Evan: One Month Old!

Dear Evan Michael,

This is your first official monthly update (and only 9 days late!) I hope I can manage to keep up with three updates each month. They might be late, less wordy and more photo-heavy, but I plan to continue savoring the ups and downs of each new month in the lives of my littles.

So, one month....

Likes: the boobies, Mama, napping in Mama's arms, baby-wearing, co-sleeping

Dislikes: being cold, waiting, the car seat (oh the torturous car seat!)

I could start an art exhibit of sleeping photographs. It seems I have hundreds on my phone. You love to sleep, and you sleep soundest in my arms, nestled against my chest, or tucked in the crook of my arm. If I lay down with you in the big bed, you'll stay for a nap if I get up. If I try to lay you down by yourself, you don't last long.

Your cry goes from 0 to 60 in no time. One second you'll be fine and the next your face is as red as a tomato and you are holding-your-breath-mad-mad-MAD. Thankfully you calm down quickly but those cries make my heart break in two!

You have an awesome head of hair that is fluffy and soft and sticks up in the back after a bath. It is getting lighter and lighter with each passing week. Your gray eyes are looking more and more blue these days but we're still waiting on the final verdict. 

After an initial few weeks of trouble gaining weight, I'm happy (and so relieved) that you don't seem to be having any more difficulties, to the tune of nearly an ounce a day of weight gain for weeks 4 and 5. You are growing but still itty bitty. At one month you still fit in newborn clothes, though there are 3 mo. styles in regular rotation as well. You are still using newborn diapers, too. 

Knowing you are my last baby makes me appreciate all these little moments. Though having a new baby (not to mention a third child) is SO MUCH work, I keep reminding myself to savor the moments because they go by so fast. I can hardly remember Maddie's newborn days and even less from Sam's. I'm not sure I'll remember much from these early weeks either, but I'll try to enjoy them for the present time.

Other than hating your carseat, you are a pretty easygoing little guy, especially if being held. So we hold you. We treasure these moments. It is a joy to hold you close and admire your long hair, eyelashes, fingernails, and long feet. Though you love to sit and linger while nursing, I take the time to appreciate little kneading fingers at my side, contented little sighs, funny frustrated grunts and the always-present hunger snorts.

We're so glad you've joined our family, littlest love. What a honey you are. Welcome to one month, Evan.

Love,

Mama

Maddie: 75 Months

Dear Maddie Mae,

What an amazing big sister you are! You've proven time and time again how patient you are, first with Sam and now with Evan. It doesn't rattle you at all if Evan is screaming in your arms, you just calmly talk to him, sing to him, and take care of him. Once I asked you to watch him while I was upstairs, and I came down to find that you had 1) changed his diaper, and 2) started giving him a bottle of expressed milk you pulled from the fridge. Incredible girl.

In the first few weeks after Evan came home, you kept asking "Am I in a dream? This feels like a dream." I completely understood. Having a new baby does feel like a dream, both in the excitement of it but also in the uncertainty from the lack of sleep. You are so smitten, and I imagine Evan will return the love as he grows and grows.

You can hardly leave Evan alone. You love to kiss him, hold him, pick him and and carry him around, talk to him, and be all up in his business. Sometimes it gets a little overwhelming, but most of the time it is done with pure sweetness and a genuine love. One day while I snapped pictures, you couldn't even leave him alone long enough to snap some frames. You jumped right in and started smooching:

Other fun developments from the past month include improving on your violin (yay!) and starting to play in t-ball games. It is very fun (and super entertaining) to watch a team of Kindergarten-aged girls as they hit, field, and make plays. You've actually got quite a few good athletes on your team and the parents are always pleasantly surprised to see you guys make some actual "outs." (though they aren't counted in t-ball). You've made some solid hits and helped with some solid plays. We love watching you, and you love playing.

