Heat Wave = Pool Days

It's been about 90 degrees and pretty humid every day this week.  We've been hitting the pool as much as possible.  I am a fish.  I just love the water.  Getting the boys to the pool is a joy to me.  A lot of work and a tad stressful at times, but always worth it for the refreshing fun of swimming around in the pool with them.  Plus, I have to be honest, I love the fact that I can get my 4 boys to the pool on my own.  I'm still getting used to being a mom of 4 and an accomplishment like that just feels good. =)

One day I was able to get a few pictures of the boys having fun at the pool.  Jansen gets in with me, but here he is being adorable in the stroller while I was getting his sunscreen slathered on.

I brought lunch along and the boys love to take a break to eat, of course.  But not for long, they stop for just a few minutes to refuel before getting back in the pool!

On this particular day, it was fun to see the 3 older boys play together a lot.  They developed a few different games to play together.  Here's the bellyflop game.  I cringed every time.  

Happy little swimmers!

The heat wave is supposed to continue, so hopefully we will be at the pool a lot in the coming days.  It makes all of us so happy (and boy do we sleep good after even just a few hours of our day at the pool!).

Allergy Boy

Tavin had a terrible allergy season this past Spring.  I called Children's Hospital to get him an allergy evaluation with the Allergy and Immunology Department. Unfortunately, the waiting list was 3 months long.  So, after calling in April, we finally had the appointment on July 28th.  It was good to get this little guy officially tested, but the tests only confirmed what was so evident in his terrible symptoms.  Tav's allergic to A LOT.  He was an amazing patient as usual, getting praise from the doctor and nurse.  Here he is getting his arms all marked up and then pricked with the allergens.

They tell them that their arms will get itchy, but not to itch them while they wait the 15 minutes for the reactions to settle in before the doctor comes in to evaluate.  Tav was so sweet.  He kept updating me..."Mommy, my arms are pretty itchy, but I'm not going to itch them."  Bless his little heart.  When the doctor came in she said, "Ok, show me your arms," and then Tav did and she said, "Whoa, you are allergic to all the trees and weeds!"  Yep, that's right.  Almost all the trees, weeds and grasses blew up on his arm.  Only one mold that comes out in the Fall was a problem.  Dogs and cats seem fine.  Well, we had some answers, so that was great.  We were able to talk about better treatment options for the allergy seasons in the Fall and Spring and also other issues like his sensitive, eczema-riddled skin.  Although it took a 3 month wait, I'm glad we went through with it.  It's nice to know what's going on so you can be better prepared.  Tav will be fully medicated when the season hits this Fall.  Gotta cut this kid a break!  Good job, Tav.  You were a champ at the appointment!

3 Brothers in the Bath

Guess what Jansen was doing tonight while Penn and Tavin were playing in the mud??  Making his own mess...in his pants.  It was a pretty bad one (down the leg, up the back, etc.).  So three little Melder boys needed a bath...sure, we can do that!

Jansen was awestruck the whole time with the noise and the close proximity of his bathing brothers.  It was really cute to watch.  Koen also got this pic (still wide-eyed) of me washing the little guy.

Penn and Tav did a great job with being calm in the water with their littlest bro.  Needing to get all three clean at once went quite well.  We could definitely do this again.

A Few Jansen Updates

My littlest snuggler is so much fun.  He's changing every day it seems.  

While at Hilton Head, I started him sleeping unswaddled.  It was exactly what he was looking for.  He had two nights where he woke up a little confused and then settled back down with the pacifier.  On the second day, I let him go unswaddled during naps too and it was smoother than I thought it would be.  Apparently he was ready for this transition (I was not, I cried to lay him down without the swaddle process first).  Here he is after his morning feeding about a week into being unswaddled for his sleeps.  He looks pretty happy!

Like I mentioned, Jansen is a snuggler!!  He still takes 3 naps a day.  Here he is on Sunday morning, totally zoning out as he was due for his first nap of the day.  I love how he just leans into me.

