Train potty

Mister man is four weeks old today! He will be ONE MONTH on Monday and it's quite the paradox to feel shocked that it's 'only' been a few weeks with him, but shocked that he hasn't been with us forever. Because pregnancy seems like a different lifetime at this point and I can't really remember a day without my Porter on the outside.

Except sometimes I forget that I have three kids and feel slightly panicked, like I have to count heads to make sure we aren't missing anyone (and one of them is totally immobile, so I know this will only get worse with time). A few days ago I got really excited about taking Truman and Cecelia to McDonalds for dinner as a special treat with Mom here. After I told her my fabulous and carefree idea, I remembered that I also have a newborn who hates the car seat and is sometimes very fussy in the evenings. Oh yes. An evening out for a meal is a much bigger feat than it was four weeks ago! (It turned out fine, aside from hysterical crying by the baby and Cecelia at the end of the event. Happy Meals, french fries, and an ice cream cone means this was still a big win!)

I also catch myself calling Porter 'Tru' or even 'Sister' sometimes. Sorry about that, sweet third child of mine. It's okay, sometimes I call Nate 'Henry'. I'm losing it, obviously.

(duh, mom)


Porter has been a lot better in the evenings lately. I can feel myself relaxing a little bit more each day that passes because we are falling into a new sense of normal that feels a little less chaotic. He will still cry occasionally but we can usually find something that calms him down before The Blood Curdling Protests begin. Usually he just needs to eat, have his diaper changed, be swaddled, given the pacifier, and get walked around/carried a bit and he is out like a light. He could still flip a switch and get ridiculously angry and overstimulated at any time but the past week or so has been significantly more peaceful than the week prior. YAY for less fussiness! And yay for baby wearing because if I thought it was an important tool while juggling a newborn and a toddler, it's even more crucial with a preschooler, a toddler and a newborn. It's either wear the newborn or grow two extra arms in order to survive daily tasks at this point;)

Of course, little man still tweaks in the car but luckily we haven't pushed him to his limits in that torture device of a car seat too often. It's quite sad to hear him screaming until he sounds like a creature from a different world but I really don't know what else to do, aside from step on the gas and pray that we don't hit every red light on the way home from whatever excursion seemed like a good idea before the crying started. Let's hope this phase passes soon (like, tomorrow!).

(before the inevitable tweak-fest)


Porter is a really good sleeper and a fantastic eater. Still posting big numbers on the sleep scale with two wake ups per night, usually 3-5 hour stretches. Still loves his MamaRoo for all sleeping activities but I'm noticing that he can soothe himself to sleep a little better now and doesn't always need to be held or nursed to sleep. That's big time!! He sleeps a lot during the day with solid naps ranging from 1-3 hours in length and is now awake for a good hour at a time and is mostly content/very alert when he isn't snoozing the day away. I just realized that he is probably old enough to start looking at toys and we found Truman's old dangly elephant rattle thingy that went above his changing table----baby brother loves that elephant, too! Interacting more with him is fun and he's even flashed a few grins at us. Without gas that follows, so it feels like a 'real' smile even!





He's nursing very well, usually from both sides, with less and less coughing and popping on/off as we go along. No real schedule for feeding him but I'm guessing he averages about every 2-3 hours during the day for a session, sometimes more in the evenings, and still pretty efficient with about 10 minutes on each side. He needs a little more help with burping than I remember doing for the other kids and his old man farts are amazing, too. He'll grunt around and seem very antsy until he can burp or poop but after that he usually sleeps like a dream----I love how hard he has to work to get his tiny GI system moving. Newborns are so freaking adorable and helpless and pathetic at times!

(Lol. Stink face)


When I remember to practice tummy time, Porter rocks it and seems very strong to me. I had Nate give P his first bottle just yesterday and he gulped down 2 ounces like it was nothing. Whew! I figured he would do well with it but I'm glad Porter is officially nothing like Cecelia when it comes to bottle acceptance;) I'm pumping daily now and working on growing that freezer stash while on maternity leave.

