Starting to Have Fun

Well, at the two month mark things are getting more routine and we are starting to have more fun again in this family.  Its actually mainly me who is experiencing this change, since I think that the others have been having fun all along.  Last Friday night the grandparents took the big boys and Lance and I took Sawyer out to dinner.  He was a sweetie and stared quietly for most of the dinner.  We were surprised that he did not fall asleep for the entire hour that we were there.  It was so loud!  But when he did cry a little big, NOBODY could hear him.  We need to find more restaurants like this.

The next day felt more like a typical Saturday with us all home and having fun.  I was happy to be able to exercise, which always makes me feel better.  We all got naps too!  Saturday evening the grandparents, who we LOVE, watched all three boys while Lance and I went to dinner and a concert.  We had a great meal together, and it started to feel like old times.  Our church friends invited us to a Willie Nelson concert.  It was a gorgeous evening and we really enjoyed getting out like we used to.  Willie didn't come on until 10, so I was a little concerned about getting home.  We were able to enjoy a good 30 minutes of Willie, including songs like "Whisky River" and "Georgia".  Seriously, the guy is 79 years old!  Many people his age are in nursing homes and he is rocking it out late into the nighttime.  Go Willie!

The best part of the past week has been Sawyer's change in sleeping patterns.  My sweet boy has started to sleep through the night!  Yay!!!!  He first slept six hours, then six hours and forty five minutes.  Finally, last night, he slept for eight hours straight.  I really did not think this would happen so soon since he was so much slower to sleep longer stretches than Evan was.  But the change happened quickly!  This was really good news, since now I have the dreaded cold :(  But I needed my sleep and I sure got it!  Thanks baby S!

Hard Times and Two Months

I have been late writing a post for Sawyer's two month mark mainly because times have been a little hard lately.  Lance came down with a cold over a week ago and he still is not one hudred percent.  Benjamin and Sawyer both got the cold too.  Benjamin really didn't have much trouble, just runny nose and coughing.  On the other hand, Sawyer had a fever and stuffy nose and it threw off his already not-so-great sleep habits.  With less sleep and a little less help around the house on the weekend, I have been more stressed.  I keep praying for strength though, and I think it may be working.

Sawyer had his two month appointment yesterday.  He came in weighing eleven pounds, five ounces and 22 and one half inches long.  Because he still had a cold, Sawyer was lucky to be spared the trauma of his two month shots.  I was so relieved that we chose to reschedule the shots for another day.  When I talked to the doctor about sleep, she reminded me that his nighttime sleeping habits are really pretty normal for his age.  The problem is really my expectations for his sleep.  After all, when Evan was a baby, he slept for six straight hours by six weeks and was sleeping 8 hours by Sawyer's age.  Evan's long sleep stretches were actually more abnormal than Sawyer's shorter stretches!  Thus, I have decided to change my attitude about his sleeping.  He is doing fine for his age, and I will work on patience.  

Here is a picture of my sweet boy at his appointment.  Look at those gorgeous eyes!

Last Swim

Yesterday was the last swimming lesson for Benjamin and Evan.  It astounds me that the summer is almost over already.  I'm not too sad about that since it means cooler temperatures are coming, but it seems like the boys did not get enough time with their lessons.  Anyhow, Benjamin had a great last lesson and can feel proud that he has come such a long way.  He got much more comfortable being under the water and is on his way to complete swimming independence.  His teacher, Elizabeth, has been such a blessing.  She is such a kind woman, and so good with Benjamin.  We will miss her until next summer.

Evan has been more difficult for Elizabeth to work with.  All summer he has been pretty resistant to taking his lessons, and he usually ended up skipping them because he refused :(  Whenever she would ask he would typically reply "NO".  Evan much preferred to stay on the steps and throw various items into the pool for his papa to retrieve.  For the last lesson he was talked into trying because his daddy joined in.  Yes, it took both Elizabeth and Lance to coax a few swimming kicks out of him.  Lucky for him, Elizabeth still considered Evan worthy of a last lesson present.  They both got Swedish fish candy and a personalized trophy.  To bad I failed to get pictures of the boys with their prizes!