A silly pic after church.  I can get him to smile on cue no problem.  It's amazing.  He loves me.  We often look into the mirror together and just have a smile fest.  In these moments, I've noticed that I'm pretty sure he has my eyes.

There's been a big development in the last few days.  Jansen has found his thumb.  It's been less than two weeks since he went unswaddled and it's already his preferred way of soothing himself.  I guess it was bound to happen with the fact that his three older brothers all did the same thing.  A bit of me is happy he found it as the thumb has proven to be a helpful tool for comfort and calm over the years, but a part of me is bummed to have yet another child to break of this habit.  It sure is cute though.

Here's a picture I grabbed of another snuggly moment.  This was tonight.  Oh how I love my last moments of Jansen's day.  He is so lovely, often giving me kisses all over my face, even on the lips.  Oh my goodness!!  Tonight he was just resting his head against my face.  Phone handy, I had to capture it.  Note how he no longer has the dark hair mullet in the back.  I guess that new baby hair has all fallen out. =(  So sad (and for style purposes, I guess it's a good thing).  

Well, there you have it.  A few pictures and a few facts about my little Jansen at this point in time. 

Monday Fun Day

Doug had the morning off, so he took the three oldest boys on a hike at Frick Park.  They had a lot of fun and went quite far.  Here's Doug's attempt at a group picture.  I guess the boys were fighting during the attempt, so he said, "say 'Poopy Pants'" and that got this look...

Not to mention that Tavin was getting bit by a mosquito during the picture, but he's smiling anyways.  Oh and thanks, Doug...I thought we were trying to keep the potty talk to a minimum?? =)

Cool pictures of some classic boy moments crossing a huge fallen tree.  Go boys!

After the hike, the boys swung by the Squirrel Hill library to stock up on books.  They love library visits and we hadn't been since we returned from Hilton Head, so they were thrilled.  Then the boys headed to meet Jansen and I who had walked to do some errands.  They met me because Koen was going to hang with me and Jansen doing errands on foot while Doug took Penn to his first dentist appointment and Tavin was going to be his helpful example.  Our plan came crashing down though when Penn absolutely lost it.  Thankfully I was close by still and came and switched with Doug.  Penn ended up doing fine (and Tavin was an adorable help encouraging him to be accommodating to the hygienist's requests).  Phew!  That was over.  Good job, Penn (sort of).

Doug had to go into work for the afternoon, and the boys and I had our regular afternoon at home.  In the late afternoon, early evening, I figured it was a good day for the sprinkler since it was 90 and humid.  Koen wasn't interested, but Penn and Tavin were totally in.  And by in, I mean in the mud.  They used the sprinkler water to turn their digging pit into a giant mud pie.  Boys will be boys!  Check out the muddy little men!

Well, that's the high points from today.  Monday was a fun day indeed!

Back to Summer in the Burgh

Vacation is great, but really, summer in Pittsburgh is pretty glorious.  We've got the heat (but not as intense), we've got fun ways to cool off, lots of friends and fun things to do and home sweet home.  This week we've jumped right back into our summer routine and it's been great.  Here's a quick review...

On Wednesday, we had our regular weekly playdate with Adrianne and her 4 kids at Osceola.  Here's a few at picnic time (check out Penn in his ridiculous helmet that he likes to wear all the time).

While there, I gave Jansen sweet potatoes for the first time.  Adrianne took video, but Jansen ended up really liking it and not doing any really fun faces.  Oh well.  I'll still share because I am of the belief that everything he does is pretty adorable. =)

Jansen LOVES the swings at Osceola.  He was in a baby swing for about 20 minutes.  I just had to get some video of his happiness and the kicking of the legs that went with it.  Enjoy!

On Thursday, I had a playdate scheduled for the casual mom's group I run.  We met at the North Shore Water Steps.  It was a low turnout, but we brought Koen's friend, Owen, and my friend Deborah and her three kids that we meet with weekly in the summer came as well, so it was a big hit for all of us.  Here's all the kids!!  

