Luke at 5 months!

Wow, five whole month old! Luke becoming such a sweet, happy guy. He's eating more, sleeping better (and more regularly), and playing! This is a great phase of babyhood and we are loving it.

At 5 months, Luke is:

-Eating solids! So far he's had pears, bananas, avocado, and rice and oatmeal cereals. Thanks to the sleep benefits, he's eating 2 meals of solids a day.

-Nursing less and for shorter sessions- because he's more efficient and because he's fuller from the solids...I think?

-Taking the bottle from our new nanny- Luke has no problem with the bottle. He loves it! He's up to the medium flow nipple, but only eating 2-4oz at a time.

-Sleeping better- actually most of the past month was rough because Luke was not sleeping well. But a few days ago he had the hiccups that would not go away. After 90 minutes and trying everything I would think of, I gave him some avocado (it was mid-afternoon). He had some cereal and fruit at dinner time as usual and, lo and behold, he slept that night from 8:30pm-6am! Since then he has been waking once at night, which is okay but will hopefully get better. After 5 months of not sleeping through the night, Mommy is exhausted. 

-Reflux: Sometimes you would barely know that this smiley, happy boy has reflux...and then a few minutes later he'll spit up all over you! He definitely has some bad days and gets tired of being in the car when we're picking up his brothers. I can't tell if the reflux is better or if he is just distracted by everything else going on around him and his newfound interaction with toys.

-Holding himself up well- Luke's completely comfortable in the exersauser which he loves! He can almost (almost!) sit up when propped with the boppy. But after a few seconds (or something he really wants)...TIMBER.

-Pushing up on his arms when on his belly- Ready to crawl? NOT YET!!!

-Rolling from his belly to his back- but only in his crib. He thinks it is quite hilarious when he winds up on his back. I wish he would do it more because he gets very distressed when he's stuck on his belly.

-Holding onto his toes.

-Silly!

-More social- He may have cracked a few smiles at other people at the grocery store. And he thinks his brothers are HILARIOUS. Like belly laugh funny, even when they are practically on top of him.

-Loving the bath!

We love you, sweet Luke. Sorry about that mosquito bite on your head. 

Back-to-School: 2014

New beginnings! Both big boys started new schools this year. Chase started in Pre-K at Daddy's school at the end of August.

 (He had some allergies, so his eyes were a little puffy).

Let's be honest-- the most impressive thing about that morning was that we were all dressed and at school before 8am. 

With his teachers and ready for a great year!

In September, Brice started school. He was SO ready to go. The pomp around the first day might have scared him a little bit, but he did great-- walked right in, played, and had no problems. He loved it!

Brice's class is called the puppies. He think it's hilarious to say that "I'm going to puppy school-- ruff ruff!"

All settled in and ready for the day!

Let's hope for a great year!

Camp Mommy: Scenes from the last two weeks of summer

The last two weeks of summer (the two weeks before school starts), there is not a camp to be found within miles of our area. All the teachers are back at school getting ready for the year and many of the school buildings are being painted or cleaned. Lots of families go on vacation and lots of families are like ours- with Camp Mommy for 2 weeks.

I have to be honest, I was stressed about having all 3 kids alone for the entire day for almost 2 full weeks. I realize other people have it much harder than me- like Meg and Kristin whose husbands are away- but this was new territory for me. Luckily, it went well. Chase is a big help with his brothers. And there is something nice about not having a set time to get out of the house everyday.

With encouragement and lots of support from kristin, we spent a day at the Zoo. Two mamas and 5 kids. It was great!

A few days later there was wildlife right outside our front door.

Luke's first trip on the park choo-choo!

Notice anything about this picture?

No one is crying! Victory! Luke's meds are working.

And finally, the last (week) day of summer vacation. A trip to visit school (and Daddy) and a play date with a super friend.

Not only did I survive, I actually had a ton of fun with the boys.  Remind me of this next year when the camp Mommy panic sets in!