Lots of Fall Fun!

So here we are in the middle of October already! Crazy how time goes by so fast, yet some days it feels as if time doesn't go by fast enough!! :-) We have been super busy with lots of Fall activites, including the Pumpkin Patch, Apple Orchard and Corn Maze! The boys love these events and I'm sure next year Lola will be right there along with them! We are looking foward to the next couple of weeks with Halloween parties, and the boys birthdays! I love this time of year!

Jackson is turning 5 on the 5th of November! I can't believe my baby boy is 5 already! He is doing really well in school and we are starting OT this week to help him with some of his anxiety issues and possible sensory disorder. This has been an on going issue with Jack and Zach and I are so happy to finally have the right people and tools to help us, help Jackson!

Maximillion will be 2 on the 7th of November and he is definitely 2! He is talking more and more and getting into EVERYTHING!! Much more than Jackson ever did! He is such a little devil, with a smile of an angel!! :-) I have him in a music/gym class now and I think this will be good for him, having to listen and take direction from someone other than mom! One can hope, right? LOL! :-)

And last but not least, Miss Lola Grace is going on 5 months now and she is rolling over, back to front and front to back! She wants to move so bad, you can see that she is trying to crawl already! She is very determined to keep up with her brothers! Her 2 bottom teeth are trying to break through, but nothing yet! She is still a very content and happy baby all the time! She is so precious to me! Most days I am exhausted and feel as if I'm a hamster on a wheel, but I am so lucky to be home with my kids and watch them change day to day! It's the best job ever!! :-)

4 Months

So Lola had her Four Month check up yesterday, and she is doing great! She is growing like a weed and smiles ALL THE TIME!!! Seriously, I have never seen a happier baby! :-) So here are the latest and greatest Stats for our baby girl!

*Weighs 12 lbs 15 0z-50th percentile

*Length: 26.5 inches-100th percentile

*Still breastfeeding every 2-3 hours and eating rice cereal once a day

*LOVES the bath

*Trying to sit up in her rocker and bouncey seat!

*Loves to watch her brothers play and talk with her

*Sucking on everything, teething but no teeth yet!

*Can hold a chew toy and rattle

*Will sit in the jumparoo for about 15 mins., no jumping yet but I'm sure it's just a matter of time!

*Loves to be carried in the baby bjorn, especially by daddy on their nightly walk

*Naps 3 times a day for about an hour each

*Sleeps from 9 p.m.til 8 a.m. and feeding once a night

Things have been really busy around here lately and with Fall here and the boys birthdays right around the corner, I don't see it getting any slower anytime soon! We have lots to look forward to in the coming months! I'll be sure to post more pictures along the way :-)

September has arrived!

So this month sure has been busy so far! It started out with Little Miss Lola turning 3 months, Jackson starting school, Max walking after the cast was removed and our trip to Disney World! We had a great vacation, but realized it's allot of work with 3 little ones all on different schedules. It will be awhile before we visit Mickey and his friends again, lets just say at least 5 more years!! ;-) All in all, the kids did great flying down both ways, and they really did enjoy Disney and spending time with Grandma, Aunt Leah, Wyeth, Mckenna & Auntie Kim! We got to have lunch with Cinderella in her Castle and enjoyed a great BBQ with Mickey & Minnie! Max & Jackson loved dancing with Mickey and little miss Lola slept pretty much through the whole thing!!

So the day we left, Jackson started school! He had a great first day, and loves his new teachers! I'm excited to get him back on Monday so we can get our routine down. He goes all 5 days this year so its a bit different for both of us!! He also starts soccer this week, and we are all excited about that! Max is doing great walking and running again! You would never know that he broke his leg! He is 22 months now and starting to talk a bit more and more! He LOVES tractors, cars and balls. He is a free spirit of sorts, always happy and ready to explore the world, just like his daddy!! :-)

Lola is growing like a weed! She is 3 months and weighs 12.5 lbs and is 24.5 inches long. She was sleeping through the nights for about a month then all the sudden she started teething! All my kids have been early teethers. She now sleeps 4-6 hour stretches, from about 8 or 9 p.m.-til 7-8:00 am. Her naps have gotten allot better too. She takes a 1-2.5 hour nap in the morning and another in the afternoon. She eats every 2-3 hours still during the day and we have started her on cereal as well. She loves it! She's like a little bird waiting for each spoonful! She also loves to talk to you and to have you sing to her! She can hold objects in her hand. Her eyes are still blue, so we are hoping they stay! Our baby girl truely is a happy, happy baby! :-)

So here are a few pictures for now! Hugs and kisses to you all! :-)

Trip to MI

Welcome August! So far this is a far better month than last! It started off with Lola and I visiting MI for a long weekend. This was the first time my family was meeting little Miss Lola! She did so great on the Plane, nursed and slept the whole way. The first night was a little rough for her, I think there was just way too much going on, plus she developed thrush. The rest of the time, she did great! Friday was a nice relaxing day with my mom. It was so nice just being able to chat with her, while Lola slept and I didn't have 2 little ones tugging at me! On Saturday the 1st, we celebrated my Grandma Weil's 80th birthday. It was so nice to spend time with her and allot of family I hardly see. It was a beautiful day and my sister and Mike did a great job hosting! This was also the first time I got to really spend time with my niece Audrey. It was great to see how she's grown and what a little doll she is! We headed back to VA on Sunday. It was a short trip, but such a great one!