Friday we got some errands done and then in the late afternoon, Doug stayed home with Jansen and I took the older three to the pool.  I love the summer fun!!!  Koen and Tavin mostly did the water slide which left me swimming around with the hilarious Penn Rye.  He is a silly goose in the water!  On Saturday, it was the neighborhood yard sale.  We participated yet again as it seems like we are always producing things we could do without.  Towards the end our sweet neighbor (pretty much like a built-in great-grandmother) came out for some time on her porch.  Doug quickly handed her Jansen to brighten her day.  Jansen loved it.  All smiles and very calm and composed.  Ruth didn't want to give him up!

Doug had to preach Saturday evening, so he was out for the afternoon and evening.  I figured with the near 90 degree temps, it was long overdue that we should bust out the sprinkler for the first time.  The boys had a blast!

Well, that's a quick review of what we've been up to since returning from the South.  Gotta say that summer life is a lot like vacation life...just trying to make the most of these beautiful days and precious moments with the boys all home!

HHI 2015, Part 5

Monday
All good things must come to an end.  And as I've mentioned, these boys are definitely ready to return to the routine and the familiar after a super fun week making the most of being at the beach.  Monday was check-out day, but not before getting the big boys to the beach one last time with Daddy.  Then Uncle Zac went down to meet them and he hung out with Koen there, while Doug brought Penn and Tav to the pool to meet Aunt Abbie and I stayed at the house during Jansen's nap to finish packing and prepping to leave.  The boys returned to the house at 11 after Doug had everything cleaned and packed and then they all cleaned up and headed out onto the road at about 11:30am.  Phew!!  Talk about a whirlwind!  Abbie, Zac, Jansen and I got to slow down at that point and enjoy a bit of peace and quiet.  Our flight didn't leave until 8pm, so we used the rest of the day to get some things done and more slowly finish closing up the house before our departure.  We even squeezed in two trips over to the pool with Jansen.  Here he is on the morning trip before going in.  Truly a "Cabana Cutie" as his outfit states.

He enjoyed hanging out in the shady part of the pool with Abbie and I for awhile and then he loved getting all dry in the fuzzy towel.  More pictures of course.  His blue eyes just pop on this background!

He was exhausted after the fun at the pool and he took a great nap in the afternoon.  Around 3:30pm he woke up and I fed him and then I handed him off to Ab so I could get a few things done before we headed back to the pool for a final dip.  Jansen was in a total milk coma and was so sweet and snuggly.  Zac snapped some pics.

After our quick visit to the pool, we got back to the house at 5pm to eat a quick dinner of leftovers and do the crazy, rushy final push to finish packing and closing up the house.  No matter how much time or how well planned, the final moments are always intense!!  We made a good team though and Jansen hung on with not too much fussing as I mostly laid him here and there while we finished our tasks.  Such a trooper!  Then it was off to the airport at 6pm.  The Hilton Head airport is HILARIOUS.  It feels like you are on a movie set or stuck in some space/time continuum.  It's quiet and calm.  There's only one gate and only one flight that goes out ever few hours.  There are only a few people that work there and they do several different jobs, so they keep popping up as you move through the process.  TSA doesn't even open to check you through security until a half hour before the flight! It was all so funny and different!  Such a pleasant change from the usual stress of an airport.  It was so fun that Abbie and Zac and I happened to be on the same flight.  We didn't plan it this way, but it was great.  The flight wasn't full and so the nice, multiple-hat-wearing airline staff let us have the 5 seat back row all to ourselves.  So nice to spread out and be with each other a little longer.  Abbie held Jansen for about half the flight.  I think she's going to miss this one!

