The Barnes Family

I need to tell you about Christmas and a few other exciting things but tonight I just want to talk about holding your babies tight and loving every moment you have with them. This past year a lot of little babies have gone to be with the Lord. I have read blogs about loss, been close to a family who had to say goodbye to their sweet boys, and have had a friend of a friend suffer the unexpected loss of her little boy. Tonight I read two more heart breaking stories. I honestly cannot imagine loosing a child. I just can't imagine it. My heart breaks for these families who go into the hospital prepared and knowing that they might be delivering a baby who has already passed away, for the ones who get mere months instead of years with their child. In every single case, this people cling tight to the Lord and their faith that he will get them through the tough times ahead. That he had a perfect plan for their child and his plan included a very short stay on this earth. They have great fai...

It is amazing what a 7 am wake up can do for a person! 7 am is a far cry from our 4:45 wake up calls and I gotta just say.... keep it up Wyatt!! I have no idea if it was moving the bed away from the light (on the opposite side of the room) a later bedtime, or just his body getting back on schedule, whatever it is, it's working! I am happy to report that even on Christmas morning he has been sleeping until 6:30 or 7 and staying in bed until 6:45/7:15. That's a great improvement for us and I am hoping it stays this way! Yes, I would love it if he decided he wanted to sleep until 8 but normally our day really needs to get going by 8:30/9 anyway so I am happy with his wake up. 7:30 would just make me beyond thrilled but I won't push my luck. I like that he will play quietly in his room and give us a couple minutes to fully wake up and even wash up if we are really lucky. It's hard to get yourself ready with a toddler running around and nearly impossible with a toddler and 8...

Santa has already made a stop at our house, the casseroles are ready to go in the oven in the morning, sausage and cheese biscuits are all made, fruit is cut and in a bowl, and well we are ready for tomorrow morning!!! I should be in bed now, considering I have to wake up in about 6 hours, maybe less, but I can't. I think I am more excited for tomorrow than I was when I was a kid. I love that Wyatt was asking where Santa was and when he was coming. I CAN NOT wait to see his face in the morning when he sees what Santa has left. Last year, he came around the corner, saw his kitchen and said, "WOW!" It was a priceless moment. I am also very excited about this being McKinley's first Christmas. With Wyatt he was 3 months old and well he really just sat in his bumbo chair surround by presents for a picture. McKinley is 8 months, and while she doesn't grasp the concept of this holiday or Santa, she does love the sound of the paper when it crinkles in her little hand or s...

M 8 months W 8 months *Not sure of her weight *size 3 diaper during day and 4 at night *9-12 months stuff and some 6-9 still fit (Everyone says that M looks like me, few people will say she looks like Todd. Looking at these pictures, SHE LOOKS LIKE TODD!!! Lots of people say Wyatt looks like my dad, and in the photo above... I finally see it!)

She is eight months old!! It was around this time with Wyatt that I was WANTING another baby! I am happy to report that I do NOT have that feeling right now. I love that M is my baby! Now on to what she is up to.... SLEEP: Still sleeping through the night! Very thankful for this because when Wyatt turned 8 months he had a very short phase where he liked to wake up in the middle of the night and had a hard time going back to sleep. Right now she is going down so easy at night and still taking okay naps during the day. Some naps are longer than others, it really seems to depend on the day. I can't seem to get her on a schedule to save my life!! Wyatt was on such a structured schedule and well she just does her own thing. She is pretty good at putting herself to sleep, it reminds me a lot of Wyatt. I give her a bottle or read her some books and then lay her down with her bunny blanket and bunny animal and she plays until she goes to sleep. She will normally play for about 30 minutes ...

So my trick last night, moving the crib further away from the light switch, didn't really work. We didn't hear him until 6:15, which is an improvement. I think he had been up for a while though and the light was on! He could still reach it!!! Today he woke up from nap time and turned light on and then HE WENT BACK TO SLEEP!! Yes, back to sleep with the light on! I was amazed! Tonight though, we are trying a new technique, we moved the crib to the other side of the room!! We shall see.... - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I’m running on empty and need HELP, oh and maybe 8 hours of sleep!! A friend of mine once said, “Early early mornings are a standard part of having small children. However that doesn’t make it easy!” She couldn’t be more right! Early mornings are a standard part of our life. I’m OK with that. I can do 6:30 or 7! I’m okay with going to be at 10:30/11:00 and getting up 8 hours later. I can do that! Waking up at 4:30 to a toddler playing in his bed (sometimes 2:00), I CAN’T DO! I’m not even sure when this started. I know that when McKinley was born he was starting to get up early, then he went through a phase of getting up in the middle of the night and wanting to be covered up, and now we have this early morning turn the light on. I have gone back and forth with making the light in his room unreachable. Part of me thinks it will help but the other part likes the fact that when he does wake up, he can turn it on and play for a while. We have tried it all…. Go to bed early, go to bed late,...

