Well, it's been about two weeks for the big kids, and they are LOVING their bunk beds!! My favorite part is listening to their conversations after they are tucked in and lights are out for the night :)
They played the 'Goodnight Game' for an hour on the night the beds were set up. It consisted of them climbing up and down, tucking each other in, and saying goodnight a hundred times.
First night snuggles selfie in the top bunk.
Excited was an understatement that first night...
They slept great, no one fell out of bed, and they woke each other up at the crack of dawn in the morning!!
I can't get over how squishy and cute this little stinker is! And he's now officially 4 months old--smiley, slobbery, and so happy. Here's a peek at the past month.
Growing!
Carson wears size 3 diapers now, still mostly 6 mo. clothes (although 9 mo. jammies are a must), and no socks stay on his feet. Good thing it's summer! His official stats: 17 lbs. 10 oz (88 %ile), 25.5 inches tall (68%ile) and head 44.4 cm (99 %ile). So we still have a large baby with a lot of brains in his head :) His cheeks still seem to get the most attention from people who don't see him too often, and his rolls are getting more defined around his wrists and elbows. He got his shots earlier this week, and he handled them well--just needed more snuggles. I didn't mind!
I love how he is interacting so much more with his surroundings. He is very smiley, and almost anyone can get a smile out of him... wide open mouth, squinty eyes, and maybe even a string of slobber. He loves to sit up in the Bumbo seat, and he actually favors it over the bouncy seat now. In the bouncer, he tried to sit up, and that kind of freaks me out--I worry he's going to flop out! In the Bumbo, he loves to chew on toys (the fabric monkey is his absolute favorite!) and watch us. It's fun to tickle him these days, since he'll chuckle for us now. His ticklish spots are the middle of his back, his sides, and his feet. He loves to lay on the play mat with a mirror and toys hanging above his head. He has rolled from belly to back, but doesn't really like to do it very often. He does roll from his back to his side, but has not gone all the way over. He has great 'core' strength and can sit propped up between our legs without falling forward too much. His head control is awesome, and he is tolerating tummy time more and more, especially if someone is on the floor with him.
We had a challenging month with napping... it seems like the day after I posted his three-month update, he forgot how to sleep any more than 45 minutes at a time. But I do think we're on the upswing, he's been doing much better :) His typical day is built around 2-hour sleep/awake increments right now, and he goes about 4 hours between feedings. Night time sleep is great--he goes down fairly easy most nights by about 8 and sleeps until around 4 or 5 AM. Some nights I have to Nuk him earlier, and every now and then he'll sleep through the night until 6:30 or 7:00. I think we're still transitioning, and I'm curious if all-night sleep is going to naturally happen on it's own, or if he'll need some encouragement to drop that early-morning feeding!
He still loves bath time in the sink, but sometimes takes a bath in the bathtub with his brother and sister. He has a sad and sore rash under his chin from all his drooling. He has a constant wet shirt :( He loves facing forward in the stroller, and car rides are almost sure to put him to sleep. Unless of course, it's after 7:00 at night. He has a weird and wacky switch in him that makes him FREAK in the car after 7:00. His little hands are always searching for something to grab onto, and he brings everything to his mouth. He pulls on my hair all the time, making me so tempted to chop it off. But for now, a pony tail will do. Carson likes to be outside, and he just seems to be in awe of everything to see. We haven't had him in swimming trunks yet to see how he likes to water, but if he's like his siblings, he'll love it.
He's been going to Kris's house for a few hours on Thursday mornings. He does well and seems very comfortable with Kris. We're hoping to keep him familiar with her throughout the summer so the transition is easier in late August when I go back to work.
I hope I always remember how squishy he is at this age and how his hands are always grabbing for things when I'm holding or feeding him. I love watching him fall asleep in my arms, but I know those days are probably fleeting... I love covering him in kisses, and I can't get enough of his sweet smelling breath (weird, I know, but when I close my eyes I can actually smell it!!).
This coming month, we're looking forward to him continuing to 'talk' to us, getting him in the pool or at least splashing in some water, enjoying his smiles and giggles, and watching Cooper and Izzy grow more and more in love with him!!
Carson got his first bottle from his big brother, Cooper this month!
Yes, ladies, his heart belongs to his mommy. So sorry!! (But not really!)
He likes tummy time so much more now that he's stronger.
My big guy. We still love our snuggles on our days we spend alone :)
It's official! Summer is here!! I am so looking forward to the warm days, more options for activities away from home, nice evenings, sweaty & active kids, and the incredibly relaxed way of life we get to live for a few months... I love my job, but I love my family more... and that's why summers are just the BEST when you're a teacher!!!
Cooper found a toad. He named him......... wait for it..... Toadie.
He made sure his little sister knew to be very careful with Toadie.
Oh, that smile says it all. Somehow, their clothes just had to come off... Why do kids love water and being naked so much?!?
A morning walk was just too much to handle...
Bike rides are fun, but exhausting. Just ask Cooper.
When her favorite hiding spot is mom's closet, finding the heels was only a matter of time.
His most cheery and talkative times are first thing in the morning, and after every feeding. I love that I know when his belly is full because he turns away with a big old smile and starts jabbering!
At nearly 4 months, he is really showing us his personality. I think he's going to make sure his voice is always heard!
