Evan is 3 Months Old

Evan is an adorable little 3 month old.  He gives us full-blown grins and half cackles now.  And we are EATING. IT. UP.  Or as David would say "He's finally getting cute"  I had to disagree since I think he's always been cute but Dads seem to need babies to make obvious responses to them.  

Evan is gaining weight nicely.  I took him in for a weight check and he weighs 12 lbs 3 oz (20th percentile). He is sleeping about a 9 hour stretch at night but still wakes up for a cuddle a couple times during that time.  He doesn't want to eat, just wants to cuddle for a minute--not sure what that's about!  He only eats around five 4 oz bottles each day.  I think he needs more but he just doesn't enjoy eating, it's a chore just to get that much down him.  He still throws up about once a day--like a fountain.  Right now Evan still takes 4 naps a day of about 2 hours each.  He can only stay awake for about 60 minutes--he's still very sleepy.

 

Evan is most smiley right when he wakes up

He likes to look at lights

The girls LOVE making him smile

I am pretty much in love with this picture

He loves his friends in the swing mobile

My attempt at getting a picture with me and Evan.

Good-bye First Grade

It was time to say good-bye to Cyrena's first grade year. She had a wonderful year and seemed to mature quite a bit.  I had major guilt this school year with being pregnant and working around 20 hours a week with prepping and teaching 2 preschool classes.  I did try to get in her classroom a few times but of course I would have liked to do more. 

 She had a wonderful teacher who was very supportive and sweet with her, especially with all that was going on before and after Evan's birth.  

At her class awards ceremony Cyrena received 5 certificates!  She was ecstatic.  Her teacher handed out awards in groups so most of the kids got at least 3, it was cute.  Cyrena's awards were:

-"Word Whiz" award for knowing over 600 high frequency words

-Outstanding classroom behavior award (along with 6 or 7 sweet friends)

-'Bookworm' award for reading 242 books throughout the school year (the most in the class!)  I guess signing her reading log every night was worth her getting this award. :)  David's comment was that he hasn't read that many books in his entire life!

-Excellence in Reading for reading above her grade level all year.  

-Outstanding achievement in Math

She will miss the routine and rigor of school but I am glad to have her home for the summer!

Evan is 2 months

 Evan is really almost 3 months now- this is a little late but that's ok!

 Evan's hair has started to recede a bit, revealing his large forehead (or 'fivehead' my brother would say).  He is still very sleepy and just giving me about a 4 hour stretch at night.  There are still no full on grins but definitely the beginnings of them.  He still has spit-up gushers about once or twice a day.  I think he won't sleep more at night until that gets a little better.  He loves bath time; the running water makes him sleepy.  He is mostly only awake as long as it takes to feed and change his diaper, any longer than that and he gets cranky.  However, he is so easily soothed, it's amazing. We love our little Evan.

Here are his 2 month stats:

Weight: 10 lbs 1 oz

Height: 21 1/4 inches

Mother's Day

There wasn't one picture with all of us looking our best, but here we are and I know I'm blessed!

Evan 6-8 weeks

 

I am definitely enjoying this newborn stage as much as I can.  Evan is most likely our last child so I am soaking up every minute of his sweet cuddliness.  He is starting to cry more but it's mostly when I'm trying to let him go to sleep in his cradle.  As soon as he is picked up his crying stops.  It's almost hard to put him down because he's so sweet and cuddly. He does eventually sleep in his cradle but just needs some soothing first.  Evan is very calm and content and falls asleep easily the majority of the time. 

Evan went from pooping every feeding to pooping every 4-5 days.  Our other kids never did that!  He had his first blowout last week; hopefully he won't follow in Natalie's footsteps in that department.  He is starting to give me a few smiles here and there, usually in reaction to kisses.  He is absolutely adorable and I am loving every minute with him. 

At his 6 week appointment Evan weighed 7 lbs 15 oz!  I am so glad he is healthy and gaining weight; our little miracle baby.

Cyrena

Last month Cyrena had her first piano recital.  She was a little nervous but mostly excited.  She worked hard learning and memorizing 2 songs.  She is so fun to watch while she's playing.  She sucks in her cheeks and concentrates very hard.  

Cousin Claire got to spend the night with us and be there for the recital!

Cyrena played so well and received so many compliments.  She has a great teacher; my good friend Traci.  She has been playing about a year and loves it. 

Cyrena has lost 3 teeth in the past week.  They weren't necessarily ready to come out but she was bored going to sleep so she wiggles and twists her loose teeth.  It makes me nauseous just thinking about it!  The first night she lost one the tooth fairy totally dropped the ball and did not arrive before she woke up.  A discussion ensued about whether the tooth fairy was real and there was major drama.  Eventually it all worked out and she was happy with the results.  We did not make that mistake again. 

Cyrena reads at least one chapter book a day.  I'm so happy that she loves to read.  She still loves school but I'm looking forward to having her home this summer.  Cyrena is growing up so fast, I want time to slow down.  She is still very helpful with the kids but also has her whining and sensitive moments.  Cyrena is like me and thrives on routine.  Every day after school the first thing she does is clean out her lunchbox then practice piano, read, do her homework then she's allowed to either play computer or watch a show or play with a friend. If these routines get disrupted she is not a happy camper!

Cyrena's class put on a Mother's Day soda sippin' party.  The moms got to come have root beer floats served to them and we watched a little Mother's Day video they made about their moms.  It was so much fun and Cyrena was so happy.  It wasn't an easy thing for me to go to the school since I had to get a sitter for the 2 girls and I had to make sure Evan was fed and happy.  It was stressful for me but it made it all worth it to see her adorable smiling face when I walked in.  

She asked me to wear a blue shirt and denim capris so she and I would match!!

Anna- 28 months

Anna is a monster!  Sometimes a scary monster, sometimes a silly monster. :)  Many times we call her "Angry Anna"  She can be a lot of fun but also a pain in the rear.  I really enjoy watching a toddler discover the world.  It is fascinating watching them figure out how things work and see what they're willing to experiment with.

Trying to climb everything because her sisters do

unloading the silverware

 She is fighting naps and bedtime because she wants to be in charge of her life!  Don't worry, we're still in charge. She definitely tests us more than the older girls did at this age.  She is quick to say no and throw a fit.  But when she gives you that heart stopping grin it is so hard to stay mad at her. 

Anna is talking more and more, I love it!  My favorite thing she says to Evan is "you all done uh milk (pronounced molk)?"  It's adorable and then she says "you want more (pronounced mohwuh)?"  I pump while I feed Evan so sometimes I watch a show on my ipad to pass the time.  Anna is used to this so sometimes she'll get the ipad for me, prop it up against the diaper basket on my bed, turn it on, open up Netflix and start a show for me!  It cracks me up. 

note the ipad and diaper basket behind that strawberry face

Anna is a fun little sister except for when she bites her sisters or pulls their hair!  But she admires them and wants to do everything they do.  When Natalie does ballet or gymnastics, Anna has to as well.  And she HAS to get a hug and kiss from Cyrena before Cyrena leaves for school on the bus.  

Now on to the adventure/chore of transitioning to a bed and potty training!