Mister man has baby acne already, it comes and goes and looks worse when he is crying or after a feeding. I've heard that doing a 'breast milk facial' can help so you better believe I'm slathering him with milk since I figure it can't hurt! Plus if he pulls off the breast during a let down, he gets sprayed in the eyes anyway so I might as well push it a little further to battle the baby zits.

(also a bit cross eyed sometimes...)




He's seriously huge, though. I don't know but he is definitely a lot bigger than my other kids were right now. Last week he was about 10.5 pounds and I have yet to weigh him this week---but the 3 month clothes fit perfectly and have for at least a week or two. We finally finished off our newborn diapers because they were a little bit obscene, lacking modesty for our chunker with 'barely there' coverage in the thigh and belly region. Slow down, Porter-man!!

(These are size 1s but can we please talk about that round little belly?!?!)


(even seems kind of big next to big sister at times...who is working hard to avoid smothering him with aggressive hugs)


(obsessed with collared rompers for this child. OBSESSED)


Another notable is that my mom is still visiting us but her seventeen-day trip is coming to an end this weekend. I cannot even imagine how sad we will all feel when she flies back to Colorado. There really aren't words to describe how amazing it's been to have her here---seriously, so freaking awesome, we've been incredibly fortunate to have her here for so long. I know I can handle the kiddos without her but it's just 100x easier with her here and I'm going to miss the crap out of our GoGo! Like, woah.



Reading back over Truman's four week post had me smiling all the way through. Man, he was a chill little (fat) dude back then! He loved being out and about, so he definitely beats Porter with the ability to be in the car seat without hysterics. He had taken a bottle like a champ, was sleeping about 3-4 hour stretches at night, and hated baths. I was falling in love with being Truman's mom and shocked myself by the type of mom I was becoming. I couldn't have predicted that I'd go with the flow, without imposing a schedule right away. I didn't know that I'd feel most comfortable with T sleeping in our room instead of his crib in the nursery. I just had no idea what it would be like to be a mom and after four weeks, I realized that I was totally obsessed. It certainly helped to have an 'easy' baby to get us going down the path of parenthood!!

Then Cecelia's one month post (didn't do a four weeker) made me realize that she really was a pistol, even back then. She hated all pacifiers, rejected the bottle from the first try, hated her car seat, and didn't like to sleep anywhere but our arms. Ah, yes---my little lady knew what she liked, even back then! She was also sleeping the same as her two brothers at this age---about a 3-4 hour stretch, meaning two night time wake ups. This scares me because Porter could still take a major turn towards the HORRIBLE SLEEPER department like his big sister did. It seems like she was a lot more fussy in the evenings than Porter is right now though. And she didn't have baby acne until about 5 weeks, which was the same asTruman, actually---so Porter is ahead of the pimple curve on that one, I guess.

I think overall, having Porter as our third child means that these first weeks have been sweeter and more cherished. There's not as much time to overanalyze every small decision we make with him, and we are just going with the flow since our perspective has changed over time. He only sleeps in his swing? Okay, so what? He won't sleep in there when he's starting school. He likes to be held? Done and done, I have no problem snuggling this sweet baby while I can. Sure, it's totally different having a newborn when there are also two other children to divide my attention. Porter *has* to be a little more chill because he isn't the focus of our entire world like Truman was as a baby, and he isn't quite as demanding as Cecelia used to be (ahem, still is?). He may have to fuss around a little bit more and wait his turn for mommy while I tend to his older siblings, but he really doesn't seem to mind too much. Basically, he is a great third child/baby of the family already;)



So yeah, the combination of this being our third baby along with having mom here to help for the past two weeks has made for a really awesome transition…so far! I'm not naive enough to jinx things by claiming this is a walk in the park because it's more like run while wearing a blind-fold: quite unpredictable, definitely stressful at times, and worthy of an alcoholic beverage in the evenings.

But (excuse the mushiness and optimism here) Porter is a wonderful baby and we cannot get enough of those chubby, pimply cheeks. I don't know how my heart made room to love another baby THIS MUCH but oh, I could just burst when I see these three little monsters of ours. It's wild. We have three kids and life is crazy but pretty freaking fantastic.

1, 2, 3, 4...

How is this possible? Only-already four years old? HOW, I ask you, blogland?

