3.5 years

Dear Andrew,
You are just about 3 and a half years old. I know I do the monthly letters to your sister, but I don't want you to feel slighted (years from now, when you will hopefully read these). I could do monthly letters to you too, but I think we all know it's much easier to do with a baby, when their development changes in leaps in bounds in a matter of days and weeks. Quite a few things have changed with you though, these past few months that should definitely be recorded.

You are getting so much more outgoing! You have always been a little ham (or turkey) at home, but it's always been a struggle to get you to engage other kids your age. You have always loved kids your age, but moreso in a passive way.. observing and laughing at them.. not a lot of active engaging. Lately, you are very quick to say hello and they you are THREE! and your name.. and 'dragonflies are good, because they don't sting you.. they're not wasps..' and etc etc. It's funny to watch you at the park, because if you see a kid your age, you go right up to them and just say whatever comes to your mind first. I am so proud of you, doing this. It's been a long time coming. But also apprehensive. When you put yourself out there, you always run the risk of some little bratty kid making fun of you, or saying they don't give a flying fart about dragonflies. I guess this is the beginning of letting you go though, letting you put yourself out there and deal with the sometimes unfair rejection. Speaking of, I had to let you do this one big-kid ladder thing, too. The other kid you met wanted to do it with you, and you, being a pretty stringent rule-follower, told him 'no, I can't. I'm not 10 yet!' .. See, this certain ladder is maaaybe age-appropriate for a 5-6 year old, not a 3 year old. So I threw out some big number to you, saying you could do it when you were 10. When the kid asked you to do it, I yelled over to you that you could give it a try - and sure enough, you scaled that big scary ladder with no problem. Over and over and over.
You will see a kid while we're at the store and look up at me and say 'I wanna talk to them'.. and I'll either say 'ok sure' or 'hmm... he looks pretty busy...' (which translates to: 'he looks like he might be a real turd and I'd rather you not run the risk of having your feelings hurt') Just the other day at the park, you approached a group of 7 (!!) year olds, because you felt the extremely strong urge to warn them of gum on the slide. I was worried that they would look at you like a little 3-year old pest, but they surprised me and asked if you wanted to play with them. They said 'we'll play easy on you.. we're playing angels and devils.. you can be an angel.. they're good!'... I think you smiled and just looked at them, having no idea what 'angels and devils' was.
All this outgoing behavior hasn't yet transferred over to preschool though. Kids you have known for over a year now still get the silent treatment from you. You talk about them endlessly at home, giving me the little-kid-scoop (gossip!), but you are virtually mute when you are with them. I don't understand this, but then there's quite a bit about kids I don't understand.

You love love LOVE to make Avery smile. In the backseat, you have a perfect view of her, and she you. You literally do not have to do a thing, and you elicit the biggest grins and noises from her. I do use it to my advantage, at home, when I need to get things done. If I can sense she's nearing fussiness, and I have chores I need to accomplish, I'll ask you to please sing her a song or make her smile. It always works and always buys me a few spare minutes.

This summer has been absolutely cruel with the heat, and the past week has finally shown us some comfortable temps. We have spent a lot of time outside and at parks, and you just go nuts. You have SO much energy pent up, and I do feel guilty for that. It's hard for me to run and play with you with a little baby on my hip, but you have seemed to forgive and forget for all the lack of physical play this summer. Recently, I taught you something with the sole intention of ooging your father out (one must get their kicks)... I taught you that giving someone a kiss on each cheek was called a French Kiss - which is NOT a huge stretch, as it's widely known that the French do love their social cheek kissing. Anyways, you love to grab my face at night when I tuck you in, kiss one cheek, then the other, and say 'Fwench Kiss!'
More bedtime related cuteness: our routine is pajamas, pick out a book, read, then sing our 'God Our Father' song, then do prayers. When we pray, your routine is to say all you're thankful for - you always start by saying 'Daddy and Mommy and Avery and Andrew (must include yourself!)' and you'll sometimes say 'thinking and loving and having fun..and a good house, good food, outside playing, bubbles..' and then the last part will change nightly, usually something fun you saw/did/ate that day. Then the very last part of prayer-time, I ask you what we can ask God for help with, and you'll relate some current issue to that part... maybe you accidentally hit Avery, so you'll say 'help with not hitting and being sweet'.. or 'listening to mommy better'. Or something particular to that day's events. And then sometimes you're so tired you just recite all the good things you're thankful for over again. It all works, God cares and so do I!

