical procedures so you can rest easy. I will leave that to the REAL doctors! :-)

First up, "Operation Contain Emmitt." Plans are in the works for a better means of containing him when I need to fix dinner or so that he can play and explore in boundaries that will not harm him. In the meantime, my living room looks as though I will be moving soon! One good thing is that when the kids outgrow clothes, the tubs for their outgrown clothing are already up here! The bad news is, well, it is UNSIGHTLY!!! I finally figured out the baby gate though, so Grandmom, perhaps this is all YOU need for your house! Why am I doing this? Emmitt is constantly crawling under the table and getting stuck. Or crawling in the kitchen and eating things off the floor that I could have SWORN I swept up before I allowed him to go in there. (On a side note, my attempt to get a second functional baby gate was futile! I checked Craigslist and took my mom with me. She can attest to the fact that this lady was just plain....RUDE...not to mention she listed the COMPLETELY wrong item picture on the advertisement and I was too chicken to go get my money back after realizing I had not received what I thought I had purchased. So if you know anyone who needs a nice metal baby gate for the top of their stairs or just wants to keep their pets in and doesn't mind a few holes in the wall to install it, I will happily sell this $50 used gate for $20!)

(To the left is the entry to the kitchen from the living room. To the right is the space between the dining room and the living room where MOST of the trouble happens.)

Operation number 2, "Operation BRAVE!!!" SO, you remember HERE where I talked about how comfortable my Jesstine is in the water and how much she LOVES swimming lessons and LOVES to swim, but could use some skill development so I thought it would be a good idea for her to take lessons again??? Well, something happened last week and that little girl disappeared! She turned into a little girl who cried and got scared in a situation where she normally wouldn't bat an eyelash (aside to remove dripping water perhaps). This session, we were supposed to be with her BFF, Kylie. Well, that didn't happen. So she was upset. Then we noticed Koen from church was there! Her level is technically the "Eel" level of which there were SEVERAL other kids (13 I believe besides Jesstine). These kids varied in skill level, but are mostly much less advanced in the level than Jesstine. She actually only has four things to complete before moving to the next level which is the highest she can go for her age group. So...her former swim instructor happened by as the new swim instructors were testing kids (which is another story entirely as one instructor didn't even give Jesstine a chance to swim and labeled her "uncooperative") and decided that she would be better suited to join the group of kids that were a level above her as she is really an "upper Eel." This proved to be a great thing as Koen from church was in that group (which helped her forget that Kylie wasn't) and because within the first two days she had checked at least one, if not two of the four items remaining on her list!!! But then the last two days of the week (4 days of 40 minute lessons a week), she all of the sudden started to get scared and then wouldn't even jump in the water (which if you know her, you know it is her FAVORITE thing to do)! Hence, "Brave week" begins tomorrow.We discussed what it means to be brave and she surprisingly knew exactly what I was referring to. I used "Jesstine language" by relating it to her favorite topic, Disney Princesses!! Made for a great segue into what the reward for bravery would be during the week. A trip to see the newest Disney Pixar Movie, "Brave" along with getting to go to Target and get the "Brave" princess crown to wear to the movie!!!

I hope to update you on these operations at a later date. Please pray that Jesstine finds the confidence needed to continue to excel in her swimming lessons! We are going to try starting with the "Manta Rays" again this week and then if she continues to struggle, she will move back to the Eels. I will be fine with that so long as she at least tries.

Here's to hoping that Stephen is not looking at another operation on his ankle! (Another story for another time!)

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

Hell On Knees and Elbows

Because technically he isn't "hell on wheels".......YET! As you know, Emmitt started his army crawl a few days ago (or as my brother and step brother, who are joining the Marines soon, have dubbed it, the "Marine Crawl). This child is.in.to.EVERYTHING!!! I am now spending a better part of my day pondering how to keep him out of the dining room and kitchen while sweeping my finger around his mouth for all of the things I don't notice that he has stuck in there nor ever thought to take off of the floor because Jesstine was NEVER like that! I am not exaggerating there! She just didn't do stuff like that. Not to mention my living room constantly looks as though a tornado has been through it! And of course he enjoys EVERY minute of it! See for yourself:

(Where's Waldo in all this mess?!)

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

Quacking Up

You may or not remember this:

Recently we discovered that Emmitt has a sound that "Quacks" him up too! Thanks Grandmom for this discovery:

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

Five Years

A lot of things have been going through my head. I have thought many times about what to post here. It has been 5 years today since we said hello and goodbye to our first child all at the same time. Our Babe B. was born sleeping at 5:49 PM on July 11, 2007 weighing in at 6 lbs. 12 ounces and 19.5 inches long. Had she grown anymore inside me she may have been my tallest baby and possibly my largest. Later we would find out that she and her brother share many similarities, from their identical left ears, to their round faces and their hair color (and amount although this is in debate). We held her in our arms for a short time, but we will hold her in our hearts forever. We have made sure that she is not forgotten and that our children know who she is/was! Many times lately, Jesstine will come to me and say, "Mommy, I miss Babe B. I wish I could have met her!" With a lump in my throat the size of an apple, I reply, "Me too!"