Comparisons make me happy you know: me and my girl on her birthday each year <3


I struggle to capture all of my children's personality on this blog, but Cecelia takes the cake when it comes to an indescribable spirit, a uniqueness that can't be contained by labels or words or stories. She's our fighter, our rainbow baby, our feisty daughter, our emotional rollercoaster, our genuine sweetheart that keeps us guessing. And yes, she is absolutely stunning, too. Thankfully she has a lot more going for her than 'just' her looks but wow, she really takes my breath away with her big blue eyes, toothy smile, and those curls.


Cecelia embodies everything that represents childhood, the way it should be: innocence, playfulness, curiosity, and sometimes testing boundaries. She hates to get her face wet and is petrified of thunder. But she's fearless when it comes to trying new foods, going places without me, and climbing/running/jumping. She loved going to Sunday School this year and did not show one ounce of shyness or sadness when I'd leave her there. She'd simply wave goodbye to me with a big grin and get started on a project. She'd ask to go to Sunday School each week, when I know Truman required me to sit inside of his classroom for the first week or two when he started at age three.

I was also really nervous about Truman starting Junior Kindergarten when he turned four. But Cecelia? She is going to rock it's face off. She's ready, much more so than I'm ready to let her go this fall. But perspective teaches me that her first year in school is really just 2.5 hours every day, and it will go by in a blink. It still boggles my mind to think that my little girl is ready to go to Truman's school each morning. Three separate trips to school each day will be super fun on my end (drop off both kids at 8:20, pick CC up at 10:55, pick Truman up at 3:20) but STILL. Two kids in school this fall. Holy crap.


Sister is a great sleeper, although she has officially dropped her nap in the past four months. Dropping the nap means her bedtime is easy peasy and she passes out within minutes around 7:30-8pm, just like Truman. They still love sharing a room and I don't see that changing anytime soon. When their Tot Clock turns yellow at 7am, they both have usually been awake for a good 15 minutes, but they don't dare come out of their room until then. Sometimes T and C will fight about who gets to open the door, who walks down the stairs first, etc. Oh, those two for SURE like to push each other's buttons. But I also think sharing a room is a huge bonus for Cecelia, especially. She will likely get her own bedroom someday, and maybe the boys will share----but for now she really enjoys being with her big brother.


CC is also our best eater, by far. She loves to eat salad (off my plate), raw veggies (cucumbers are her favorite), and pretty much any meat (preferably off my plate). She loves to sip my La Croix and begs to chew gum almost daily. Truman has had gum maybe five times ever, and Cecelia possibly twice, but she knows how to ask the same question repeatedly hoping for a different answer each time.

For being such a great eater, she is still a string bean! I'm not sure of her stats, her four year appointment (with shots, yikes!) is this week, but I'm guessing she is in the 90th percentile for height and 25th for weight. I know she is not even close to the forty pound mark needed for a booster seat, so that five point harness will be around for awhile longer. She might be around thirty-five pounds and....super tall. She wears mostly 4T clothes but sometimes the pants are way too baggy in the waist, so we drop to 3Ts in pants but then they are high waters. Thank goodness for warmer weather with shorts and dresses! Her feet are a size 9-10 and she has more pairs of shoes than the boys combined;)


I honestly have not worked on writing the alphabet or numbers with Cecelia at ALL, compared to how much I practiced with Truman. And yet, she somehow can write her name with most of the correct sequencing and even draws stick figures and other random shapes without prompting. Truman was never into coloring before Junior Kindergarten, but Cecelia loves it!  I do not know how high she can count or anything like that because, well, second child syndrome. But I think she is a pretty smart cookie regardless!


Other things she loves: chapsticks, baby dolls, nail polish, shoes, skirts that twirl, glitter, potty talk, and riding her bike or scooter. She loved dance class and gymnastics, really hated soccer. Taking a family walk around the block might be one of her favorite activities of all time, and she frequently tells me, 'I love everyone in our family so much.' The feeling is very much mutual around here as Cecelia's mood dictates our day, it seems. But as I just told Nate the other day, I do think the emotional meltdowns are spacing out quite a bit lately and perhaps age four will be MUCH easier on us than ages two and three were with this little lady. She seems to pull through from a low moment quicker than she could last year, but there are still PLENTY of times when she can't deal and needs a break from everything (i.e. a time to rest in her bedroom, which usually means she is screaming at the top of her lungs the entire time but there really isn't another way to exorcise those demons).

