Saturday, January 27, 2018

Grandpa Lloyd




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My Grandpa Lloyd passed away last night. My last living grandparent has left this mortal life. He was a good man, music lover, hard worker and the definition of delightful company- The man never met a stranger. I'm convinced that there's a special mansion for him in heaven for his devoted service and the selfless love he showed to my Grandma throughout their marriage. When I speak with others about grandparents I am usually met with the notion that grandparents were distant relationships and reliable birthday checks, but my Grandpa was always hands on in my life and I feel very blessed that he was. He was instrumental in my learning to ride a bike and years later, to drive a car. He never turned down a bike ride, a good rollercoaster or a day at the beach. Growing up he took me to dentist (or doctors) appointments, attended school activities (especially choir concerts), took me out on special breakfasts and lunch dates and made it a point to be involved in my life. He was a joyous and lively spirit housed in a body that never seemed to age (until recently). I miss him, but I imagine that being reunited with his true love was a wonderful sight. Save me some popcorn and a can of Coke Grandpa! Til we meet again.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Like father, like son

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My handsome boys wearing matching outfits.

Who said girls were the only one's who could pull off matching outfits?  I know I had a hard time coming around to the boy clothes, but goodness I have been won over by button ups, sweaters and cuffed pants.😍

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Evan is SIX months

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says: 
mama is the only word he knows that has meaning (he knows that's what to say when he wants me) he mainly says it when he's upset, overtired or hungry, but those are all good reasons to want your mama right?


happs:
log rolls all over, sits up, pulls himself up while holding onto fingers, reaches and lunges towards anything he sees, variegated babbling and tons of it, gives kisses if you pucker your lips, dragon yells,  grabs everything and stuffs it into his mouth. Speaking of grabbing everything and putting it in his mouth just last night I was eating a popsicle while Evan was on my lap and out of no where, with no warning at all, he grabbed my arm and pulled the popsicle into his mouth. He was surprised by the cold, but didn't seem to hate it because he tried at least a hundred more times to do it again, but I caught on quickly.

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loves:
his jumperoo and swing, being swaddled, sitting in his Bumbo (under very close supervision because he fell out of it), being cuddled by his sisters, being thrown into the air, when we pretend his feet are stinky (the more dramatic we are the better), looking out the window, being held, sitting in his highchair during dinner time, being read to/trying to chew on books, playing/pulling/chewing on my hair, Austin's special little whistle he makes to get Evan's attention, his sisters- he loves them and all the attention they give him everyday, dancing with Maisie or when Maisie carries him around, sleeping in our bed (it started out only being during his last feeding around 4am that I would bring him into bed with us, but I think I created a habit because now he wants to snuggle all night long, which doesn't really bother me because he doesn't move around or wake up a lot and is super easy during the night, plus I really love the snuggles too- he's probably our last baby and so I am going to soak it in as much in as possible!)

firsts:
-solid food: sweet potato puree mixed with pumped milk- while not a fan, he swallowed a good 4-5 bites.

-first sippy cup of water- he was indifferent

-first time willingly using a bottle- perfect temperature is key.

-first time being watched by a babysitter

-first nap in another room.  He still mostly naps wherever I am, mostly the living room that way I can be in any of the main areas of the house, but I put him in his bassinet (yes he's still in a bassinet) in our room upstairs because we were having friends over and he was overtired. Both Maisie and Ellie by the time they were six months both needed to be in a separate and quiet room for naps during the day. I am really enjoying not having to be too conscious about it, I still very much appreciate the flexibility, but I know it's only a matter of time before he starts becoming more particular about sleep.

-first escape/fall out of his Bumbo

Nicknames:
Little/baby man, baby bear, Man cub (Maisie), Muffin man (Ellie), piglet (he's chunky and has pale pink skin not unlike a baby pig hahaha)

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Foods tried so far:
Sweet potatoes, pears, peas, and Mum-Mums.

Sleep: naps 4-5 per/day, at least two are 2.5+ hours long and the others more like 45 minutes to an hour. He usually goes to bed for the night around 8:30pm-9pm and we have him sleep in his swing in the living room (or occasionally in my arms) until Austin and I go to bed which is around 10:30 then we take him upstairs with us- sometimes he will wake up and need to eat before falling back to sleep or sometimes he doesn't wake up until his normal 3 am nursing session. For having a little baby I am not that tired. I don't feel like I am in a fog or a walking zombie like I have with my other babies. His sleeping habits are quite alright with me!

Evan is truly a happy baby. People are always commenting on his happy demeanor and handsome face. Oh, and his size- baby boy is big! He's such a chill little guy and goes with the flow without a problem. He's still able to sleep any time and anywhere without noise/light/activity being a problem. Being held in my arms is his favorite place to be or just anywhere where he can keep tabs on everyone. He is starting to "talk" a lot more- his variegated babbling is impressive and the way in inflects his voice is adorable- it really is like he's talking, but of course with non-sense words. It reminds me of the way Maisie spoke as a baby, she had an impressive vocabulary, but also spoke her own little language. Evan crashes our (me and Austin's) weekly date nights, but we like having him with us and seeing how he's so easy he normally sleeps the entire time or will happily play with a toy in his carseat. I know I felt so ill prepared to have a son, but Evan makes it easy. He's so loved by all of us and is and continues to be the happiest little addition to our family.

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I joke around by saying that Evan's thighs are my greatest achievement, but maybe they really are... I mean just look at them! Also, his poor legs after his shots, but there's something about those Spiderman bandaids that make me fully remember that I have a BOY! Just  seeing those makes it feel novel again.

Evan's baby stats:
Birth:
weight: 7 lbs 2 oz
height: 20 inches

2 days:
weight: 6 lbs 10 oz  (24th percentile)
height: 20 inches (69th percentile)
head circumference: 13.7 inches (64th percentile) 

2 weeks:
weight: 7 lbs 8 oz (50th/51st percentile)
height: 21.5 inches (98th percentile)
head circumference: 14 inches (67th percentile)

2 months:
weight: 12 pounds 8 oz pounds (58th percentile)
height: 24 inches (91st percentile)

4 months:
weight: 15 pounds 2 oz (60th percentile)
height: 26 1/2 inches (95th percentile)

6 months:
weight: 16 pounds 15 oz (45th percentile)
height: 27.5 inches (90th percentile)