Three Months Old

Katharine! Guess who is THREE MONTHS OLD?!?!?

It's YOU!!! 

She is pretty happy about it! So am I. Three months is one of my favorite baby times, cause they are starting to interact a lot but they are still little and o-so chubby!

She is starting to arch her back when she wants to be picked up.

And she'll grab our hands or anything that is close to her tummy or face - 

She pulls out her binki, pulls her sisters' hair...

And cutest of all, you can probably tell - 

She smiles so much!

Oh my goodness we love her. 

Katharine is the current love of everyone's lives. 

She is the cherry on top of all our blessings. I wish upon everyone on earth to get to enjoy the presence of a baby just like her. It's pure heaven!

Butterfly Garden

Ugh, I'm so behind on the blog again. What can I say... it's cause I've got 13 kids, including a nursing 3 month old, plus I've been busy raising 150+ caterpillars and monarch eggs that all need attention. My priorities are always changing. It's violin for a few months, then genealogy, then exercise, then biking, then blogging and I'll get all caught up, and then it will be fall and I'll just want to be in the mountains and then we'll be skiing and I'll fall behind again. Oh well, ya do what you can. I've also, surprise surprise, actually been outside for two days in a row now doing yard work! We made a butterfly memorial garden in Jerry's honor. 

We put two big cement pots (which were very heavy to move, Abi helped me 💪) over by one of the milkweed spots and planted the nectar flowers I bought for Jerry in the pots.

The yellow flowers are Black Eyes Susan, the magenta are Coneflower, behind that are Butterfly Bush on the left and Salvia on the right. I think the Salvia smells so nice! It's my favorite. Jerry also seemed to especially enjoy those flowers . 

We released one male yesterday, we said it was Jerry reincarnated. Three emerged perfectly today and we released them. 2 male and 1 female. 

I've been trying to write down all my monarch stats and I'll crunch the numbers for my 2022 totals next month after they've all flown the nest. Today I also found 6 more eggs as I was working outside. Not many of the eggs have hatched yet, we're hoping they are viable. I searched the blog to see what happened in years past, and in 2017 I recorded that in 2016, we had 30+ eggs but only 2 or 3 made it to adulthood. I hope it's not like that this year.

It was fun to work on it today. All the spiders are really confused about where we came from and why all of a sudden, after years of peaceful living between our species, we've up and suddenly decided to come destroy their homes and livelihood. Well, it's because a neighbor ripped out their parking strip and had a sign that said "Free sod". So then I got some. Cause the kids have been ruining the grass in the back yard. (It might also be from all the pine needles...) So I thought I'd just go grab a few, put them in coolers and that would keep the back of my car clean, but after picking up my first piece and getting dirt all over me and the car, It became apparent I would be getting messy if I did decide to try this. So, I got more when I took Daniel to the bus stop. Abi and Natalie were both home feeling unwell. Natalie got sent home from school for looking ill, and Abi just had a cough, but coughing is the new leprosy in this covid world. Abi was interested in what I was doing, so she helped me and we dug up the parts that are dirt in the back yard, and Natalie watched Katharine, and we laid some sod down as we shared our visions for the house and yard. So we'll see if it takes! I thought it looked pretty good for a lady who doesn't know what the heck she's doing.

Katharine being very patient before Natalie took her on a walk.

Katharine being patient with me today as I finished putting down the sod we got yesterday. 

And let's zoom in on that cute cute face!! Katharine, you are sooo sweet. She is almost 3 months old! I love 3-6 months - it's my favorite time cause the baby gets more interactive and is so squishy and chubby, but still so little. 

Katharine felt a little neglected yesterday cause I was busy playing with the sod, and then we had violin lessons, and then a hockey parent meeting for Wes, and then rush home for dinner, then we went as a family to corner canyon for a quick bike ride at the cycle park. 

I had never been to this part before, but Corey took the kids there on Saturday. Some of the kids on the cycle park, holy cow, they were FLYING through the air on this track - it was CRAZY. We just did the green and blue pump tracks. 

It was fun, but we got there just barely before sunset so we didn't have a lot of time to ride, but it was good for silhouettes!

