Two weeks

In two weeks, I'm going to be missing this face around the house:

I'll be missing an extra voice playing "honey", an extra set of (very) helpful hands, one less person to drag in/out of Walmart, having to tell her to stop giving so many kisses to Max, one less snack to make and most of all, I'll be missing being with my biggest girl all day long.

I always thought I would be sad about kindergarten, but lately I've been more excited for Mallory than sad. I'm not naive to think I won't be sad the first day...or week, but I really, truly am giddy for Mallory. She is so, so ready to start kindergarten! I can't wait to pick her up and hear all about it!

Last Friday night, she and I went on a special "back to school date" to buy school clothes. It was just me and her, which doesn't happen very often. We ate at Cracker Barrel (her choice) and drove to Round Rock. It dawned on me that this was her first time to go shopping. We've run in and out of stores before, but have never bought a bunch of clothes at one time, just for her. She loved it! She wanted to carry everything around and try everything on. I tried to let her pick out most of her stuff, with a few helpful hints from me:) I had one very tired girl after two hours of walking around. We finished up our date at Chili's for a chocolate shake and Mallory got her second wind. I loved having time with just her and me.

I want so badly for her to have a great year at kindergarten. There are so many parts of this coming year that make me nervous. Will she make friends easily? Will her teacher be a second mommy to her? Will kids be kind to her on the playground? Will she be kind to other kids? Will she miss us while she's at school? Will Morgan miss her best friend?

Lately, Brad has been the one talking about how much she's grown up. We just can't believe how fast the past five years have flown by. Now it's time for us to put on brave smiles and send her off into the world!

Max - 3 months

What a chubs Mr. Max is turning into!!! I'm loving squeezing his chunky thighs and crack up at his "muscles" in his arms. The double chin and cheeks are adorable as well. Love it. It's probably the first thing people notice...how big he is!

This boy loves his tummy time! Good thing, too. He has a little flat spot behind his right ear. Morgan had the same thing. We're trying really hard to keep him off his back while he's awake (easier said than done some days!). We've had to move toys around to make him look to his left in his car seat and chair. I'm thankful I have two really eager helpers at Max's side at. all. times. to make this a little easier:) I kind of caught a roll over on camera. He hasn't attempted a roll from back to tummy yet, but sometimes ends tummy time with a roll.

He still prefers to be swaddled at naps and bedtime. He's taking 3 long naps during the day and then a little catnap around 7. At night, he'll sleep from about 8:30-1:30, eat, wake between 5-6 (I either re-swaddle him or feed him) and then wake up between 7-8 for the day. He's starting to do what Morgan did, where he wakes up off/on because his paci falls out. I've been tempted to do the "ferberizing", but think I'll wait another month and see what how he's doing then. Morgan was 4 1/2 months and it worked great...also started her thumb sucking, but helped her sleep 12 hours at night and nap better.

The girls are still obsessed with their brother. As much as it is gets in the way at times, I love that they love him so much. And, he loves looking at them and smiles at their crazy faces/sounds. Mallory is hilarious. She cannot walk by or see Max without giving him at least 4 kisses and then put her face by his and say "Cheeeeeese!"! We constantly have to ask her to get out of his face. Her reply? "I can't help it! He's too cute!" Agreed.

Max is much, much more alert and awake (and happy) for longer periods of time. This makes errands and meals out of the house so much better and less stressful (not having to hold a screaming baby is awesome!).

He's a fan of the Bumbo! Probably not a fan that it's purple, but oh well.

I try not to compare my kids all the time, but when you have three, it's hard not to do! Mallory is for sure the typical first born, rule follower and more serious. Morgan is FOR SURE the second child, do anything to make someone laugh...and keep doing it goofy girl. Max seems to be more on the serious side. He definitely smiles a lot and talks to you, but he's not overly smiley and has a serious side...a lot like the biggest sister. I love his little smile. It's a little flirty when he gives it to you and so, so sweet.

In about 6 months, Max is going to love playing with his friends! We've got Cruz, Pax and Micah that will be his little buddies. They were all born within 6 months of him. Here's a picture of Micah and Max. Micah and his mom came from Abilene for a boys/moms only visit last week.

Although it's not quite as cute to dress up boys, it is funny to see what his sisters pick out as his "outfit". Max was given this football jersey by the president of UMHB. We'll call it a soccer jersey:) Morgan has been dying for him to wear it for about 3 months now. She told everyone she saw that #1 she picked out his outfit and #2 he's the Cru!

