Well-Children

Random side note: February 26th was Easton's due date. A little crazy as his birthday was 7 weeks ago. I predicted he'd be born March 4th. Jason was hoping he'd come on his birthday: March 9th. We were only 2 months off. :)

Anyway, we do have some well-children to talk about who had appointments today. While Easton was at school, the two little ones and I went up to Dr. Groovy's for Autumn's 6 month and Dalton's 3 year visits. First was Dalton.

Here's his stats:
Height: 37.75" (~50th percentile)
Weight: 27 pounds (7th percentile)

Easton weighed 27 pounds at his four year visit. So if Dalton's 7th percentile for a 3 year old you can imagine poor Easton hee hee!

But back to Dalton, he's gained 4 pounds and 4 inches since his 3 year well-visit last year. He got his blood pressure checked today for what I think was the first time. He did great. We have no real concerns about Dalton. Dr. Groovy did say that strangers should be able to understand about 75% of what he says. I was like, "Gosh, I'm not sure strangers understand 75% of what my five year old says." I explained how I'm so used to translating, though, that I'm not sure if people can understand him or not. I know on the phone even Jason and I have a hard time understanding little Diddles. But Dr. Groovy said that sitting there and talking with him he didn't hear any cause for concern. I guess that's good. He doesn't see an issue with his lisp (yet) either.

Dalton was really nervous he'd have to get a shot so he was apprehensive when the doctor picked him up to check him out. When Dr. Groovy listened to his heart and lungs from the front Dalton was fine and then he moved to the back and Dalton was all, "Hmmm, that's strange" (that he was listening back there). :)

They gave us an all-clear form and a shot record for preschool (eek!) but no shots for D. He got himself dressed (he'd put all his clothes in various spots on the toy tool bench in the corner) while Autumn had her turn...


See how she's wearing blue and brown? Potentially very boyish so we added that giant flower and headband. No one called her a boy so I guess that's good.

Anyway, Miss Miss's stats:
Weight: 17 pounds 4 ounces (they say 75th percentile)
Height: 25 1/2 inches (they say 49th percentile)
Head: 17 inches (they say 75th percentile)

She's also right on track developmentally. She got 3 shots and her oral vaccine again. She did not like that but it made a scary spurting sound when the nurse first squirted it in her mouth and I think she was startled more than she hated it. She spit a lot of it out, actually. Then her 3 shots. She didn't even cry for the first one but the last one stings (I hear) and it made her wail. So sad but she recovered quickly and conked out in the car.

We drove through Starbucks on our way back to this side of town and stopped into Old Navy for some new jeans for Easton. The other day I was talking with my friend Tracy about how we love Old Navy jeans. She finds that they wear holes in the knees quickly and I was all, "Wow, I don't think we've ever had a hole in the knee" and, like, 2 days later I noticed a hole in E's JCPenney jeans. So I still love Old Navy jeans. Especially because I bought them today for $10. I bought Autumn a pair too. I don't love to put my babies in jeans because they don't seem all that comfy with all the napping they do but I think everyone needs at least one pair of jeans, right? They're 6-12 month sized but I don't think they'll fit her just yet. They seem quite long. But they flare out at the bottom so she can be all stylish. :) Cuteness!!!

Anyway, that's been our today so far. Adios!

Six Months of Autumn

I have not done a baby book for any of my children. Yes, I do have this blog but what I'm really wanting is to paint a picture of who Autumn is right now. With words. To capture her six month old self on paper so one day she can read it and compare herself as a baby to babies of her own. So, baby girl, this is for you...

My sweet girl...

There are so many things I could say about your life up till now. About how things have changed for our family since you arrived but I wouldn't even know where to start. So I'll just start with now. With how (I feel) you are six months into things.

You are a beautiful little girl. You came into the world with so much dark hair and now it's about 3 inches long on the top and sides but the hair on the back of your head has been rubbed away from sleeping on your back.

People often tell us that you look just like me but your Dad and I think you look a lot like Dalton as a baby and people say he looks like Dad. Who really knows? You look like you.

Your eyes are still very blue and your cheeks are so impossibly gigantic that when we see your profile you can't even see your mouth.

I love your cheeks.

They must be hard to move all that weight when you try to smile but that doesn't stop you. You're a pretty smiley girl.

Your dad and I frequently remark how mellow you are. You weren't quite as mellow when you were still getting used to life on the outside but now that you've been here awhile you've settled into a very mellow--yet happy--and suprisingly quiet baby. You don't cry much. And you don't babble much either...yet! The other day the sound "yeah" came out of your mouth and Easton got super excited about you saying your first word. But for the most part you sit and watch and smile. You absolutely adore your brothers and they absolutely adore you. They can't get enough of you. Sometimes we have to tell them to back off because they're annoying us, but not you. You don't stop smiling at them.