So yeah, we've been busy, and especially yesterday I was working or on the go all day. Katharine let me know she was upset about it when it was time to go to bed and she just cried and cried. I'm a one trick pony mother, all I can do for a baby is feed it, and if that doesn't work, well, then we're both just outta luck. So I talked with K last night "I know what it is... You're tired of being good all the time, huh. You want to be a sad baby, you want to see what it's like to throw a fit! That's ok, that's your right. You go ahead and cry..." She also likes baths, so we did that, and she was fine in there, but then when we were getting dressed, she reverted back to crying. I rocked her and she eventually gave up and decided to nurse. She was a little more happy today, but I also did less work. I finished off the sod, and we spent lots of time snuggling. 

Butterfly Gifts

Today I brought a flower centerpiece to church. For some reason, I was feeling generous and thought I'd give away some of my prize chrysalides that I've raised from an egg. I had two butterflies emerge this morning, they came along to be part of the centerpiece display. 

We went to church for sacrament meeting and I took this into the Relief Society room, where the butterflies patiently waited during the hour long meeting, and they also hung around during the whole RS class discussion. Before it started, I let people know that I've been fostering monarchs and I brought a few to share, if anyone wanted one. I might have been feeling like sharing the butterfly load because my hands have felt more full lately with taking care of Jerry. Anyway, luckily I had 5 volunteers who happily took the 7 chrysalides I had brought. After class, ladies that wanted to hold the butterflies had time to do that. 

It is really fun and special to hold a butterfly! They are ethereal creatures. 

e·the·re·al - /əˈTHirēəl/ (adjective): "extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world."

I was glad to share the fun. Allie is new in our ward so I was especially glad she took one. She texted "I can't believe you were handing out butterflies!" I texted them with follow up care for their chrysalides that kinda sounded like laundering instructions: "Should emerge in 7-10 days, allow to hang for 2 hours until wings are dry, just watch and enjoy!" 

As the kids were finishing up in their classes, Lily came in and shared her butterfly wisdom with some of the youth and primary kids. Lily led the kids outside with the two butterflies we brought, which were both ready to take off. As soon as they caught some wind they flew away. So that was fun. Back at home, I took Jerry out to enjoy time on the flowers that I researched about and bought as a butterfly gift for him at Home Depot on Friday - I bought him some coneflower (not pictured, they're pink and were inside for when he as inside time, we rotate that so the flowers each have a turn in the sun) some Black Eyed Susan (yellow below) purple flowers (Butterfly Bush) and my favorite was Salvia! It smells so nice!

So he was out there enjoying himself, even hanging out with a bee! (You can see the bee on the middle yellow flower) and my heart was happy feeling that all was right in the nature world and that Jerry was able to enjoy what other butterflies do. I knew that these flowers need full sun, so I thought we'll take care of two birds with one stone - Jerry getting some time outside, and flowers getting there sun. I went inside to do whatever, and I go out an hour later, to pick him up in case he had fallen on the ground or something, and I didn't see him on the flowers... I looked around on the grass and found him, but he wasn't trying to walk about... he was dead. Aw man! Poor guy, I think I cooked him! He must have overheated in the sun! I came in holding his little body and confessed my crime to the kids. 

It was a total accident, but it still killed him. Abi and Natalie had just buried Maria earlier that morning while we were at church (they had been home sick with sore throats). Maria had been awaiting a proper burial in the freezer, so Natalie prepared the plot right next to her and helped me bury him. 

I had totally thought Jerry would be with us through Christmas. He was healthy and strong, but... he was also black, and it was in the 90s around 3:30 when I set him out. I'm sorry Jerry, it was my ignorant self's fault. I have since done some googling about butterfly wings and overheating. Seems the wings have living veins in them. Ah, well that makes it sense, since we cut poor Jerry's wings off! So we had doomed him from the start. Jerry, I'm sorry that I lost track of you when you were a caterpillar and that you made your silk pad over that thin desk drawer. We've all learned from this experience. Thank you for what you've taught us this summer. We enjoyed our time with you! Your life was a butterfly gift for our family. RIP Jerry. He now flying high in the heavens with a lovely set of angel butterfly wings.

