Zoen - One Month! And 5 Days

So, my sweet, snuggly youngest is already a month old.

I'm flat out in denial of this.

Thankfully, he still curls up over my shoulder to sleep and I don't plan on forcing that whole "sleep in his bed" thing anytime soon.

He perpetually looks surprised when he's really awake.  Either that or cross-eyed.  He'll figure it out eventually.  In the mean time, it CRACKS us up.

This kid is a lot like his oldest sister was as a baby... sweet, easy, mellow, relaxed.

But he's LOUD.  My goodness, he's loud.  I'll settle down in bed and be right about to drift off to sleep when I hear, *Snarfle snarfle, grunt grunt* "EHHHHHHH.  EHHHHHHHHH." *Grunt, grunt*  And inevitably, when I haul myself over to his bassinet to check on him, he's sound asleep. Of course.

He's loud when he nurses, too.  I settle down to nurse him and his grunts and sighs turn heads from clear across the room.  He totally reminds me of a piglet. (Don't worry, I think they're irresistibly cute, too).

And truly, at the rate he's growing?  That's apt.  We left the hospital with him at 7 lbs, 14 oz.  He's now 11 lbs, 8 oz. Ginormous.

When he's up on my shoulder, he has a way of wrapping one of his arms around my arm in a half-hug.

Not terribly clear, but the only pic I have of him doing this.

He's still a thumb sucker on occasion, something I'm encouraging, despite raised eyebrows from others.  Hey, he's my fourth kid. I've had a pacifier user, a finger sucker, and a kid for whom NOTHING but me would suffice.  I'll go on record saying that the kid who sucked her fingers was by far the easiest in the middle of the night.  So, we'll keep hoping for the thumb to become a nice, self-soothing habit.

He sleeps best when he's belly-to-belly with me, holding his head tipped back and his hands under his chin.  I'm not complaining. He's nice and warm. And the snuggles! I'm drinking in all of the delicious baby snuggles I can handle.

I usually write my updates to the kid I'm talking about, but this time? That would have gotten dreadfully sentimental... all the same, I will, for a second.

So, Z?  You're 100% adorable, completely sweet, and your belly button is totally shaped like a cinnamon roll.   Never doubt for a second how loved and cherished you are.

Love,

Mama

Hey, Remember Me?

*Fixed to show the picture :)

Right, so last time you checked here, I was griping and moaning about being like, 11 months pregnant.  And now?

I've got the cutie on the outside.

We're currently dealing with our personal episode of the plague, (go figure that their second illness of the season happens to be the week the new baby comes home), but I can at least introduce the little man to you until we're all on the mend.

Zoen Nathanael  (rhymes with Owen)
8 lbs. 12 oz.
Born March 14th, 8:20am

He's mellow and darling and decidedly handsome, (according to his mother).

I'm going to steal a picture that I've already posted elsewhere for his intro, just because it's so blissfully cute and well, to be honest, I've done NOTHING in the way of photographing this kid with an actual camera.

(I know, I KNOW.  Give me a day or two, I'll get back to it).

So here's a flash to the future with baby Z... lots of these grins to come.  (And yes, I know it's blurry... but it's a smile!  Who can resist?)

So there he is, our little fourth born munchkin in all his adorable glory.  I'll have lots more in the days to come... story of his name, reactions of the kids, (they're a hoot!), and yes, pictures.

For now, checking in.

Things To Remember

Today has been a difficult day with the 18 month old.  I think it's a wicked combination of my being 2 weeks away from delivering another kid, him being 18 months old and discovering that he can have an opinion, and perhaps his little body fighting off some germ or another.  Who knows. What I DO know is that he's sleeping soundly in his bed right now, and for the first time since he was quite little, I'm going to let him nap til he wakes up.

(Yeah, that's a weird thing... I wake him up almost daily from his naps because if he naps too long?  Nights are miserable.  I missed the memo on that whole "never wake a sleeping baby" thing).

Anyway, as he was sitting across his room from me shouting "NO WAY, NO WAY, NO WAY!" and not wanting anything to do with me, (or the nap I knew he most desperately needed), I started thinking that I better write down all of the cute things he says before the proverbial "Terrible 2's" arrive.  Because judging from today's tantrum?  I'm going to need some reminding.

So, excuse my sentimentality for a bit while I note my little guy's sweeter moments.

1.  I'll often tell him, "I love you [insert random nickname]!" And he started saying, "I wuv you too."  My favorite is when I say, "I love you, little man-man!" and he tells me, "I wuv you too, mama mama."

