updates

Lucy: first roll (front to back)- April 18. How did I manage to miss this? It seems fairly improbable when you think about it- we are ALWAYS together. Oh, except that sixty second run to the backyard to check on Alex. :(

It's okay though, I saw her do it again this morning. :)

So proud to be holding her head so high...
...love this one of her at the Teacher Appreciation softall game (so fun to watch, totally would love it if one of our kids was into baseball/softball)
Those hands have been pretty tasty lately
Also: she is interested in the hanging toys when we put her down on her play mat and wants very much to stand when we hold her in our laps, and she is STRONG. :)

Alexander: In his big-boy bed now, testing our commitment to naptime (he is right now calling from his roon "I awake" but he has soooo not slept, hehe), asks to go outside first thing in the morning (and is capable of getting very dirty), and pronounces Word World "oo-oo."

Last week I was having a particularly difficult time getting him to take a nap. He figured out how to take the safety lock off of his door (unbeknownst to me), and as I am checking my email I hear him open the screen door to the backyard, and then I see him wandering by my window. He was marched right back inside for a nap (which never came).

He loves swinging. The higher, the twistier, the better.

Claire: Quite (or "quitely" as she would say) interested in the softball game and in being very friendly to people, who often, unfortunately, do not reciprocate. :( How sad is it when a 3-year-old squeals "hello!" and an adult just stares blankly? :(
Also, she is happy to be climbing into the treehouse at Oma and Opa's house (with supervision and spotters), quick to say (but not necessarily exhibit) "gentleness" when I ask what our number one rule with Lucy is, proud of being a "brave girl" when she sees a black widow and tells me "RIGHT AWAY!" and a HUGE fan of carrots. :)

3 Months

Little Lucy Annabelle of the Ball (her newest nickname, which I love because it incorporates her middle name and is long, and I happen to like long nicknames. Exhibit A: "Alexander bo-bander fo-fander sho-shander mo-mander salamander you are not a salamander you are a big boy!" Poor boy, hehe) is three months!! And she has been for six days, so this post is LATE!!

A little bit about my littlest angel:
~ she is in size three diapers (16-28 pounds). I found that all of our kids got into size three fairly fast and stayed there for awhile. No exception here!
~ she still sleeps snug in between Noah and I, though as of tonight she will have her own crib in her own room. Whether she actually makes use of it remains to be seen. :)
~ she naps daily in the bjorn...we couldn't live without it, in fact. It has increased in importance with each little Minton. There's not much I can't do with her in it...I think just driving and showering and exercising, hehe. :)
~ a typical day: she wakes up with me at about 7:30am, then takes a nap (in the bjorn) at about 9:30. Up at 11 for more milk, down again at 1pm (in the bjorn), often until 5. Up for more milk, playtime with Daddy and the sibs, and then down for the night at about 9:30pm. She wakes up 2-3 times a night, but I'm always half-asleep, so it doesn't make me too tired. In fact I think I am getting better sleep now that before she was born because Alex was up so much and now sleeps through the night consistently!
~ Her hair is so much like Claire's in the way it is growing in- very mohawk-like, with long hair down the middle and baldness on the sides, hehe. A little bit if thinning in the back where she lays her head, but not much.
~ Her eyes are still quite blue. They were a deep, dark blue at first (much like her sister's were), and I was convinced that they would turn brown in time. But now they seem to be lightening and brightening a bit (more like Alex's), so who knows?
~ the girl's got chunky legs. :)
~ I can make her laugh and squeal and smile, and I'm the only one she wants when she's fussy or hungry, but, oh, the way she looks at Noah- it's almost as if she knows he saved her from falling to the floor at birth, hehe. It's true what they say, that the first man a girl loves is her daddy. :)
~ she is in size 3-6 months clothing
~ she HATES the carseat/car. I realize hate is a strong word, but she totally does. :)
~ If she's not napping in the bjorn, she's likely in my arms. We weed together, iron together, sew together, hang clothes up on the line together (this is tricky one-handed, but doable), surf the internet together, and watch episodes of The Office, Brothers & Sisters and Modern Family via hulu together :)

I think I'll keep her. :)

Some photos:

Taken by Claire- see the bjorn? Indispensable, I tell you, as I'm applying sunscreen to my outdoors-loving fair-skinned boy.
Also taken by Claire- Lucy just falls asleep like that in my arms all the time. I promise she's not about to fall out of my arm... :)




Even Noah likes the bjorn (and looks darn cute in it, I might add)
Looking a tad frightened by Claire's excitement (let's just say three-year-olds don't understand volume control)
Both big kids like to pull chairs over and play with Lucy in the carseat if I've put her down for a second. I can't trust Alex (sometimes he is so gentle and sweet, and not a second later he's, um, not so gentle...) yet, but I can trust Claire, and she is such a help playing with Lucy sometimes. It's also accurate to say that Lucy likes the attention from Claire (the songs, the toys, the LOUDness, but is sometimes overwhelmed, hehe) :) So there you have it. Perfect Little Lucy at 3 months. :)

Favorite Photos from our San Diego trip :)

This was a must- we have a shot of Noah, Claire and I when we took her to the aquarium as a baby, so it just seemed natural (to my sentimental self, anyway) to document the changes in the family since then with the same backdrop. :)
Jay and Janell, our very best friends, and little Cal, who is due in June. :)

This girl was smitten with all the marine life. I mean look at those splayed hands on the glass and the intent stare. So much fun to see her (and Alex, too, though his attention span was a bit shorter...) really soaking up all the exhibits.

Sitting by Mark Twain, or at least a copper version, hehe. He's reading Huckleberry Finn, by the way. :)
Claire's best friend for the whole trip.
A little bit tired, but happy we survived the night away from home with three little ones.
Mischief-maker, I tell you.
Old college friends...
...and Auntie Laura!!

One for Me

* Sleeves actually are the same length, hehe. One was just rolled up a bit more here. :)

Besides my super simple and often worn elastic-waisted butterfly skirt, I haven't sewn much for myself (apparel-wise or otherwise).

Until now, hehe.

I read a positive review of this pattern and thought it looked fun, comfy and easy, so I gave it a go.

I love the finished product (even if it looks a bit too much like a hospital gown, hehe)

It is comfy (can't even feel the seam allowances, which I thought might itch), lightweight (perfect for summer, especially since the sleeves can be rolled up) and fits really well!

Plus, I can nurse Lucy in it without having to pull it up from the bottom, major plus.

I already have fabric picked out for a second version, which will be a bit shorter. You see you can make it tunic length (I did this), or shirt length. I didn't want to do shirt length at first because I like my shirts a bit longer, but I think tunic length might be too long to wear with shorts.

Anyway, pretty good I think, for about 4 hours start to finish!!