We recently started soccer with you, and it's a work in progress! You really don't love to sweat, so if it's a hot game or practice day? Forget it. If it's mild out, we can cross our fingers that you might run or think about kicking the ball. At the game yesterday, you ran! You RAN! The game prior to that one, you were stationary. Totally at a stand-still. So we think this is a 100% improvement. :) We're optimistic you might kick it over the course of the season. You are sometimes zoned out completely during a game (and on the field), but really, I don't blame you. Parents are yelling at each of their kids, and there's just SO much going on. It's all but impossible for a 3 year old to focus. But, when the coach calls your name and gives you directions, you are quick to follow them. And your spirit is just so positive - always high-fiving and thumbs-upping and excited to play more. Makes us so proud.

You love to randomly say 'when I was a baby, I would say __ like this: ___' - example: 'When I was a baby, I would say Breakfast like this: BREAK!' or 'When I was a baby, I would say Sandwich like this: SAND!' And you'll erupt with laughter over this little funny of yours. You think it's just hilarious to say how you used to say a word as a baby - taking the first syllable of it. 

You weighed in at 36 pounds at the dr office the other day. You are around 40 inches tall. At this pace, you will outweigh your father by 20 pounds by around the age of 10. And tower over him by the age of 8. I hope you are kind and take him for piggy-back rides when he asks nicely.

You wear mostly 3T. Some shirts are 4T and 5T though - if they run small. This still amazes me, because I can vividly remember seeing 4T shirts in the store, when you were a baby, and thinking Noooooo... he'll NEVER be that big. Impossible. Oh yes, this might embarrass you, but you still wear a size 2T-3T undies (the same size when you first sported them a year ago when we potty-trained you).. tiny heiny.  Just like your father.

You are seemingly going through a growth spurt. For lunch the other day, you downed your usual 3 veggie-chicken nuggets, plus veggie sticks, a cheese stick, a plum, and a banana. Sometimes I think you're stalling getting out of your chair and cleaning up when you ask for more food (after the food I put before you gets inhaled), but no.. you're really truly hungry! To test to see if you're hungry or just stalling, I'll offer you something you might not normally ask for (a banana, usually) and most times you'll say 'meh, can I have chips instead?' And I'll always say 'banana or nothing'.. and I know you're hungry, because you always resign yourself to the banana and wolf it down. I fear for our bank account when you are a hungry growing teenager.

Your current favorite song is I Walk The Line - no, not the original by Johnny Cash. We listen to Joaquin. You also love the oldies station. When the song Penny Lane came on the other day, you instantly said 'Hey that's the Beatles!' - I am 100% sure you've never heard that song, but your ear for their music is just that spot-on. But, you went on to say the next 4 songs were The Beatles, too. ;)

You are quite particular about your routine, too. Always have been really. But lately, if I do something (almost always in the interest of time) out of the routine, you REALLY let me know you don't like this. For example: teeth brushing. You always hop up on the stool, grab the toothbrush, and turn the water on (then I get the toothpaste.. etc.).. If you are moving at a snail's pace, and I deign to grab the toothbrush or turn the water on, I cannot simply say 'oops sorry!' and give you the toothbrush. No. You put the toothbrush BACK in the holder and then get it. Or you must turn the water back off - then YOU must turn it back on. I'm becoming more wise to the fact that it actually takes LESS time if I let you go about your occasional snail's pace at things.



