Bear is FOUR months!

Look at my Bear sitting! He is getting good. I keep reading in all my random baby emails that I get that sitting independently is the first sign he's ready for food, and I believe it. Teddy is especially interested in beer cans. He gazes at them intensely, and when they get close to him, he tries with all his might to hold them, or even taste them. We will hold off on food for a few more months if he will allow us to. 

Teddy continues to be such a happy addition to our family. Everyone loves him. Teddy is just about as agreeable and easy going as they come until you put him down to make dinner.  Then he will cry until he gags on a bad night. Otherwise, he is just a happy boy. He spends a lot of time getting held, and can get a little antsy if you put him down for *too* long, but these baby days are short and that is fine by me. I still hold him for most naps. I know I "should" put him down, but what if he is my last baby?!?! Chris will read that and roll his eyes. 

Teddy loves to hold on to you as you hold him. Right now he is sitting in my lap holding onto my arm. He frequently holds one of my bracelets or my hair. He also loves to stand up with some help. Often, he can stand independently by only holding onto our thumbs, without us holding onto him, if that makes sense. He gets a very proud look on his face when he stands. 

Teddy loves to smile and smiles all day long. He loves to talk. He likes to play "Patty Cake" and even more likes to give his sisters sweet hugs, then bop them a few times in the head. This makes him laugh and laugh. We say, "First the sweet....then the sour!" Leah and Juliet love to play with him and are very helpful to me when I need to get a few things done around the house. I was a little nervous about this age gap, but so far, it's been nothing but positive. The girls love to play with him, and aren't jealous of him at all. They understand when he needs something. If they hear him crying, they come investigate to see what's going on to see whether they can help. Teddy is reminded several times a day that he is the cutest and smartest baby in the entire universe and that he is loved so, so much. In fact, Juliet woke up from a dead sleep yesterday around 4am to list everyone she loved. Teddy was first. 

The only time Teddy cries (aside from when I make dinner) is when it sounds like people are fighting or too loud. Occasionally, we will play fight/wrestle together as a family. Teddy gets very upset when this happens. He only wants peace. 

 Teddy is getting really into his toys. His favorite toy is a little piano that also makes sea characters jump around and plays music. He is working hard on rolling over, but not there quite yet. When I lay him on his stomach with a boppy underneath, his little legs just go and go. We can tell that he would love to crawl. He can pull himself up pretty high up on his arms when on his stomach. He is also getting really interested in his fingers. He likes to put as many as possible into his mouth to chew. He seems to favor his left hand, so we wonder whether he will be a lefty like his mama. 

 Teddy continues to be large and in charge. 3-6 month clothes still fit well for the most part, but are by no means big. He is in a size 2 diaper, but just today I really noticed that size 3 would probably be a better fit (he wears size 3 at night). We will finish this box and move him on up! Teddy sleeps 5-6 hours straight most nights. He's still swaddled for the first half of the night. For the second half, I unswaddle him and let him sleep on his tummy (by far his favorite position!). 

Teddy's eyes are still blue and his hair is still super blond. His legs have rolls upon rolls. Teddy is perfect in every way and so loved and adored. Every day I say, "I never knew how much I needed a baby boy!"

Soccer Star

 Somehow we have a travel soccer player in the family! Juliet just finished a week of soccer camp, and has progressed to 3 weekly evening practices. She is loving it! She loves seeing her friends and playing. She refused to give up any other activity, so we have a SUPER busy fall between soccer, dance, gymnastics, and Girl Scouts. Eventually, one of them will have to go. But for now, she loves all so dearly that she just can't choose. 

Sitting Up

 This boy is so strong! With (just a little) help, Teddy started sitting up just after he turned 3 months. Chris and I were in disbelief! The girls sat up closer to 6 months. With a little practice, and when he's in the right mood, he can sit up by himself for a few minutes. Sometimes he finds this very exciting and shocking. Sometimes he just flops out of it as soon as he can. 

 I love this naked sitting picture. I was so sad thinking that Teddy wouldn't get to show off his rolls during his first summer months with a Spring birthday. Luckily, he filled out quickly. 

More Pool Fun!

 The girls have been having a lot of fun at the pool recently! Teddy enjoys being outside and sitting in the shade as long as it's not too hot. 

 These 2 have been perfecting different jumps into the pool. Juliet is an independent swimmer now! It's nice to be able to take my eyes off her for a minute without worrying that she could die--of course I still watch her closely, though. She has one more lesson with Miss Kate, and then she thinks she's officially "graduated". She tells everyone, "I take swim lessons, but NOT because I can't swim, because I can. I just take them to get better!" 

Build A Bear

 We talked about doing the Build A Bear when it was the pay your age promotion. By the time we got to the mall, the line had been closed off for hours and there were people that had been waiting for 6 hours, and were still going to have to wait many more. We felt bad for them!