Don't mind my 'mommy-speak,' I'm sure it sounds a little annoying to anyone else, but Carson sure loves it, and he often tries to copy the inflection he hears in our voices. Love him, his chins, and his little lizard tongue!!
Our little dude is officially switched over to his crib. I wasn't sure I was ready for him to be out of our room, but he has been a little stinker with naps lately, so I thought maybe switching him to his crib for nights and not just naps could help. The jury is still out on my logic.
Anyway, he has made the transition without an issue, and I am surviving. I suppose we'll disassemble the cradle this weekend and put our bedroom back together... Weird. That went so fast!
Here are a couple pics of how happy this guy is when he wakes up in the morning... It's so fun to start the day with big gummy grins!
Yes, Mother's Day has passed, but I'm playing catchup tonight... I'm about to get sappy...
My heart is full. My kids bring me more happiness, laughter, and love than I would have ever thought possible. I have wondered to myself, "Wow, did my mom really love me this much?" I can't even put it into words the unconditional, unwavering, euphoric feeling of love I felt each time I held my brand new babies in my arms on their birth days, but those feelings have never gone away. Some days are frustrating, lots of things worry me, and my insecurities about whether I'm being a good mom creep in sometimes, but I would not wish away a single minute I've spent with my kids. Having this long maternity leave has really made me feel lucky to enjoy this stage in our lives for all its worth. Happy Mother's Day to me :)
This was a fun craft the kids loved helping with, and I will love these canvases forever! My Mother's Day gift to myself :)
Jeremy got me a living locket with each of the kids' birthstones inside, as well as a plate with their names on it, and a charm that says 'mom.' I absolutely love it, and I know I'll wear it all the time. He did good :)
Although Jeremy was gone fishing for the weekend, the kids and I still got to visit with the grandmas over the weekend. We spent a day with Grandma Lori, a lunch with Grandma Dawn and Missy and Drake, and stopped over to see Grandma Chris and Grandpa Randy. It was a great weekend all around!
This girl... She lights up our lives. At 2 1/2 years old, she is spunky, silly, snuggly, sassy, smart, stubborn, sweet, and so special. She has grown and changed so much since she turned 2, I would be sad not to write to remember her in this moment in time. So here's my little 'Ode' to Izzy...
We are constantly amazed at how smart she is! Isabelle is learning things faster than we thought it was possible for a two-year-old. Izzy's got her ABC's down pat and has for a while--not only the song, but she can identify all the letters and get them right most of the time, and she can recognize her name when it's written down. She's got all the numbers, colors and shapes down, too. She can count to twenty like nobody's business :) She loves puzzles, loves to color, write, and draw, and would sit at the table and do 'practicing' for hours. She's even starting to get the hang of how to hold a pencil or other writing utensil.
Her vocabulary is out of this world. She uses words like beautiful, delicious, humongous, and disgusting... to name a few. And what gets me is how she uses them correctly! It's so funny hearing some of the BIG things that come out of a human so SMALL! I love that she can say her prayers all by herself, she can hold a conversation, and she can always tell us what she wants. Well, sometimes we wish she'd use her words rather than whine, but you know, she's two...
A little dark, but gives a glimpse :) She gets a little distracted in the middle, but it adds to the cuteness!
She still loves to have her snuggles, especially if she's just gotten scolded for something or if she has just hurt someone. Her conscience is a healthy one :) A lot of times, she'll say, 'I'm not feeling so well," as she bawls about getting into trouble. I love to snuggle with her--she's still so little for her age, that she just melts into me...
Stubborn is a perfect word for her these days, too. She is a very independent little stinker, and really wants to do more than she is able. She can put her own shoes on most of the time (although often gets the feet mixed up), her undies, socks, and pants, but her shirts give her a bit of a challenge. When she's in a 'mood,' there is no helping her. The other night, she literally walked around the bathroom with her head and one arm through the head hole of her pj's, inside out, with the other arm twisted up into one sleeve. She looked and sounded like a wreck, but she wouldn't let me help her. Jeremy says she gets her stubbornness from her mother... hmmm...
She's a little putz... everything she does seems to take forever. And I mean for-e-ver. To eat a meal with her takes at least 45 minutes. And she usually doesn't even eat that much!
She always has crazy hair. She calls it 'wild' hair. It's just not all quite long enough to stay perfectly in a pony tail, and she usually plays so hard that it gets crazy on its own. She tries to put her own barrettes in, but you can imagine how well that goes. Oh, and she likes girly things... She LOVES to get polish on her fingers and toes, and she loves to hoard necklaces and bracelets, sparkly things, and dresses & tutus.
Izzy is fun-loving and goofy, and she makes us laugh all the time. I am really, genuinely excited that she is in the middle of our family and is our only girl. I have a feeling she'll be a tough little thing, and people won't push her around :) Her cute little voice and super sweet smile are already getting her out of trouble... when she smiles, her whole face smiles.
She idolizes her big brother. She copies him, and I mean really copies him. Especially if he is doing something funny, she even uses his mannerisms! She'll say what he does, use the same actions, and usually wants to be around him. Of course, they have their arguments and disagreements, but they get along really well most of the time. They are very different in a lot of ways, but have lots of lovable similarities :)
Her own mascara application... What little girl doesn't do this???
Mommy's girl!! See what I mean about those squinty eyes? I LOVE her!!!
Thumbs-up selfie with mom
She LOVES to color, and spends time at the table all by herself doing stuff like this!
