Happy belated fourth birthday Seth

Happy 4th birthday my sweet first baby! Okay, our Seth turned 4 a few weeks ago, but between then and now we've had a dead computer, a new computer, software to load to get pictures to download, etc. So, I'm a little late, but I still want to record Seth's special day and share some of his current favorites and some fun stories.


For Seth's big day Dave took him on a special adventure. Seth adores fire trucks. Most times when we leave the house, he asks which fire stations we will be driving by while we are out. So, Dave took him to see some fire trucks up close and personal. Apparently, the trucks were a bit larger than Seth realized and it took awhile for him to warm up to the experience. But, he definitely looks happy here!
After the fire truck adventure, all four of us went out for pizza and then home for naps (all four of us -yeah!). For dinner we had McDonald's (Seth's favorite) with Grammy and Grampy and then we had homemade oreo ice cream and strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing - his choice, not mine.Luke definitely didn't seem to mind his brother's choices.

I think Seth had a great day. And I love celebrating my boys and making such fun memories!


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Now, for Seth's current stats, favorites, etc....


Seth recently had his 4 year check-up. He weighs 37 pounds, which puts him in the 50-75th percentile for weight. And he is 42 inches tall, which puts him in the 75-95th percentile for height. A lot of people comment on how tall he is. I just notice, jealously, how thin he is! But he is a very picky eater. If it's a vegetable, he has predetermined that he doesn't like it. His decision not to like something before he even tries it makes me crazy! But generally there are no special-order meals at our house so if he's hungry enough, he'll have what we're having! His favorite foods are anything chicken - from grilled chicken to nuggets, etc., steak, and pork chops. He loves pancakes, but must confirm that there was butter and he can't see it because it has melted (not because I slighted him in this area). And strawberries are very popular; as is applesauce. He would eat sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds, although he refuses to listen to me and insists it's peanut butter) and jelly every day for lunch if I would let him. He has also warmed up to grilled cheese and tomato soup so we throw that in sometimes too.

Seth is a bit stubborn. Not sure where he gets that. Well, maybe he's a bit like me in that respect. Which is likely why we butt heads so much. I need to try to appreciate this quality a little more and handle it much better.

Unlike me, however, he is quirky! [Go ahead, hit the comment button.] His room must be free of clutter before he can sleep. And the two pillow shams must be facing the same direction and lined up on the floor. Oddly quirky. He never leaves his room after a nap or a night's sleep without asking permission (we didn't ask him to do this, he just does it). But he will open his door at naptime to throw out random things that don't belong.

He's a pretty good sleeper really, unless he needs one of his stuffed animals covered back up and can't find the blanket, or he needs a drink. Five of the animals get to sleep near his pillow/cuddled up with him. About 20 more sleep at the foot of his bed. The five special animals are four dogs and a koala bear - Beckley, Brutus, Brownie, Little Puppy and Koala. He went through a phase where he would pray, at lunch and dinner, that Beckley would sleep and not keep him awake barking.

Seth's favorite toys right now are all of his Cars movie cars. Between birthday and Christmas gifts, and combining his and Luke's, there are nearly 30 of them. He can recite parts of the movie while he plays with the cars. I love to hear him playing on his own and being so imaginative. I do not love that he isn't so great at sharing with his brother. He always wants to give Luke some other toy to play with and take whatever Luke has. I have started reminding Seth that if the other toy is so great (Seth is either a great salesman like his dad or a so-so negotiator like his mom) then he should keep the toy and play with it himself!

Seth has only recently decided that it's a good idea to exert some independence and dress himself. And even that was with some prodding. But he's improving. He just lacks focus and I eventually have to suggest he sit down and stop talking long enough to get ready!

He also has a very cute desire to help us. He wants to do things like load or unload the dishwasher and sweep the floor, etc. I think Dave and I both try to find things he can do safely to encourage this helpful spirit. Unfortunately, getting him to clean up his own toys can be very frustrating. Sometimes he even likes to help with Luke - getting his drink out of the fridge or trying to help him cover up at naptime.

And finally, the poor boy seems to have my sense of smell. He'll get up from a nap (or rest time) and ask, "Did you make coffee?" Or, "are we having chicken for dinner?" Quirky, I tell you!