We came back a few weeks later. It was still pretty crowded and everyone there was still pretty grumpy. An annoying family pushed their kid in front of Juliet in the line even though she was there first. Oh well. Everyone was pretty happy with their bears. Teddy, especially, loves Leah's bear.

I took all three by myself and was pretty proud of myself for managing them and the giant stroller that was filled with Build a Bear boxes and random bags from stores. We also got ice cream and some bath bombs. 

Monthly Phone Dump

 Leah loves her Bear. I can't even believe she spent so many months worrying about this tikes arrival. 

 When I take pictures with my phone, Teddy doesn't even notice. When I take them with the "real" camera, he looks at it with caution. So, almost all the pictures on here are phone pictures. 

 All 3 kids have worn these Christmas jammies now. There is NO WAY they will fit Teddy this Christmas, so he's wearing them now. 

 Leah having a sleep over in our room, sleeping sideways in her bed because Ollie took up the bottom half. 

Love these Vader jammies! 

Pool Fun

 We've used our neighborhood pool more than ever this year. Instead of Goldfish, we hired a local lifeguard to come do private lessons with Juliet. She comes about twice a week. Juliet is doing great with this, and I am so glad we did this instead of Goldfish. She gets a lot more attention and instruction and has made great advancements! It's nice that Leah (and sometimes even me) can swim, too. Because we are in the habit of going to the pool more, the girls ask to go more during the week, too. Typically at least one of them sees and plays with a friend there, too, which is nice.  

 Typically Teddy sleeps in his car seat with the fan attached for the first 20(ish) minutes. Then he wakes up and I hold him while the girls swim more. Last week we brought their cousins, and we all had fun swimming. 

Now Leah doesn't wear goggles. She likes it better without them and just opens her eyes under water. I feel the same way unless I am in the ocean. 

Leah's Family Party

 Leah has been counting down to her family party for months now. Poor girl despises the fact that the rest of us have birthdays within a few weeks, and hers is several months later. 

We had teased her that she wouldn't actually be nine (NINE?! I can't believe I just typed that!), more like 8.88 at her party. We tossed around the idea of making it Back to the Future themed (88 miles an hour?!). There were so many cute things online, and Leah even found an "Enchantment Under the Sea" dress that she loved and wanted to wear--but it didn't come in time and with 3 kids and my parents in town, I never was particularly motivated to do all the cute things we found on Pinterest to make it actually Back to the Future themed. So, we ordered some sandwiches, picked up some chips and beer, made a fruit salad and called it a day. 

Both kids wanted to wear their Maui dresses. It'll be the last time Juliet wears hers. It had got so tight in the chest that she popped the button off. Why do they grow so fast?! Leah insisted on wearing the earrings she bought for Taylor Swift. She loves them! 

 Juliet wanted a picture of just her. I told her to pick a pose. She chose to pray. 

 The kids had fun with their family--my mom and dad were in town as were their aunt and uncle and cousins from Virginia. 

 There are such a wide range of ages in my family. Prior to having Leah, I always wondered if the cousins would play together or even really "know" each other. Happily, the big kids do so well playing with the little kids. There is so much love! 

 One thing Leah really wanted was a pinata. So, we made it happen. We filled it with candy that loved that she could also actually eat (pesky expander!)--York Peppermint Patties, Jolly Ranchers, Smarties, Peanut Butter Cups, and Kisses. They all had fun wacking the pinata. It never actually opened. It did get a good hole on top though. After every kid had a few turns I just shook it all onto the ground over a couple of feet of grass. 

The weather was kinda rainy and gloomy, but it was ok enough for us to sit outside for a bit and also play a few games of Bag-O.

Leah requested a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. I made it from scratch. The cake was pretty good, but the frosting was a little runny. Too much milk and then I ran out of powdered sugar. Oh well. It still tasted good and not at all like an apple seed. 

 We had a cool candle from Amazon that opened like a Lotus flower and sang "Happy Birthday". And kept singing until you took the entire candle apart. Haha. 

 Leah got many great gifts. She was very pleased and thankful with her loot!

 Of course, books were a big request or hers and also a big hit! She has got really into graphic novels. This one had "boy drama" which I actively try to get her to avoid in her book choices. She was so gleeful telling me about the book. 

 Teddy was a gentleman and enjoyed the party. Him and Luke have a special bond. 

Flood!

A few weeks ago, our road flooded after some heavy rain. It only lasted for an hour or so, but it was INSANE. The girls thought it was the coolest thing ever. They begged to put on their suits and play in it. I know how gross it is, but it's one of those things that I knew they would love and nothing that a shower couldn't fix. So, they suited up and played in it for at least an hour. They loved when cars drove by. They would "jump" over the waves they created. 

 They really wanted to jump in the puddles. I thought rain boots would be best, but they only wore them to take a picture. Then they wanted flip flops.