Our flight from Hilton Head to Charlotte was a tad late taking off and we all had tight connections, so it was a little nerve-wracking, but nothing in comparison to the last time I flew home from Texas.  I was actually thinking a night at a hotel with Janse if needed would be fine.  Thankfully though, despite my connecting flight's gate being in a completely different terminal, the airport being packed with summer travelers and having a stroller and a baby to push through the crowds, I made it to the gate just moments before they closed the door and we boarded our flight to the Burgh.  Ahhhh!!  Janse was a champ as usual and he slept most of the way.  Dear, sweet Kylie picked us up at the late hour of 11:40pm and got us home safely.  We crashed hard after the journey home.  

Doug and the boys had a good travel day in the car and made it all the way to West Virginia before bedtime.  Here's the picture I got of the crew as they neared their hotel last night.  Tav looks great, Koen looks annoyed and Penn just looks like he's on another planet.  

They only stopped once on an almost 8 hour drive.  And that was for a 22 minute dinner stop at Chick-fil-A.  Pretty impressive for all of them, but especially for Penn who has had zero accidents in the car and he's only been potty trained for a month and a half.  Way to go, boys!!!  

Well, that's it for our Hilton Head Island Vacation 2015.  Thanks so much to the Callihan family for lending us their beautiful and comfortable home there again this year.  It made this special family time possible for us.  Your generosity and hospitality is such a testimony and blessing to us!  Abbie and Zac, thanks for joining us.  We love spending time with you and seeing the boys continue to get to know you more.  

Feeling very blessed by this whole experience.  The beautiful beach and outdoor time, the fun it is to have adventures with the boys and see how they travel so well, the quality time with family, it all humbles me and makes me so grateful.  

Family Photo Shoot - Summer 2015

Oh my goodness...a family photo shoot with 4 little ones is an intense attempt.  It was great that we didn't have to pay anyone for this experience since Abbie and Zac were there to snap the photos.  The smiles were sometimes genuine, sometimes forced.  The children were sometimes half crying and sometimes having fun.  Thankfully I think we got some real keepers, but there are plenty of funny outtakes too.  Prepare yourselves, this is going to be A LOT of pictures!!

Heading down to the shoreline...

First pose, trying to keep us not looking into the sun, but it produced too many shadows...

 So, time to turn into the sun.  Keep your heads down boys until we count to 3.

1, 2, 3!

Oh boy, it's getting bright!  Tav's face in this one is amazing.  Doug and I aren't doing much better!

Penn's looking at Tav like, "wow, that's quite a grimace."  Oh little blue-eyed Tav, but still trying to smile with all his heart!

That's it!  STOP!  We can't take it!

The candid aftermath.

Let's try another pose.  Standing facing the ocean.  Dealt with some shadows in a few of the shots and then there's the fact that it's hard to tell there's a total of 6 of us sometimes, but all in all I think there are a few keepers in this bunch.

Not sure what's happening here.

Our attempt at a jump picture.  I have some good height, Penn's looking awesome, but our timing is definitely off.  Oh well!

Before our next family photo, Ab and Zac caught some pictures of Jansen and I.  I love these.  Just have to soak up these moments with this little babe in my arms!

We tried for a picture of just Doug and I, but it was completely unsuccessful.  This was the only somewhat salvageable one!

Next pose.  Sitting.  Koen and I sat down first and Ab caught a sweet pic of just the two of us.

Now for the rest of the family.  

Its tough to see Jansen in this one, but I just had to share the sweet way Tav put his arm around Koen! 

Now for the other way.  Some of these are my favorites.  I still have to play around with the lighting as much as I can before printing, but I think some of them will work!

Good job, boys!  Now, just go have some fun (and we enjoyed snapping pics of it).

We were able to take some pictures of Ab and Zac too.  They were much easier to work with than a family of 6!

And then just one of the sisters.  Laughing their heads off.

Because the photo bomber from the other day was up to his antics again.  So, we had him take a pic with Ab.  Hilarious!

Well, that's it (ha!)!  Thanks to Ab and Zac for being our photographers!