Stay Classy

She's Ready

I waited until she was over 5 1/2 months old to start trying to give Sara some solid food (so far, just rice cereal). Since her weight is good and she sleeps well, her pediatrician said that, if it were him, he'd wait until after the holidays to mess start adding new things.

She's been sitting at the high chair for a few weeks, since she loves being up at the table with the family. Its just the past few days that she's gotten some dinner of her own, though.

She was ready. Holy cow, was she ready.

Both boys cried the first time I fed them with a spoon. Not Sara. She got it immediately, trying to grab the spoon and shove it in her mouth. She is all smiles and squeals, and most of the cereal (which is still pretty liquid-y at this point) even stays in her mouth.

I just love this baby.

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This kind of photo...

...used to warrant its own blog post.

Zack has moved out of a high chair and up to the table, and finally uses a regular cup without spilling. In his little life, it's been a very big deal. He's insanely proud of himself, and is being so careful (very un-Zack-like).

But I pretty much don't do that anymore-- the blogging thing. The whole "three-kids-under-five" situation turns out to be pretty time-consuming. And most of the time, I'm at peace with it. Everything has a season, right? I don't have to beat myself up if I don't blog for the rest of my life.

But then, on nights like tonight, I get caught up reading old posts. Brady's first words. Zack's sleeping battles. Details of past trips and birthdays and random weekends. All the little details that are both so important and so easy to forget. I'm so glad I wrote them down at the time, and a little sad that I haven't done more of it recently. I mean, what if I forget that a few nights ago, Zack asked me what I was making for dinner. And when I told him, he broke into a perfectly improvised rendition of Little Drummer Boy-- "I don't like chili, pa rum pa pum pum!"

Or how Brady was driving me absolutely nuts today-- taunting Zack, tossing attitude, not listening-- and then when I laid down with him after naptime, he told me I was the best mommy there ever was?

Or how Sara expresses happiness and love by literally trying to eat you? How she puts her chubby little hands on my face and tries to shove me in her mouth?

Maybe I need to get back at it.

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Giving In

I think I have to admit it. As a life-long lover of all things Summer, this has been hard for me. But it's happened all the same.

October is my new favorite month. The weather is often perfect, the leaves are stunning, and everything is pumpkin-flavored. I get to wear scarves, but don't need a bulky jacket. There is a month-long build-up to Halloween, the pumpkin patches are open, my kids are adorably excited about their costumes, and we're just a breath away from The Holidays.

Plus, this:

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It's easy to get Pollyanna about it all.

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2 Months

2 months ago today...

...we were introduced to this...

...sweet little brown-eyed girl...

...and we couldn't be more in love!

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First Day

These guys started preschool this week. It's Brady's third year (last one before kindergarten!) and Zack's first, and we've been building up the excitement for weeks. They're in classrooms right next door to each other, and Brady reports that he can see Zack when he's on the playground.

Brady is an old pro by now-- he knows the routine, has his favorite friends, and loves his teachers. He could. not. wait. to go back.

Zack was, admittedly, a little nervous. Open house gave him some confidence I think (he realized that preschool= a big room full of someone else's toys!), and so he was fine when I dropped him off. When I got back, however, he was the sniffling kid sitting on the teacher's lap. She told me that he was fine for the first hour and a half, and then went a bit downhill after that. He says he had fun, though, and wants to go back. Even through his tears, he was excited to tell me about the art project he made. "It's (sniff) a (sniff) picture (sniff) of (sniff) friends (sniff) holding (sniff) hands (sniff)." That's got to be a good sign, right?

I think he'll be fine. We'll make it a great year!

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I almost forgot

I almost forgot how magical those first baby smiles are. And I'm not a person who uses words like 'magical'. But this?

There's just no other word to describe it. Right now the most sure-fire way for me to get a smile out is to sing her 'Sarah Brown Eyes' from Ragtime (how did it take me 6 weeks to figure out that I have my very own 'Sarah Brown Eyes'??). I don't mind at all.

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These guys...

...can't decide if they're best friends or worst enemies these days. The answer depends on the exact minute you ask.

They push each other, try to get each other in trouble, and take each other's stuff. They've fallen into the stereotypical big brother/little brother patterns-- Zack idolizes Brady (which mostly takes the shape of wanting to take away whatever Brady touches), Brady gets super annoyed and ends up smacking him. Zack starts it, Brady is happy to take the bait. Brady goads Zack into doing things he knows will land him in time-out.

I am a full-time referee. Paul is considering buying me a striped shirt and a whistle. I do not think this is when in at my best as a mom.

And then, right before I sell them to the gypsies, they go back to being BFFs and spend a whole afternoon playing action figures together. I have a feeling this is just the beginning of many years of the love/hate relationship that makes them brothers.

Sent from my iPhone

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Her

You want to squeeze her, right?

I do, tiny pink jumpsuit and all. I'm still getting over the fact that she's ours. As I have taught Brady, babies need a LOT of kisses. It helps them grow (it's a scientific fact, that I may or may not have just made up). Anyway, we're all happy to oblige.

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Introducing...

Sara Catherine
Born 7/20/12
7lbs 3oz, 19in long
Beautiful, healthy, incredibly loved

(I thought I had posted this over a week ago, but apparently the Internet ate it.)

Brady thinks she's the best thing ever, and Zack... well, Zack's coming around. He's fairly jealous, but loves her all the same. And even in my sleep-deprived haze, I'm feeling like I won the baby lottery.

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Imperfect

There are so many things technically wrong with this photo, but I could not love it more.

I'm sure there's a metaphor for life somewhere in there, but I'm too pregnant (3 weeks to go!) and hot (100 degrees again?!?) to be philosophical.

Happy Friday!

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