Summer, Sleep, Swimming, Smiles & Sisters

The most exciting thing in our house right now is that OLIVE SLEEPS!!!

Unlike her siblings, she actually understand that sleep, at night, should occur in increments of more than 45 minutes!

Elmo and Papa took Maisy and Johnny to Lakefair.  Last year Maisy was too short to ride the rides. During the last year many nights were spent discussing how she was so sad she couldn't ride anything at the fair by the water.  This year, Elmo taught Maisy how to stretch as tall as she can so she will be tall enough.  (she still wasn't tall enough for all the rides and some of the fair workers wouldn't let her on!  Poor girl, she still hasn't reached 3 feet!)

Johnny loves Olive and tries to hold her every chance he gets!

Johnny is finally (sometimes) getting Maisy to play games with him.  This weekend he and Maisy here "spies".  The gloves are all part of Maisy's "spy wear".  In this picture she is playing dead.  He's taught her all about Ben 10 and she can tell you all about each character and say their catchphrases.

Olive LOVES smiling.  She gets to happy anytime she sees us.  Her smile brightens up the whole room and Johnny spends alot of time waiting for her to wake up so she can smile!

Maisy started swimming lessons.  The 2nd picture is a result of her being tired of me taking pictures!  Even though she thinks she can already swim, she LOVES her swimming lessons!

Maisy is really enjoying taking care of her sister.  She helped me give her a bath.  Olive thought this was pretty funny.  Maisy did pretty good too and there was only one incident of her dropping a wet wash cloth on Olive's face.  (You can't see me, but I am the main person bathing Olive!)

Johnny hasn't been too pleased with us this summer!  We limit his computer and tv time, we make him do school work, we make him clean his room.  All of this takes very little time out of his day, but he feels like we are torturing him.  Somewhere he has heard this phrase, but he's using it incorrectly.  (and I'm not going to correct him!)  He walks around, glaring at us, saying "I'm in heaven". 

Maisy has adopted a phrase from her Great Grandpa Rutledge.  She can often be heard saying "For Crying Out Loud".  The other day she even performed a freestyle song she'd written entitled "For Crying Out Loud".

With the exception of a few disastrous trips (our apologies to the swimmers at the pool last night) having 3 kids hasn't been too difficult of a transition.  Olive is the sweetest baby ever and rarely makes a peep.  She is the perfect baby for our family and thankfully her siblings love her.  We were a little worried about how Maisy  would respond to her sister, thankfully we have been pleasantly surprised.

The Countdown Begins

Submit your vote for Rutledge #3's Birth Stats!

Rutledge Baby #3

(this is an amazingly awful picture of all of us!!!)

Rutledge #3 is due in exactly 1 month!  The atmosphere in our house is excited (Johnny), confused (Maisy), worried (Gabe) exhausted (Kristi), and looking like he's having a sympathy pregnancy (Don).

(Johnny pouring himself a "small" bowl of cereal!)



Johnny can't wait.  He was pretty bummed when he realized that the baby would not be sharing his room; he really wants #3 to sleep in his room sometime while she's still cute and tiny and not bossy like Maisy.

(Maisy decorating cookies)



Maisy's just confused.  Sometimes she thinks the baby is her stuffed toy, sometimes she thinks she has the baby, most of the time she has no idea.  She has accepted that the baby will be coming to live with us and doesn't want to send her off to Elmo and Papa's.  Also along the lines of acceptance, Maisy has finally admitted she's 3.  She was refusing to be 3 until just this month and told everyone she was 2.

(The Academy Awards, 2011)



Gabe is worried.  He has alot of shows scheduled at various times and is hoping that the baby cooperates with his schedule.  Maisy was not quite as cooperative and Gabe had to call in his back up for a Christmas party he was supposed to preform at.  Let's hope #3 is more thoughtful!

Kristi is exhausted.  I had no idea it was possible to feel so tired!  So Gabe is able to be at home for an extended period of time after #3 arrives, he's had to do alot of traveling.  Being a million months pregnant, by myself, with 2 kids who do not grasp the concept of "mommy wants to sit" is shocking!  With Johnny, I was terrified of giving birth and having a new baby.  Even though he was 15 days late, I could have gone longer!  With Maisy I was eyeing her due date and ok with waiting and hoped she came a little early so she wasn't born on Christmas.  With this one...I'm ready now.  I have no sleeping places set up for her, no car seat in the car, no bags packed, but I'm ready.  (by this point I know, you only need the carseat in place, everything else is a luxury!!)



And Don....Poor Don is suffering from the horrible northwest weather.  We had a wet, cold summer last year and Don didn't spend nearly enough time running around working off his "winter weight".  Then he added "winter weight" from this winter and his looking huge.  People keep asking if our cat is having kittens.  I prefer to think that he is having a sympathy pregnancy right along with me!

We'll keep you posted!

It's a...

Can't you tell?!?! 

We had the 20 week ultra sound this morning.  The kids were very excited.  Johnny could hardly sleep last night and awoke very early this morning with anticipation.

It's a GIRL!

Maisy didn't seem phased by the news.

Johnny was a little disappointed.  He was hoping for his last chance at a brother.  I also think he's a little worried.  The sister he lives with now harrasses him.  I'm sure he's excpecting the worst!  The ultrasound technician was very nice and made this picture for Johnny with a little message from his sister.

The name will be revealed when the baby arrives!