Even five years later, some things will surprisingly trigger memories of my sweet baby. This year it has been all of the back to school stuff (IN JULY!!!!!!!! *insert eye roll here*). Seemingly harmless. Except that this year, she would be starting Kindergarten. Not to mention, when I returned to teaching shortly after losing her, one of the hardest things for me to get past was crying upon entering a school building and interacting with students. I would never have that experience with my baby. My arms were so empty and so it seemed was my future (at the time). This made me dread looking to what today may possibly hold. I told myself it was okay to cry. I told myself it was understandable. Yet, I hold back tears. No explanation. Maybe I have cried them all out. Regardless, my heart still cries!

This year I sought out to make things different. As mentioned before, I hate how remembering Babe B. is mostly remembering the horror that we went through as we delivered a baby who would never open her eyes, breathe, cry, or move a muscle....dead. I remember feeling dirty the night we found out and I had to somehow get some sleep. I remember being afraid to touch my belly. I remember taking a shower and hoping I could wash the dread off of my naked body. I remember going from crying and depressed beyond belief to determined to remain strong and then back to crying. It was a roller coaster that didn't end until months after she had been put to rest in a small cemetery near where we live. At the age of 25, I was buying burial plots for myself, my husband and my child....Still surreal. Still a smack in the face.

Today, was meant to not be like that. Today was meant to show my children that having Babe B. in our lives, however short it was, was a blessing and we were going to rejoice that she was born into our family! Every year on her birthday, we have purchased a balloon for her. This year we got a balloon for her grave as well as a pinwheel (I actually purchased it last year and forgot about it), and five balloons, one for each year since her birth. I tied a little birthday card to each one and we sang happy birthday. Then we released the balloons. It was a fantastic way to remember our little sleeping baby! It was fantastic to hug my two living children and of course my husband afterward as well. I am so thankful to have met Babe B. even if only inside of me. I am so thankful that I have two healthy children to hug and cuddle as well. As we were leaving, Stephen and I embraced each other and I said, "I miss her SO much!" He said, "I do too. Probably not as much as you because you knew her better, but I miss her a lot too!" Then we headed to church to be with the family that helped us through our sorrow.

A photo and video of our celebration:

Happy Birthday Babe B.!! We love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, Jesstine and Emmitt

8 Months

Well, the time has come! Emmitt is 8 months old today (well tomorrow, but I wanted this post to show up before we do our yearly tribute to Babe B. who will be five). He is growing up SO fast!

At 8 months Emmitt still has NO teeth! Yup, you read that right. He still has the pesky one that goes in and out of the gums and has now officially for 4 months! We are WAY ready for some teeth to pop through! It hasn't held him back in the food department...so to speak! He LOVES food. He will try just about anything. He has had hot dogs, turkey, french fries, and pizza crust as "table food" and many other things as baby food. He doesn't care for peas, but I can sneak them in if I mix them with carrots. The only foods that don't like him seem to be (oddly) blueberries, pears, and green beans. I remember Jesstine being sensitive to the latter two. His eating schedule has been a bit odd lately. He isn't a big eater upon waking up in the morning. Takes after his mommy and daddy (for the record, Jesstine pretty much has to eat as soon as her eyes are open and she likes a big breakfast like Grandmom). Lately he will eat about 6-7 ounces for his first bottle which is 30 minutes after waking up (around anywhere from 7:15-8:30). He doesn't (knock on wood) wake up during the night to feed very often. Then he is pretty much on a 4 hour schedule after that and eats roughly 8 ounces a bottle (although again, the last few days have been odd and he doesn't seem to want much). After his third bottle and around the same time that we eat dinner he wants to eat with us. It usually consists of some puffs, mumm mumms, and 1 1/2 to 2 containers of level two baby food. Then after dinner he usually takes a bath and eats 6-8 ounces before going straight to bed where he sleeps until the next morning!! Pretty good! I am hoping that this means we are seeing some kind of a schedule during the day, but I am not holding my breath! Here is a video of his progress eating puffs.

As I mentioned above, we are working on getting a schedule during the day. I have tried really hard to be home so he can get a morning nap consistently and an afternoon nap. He typically sleeps in the morning somewhere between an hour and a half to an hour and 45 minutes after he wakes up in the morning. He sleeps anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. For the last few days I haven't been able to get him home to sleep, but he sleeps while Jesstine is in swimming lessons. Then he is awake until Jesstine goes down for a nap around 2 (although he will sometime go down earlier and I move Jesstine's nap earlier). I get lucky sometimes and they sleep at the same time about half of the time! 

He is growing like a weed! I would say he is about 20 lbs. MAYBE 21. He is in size 4 diapers and has to wear an overnight diaper with a pair of waterproof pants over the top. We have had a lot of trouble with leaks at night! He is in mostly size 12 month clothes, but can still wear some of his 6-9 month clothes. 