I had to snap a photo of the occasion I managed to dress Evan in his baseball outfit for your game. We must document such things, as it is very rare that I have myself together at all. :)

You're a great little t-ball player: good fielder, great at bat. We just need a little fine-tuning on that throw of yours, but you are certainly tenacious on the field. :)

After months and months of sweetness, you've been more of a handful these past six weeks or so. Just the other day I was asking why obedience was so hard for you, and you told me that you need more attention and it's been hard since Evan was born. So true. I'm so glad you can express your needs so clearly. If only it was as easy for me to meet them! My sweet girl, please know that this phase is short and soon we will find our rhythm as a family of five. In the meantime, please continue to let me know how to love you and care for you the best I can.

Love you, honey pie.

Love,

Mama

Sam: 49 Months

Dear Sam,

"A day late and a dollar short..." that could be my personal motto these days. Adding one extra family member, running on little sleep, and the frustrations of a slow computer have made for one three late monthly updates in April. But here I am!

As far as big brothers go, you're pretty dang awesome. You are kind, gentle, and loving with baby Evan. You love to hold him and say "Hiiiii" in the sweetest sing-song voice. It's so, so sweet.

On the flip side of sweet, you've managed to maintain your sneaky/naughty side this month as well. Your latest capers involve sneaking candy of all sorts: a chocolate bunny, jelly beans, Tyler H.'s airhead collection. On Easter you escaped the hullabaloo to draw with blue crayon on the toilet seat, bathroom wall, hall walls, and in your bedroom. Nothing a little four year-old elbow grease and magic eraser couldn't handle. This month you also "fed" Maddie's new fish about a year's worth of food. It must have seemed like fish heaven for a minute when Bubbles and Sally experienced food raining down from the sky, covering their homes in abundance. Too bad I had JUST cleaned out the bowls. Ugh.

You still love to dress up, and change clothes multiple times a day. When your cousins were here visiting, you made an appearance as Buzz (and Batman, and a cowboy, and an astronaut, and an explorer, etc.) It's fun to see where your creative mind takes you these days. You've acquired an imaginary friend named Bob who is a cowboy zombie. Go figure that one out.

I've enjoyed putting into practice a brand new phrase around here: "my boys." It's so fun to have two sons. I can't wait to see how your friendship develops over the next several years. I can only hope that Evan loves his sibs as much as you guys love each other! Earlier this month Maddie got in trouble for making a big mess. You wanted so badly to help her clean up, even after Daddy said no, and you were positively heartbroken, breaking into huge tears. Eventually we released you to help out and you were so grateful to be able to work alongside your sister to ease her consequence. Amazing.

With so many changes going on, it's no surprise that you've sneaked in several naps this month. A few times you just climbed right up into my arms and passed out. So, so sweet (and so heavy. holy big boy). I love to watch you as you sleep, as when you start to wake you are so, so sweet and flash me the loviest little grins.

All the changes have also wreaked havoc on your speech. We haven't heard you struggle so much in several months. But we still have hope that you'll improve, and there are several promising things on the horizon that we're arranging to make things as helpful as possible for you.

In the midst of all these ups and downs, you remain the sweetest boy. You are such a love, such a delight, and we enjoy you so much.

Love,

Mama

Evan: two weeks

Well, not a lot has been happening 'round here these past few weeks, other than nursing, sleeping, resting, instagramming, and photo taking. :) So today's post is one big photo dump of some of my favorites from the past few weeks.

First up: shoulder hair. Seriously do not want to forget these precious early days and the fine, soft, downy hair that covers Evan's little body. Delicious.

Our first walk:

Evan's first trip to Sideboard:

Funny faces made in the milk-drunk phase:

Family snuggle time in the big bed:

Precious moments where all three are loving each other:

Watching Maddie in heaven as she was able to give Evan his first bottle of expressed milk:

And probably my favorite moments of the past few weeks--snuggling & napping away the hours with my newest little love bug:

A few pics from this morning:

He's so sweet! We love him to bits!