Another highlight, Max got his cast off on the 5th and his leg is all healed properly. He is crawling, not walking yet. He still favors that leg quite a bit. It's just nice to see his "real" smile again! I'm hoping that he starts to walk before we leave for Disney on the 31st. We are really looking forward to getting away for a bit! We are staying at Fort Wilderness for 10 days, along with Mom O and Leah and her 2 kids. Aunt Kim will join us for a couple of days at the end of the trip, Jackson is really excited to see his one of his Favorite Aunts! :-) This should be a real relaxing trip, lots to do right at Fort Wilderness, never having to even go into the parks! I'll be sure to post pic's when we return! Enjoy the rest of the summer, it's gone by so fast! :-)

July is for the birds!

Well I have to say July has been one heck of a month here for us! With Max breaking his leg, being in a cast for 4 plus weeks, getting strep throat on top of that, Jackson getting strep and Lola finally getting over her colicky phase......Let's just say this has been a true test of our patience for both Zach and I! I'm happy to report that Max's leg is healing and he'll have his cast off Aug. 5th. He is able to crawl around in his cast which makes him and all of us much happier! He's over strep and Jackson is getting better day by day. Lola is now 8 weeks old and she weighs 10 lbs and is 23.5 inches long! She is in the 25 percential for weight and 100 percential for length! So, she may look like her mama but she's definitely going to be taller than her mama! Her fussiness has really died down and she's smiling and cooing allot more. She is sleeping in her own room now and takes 3-4 naps a day, some are 2-3 hours and some are just 40 minutes or so. Her long one is in the morning and she sleeps great at night! She is down between 9-10:00 and sleeps til 4 or 5 in the morning, feeds and back down til 8 or 9 am!! :-) The boys are so good with her and she loves to talk with them in the morning when she first wakes up, its so cute to watch.

Lola and I are heading to MI next weekend for the family to meet her and my Grandma's 80th Birthday Party. I'm really looking forward to the little break and excited to see my niece Audrey who is now over a year old! :-) I'll post pictures when I get back. For now here are some family pictures we had taken when Lola was 4 weeks old! Enjoy!

Maximillion, our little trooper!

Well it has been a while since my last post. As you can imagine it's been a little difficult to blog lately. Just having Lola a few weeks ago and her having colic, it leaves no real down time for me, but this too shall pass, right? So here is the latest news on the Shea front, Maximillion broke his leg on the 4th of July! Yes, that's right little Max tripped over all things a pillow and broke his femur bone. It happened right before bedtime and Zach was on his way back from MI so, thank god he was only an hour or so away and could meet me at Emergency. Aunt Jeanette came down to sit with Jackson while I took both Max and Lola to the hospital. Needless to say, he has a cast all the way down his leg and across his belly! It has to be on for 3 weeks, which really isn't too bad considering the break. The last couple of days, we have been hanging out in the living room, propped up with pillows and watching Tractors! Not too sure how much longer this will go on, but for now it works. He hasn't tried to move around yet, but I'm sure it's coming! Lola is growing and changing daily! She weighs about 10 lbs and is cooing more and more. She loves to talk with Jackson, they are so cute together. Her face lights up when she hears his voice! She sleeps great, and has her fussy time about 7:30-8 o'clock at night til about 11:00 then she's out til morning! I really can't complain too much other than I miss spending time with Zach!! And then there's Jackson! He has been really good about helping out around here lately, especially since I need extra hands these days! He really has grown up so much in these last couple of months, it's amazing!! Here are a few pictures of the little man, Lola and of course Jackson! :-)

How time flies!!!

Well, Lola is going on 3 weeks now and I can't believe where the time has gone! We have had so much going on it's hard to put it all down into words! First, let me start by saying I'm not sure how I got so lucky to have the most wonderful hands on husband in the world, but I did and I am soooo grateful! I'm not sure how I would be doing without his help! :-)

So let see, where do I begin?? Lola is a great nurser, she feeds every 3 hours during the day and goes 4-5 hours at night! The only bad thing is she has her fussy period in the evening so going to bed before 11, rarely happens. We'll take it though since it only happens in the evening and for the most part she is happy and sleeping during the day! :-) Jackson calls her his little angel and she really is! On that note, Jackson is doing great. He finished up pre-school right before Lola was born and has been feeling and acting so much better! It is amazing to me what effects the surgery has had on him. It's like he has grown up so much in these last few months, we are so thankful to see him doing so much better!!! He goes for a follow up after the surgery in July and we'll see where his blood count is now and how the spleen that was left and his liver are functioning. To us all signs point in the right direction. He has been such a big help with his sister, he really LOVES her! He goes to get diapers for her, and loves to hold her! So cute!!! Max is having a harder time with all of this! Remember he is only 19 months, still a baby himself and he doesn't understand why mommy has this baby attached to her for most of the day! The great thing is we have found a wonderful babysitter who comes in the mornings 3 days a week to help me out with the boys! She has been a lifesavor to me! This way the boys are able to do what they are use to doing, like go outside or swimming without being stuck inside with mom and a newborn! :-) All in all we are still ajusting to our newest addition, but what a wonderful addition she is!! :-)