Daddy took Wyatt to breakfast, Costco, lowes and Nana's! Mommy got to take a peaceful shower! While M napped, we got Wyatt a new pair of shoes. He has moved over to the big boy side and he got to pick them out, Spiderman shoes! I've never seen a kid more excited about shoes! It was the highlight of the day! He wanted to show them off to everyone, including M! Late lunch at Yo Pizza! The little man was Alittle on the hyper side but it went well! Sweet girl decided she does want a paci! Normally she just chews or plays with it for a minute but today she decided she wanted it! I pushed a paci on this girl for the last 7 months and now she wants it? I sat in the back to make sure that they didn't fall asleep, while I was snapping this pic Wyatt feel asleep! Both of our children decided they didn't really want to nap. Well we weren't giving in! After an hour they were both out! McKinley is such a sweetie! She love to cuddle! She just laid on me for 10 minutes after wakin...

Today started a little early, okay it started REALLY early! Like 4:56 early with a sweet little man saying, "Mommy, I turn the light on." This is partly my own fault because we had a 10 minute talk about waiting to turn the light on until it was light outside, he must not have got the picture! I glanced at my phone and noted the time, I'm now keeping a detailed log of his day in order to see what works and what doesn't, and then I preceded into his room. He was sad when I told him that it wasn't time to get up, but he didn't cry, just laid back down. I watched him be still on the monitor until 5:10 and he was up playing with the lights on. I didn't every really go back to sleep but I did lay there until 6:00 when a little lady decided it was time for her to get up. Todd grabbed Wyatt, I feed her and our day was on its way. Somehow I managed to get a little makeup on, get dressed and pull my hair up before we were downstairs to eat breakfast. Keep in mind, ...

I caught a segment on the today show this past week that really grabbed my attention and really has me thinking. Am I irresponsible for not vaccinating my children? Just to be clear, I am vaccinating them, just spacing it out. Apparently that's bad too. Do I think that vaccinations cause autism? NO. Not by themselves at least. I think it's a combination of things and that in some children the vaccinations could cause autism. The scary thing to me is that no one knows what causes it. It's said to be an epidemic on the rise. More and more children are diagnosed as autistic or fall on the spectrum and well that's scary. I think that vaccinations are very important, like the doctor on the today show segment talked about, a certain amount of the population has to vaccinated to keep these diseases from coming back. Which is why I am vaccinating my children. As I watched the segment, I'll admit that part of it scared me. The thought of the whooping cough or measles outbrea...

Wyatt was up at 4 this morning! Let me repeat that....FOUR IN THE MORNING!!! Up, lights on, playing with his little animals, just as happy as he could be. He didn't even ask for me, I just happened to turn over and see him. I can handle 5:15, 6:00, because he will stay in his crib for about 45 minutes to an hour playing but I CAN'T and I repeat CAN NOT handle a 4 am wake up call. I tried to explain to him that it was night night time and still dark outside. At first he looked at me with a very sad look but I just rocked him and laid him back down. I couldn't fall asleep! I watched him lay quietly for maybe 30 minutes and then I saw him get up. He played quietly and I went in and out of sleep until 5:50 when he was ready to get up, and in hopes of keeping McKinley asleep Todd got up to get him and put him in our bed. I will say this, on most days he will stay happily in our room while we lay in bed or get ready until about 7. I try really hard to keep him happy upstairs unti...

I really feel like God wanted me to share this message. I love my church and every message is wonderful in its own way, but this past Sunday God really spoke to me and changed my perspective this week. God wants us to live a life full of joy, not just on special holidays but everyday. More joy in one ordinary day than they get in all their shopping sprees. At day's end I'm ready for sound sleep, for you, God, have put my life back together. Psalm 4:7-8 3 simple ways to monitor your life: 1. Are you loving life? Do you really, really enjoy and love your life? In this moment, on this day, the day God gave us, are we loving it? Instead of loving today we think "if we can only have this, or do that." We need to live in the moment of today. 2 Corinthians 6:10, As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. I love that question above. As a mom with two small children, sometimes I forget to live i...

I have tried and tried to get Wyatt to say some of his cute sayings on camera, but it ain't gonna happen! I am learning very quickly that at this age, they change in what seems like a matter of hours! I'm not kidding. It's like he started talking over night. Each day a new phrase or word falls out of his mouth and shocks me! Here are a couple of cute sayings.... -What you talking about? -What's wrong baby? -I did it -I make a bottle -It's to pretty -I make a bottle -Baby stinky -I make this -My turn -A look like mommy/ daddy/ papa/ mimi (If he sees someone he thinks looks like a mommy or daddy or papa and mimi. It's really funny! The other day I had a gold shirt on, he said I looked like "Nana" because she tends to wear alot of that color.) -Um, yes. (I love this when I ask him if he is saying something, that is his answer or "um, no.") -Daddy fix a this. (Anything that doesn't work he says this) Those are just a few little sayings that I...

