Finally!

It seems as though he's been doing it for weeks now, but I've just never been able to capture it on film. But on Monday evening, I finally caught one!
My "Stu's" first smile on film.

He was laying on our bed after I'd changed his diaper, and we were "talking". He makes the cutest gurgle and coo sounds now, and he gets such a kick out of me when I "talk" back to him in the same way. He's so funny--he gets still when I talk to him, and his face gets this serious look of concentration. And his eyes get so big as if he's really paying attention. So now I make it my mission to coax as many smiles as I can out of him each day!

Having a boy has been GREAT fun so far.

Six weeks of "Stu"

Dear Son:

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You are six weeks old now! Things I want to remember about you at this age:

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-Your eyes still haven't settled on a color. One day they look like they're turning brown, the next they look blue again.

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-Your hair seems to still be dark, but it might be thinning a tad in the back from laying down on it in your cradle and the car seat.

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-You love watching your sisters! You're quite content when they have you surrounded. (I wonder if in a few short years this will change and you'll want them to leave you alone?!)

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-You now often smile and "talk" to the crosses we have hanging on the wall behind the couch when I feed you there. It's probably my favorite thing you do right now! I wish I could memorize the sound of your little voice.

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-Some of the things I call you right now: Baby Brother, Baby B, Little Prince, my son

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-You'll let anyone hold you, which I'm thankful for. Your sisters were a bit more finicky!

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-You're still so touch-oriented. Today we were at a restaurant and you were getting fussy in your car seat beside me. All I did was cup my hand against the side of your face, and you began to drift off to sleep. Usually if you're fussy, all I have to do is pick you up, hold you close and rock you and then you're content.

***

-Your newborn size pants are almost too short for you, and you're beginning to wear size small (0-3 months). I'm really sad about the pants...those newborn size ones are so precious! I'm going to be saving the first pair we ever bought you. They're navy blue, and they're my absolute favorite pair on you. Tonight I put you in a pair of size three months jammies for the first time, and they almost fit you perfectly! We wonder if you're going to be tall like your Papaw Dees.

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-You're still taking about four ounces of formula at a time, and you eat every three hours.

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-You're not sleeping through the night yet, but you're only waking once in the middle of the night still. So that's ok. Since you're my last baby, I'm going to savor all the middle-of-the-nights I get with you!

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-You don't get mad when we put you in your car seat or in the bathtub anymore.

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-Your poor little tear ducts are still blocked, so your eyes get green-"goop"y a lot.

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-You're so laid back and go-with-the-flow! Your sisters were much more high-strung and high maintenance.

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-You don't flail your arms and legs quite as much anymore, though you don't have complete control over them yet, either.

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-I'm beginning to think that you sleep better under lighted and noisy conditions. For instance, the other day you wouldn't nap, so M and I went into my room to make the bed since you weren't sleeping anyway. We turned on a small lamp, and our presence calmed you down. We ended up playing on the bed, and after a few minutes I realized that you were finally snoozing away in your cradle! All it took was a little light and a little noise.

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-We're not swaddling you anymore when we lay you in your cradle to sleep. You had begun kicking and wriggling out of your blankets, so we decided you were ready to sleep without them. So we've begun putting you in your footie jammies to sleep (we'd been putting you in onesies to sleep before since you were all bundled up). Daddy put them on you for the first time Thursday night, and you were about the cutest thing I've ever seen!

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-You're cute and all in your footies, but I'm deeply sad that you've outgrown swaddling. When I laid down to sleep every night, I used to love watching you in your cradle all swaddled up looking like a little pea pod. Sometimes your little legs would kick up out of reflex, and your blankets made you look like a little cocoon moving. I realized last night as I went to sleep watching you that I'd never again see that since you're my last baby. I wish I'd been better prepared for that while we were still swaddling you! I don't think I savored it enough.

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-You're ready to be moved into your crib now. (Which means we need to get on the ball finding bunk beds for your sisters!!) I noticed last night that you take up so much space in your cradle since you're getting so long! Your hands touch the sides of the cradle when your arms are spread out.

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-If someone's holding you while you're awake, you prefer to be held upright rather than laying down. Your sisters were the same way.

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-You no longer need receiving blankets rolled up on either side of you in your car seat for support. You don't slump over anymore!

***

I love every precious thing about you. You're such a good baby! I love you so very much.

Rosie's toesies

Rosie's 18 months now, and one of the most prominent personality traits that has emerged is her love of shoes. "Shoes" was one of her first words, and last week she uttered her first complete sentence:

"Mommy, I want shoes."