                       Evan and his resistant look!  He's clearly too cool for school!

Goodbye Newborn, Hello Baby

I am officially declaring Sawyer out of the newborn phase.  Like so many other things about babies and pregnancy, I am sad about it but also relieved.  Who wants to say goodbye to the newborn?  He is such a tiny and precious thing, free from any outside influence.  He will never be this way again, and you can never go back.  You just have to rely on your memory and on pictures and video to relive some of this precious time.  That is sad to me.
On the other hand, Sawyer sleeps longer and fusses less.  Who would not be happy with this set of changes?  He looks around, looks at you, smiles, and can "hang" with the family for more than a few seconds without crying.  Actually, he can now enjoy himself for around twenty minutes at a time!

So, as I go through his clothes and pull out all of the newborn sizes, I am sad for a brief moment.  As I replace them with the three month outfits, I feel some excitement and eager anticipation of the baby he is to become.  Now with my third child, this is a familiar feeling.  I know this is only the beginning of transitions that will bring both sadness and joy for years to come.

Guy Smileys

Sawyer is 7 weeks old now and he is really starting to come out of his shell.  He is awake and alert for longer periods, and can actually go for almost fifteen minutes without crying!  I knew this day would come!  When he is calm I am usually able to get a great smile out of him.  I have been surprised at how much he is smiling, and almost seems to be laughing at times.  At least he makes a little noise when he smiles that sounds like an attempt at a laugh.  It is adorable and reminds me that all of this hard work is definitely worth it.

Speaking of smiling, I caught a really cute picture of Evan at the pool the other day.  He gave me his natural, serious face but then turned on a big smile when he knew I was taking his picture.  Despite his oppositional trend, Evan continues to make us laugh with his funny expressions and comments. 

All of my boys were reminding me this week just why we mothers go through all of this in the first place!

Night on The Town

This weekend was our first night out since Sawyer was born.  Since we have three children now, we decided to leave two with the grandparents and take one out with us.  Knowing how difficult it is for us to manage the three kids by ourselves, we decided to spare my in-laws the stress this time around.  I'm sure they would have been happy to watch all three but I would have felt guilty.  Since we hardly get to spend any alone time with the two older boys, it seemed like a good idea to get us a night out and also spend some one-on-one time with our oldest.

Benjamin was excited to be going "downtown", since I have always pointed to the view of the city as we drive home from my parents' house.  Last time Benjamin even asked when we would be going downtown next.   He grabbed his backpack to carry his workbooks and markers to keep himself occupied.  I didn't realize, but the restaurant we chose happened to also be an Absinthe bar.  Needless to say, Benjamin was the only child there.

The food was great and I think Benjamin was having a really good time for a while.  He loved the melon and prosciutto that we ordered for an appetizer.  While he colored and did mazes, Lance and I enjoyed a lovely adult beverage and even had some good adult conversation.  When we got the main course, Benjamin started to go downhill.  He had not taken a nap that day and was getting very tired.  When Benjamin gets tired he becomes a bit of a loose cannon.  Luckily, the service was fast and we were able to leave before things got ugly.  Once we left, Benjamin seemed happy to be out of the restaurant and to observe some downtown sights on the way home.  All in all, a good evening!

Butterfly Hunter

Benjamin has been so into bugs lately, mostly butterflies.  His favorite activity is hunting for butterflies in the backyard.  He loves it so much that his grandfather, Papa, has gotten him a special net just for butterflies!  I also got him a "butterfly garden" where he can keep the butterflies for a few hours to observe them.  He has collected several varieties and now knows them by name.  He often says, "mommy, I'm going to go catch some Queens".  Papa has enjoyed this activity with Benjamin so much that he has allowed him to use his fancy camera to take pictures of the butterflies.  He happens to be pretty good at taking pictures too!


I think of Benjamin as a budding naturalist, who will one day know the names of all the birds and butterflies, just like my father.    My father taught me about nature, and this is one of the most special things that I will remember about growing up with him.  I've always loved and appreciated the variety in nature, and to this day I enjoy identifying different animals.  It is so special that Benjamin is getting to share this same experience with his Papa.  Its heartwarming to think that Benjamin may even share this with his children someday.