I won't lie, kid. These past 6 months have been WAY more difficult than I ever anticipated. You have been throwing some tantrums (mild, but frequent) and showing some fierce defiance that I never saw coming. Add a baby to the mix, and you have some long days. People (mothers) always warned me that 3 was way worse than 2. And I now believe them. But you know? I still am most definitely in the lucky camp. You have such a sweet good heart, and such a desire to please and make us proud. You are so full of life and fun and silliness, how can I wish this age away? Before long, all this energy will be replaced with an adult desire to sit in front of a tv or computer, and I'll long for your boundless energy. The same little boy, so mad over having to put his shoes on and laying flat on the floor crying over this fact might someday show passive indifference over going places with me. Embarrassment, even. I'd rather have the meltdown, thanks. I'll close my eyes and picture you giving me a Fwench Kiss, and I will very much miss these days.

4 months

Dear Avery, 

My sweet girl is 4 months old!! So many new things..  let's list them:

* So chatty. Lots of funny drawn out sounds... especially when you are on your back on the playmat and life is carrying on around you (meaning, you aren't getting 100% of our attention). Also when we are in the car and you are supposed to be napping. I think your brother really believes you are talking JUST to him, which is adorable.

* You are waking less at night - but, I really don't want to go into too much detail here. I know I know.. the jinx isn't real!!! But sometimes, oh my GOD it so IS REAL. So, maybe we'll re-cap your sleep in a few months. Or never. But, for the sake of documenting milestones of sorts, I will say that we ditched the swaddle about a week and a half ago. You were busting out of it every 2-3 hours, and so we bit the bullet, starting with 2 days of swaddle-free naps. It has gone well!

* You weighed in at 16 pounds 1 oz at your 4 month appointment. Your brother, at the same age, weighed 16 pounds 7 ounces. So, not very different. You clocked in taller though. You were 95th percentile in weight, and 100th percentile in height. And your head circumference was 16.5 - which is funny, because I never really knew the significance of head circumference before.. and now I do! Ordering girly headbands online!! They always ask for head circumference. So yes, all medical things aside, I now find this measurement quite useful.

* You are still nursing.. still hating on most fake nipples. You'll take a pacifier sometimes - but ONLY when it's right before you take a nap. And ONLY if you see it first and deign to accept it - if we put it in your mouth, sight unseen (or if you're already crying) - forget it! Bottles are always a crapshoot at best, which makes leaving you with your father always stressful for me... but.... what're ya gonna do?? This has become my mantra of sorts, because we've exhausted all recommended methods/ideas to get you to take a bottle more consistently. Eh. What are ya gonna do???! I'm just grateful you nurse well. We went through a 2 week period recently where you were quite difficult (roughly the exact same age your brother was weaned completely!), but things are back to normal now.

* You love to be held. Way more than your brother ever did. He never loved to be held 'like a baby' (cradle position).. but you love it. You look so relaxed and just at peace, being held by whomever.. chilling out. 

* You are grabbing at things - but not all the time. Your little fists are still so tightly clenched all the time.. when we dangle an object/toy in front of you - you stop and focus on it, then you sort of rake it closer to you using more of your arms than your hands. You get frustrated sometimes when you clearly WANT to hold something, but just can't. 

* You really love to be held during dinner time. We had usually put you in the bouncer while we ate - so we could all eat a little easier... but you just fuss and squawk and kick your legs so furiously, and we can just feel you staring us down - we always end up picking you up and holding you, sitting up on one of our legs while we eat. Then, you are just calm as can be - watching all of us intently.

* You just recently showed some fear over the hair-dryer. Every time I turned it on, you would cry SO hard and would look so scared/sad. It was beyond cute, obviously, but I'll be wearing my hair wavy for a while I think.

* Just the past few days you have wanted to bear weight on your stubby little legs. It's the cutest thing EVER. And you are solid, too! You lock those legs and you don't move an inch! (and when you do this, the rolls and dimples are just that much more prominent and edible..)