2.  He likes to play patty-cake with me lately and has been doing all of the motions.  Except that his rolling motion for "rooooooolllll it" is more like he's shaking maracas up and down.  Then he throws his arms up and shouts, "B!"  Best is when he's standing up while doing it and does his maracas dance while running in place as fast as he can.

3.  He's a champion mimic.  I realized this today when I heard him lay the verbal smackdown on his sister who was tormenting him with a toy.  "Ca-wee! STOP IT!"  It was precisely the tone I use when trying to get the kids to leave each other alone.

4.  First thing in the morning, as he's usually the first one up, he calls for me from his crib.  And every morning, when I go in there, we have this exchange, with very little variation:
M: "Good morning Sunshine!"
S: *Grins and grins* "Hi Mama!"
M: "How are you?"
S: "Good!"
M: "How'd you sleep?"
S: "Good! Hug?"
I scoop him up, he wraps his arms around my neck, puts his head on my shoulder and rubs my back.  Then he pops up, smiles and says, "Snack? Watch a movie?" and clambers down and out into the living room where I get him a little snack and we snuggle while watching Curious George and waiting for the girls to come out.  It's a delightful little way to start the morning... especially considering that I am NOT a morning person.  He charms me into grinning pretty easily.

Just a few things, but things that are particularly close to my heart as these kids fly through the childhood.  I might remember snuggles, but I want to remember these specifics too.  Because, dude... at the rate this kid is going?  He's going to be way taller than me and requesting third or fourth helpings for dinner.  (Ok, he does the latter fairly frequently).

Yup, that's my little guy.

A Big Doctor DO and Some Updating

So, I took the kids to the pediatrician last week for a well visit for the big kid and the little kid.  The middle kid just clambered along for the ride.  (I toyed with the idea of leaving her home, but there's that whole thing about not wanting the house to burn down in my absence that kind of held me back).

Anyway, this was our second visit to this particular office, first with this doctor.  We switched mostly due to location and our first visit went well enough, but I left the office, (again with three kids), completely frazzled.  The kids were typical kids and I had trouble getting to have more than 3 words in edgewise over their noise.

This time?  Quite different.  So, if you're in the pediatric profession, take note.  This particular Dr. had the magic.

We were ushered into the exam room quickly and the super sweet nurse took the basic stats from the kids.  She helped corral the littlest as I herded the big two into the bathroom.  I was kind of overwhelmed, but since that's sort of the status quo with three kids in public, that's not unusual.

Then there was the licking the exam table incident involving the kid who shall not be named.  But we won't speak of that.  (And thankfully, we've been plague free since... either she has an immune system of steel or they do a good job wiping things down between visits).

Then, the doctor came in.  Immediately, he stopped, pulled some gymboree bubbles, (those things are so much better than regular bubbles), out of his pocket and filled the room with tiny bubbles.  The kids were entranced.  They spent at least 15 minutes gleefully popping bubbles.  And you know what I did with those 15 minutes?  I talked to the doctor. UNINTERRUPTED.

Genius.

The rest of the visit continued in the awesome vein, but that little trick was far too good not to share.  If your doc doesn't do the bubble thing, maybe you could bring your own?  (I'd advise checking first).  But there's something to be said for being able to share you concerns and questions with the doctor and actually be able to conduct a two-sided, un-distracted conversation.

As for stats, here's what we ended up with for the oldest and youngest, (I was going to say biggest and littlest, but that's no longer true, as you'll see):

S(18 months): 28 lbs. and 14 oz.  Yeah, he's a big kid.  This is around the 85th percentile.  As for his height, I forget what it actually was, (and dang it, can't find the sheets), but he's actually somewhere around the 75th percentile. The doctor figures that he was mis-measured last time.  So basketball is again on the table. Maybe. And his head?  It's off the charts.  But everyone who's seen my melon headed baby boy could have guessed that.  Lots of brains.

L(5):  She was in the 50th percentile for weight and the 70th(!) for height.  The doc said that if she continues along this growth track, she's possible looking at being somewhere around 5 feet, 5 inches.  In other words, that's another kid that's going to dwarf her mother.

Both kids met their developmental milestones with no problem and the doctor remarked that he was sort of shocked at how many words S knew and how clearly he spoke. This was a relief as at his 15month appointment, the kid knew a handful of words and rarely used them.  Seems he realized that he has to keep up with his sisters somehow.  Now I can't get the kid to be quiet.  So there are three perpetual chatterboxes in our midst.

