Where has the time gone?

I know it's been a long time since I've written. I was actually waiting and hoping Shawn would do some updating. Okay, where to start. The girls had a fabulous birthday. We celebrated their birthday with a kiddie water park in our backyard. They had so much fun playing with their friends and opening their presents. In August the family took a very long road trip to N. Carolina, stopping in St. Louis, Washington D.C. and Delaware on the way. Surprisingly, the girls did very well on ride. They watched Elmo videos practically the whole time. They still love to watch Elmo Potty. We stayed in a very beautiful beach house with the entire Orth family compliments to mom and dad Orth. The girls enjoyed playing at the beach, picking up shells along the shore, and splashing in the ocean. It's so hard to believe that they're two years old now. They're talking so much and learning new sentences everyday. Their favorite things to do are dancing, trying on shoes, playing dress up, and chasing Scout around the house. Currently we're in the process of potty training. Some days they get it well and other days they could care less. I've used stickers, cheering but have found that cookies motivate them more. Now on to Shawn, he's six months old and growing like a weed. He's crawling, sitting up and now can pull himself up when holding on to something. When he went to his six month checkup the pediatrician couldn't believe he was already doing these things. He currently weighs 17 lbs and his height is 27 1/2 inches. He is in the 30% for his weight and 75% for his height. He enjoys watching Scout and smiles when Scout runs by him. His favorite toy is an antenna looking toy that has balls on the end that cling when they hit each other. Alright, now a little about Shawn and I. I had feet surgery last Friday because of neuromas in between my third and fourth toe. I had my ligaments cut between the third and fourth toe to provide a channel for my nerve. I'm healing fine and hoping that this surgery will do the trick. Shawn is working hard and has moved into a position as the Senior Treasurer with his company. He is playing softball with our church and enjoys watching football and baseball whenever he gets the chance. I am so proud of him for all his hard work. I think that sums it up for now. Below are pics of the last couple of months.

Almost Two

Aliyah and Kailee will be celebrating their 2nd birthday on Tuesday, July 22nd. Where has the time gone? The girls are growing up and are learning more with each day. They love to laugh and smile. They absolutely love to say hello and goodbye. If you've seen them lately you know what I'm talking about. They are quickly learning more words and are beginning to put words together to make sentences. They're probably ready to be potty trained but I'm trying to hold out until we get back from the beach. They've really become quite the helpers. They enjoy helping me with their brother and will fight on who gets to feed and hold him first. They give him lots of hugs and kisses. They like to help put the laundry in the dryer and will help me dust the house. I'm looking forward to their birthday party. It's going to be a kiddie pool party with lots of fun in the water. The girls understand getting new things so they are going to be so excited opening their birthday presents.

4th of July Fireworks

Milestones

At three months Shawn is now rolling over. Today I had to get him a positioner because he rolls over in his sleep and wakes up to it. He got his three month pictures taken today and looked really cute in his Phillies onesie. He is getting so big. His muscles are getting stronger and he loves to stand on our legs. He can lift his chest up while lying on his stomach. He's smiling and laughing more and he can grip onto things. This evening he celebrated his first Independence Day watching the fireworks on Riverside.

Here are some recent pictures of Shawn.

Poop, Poop, Poop

I have heard other moms tell me stories about their kids doing this and I always thought surely it wouldn't happen to me. Well, a couple of weeks ago the unthinkable happened. About fifteen minutes into the girls nap I hear Kailee saying uh oh over and over again. At first I ignored her and thought she would eventually fall asleep. She wouldn't stop so I finally went into their room. Kailee took it upon herself to take her poopy diaper off and got poop all over her fingers, the sheets, the crib, and all her stuffed animals. Aliyah also decided to do the same thing after watching her sister but luckily it was a dry poop. I nearly gagged cleaning the mess. I know that this is pretty gross but I figure for the moms reading this that have been there would get a kick out of it.

Update On The Kids

So it's been awhile since I've last written. Thought I would give everyone an update of what's been going on around here. The first thing that comes to me is that life is crazy. The girls are getting into absolutely everything and all the discipline I try just doesn't cut it for them. While I'm disciplining one the other one has to be getting into something. And on top of that Shawn constantly wants to be held and never wants to go to sleep. When three begin to cry I want to pull my hair out and lock myself in my bedroom. But to hear some good news. Shawn is getting bigger every day. At his last check up in May he weighed 13 lbs and was 24 inches long. He was in the 75% for his weight and 90% for his height. Who knows how much he weighs now. He has begun to smile and will sometime laugh. He loves his daddy. He is always smiling and laughing with his dad. A tooth has begun to poke out on the roof of his mouth and he's constantly gnawing at his hands. The girls are also getting bigger every day. They don't look like babies anymore but little girls. They have become so independent and try to do things themselves such as putting on their own clothes or putting on their shoes . They'll even try to change each other's diapers. Recently they've become interested in the potty after seeing their cousin Audrey using the toilet. This is something I'm trying to wait on until we get back from the beach trip in August. The girls are learning new words everyday and can pretty much repeat most of the words that I say. It's amazing to see Aliyah, Kailee and Shawn Jr. grow up so fast.