* You wear mostly all 6-9 month clothes. Definitely outgrown your 3 month stash - and most all of the 3-6 month sizes, too. We've put you in several size 12 months things, and they fit well. At this rate, I'll be shopping in the toddler section WELL before you are toddling.

You're the most beautiful little 4 month old we know, we love you!

Hair Today......... Gone Tomorrow

 

Just wanted to do a quick comparison of my kids.


No, not anything developmental.. nothing that would give them any extra ammo against me in adult therapy sessions. Hair loss. Both my babies have lost the majority of their baby-bird-soft hair at approximately the same age. Right around 3 months old. (Yes, I too have lost copious amounts of hair at this exact same time, but you will not find me posting side-by-side pics of the return of my receding hairline.) Neither are stomach sleepers, so their tossing and turning in the crib/bouncer/car-seat have much to do with the sides being totally lost. The hair, for Andrew at least, returns in a few months.. And, so far, the moms of little girls I've talked to? They all say long hair is so overrated. The washing.. styling.. etc etc..   I'll take some bald sides for as long as I can get them!

The last two pics are Andrew. His hair loss was a lot more pronounced. Mange-like, even.

3 months

Dear Daughter,

You are actually 3 months and 3 days old, as I type this. With Andrew, I typically had monthly update posts written in draft a day or two ahead of time, ready to click publish. And then off I went, with smug satisfaction, to eat a hot breakfast while I made mealplans for the week, right before I, ya know, exercised or something. Times have changed!
So, here are a few things about being 3 months old:
It's really a cute cute age. I know, how can I say one age is cuter than another? They are ALL so cute. But, I think 3 months really marks the end of the newborn-stage. I know, sad that that stage is over and all.. but now you smile and laugh a bit and are just generally more aware that you are ALIVE. You look at things and follow everything with your eyes and really just take it all in.
Your new way of laughing is just beyond cute. You open your mouth and make this 'huh huh huh' sound.. and sometimes we get a BIG hiccup of laughter. The louder we get, doing whatever we're doing to make you laugh, the louder you get. These magical moments end the same way 99% of the time. The volume level of the fun we're having intrigues your brother to come and say something like 'mommy? mommy?? mooommmmy?!?! guess what?? MOMMY??!'... wherein I am forced to break the moment with you to attend to the obviously critically important thing he has to tell me. 'Yes Andrew?'.. 'MOMMY! I found.. A HAIR!' Moment over.
Bathtime is still just the best time of day. Even if you are fussing prior to bathtime (which is more rare these days, thank goodness), you immediately become the smiliest most zen baby ever, in the tub. And the way you lock eyes with me the entire time? Heart MELTING. You look at me seriously the ENTIRE time, and I love love love it. And if I sing (bathroom acoustics make me sound so much less horrid), you smile so big. A wet smiley baby is just the best kind of baby, if you ask me. Other than a baby that's been sleeping 10 hours.. but that's asking for quite a bit.
You are so very responsive to us talking to you. You make this one sound quite a bit - a /K/ sound, but more.. raspy. You need more saliva in your throat to make it the right way.. I know this because I've told others to do the /K/ sound, and they do, but not quite right, and you don't respond to it the same way. I'm your mother, so I insitinctively know how to do this special raspy sound you love. It's what mothers do.
You smile so very big whenever we initiate conversation with you. And just today you did the BIGGEST belly laughs I've ever seen - I was holding both your hands and shaking them pretty wildly. So of course I go for the camera. Try to recreate the scene.. and.. nothing. I think it's a lesson I should learn better, to just live in the damn moment and forget about the camera sometimes.
You are also losing copious amounts of hair, which is par for the course for a 3 month old. I am also losing copious amounts of hair. So it's nice that we can share this little indignity together. I know yours will grow back beautifully, and as for me, I know I'll have some weird/cute little baby-hairs for a while.

