Monday, June 15, 2015

Theo Turns 5 Months Old

Oh, the third child. Forgotten, but not unloved. I guess my only excuse is that I'm so busy trying to soak up every moment with my children that I don't write them down. Look at him. I couldn't even be bothered to change him into a white onesie. You poor baby.

Eliot at 5 months
Malcolm at 5 months
So who is Theo now that he's 5 months old? He's lovely. He's happy and smiley and loving. He loves his family, particularly his brothers. He has 2 teeth - 2! That's the earliest of any of my boys. He has rolls that don't stop. He's ticklish and squealy. He likes it when I pretend to eat his toes. He rolls both ways. We call him Baby Theo, or if you're Malcolm Baby Tee-o. I just love having a baby around.

Eliot adores him. Malcolm is nice to him, but will not let Theo borrow his blankets. Nobody gets to borrow Malcolm's blankets though. Having Eliot around is awesome for Theo. When I'm making dinner Eliot can entertain him! These children are starting to take care of themselves....almost.

Theo is a little Malcolm look-alike. I literally can't tell their baby pictures apart. So nice we made him twice. Here are some pictures...it's the best I can do!

We love you Baby Tee-o.



Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Happy 2nd Birthday Malcolm

Who would've guessed that 2 years after your birth you would no longer be the baby? Certainly not me. But surprise, surprise here we are, and you are a big brother yourself less than 2 years after arriving in this family. I'm sure that being the middle of three children will have its challenges. But you. Oh Malcolm. I know a 2 year old personality is totally not indicative of your entire life but you are such a sweetie.

You are just...special. You've got a gentleness and openness that I envy. You're willing to walk away when you know you can't win, and you love to just do your own thing, whatever thing that is, that makes you happy. You're expressive - you have the most expressive eyebrows I have ever seen. You have a great little jumpy run that I will be so sad to see leave. This year you went from baby to toddler/little boy. Your language alone just exploded - you started the year with a couple words and ended it being able to say almost anything. We had some excitement - you are allergic to bees and had your first ambulance ride...lights and sirens and everything. I guess now we know but summers have a whole new feeling now that we know how you react to bees. You can also assert yourself pretty strongly. You throw longer fits than Eliot ever did, but most of the time you're more easygoing so who knows why that makes sense. You're also an easygoing eater - which thank goodness. It's nice to have someone to share food with. Although sometimes you'll only eat off of our plates which can be frustrating.

You're smart - you were picking up colors and letters before you were even 2. I love your snuggles, however brief they are for your busy-ness. I love how fearless you are and willing to climb and strive and try for anything. And I love you. I love everything about you - we all do. I love having you as my son. I love having you in this family. I can't imagine life without you and I'm so glad you're ours.

We love you Malcolm - I hope some of your 2-year old self stays with you forever. You're a beautiful person and I can't wait to see who you become.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Welcome to the World Theodore Thomas

Theodore Thomas arrived January 13th at 2:43 AM. He weighed 8 lbs, 9 oz and was 20.5" long. His labor was fast, once it got started. We arrived at the hospital at 12:30 AM and had Theo in a couple hours....so as I said, fast labor. I think we were lucky to get there on time! Unfortunately (this word doesn't even cover how I feel) I deleted all the pictures from his first day of life. Me meeting Theo, Theo getting weighed, etc. Irreplaceable. I cried angry sad tears but they're gone - and Theo is still here. So I'm moving forward.


I've forgotten about the awesome newborn grunts and noises. Theo sounds like a mix between a dolphin and a pony. I also love his faces - love that he raises his eyebrows when he's trying to lift his head. Like he can lift his head by the power of his forehead alone. He was also born with a freakishly strong neck - which actually makes feeding him more challenging because he thinks he can do it himself.

This feels like a slightly awkward reintroduction to blogging. I haven't mentioned my pregnancy, or even talked about Eliot's 4th birthday this past June! But I want to talk about Theo and his arrival to our family. Theo definitely completes this family of 5. In other words I never want to be pregnant again, and we feel happy with 3 kids.

Eliot is amazing with Theo. Always hugging him and talking to him. He's always calling Theo a cutie and talking about what a sweet baby he is. It's pretty amazing. Malcolm is helpful too - bringing Theo blankets and diapers and saying he needs milk when he's crying. Every morning he asks where baby Theo is - already knows he's part of the family.

We are so in love with this new little guy, and he's already so lucky to have 2 big brothers to dote on him and teach him things. It's definitely crazier around here - three kids is more than two, that's for sure. One hilarious thing I've noticed - any time I take all three boys out of the house there are people who bestow blessings on me. Apparently leaving the house with three children needs blessing! It's happened at least 5 separate times. When I think of it, it probably does need blessing.

It's great to be so much more comfortable as a mom with the newborn stage. I take the sleepless nights with a little more grace, although honestly they're harder now than they were with Eliot because I have 2 bigger, yet still so little children who don't understand their mom needs a nap. I'm also just more confident with the baby and feel like it's easier to leave the house. I don't worry about Theo screaming or needing to nurse or having a diaper blowout...because honestly who cares? He's an infant - these are things that happen with infants. It took me a few kids to get here but I am happy to be this comfortable. I wouldn't mind having one more hand for parking lots and car loading, but we're making it work.

Welcome to our family and the world baby Theo. I've learned is that love only multiplies. We are bursting with love, even if we aren't bursting with time or money. We are so excited to get to know you!