We love our Maxers!

Ju-ust the two of us....

I apologize for getting that song in your head, ahead of time:)

Three more days until I see these three cute faces:

It's just been me and Max since last Friday. I totally forgot what it was like when I only had Mallory at home...quiet!!! I'm trying not to get used to so much free time during the day with all of Max's naps:) It's been fun, but I'm ready for some background noise in the form of girly squeals and pretend play.

I've really enjoyed my time with my buddy this week. We haven't done much. There have been many naps on the couch together, a playdate with our friend Pax, the carpets were cleaned, a crafty sleepover with some girlfriends (that didn't result in any Martha-worthy crafts unfortunately), I'm up to Season 3 in the Cosby Show on Netflix and now I'm awaiting Kara and Micah's arrival! There is a 12 pack of Cokes and a box of Ding Dongs in the fridge:)

Max, I hope you haven't gotten used to the calm, quiet house! In a few days you'll be smothered with kisses again and probably get bonked by a toy (or body part!).

2 months of Max!

We have loved seeing Max change in the last month. He's no longer the "baby blob" and his personality has started to come out! We have real smiles, real cries and a really sweet baby boy!

Max had a BIG growth spurt about two weeks ago! He seemed to go from newborn to chubby baby in a matter of days. The rolls and cheeks are growing everyday...and I love it! Morgan had legs that looked like an opened can of biscuits...loved them! I can't wait for Max to have that cuteness, too. At the doctor on Monday, he weighed 14 pounds, 8 ounces!! Hilarious. The girls weren't even close to that at this age!

He got his first round of vaccines. Max totally spit up the Rotavirus vaccine (the nurse caught it with her hand!) and then cried pretty hard with the shots. He's the first to get fussy after shots. Guess that is a boy for you:)

Probably the thing that most people comment on is Max's hair. It really looks like we buzz it! He's been a fuzz head since birth. I thought for sure it'd fall out like the girls' hair, but it's holding strong...a little thinner in front, but still there!!

The smiles are coming more and more each day. They were pretty tough to get out of him at first, but now he'll give you one without much effort. They started out a little like Elvis, a lip curl on one side. Hilarious. My mom found a trick that makes Max smile every time...clapping his hands. The girls love to do that to him...a lot.

He's pretty serious, too. This isn't surprising. It seems he has a lot of his biggest sister in him (personality included!). He enjoys looking around and taking everything in. So far the one thing he does not like is when the car stops. My dad took all three kids to Sonic while Mom and I got our nails done. He came back and said Max had earned his new nickname (Brad had just started calling him "Mad Max")!! Apparently it was quite a sight. Grandpa had to back the car up, get Max out of his carseat and try to soothe him while paying for the girls' slushies. The carhop said, "Wow, you've got your hands full!"

We were at my parents for 11 days while Brad was working out of town. I had very low expectations of a routine during this trip (i.e. not having a routine!), but Max picked up some good habits that I hoped would stick around! He started sleeping 5-6 hour stretches at night. I was only having to get up once to feed him. So far, since we've been home, it hasn't been quite as long. I'm ready for the big 12 hours, but will take the 5-6 whenever it comes for now. He's also pretty good at taking two long naps, with some catnaps thrown in between. He loves to be swaddled and gets "sleepy eyes" almost instantly!

Max is one lucky boy. He has two sisters that absolutely adore him. Morgan is hit or miss somedays. But, Mallory, oh boy! She would hold him all day long if I'd let her. She is in his face giving him kisses and hugs anytime he's awake. He gives her big smiles and "talks" to her a lot. They both ask about him as soon as they walk through the door. Mallory especially loved riding next to him in the car (she and Morgan are usually in the "back back") on the way to Ft. Worth. I loved it as well. Now that she's in a booster, she can reach over and put his paci back in:)

We love our baby Max! There isn't a day that goes by we don't thank God for three healthy kiddos! Our life is full (sometimes of chaos!) and fun.

Happy birthday to Mallory!

So, it is officially official. I am the mom of a five year old. A soon-to-be kindergartener. A girl, not a little girl, she tells me all the time. A girl that can get dressed by herself, comb her own hair, have her own opinion about what she wants to wear, buckle herself with a seatbelt, have actual conversations, add numbers, spell a handful of words and is so excited to finally be five!

It's hard to believe it was five years ago when we saw this sweet face (which looks a lot like her little brother's face):

And now, we get to see this sweet face everyday:

Her choice for her birthday dinner? Subway. Yes, Subway. Of all the restaurants she could pick from, she chose Subway. Hilarious.