We didn't put shoes on her very much until she started walking because she'd usually pop them off immediately and begin chewing on them. But as soon as she became aware of shoes, that was it. She's forever hooked, I think! Oftentimes the first thing I hear from her in the monitor in the mornings is "Shoes! Shoes!" (Which from her comes out sounding more like "Sues! Sues!", and she only recently added the "s" on the end to make it plural.)

When she gets shoes on, she'll walk around the house saying "Coot sues! Coot sues!", which translates into "cute shoes". Or sometimes they're "pit-ee" (pretty).

The cutest thing to me is when she'll come up to you, hold on to the nearest piece of furniture, hike her leg up to either show you her shoes while she says "Coot sues!" or indicate to you that she's barefoot and wants shoes on ("Won sues!").

Right now, she's a big fan of her big sister M's pink "jelly shoes", as M calls them. If she gets her hands on them (er--feet in them?), she'll clop clop around the house blissfully.

And what's cute about M is that she thinks these shoes are a new invention! Bless her heart...one of these days she'll learn that styles are cyclical. I tried to tell her I wore this exact type of shoe not too terribly long ago. {Shudder!} She didn't believe me.

On this note, M's also always talking about "fashion" and "style" these days. Every day she begs to wear a dress because it's "fashion". And when she gets dressed for outings, she'll comment that she can't wait for (insert name of person we might be meeting that day) to see her because he/she/they will think she's so "stylish"!

Poor girl...she's going to be devastated as she grows up to learn that Mama isn't into these things anymore...


And earlier this week I stumbled upon this scene when I walked into the girls' room to check on them. She was in the process of emptying their shoe basket! She was having a ball.

As a sidenote, can you tell that shoe storage is a problem for us? What self-respecting Southern woman throws her shoes all willy-nilly in a plastic tote? Ha! I need to get this under control. But the wardrobes of two little girls sharing a closet gets pretty crazy! I need to make this one of my projects this summer. Especially since Baby Brother's going to be moving in soon, too!

Lord have mercy on us!

Here's to a great weekend, wherever your "sues" are taking you.

Weekend whatnot

Our weekend in pictures...
Rosie wolfing down our new tradition of powdered donuts for weekend breakfast. I've gotten into the habit of picking up a bag during our weekend grocery shopping to cheat and make breakfast a little easier on me and J on the weekends. Notice how she eats these puppies--she doesn't joke around! She sucks on the whole thing until it fits in her mouth. She does the same with cookies. It's so cute! (But not so appetizing if she hands it to you for a bite. Ha!)


A little laundry. This is M's attempt at helping me fold washcloths. How much do I love that she wants to help me with homekeeping?! (We do have to work on her folding skills, however...)

Daddy was home all day with us on Sunday! We had our first "family of five" outing at the mall. (Daddy needed Hawaiian shirts for his principal retreat this week.) This was also "Stu's" first trip to the mall, too. I'm not sure if he dug it or not. At first he was pretty fussy, but later on he became enthralled with staring at the ceilings as we rolled along.

Notice how M and Rosie have graduated to their new spots! Rosie moved up to the front seat, and M's now free-range. She did a great job! Know who's going to have the biggest adjustment? ME! J always pushes the stroller, so his position is static. M and I are just going to have to work on where we walk when we're all together. We were always tripping over each other because she couldn't decide where she wanted to be!

Being free-range affords you the opportunity to hide in the middle of clothing racks! She did it for the first time earlier in the day at Children's Place, but I didn't think to get out my camera till we hit Macy's.

I had to smile! It's kind of a kid rite of passage.

And bathing one-month-old babies.

Oh, the hair! I soooo love this little man's post-bath hair. :0)

All in all, a good weekend. We just can't wait till Daddy's done with his school duty so we can have a little summer break with him!

Four weeks

My sweet son is four weeks old today!


I stole this photo idea from other blogs that I read. I wish I'd done it for the girls! I'll do my best to photograph "Stu" here each month to see how much he grows and changes with time.
Speaking of the girls, they were chomping at the bit to get into the photo too! J had to literally hold them back for me while I snapped the pictures. After I was satisfied that I'd captured a good one, we let them have at it. Poor kid...I have a feeling this is only the beginning of his sisters meddling in his life!

Precious baby! Just like his daddy...it doesn't take much to make him sleepy! In this case, it appears his paparazzo mother wore him out. Ha!