Anyway, they're happy, healthy kids and as much as we loved the doctor, we're really hoping we don't see him again until the next well visits.

And now, a completely gratuitous picture of my little (sort of) big-headed munchkin.

Five Years and Some Change

My oldest turned FIVE on Thursday. FIVE, people. Which means that not only is my kid halfway to double digits, but that I've been doing this mothering thing for five years. And I've blogged 'em all. Dang!

My delightful first born is less likely to be the subject of my blog posts as she ages, most notably because she's actually developed a decent brain to mouth filter and doesn't say things like, "MY MOMMY MADE A GIANT POOP!" to ladies in the grocery store at this point.

Thank goodness.  

So, I hopped back to read through blog posts from the beginning.  Here's the first where we introduced her to my humble little following.  

They start out so, so small, don't they?

Her cheeks grew faster than the rest of her: 

She grew to explore local gangs and got her first cold:

She turned one...

She started walking... and running

She became quite the little mommy, explored alternative bath places, developed a preference for a football team, and then she turned two...

She had questionable conversations on the phone with boys, she became a great big sister, almost had a throwdown with mommy, and developed quite a fashion sense

She learned to be thankful for EVERYTHING, refined her Beanisms, and turned three:

Then, she tortured my sleep and developed a penchant for dress-up

This was followed by her becoming an expert at procrastination, further refined her Beanisms, and became cousin to Joe Cool, 

And faster than I was ready, she turned four...

Four brought an attempt at a foreign language, her looking WAY too old in my wedding veil, 

A passion for dance, and nature, 

And a host of other things that have me looking at her sometimes and wondering who took my baby and left this tiny girl with the huge personality.  

And now?  Now she's five. 

A pretty little, big-hearted, smart as a whip, silly, passionate and compassionate, lover of animals, friend of anyone, thoughtful, laid-back, easy-to-please, decidedly more little girl than baby, delightful burst of five.  

Happy birthday, sweet girl.  You made me a mama.  

Weighty Stats

Took the two littlest kids in for very, very overdue well visits.  I was interested to see how the kids measured up against each other.  My suspicions?  I thought Sayer would at least weigh as much as Caly.

Um, he's got a half a pound on her.  I have two 26 pound children. 

With her 26 pounds and however many inches tall she is, Caly remains firmly snuggled in the 20th percentile.  She's her mother's daughter, through and through. 

Sayer and his 26 pounds obvious tip the 95th percentile for weight.  Daddy's sturdy little man.  But...  his height?  He's just over the 18th percentile.  Kid is a fire hydrant.

Before we had kids, I joked about how Shaun and I were destined to have short boys and tall girls.  Looks more like we're having short kids.  Sorry, honey...  gotta kiss those basketball dreams goodbye.  (Then again, there's always Muggsy Bogues).

Lex gets her checkup in a few months.  I'm not holding my breath that she'll be on the tall side of things. 

Hey, short kids find the best hiding places. 

Sayer (i.e. The Poor Neglected Third Born)

So, in the course of my summer of sporadic blogging, my little guy turned one.  I just scanned back through his 11 month entry and man, the kid is different.  Amazing what a few months will do.  Because I'm snarfly and don't have the energy for a craftily worded post, I'm going to list out a few things that I want to remember about the little dude at this time in his life.  (Because honestly, people... if I wait until I have the energy to craftily post something, he's going to be 17 before it happens).  And?  Pictures!  (Keeps the family happy)

Thanks Amy for this shot!

The little dude is starting to communicate beyond shrieking like a maniac.  His current list of clear as day words are "ball," "up," "down," "go," "mama," "pa-pa," "dada," and "button."  He also says "a!" "eight," "silly," "more," "dog," "woof," and "night-night."  He'll repeat most things back in a somewhat clear fashion and says some garbled syllables consistently for certain objects so that I know what he means, but to the rest of the world?  Not so much yet.  He's definitely not the talker that his sisters were/are but he does most things on his own program, so... I'm not surprised.

 He loves shoes.  Any shoes.  All shoes.  I have to hide shoes.  Why?  Because the kid is walking.  And albeit more of a walk than a toddle at this point, he's still not that sturdy.  So when he's trying to walk while wearing one of Shaun's shoes?  Yeah, LOTS of tumbles.   You'd think I could solve that by putting him in his own shoes.  But he's never satisfied with one pair.  He wants as many on as he can fit on his fat little feet.  The funniest/sort of saddest part?  He cries like he has a broken heart when I take his shoes off.  Every. Time. 