After dinner, we walked over to BJ's for a birthday pazookie (which is free on your birthday, fyi):

The day of her party, decorating some princess cupcakes:

Her first time to ride in her booster with a seat belt (a big deal for her and me!):

And, on to the big party! Last year, several friends and I were talking about parties. We tossed around the idea of doing a joint party together, and then a brilliant idea came to us...rent out Lions Junction! It was hands down, the easiest party ever! Mallory had a pretty fun party last year (Oreo the horse), but this one might have taken the title (don't you agree, Karen?). There were five of us that rented it out. We barely made a dent in the amount of people you can invite. We had the entire park to ourselves, complete with lifeguards. The only prep was making cupcakes and buying drinks. It was so, so easy. If any Temple friends want to join in next year, I think we'll do it again! Probably until they don't think it's cool anymore:)

She was SO excited (and I barely saw her all night!):

The birthday kids: Joshua (6), Mallory (5), Kate (5), Bella (5) and Maddie (3)

We had one big "Happy Birthday song" and then everyone dug into the cupcakes:

We had the park until 10 pm. I didn't think we'd last that long, especially with Max. But, we ended up closing down the park! About 5 till 10 I looked over and Mallory is by herself in the kid area, sliding over and over and over...with three lifeguards watching her (and so ready to go home)! She was a prune when she got out. To say that she had a blast is an understatement! In fact...the other night we were reading the girls' devotional book. It was talking about exciting days and what your most exciting day has been. Mallory said, "Mommy, my birthday party at the water park was my most exciting day EVER!" I loved hearing that, and knowing that it was true!

So now I will try to soak in the next two months. I'm afraid I'll be a mess when August comes. It's such a weird emotion. I'm so glad she's a big kid, but so sad to lose the littleness. Sigh.

One (give or take a few weeks) month old!

Wowzers. Max is going to be seven weeks old this week! So much for trying to be on top of these montly posts. I really thought I would...you know, third time is a charm, right? :) So, I'm going to pretend like it's still May and I'm on time with this post...okay?

Time has really, really gone by fast! Max is one month old already. He has changed so much since we brought him home from the hospital! He has lost some hair, lost his cord, (finally) lost the ring from his circumcision, rolled over twice already, holds his head up and looks around like a turtle and is loved by his big sisters immensely.

His personality seems to be a bit like his biggest sister (i.e. his cry is not a cry, it's a scream), but also very sweet and calm (when he's fed and not tired!) like his big sister. He has been a lot more alert, starting around 3-4 weeks. I'm trying really hard to do the eat, awake and sleep routine. It's a little more difficult with two other kiddos in the mix, especially since the oldest is pretty much obsessed with him:)

We had some feeding issues the first week home. I wasn't able to nurse Max at all for about 5 days. In fact, I was afraid of how much the girls were going to be talking about/showing people how to nurse their babies. Instead, I found Morgan with a bottle under her shirt. I asked what she was doing and she replied, "Pumping milk." So, that sums up what has been going on around here!! I'm finally able to feed Max without any extra help:) And, he's a growing boy. At 2 weeks, he was over his birth weight, at 9.3 pounds. He is well over 10 pounds now and starting to get a double chin...I love the baby chub.

Sleeping is hit or miss. He sleeps great when he's held...who wouldn't, right? He's a much better sleeper at night. He wakes pretty much every 3 hours to eat, but goes straight back to sleep. There is a random 4am feeding that he prefers to sleep in Brad's arms after, though.

My parents have a similar picture of me, around 2-3 weeks old, holding my head up and looking around. I love his fuzzy head:) This might have been the day for the first rollover. I wasn't going to count it, but Brad said it counts. He's rolled twice again from his tummy to his back.

This was one week later. His "official" one month birthday. He's lost some hair, started smiling and sticking his tongue out...just like his biggest sister did.

When Max is awake, he is usually surrounded by these girls. They still can't get enough of him (even, ahem, at seven weeks old).

Max got to meet his cousins! Wade, Kelly, Tate and Will stopped by for a visit. Max is going to have some fun with these two. I have a feeling Christmas is going to be ca-razy this year!

The J4 bunch stopped by for a visit as well. Lucky for us, there are always lots of eager hands waiting to hold Mr. Max!