You are slowly but surely starting to grab things.. although right now it's still a very spastic sort of raking motion to your mouth. I'll dangle a toy in front of you and you'll spazz for a moment, then slow your arms down to rake it towards your face.. maybe 50% of the time it makes it all the way. I know in a matter of just weeks you'll have this move down and be shoveling everything in your wake into your little mouth.
You nap about 3 or 4 times a day. Each nap is anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. We haven't really gotten longer than that lately. You stay awake for roughly 1.5 hours between naps, but sometimes it's shorter than that. I can tell pretty well when you're going glassy-eyed and need to go back down again. Still swaddled. No regretting that! At night, you'll typically go between 4 and 6 hours for the first sleep stretch, then up to eat, then another 3-4 hour stretch. Then after that last stretch, you get to sleep in the bouncer in our room.. it's just our way of being super lazy at the end of the night and ensuring you sleep past 6am. Bouncer trumps crib every time. Some nights are good, others not so good...  last night being the latter, due to my poor decision to drink large amounts of Diet Dr Pepper late in the day (I thought it was caffeine free! I swears!)
You have lately gotten a little bit picky about your source of food. You've forgone the bottle, screaming bloody murder at even the scent of a fake nipple HOW DARE US???! And even with food from the source, you sometimes reject it, only wanting to be fed by me in bed, laying down side by side. Which of course, is just awesome and very relaxing, but not so conducive to life with a 3 year old, who has been 'plugged in' far more often than not because of recent life changes. It'll change in a matter of days though, I am sure.

See? That's the cool thing about 2nd children. Perspective. I admit, I do still get a tiny bit dramatic when we hit a difficult stage.. thinking it will surely last FOR-EVER, but I do have a small amount more perspective with you than I did with your brother. I know how the bad are all just stages.. which means the good are, too - so be grateful for ALL the good. All ebb and flow and whatnot, and you pull the rug out from under us all the time. We have to be on our toes, and it's wonderful. Your sweet little laugh makes any difficult stage so very bearable. :)

July

Here's a little juxtaposition (how often does one get to use that word?!) of my children. One is happy. Needing very little more than the dusty rotating blades of a ceiling fan to coax a gummy delicious smile from. Simply happy to be alive. And absolutely edible when in just a diaper. The other? Mad. Opinionated. Misunderstood (or so he'd claim). Very much the definition of ALL those 'been there done that' parents who have scared other younger mothers about '3 being the new 2'. THEY WERE RIGHT. Those two's were not so terrible, no, not at all. They were downright terrific. The 3's truly are a force to be reckoned with. Thankfully, he isn't the only child anymore, and I don't have the time to cater to his tantrums that happen when the wind changes. He gets the time-out chair. Or sent to his room. And 9 times out of 10, when told he has to leave my presence, he pastes on a fake smile and says 'I'm ready to act right now'. Ok, great. He can stay. Until 4.5 minutes later when the cycle repeats. Some days are veeeery very long. Some days are great though, and the tantrums are very minimal. He truly is a sweet child at heart, and I think a lot of the frustration comes from simply plain ol' boundary testing. He wants to see exactly how far he can push us (me) now, knowing our attention is split with a new little person in the house. And now that he can simply talk to us like a regular little person, with very little lost in translation, well.. he has opinions. On just about everything. But doesn't everyone? He's not a two-year old anymore, he's a little adult. A miniature grown-up with no concept of volume control and a propensity to tell strangers how big his last poop was. Oh, and also to tell strangers that he's sick, following a forced cough, successfully making me look like Mother Of The Year, for taking her sad, sick (but SO NOT) little toddler out into the world. Or, The Gap.
We like to say that our children are on opposing good/bad behavior years. For Andrew, birth to 1 year was good. (yes, exhausting and challenging, but cute babies really can do no wrong) 1 year to 2 years was a little iffy... particularly the last half of the year. LOTS of meltdowns and whatnot. Year 2 to 3 was AWESOME. Just cute and aiming to please and a sweet willing sponge ready to learn and give us kisses and hugs and high-fives. You see the pattern here? Alternating years. I am already betting my chips that Year 3 to 4 is going to challenge us. For HIM. But for her? We are going to totally rock the Year 0 to 1, because cute babies DO NO WRONG! So, we are just grateful that they are on an alternating schedule..  I am not sure we'd fare so well if they were both in the middle of 'off years'.