*****

For my own posterity, here are some notes about my boy at four weeks old. No particular order...just off the top of my head:

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-I'm still obsessed with your hair! My favorite is your freshly washed hair. But if I don't towel dry it and comb it as soon as possible after your bath, you get a little tuft that flips up near the front. I don't know that I'd classify it as a full-blown cowlick, but I do my best to take care of grooming your hair right away so we don't have to deal with it. :0)
*****
-So much about taking care of you brings back long-forgotten memories about your sisters. I'm so happy that I'm recalling things about them because I failed to record much about their growing up. I'm grateful for the opportunity to remember some things about them!
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-My absolute favorite things to dress you in are onesies and matching cotton pants. (Like what you're wearing in these photos!) That's about all you wear! I'm stockpiling those pants in every size so you'll keep having them at every stage.
*****
-You're outgrowing most of your newborn-size tops and even some brands of 0-3 month onesies (Gerber brand, to be exact!). You're still able to wear newborn size pants, however. You have some "small" size pants, or 0-3 month size pants, and they fit you OK. They're big on you, but I can roll down the waist and make them work.
*****
-We decided to move you up to size 1-2 diapers since they seem to fit fine. You can still wear newborn size diapers, but just barely. So now we can get you Costco diapers since they start at size 1-2! We're happy about saving money, but secretly the sentimental mama in me is sad that I'll never diaper a baby in tiny newborn size Pampers Swaddlers again. They are my absolute favorite. I love how soft they are and their wonderful scent!! Today I set aside the last three that we had so I could put them in you and your sisters' scrapbooks one day. Until that day, I'll keep sniffing them! :0)

-M continues to call you "Stu", and we'll always let her. She's over the moon about you still! She loves to hold you, and when you're laying down somewhere, it doesn't take long for her to snuggle up beside you.

-Rosie adores you too, and when you enter the room she always exclaims "Ah bee-bee! Ah bee-bee! (Hi baby!)" She loves to pinch your cheeks, and she'll often "tickle" you while saying "teek-ah, teek-ah, teek-ah!", which is her version of "tickle, tickle, tickle!" like we say to you all when we tickle you.

-You spend a lot of time staring at the curtains, blinds, and black crosses we have hanging as decor on the wall in the living room. I'm sure it's the contrast in colors. Your sisters did the same thing!

-We tried to feed you a different formula the other day because we ran out of our normal brand and we happened to have a sample can of something else. You would have none of it! Luckily you had some regular formula in your diaper bag. Maybe you're going to be a creature of habit like your mama!

-You're currently eating about four ounces of formula every three hours.

-You really respond to touch. (Typical man! HAHA!) When you're fussy or discontent, oftentimes all I have to do is put my hand over your arms and you calm right down. I think you like the warmth and softness of skin!

-You're a big fan of sleeping swaddled still. We've tried to put you down in your cradle unswaddled, and even if you're conked out completely, you'll still wake up because you have no control over your arms yet.

-I can tell you're getting bigger physically. I'm trying to be OK with that. A small part of me is OK with it, though. I know the best is yet to come, and each new stage will be my favorite, just like it was and is with your sisters!

-You love to snuggle. And I'm OK with that! We spend many an evening after your dinner in Daddy's recliner, you asleep cuddled up against my neck.

-During one of said snuggle sessions a few nights ago, you sucked your thumb for the first time! You put your right thumb in your mouth, and it was so funny because you left the rest of your fingers spread out on your face. You had a look on your face as if to say, "this is comforting to me but a little weird at the same time...what's on my face?!"

-You're adapting to a schedule so well! I love it. I don't know if it's because you're my third child, but I feel so at ease taking care of you! I wish I had this same confidence with your sisters.

-You're still sleeping well at night and only waking once in the middle of the night to be fed. The last few nights you've given us at least one 5-6 hour stretch! Generally, you wake between 2-3 AM and again at 6-7 AM to be fed. (Now if only Daddy and I would get smart and go to bed earlier so we can get a 5-6 hour stretch of sleep, too!)

-You're so predictable--if all your other major needs are taken care of: full tummy, sufficiently burped, clean diaper, etc., and you're fussy, it's a clear sign that you're tired and want to take a nap. I love being able to read you so easily!

-I can decipher at least one of your cries: the hungry one. It's the most serious!

-Last Friday was Mama's first solo trip out with all three of you. We took Rosie to the doctor for her 18-month well-child check-up. You slept most of the time and were a dream! It felt like a three-ring circus for me, though...the girls were in the double stroller, and I carried you in the Bjorn carrier. Honestly, I wanted to cry. I felt like we looked like such a spectacle! But as we left the doctor's office, I suddenly felt so proud of us and our accomplishment. Maybe this isn't going to be so difficult for me to get out with all of you! Some of the nurses even commented that it looked like I'd gotten the system down. (Obviously, I'm a good actress! Ha!)

