More Random Fun

As we've gotten into our "mommy's back at work" routine, I haven't had a chance to post in the evenings. And on the weekends, I just want to enjoy all the babies. But, here are some pics of things we've done lately.

Fun in the bath. This is one of my favorite parts of the day. Gracie and Ella play so well together (most of the time).

Saturday morning treats at Krispy Kreme.

Sutton enjoys coming along for the ride.

Lazy morning love

Sweet dreams

Dressing up and mastering the art of walking in high heels. Oh, how fun it is to have two girly girls!

Happy Belated Birthday, Chachi!

This post may be belated, but we actually celebrated Chachi's birthday a day early, on September 4, with a big dinner at our house. Gracie and Ella loved being included in the celebration and got lots of attention from Genny's friends.

Sweet Gracie waited so patiently for her cupcake

She's such a "clean" eater

Ella, however, just digs in and doesn't worry about the mess

Happy birthday, Chachi! We love you and are so thankful for you!

Sutton is 4 Months Old!

Again, another month has just flown by. Sweet Sutton is now 4 months old and better than ever. He's nursing pretty well and taking 5 oz. bottles every three hours. From our at-home weigh in, he weighs a whopping 14 pounds. I know that may not be big for some babies, but his sisters weighed 15 and 16 pounds when they were each a year old! He's wearing all 3-6 month clothes, and his size 1-2 diapers are getting a little snug.

He graduated from swaddling in the Miracle Blanket this month. He'd been busting his arms out and waking himself up, but putting him down without it only upset him. Because I was home this week, I decided to whip him into shape. I just started laying him down on his back, and although he put up a fight at first, he's now much happier and puts himself to sleep with minimal fussing. He usually ends up on his side or stomach, but he's sleeping great at night from about 7 p.m. to 8 a.m., with usually two or three feedings during that time. He's napping really good during the day, with one nap in the morning and two in the afternoon. Considering the constant squealing and clamor, I'm surprised he can sleep at all!

He loves baths, playing on his new and improved play mat and riding in the Baby Bjorn. He's mastered rolling over, from back to tummy and tummy to back, and can hold his head up and bear weight on his legs. The girls are such cheerleaders, constantly providing encouragement like, "You can do it, little buddy. Come on!" (Grace) and "Oooh, Sut-ton. Good boy!" (Ella). They also like to help out with baths and are very curious about a certain body part. I'm not going to elaborate. Poor little guy.

Sutton coos and giggles and smiles constantly. I'm glad he's a happy baby. It makes for a happy family :)

Four Months

Three Months

Two Months

One Month

We love you, sweet little man and are so thankful for you!

Four Month Comparison

Gracie

Ella

Sutton

First Day of School

On Tuesday, Grace and Ella started school at their new school around the corner from our house. This was Ella's first time in school, and I'll admit I was a little worried about sending her. She's wonderful in so many ways, very loving and funny. But, she's also not good at sitting still and following instructions (or so I thought). As it turns out, however, her first day report card noted that she was a great helper and "an excellent listener." Who knew?

They liked getting all dressed up for their first day. Just look at how cute Miss Ella was in her "gween purses" dress. She's looking more and more like a little girl everyday. I just want to bottle her up and keep her this age forever.

And, look at my almost-4-year old!

It seems crazy that this was her fourth first day of school. Look at how she's changed.

2007

2008- What a difference a year makes!

I attempted to get a decent pic of them together in front of the school, but this is the best I could do. Ella was way more interested in swinging on the rail (a trick she learned at Little Gym and practices everywhere, including the book shelves at the library- yikes), and Grace was tired of posing.

Grace sweetly took Ella's hand and walked her down to her classroom.

Ella seemed fine, but once she saw all of her classmates crying, she started wailing, too. I did feel proud, however, that she was one of the few without a pacifier. Just one less thing for her teachers to keep up with. This is how I left her...

Poor girl. She didn't cry for long though, and when I went to pick her up, she wanted to stay and play with the "cut cakes" (cupcakes).

And, this is how I left Grace. She seemed so grown up, but wasn't totally dismissive of me yet. She gave me a huge hug and kiss when I picked her up and couldn't wait to tell me about her day!

After school, we stopped by TCBY for special treats. I'm so glad I got to be there for all of this, and Sutton and I got to spend a good five hours together, too.

Another One for Sutton's Baby Book

Oh, wait.  This blog is Sutton's baby book, so I have to mark the occasion.  Yesterday, Sutton got his first taste of real food.  That's if you count rice cereal as real food, but I guess since he's only had mama's milk up to this point, it is momentous.  

 As you can see, he loved it! 

We didn't give Grace and Ella rice cereal until they were 4 months old, but we decided to try with Sutton earlier because he always seems hungry.  At dinner tonight, as soon as we sat down at the table, he started fussing, as if to say, "Where's my dinner?"  So, he scarfed down a bowl of cereal and seemed very content.

The Count

Ella loves to count, but she generally won't do it if I try to film her.  I love this clip because she's counting and playing with my shoes (a perpetual favorite thing).