Sigh, it's not all public embarrassments and manipulative behaviors around here. There's baby back rolls. Lots of them. So, life isn't all that bad. We like to keep her in just a diaper (ok, I do. It's just me with the fat-roll obsession) as much as possible in the evenings, and I just.. gosh.. I want to EAT THEM. The thigh rolls are pretty juicy, too. She has one very noticeable extra roll on her left arm and left thigh.. not really sure what that is about. Perhaps my milk is settling more on her left side? She's got the trademark 2-4 month old bald-patch look going on, and I'm really shocked that I haven't followed suit yet. I remember beginning to lose my hair at the same exact time that Andrew lost his. I am sure I'm not far behind. Super sexy receding hairline, here I come!

 

2 Months

 Dear Daughter,
  You are now two whole months old. I'll say what ALL mothers to babies say, that I just cannot imagine life without you. Sure, I remember it. I remember it well - the daily luxury/mini-vacation of life with one (usually very well behaved) child. But I cannot imagine or comprehend life without you now. I cannot imagine a day without smelling your SWEET smelling head, rubbing my face on your soft-as-baby-bird-hair head. Watching you wildly pump your little legs the moment I lay you on your back, anywhere. Making you smile the biggest gummy smile, just by talking to you. Counting your leg and arm rolls.
Your two month birthday was not uneventful. The latter part of the day, at least. Naptime was not the greatest. You usually take your most substantially long nap around noon or so. THANK GOD your father was home (it being Sunday) because we had a doozy of a time. First, you decide to drop the mother-load of poop. It's one thing to hear a huge load being dropped, it's quite another when you hear that, and then a gigantic fart immediately following it. That precise combination of sounds only has one deadly result. BLOW. OUT. Yes, you farted the poop right up the back of your diaper. Leaving a poop spot on the bed sheet. And the mattress protector. Strip the bed. Nap-attempt take 2! Is not having it, so as a last resort (and usually very successful), we put you in the Ergo baby carrier. Your father takes you - you still IS NOT having it. So he unstraps you, and as he does this, you drop another load - of fresh baby barf, all over yourself and the carrier. Another load of laundry, second in one hour's time. We eventually get you to sleep, and all is well. UNTIL! Later that evening. We are all four being lazy out on the back-porch (we just got a canopy to provide shade - it's awesome).. when I hear the air conditioner turn on and then immediately off. This is a weird disconcerting sound. Your father checks it out - while I brainstorm what to pack for ALL FOUR OF US OMG in case it can't be fixed and we need to evacuate the premises. Love, if we didn't have you on our hands, we'd probably just sweat and be miserable and stick it out - but you and your inability to regulate body temperature left us no choice but to flee to Grandpa's house at 7pm. (which is what? Your bedtime.)
We unfortunately had to let you squawk for a good 10 minutes or so, while on your playmat, because your father and I were running around LIKE CRAZY packing up things, putting them in the car, and otherwise going insane all the while the temp rises a degree a minute it seemed (it being 101 outside!). As this was our first official overnight-away with you, I think we panicked a little too much and overdid it with the 'essentials'. You really didn't need your bouncer AND your playmat. Your heiney barely touched either, as it was being held by either Grandpa or Mamaw. You didn't need the baby bathtub we hauled over either. Despite the definite fact that you probably needed a bath, given the poop and barf explosions of the day. And those 20 diapers I brought? Probably overkill as well. So were the 10 outfits.. but I digress.
We got you upstairs and nursed/rocked you to sleep, and you did pretty well considering. You slept about 5 hours before waking up for a feeding. I actually think you did better than your brother, who slept across the hall (in Aunt Kelly's old room), because he conked out on the drive home the next day. Clearly he did not get as much quality sleep as you did! 
It was sort of surreal, nursing you in the room I grew up in. Looking around and seeing little remnants of my childhood/high school years, as I cuddled you close. Just a full circle, weird, crazy moment. ALSO weird nursing you at Mamaw's house. I took you to one of her bedrooms, and in true-Mamaw-form, the dresser was absolutely cluttered with nostalgia. Homemade frames, old pictures of us as kids. Many deceased family members. More full-circle moments.
It was a definite change of pace, this little air-conditioner mini emergency. Your grandpa, being the BEST EVER as usual, really hopped into emergency mode as well. Not ten minutes after hanging up with him to tell him we had to bunk up, he calls me from his cell phone, at Target, asking me what all he needed to get for us/Andrew. And without me even asking (because I had a hard time asking for anything, given how generous he was already being), he gets me decaf and caffeine free Sprite. His nursing daughter was QUITE pleased!! Not only that, but he puts Andrew to bed, buys our lunch, fixes his meals, takes him to the potty, changes your diapers, and then when we leave, packs us up a cooler of all the fresh fruit/whatnot he claims he won't eat himself.
So. Your two month birthday. Celebrated by packing up half the house to go stay at Grandpa's for less than 24 hours. Happy Birthday!!

