Know Your Role

Just in case anyone forgets their role in the family, we have shirts to remind them. My friend Marla made these super cute tees for the kids, & I love how they turned out. Any excuse to have coordinating attire, right?
I'm glad that Beau has some room to grow in his, because I know he'll fill it out in no time!

2-Week Stats

Beau is almost three weeks old now, but here are his stats from last Thursday's check-up:

Weight: 7 lb 9 oz (15%)
Height: 20.25 inches (40%)
Head: 14.5 inches (75%)

So he's still a little guy but is gaining quickly! The kid certainly likes to eat & has a rather feisty temper when he thinks you're taking too long to give him food. Now that my mastitis is resolved & he's above his birth weight, we're able to let him sleep as long as he will between night feedings. He usually goes about four hours between those feedings, which feels much nicer for Mommy than three.
I think Jake & Mal are continuing to warm up to their little brother a bit more. It's really sweet to hear them tell him, "It's okay, buddy" when he cries.
I took these pictures when he was about a week old, & he already looks so much bigger to me!

Park Pals

We enjoyed some beautiful weather last week & ventured out to the park one day with Mimi. I love the kids' open mouthed excitement in this picture. They have such a great time playing together!

Success!

Mimi left on Saturday, so we're now officially on our own. I was a little nervous about getting all five of us ready & making it to church on time yesterday, but we actually had a great morning! No one threw any major fits, Beau's feedings fell at good times for getting everything else done & we pulled out of our driveway at 7:41, which put us in the church parking lot at 7:55. Yes, I know that 8:00 service sounds like sort of a beating to those who don't do it, but that's when we've always gone.

I even managed to accomplish another goal before we left & got a good picture of all three kids with my phone. Now I can show people all of my babies at once when they ask to see a pic!
J went to a concert I'd given him tickets for with a friend last night, & the kids were very well behaved for me. They must know that Mommy needs to ease into this "life with three" thing. I'm going to play pokeno with my girlfriends on Tuesday night, so Daddy will get his turn. This morning, we did make it to school on time but not without a couple of tantrums & subsequent spankings. I think we may survive after all!

Mr. Clean

Beau has had a few sponge baths at home, & he is NOT a fan! I can't say that I blame him. I'm sure it gets rather cold when you don't get to soak in a tub of warm water. His cord looks close to falling off, so hopefully we'll get to do real baths soon. Here are some pics from his first bath.

Nervously awaiting this new adventure
Giving me his best evil eye while I proceed

Beau, tell us how you really feel.
Glad that's over!

Beau's First Sunday at Church

When Jake & Mal were born, I had strict orders from their pediatrician to keep them at home until they were four weeks old & at least six pounds each. I remember crossing my fingers at their one-month check up, waiting to see if we'd qualify. Mal barely passed the six pound mark, & I was thrilled to finally be able to get them out of the house.

This time around, everything is so different with a full term baby! At a week and a half past delivery, I was already itching to get out of the house, so we all headed to church on Sunday. Luckily, Mimi was here to help us get everyone dressed & out the door.
Sweet boy in an outfit that Mommy loves & Daddy hates. They're only little enough to dress like this for so long!

Beau did really well at church & didn't make a peep. It felt good to all be there together. I've missed being with my big kids lately!
Unfortunately, Sunday held another kind of "first" for me that wasn't quite so much fun. I felt fine all through church, but by the end of lunch I had fever, chills & a full-blown case of mastitis. I don't really recommend it, but the bad part was mercifully short. Hopefully the antibiotics I'm on will do the trick & keep it from returning. Never a dull moment!

No Pinching!

There was no pinching going on around here last Thursday! We all wore our green for St. Patrick's Day, & the kids did some fun crafts with Nana.

Jake showing off his work
Craft time with Nana!
Mal displaying her masterpiece
Nana even brought fun leprechaun hats & shamrock glasses.
They may not help your vision too much, but they're fun!
Beau participated in the holiday as well, sporting a green frog on his outfit.

Room to Roam

This video is a few weeks old, from right after our guest room was finished. Jake & Mal were happy to break it in before the furniture was moved into it. Their silliness cracks me up.

Friday Faves

I'm going to try to write a post each Friday to feature some favorite things of mine. They could be anything, but for today, here are some favorite pics from our time in the hospital that hadn't made any other posts yet. Enjoy!

Beau's Visitors

During our hospital stay, Beau had lots of visitors eager to see his sweet face. On the day he was born, not many people got to hold him since he needed lots of skin on skin time with Mommy. The grandparents entertained Jake & Mal by looking at their gifts from Beau. What a thoughtful little brother he is!
I was so excited that Aunt Rachel was able to make the trip out to meet our little guy. She was here for the twins' birth as well, & it meant a lot to me to have her there. Thanks, Rach!
I think we got pictures of Beau with most of his fans. Here's Michelle...
Papa
Nana
Mimi
& Pops.
Sharon got some quality time with Beau all to herself.
Haylee,
Jenn
& Hattie were all there at the same time, so that was fun. Mark came too but said Beau was too new for him to hold.

Amy got some sweet snuggles.
Dr. Griffith, who delivered Beau, agreed to pose for me. He was so wonderful throughout my pregnancy & delivery!
Jake & Mal getting a closer look with Mimi & Pops
They finally got to hold their little brother on Saturday!


Michelle came back again & brought along Chris, Caroline & Ty. Poor Ty had to hang out in his stroller. I'm sure he's ready for Beau to get a little bigger so they can play together!
Mr. Eddie, our children's minister, stopped by to greet our sweet boy.
Tami, Kate,
Zack & Carly joined the celebration as well.
Thank you all for making Beau's first few days extra special!