One other word he's mastered is "OW!"   Not only is it clear as day, but he's figured out how to yell "OW! OW! OWWWW!" at the top of his lungs when one of the girls comes by and he doesn't want them near his coveted toy of the moment.  For awhile, poor C got the brunt of, "Stop trying to take your brother's things!" until I finally witnessed his little scheme.  (Though she does her share of tormenting).  I have Lex to thank for teaching him this through her daily yelling during her hair brushing. 

He still loves his sisters and regularly doses them with slobbery hugs and kisses.  But he and Caly fight.  A lot.  And with physical intensity.  And the mere half pound of weight difference between them is no longer enough to allow Caly to emerge the victor anymore.  (Translation?  She tends to get her behind kicked).  Poor girl...  it's just going to get worse from here. 

He eats most things, but balks at new foods...  if I can manage to get him to open his mouth for a bite, he'll generally try more in his own.  He loves fruit above all things and could eat strawberries and blueberries until he dropped.  He's the first kid I've had that can take carbs or leave them.  I don't know whose kid he is in those moments. 

He adores his Daddy and loves his Mommy.  He's huggable and sweet and snuggles easily.  He's got an epic temper but doesn't often haul off and scream.  He hates being told no and makes the most adorable pouty face I've ever seen.  (It's really hard not to  laugh at him because he works it for a minute or two before letting loose). 

 
14 months old (almost) and on the fast track to big brotherhood.  And...  his hair's getting long.  Shaun wants to cut it... I say no.  (The CURLS! The red! The sweet baby-ness!  The surfer look!)

Anyway, there you have it.  Sayer's 14 month self in a little ole blog entry.  Merry merry :)

Sayer - Update... Erm, Um... Hey, It's an UPDATE!

Dear Sayer,

Now, before you get all "My Mommy doesn't love me as much as she loves my sisters!" consider this... you are SPOILED.  Ask your Daddy.

So spoiled, in fact, that if you're having a cranky day?  You get snuggled.  If you look at me and stick your lip out?  You get snuggled.  If you glance up and grin at me?  You get snuggled.  I can't help it.  And it's mighty difficult to type with a totally squirmy baby in my arms.

And squirmy you are... I almost miss the days when you'd curl up on my lap and stay put.  Now it's quite like wrangling a spider monkey.  But in exchange, you're doing all sorts of cool stuff down on the ground.  You've slowly progressed from that desperate looking army crawl into actual hands and knees movement.  Almost overnight, you started being able to get yourself back into a sitting position from lying down.  That one has saved all of us some sanity.  (Though it still totally freaks me out when I watch you crawling everywhere and then turn around again to see you sitting calmly in the middle of the floor. Stealthy).

You love, love, love your Mama, but that shouldn't be any surprise.  I kind of have a crush on the grocery store lady..  anyone in charge of my food pretty much has my heart.  Glad to see it's an inherited thing.

When you're not clamoring for a hug from me, you're reaching for Daddy.  He's been saying forever how much I spoil you and yes, he may be right... but you're a smart little one because man, he will pick you up any time you do that, no doubt.

You like climbing all over anyone who is in your path and when you're excited?  You bite.  You also bite when you're scared.  And sometimes when you're sad.  It is not pleasant.  If you could knock that out, your food source/snuggle giver would be mighty pleased.

You weigh a few pounds shy of your 24 pound sister... I'm guessing that by the time she's 2 and you're 1?  You'll be the same size.  Don't pick on her... she can bite too.

You're almost 8 months old.  Some things haven't changed a whit since you were a sweet, dimpled newborn.  You still love to be worn in a sling, you still love to nurse, you still love to sleep best when I'm nearby.  But other things?  Not so much.  You love table food of most types, I can't put you down and expect you to stay put, and you smile at almost anything and anyone.

So, while this might be the only update for a little while, know that when I'm not writing?  You've probably finagled your way into my arms.

(And onto my laptop/phone/drink/any forbidden object within sight.  Yeah, I'm getting used to being a means to an end).

Love,

Mama

4

My Baby Girl,

At 4 today, you're certainly not a baby anymore.  You're my petite little girlie-girl.  You're dramatic, hilarious, adorable, and sweet.

And my dear kiddo, I totally have a blog post coming for your birthday, but alas, you and your sister and brother have succumbed to some germ and I'm about tuckered out. 