Life these days

This is a post not entirely dedicated to either child - it's a rambling of what's been going on lately - wrapping up a post in a bow of organization and cohesive thought is just way down my priority list right now, so bullet-points it is!

* Andrew is pretty much an awesome brother. I always knew he would be. He does need to learn some normal boundaries, as most toddlers would, because his volume level when right in Avery's face is sort of frightening.. but still. I've gotten a little selfish sometimes by cootchie-coo talking to her in a lowered tone, because I know the instant he hears me he will come over and do the same. And then overstimulated-baby city! It's so sweet to hear him say 'kick those legs!!' or 'hi pretty girl! you're such a big strong girl!' or little things he hears me say all day long. He's so big on the positive reinforcement!

* Avery is just bulking up like crazy. Her wrist rolls are just so edible I can hardly stand it. Her cheeks are endlessly plump, and her upper thigh rolls are insanely cute. Her eyelashes are slowly coming in, and her eyebrows are also slowly starting to show some color. It's funny, I had a warped memory thinking that Andrew was born with his lush full set of lashes, but looking back at photos shows that he certainly was NOT. It took him several months. So Avery still has a great shot at those luscious lashes I am so jealous of! She certainly has the big eyes to carry them.

* Our sleep situation has been not so bad. The last few weeks have been pretty much the same, give or take. Avery will go her longest stretch of sleep for the first of the night, followed by several 2-3 hour stretches. And by 'longest', I'm talking anywhere from 3 to 4 hours. We've gotten TWO 5-hour stretches. Ever. And separated by two weeks time. Technically, according to google (?), the term sleeping-through-the-night is classified as 5 hours. Which is nuts, but in the interest of setting her up for success, I'll buy into it and say she's slept through the night twice! So, even though our every night is broken up into 2-3 hour increments, where I have to feed her/etc, we aren't that tired. We were total zombies when we went through this stage with Andrew. But I truly think it was just a first-time parenting thing.. we have been through SO many rough patches of sleep with Andrew over the last 3 plus years, that I guess we're used to things like this. Before Andrew, we most certainly were not. We have developed a tough (sleep-related) shell I suppose. Don't get me wrong, by about 8pm every night I am ready to CRASH. But getting through the day is pretty do-able. I am a bleary mess when she wakes up sometimes 3 times a night to eat, but I try to picture her as a teenager, rebelling and otherwise loathing us, and this gets me through.

* Avery has started to smile SO much lately. I have to really sweet talk her for them though. Like, all out 'whoooo's my pretty girl?? YOU ARE! whoooo's my sweet little girl?? coootchie coooo!' It's pretty sappy, but when I use the right tone at the right volume, and she's really locked in on my eyes, she smiles the sweeeetest little open mouth smiles I've ever seen. And sometimes she sort of makes a laugh-sound to back it up. Not a full-out LAUGH, but a 'heeeeehe' sort of soundtrack to her smile. And then, usually, right when I'm getting a good one, Andrew will come over and get all up in our faces and the moment is GONE!