Overall, he's such a sweet little guy, so enthusiastic about the things he loves. I hope I can nurture that enthusiasm in the way he deserves! It's been a fun first four years. I cannot wait to see what the future holds!

In which I discuss how stupid pregnancy hormones make me act...

Friday night/Saturday morning, Luke was crying about 2AM. I desperately wanted to kick Dave in the shin but since rolling that direction would've required obvious effort I decided to just get up and handle it myself. Usually if Luke cries during the night, it's a quick trip into his room, he asks to be "covered" and maybe for a drink (sippy cup of water is positioned just outside his door) and it's back to bed. However, this night Luke was standing in his bed, holding his favorite blanket, begging me to "seat down." Normally I would've begged back, about covering up and going back to sleep, etc., but for some reason I opted to just do what he asked. I picked him up and sat down in the recliner in his room. Put up the foot rest and snuggled in.


And in doing so I got cuddled back. That's the thing about Luke. At two years old, I would say he holds you right back. He had an arm around my neck and an arm around what used to be my waist my side and his head on the other shoulder. And he snuggled in and fell asleep. And I sat in that chair and cried. Stupid ridiculous hormonal tears of "soon he won't be my baby" and "will I have time to hold him like this once I have a new baby?" and "he's going to be moved out of his room with all the puppy stuff and shoved into a big boy room full of cars and trucks" and on and on and on....


And then I composed myself and put this beautifully sleeping little boy back into his bed. He laughed as I covered him up. And in the light of day it seems mostly insane that I sat and cried. Because I remember having some of those same concerns with Seth. And I think we all survived that pretty well. But, yikes, these raging prego hormones make me feel a wee bit insane!


**Moving on - I resolved crazy obsession number one and got a diaper bag over the weekend. And a purse and a couple of accessories to go with. It was a collaboration between myself and my mom (well, my parents, but mom had to endure the shopping with me). So, thanks parents!! Now, moving on, I'm starting to obsess about hospital things - clothes to pack, when to let the boys come up and meet the baby, etc. And I still have a few weeks before any of it really matters. Oh, crazy hormones.

7 month update

How far along: nearly 33 weeks

Baby movement: More of that odd rolling than kicking or punching. Seth and Luke were both more soccer players. This one just seems to be finding a good location to settle in. And he prefers to do it just about when I sit down to relax. But that's okay. He's just preparing me for what's to come!

What I Miss: Sleep. Good sleep. I told Dave the other night that I just wanted a good night's sleep. He was kind enough to remind me I have, at minimum, about 9 months before that likely happens. So, I rephrased and went with, 'I would like some restful sleep for the time that I get to sleep!' I feel like it's me, 5 pillows and a bottle of tums, just trying to get comfy!

What I Love: Knowing that every day is a day closer to meeting this little guy. Knowing that now that Easter and Seth's birthday are over I have nothing left on my agenda except to hang out with Seth and Luke and prepare things for this little guy. Birthday party done. Easter outfits purchased. I guess it's the calm before the storm, but just slowing down a little is starting to sound really nice.

What I'm hoping for: To be able to convince the doctor I see today at my appointment to let me go back to my doctor. She's been on maternity leave and I've been rotating, slowly, through all the other doctors. But I have some specific c-section questions for my doctor and I'm hopeful to just be able to get back to her and get my questions answered!

To Do: **Finalize a name. He had a name for a couple of weeks. Then Dave mentioned that we had "settled" on that name as we both didn't so much mind it. Well, that's not how I want to name my baby so we've moved on. I think he has a first name again. I painted some stuff for his room with his name on it, so it's about time to change our minds again. Ha ha. But he definitely does not have a middle name. I fall asleep most nights rejecting middle names that Dave is throwing out (perhaps this contributes to my lack of sleep?). **As for the list of things to do or purchase, we are making progress. I'm obsessing about a diaper bag, as I think I see it as my ticket out of the house (go ahead and laugh at me - as if I'll ever be able to leave the house w/a 4 year old, 2 year old and newborn, but that's the only logical (?) explanation I have for my complete obsession). Other than that, I think diapers and washing his little clothes are about it. I only want to buy a few diapers until he's here, as I'm voting he's going to be smaller than the other two, but I don't want a bunch of diapers he can't wear. And I don't have anywhere to put his washed clothes until the new dresser arrives.

