Five Months

My dearest Elyse.  Please stop breaking your momma's heart by growing so much. I just can't believe that you are five months old. You are just a big lump of squeezable joy, and I can't imagine a better baby than you. (I'm aware that I probably said the same thing about your sister, and I would have about your brother if I'd been writing at the time, but they already broke my heart and got bigger. )

You are SUCH a happy girl. You smile and coo and are a perfect delight. The way you knock out your paci and chew on your fist instead leaves me all googly eyed. At night when you fall asleep in my arms it takes an hour of will power to finally put you down.

 

Okay. Enough gushy mom talk. Cause honestly, I could gush all day. So what have you been up to? Well, two weeks ago at your 4 month well check you were 14 lbs and 25 inches long- 50% in each category. That is exactly double your birth weight and 5 inches longer than your birth length! You wear a size 6 month in clothes (although we do still have to roll the sleeves) and a size 2 diaper. The eczema on your calves is giving us a hard time, I'm about to start you on a 4th product to help clear it up. Regular lotions haven't worked. essential oils in coconut oil hasn't worked. Hopefully this next oil will. It doesn't seem to bother you, but I feel so bad when I feel how rough it is! You nurse once during the night, but as of last night we are working to get you sleeping through the night. It's not that you wake up crying, you still just get really restless and the fastest way for you to be still (and me to go back to sleep) is to feed you. So last night I started only giving you the paci. Now look. If you were crying and hungry I'd of course feed you in an instant. But you're not. You just keep rolling into me in the bed. Not a legit reason to feed you. It took a couple of hours for you get back into a deep enough sleep to be still, but you go there. And I only over slept by an hour and a half this morning.

 

Your brother is still the one that gets the biggest laughs from you, but a few days ago your dad was over and he finally got to hear some of them from waving an elephant in your face. Whatever works right? Believe me. We'd stand on our heads to hear that precious sound. Your sister has started pretending with you. She'll bring her little cups and things over to you and let you drink "tea" and have "tea parties". I so hope that you two girls will be the best of friends.

 

I'm sure this next month will bring even bigger changes. At the end of the month I'll probably have to start you on solids. You'll probably be pretty close to sitting up. And all this will lead to even more devastating heart break on my part. But for now, I'll just continue to hold my baby, squeeze you till you squawk, and smother you in kisses (all of which I'll do until you can run away from me like the other two do. whomp whomp)

Auction weekend

So I get this picture on Friday while I'm at work, from Elyse's grandmother.

 

I....I can't even. That lip. That pout.

Friday night we didn't have small group because most of us were getting ready for the auction. And by "us" I mean "them". I stayed home and cleaned my house. Saturday morning dawned just lovely.  These faces thought I'd had enough sleep.

I swear I rolled over and this is exactly how they looked. I sleep with my phone next to my pillow, so I pulled out the camera with my eyes half open.

It could not have been more beautiful out side which was perfect for our plans. Luke's school had it's annual fundraising auction and God answered some prayers on the weather! Last year it was fa-reeeeeezing. Saturday I wore flip flops.

Dad met the kids and I at a car place so I could leave the Pathfinder to get it's oil changed and inspected. Then he let me run in to Hobby Lobby while he stayed in the car with the kids, and then we went up to the church. We had so much fun at the auction!  We played games, ate food, and I bid on at least 20 different things.

this sassy girl made several new friends. this included lots of conversations and even getting an old lady to hold her. "stranger danger" means nothing.

Unfortunately nap time came too soon and I took the kids home and consequently got out bid on EVERY. SINGLE. THING. Oh well. I tried. And my friend Sara won the blanket/bib/stickers basket that I made, so I was thankful to see it go to a good home.

Sunday it turned nasty. During church Sunday morning it started raining ice (not sleet, people. ICE.) and everything bottomed out.

 

Luke did not approve of the temperature shift. Monday ended up being an ice day at home because it was so cold and icy in the morning that school districts shut down. I'd already taken the day to take the big kids to the dentist and the little one to her 4 month well check. The dentist appointments got moved to the afternoon, which made for a stressful few hours of getting everywhere on time, but we made it (with the help of Mom). No new cavities for Luke and Evan (such a relief after the disaster of last summer), the only problem was one of Luke's fillings had come out (it was an easy fix on Tuesday). Elyse's well check went perfect- she's 14 lbs and 25 inches. That's 50% on both. She's such a good, happy baby!

 

Tuesday was National Pancake Day, so I treated the kids to pancakes at IHOP for dinner.

Evan took it a little more seriously than the rest of us. I got our waitress to take the picture, and as she handed me back my phone she said that Evan didn't pose for it. I told her it didn't matter, she was two and could do whatever she wanted. Looking at how it turned out, it seems appropriate. Girlfriend ate the entire short stack of pancakes.

Weekend fun

I'm so behind on pictures from my phone that this is going to be brief. Two Saturdays ago we went to the Raymond's for Dakota's birthday. I put Elyse in Evan's old cupcake onesie that I made because nothing says BIRTHDAY!! like a cupcake.

 

 

Except while I was trying to get her picture, that little stinker rolled over.

 

I did not give her permission to get big enough to do that! We partied hard that day. So hard that she fell asleep in an awkward position.

 

Yep, those little feet are perched up on the toys and she is OUT.

Sunday afternoon was Jackie's baby shower. I sent the big kids home with Mom and Dad to nap while I helped host it, but my baby goes where I go.

 

Later that afternoon I got the jumper out of the garage and cleaned it up for her.

 

 

I think it was a hit.

 

As I got her picture, Sister decided she needed her picture taken too.

 

I got some really sweet videos of Evan entertaining Elyse in the jumper. It was very reminiscent of when Luke used to play with Evan in the jumper!

Luke's teacher sent a note home saying she needed a baby picture of him for a school project.

Gah. My boy. Sometimes I totally forget how roly poly he was. In the process I found his old tee ball pictures. This was from the very first season he played.

Feel free to squeeze your nearest boy now.