adventures at the mall, part 2!

No, we didn't lose Anna this time...but I was pretty proud of myself for braving the mall solo today. Well, not fully solo, as we met up with my sister Elika and her 2 kiddies. I was worried about Jolee, but she slept for most of the time and woke up hungry just as we were thinking of leaving. Perfect timing!

It turns out that Winward Mall has this new attraction...the indoor playgym. It was pretty crowded, probably because it's still Summer Break and all the mommies and grandparents were looking for stuff to entertain their kids with. But, Anna had a fun time with her cousin Aya on the plexi-foam ship, sharks, turtles, and waterfalls. We just may have to make another trip out to the East side again...just for this! After school's in session, of course. I can't stand crowds...

blog things

My friend Mari linked this fun site & I thought I'd share. I seriously don't know where you find these! Anyway, here's the result of one of the quizzes I took that turned out "spot on!" (is that a British expression?) Anyway...just for fun~

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofsodaareyouquiz/

You Are Dr. Pepper

You're very unique and funky, yet you still have a bit of traditionalism to you. People who like you think they have great taste... and they usually do. Your best soda match: Root Beer Stay away from: 7 Up

What Kind of Soda Are You?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a recovering Dr. Pepper addict. I quit cold turkey when I got preggo with Kela, and only "fall off the wagon" when I'm not preggo or nursing. ( Which, by the way, has only been a total of 7 months in the past 5 1/2 years!! )

Ok, so I've slipped just a couple of times in between...but who's really counting, right? Hee hee..don't tell Mitch, though!

jojo's first bath!

This morning, little Jolee's umbilical thingamajig fell off! Yay! So, I decided it was time for her to have a "real" bath. She did quite well~Kela and Anna helped keep her calm while I washed her...which worked until I got to her hair. What is it about washing baby's hair that they detest so much? But, all in all, she did very well and stayed pretty calm.

Kela and Anna love their baby sister, and for the most part, are pretty gentle with her. I was a bit worried about Anna...but even she seems to dote on her. Kela especially loves to hold her and is constantly asking to hold her. Which makes me a bit nervous...but more relieved. Here's some pics of the few times Jolee isn't sleeping, crying, or eating, which is the only times they get to hold her.

adventure at the mall

We went out to the mall tonight-the Navy Exchange, to be exact. Since Mitch's Dad is retired military, we find ourselves here often during the summer months they are here. This is the fountain the girls like to throw pennies into.

Who needs a triple stroller when you can fit two little bums in the back seat of a sit-n-stand! I love this stroller. A great buy on Craigs List last year! :)

Jolee meeting Grandpa Seavey for the first time. She sort of looks like she's smiling...sort of.
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I am a paranoid parent. I'll readily admit it. Not so much about germs (although I do have hand sanitizer on hand, use a shopping cart cover, and even carry disposable placemats for public dining on occasion...), but more so about other dangers. At the park, I shudder when my girls climb up to the top of the jungle gym, they're rarely out of arm's reach at the beach or pool, and in my car is a window punch and seatbelt cutter tool that I bought-just in case I ever drive into the ocean. I find myself often imagining worst-case senarios and sometimes have nightmares from my wild "what if's." I need to stop. But ever since Kela was born, it's progressively gotten worse with each child.

Tonight at the mall, we lost Anna. We eventually found her...but for a brief 5 minutes or so, I was frantic. I was holding baby with Anna by my side, waiting for Mitch to finish at the check-out. He had Kela with him. He walked over to me to drop off Kela and I saw Anna follow after him. In my mind, I assumed Mitch knew Anna was following him. He didn't. When he finished checking out, he comes over and asks where Anna is & that's when I started to panic. We spread out all over the store, retracing all the places we looked at & I'm starting to conjure up all the worst-case senerios I could think of! The elevator, the escalator, and since we're on the second floor...the railings, etc. And then the thought of some friendly looking pedophile snatching her up...it's endless! I'm freaking myself out again just thinking about it! Anyway, Mitch walked outside the store and found Anna wandering around the food court area...right by the stairs that lead outside. Relief doesn't even begin to describe the emotional roller coaster I went through in those short 5 minutes!

If there is any reason to keep me at 3 kids, this just may be it! I'm beginning to think I can't handle keeping an eye on more than this...and Jolee is just a baby! What am I going to do when she starts walking?! Maybe I'll invest in one of those "kiddie-leashes" you see tethering kids to their parents at the zoo....or prozac?

first check-up

Today was Jolee's first well-baby check up. She is 4 days old now. I'm still in awe that just less than a week ago, she was still inside my tummy & all I did was complain about wanting her out of me!! SO HAPPY am I that my wish came true! :)

Anyhoo, her first check up went so-so. Her weight dropped 10% which raises flags for docs so I came home with some bottles of formula to help supplement my nursing to "fatten" little Jo-jo up. I had to do this with both my other girls, so no big news there...just a bit of a pain that I have to go back in 2 days to check up on her progress. Her jaundice isn't as bad as Anna's so we're relieved there! She currently weighs 7 lbs. 5 oz. I know, a pretty big drop. But like I said, this has become routine with all of our girls & my milk supply has started to come in so I'm not worried. She's a good eater and an excellent sleeper! Hooray!

Here she is sleeping in her "banzai" pose. This boppy has carried us through all 3 of our girls. Anna didn't care for it much, but Kela LOVED it and slept for hours in it. Jolee seems to be taking on some of Kela's sleeping traits, and we're so happy! So far, so good. Mitch and I keep saying she's a "happy medium" between Kela and Anna. Not quite as easy as Kela, but definitely easier than Anna was.

People ask how I can blog so soon after baby? This is the reason. All she does is sleep! I seriously have to wake her up to feed...even at night, she's sleeping in solid 2-2 1/2 hour blocks which is lovely for me. :) Plus with Kela at preschool all day, and Mitch home to help with Anna...I'm almost bored. Hmmm...I suppose that means I should get crackin on some much needed cleaning and organizing, but of course, that's all on the back burner for now.

*And to everyone, thank you so much for all of your well-wishes and comments! It brightens my day and brings a smile to my very emotionally-charged moodiness lately...

private no more

By the way, you may (or may not) have noticed that I've de-privatized our family blog. After thinking things through, and with the arrival of Jolee, I realized there are many family and friends who don't blog that I'd hate to keep "out of the loop." Plus one of the major reasons for me going private, just doesn't seem to as big a deal as it used to...so, feel free to roam and browse and I'll continue to share the happenings and dealings of our little growing 'ohana (family).

just some more pictures...