-You went to your first playdate on Monday this week at our MOPS friend Holley's house. There were 4-5 other moms there from my MOPS group along with their children. You seemed to enjoy watching all the "big kids", and you were rarely fussy there!

-You took your first trip to Rockwall to visit your future best buddy Hudson on Tuesday of this week. His mommy Nikki is one of my best friends, and we go up there a lot to play! Again, you really enjoyed your time with the bigger kids, and you were awake most of the time we were there. Maybe it was being surrounded by all the "boy" toys?! Nikki is expecting a new future best buddy for you--Harrison! He'll be joining you sometime in August! We're so excited to have two little guys so close in age.

-Today you took your first grocery shopping trip with mama and the girls. You've been shopping before, but the difference today? Mama was flying solo! It wasn't too bad, and Mama actually felt really good about how it went! You were fussy on and off most of the time there. Maybe you don't like shopping so much? No big deal...Mama doesn't really, either. Then again, it could just be that you were close to lunch time! We must have been a sight--now we're forced to use the humongous shopping cart with two plastic seats for older children. Your sisters are pumped--they're always begging me to use that kind, and I avoid it like the plague! When it was time to check out, I actually scoped out all the checkers and the people in line to find the most sympathetic looking people to stand behind in line and check us out. I opted to get in line behind an older couple that looked like they could have grandchildren themselves. Turns out I made good choices--even though you were crying, both the checker and the couple ended up "ooing" and "aahing" over you in your carrier!

-You still cry through most of your baths. And you make it so hard for me to sit you upright in your bathtub so I can wash your back! You won't bend your legs for me so I can put you in a sitting position. But when I'm burping you, it's never a problem to get you to sit up.

-Speaking of burping, you're still a champ at it. Your sisters were so hard to get burps out of. Oftentimes all I have to do is put you over my shoulder and you burp immediately without even needing pats!

-Your skin has gotten a little bit lighter.

-Your hair is still as dark as the day you were born.

-I'm pretty sure your eyes are turning from blue to brown! Could it be that you're going to have your daddy's coloration?

-You're still sleeping in your cradle in our bedroom near my side of the bed. One of my favorite parts of the day is when I go to bed, but not for reasons you might think. Most nights Daddy is still working in the living room when I go to bed, so there's a soft glow cast over your cradle from those lights coming in through our bedroom hallway. When I crawl in bed, I always start out laying on my right side so I can stare at my sweet sleeping swaddled pea pod and memorize the sight of a baby sleeping next to me. It's such a bittersweet, beautiful thing for me. I know that in a very, very fast few weeks you won't be in our room anymore, and we'll be disassembling and packing up that cradle for the last time. It was a gift from your Mamaw and Papaw, and it "cradled" all three of you precious children for your first few months of life! I remember the day they brought it over and assembled it for us. It's in perfect condition, and I plan to save it to hopefully "cradle" some of our grandchildren one day!

-I was so apprehensive when I found out you were a boy in my womb, but with each day I get more and more excited. You are perfect just the way you are, and I can't imagine our family without you!

Just do it!

Before I say anything, there are four things that must be shared off the top:

1.) I'm about to go sink my teeth into freshly baked chocolate chip cookies that MY MAN just made! Granted, they're from a big ol' tub of refrigerated dough, but the fact that I didn't make them renders them much more delicious!

2.) Today we crossed a threshold that I never, ever imagined in my life: We are now officially a two-gallons-of-milk-per-grocery-store-trip family! I made a little stop at Costco today, and we needed milk. I get so tired of running out of it every few days (and I know J does to! He's the primary consumer here.), so I bucked up and bought two gallons. It made me giggle...it's such a "big family" thing to do!

3.) I'll be pairing my cookie snack with a glass or two of said milk.

4.) Yesterday, one-and-a-half-year-old Rosie came to me twice and said "diaper". The first time she was barely wet, but I went ahead and changed her diaper. The second time, she had just dirtied her diaper. Well, today...she came to me once and said "poop" just before she actually did it, and then after her nap she'd dirtied her diaper and announced it to me by saying "poop" when I went in her room to get her up. Could my sweet baby girl be on the road to potty training readiness??? Oh my, I hope so. But I don't want to get my hopes up!