Ok two other items from this evening - 1) we had a neighborhood walk about. The cookies were tasty cause Maralee  and her daughters are amazing bakers!

And 2) Joseph is back home in Utah after 2 weeks in Guatemala. He passed out cookies and souvenirs to his siblings. 

And he got me another beaded Quetzal bird to hang on my wood thingy. He brought one after his mission, but, like so many things around our home, it mysteriously disappeared sometime ago and no one did it. And I just learned that the bird is on Etsy! I guess I didn't have to wait for Joseph to take a trip down there, but a trip does make it more personal, so thanks Joseph. School at BYU starts tomorrow, so he arrived in just the nick of time. We helped him load up his car with his belongings, which he had moved into the basement when he moved out of his apartment two weeks ago. His car was full, and we some stuff for Mel and Ethan (E - bowling ball and jacket that had been left in the Feista, and a butterfly gift for Mel: three chrysalides (1 for Mel and two for her friend who just got married) and two monarch eggs that Mel found, and he was off. 

Good luck at school tomorrow! Life is busy busy, fun, sad (RIP Jerry) and wonderful. It's a great experience happening, Corey and I are glad we get to share it with all these wonderful kids.

Baby, Biking, & Monarchs

It was a busy Saturday. We woke up, took Abi to the bus for GMS, then the kids left with Corey to clean the church. Lily had a GMS chamber audition this afternoon, and this evening. The girls played dolls with Katharine again. Natalie changing her outfit - 

Lily dressing her up as little red riding hood - 

They styled her hair and put a little curl on top of her heard that was so adorable!

She's just the prettiest thing. She's almost three months old! Yay! 3-6 months is my favorite time of babyhood! 

We'll have to take lots of pictures of you as we soak up your cuteness, you pretty thing!

Corey took the kids to the Corner Canyon cycle park. I've never been over to these little loop tracks. The kids liked it and had a lot of fun!

It is so cute to hear Daniel's little squeals of joy - 

While they were gone, I stayed home with K and W was doing homework. Then his YMAD friend Wilson came over, and I was feeding K in my room and watched them from my bedroom window as they moved the trampoline over next to the shed, and then proceed to jump off of the roof of the shed. 

I'm glad they didn't break any legs or kill themselves. Then they played street hockey. After they were back, I showed the girls how Katharine had been laughing hard at me when I put her up on our dresser and I was below - and I looked up at her and put my head back, and as I put it back up I'd tell her that she was "sooooo BIG!" and she thought that was really funny....

...until we tried to get it on video, of course

SHE IS STINKING ADORABLE!

Side note - I read about this in July and here's a follow up story with more details... if you want some scary real life drama to read, search Josh Sabey on facebook for his August 21 post titled "Good Intentions" where he describes his kids being taken from him and his wife by the state of Massachusetts. He has a video too. It is terrifying and I have been thinking a lot about it, It would truly be such a nightmare! And their youngest was 3 months old at the time, and that's the same as Katharine, so I just can't imagine ANYONE being able to come to my home and take away my children. Horrifying.

And for our butterfly update - Maria's gone. She was mostly dead yesterday morning, and I thought Jerry had beat her up trying to mate or something, but then yesterday I put them together and "Maria" seemed to be aggressive going toward him, so maybe "Maria" is a male? I don't know, but I decided to separate them last night. I kept Jerry inside on the flower, and he stayed there all night like a good boy. This morning - looking regal from his lookout post - 

