Some More June Pictures

There were more pictures that I wanted to add in the previous post (and now I know how to do more than 5 at a time!)

Here's Ben in an innertube.

Jake and Matt at Pappadeaux


Beba and Caroline at Pappadeaux

Caroline's after-bath fauxhawk.


Donna visiting Caroline and Ben

June Happenings

Well, June is coming to a close.....we've survived! The first couple weeks without school were a little rocky, but nothing that a new behavior chart and incentive program couldn't help with. So far so good....I've gotten to see some friends (Alicia, Anna Klara) for lunch, I got to go to Chocolate Soup before they closed its doors ( :( ), Scott and I went out on a date to the new Star Cinema Grill (Conroe's answer to Alamo Drafthouse), and we went on vacation to Austin and Kingsland. Caroline is growing right along (I think - she has her 4 mo checkup and shots next week). She recently discovered her feet and touches both sets of toes every chance she gets. She's got a horrible case of eczema that seems to be getting worse instead of better...I'll be talking to her pediatrician about that at the appointment. She's talking and blowing bubbles and drooling and shoving her whole fist in her mouth - definitely early teething. She's spitting up a lot more - which either means she's getting way too much to eat (I don't think that's it though) or she's having an upset tummy. She doesn't complain much if the second one is the case, but nevertheless, I have cut dairy out of my diet to see if that makes a difference. She is still a great night sleeper, and is doing better with naps during the day. She is officially losing her hair - the jury is still out if she'll lose all of it or just some. It looks pretty silly right now. But there's still some on top to put a bow in.

Ben is looking forward to his 4th birthday - Scott and I are finalizing his party plans (Scott's gone on a mission trip from July 11-19 and Ben's birthday is the 13th, so we're looking at a July 10th party). He's NOT looking forward to his 4 year well check, because they'll be the first shots he's had since his 2 year checkup. He keeps telling me that he'll skip his 4th birthday and go straight from 3 to 5 years old, since 5 is "the best numba eveh". He still doesn't say his "r"s and "th"s, which makes for a cute little voice, but we'll be addressing that in the fall. He's been very tentative in the water so far this year - we've already done one round of swim lessons - but he's starting to warm up to it a little more. I do remember when Jake was 3 1/2, he had some anxiety in the water and by the next summer he was swimming - maybe history will repeat itself.

Jake is leaving for Camp Cho-Yeh today. He is really looking forward to it - he'll get to spend every day with Lucy, his best friend, and go swimming 2-3 times a day. He likes camp food, and is looking forward to snack time each day where he can choose his own snack. They have lots of fun activities that he's looking forward to - martial arts, blobbing at the lake, horseback riding. He's been to the library twice a week so far this summer, loading up on chapter books and inhaling them like air.....he's hard to keep up with. He's also starting learning how to water ski - Scott lets him stand on his skis, and they've been working hard to get up on the skis and show Jake how it feels to be pulled by a boat.....he's pretty apprehensive about the whole business but does agree to try, and I'm proud of him for that. He's eating everything in sight, so I'm expecting another growth spurt. He already wears the same size shoe as his grandma, and he's getting closer and closer to 5 feet tall.

Everyone is growing and learning and testing boundaries - what childhood is all about, I suppose! Here are some pictures from the summer so far:

Jake with his cousins Austin and Connor Davis at the rapids

Daddy and Caroline at the pool

Mommy and Ben at the lodge

Caroline touching her toes

Caroline holding the silver cup at Austin Bryan Perry reunion

3 Months Old!

I can't believe that I haven't blogged in three weeks - oh, that's right - I DID go back to work for two of those weeks, so I'm sure I'm excused from any harassment. Caroline turned 3 mos. old on Friday, and so I thought I would note some things about her at age 3 mos for posterity and for the baby book update that will happen at some point:

• She weighs 12 lbs, 10 oz per a weight check at the pediatrician's office today. She's only gained one pound in the last month, but the doctor wasn't concerned, as she had been gaining steadily up until this month - it was bound to level off at some point.
• She is sleeping well at night - once she finally GOES to sleep. She has developed this nasty habit of refusing to fall asleep for good until 10-11pm or later. Scott is totally frustrated by this - I have a little more patience with it, because part of it I think might be due to me going back to work, and now that I'm home for the summer, I think it'll take a while to break the habit, but I'm sure it'll get better. Heck, she still sleeps from whenever she falls asleep until 6-7 in the morning, and then eats, and goes back to sleep until 9-10am. I'll take it!
• She has rolled a few times from tummy to back, but I haven't been regular about tummy time, so she hasn't had a lot of opportunity to keep practicing - I'll be better about that this month!
• She has developed a moderate case of eczema on her elbows, backs of her knees, wrists, ankles and cheeks. We are slathering her with some really greasy cream twice a day in hopes of keeping her skin pretty and smooth. I bet it itches, so hopefully the cream provides some relief.
• She can be a chatterbox - rattling off multi-syllabic gurgles and coos. She uses her eyebrows a lot when talking which makes her seem very expressive.
• She loves her brothers - she scans the room for them when she hears them. They're both very sweet to her. Jake has a ritual of rubbing her forehead with his pointer finger whenever he comes up to her. Ben just comes up talking to her in the sweetest baby voice saying "there's my baby girl - it's your brother (bwaddah)!".
• She is wearing 3-6 mo clothing not because of her weight, but she's very long, especially through the torso, just like her brothers were.
• She loves her bath (it's her special time with Daddy), and so far likes the swimming pool.
• She has a flat spot on the "favorite" side of her head, and so we're trying to keep her off that side of her head whenever we have control over the positioning.
• She still eats 7 times a day - Mommy's ready for that to start slacking off, but since she's not gaining a lot right now, I'm not going to rush her to drop a feeding...yet.
• She likes to be in the Baby Bjorn, up close against me and where she can get a good view of things. She also likes her Bumbo chair, where she's upright and sitting up like a big girl.
• She got baptized last Sunday (June 7th), and wore a beautiful ivory silk gown and shoes. She had an ivory satin bow in her hair and wore a little pearl and crystal bracelet. She cried briefly when Pastor John sprinkled the water on her head, but recovered quickly and looked inquisitively around the sanctuary for the rest. She slept through lunch afterward.

That's it for now!