Bargains! We decided not to re-do the nursery (sorry if I've already blogged about this part). We are moving Luke into Seth's room and leaving the puppy dog nursery for the new baby. The new bed for the older boys' room is ordered and all is well there. Well, provided it comes sooner rather than later. Anyway, the adorable brown and red puppy dog nursery theme was just too cute to get rid of already. But the real bonus, that particular line is no longer being sold so there's stuff on clearance. I got a diaper stacker for less than $4 and a matching lamp for around $7. YEAH!

p.s. - yes, I'm aware I have the same shirt on for my 5, 6, and 7 month updates. I do have other shirts. A few. But I was hoping to wear the same one for each update. Hi Matt.

Easter, mostly in pictures

**Blogger and I are having a serious disagreement re: the formatting of this post. I give up. Sorry the captions are too close to the wrong pictures!

I said mostly in pictures. One of my favorite stories from Easter weekend though was the Good Friday service. The one I thought my little family of four had decided not to attend. So, I ran an errand, nearly a half hour away, and Dave called and said Seth was excited about going to church. Okey dokey. On my way home then! I got home in time to change and run out the door. No dinner, too much rushing, and way too tired. But as Seth, who never goes to "big church" sat on my lap I figured he was taking in the scenery or marveling at the size of the auditorium. Instead, he turned to me and said, "hey, that's what we've been talking about in MY class." Wow, kids really know how to bring on the guilt! I have struggled this season with how much he understands / is ready for and how much is appropriate at his age. It seems every time I think Dave or I are having a serious conversation with him about Jesus' death on the cross, he suddenly wants to talk about a trash truck or whether he can have a snack. So, I think Dave and I are both trying to talk as much as he'll listen. And with that said, back to the pictures...Eggs to be colored (and deviled - we only colored a dozen)

Egg dyeing tablets

Egg dye - mixed up and ready to go

Looking at his masterpiece

Who knew it could be so much work to color eggs?

The finished product

Eating a peep - this kid eats anything and he put the peep back in the box!

I think he just thought it was too early for the camera

Ready for some pictures at Grammy and Grampy's

Apparently picture taking is a lot of work (moreso for the adults with Luke because he really really gets grumpy after about two pictures!)

Cousins

Kissing cousins

My boys!

Lukey, Daddy and Beckley

birthday birthday party party

Cheater. I'm calling myself out. Luke's birthday is in February. Seth's birthday is in April. They had one party in March. Yes, it's probably cheating. But these parties send me back into control freak overdrive and I just didn't need that stress twice! Plus, I didn't feel bad buying fun decorations (they chose a fire truck theme as they both adore fire trucks) and my loving husband generously agreed to purchasing prepared food since it was only one party!

So, the boys and I (reminder: one just turned two, and one is not quite four) spent the second half of the week "cleaning." Meaning, I cleaned; they destroyed; I cleaned again; they destroyed again; I got overly cranky and nasty; they, in turn got overly whiny and nasty. Enough about that.

The big day arrived. I did some last minute cleaning touch ups. Dave ran to get fire truck balloons (because it's not a party at my house without balloons). My favorite person in the entire world (okay, so I don't even know her name really) came to my house with warm Mexican food, set it all up on my clean counters, lit little warming candles under the warm stuff, put up little labels for the different kinds of salsa, took her mess with her, and hit the road. Everyone ate warm food, and hopefully as much as they wanted, since I ate it for two or three meals after they left!

The boys opened way too many gifts and thoroughly enjoying ripping into each and every one of them. Seth was even heard to exclaim "No way!" I was a little worried our guests would mistake their enthusiasm for greediness, but I kept reminding myself of their ages and their excitement.

Then we finished off the party with cupcakes (iced by my wonderful husband, who took over this task after my exasperation became evident to him all the way on the couch in the family room) and homemade ice cream. In all fairness, he was the one who suggested I get out the fancy icing shooter and "make them prettier." Unfortunately, prego here is not complaining about the leftover ice cream. Although my doctor might at the next appointment!

All in all I'd say it was a pretty great day. Luke never got a nap so he ate dinner about 6:15 with his eyes closed. I think I could've joined him! Have I mentioned lately how much I adore these two and how every bit of the cleaning was worth it to watch them thoroughly enjoy their day?!?