I realized I never documented Max's birthmark on the back of his leg. We noticed it at birth, but it was flesh colored. A couple days after we brough him home, it started turning this reddish pink color. It's not the clearest picture, but you get the idea. It has already changed a little since this was taken. Our pedi thinks it might be a hemangioma. We're keeping an eye on it and she's going to check it out at his next appt.

And, finally, the official onesie picture. I really lucked out with this. Kelly had baby Will last April. For her shower gift, I made onesies/shirts for each month during his first year (so she could take montly pictures, like she did with Tate). Little did I know, I'd be due the next April, with a boy, and be able to put them to use again! I really did not plan it that way, although I know it looks suspicious:)

We love, love, love our baby Max. He fits right into our little family and just goes with the flow. We've been out of town already, dragged him to gymnastics, dedicated him at church, been to birthday parties/playdates, grocery shopped with all three and to the park. That is probably the biggest difference with the third. Life does not stop. It can't! I so wish I was this way when Mallory was born. I feel like I am much more relaxed and chilled out with this guy.

Bring on month 2!

Party of five

Baby Max is a just a couple of days away from being two weeks old already! I told Brad the other night that it already feels like he's been a part of our family. The transition from 2-3 kids has been so much smoother and easier than 0-1:)

I meant to post these pictures before Max was born, but ran out of time (probably because I didn't pack any bags until almost 11 pm the night before I was induced...I feel a New Year's resolution in the works...no. more. procrastination.).

The night before I was induced, BMom and Pop came into town. They were the grandparents on duty for M&M. We snapped this picture right after dinner. I tried really hard to take in the last few weeks of this pregnancy. I loved every minute, but also had the aches/pains that come with being 30 and a third pregnancy in six years!

I invisioned this really sentimental time with the girls as we were tucking them in. Wrong! These two big sisters were so, so excited to meet their baby brother! There were no tears shed by me or them...just lots and lots of giggles:)

Last belly hugs for baby brother!

The girls left with BMom and Pop the day after Max was born. They all went to San Antonio to see Aunt LaShay and Uncle Steve for 4 days. That was a HUGE help this time around! It was really quiet and sometimes boring without the extra noise, but I'm confident it helped in all aspects of having a newborn and recovering from labor.

They were super excited to see baby Max! They immediately sat down and helped Brad feed him a bottle. Such little mommies:)

BMom and Pop with their grandkids. Pop is holding his namesake, Max's middle name is after Larry and his dad.

BMom and Pop were very generous at Christmas and gave us a swingset for the girls. They were very also generous to give it to us in a box with the pieces not labeled:) I tease. We've had the boxes in our garage since December! Although it wasn't the way Brad had intended to spend the first days home with Max, it has been well worth it. He (and some very nice friends) spent 12+ hours outside putting it together. It was fun to surprise the girls and grandparents with the finished product when they came home! Can you tell they love it?! It has been a lifesaver during the day. The girls have already learned how to swing themselves!

About the time BMom and Pop were leaving, Aunt Kelly and Tate got in town for a visit! They spent the day with us, holding Max and playing with cousins.

Then, on Sunday, it was Easter and my birthday! We ventured out for dessert. Thought we'd tackle that before we tried a real meal:) It was a success! Max slept the whole time and everyone got their own Pizookie...yummy!

Brad went back to work on Monday. Morgan went to her friend Maddie's house for the day (thanks again, Laura!). Our first day on our own was pretty smooth. Mallory was a HUGE helper. I think she enjoyed being home with just me and Max. We gave him a bath, painted our toenails to match, played games and enjoyed being together.

I think I lost count how many times this girl held Max in one day. Every time he was up, she was asking to hold him. He gets a hundred kisses from his big sisters every day. They have been so sweet with him, each other and us (most of the time!).

It's still a little surreal to say I have three kids. But, here is some cute proof! So far, Max is looking mostly like Mallory as a baby. But, after looking back at my blog when Morgan was born, he looks a lot like her, too. Both girls had the dark hair...can't wait to see what Max's hair does!

I love the face Mallory is making in this one. We're all trying really hard to get that first smile! We're all enjoying it when Max is awake as well. It's beginning to be longer and longer stretches. We've heard a couple of little coos. So far, he cries when he's hungry and tired. He pretty much eats every 3 hours and goes right back down at night. I'll take it!

So weird that this is how he was in my belly! And, he makes some of the same movements I felt over and over. Amazing!

And, of course, baby Madeline (aka "Big Baby") and her friend can't be left out. This girl has been in all of Max's baby things too many times to count.

We are enjoying getting to know our baby Max! I'm grateful for a third, healthy and sweet baby in our family.