Their latest thing is to pop the word "babysaurus" at you because it gets you to smile without fail. Not sure what it is about the word. Of course, I discovered how much you liked hearing "babysaurus" but they are constantly surprising you with the word to see your sweet smiles. It's seriously my trick for pictures right now. You love it and I love that!

The boys also like to tickle you as we've found you're quite ticklish and that's another sure-fire way to get some giggles out of you.

When you wake from your naps sometimes your brothers beat me to your room. I often find them right there next to you in your crib. The other day you were fussing and as I walked into your room I realized Dalton had been in to wind up your mobile for you to cheer you back up.

Sometimes you don't exactly love riding in the car at night (in the dark) but Easton holds your hand and that really seems to comfort you. He tells you, "It's okay, Miss Miss. I'm here." He gives you your pacifier when you need it. If it's daytime he adjusts the sun shade on your car seat without me saying a thing. Oh how he takes care of you!

When we go to pick Easton up from school, Dalton darn-near climbs into the seat with you to entertain you (and himself) while we wait in the hallway for Easton. I love seeing the relationships between you and your siblings. I'm so glad you've got these two big brothers to look out for you as you grow.

And growing you are...I'll have your official height and weight later this week, but for now I know that you're outgrowing your 3-6 month clothes. You wear a size 4 diaper. You have no teeth but I think they might be close. You can roll both tummy to back and back to tummy. You can sit all by yourself for short periods of time. You love to grab your toes when they're bare but you leave them alone when they have socks or jammies on them. You haven't put them into your mouth yet. It could be because your tummy is just too round to allow your toes to reach!


You will be starting solid foods now that you're 6 months old and, if you're anything like your big brothers, you'll start slimming down quite a bit with the introduction of solids. Up until now, you haven't had even a taste of anything but my milk and maybe some medicine.

You love your milk. I love nursing my babies but at the same time, I'm glad you're a fast nurser just like your brothers before you. You currently eat 5 times a day and usually once in the night. But it takes about 10 minutes (at the most!) and you're done! When you nurse you like to rub your two feet together or sometimes push gently on the edge of the rocking chair with your big toes. As soon as you latch on, your free hand reaches out to hold my hand. If I let go for some reason that little hand searches around above and behind you for something to hold so I bring my hand back to yours. It's totally precious and I try to commit those moments to memory as I kiss your little fingers curled around mine.

You are willing to take a bottle if we're apart but you sure gave your Gramoo a hard time about it the other night. However, it's not too often that we're apart so sometimes we give you a bottle just to keep you familiar with them.

Our current routine is to nurse right after you wake from your sleeps and you're still napping a LOT. You don't really stay awake too long in between naps just yet. You wake in the morning, eat, and about an hour later you're ready for your first of three daily naps. You usually sleep until it's time to eat again...at least 3, maybe 4 hours after you last nursed. If we're home, that's how you do it all day. But if we're out you cat nap. You don't sleep well (or for long) in your car seat. You wake up pretty much as soon as the car stops.

However, you're the easiest baby to get to sleep when we are home. You give me a little fuss to let me know you're ready for your nap. I carry you up to your room and give you your paci while I swaddle you in your fancy Miracle Blanket. You love being swaddled, you settle right down and let me wrap you up tight. You know the routine well by now. Once you're wrapped I give you kisses and lay you in your bed, swaddled, with your pacifier. I wind up your duckie mobile and walk out and don't hear from you again till you wake up. Thanks for being that easy, TumTums. With two busy big brothers around its nice that you're a not only a fast eater but a pro at falling asleep by yourself to boot.

Now, if nighttime was only that easy. Actually, getting you to sleep still isn't too hard but many evenings you wake up after a little while and fuss on and off for a bit while your dad and I are still awake. We're not quite sure what it is. The dark maybe? That we don't have a super-consistent, strict bedtime routine? That'd you'd prefer a four naps a day schedule? Eventually, after several trips up to your room to replace your pacifier, you settle down for the long haul. Till you get hungry, that is. Most nights you'll wake up to nurse just once. A handful of times you've slept through the night. And a bunch of times you'll wake twice to eat. But I really do cherish that time in the dark and quiet when it's just the two of us. When I have nothing else to do but feed and hold my baby girl before it's time for us both to go back to sleep in our beds. I know all too well it doesn't last forever so I can enjoy it while it does. Since you can't hold my hand in the night because of the swaddle blanket I instead rub your tummy or play with your hair or trace the curve of your ear with my finger.

In the mornings you could not be happier to see me. You wake up happy every day and it's contagious. You're better than coffee to wake me up and lift my spirits. Even if you've given me a rough time in the night I can't help but forget it all the moment I see you in the morning.