So for now, happy, happy birthday my little Beanie...  I love you always,

Mama

C - 20 Months

Oh Kid,

I thought that if I didn't write updates to mark your monthly birthday, you'd stall in getting older and stay one and a half forever. 

Um, it didn't work.  You're now 20 months old.  TWENTY months!  It sounds so very old. 

Then again, you're not helping things with your sudden exhuberant grasp of the English language.  You regularly speak in full sentences, though a lot of times, about half the words are a bit too garbled for anyone not versed in C-speak to understand.  But every day, you're becoming clearer. 

But no matter how clear your speech gets, there are some words I hope you always say in your little quirky way...  my current favorite?  "Teeya-torra"  for "Tortilla".  Makes me smile every time. 

You're often unintentionally hilarious when verbalizing your mischief, too.  Yesterday, you started narrating your play.  I was actively engaged in something else so I was only half paying attention to your running commentary. 

"Color!" 

"Yeah!  Good girl, C!" 

"Mommy, I color!" 

"You color!  Yeah!" 

"Color Sayer!  YAY!" 

"Good job C!  Wait, WHAT?!  NO!  Don't color Sayer!" 

Despite your affinity for coloring your brother, you love him a lot.  When he cries, you're the first to start saying, "Ssssssssss....  Sssssss Sayer!  It OK!"  while rocking him or patting him.  However, you're still very fond of tackling him too, so I have to stick around when you're in his vicinity. 

You fight with Bean a lot, but she's the first person you ask about when you wake up in the morning.  If she's not in the room, you'll call out for her, "Sissy!  Are you?"  When you guys play together, you're the best of friends.  I hope it stays that way for years to come. 

You're splendidly polite and easily charm with how sweetly you say thank you after someone gives you something.  "Dank you Aunt Shell!"  You're always the first one to say "bless you" when someone sneezes.  And if someone... ahem... passes gas?  You're sure to remind them to say "scoooze me!"  (Because you say it for them first...  "Scooze me Daddy!")

You love television of any kind and have solidified a special place in your Daddy's heart in your affinity for "fooooootball!  TOUCHDOWN!"  When you get up earlier than the rest of the house, you and Daddy often snuggle together on the couch and catch Sports Center. 

Music has become a great love of yours too.  You've started spinning in circles while dancing and saying, "Ballerina, ballerina!"  You also have definitive preferences when it comes to the songs you like.  Most recently?  "Bust a Move."  Yeah, I didn't expect to hear, "You want it, you got it!" coming from the back seat.  If you don't like a song, you're quick with, "Not dis one!" until we change it. 

You are intense.  Your happy is HAPPY.  Your mad is MAD.  Everything is big with you, even if your tiny body isn't.  You're so very, very different than your older sister.  The two of you give me the best of the world of having girls.   Even though I'm having to learn the nuances of parenting all over again, I wouldn't change it for anything. 

Thank you for making my life so much fun,

Mommio

Sayer - 3 Month Update

(Good GRIEF, how did 10 days of November fly by like that?  Ooof!)

My Snuggly Cebu,

Being that you hit the size of a 3 month old at oh, about 3 weeks, it's weird to think that you're only that old.  It feels like you've been here for so much longer than that.

You're by far the happiest of my babies.  When you're awake and you catch someone's eye, you grin.  You grin at your sisters.  You grin at me.  You grin at anyone who will talk to you.  Heck, you grin at the ceiling fan too. 

And it's so very easy to make you laugh.  You regularly crack up for no reason other than the tone of my voice when I talk to you.  And if I can't get you to laugh by talking to you, I can tickled you.  Without fail, I'll get at least a smile. 

It's a good thing you're so jolly.  You're probably the worst sleeper of all three kids. My body has actually begun to accept that it's going to get no more than 6 hours of decent sleep a night.  I keep reminding myself that it won't last forever.  Because it won't.  Those 5am wake-ups where you are remarkably reluctant to settle back into sleep will fade before I know it and I'll miss having the one time a day that's just you and me. 

You love being carried and "worn" by your Daddy and me... and it works out quite nicely as you conk out pretty easily in the carrier or sling, but dude, you keep growing at that rate and I'm going to need some complicated lever system to haul you around.

(No babies were harmed in the taking of this picture...)

I love you more than muffins and yes, you're spoiled to bits.  Your daddy called me out on it... and you know?  He's right.  But hey, he's been spoiling your sisters for years.  My turn :)

Love always from that lady who makes the crazy faces and carries you around all day,

Mama