5 months

Betsy has to share her 5 months with her big brother who also turned 5 years old in the same week.  I don't think either of them mind.

This month's photo shoot didn't go as well as I was hoping - I wanted a perfect picture of a happy smiling baby, looking right at the camera, in focus, with the background neat and tidy. Is that too much to ask? But I did get these funny sweet pictures of my little ones.  Not my plan, but I'll take 'em.

 

 As you can probably guess, our girl continues to get cuter and funnier and sweeter with every day.  When I was pregnant one of my many(!) fears was not being excited about the baby phase again.  I mean, babies are so boring.  They don't do anything. Kids are fun.  They have imaginations. They can do tricks. They have conversations and funny ideas.  They can get their own milk from the fridge.  And no diapers!  As your kids grow and become more independent, so do you! It's great.  I was worried about starting all over again and having someone that is so very needy. 

HOWEVER, as soon as Betsy Marie came into the world I knew those fears were unfounded.  I'm loving all the little milestones she is going through.  I love her little tiny body and her bald little head. I even love her constant supply of drool coming from her mouth.  It's normal for my left shoulder to feel constantly damp from drool or spit up.  (I know! Pretty!)  I love her little feet and the way she rubs them together while she nurses. And the way she grabs onto my finger or shirt or skin while she is nursing so tightly as if to say don't you dare try to move. And the baby smell! Babies just smell so good it's addicting.  Honestly I still think Curtis smells delicious and love to smell the top of his head but there is something about a baby smell.  It must be another survival of the fittest thing.  So yeah, having a baby is great. She is so easy going. Maybe it's because we have done it before and are not as stressed about every little thing. Maybe it's because she has a very active older brother and like it or not, she has to wait sometimes.  Also knowing that this is our last time to enjoy this phase is a very sweet and wonderful thing. 

Betsy's new tricks include:

• being cuter each day
• laughing a lot
• working on flipping over
• scooting her little body around on the floor
• eating little tiny bits of food - we haven't started solids to any real degree but she has enjoyed a few nibbles
• playing with toys - she has hands that grab and she wants to use them!
• making raspberry noises - a very useful talent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five. Years. Old.

Oh my goodness. What a boy you are!  Five years ago you made me a mama and my life could not be better.  Happiest of Birthday's little boy. 

Part of me wants to bawl my eyes out cause you are growing up so fast.  Too fast. I ask you if you will please always be my baby and you look at me like I'm crazy and say "NO! I'm your big boy!"  I know that's the last thing you want to be - but I can't help it - you will always be my baby.  HOWEVER, nothing beats seeing how excited you are to be five. FIVE!!  It's like you are entering a new, bigger, more exciting world. 


This morning as I was groggy and exhausted and just getting out of the shower to get ready for work, you made about 5 different requests of me.  You wanted to play with all of your new toys from your birthday all at once, to watch your new movies, go on another treasure hunt in the back yard, and for me to write a list on your arm with pen - just to name a few.  My eyes can't even focus and you are ready to take on the world.  I wish I could do everything you want and ask of me - in a perfect world we would spend our days following your imagination, hunting for treasure, playing with our 20 cats, riding skateboards, eating candy, being a karate guy, watching movies, doing "sperients", and of course fighting the bad guys. 


I'm so proud of the big brother you turned out to be.  You have never showed anything but love for your little sister.  And I know there will be a time when you two will fight and jealousy will be an issue but watching you two together is one of the sweetest things in my life.  You are always thinking of her and wanting to include her in your games and make-believe scenarios.  We didn't know how you would react to sharing your family with a new person, but you made the transition probably easier than all of us.  She is so lucky to have you and there is a reason her face lights up when you are around. 


These past five years have been an amazing adventure with you in our lives.  Thanks for reminding us of what is important.  We love you.

Curtis making Miss Boo laugh

Father's Day

A lovely day at the beach on father's day. We had a great day celebrating Andy. These two sweet babies are so lucky to have him as their daddy.

Four Month Photos!

For a girl who spends a lot of her time smiling - it sure is hard to get a picture of her doing it.  She giggles and smiles and a soon as I put my face behind the camera to get a picture, she turns into a very serious baby!  But at least I got one smiling shot of her.

Wowzers! Four month old.  1/3 of a year. What a sweetie pot pie - all 14+ pounds of her.  Here are some Betsy Boo bullet points:

• She drools like nobody's business.  She goes through multiple bibs a day. Mostly because:
• She has a molar that is poking through on her left side and it seems like she is working on another one on her right side.  She decided to skip the front teeth and go straight on to molars.
• She has the cutest little chubby thighs that I can't get enough of.
• She thinks she is a chicken
• Her eyes are still blue!!
• She still doesn't have much hair - but we still think she has more than Curtis did.
• She can't keep her eyes off of Curtis and vice-versa.  I'm so happy that Curtis got a sibling and they have each other. It's such a special thing to see.
• She won't take a bottle which has made going back to work more stressful.  Luckily, I get to go to her on my lunch breaks so she doesn't starve, but it sure would make everyone happier if she would just drink some milk without me there.
• Even with the bottle boycott, she keeps getting chubbier.  We love it.

Congratulations to our graduate!

The big boy Curtis graduated from Pre-school!  He did so great and we are so proud of the amazing little boy he has become!  He is oh-so-smart, he is on his way to reading and spelling and counts to 30 (only misses a few numbers).  He only has a couple more months at his pre-school then it's off to the big K!  But we are not gonna talk about that yet.  Right now let's just concentrate on how cute this boy is and how awesome it is to be 4 and a half-almost five and how hard it is to keep that dang graduation cap on your head.  

Three months and Happy Mother's Day!

Three months already!  And she gets cuter every day.  We are so lucky to have this little girl in our lives.  She really is the sweetest little baby.  Even when she is screaming her head off mad, she has a pretty good disposition.  And she is getting so big so fast - she's a little bean sprout.  It must be all the milk she drinks, which is still her favorite pastime.  Coming in a close second is keeping her eyes glued on her brother.  Andy and I break our backs and make complete fools out of ourselves to get a smile or a giggle out of her but when Curtis walks by her little face lights up with the cutest gummy smile.  She eats up his silly faces and voices and doesn't mind at all when he smothers her with kisses and hugs.  We will see how long that lasts, but for now, she loves it.  And vice versa too, Curtis always wants her right by him.
This is such a sweet and loving time in our lives.  Betsy is this coo-ey goo-ey snuggle-ey baby and curtis still loves us like crazy.  We really are so blessed to have this little family and Andy and I couldn't be happier.
Happy Mother's Day to all!