Well, I know I've been horribly inconsistent this week about blogging. And trust me, it bugs me to no end. But this week has been SUCH a challenge. This is the last week of school for our local public school students, which means a very busy time for my administrator husband. He's been working until 9-10 PM every night, which means overtime for me as well. Couple that with a three-year-old who's doing her best to raise my blood pressure, and add to that the "fun" of figuring out a new infant (albeit a fabulously laid back one!), and you've got a recipe for quite a week! I need a vacation.

And unfortunately, next week doesn't look much better. But I'm taking heart--his summer vacation is within sight!

With all of this going on, my spiritual defenses are very weak, and I'm letting it get the better of me (despite being pretty consistent about daily time in the Word!). I've had such a "woe is me" mentality every day, and yesterday I even found myself yearning for the "days of old" when panty hose, suits and heels were my uniform. And I've even let resentful thoughts in...feeling that I used to be significant only when I had a snazzy title on my gold-embossed business cards. Feeling like my worth is diminishing year by year while my husband's career is on the rise. Crazy! I totally know better.

But God is good, and He won't let me forget it!

I'm constantly in awe of how He uses people as His mouthpiece, and today He did it again.

First off, my Mother in Law called me last night just to make sure I was OK. Just because she felt led to. I had to fight tears because I was so moved by God's greatness. Earlier that day I had a sense that she had me on her mind and was praying for me. And I could feel it. And I certainly needed it! There have been times this week that I've felt exhausted and not so OK, but I know it is the prayers of my family and friends that have kept me going!

I admitted to her that this week has been tough (not easy for me!), and she immediately offered to come stay with the children this morning so I could have some time to myself for a few hours. What a gift!

And this isn't the first time she's done this. It seems like when I'm at my lowest, I know in the back of my mind I can count on an encouraging phone call from her out of the blue!

So she did come over this morning, and I had a great time out and about on my own. What exciting things did I do? Went to Costco. Before you throw things at me for seemingly wasting a perfectly free morning, understand that we have NO food in our house! Ha! And I think a lot of mothers would agree with me that grocery shopping alone is really close to paradise. :0)

Oh--let's not forget my trip to the Post Office and the dry cleaner! Exciting stuff...

I did also squeezed in a brow wax and a Diet cherry Coke from Sonic, so the morning wasn't a total loss! Ha!

Later this afternoon during naptime, my college BFF called me. I'd taken the children over to her house Tuesday for a playdate, and she told me today that she and her mother were talking about me yesterday in the car. She said they were talking about how "well I handle my children" and how I have it "all together". And some other things about me being calm in dealing with my children and being impressed with my correction tactics. I can't remember verbatim, but I wish I could. I really needed that encouragement!

I almost laughed out loud into the phone. Handle my children well? Have it all together? Is this me she was referring to? I guess I have people successfully fooled! Then again, aren't we always better "behaved" as moms at other people's houses? Haha!

Regardless if it's true or not, her words were so uplifting! God knows just what we need. He renewed my perspective and focus. I'm geared up for another challenging day!

So my mother in law and BFF have no idea...they totally set the tone for the rest of my day, and it was a good one. And their sweet words of encouragement will set the tone for the rest of this week and the rough week ahead as well!

Moral of the story? If there's someone on your mind, contact them. Have words of encouragement circling your thoughts? Share them! Need to tell someone you love them? Do it!

Don't wait. You have no idea what impact you'll have!

Little annoyances

Y'all, it's killing me.

Killing. Me.

I have so much to post about. Well, nothing that's particularly interesting to anyone but me and my childrens' grandparents, but it's killing me that so many memories are slipping by without being documented somewhere. At this point, I just can't fit it all into a day.

And you know I can't stand that because that's admitting defeat!!

I only have a few minutes before I have to feed Little Man, so I have to be brief. How about I make a post about a couple of motherhood things that are bothering me lately? That's really the quickest material I have for the moment.

1.) My heart breaks every single time one of my children suggests we do something and I have to put them off for something else. Even when I'm able to go back and do whatever it was they wanted to do later, which I always make a point to do, it still hurts me when I can't do what they want to do in the moment they want to do it. (i.e. putting off reading a book because it's time to feed the baby, etc.)

2.) I'm a "darter". When I run into a room of the house, I don't linger. I get what I need or do what I need to do, and then I get out. My girls have this tendency to follow me into each and every room I go into, but the problem is they are not "darters" too! So by the time they get into the room, I'm already turning out the light and leaving it. Then they get mad. I don't know what I can do to stop it, or if it's really anything that needs to be addressed, but it's off my chest now.

Whew! I feel better. If anyone can relate or has any suggestions, I'd love to hear from you!