Lately, he has been making it clear what he likes and dislikes. He is absolutely in LOVE with this Baby Einstein video (Baby's First Sounds) because of the bee! I had a video of the sheep too, but it was sideways and I can figure out how to turn it. His squeals of delight are ear piercing. He has the same reaction for Elmo whether it is on TV or a picture.

He also has recently shown us that he is all boy and all about cars and trucks!! His recent love is his new Mater car we got just the other day to go with his Lightning McQueen! I have a feeling we will be seeing a LOT of this boy carrying around a toy car/truck in his hand!

Believe it or not, his hair IS coming in! You can really tell in the back. It looks like it is coming in dark!

And now for the chair pictures! I was really worried as I was getting ready to take these pictures. I distinctly remember Jesstine tumbling head first out of the chair as I turned around to get the camera and snap a picture. She was 11 months at the time. Emmitt is much more ambitious/mobile/and all out FEARLESS than Jesstine was! Luckily, with Jesstine's help, he stayed in the chair and as long as he had his toy Mater (told ya!), he was happy!

(My favorite, but it was a little blurry.)

Official Chair pictures:

Oh and of course last but not least, a BIG achievement for this month (started just a few days ago) ......

the beginnings of an army crawl!!

Stay tuned for our celebration of Babe B.! It is starting to feel overwhelming emotionally. She would be 5 this year. I would have a school aged child starting this fall! I miss her a lot! I wish that remembering her didn't bring all of the bad memories with it! But, more of that next post!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

Growing Up

It has really been hitting me hard for several days now. The further out from losing Babe B., the more I am able to forget (although not fully) about it. I still think of her at LEAST one time a day, but it doesn't seem as hard as it was even just one year ago. I don't like that thinking of her means mostly bad things. It has been hitting me hard lately though. She would be 5 years old on Wednesday! It will be bittersweet because it is also Emmitt's 8 month birthday! He is growing so fast and thinking of how I don't get to have those milestone moments with Babe B. makes me enjoy the milestones of my last baby even more! Here is just a SMALL taste of what is to come for Emmitt's 8 month update....

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

God Bless The USA

I appreciate what the men and women in the armed services have and are still doing to fight to keep the freedom in the United States of America. I am a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) which is an elite organization comprised of women (18 and older) who can trace their lineage back to a Revolutionary War soldier. I also appreciate that it is a time that I can spend with my family and just enjoy each other's company! Today was a good day. God bless the USA!!! I don't say that mockingly. I really do mean it! It was a full day nonetheless. I am very sleepy as I write this.

We started the day out like any other day. We had breakfast and Emmitt had a short nap. Then the kids and I hopped on over to Babies R Us to find a few things (one of which I never found). After that, we picked Daddy up for a lunch at McDonald's. Then it was home for a nap for the kiddos. Followed by a trip to my mom's house for some time with family and friends. Then it was home to put Emmitt to bed, shoot fireworks off with Jesstine and then put her to bed. So here is our day in pictures (and video).

We all dressed in the good old red, white and blue!

 I was asked to bring some brownies to my mom's shindig. I decided to do my classic "Princess Brownies" (cream cheese brownies)....with a twist! I seprated out the cream cheese mixture into three equal parts. I added blue food coloring to one and red to another and left one alone. Then I drizzled it and did my swirly thing with a knife after adding some reserved batter to the top.

Tasted pretty good and didn't look half bad!

(In case you can't hear it, she puts one on the ground and it doesn't make a pop when she steps on it. She says, "That's a DEAD!!" When they didn't pop, we kept saying, "That's a dud!" She thought we were saying, "Dead!")

This was the first year we allowed Jesstine to do fireworks. I was a bit worried about how she would react because she is NOT fond of loud noises. She did GREAT! Oh, and at the end of this video, we are dumbfounded at what my brother is doing in the background! He paid $65 for a roll of Black Cats that would have stretched half of the block. It said it was supposed to take 30 minutes to go off. Because of how they set it up, it took MAYBE half that! It was quite comical. Stephen gave my brother $5 because he felt bad that he got to see Greg's money go up in smoke!

We didn't spend much on fireworks. It was still more than we had in the past few years (with a small child, it didn't seem important). So here was our meager supply which consisted of a few snap pops for Jesstine, some Reflection fountains, some ground blooms (my favorite), a tank (for Jesstine) and a few princess sparklers (which Jesstine was afraid to hold!).

 Ground bloom.

 Then we pretty much watched the neighbors shoot off a bunch of illegal fireworks.

Oh, and I also found these today! Each vacation we go on, we buy either a cheap magnet or a pressed penny....sometimes both. So here is what we came home with:

The flip flop on the far right is one that I painted at the Great Wolf Lodge. I wrote "Great Wolf Lodge, KC July 2012" along the side. Jesstine liked it so much, she had to do one too (which I of course helped her with) and the one in the middle is from the aquarium. We also got a pressed penny with a seahorse on it.

Happy 4th of July!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family