2 1/2

Kaeden is officially 2 1/2.  What a character! 

I was recently talking to a friend about our family and the roles that we all play.  It really made me think about Kaeden and what an essential member of our family he is.  Mason, Ryan, and I are all orderly, rule-following planners (well, lately Ryan doesn't seem like such a great rule-follower either, but anyway...).  Kaeden mixes everything up for us, and I think we need that in our little family.  He is so enthusiastic and FUN.  I adore his little personality, even though it has its own challenges.

 

So, what's Kaeden like at 2 1/2?

Kaeden loves his family, especially his Mommy.  His brothers and cousins are his best friends, and I think he'd be happy just hanging out at home as a family for days on end.  

He and Ryan don't always get along super these days, but that doesn't change their love for each other.  They are quite a pair. 

With the new babies and general craziness this spring, Auntie & I decided to do our own music class for the boys rather than signing up for kindermusik again.  It has been lots of fun, and the boys have taken to it even better than we had hoped.  Now, every time we get together, they immediately start asking for music class.  It's been a good bonding activity for Kaeden & Atticus, I think :)

Kaeden really enjoys music and anything having to do with it.  He loves to play the piano and is fascinated by guitars.  A good portion of the words that come out of his mouth are songs, and his current favorite is "Rise and Shine" (which he learned at chapel at Ryan's preschool.... possibly his favorite part of the whole week!)  He can also be found belting out "Jesus Loves Me" down the halls of LaGuardia airport.  Perhaps he'll be our little evangelist :)  One of his latest favorite things is the group, The Piano Guys.  It's basically a really great pianist and cellist.  He loves to watch their videos, and today while watching them, I noticed him playing the air cello :)  He was just staring at the cellist and fingering away.  Time to get him some lessons!

Kaeden is friendly.  He loves bigger people... especially female bigger people.  There are multiple staff members at Ryan's preschool that he has wrapped around his little finger.  One time we went to get frozen yogurt, and we were the only ones in the store.  He flirted with the young lady working the cash register the entire time.  He's going to be a heart-breaker some day, I fear.  

 

He also loves animals.  Dogs are always great from a distance, but sometimes he gets nervous up close.  Cats are a hit always, and his latest obsession is squirrels.  Anytime we go to a park now (or often even in our own yard), he looks for squirrels and chases them.  Last week, he started running after a squirrel at the park, yelling, "Squirrel hug Kaeden!!  Hug, Squirrel, Hug!"  He's hilarious.

Loving on our friends' cat, much to Daddy's dismay

Kaeden's favorite activities include building with Duplos (and Ryan's Legos when he'll let him!), talking in a high-pitched voice to Ethan, playing with water (in the sink, in the bath, spraying the hose outside, wherever I'll let him), baking with Mommy, puzzles, and playing in the sand table outside. 

He continues to be my picky eater, though he has improved a lot.  He is one giant sweet tooth, and he would be quite happy to eat only dessert.  Chocolate is his favorite :)  I've begun giving the boys a plate of raw veggies every day around 5:00, and that has helped a lot with his veggie consumption.  They think it's a treat to eat something before dinner and walk around with it, and I'm just happy that they're eating vegetables and not whining about when dinner will be ready. 

Happily eating some cucumber...

...but ecstatic about his chocolate bar!

 Kaeden's not always full steam ahead, however.  In new settings with lots of people, he is often reserved and can take a while to just stand back and observe.  He belts out "Rise and Shine" at least 10 times a day at home, but he has never uttered a word of it during chapel at preschool.  He is a snuggle-bug, and is generous with his hugs.  He doesn't mind just sitting on the couch and snuggling with me from time to time, as long as it doesn't last too long :)

 

 Kaeden rarely naps anymore, when given the choice, though he does still fall asleep in the car fairly often.  When he has rest time in his room, he usually just plays, but sometimes I'll find him an hour later passed out in the funniest places/ways!

Just some examples

 I am so proud of the little boy that he is becoming, and I make a point of telling him all the time how special he is.  He can drive me absolutely crazy, but he can also make me smile like no one else.  I love him so much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 months

Okay, so I'm not quite sure where the last month went.  Clearly, I haven't been spending it blogging!

Well, Ethan, now you are 5 months old!  How did that happen?

 

Despite what your double chin & my sore back would indicate, you only gained about 3/4 of a pound this month.  You're up to 17 1/2 pounds now.

The biggest change since last month is that you are a roller!  And a very serious one at that!  See this picture?   You started out on the blanket, and this is how I found you just a few minutes later:


Now, you spend a lot of time on your belly and are even playing with toys while on your tummy, so long as they're in reach.  You are getting less patient with things like the bouncy seat, as you'd much prefer to be free to move on the floor or being held.  You also consistently roll onto your stomach in bed, which means you are finally napping better!  Woo hoo!  The very first time that you did it, you napped for an hour & a half.  You're still not on any sort of nap schedule, simply because we're on the go too much and you don't have a chance to establish one, but when you're able to nap in your crib, you tend to sleep a lot better, and I'm thankful for that.  You've also been sick pretty much this entire month, so it's good that you're getting quality rest when you can.