We woke up and stayed in bed a little longer than we normally do Wyatt had cinnamon rolls while McKinley ate baby food M took a nap and Wyatt rode his "horse" buckeye And his "bike" Wyatt had 5 accidents while we made an attempt to work on potty training. We made a quick trip to target and chick-fil-a! Mimi came over to make cookies and play VERY SHORT naps were had by W and M While M took a late nap, Wyatt made a get well card for Nana Then decorated the cookies he baked with Mimi Aren't they pretty? Mommy went to spin of the cookie and Wyatt and McKinley had fun with Kristin! What a great day! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Started our holiday weekend watching the parade! Ready to eat turkey A 2.5 hour nap! Fun afternoons Put up the tree and other Christmas decorations Friday night double date at Monkey Joes... Sat in a highchair for the first time and loved it! And while Wyatt spent Saturday night at Mimi and Papas, mommy read books to McKinley.... - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

*Size 3 diaper and a night diaper but about to go to size 4 at night *wearing mostly 6-9 months with some 9 month outfits. She has a hard time fitting into the 6 month pants, they fall right off her!

McKinley’s day looks alittle like this…. 6:30/7:00 wake up for the day. 7:00: 6 -8 oz bottle 8:30: breakfast- only eats about half a jar 9:30: 6oz bottle 9:40-11:00- morning nap 11:30: lunch- about a jar and a half 1:30/2:00:8oz bottle 1:45/2:00-3:30: afternoon nap- sometimes longer or shorter depending on how her morning nap went and how early or late she went down. I try to keep her up for 2.5 to 3 hours. In between morning and afternoon nap. 4:30: 4-6oz bottle *maybe a cat nap if you are really tired 6:00: dinner 7:10: bath/pjs and 8oz bottle 7:30 asleep for the night SLEEP: I can’t complain for one minute about her sleeping habits!!! I will even venture to say that they are better than Wyatts and I always thought Wyatt was a great sleeper. McKinley will sleep between 11-12 hours everynight without waking, some times she wakes at around 5 or 6 because of a dirty diaper but she will go right back down after being changed. For naps, she will take a bottle, her blankie and go right to ...

*15lbs and 9oz *25 inches long *wearing size 2 diapers and 3 at night *wearing 6-9 month and 9-12 month kissy kissy. 6-9 months in most everything else.

McKinley is 6 months old. Where did the time go?!? *EATING: Picky girl! McKinley’s feeding schedule looks a little something like this… 7:45/8:30 somewhere in there: 4 oz bottle 8:45/9: half a jar of breakfast food 9:30/10:00 sometime before she naps: 4-6oz bottle 11:30: we try a 4 oz bottle it’s a hit or miss 12:00: Jar of vegetables or fruit 1:30/2:30 sometime before her afternoon nap: 8 oz bottle 4:30: 4 oz bottle if we are lucky 6:00: Jar of vegetables 7:15: 8 oz bottle We have learned that you will eat when you want to eat! She has gotten better at drinking her bottle, there were 2-3 weeks where she was very difficult to feed! She would turn her head at the sight of it. Now McKinley sees it and normally wants it. She is also so much better at eating her baby food. I think 6 months hit and she was loving it. Her favorite is plum baby organics. She will eat the entire tube of it and want more. Not a big fan of peas/carrots or green beans but sometimes you can sneak them in...

When Wyatt was 6 months old, he would eat 8 oz at a time, about every 4 hours. Sometimes he would even cry when I took the bottle away. With McKinley, its a different story. She will eat when she wants and what she wants. It has been so hard to get her on a schedule because at 7:30 she might want the full 8oz and then she will make it 4 hours, but she may only want 2oz and then she is hungry 2 hours late. I can almost always manage to get between between 24-28 oz in her by the end of the day, and this makes me happy! The past couple days though, feeding time has been pure torture. She will toss her head back, purse her lips together and flat our refuse to drink her bottle. After battling with her for 10 minutes, I manage to get her to drink 1-4oz. Today she has had a total of 19oz for the day and two meals (today they were bigger meals than normal). A couple things I am worried about.... *She isn't getting enough to eat. *She will wake up in the middle of the night! (Ahhhhh! Say it...

Wyatt has never cared much about what he wears. I could just put something on him and he was a happy camper. The past week or so has been a different story. Some days he doesn’t care but other days, if he knows I am about to get him dressed he will tell me what shirt he wants to where. For example: The kid loves super heroes and Buzz! So one day I ask him do you want Batman or Superman? I thought if I give him two to choose from, it’s a win win, mommy gets him in something decent and he is picking it out. Well that day he said, “hulk!” Ok no biggie, he has a hulk shirt! I go in the closet and can’t find it. I have no idea where it is. After about 10 minutes he finally gives in to batman. The next day was wear your jersey to school day, so I show him his Steelers jersey. “Batman” he says! He would not put it on! Somehow though, I convinced him that he should wear his jersey, and before we left for school he put it on. This morning I laid out a couple of shirts that I hadn’t hung up yet,...

*Size 6-9 but can still wear some 3-6 things and small kissy kissy gowns that she could wear as a newborn. *Size 2 diapers for day and night