Week 5/52

Day 29/365: refusing to nap

Day 30/365: fifth child 

Day 31/365: my mama

Day 32/365: sisters 

Day 33/365: feet found 

Day 34/365: 104* fever day 2

Day 35/365: painting concentration

Week 4/52

Day 22/365: jacket & diaper only after a blowout in 30 degree weather 

Day 23/365: sharing 

Day 24/365: Alabama Gymnastics pink meet with my big girl, dad & pat

Day 25/365: gunky eyes missed mommy

Day 26/365: date night!

Day 27/365: yogurt treat (& confused baby) in 60 degree weather the day before a snowstorm 

Day 28/365: snowmageddon  

Week 3/52

Day 15/364: double ear infection baby boy

Day 16/365: best dressed

Day 17/365: daddy mini-me

Day 18/365: family time with the big girls 

Day 19/365: surprise selfie

Day 20/365: solo bike ride with three bikers and a baby

Day 21/365: twins-different as night & day yet the tables can turn so quickly

Andrew: Five Months

this little infant is rapidly turning into a little baby! 

 

he's ridiculously fun, laughing and smiling at us and his sisters. he loves to be in the action: up at the table with us, facing out so he can see things, up on my shoulder so he can see things around us; but he's the sweetest snuggle bug. he can finally sit in the baby ergo and looks up at me and just giggles. 

everyone said boys are just different. well i'm here to tell you, that's the truth. i love my three big girls with all my being, but there's something different about this little boy. maybe it's because he was such an unexpected miracle. but whatever it is, he completes our family perfectly! 

he still loves to kick his little feet. 

 

so much so that he's been pushing himself backwards for almost a month now. needless to say, watching him almost push himself backwards off his changing table onto his head made this mama move faster than i have in a long time! 

he's got the rolling over thing and is trying so hard to sit up when we hold him. and he loves his fingers!
his laugh is precious, but his velociraptor (vi-lah-si-rap-tor) scream is a-mazing! he forms his mouth like he's singing in a boys choir and lets out this scream that sounds like he's calling his kind. and then he giggles ;0) (was that last scream not the best!) his sisters still adore him more than anything. apparently i call him little buddy quite frequently; and so they walk up to him and say hey little buddy. they soothe him with their words, hold him gently, wiggle his arms to make him giggle and attempt to make him laugh. they can all three pop his wubanub paci in his mouth. i'll often hear him start to cry and then quickly stop only to find one of his sweet sisters wherever he is gently giving him his paci or wiggling a toy near his face. they are immensely helpful, and for some reason, their behavior is immensely better when they are being helpful!

 

i've let addie briefly hold him while she's standing or carry him from me in the kitchen to someone else in the living room. while she does it well, her younger sisters think they should be able to do the same. we're working on that!

i heard the best thing at church on sunday from a daddy of nine: "children are born into a family as an addition to a family, not to be the center of the family." this little munchkin certainly isn't the center of this family, but he's the absolute most perfect additional gift and reward we could have ever dreamed of!

and if it's even possible, we love this little buddy more and more each day!

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him. Ps 127:3

Week 2/52

Day 8/365: hot doughnuts with friends

Day 9/365: sisters at the vet

Day 10/365: chick-fil-a for a local hurting family 

Day 11/365: this is what happens when you follow your big sister, the leader

Day 12/365: 5 months

Day 13/365: coconut oil rub results 

Day 14/365: cleaning out the car

Week 1/52 of a 365 Project

I've seen professional photographers do this before, but I've never been bold enough to join in. Certain that I'd get behind, give up & quit. But if I looked back over the past 4 months, my iPhone has at least one picture a day. iPhone or mark ii, pictures will be taken. Memories will be made. And I'll be challenged.

So here goes...

Day 1/365: puzzle time

Day 2/365: Mary singing Away in a Manger to baby Jesus

Day 3/365: painted nails times sixty

Day 4/365: it's-a-950pm-after-a-5am-start-to-a-full-day-of-second-shooting-and-the-cats-on-my-lap-must-have-a-picture-moment. Queen Victoria Fuzz Face

Day 5/365: baby blues & chubby cheeks too

Day 6/365: Anne Perry reading to Andrew in the waiting room

Day 7/365: coldest day in years & I can finally get my ring back on after months of not being able to wear it

Success: week 1 of 52 done!
...all from the iPhone so far.