Grayson is FOUR!

Grayson, my firstborn baby, today you are 4 years old. When you were that squishy 9lb newborn it was hard to imagine that you would ever be a big 4 year old. Now, four years have gone by in the blink of an eye. You are growing up SO fast!

 

At 4 you love:

-your little brother (most of the time) & your new baby sister. You are such a great big brother & always help out when you can. I know you will always be protective of Griffin & Cheney and I love that about you!

-baseball. You really love all sports, but you really love baseball. You are such a natural born athlete. It's still amazing to me that you can hit a ball without even using a tee. Not only can you hit it, but you can hit it really hard! Right now you are the youngest in the tee ball/coach pitch league & you haven't had to use the tee yet. We are so proud of you! It's been so much fun watching you do something you enjoy.

-being outside! You are always wanting to play outside. You mow, do all sorts of fancy tricks on the trampoline, play in the sandbox, drive your Gator around like a crazy man, & race down our hill on your plasma car.

-going to preschool! You are so proud to be in the "big kid" preschool class this year. You think it is pretty awesome that they don't make you nap. Your favorite thing is going to Preschool Praise with all the kids at school!

-all things superheroes! You love them all & change your mind about which is your favorite every week. However, you did ask for a superhero party this year!

 

You have grown up so much over the past year. I can't wait to take you to your 4 year appointment to see exactly how tall you are now! You have become so independent this year...you definitely don't need your mama like you used to! You love trying to do all things by yourself & you love telling Griffin that you can do things because you are bigger:) You have come out of your shell a lot & aren't  nearly as timid in new situations. You've even starting standing up for yourself (and your brother!) when we are at places with bigger kids who aren't acting very nice. This makes me SO proud because that was something I struggled with so much as a kid. I love watching you get more & more confident in who you are as you get older! Grayson, you have the best heart of any kid I know & we love you so much. Thank you for making me a mama 4 years ago!

Cheney's newborn pictures

We had Cheney's newborn pictures taken the day after we got home from the hospital. She was just 4 days & still in that "sleep for 20 hours a day" sweet newborn stage. Oh, fine. For the most part she is still in that stage...unless it is between the hours of 5:30pm - 9:00pm. Anyways, back to the pictures. My friend Lauren is an awesome newborn/family photographer and she did all of Griffin's throughout his 1st year. She has a studio in her house with a thousand different props & she does such a great job! I am so glad we had Cheney's newborn pictures done & a few family shots. I will cherish these forever...especially since she is my last baby! I think they turned out beautiful (the subject was pretty easy)--hope you enjoy them too!

 

 

 

 



Back to School, Back to School...

Well, just like that, our summer has come to an end.  With the birth of baby sister, school really snuck up on us this year! Last week was a big week in our house. Not only did Grayson start 4 year old preschool at our church, but Griffin started in the 2 year old class!

 

Last Tuesday was the first day of school for Grayson & Griffin. Grayson was excited this year because he knows several kids in his class AND they are "so big" that they don't nap at school. I keep reminding him this is just a school thing. Let's cross our fingers that he agrees with that statement for another year...I love nap time! Griffin was not as thrilled about school but I was! He is in the same room with the same teachers that G started out with and I adore them. I know he will have a great 1st year!

 

Grayson is in Ms. Cherry & Ms. Judy's class this year. He had a great first week & is excited about being in his new class! It is hard to believe that next year he will be in Pre-K & then off to kindergarten. I know it will go by so fast!

How perfect is this picture? I think it sums up our middle child perfectly! He's a ham! Griffin will be in Ms. Barbara & Ms. Jennifer's class this year. We already love them & are so excited to see him grow throughout this year. I think it will be great for him to have time to be with kids his age!

 

Here's to a great 2014-2015 school year! 

Cheney: 1 month old

Cheney is 1 month old today!

The Stats:

Height: about 21 inches

Weight: 8lbs 9oz

Clothes: just now growing out of her newborn things & wearing 0-3m & 3 month clothes!

Diaper: size 1

Eating:

We have successfully made it 1 whole month with exclusively breastfeeding & you are gaining weight like a champ! You are nursing every 2-3 hours during the day for the most part. This has been going on for the last week and I am thankful. You were eating about every 1.5-2 hours and that was exhausting & hard with 2 other kids! This week I started pumping & we are giving you a bottle right before bedtime to make sure you are eating enough. It has really helped with that first stretch of sleep & you had no problems taking a bottle!

Sleeping:

You started out the month being a female form of Griffin as far as sleep goes. You would start out in the Rock 'n Play & always end up in our bed.  I would try & try to put you back in your bed but you kept waking up. I really did not want to start that habit! I loosely started following the Moms on Call schedule this week & you've been SO much better! We give you your bedtime bath around 8:45 & you get your bottle at 9:00. You've been sleeping until about 2:00-2:15 which is great! I go to bed when you do, so I am getting a good stretch of sleep and it's wonderful. After that, you always wake up around 5 to eat & then for the day around 7:30 or 8:00. You are starting to form your own schedule & I am just following your lead--thankfully it is a pretty good schedule! You've even been out of our bed all week which is a HUGE plus!

Happenings this month:

-you get loved on constantly by your doting big brothers. They tell you how cute you are, call you a "pretty girl," & constantly want to give you kisses. They love you a little bit. And by little bit, I obviously mean they think you hung the moon...for now, anyways.

-you really like having a bath every night! We give you a bath after your brothers are in bed so it is quiet & you get all relaxed. You don't, however, enjoy getting out of the bath tub.

-you despise the carseat. I should be used to this by now since we are 3 for 3 on carseat hating babies but your screams stress me out so much when we go places! Once you fall asleep, you will usually stay asleep. If you are awake, you are screaming.

-just like your brothers, you have reflux. We thought we were getting lucky the first 2 weeks of your life when you seemed okay. However, the last 10 days or so have progressively gotten worse. We knew you had it because your symptoms were the exact same as your brothers. We went to the doctor yesterday & got you a prescription for Prevacid. Hopefully that will help ease your pain!

-you are starting to smile just a little but you continue to be the serious baby sister! You always look like you are pondering the ways of the world. I can't wait to see what your personality is like!

-you love to snuggle & be worn in the K'tan. That makes life easier while chasing the boys around outside!

-you are SO strong for such a peanut! You hold your head up so well already!

Cheney, you are the perfect addition to our crazy family. You complete us so well! We have loved having you around over the past month & it seems like you have been with us forever. We can't wait to watch you grow & get your own little personality. We love you so much, Cheney girl!