However, now that you're getting older we're gonna have to make some changes in your sleep habits, girlfriend. You sleep a lot, but you don't sleep well. Like your brothers as babies, you also have the habit of waking up after your first sleep cycle (about 45 minutes into your sleeps) and requiring me to run in to give you your pacifier again. But this is for daytime. At night time it's several trips for your dad and me over the course of, like, an hour. We're not the "cry it out" types, especially if you don't have a way to self-soothe in your swaddle so we may be saying goodbye to the swaddle but that makes me nervous. As does the possibilty of you becoming a thumb-sucker. So we'll see...

Anyway, sweet girl, I know these things won't last forever and we'll face new challenges and I'll miss the days when your issues were merely waking up a few too many times. I will take it all as it comes. Looking forward to it, even!

Forever and Always,
Mommy

Her 6 month shots with Autumn Bear:

Dalton's Chuck E. Cheese Woody Party

After church on Sunday we came home for just a few minutes and packed up everything we'd need to go to Dalton's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. That included his party favors (remember, it was a Woody party):


And his cake:

Sorta lame, I know. But he wanted green. So we made it look like a green bed. Perhaps Andy's bed from Toy Story? I frosted some granola bars together for a pillow and Woody laid on that.

Then we were off!

A party hostess met up with us and escorted us to our reserved table. Dalton saw the animatronic Chuck E Cheese on the stage and started crying and refusing to walk into the reserved party area. But, we drug him along anyway. Luckily, our table was the farthest away from the stage.

Gramoo and Lauren were among the first of our guests to arrive. I wasted no time handing off my baby to Auntie Lauren so that I could set a few things up:


Eventually Tabor and Holten came. John and his mom were already there. The kids went off to play games and ride rides for about 45 minutes:






Autumn's first ride!


Easton up in the hamster tunnel thing:




At 12:45 we were supposed to report to our table for pizza followed by "the birthday show". Dalton's kid guests:


Then the birthday show stuff started. Dalton is terrified of the costumed Chuck E. Cheese, if you couldn't have guessed from his fear of the robotic one. So we had to warn in advance for Chuck E to avoid our table. Even so, when he came out Dalton was worried and Holten flat out hid under the table! But Dalton mostly liked the other birthday stuff...like his crown:

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Eventually he didn't like the attention so much and took it and his birthday medal off.

Autumn was not a fan of when the whole place would shout at the same time. Poor baby. Aunt Jess tended to her much of the time but it made me so sad that I took her from her to snuggle my sensitive babe. And this is also the only proof I was even at the party...the photo I took of Autumn that just happens to have me in it:


Family that came:

Actually, they were the only family members we even invited. Everyone we invited came. Yay!

Then it was time for Dalton's green cake with green frosting:




And pictures with friends:
Easton, John, and Dalton:


Dalton and Holten:


Easton and Tabor (Holten's big sis who goes to school with Easton, if you didn't remember):

I just love that picture. Easton is going to marry Tabor. He asked Emily but she said no, she was going to marry Jacob so Easton had to ask Tabor instead but I think she is a much better choice. I just love Tabor. She's a sweetie-poo. And so cute, isn't she?

Here is Tabor and Holten's baby sister, Berkley, with Autumn.

Autumn is 5 1/2 weeks younger and quite a few pounds heavier. And taller.

And then the reserved party time was over and we were being rushed away so they could get the tables ready for the 2 o'clock parties. It just wasn't enough time. Dalton couldn't even open any presents. :( I felt bad for the people who took the time to pick out something for our little guy but couldn't see him open them.

So, once everything was in the car we and our guests headed back out to play. Here are Easton, Dalton, Tabor, and Holten all in the bus which Easton appears to think is a hoot and a half:


Dalton enjoyed it too:


More fun:














Finally we headed home and the boys got to work on some of the party favors:




Dalton posed at home with his birthday star crown and balloon:




Then he settled in to open his presents from his party. This one makes us laugh...listen to what Easton says around the time Dalton is showing Autumn the gift he unwrapped:

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Look at my loves:

Yes, I put the kids in green on purpose since it is Dalton's favorite color. But how cute is Autumn's new 6 month sized ensemble?

It was a gift from one of July's co-workers.

The Toy Story Mania Wii game from Gramoo was the big hit because it is what we all wanted to check out first:


It's a fun game, Jason and I are even excited about it (we've rented it in the past). But, being nice parents we let the boys play first:


After a little Wii-ing (hee hee) the guys dove into the other big hit from the day: Toy Story Legos from Jess and Janna.


Dalton just loves his new Lego Woody and he let Easton play with Lego Buzz when Easton wasn't assembling the Lego RC that goes with the set:


We ate leftover Chuck E Cheese pizza for dinner and continued to enjoy all of Dalton's loot till bedtime! I think his party was just right minus feeling rushed at the end and not getting to open presents. We did Easton's 3rd birthday party at Chuck E Cheese's too but we didn't do a reserved one and got to hang out as long as we wanted...open presents...everything! That part was nice...and it was cheaper! Live and learn...right?