Samsquatch

I'm just going to let the pictures speak for themselves on this one . . .

Max - 6 Months

Dear Max,

It has been 6 months since you came into our lives and I love you so incredibly much. It's weird though, because in some ways it feels like we just brought you home from the hospital, but in others it is hard for me to even remember life without you.

And even though we have already watched Bo & Sam experience all the firsts of babyhood, each one is just as special and sweet this time around with you. There may be less pictures and less in your baby book to prove it but that is not indicative of anything more than how crazy life with three boys under the age of four is.
You are now rolling all over the place but only to your right so I often have to peel you away from walls, table legs or bed posts. You are also sitting up now like a pro and eating rice cereal (but not very rigorously). You even started holding your own bottle a few days ago during feedings. You have an incredible sense of patience and are a very content, happy baby with the most infectious smile ever. When I look at you I see "family". It's an odd feeling really. One hard to describe. One I haven't felt before. But its a sort of wholesomeness or feeling of completeness. One that makes me smile and also cry. A feeling so deeply rooted that the mere thought of loosing it freaks me out beyond words but the prospect of holding on to it fills me with overwhelming warmth. More simply put, you are our last and with you we are five but with you we are one (it may sound cheesey, but I'm your mother and I'm allowed to be cheesey).

With that said, I am incredibly excited for the future and to watch you and your brothers explore the world together. If you are anything like Bo & Sam (or your dad for that matter), it should be an exhilarating ride.

Happy 6 months to you, Maxy, I love you.

Love, Mom

Highlights (and Lowlights) of Our Austin Trip

-Arriving at the airport on time with 3 kids, 3 suitcases, 2 backpacks, a diaper bag, and a double stroller . . .with 3 flat tires

-Airport security guard tracking down an air compressor from the truck guys out back to inflate our stroller tires. We love you airport security guy!

-Sam hating to give up his shoes to go through security and getting all upset when they took his bottle to scan it

-Sam bouncing off the seats for 2 hours until he finally fell asleep on the dirty nasty floor and then us getting in trouble for not putting him back into his seat when the seat belt sign came back on

-Bo stripping down in the Seattle airport play center when his pull-up was full and Wes responding with, "What are you doing? Were you raised in a barn?"

-More bazerkoness of Sam on the second flight with him finally falling asleep the last 30 minutes, and Bo falling asleep the last 10 minutes (why couldn't they have done that 3 hours earlier?)

-Arriving in Austin to beautiful Spring weather and spending most of everyday outside

Cousin Owen

Sam watching Bo dig & Kate kiss the goose

Sam, Kate, Bo, Claire & Owen eating lunch

-Nana & Opa taking the whole week off from work to play

Red heads sticking together

-Watching Bo and Sam play with their cousins Kate, Claire and Owen. They really hit it off.

Bo pushing Owen

Sam, Kate & Claire

-Kate and Bo fishing off the back of the truck and Kate telling Bo, "Nice throw Buddy!"

Kate & Bo fishing at Rocky

-Bo racing down the sidewalk in our old little red wagon (just like Tracy and I did as kids).

-Nana taking the big kids to buy new shoes only to find out Sam was wearing shoes 2 sizes too small. I felt horrible. No wonder his toes hurt.

Nana & Max

-Hanging out at the River and eating Black's BBQ.

Opa & MaxMax & LucyWes & Bo playing Frisbee

Seeing Opa & Nana's new house almost complete

Me and Wes with Sam, Claire, Bo & Kate

Claire & Sam checking out the new bunk room

-Opa & Nana taking night duty a few nights with Max so I could sleep

-Seeing it snow more than ever one day in Austin and Bo telling me that Daddy is more smarter because I told him it never snows in Austin.

-Hanging out with Ashley and her super cute daughter Lily. I think I feel an arranged marriage in the future. Sam agreed with a kiss on her cheek.

-Reconnecting with Martha, an old high school friend

-Wes and Bo playing endless hours of tackle football in the front yard

-Watching Max figure out how to jump in the jumper. He loved it.

-Aunt Mary being too weak to make the trip to Austin. We sure missed seeing her and Uncle Doc.

-Eating lots of yummy Tex-Mex and margaritas

-Cousin Erin's baby shower. Can't wait to meet Blake Austin Davis.