Here is a list of things you like:
Being held - in the sling, in bare arms, whatever!  It's your favorite place to be.
The TV - thankfully, we don't have it on very often, but when we do, your eyes are glued!
Teethers, and really most toys in general
Chewing on your hands
Reading - as long as you're not hungry or over-tired, you're always happy to snuggle up and look at a book
Mommy - you are definitely a mama's boy, but I'm pretty sure most babies are at 5 months old
Daddy - he's pretty cool too :)
Your brothers, especially Ryan - they make you smile every day!
Pretend sneezing - it's my sure way of making you giggle
The porch swing - it calms you right down

... and things that you dislike:
Balls, or any toy that does not go IN your mouth.  They drive you NUTS.
Car rides - thankfully, Ryan only has one week of preschool left, because you are pretty much done with the daily commute.  You are falling asleep in the car less and less, and that doesn't help.
The swing - you just have no interest.  Maybe it resembles a car seat too much.
Sitting up - I don't know that you dislike it necessarily... you just have no interest in learning the skill so far.  It'll come :)

 This month, you met your honorary Aunt Lindsay and "cousin" Cathen. 

You also had your first trip to Duke Gardens:

We celebrated Ryan's 5th birthday many times over, and we traveled to Nana & Papa's house for Miss Abby's bridal shower.  

Apparently, I was too busy to take many photos of you this month, but I did take some on your monthday :)  I finally finished knitting your blanket, so it seemed appropriate to take some with it.

Always chewing on your hands!

Mommy loves you!

4 months

Dear Ethan,

4 months feels a lot older than 3 months.  I don't know why, but the bottom line is that you are growing up too fast. 

At least you've slowed down a bit in your physical growth. This month, you only gained one pound (up to nearly 17 lbs now), but you wouldn't know it from looking at those cheeks!

 

Your wheezing has continued, on and off, and a follow-up visit to your regular pediatrician gave us a name for it: tracheomalacia.  The good news is that it doesn't seem to be dangerous at all for you at this point, and you should just eventually grow out of it.  Now I can sleep better at night :)

 

Your schedule is pretty much the same as last month.  Napping continues to be troublesome, but it's no wonder why.  We're on the go so much that there are days when you couldn't get more than a 20-30 minute nap in if you wanted to.  Poor third child!  You're pretty resilient, though, and you're good at making up for it at night, so I think you'll be okay.  I do wonder if you'll ever get to have a normal nap schedule.  I'm sure once you start sleeping on your stomach, you'll be able to get some better rest during the day.  One change this month is that you started to break out of the swaddle, so you had to re-learn how to go to sleep without it.  Overall, I think it's been a positive change, but you do still have a hard time falling asleep sometimes... especially if you get over-tired.  

You are grasping toys more and more, and you've gotten pretty good at putting whatever is in your hand in your mouth.  That's helpful, since you seem to be teething already.  I keep trying to deny it, since both of your brothers were late getting their first teeth, but you are constantly putting things in your mouth, and you've had a couple of fussy days recently that have made it clear that something is going on in there.  We'll see how long they take to actually surface.  Cloth is your favorite thing to hold on to - in fact, if you don't have a toy or blanket to hold onto, you tend to just grab onto your own clothes! (Sorry for the not-so-great phone photo)

 

You spend a lot of time on your side now.  If I put you on your tummy, you either superman for a minute or two and then start fussing, or you immediately roll over onto your side or back.  So, you still have very little interest in hanging out on your stomach.  That's okay... I'm in no hurry for you to start crawling!  You also roll on to your side from your back all the time.  In fact, that's often how you fall asleep.  Sometimes, you end up traveling quite a bit across the floor, just by rolling back and forth from back to side.  You tried out the bumbo this month, and you tolerate it okay, but it's not your favorite. 

 

You also still enjoy the bouncy seat and you continue to love riding around in the sling (awake or asleep) - you're my little koala baby :)

This month, you had your first trip to Connecticut for Easter, and we've been enjoying the warmer weather outside at home.  We also left you with a real babysitter (not family) for the first time, and you attended your third baby shower!

 

Ryan continues to be one of your very favorite people.  Nobody can make you laugh like he can.  I think it's because he gets himself cracking up and his laugh makes you laugh :)  But the two of you are so very sweet together.  I hope you always have a special relationship.  Kaeden is learning to be more gentle with you, and as a result, you seem more at ease around him now too.  It's cute to see his face light up when you look at him and grin.  You're getting old enough to participate in some of the older boys' shenanigans, and it's nice to imagine all of the fun you three will have together over the years.

  

Here are your obligatory cousin photos for the month :)

 

  ...and your four month portraits, which I absolutely adore!

 

You are so special, littlest one.  Thanks for being my love bug :)

Three Boys, One Outfit

Planting

When Mason was little, he got to help plant a magnolia tree and has watched it grow throughout his life.  He also just loves magnolia trees, so he has dreamed of having one of his own.  When we moved, I didn't really think that there was a great place for a full-size magnolia in our yard, so we planted a couple of dwarf varieties instead, but Mason has never really been able to let go of the idea of having a true, full-size, Southern magnolia. 

So, for his birthday this year, that's what he asked for.  And it was hard to find one. But, he finally did, and he was excited to include the boys in the planting this weekend.  

The scene :)

Kaeden found a comfy spot to watch

Ryan helping to prep the dirt

Kaeden doing his part (and nearly falling into a large, muddy hole!)

Dumping

Fertilizing

 

Leveling

Supervising

 

Little man on a mission

Project complete!

 Spring has sprung, and we are enjoying it to the fullest (minus the pollen, which I am very much NOT enjoying!)

We are so blessed to be surrounded by beautiful redbud trees.  They will forever be to me a sign of God's comfort and grace.  When we moved in last spring, I was completely overwhelmed and exhausted from the move (not to mention being very newly pregnant).  It was an exciting time, but not a particularly happy one for me.  The redbuds brought me daily joy and comfort, and I remember thanking God every day for that small gift.  

 

We also finally got our front porch swing this weekend.  Mason & the boys were very excited to try it out!  Of course, now it's covered in half an inch (okay... small exaggeration) of yellow powder, so it's kind of a pain to use, but that will pass :)

 

 Happy Spring!