On the flip side, when Cecelia is happy she is REALLY REALLY happy. Showering us with affection, and love, and giggles----it doesn't get much better than a happy Cecelia.


She says a lot of things that really need to be documented into eternity on the internet, but I forget so many of them that it's a shame. Some that I posted on Facebook...




Cecelia at bedtime: "Mommy, do you know how much I love you? I love you like polar bears love their mommies." 

She also regularly tells me that she loves me soooooooooo much, and that 'You're my best mommy ever.'  I never ever want to forget how many times she will tell me this in a day. Probably at least three times every day she tells me she loves me, and the most random times. Kind of like when Truman used to randomly declare me as his 'best friend', this is something that already makes my heart hurt for the time when she stops telling me this! (Just like Truman never tells me I'm his best friend anymore, wahhhhhhh). 


Another one I posted in the winter:
Walking home in the 3 degree weather, after dropping Truman at school: Cecelia--> "Porter, when we get home I'm going to give you some Chapstick because you be so hayve. (Behave)."

Cecelia loves her days with Papa so much. They have really found a nice groove together and my favorite day was when I came home to Tony with painted fingernails. Because obviously, Cecelia wanted to paint his nails and he couldn't say 'no'. That was a first for him but probably not his last! Understatement of the year: we are so blessed to have Tony in our lives. 


Did I mention that my mom made a flower girl dress for Cecelia to wear to Nate's brother's wedding in July? I DIE.




She spontaneously hugged my mom after trying the dress on for the first time. Genuine gratitude, right there.


Also a big fan of her light up princess dress my mom made a few years ago. This child is 100% girl, you guys.


A drawing of our family, 'And everyone is going potty here.' She even got the colors right with the gender of each!


Sometimes Cecelia reminds me that she isn't actually fourteen, and instead just turned four. Like when she asks me to carry her up the stairs.


But really. This face.


We had a small-ish BBQ birthday party for Cecelia on her actual birthday this year. It sort of felt rushed because Nate and I were just getting back from our San Diego trip and I hadn't even bought our girl a single gift until a few days before her birthday. But we did get her a Minnie Mouse watch, some pink Ray Bans, an Ariel tee shirt, Disney princess flip flops, and chapstick. She woke up to helium balloons all around our house on her birthday morning (which promptly dropped to the ground before her party, hours later), she picked cinnamon rolls for her breakfast, and then counted down until her party. I made her a 'candy cake' this year, inspired by the cake my mom made for me at my eighth birthday. Cecelia freaking loves sugar and has even asked Lois for a spoonful of sugar to eat when she hungry. So I knew a homemade cake with candy on top would be her heaven and sure enough, she devoured it (all of the kids did!).

CC wanted to wear her birthday crown all day and had such a blast with her friends. She had requested s'mores, so we did that at the end of the night. The accidental theme of the party turned out to be SUGAR.




Close up of the sugary delight:




Like any four year old, Cecelia freaking loves to open presents. She also wanted to play with a few of them immediately while her buddies all played in the backyard.


She perked back up for this, one of her favorite treats ever:


This big girl lights up our world!! She is now using Truman's old bike since he got a new one, still using training wheels but I predict she will ride without the trainers way before Truman ever did.


She's a hoot in her new sunglasses.


Nailed the family picture!!!


I don't know what else I can share about our girl, but I highly recommend you watch this video of her birthday interview. This is the only way you can get to know the type of entertainment that Cecelia brings to the table. I mean, listen to what she wanted for her birthday this year!!

Her fourth year interview:

Cecelia's four year old interview from Julia H. on Vimeo.

I haven't come close to adequately describing our girl, but those of you who've read my blog for awhile know how much we wanted her. She is so celebrated and so very loved. And she is FOUR! I can't imagine life without our Cecelia, and on this birthday especially, I want to absorb the enormity of this blessing. Another year with Cecelia, and oh, what a ride.

We love you, big girl!!!
xoxo
Mommy