-Wes being able to enjoy his time away from the office now that he has a great staff in place to manage things while he is our of town.

Sam & Bo playing in the sand in the backyard

-Waiting around at the airport for 3 hours to find out our flight got cancelled. (seriously ill flight attendant was rushed to the hospital so there was not enough crew members to fly)

-Going back to the airport a day later to try it all again

-Having multiple pukers on the flight from Austin to Seattle with us sitting in the very last row right next to the bathrooms

-Handing one kid the puke bag from my seat as he started puking while waiting in line for the bathroom and Wes getting splattered with some

-Max traveling like a pro. Hardly ever made a peep,

-Bo & Sam passing out in Wes' lap on the flight from Seattle to Fairbanks before ever leaving the gate. Thank God!!!

-Wes and I coming back sick with sore throats and bad coughs. Poor Wes is about to hack up a lung.

Happy Valentine's Day

We had a nice Valentine's Day on Sunday that started off with red blueberry muffins and presents. Bo and Sam each got a monster truck heart of chocolates, some M&M's, and a Spiderman action figure that rides a motorcycle.Oh, and we couldn't resist getting a singing card for Sammers. He danced (bobbed his head and upper body) the whole time during breakfast. He loved it!

But as with most of our days, this is how breakfast ended . . .

The day, however, ended a bit calmer. Wes arranged for Brigitte to come over for a few hours so he and I could go out to lunch and run some errands together. It was a nice surprise and a nice break. We don't just hang out by ourselves anymore but need to do it more often. I love being a mom (wouldn't change it for the world) but it's nice to just be a wife sometimes.

Happy Valentine's Day, guys. I love you all so very much.

Making His Mark

Last night as I was trying to clean the kitchen, I turned around and found this and this

Cute Things

Some things I don't want to forget:

• Bo very concerned that a Recess peanut butter cup is round when the package is square
  
• The way Sam backs up to you on the floor when he wants to sit on your lap
  
• Max's huge open mouth grin
  
• Bo telling me his foot was falling asleep but it was ok because it's eyes would open soon
  
• Sam always wanting to wear a hat or hood, even at dinner
  
• Sam's deep infatuation with buttons, including light switches, tv remotes, computers, and phones
  
• Bo calling Sam, "Sammy", and Max, "Maxy"
  
• Bo calling "fast forward", "fast over"
• The way Bo sings or talks to himself while going potty
  
• Bo making everything into a competition and always wanting to win, whether it's eating pancakes with Daddy, running up the stairs, or getting dressed
  
• Sam's pink bunny
  
• How Bo & Sam go down the stairs backwards on their tummies - super fast
  
• Sam's love of music and his boppin dance moves
  
• The way Sam gives huge open mouth kisses over my lips
• Sam saying"Bo" as a 2 syllable word

Max- 4 (and a half) months

Today was Max's 4 month well baby check-up and he is healthy as can be.

weight: 15 lbs 9 oz
height: 25 in
head: 16.93 in

His left eye is still weepy but it has improved a bunch from a couple of months ago. The doctor seems to think it will clear itself up soon. He says typically they do by 9 months but if not, then they can go in and surgically open up the duct at that point. I agree with the doc in that I think it will clear up on its own, but we'll see how it goes.

Like our other 2, Max is not much of a sleeper. I have come to the conclusion that Wes and I just breed non-sleepers. He is up every 1.5-2 hours at night now and I am exhausted. Last night he and I spent the whole night on the couch because I kept falling asleep nursing with him on my chest and never seemed to wake up enough to make it back to bed.

We screwed up royally with Bo's sleep habits, did a little better with Sam, but I am bound and determined to get it right this time around. I have been really trying to put him down awake for naps during the day rather than just let him fall asleep on the boob and am going to start weaning him off of middle of the night feedings (aka: let him cry) once we get back from Austin in a couple of weeks. I just hope I have the will power to do it this time around.

But oh he is a happy, patient kid. He has the biggest open mouth smile that is impossible to ignore. He also raises his eyebrows all the time which is absolutely adorable. He rarely cries unless he's hungry, tired or needs to burp (which happens a lot). And thank goodness he is patient. With 2 older brothers who are basically still babies themselves, he often has to wait in line for mommy. He is by far the most patient of the 3 and for this I am extremely thankful.