All Smiles

Evan smiles ALL the time! If he is not eating or fighting his sleep (pretty much the only time he cries), he is just smiling! It is sooo cute. We get all types of smiles...cute little coy smiles, flirty smiles, big open mouth smiles, laughing smiles (he has already started laughing...squeaking...cooing constantly). It is great. I love this stage when they start "communicating" with you. It is awesome...the start of a relationship.

The Nuzzler

Holding my sweet bundle of joy is so, so, so precious!!! Evan is The Nuzzler. When I hold him up against my right shoulder - his favorite way to be held by his Mommy, he takes his right cheek and nuzzles up against my right cheek until his little face is all snuggled up into the crook of my neck... I LOVE IT!!!

THREE

I remember several friends informing me that 3 for their boys was harder than the proverbial "terrible twos". I am thankful for these words of wisdom, shared experiences, etc. as they help prepare me for the future stages of my parenting. Brady was a "PERFECT" two year old....quotes on purpose as we all know that no man is "perfect" but a mother's love can be blinding, and all love in retrospect is blinding (you always seem to focus on the good stuff...I think this is why we (the human race) keep having babies (oh, the newborn stage)). In all fairness and honesty though, I LOVED and ADORED Brady the two-year-old...we had so much fun, just the two of us during the week...exploring the world, learning, growing, laughing!

THREE...still for the most part, Brady, you are a very sweet, pleasant boy. It is very obvious to Daddy and I though that you are "growing up" in more ways than one. You are flexing not only your physical muscles but the muscles of your will, as well. I think there is a level of testing and independence perhaps that comes with three. Perhaps there is the need to become your own "man". Is it that - just the three and the "what happens if I do this?"..."what happens if I don't comply?" - or is it your adjustment, the transition to becoming a big brother. Are you pulling away a little, testing, or are you doing whatever you feel like will draw attention to you? I LOVE you dearly my perfect slice of pumpkin pie, and I hope when you look back on the time that your little brother entered our family, you smile and remember feeling especially special by Daddy and I!

XOXO

More Notable Quotables

So last week I go for the dreaded postpartum check up with my OB/GYN...of course, I have both boys with me...one completely oblivious, the other trying to distract and position well enough that he is somewhat oblivious. After we head out of the doctor's office toward the elevator, Brady looks at me and says "Mommy, you did a great job at the doctor's." So sweet!

This morning I help Brady untangle the string on his toy crane...he looks at me and, very seriously, says: "Mommy you are a super hero!" (In my mind...thanks bud, everyone needs to feel like a super hero sometimes)

Notable Quotables

I have some great new quotes from dear boy, Brady, that I definitely want to journal as I do not want to forget them as he grows up.

We were all discussing eye color as Chris and I were talking about how we think Evan is going to have brown eyes like his Mommy. Brady looked at me and said: "Mommy, I know your eyes are blue behind there (I guess behind the brown) just like mine."

Brady and I were riding the carousel at the mall together and I caught our reflection in the mirror of the carousel. I said "look at us Brady...we look so cute, don't we?" Brady: "No Mommy..I look cute and you are pretty."

More to come...out of time! Back to add some........

Lee Taylor, at church, during the children's story time: "They built a temple. Have any of you ever built a temple?" Brady, his hand up like a shot: "I have." Lee: "You, have?" Brady: "Yeah, I got blocks."

Jason Haynes was visiting for the weekend and he and Chris were out in the backyard while Brady was napping. When Brady woke up from his nap I went in his room to get him out of his bed and he asked where Daddy and Uncle Jason were. I said they were out in the backyard. He then asked where Evan was. I said he is out in the backyard with Daddy and Uncle Jason. Brady - eyes lit up like Santa had stopped by our house: "Evan is bigger. He got bigger?!?!" Mommy: "No, bud, Daddy is holding Evan outside." Brady: "Oh, okay." It was so sad and so sweet. He always talks about when Evan gets bigger he can play with him. I guess his little mind and imagination assumed that since Evan was out in the backyard he must be playing - AND, if he was playing - he must be bigger and the thought of that just lit him up!

Brady has gotten into saying the prayer before our meals and emphatically starts each one with "Dear Jesus". They are very short and too the point: "Dear Jesus, thank you for our day. Thank you for our lunch. Amen." That is it! EVERY meal....he says "lunch" for every meal. So we always have to teach him "breakfast", "dinner". Well every once in a while - pretty infrequently - he will add something....two recently that I thought were notable are: (at lunch, actual lunch) he added: "thank you for Daddy coming home." How sweet for Daddy! Another time: "Thank you GOD for Jesus!" WOW!!! isn't that the truth?? literally THE TRUTH and the GOSPEL...so simple yet so spot on!

4 weeks old ALREADY!!!!!!!!!

So our lil' guy, Evan, is already 4 weeks old...actually as I type this he is 4 1/2 weeks old.....WOW! When I looked at his first born pics the other day, I realize how much he has changed already...still amazed at how much/and how often they change in the beginning.



So I am not sure how much he weighs at 4 weeks but we had to go back to the pediatrician to redo his heel prick (the PKU) and I put him on the scale (fully dressed though so I can't compare to his last weigh in exactly) and he was up to a little more than 11 pounds. What a big boy!

Top 3 for triple B

In honor of my triple B (Big Brother Brady) I thought I would comprise a list of my top 3 favorite things about this guy!

1. His gratefulness........always so thankful for everything..."Thank you, Mommy, for taking care of me." "Thank you for reading books with me." When he prays: "Thank you that Daddy came home for lunch." Just last night in his list of things he thanked Jesus for before his dinner prayer: "Thank you, Jesus, for GOD."

2. His compassion.......so touched and feels for everyone and everything. Two nights ago we put him to bed and we heard this soft crying in his bed on the monitor...we went in there and he was crying because we didn't watch the show that Mommy wanted to watch and he felt bad. I told him that I was just suggesting a show for him (we tivo some shows for him and if we have time and he has behaved he gets to choose one of his 30 minute shows to watch after his bath, before bed) and he chose one of his other shows instead. He felt bad thinking he didn't let Mommy watch the show I wanted.

3. His promises.....he has gotten in this cute habit of "promising" and expressing these promises in such a reassuring way. "I PROMISE, Mommy, I will be right back, I PROMISE." (as he heads to his playroom) After I ask him to do something..."I PROMISE, Mommy, I PROMISE, I will not fall down, Mommy, I PROMISE."

Such a cutie....Here he is the day he came home from the hospital after he was born, and, again, at 3 years old.......oh, how the time has flown.