Kailee Runs Away

The girls have figured out how to turn the knobs on our doors to open and close. This evening while Shawn was feeding Shawn Jr. and I was in the den speaking to my sister on the phone Kailee decided to open the door to the garage and leave. When I got off the phone with my sister I walked in the hallway and noticed the door to the garage was open and the garage was open as well. I asked Shawn if the girls were with him. He told me just Aliyah was with him. I ran outside and started yelling for Kailee and could not find her. Then Shawn came outside looking for her. I went inside the house to go look for her and then saw through the window Shawn carrying her back to the house. Shawn found her in front of our next door neighbors house. I guess Kailee wanted to play with her friends next door and play with their keyboard. It was a scary event and now we're going to have that door locked all the time.

-Rachel

Day at the Zoo

Last Sunday on the 20th, the family went to the zoo. It was a beautiful day. It was sunny and a little breezy. The girls would point to all the animals, smile and scream as they saw them. I think their favorite part of the day was getting to touch the animals at the petting zoo and being able to feed the birds at the featherfest. There were hundreds of birds (Rosellas, Cockatiels and Grass Parakeets) in this tent and everyone received a wooden stick with bird seed on the end of it to feed the birds with. The girls had so much fun feeding the birds. Here are a few pictures of their day.

-Rachel

First Month Checkup

Shawn Jr. had his first month checkup last Monday on the 21st. He's in great health and getting bigger everyday. At his visit he weighed 11lbs and 7ozs and still 21 inches long. He is in the 90% with his weight and 30% with his height. That night I followed the advice of his pediatrician to put him in his crib when it was time for him to sleep. We were letting him sleep in our arms or putting him in a bouncy with the vibration on. It was the only way he'd fall asleep. It was complete torture for Shawn and I. He just kept crying and wouldn't stop. We maybe got two hours of sleep. So the following evening Shawn Jr. slept from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. It was amazing! He hasn't slept that long since then but he has gotten more used to sleeping in his crib.

Here are some recent pictures of him!

-Rachel

Kailee with Shawn Jr.

Aliyah with Shawn Jr.

Four weeks and counting

So it's been four weeks since Shawn Jr. has come home from the hospital. It's been an emotional, trying, and tiresome four weeks. With Shawn Jr. sleeping all day and staying up all night it has been very hard for Shawn and I to get any sleep. You know what they say about you needing to sleep when your baby sleeps. Well, that's a bit impossible when you have two girls who also demand all your attention. As for Aliyah and Kailee, they seem to love having a baby brother. They try their hardest to help me out and it's really cute how they mimic me. They'll try to give him his bottle, put a blanket on him, kiss him, pat him, and cuddle next to him. They will also do the same with their baby dolls. I'm very blessed to have a husband who is so willing to help out with the kids. Shawn has had to work late the last couple of weeks and it's been tough on him. Waking up to the crying and helping out with early a.m. feeding and then having to go to work with such little sleep. He's been a lifesaver. I'm looking forward to having our little guy sleep through the night but I'm afraid that it won't be for awhile.

-Rachel

Shawn's Nana w/ the Girls 4/07

My week at home!

I was able to spend this past week at home, basically taking care of the girls. It's been a tough week with Grandpa Bates passing 24 hours after Shawn Kristopher was born, but it has been a joyous week as well. The girls sure are a handful! I've always appreciated Rachel as a wife and mother, but after this week I value her skills as a stay at home mom so much more. It's been a lot of fun. The girls seem to learn something new every single day. They love to dance and read (not to mention the other 100 things they do each day). They are slowly adapting to their new little brother, but they try to "mother" him at every opportunity. Aliyah says "butha" and pats him on the tummy, while Kailee is more interested in chasing Scout down for a hug. The second Shawn cries, they both drop what they are doing and run to him. The next few months pose to be an interesting, challenging, and a wonderful learning experience for our entire family.....of course filled with some of the best moments of our lives.


by Shawn



p.s. Here are a few pictures from our week!

Aliyah eating a block of cheese

Kailee eating a block of cheese

A New Life Has Begun

Wednesday evening my grandfather had a stroke and was taken to Saint Francis Hospital. Thursday we asked our neighbors to watch the girls so Shawn and I could go visit him. Shortly after seeing him I started having contractions and was convinced by my family to go to the labor and delivery floor to get checked. Come to find out I was having contractions every two to five minutes. I was admitted to the hospital and had an IV put in. Nothing happened that night, they began inducing me Friday morning. Then came Shawn Kristopher Orth Jr. - born at 2:46 p.m. He weighed 9lbs and 8ozs and was 21 inches long. He was a very big baby! On Saturday my grandfather passed away at 2:40 p.m. in the same hospital. It's amazing how one life ends and one life begins in the same family in less than 24 hours.

-Rachel

Do you see his blonde hair?