Can you see his silhouette there? So cute! After seeing that Jerry was all good, I went to check on Maria outside on the table, safely contained in her mesh cage, and I lifted it up and she looked dead again. I checked it she was just mostly dead like yesterday, but she was even more mostly dead struggling to move, so I decided to humanely euthanize her in the freezer. I put her in a baggie in the freezer and the kids found her and I confessed that yet, I put her out of her misery. Might not have been the right choice, but that's what I decided to do. Soon we will have a ceremony and bury her. I'm sorry little butterfly. I'm sorry you got stuck in your chrysalis. :( I am wondering why they get stuck, if there is something that might cause it? When Maria was with two other butterflies as chrysalides, the stick fell over in the kitchen and hit the counter top - I wonder if that did something to it and Maria's chrysalis took the most hit and that messed it up? The other two turned out fine, so maybe that didn't cause the problem but maybe it did if hers was hit worse. Anyway, so now we're back to just Jerry again. Well, Jerry plus 23 chrysalides, 6 that j-hooked and went to chrysalis, we gave 3 to our nieces, I have 4  caterpillars, 2 caterpillars that hatched, and then yesterday I found 41 eggs, and thought surely there couldn't be more... so I go just to check for one minute... and found 8, oh my goodness. 

I get a small container and go searching for more and found a total of 47 eggs today. Forty Seven! So I have 87 eggs!!! It is CRAZY! I had to change the way I keep the eggs to accommodate so many.

I thought things have been crazy up until now when I had like 20 big caterpillars, but if I have like 40 or 50?!?!? This is going to get so nuts!! I shall not dwell on the craziness, I shall go take a deep breath and enjoy the flowers with our cute little wingless butterfly. I went to put Jerry out for some sunshine and flower time - 

I hope he doesn't mind only having humans for company. And tonight when I put him to bed - Goodnight Jerry! See you tomorrow!

Baby Mess & Butterfly BFFs

I haven't shared many pictures of Peter sleeping lately. He looked so sweet and peaceful this morning - 

Cute little guy with his hands tucked under his head, aww. Here's another cute face. 

Aww, Katharine! We love her. She's got lots of little mothers that like to take care of her. Natalie, for example, was changing Katharine's diaper today and guess what - Katharine totally made a mess all over! "Who? Me?" 

Yes, Katharine, you. 

She made a mess all over Natalie and all over my bed AND the floor in my room! The girls are very eager little mothers and love changing her clothes and her diaper too, but I've told the girls to NOT change her diaper for this exact reason, being that I was concerned that their reflexes would not help out if she were to poop during a change. You need the motherly reflexes to go toward the mess, not away from it. Natalie was changing her, and at the dreaded sound of farting/pooping, and Natalie jumped back and out of the way and fled. This is me being irritated at the situation, after giving K's bottom and legs a rinse. 

This is bad, cause baby poop is very colorful and color fast, which we learn from Sister Eubank means that this vivid yellow color might "not fade no matter how many times it was washed". But, in US Advantage I trust, so I grabbed my cleaner, some towels, and Natalie and I scrubbed away. 

She was sincerely sorry and she is a great girl. We scrubbed and scrubbed, and like the permanent marker on the carpet years ago, I think we got all of this out. Amazing. Just another day of motherhood and life with kids. So, they are liking school and are all doing well. Lily practicing music today after school with Katharine on her lap - cute... (That video is a youtube "short" so I can't embed it, or I don't know how yet...)

Our butterflies are doing well, too. We didn't have any emerge today, but I have 5 that became chrysalides today, and I found 5 eggs. Jerry/Tony/Aang and Maria/Katara are doing well at the moment, but Katara looked totally dead this morning. I thought she was a gonner. I let them spend the night outside and when I went to get them this morning she was on the ground and looked dead. I picked her up and she moved a little bit, put herself upright, and started to weakly walk. I gave her some food and she didn't perk up but she did hold onto her stick. 

Jerry's doing great and seems healthy and strong. And it really is so cool when he turns his head, it's like he's cracking his neck or something, so cool! I'll try to get it on camera. We put him outside for some flower time. Cute little guy.

I bought him some butterfly flowers at Home Depot - Black Eyes Susan, magenta Coneflower, And purple Butterfly Bush, and a big green Salvia plant that smells so nice! It's my favorite. Jerry also seemed to especially them. I am trying to figure out what to do with them - right now the flowers are all still in their temporary pot from the store. I had three inside today and let Jerry and Maria hang around on them - 

...but the plants need 6+ hours of sun, so I think I'll do one inside a day, and let them sleep on them inside, and then keep three outside, and will rotate them.