* Andrew has taken to acting like how a pestering older sibling often does act. To me. When he asks for something, and the answer is no (or not yet) he'll taunt me. Scene: He wants to watch some Curious George. I say maybe later. He starts singing 'I wanna watch some Geeorge.. I wanna watch some Geeeeeorge...' I say 'You already got your answer'. He looks at me incredulously (and tauntingly) and says 'I'm just singing the George song!'.. and he continues this 'George song'. It's maddening sometimes! I ignore it usually.. but he does it in so many different scenarios! When he's done with his meal, and asks to get cleaned up, and I've got my hands full with 10 other things and tell him to please wait patiently, he'll sing the 'I wanna get cleaned up' song. It's akin to an older brother holding his finger a half inch from your forehead and singing 'I'm not touching you... I'm not touching yoooou!' In due time.

* A funny (yet stressful) story of one morning earlier this week: I had a dental appt early in the morning, and when I came back home (and Pablo left for work), I decided I needed to get us out of the house. Before we leave for the park, I ask Andrew to go potty (as usual, before we leave the house).. he says he already did go, and was pretty adamant about this when I argued with him, so I took him for his word, given that I was not home earlier. Off we go, and as usual, I have Avery strapped to me in her little sling. Which is cozy and sleep-inducing for her, but a little HOT for me in the morning sun. Within 5 minutes, Andrew says he has to pee. Since I have Avery strapped to me, and the potty in the trunk is under heaps of grocery sacks and a bazillion-pound heavy stroller, I tell him that it's a great time to pee outside! yay! Standing up and peeing is like the greatest thing EVER! How awesome!!! No. Hate. Stomping of feet and no way Jose am I peeing here outside are you off your rocker?!... I tell him there's no room in the trunk to go potty there. So he simply says 'ok then, let's just go home and pee.' CHILD. I just got your sister strapped to me, I am soooo not peeling her back out and in the car-seat so we can go home to PEE. So I relent and heave the stroller out and heave the child up, to pee. In the trunk. I heave him back down and tell him to go play. My vision is compromised (directly in front of me) because of the sleeping babe strapped to me, so, naturally, I spill his potty full of pee on my foot. I rinse my foot with the squirt bottle I keep in the trunk (ever the Girl Scout), and we continue our leisurely morning at the park. While I swelter from the previous exertion, and air my foot out. Just another morning in paradise!

* The hours of 4:00 to bedtime (7-8:00) are quite hairy. Avery is usually taking her last nap of the day, Andrew is usually either cranky from his nap or running around like a maniac, desperate for Pablo to get home and give him the physical outlet he needs. I am debating whether or not to cook or get last minute take-out. Also trying to catch up on the day's worth of housework that has inevitably piled up. Laundry to be dried/sorted/put away. Dishes - always endless dishes. Pablo gets home, I usually am feeding Avery, so I join them when I can. I hoover my food so I can start in on the chores. We trade off kids, depending on Avery's level of fussiness and who is succeeding the most at quelling it at that moment. I sometimes have a selfish evening and throw in a 10-11 minute long bath (hygiene ranks low these days), but usually I'll spend some one-on-one time with Andrew, because the day's events make that difficult, so I take advantage while Pablo is here to man Avery. The dishes and laundry sometimes get done during this short time span.. Then, bathtime and bedtime! Many routines to be followed, same every night. Needless to say, we will not be getting out and painting the town red during these hours anytime soon!

Life these days is rough, yes, but good. SO GOOD. I have come across so many random blogs and stories lately regarding hardships with babies, and it always makes me stop and count my blessings, for I have many of them. My babies are my world right now, as they should be, and they couldn't be any sweeter.