Adorable Aleksi at 6 months

Dear Aleksi

You are six months old. We celebrated your big six month mark by dragging you to the Pima County Fair. You were your usual self;happily chilled in the stroller while Saku and Eerika petted animals and explored tractors. Isi, especially, is always amazed how content you are when we go and do things. You really just go with the flow of our family. 

You are so close to sitting all on your own. It is fun to put a box of toys in front of you and you go to town with picking them up and putting them in your mouth and then moving onto the next one. Your attention span is about two seconds. 

You like the boob. You would probably nurse 10 times a night if I let you. However, I am finally putting my foot down and now you eat twice a night. It is still probably too much as you are a big boy and I am sure you could go without a feed, but it is sort of nice to snuggle you for few minutes and then go right back to sleep.

You have learned to put your tutti back into your mouth when it starts falling out while you are falling asleep. It is pretty handy. 

You are getting a bit more wary of strangers but you are still okay as I pass you around at church or at the school play ground. You do seem to prefer me over others, but really isn't that how it's supposed to be??

You have started eating some solids but I am not feeding you on any specific schedule with solids yet. I think it is the third child thing as you get solids when it is convenient for the rest of us...I promise when you really start needing it, I will be consistent and I won't let you starve. 

You are mostly nursing but I give you a bottle here and there for the sake of convenience. 

I read the six month posts about Saku and Eerika and they were moving a bit more at this age; however, I think I tend to carry you more or you are in the car more as you accommodate the schedule of your siblings so I don't think you have gotten as much of a chance to practice your skills. I better become a better PT.

You love the swing. I often put you in the swing when I make dinner. You are okay in the car seat now. Such a blessing. 

You don't really like to be cuddled which is ironic as we spent many nights patting and holding you to sleep. Now that you don't sleep swaddled, it can be quite challenging to soothe you unless I give in and give you the boob...

You take two naps on most days, which means an early 6 pm bed time for you. I think three naps works better, but sometimes the third nap just doesn't happen. Also I have had to wake you up from your second nap because of school pick up. It is awful. 

Everyone says that you look like Saku and Ukki.

This is how our feeding sessions usually end up looking. And then he seems to get a bit of rash as the drool/food touches his skin.

OK take the picture already as I am getting more messy by the second!

I am so glad you are mine. Third kid has made a bit more unraveled than I expected but I would never give up what you have given me and our family. You are treasured and loved each day.

Brad and Sam came over to play with Eerika this morning while Rachael had a dr. appointment. You get a different perspective on your child when you watch her with her friends. Eerika definitely thinks that she is the boss of the game and she confidently instructs the boys to do this and that. She tells them about her dance lessons and the house rules as if what she is saying is the most interesting and exciting thing. I love her confidence. 

Brad and Eerika play very well together and I think Eerika likes playing with Sam because she gets to take on a older kid/big sisterly role that she can't quite do with Aleksi yet.

I am grateful for these friends that make Eerika happy and teach her how to be a friend. And who put her with her kind yet a dictatorship style of playing:)

Relief of the Six Month mark

Last week has been good. I feel like I am living again and not just surviving. It might be temporary but I am soaking in this feeling that I can give each of my chicken nuggets the time and care that they need. I am happier. Troy is happier because I am happier. And I think the kids can feel the change too. And I even get some time to myself.

Aleksi is napping consistently well.  I just need to remember this when I struggle with this #4, yes I can think of the possibility of #4 now, that life will get more even by six months and not be so focused on the scheduled and "what should be happening". I don't know if it is possible for me to relax about that but I will try.  Even during the past six months when I was feeling exhausted, and overwhelmed and when I cried because I felt inadequate or hopeless because of lack of sleep, I did not wish for Aleksi to grow up faster. It felt like he was growing just the right pace. Now that he is starting to sit up on his own and play with his toys, I remember how much I love this age and the new developments that take place from here on.  

Aleksi is also liking the stroller so we have started to go on runs and walks together. This again reminds me of how much difference a literal sunshine and fresh air can make. 

For many weeks, I had big plans to get a picture of all of the kids and myself before or after church.  Since church is at 8:30 and I have to be there around 8 to get everything ready for Primary, the before church doesn't happen. Finally this Sunday I got everyone posing and I now have a picture of these beautiful kids and myself. 

I don't get dressed up too often, so it is good to have a record of the way I look when I do put on some make up and dress up:)

Brotherly Bedtime

One night Saku wanted to put Aleksi to bed.

So he read Aleksi a story "Bear on a Bike". He sang "Oon lapsi Jumalan". It was the most precious thing.

Saku's Talk on Prophets

The perk of being a Primary Secretary is that I make the assignments for talks/scripture and prayers. Saku had been asking for an assignment so I assigned him to give a talk while Ukki and Mummi were in town. 

The theme was God Speaks Through Prophets.

Saku wrote most of his own talk and did an amazing job deliver it. He didn't just read it, but he actually look at the primary kids and bore his testimony "I know we can see the prophet in General Conference". 

It is amazing how strongly Troy and I feel the spirit when our kids say prayers and give talks. 

On Easter he prayed that we wouldn't forget the real meaning of Easter and Jesus' resurrection. I had felt bad that I hadn't focused enough, in my opinion, on the life of Jesus during the Easter week. However, Saku dispelled my worries for the moment as he was very aware of the happenings of Easter.

Latest of Eerika

Eerika is full of life!

Reaching for the sunshine

My beautiful girl

Brad and Eerika are such good friends. Brad told his mom that if Eerika wasn't going to his preschool next year, he wasn't going either.

Eerika loves water except when it is swimming lesson time and then she becomes afraid of it. We are not quite sure what it will take to get her officially swimming. She tries to be so brave, but something about trusting the teacher to keep her above the water for her back floats just breaks her spirit. Since she is usually such a brave girl, it is hard to watch her be so vulnerable and scared. Before each lesson, she asks "you will jump in if I start sinking?"

Aleksis' Five Months of Fabulousness

Aleksi loves to eat. He has tried sweet potatoes, carrots, pears and bananas. After bananas, he developed a rash. It could have been a coincidence, but now I am keeping a more careful watch as I introduce foods. We haven't had any food allergies before so this is a new territory.

Picture overload as I finally got my iphone pictures to the computer

Happy!

Drinks formula from a bottle when needed

Strong boy but not a fan of tummy time

Loves the swing

Everything goes to his mouth

He sucks on his toes.

Delicious thighs

Something to keep him entertained for a while when I absolutely need to be hands free

Five Month Old soccer player

Fine motor skills have been mastered enough to play with tutti

Dynamic duo 

He loves to look at people, wait and then give the biggest smiles when they notice him and smile at him. It is fun to see him have a huge smile on his face and when I turn my head around, to see a complete stranger engaging with him.

Waiting for Ukki to look at him

Aleksi takes three naps a day. We are on a good steady nap schedule now. It doesn't cause me much stress anymore.

Aleksi is happy in anyone's arms but seems to start to prefer me.

Size two diapers.

Still nurses two to three times a night. He was hit with a cold and Ukki and Mummi's visit made us revert back to bad habits of not letting him soothe himself.

He is starting to sit on his own for a bit, but not steady or strong enough to leave him alone with it.

Aleksi loves baths and showers