3 WEEKS OLD

(handmade t-shirt by Mimi!)
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Sweet girl is 3 weeks old today! Unbelievable. She is so sweet. She does her usual routine during the day - wakes around 8am (with or without me stirring her), eats then has awake time. After awake time which is usually spent with everyone at the breakfast table... once she gets fussy or sleepy she goes down for a nap (she naps either in her pack-n-play or bassinet or in someones arms). After naptime she wakes to eat, which usually ends up being about 3 hours from her last meal! And the cycle happens all day long in the same order. She also has been eating around 7:30pm, which works well with the kids bedtime. We are typically getting the big kids ready for bed by then and I can nurse her while they get jammies on and books picked out. And by the time she is done eating, the kids are ready for bed and I can put Colbie in her crib to get the big kids down and then get Colbie ready for bed. It works out well because she hangs out with me in the living room and can still settle down for bed out there with the tv on and everything. Eventually she will be too easily distracted and will have to go to bed in her bed at a regular time, but until then we enjoy her being with us as night.

Averie has become a little mama. She always wants to check on Colbie, and calls her a sweet girl or baby butterfly. She holds her several times a day and is always so sweet to her. I can also count on her to fetch things for me, breastpads, burp cloths, the boppy... anything! She is also able to entertain herself when I am busy. She plays alone (and with Baylor), does art projects (she says alot, "mama, I am going to go do art!"), organizes games with Baylor and sets up and plays blocks, little people or with the Dr. set. She is amazing. And getting her and Baylor together, they sometimes can entertain each other for hours. They role play, school, play mail, Dr., do art, dress up and so many other things. Just last night, I don't think we heard from them for an hour and a half (of course they were in our sight on the porch just playing away). They also rarely argue and never have had a physical fight. They might make each other upset and have a hard time communicating sometimes, but typically are able to figure it out. It is very amazing and I am so lucky to have such wonderful big sibs for Colbie to watch and learn from.

Baylor absolutely loves his sister. He loves her from more of a distance than Averie. He is super sweet with her...he touches her soft hair and cheek, holds her hand, talks to her and loves on her, but it is random and more so when no one else is close by. He has taken more of a quiet approach to everything when Colbie is involved, but when he is playing and Colbie isn't close by he is every bit a BOY! He is noisy, wild, playful and excited. He has been running around a lot, with more energy then I remember from before having Colbie. I suppose that could be normal, taking out some of his big brother uncertainties by being wild, active and kind of channeling his energy into that. But regardless, he is doing amazing. He is still a great listener (when he turns his ears up and can hear me... haha). He is also a helper. He will sit with me and keep me company when I am feeding Colbie. He also is the first to snuggle me when I am not holding or feeding Colbie. So I guess he isn't holding her against me too much. I love how he plays so well and gets so into the activities that he and Averie come up with. Their play goes from one activity to another... it is so neat to watch. They will be playing art, make mail, deliver it, head to school and play dress up all in a logical order! It is so amazing (and can make for quite a messy house...) to watch them play and transition from one activity to another. I love it! And have learned to step in and encourage them to pick up before moving too far into another activity. Because once everything is out, it is extremely difficult for them to clean up everything, it just becomes too overwhelming. And I can't blame them. If they only have to clean one area at a time, it is manageable.

Well, I guess all I can say is that I am incredibly happy and thankful for everything I have. Totally blessed. And in love with my family! Now to work on baptism plans and announcements...