Give me the keys!

(Middle of April)

(End of March)

At first, picking up Vanessa and her friends from school was a fine balance of feedings and sleeping, making us a little anxious. Now we have it pretty well figured out. Often now Hendrix smiles with anticipation. Rainy days are no fun if Hendrix is wide awake, though, but we've made do!

Sometimes I nurse in the back of the van while waiting in the school parking lot. Sometimes I strap him up and carry him along. Other times we stroll in the stroller. Zane often uses the time to watch a DVD from the library. Sometimes all three of us step out of the van to get the girls. Other times Zane waits with Hendrix in the van. 

Good thing we have several keys to try!

Cuckoo for Daddy

This stage of life is certainly a hectic one when Daddy gets home from work. All three kids and mommy are making noise in some way, if we're not running out the door for something else. There's a lot of talking, cooing, fussing, and slamming body parts into things. At times it's enough to drive anyone insane. It's cause we're so cuckoo for Daddy!

These 3

(Beginning of April)

Two of these is always in the third's face. :-) How can he not want to be doing what they are doing?! They fight over who gets to hold him. Vanessa is striving to impress with her strength, care and thoughtfulness. Zane likes to kiss him and squeeze him. Zane even laughs it off when Hendrix ends up screaming in his ear. Vanessa is quick to hand him back off as soon as the tide changes. :-) Although a tad too energetic at times, these three have great chemistry. 

Springing Up

Hendrix had his 2 month appointment this last week. He weighed in at 13 pounds and 1 ounce -- gaining just over 2 pounds since his 1 month appointment. He got shots too. His legs and arms were hard to restrain as the nurse jabbed his thighs. The doc was impressed by his strength and signs that he might give 6 hour stretches of sleep consistently sooner than later, only I need to be willing to get in bed by about 9 to ensure I'm taking full advantage. I might need to roll with it! 

He happened to roll from his back to his belly on his 2-month birthday, in the wee hours of the morning. Haven't seen it again nor have I seen him try again, but I do see him pulling up like he's trying to sit up. He still loves to stand a ton. His temper is hot but he can be as sweet as can be. His temperament and internal clock are very similar to Vanessa's. Although I feel we're beginning to move away from the witching hour every single night, he still gets so exhausted he enters meltdown mode. I think this somehow relates to him being a happy spitter -- his moving and thrusting all the time, forcing the stuff back out. Sometimes he just works himself up so much, he pukes. 

He still loves staring at the windows and fireplace in the great room. He loves the outdoors and sunshine. Cloudy and rainy days seem to make him a little grumpy. He gets carried around in the carrier a ton, much like Zane. 

I'm still figuring out things I need to avoid eating to keep his tummy and bowels okay. I screw up every now and again. Heavy garlic is still a trigger. Milk is too and I have determined for sure that eggs are too. I can eat peanut butter every day and he seems to be fine. Guess he'll be my peanut butter baby.

In summary, he's thriving and jiving. He's a joy and blessing, even when he pukes all over us. Thank God for hardwood floors. :-)

Vanessa has entered the room . . .

We finally snapped a picture of a poster Vanessa made months ago. It's been hanging outside of the cafeteria since the fall. Although her bedroom and play areas don't always lead you to believe so, she gets good stewardship of her school. I've been trying to relocate a picture of her desk from last September. I had a hard time believing it was her desk because it was so organized. I suppose her home is the place to let loose and ransack.

I think many of us would agree that when she enters a room, her strong presence is felt and known. We recently met another little girl in Zane's ZooKids class that reminds me so much of Vanessa at that age. Millie says everything that comes into her brain. She greets you before you've had a chance to enter the room. I tell her grandma I so get it. 

When a student at Avery does good deeds and honors values such as kindness, respect and responsibility, they get a gator claw. That gator claw is then placed in a drawing and remains there all year unless it gets pulled. On Fridays,  and when your name is pulled in the drawing, you find out by being called down to the office via the intercom. Vanessa's 3rd grade teacher also allows the kids to enter extra gator claws for out of this world behavior. Vanessa has been granted several over the course of the year via both ways. And her name was finally drawn at the end of March. Look at that smile . . .