Emerson is 4 months old!

At four months it's pretty tough to get the obligatory month shot since some little lady is all about her tootsies. Built in toys, aka feet, provide hours of entertainment that's for sure.  Emerson props her toys up with her feet.  She grabs her feet with her hands.  She sometimes sleeps holding one foot.  Precious, sweet, and darling all combined into one.

Emerson is clocking in at 14lbs 6oz (50th percentile) and 25 inches (75th percentile).  Tall and slender.  Not quite sure where she gets that from ;) Her temperament is still go with the flow.  Rarely does this wee one cry and never will she cry for no reason.  If there's a wail it's time for bed.  Rock, paci, rock n play, and that's all it takes.

At four months old we're still napping and sleeping in the rock n play in her nursery.  I know it's time to break this routine and move to the crib, but since starting back to work Emerson is up almost every night at 1am and 5am.  I really don't want to rock the boat by switching to the crib when I'm already exhausted so we'll keep going with the RNP.  Pretty soon though we'll be forced out of that thing because she's not getting any smaller!

Emerson had a tough time stomaching her formula so we switch backed to 100% breastmilk.  I wasn't planning on nursing that long this time around but it's going fine for all parties involved so we'll keep it up.

Some of E's current fave things are her sisters, smiling and talking to us, playing with toys, bathtime (she will kick and splash and smile the entire time), laying stretched out on her activity mat, pulling hair, her paci, and being cute.

Happy 4 months my sweet pumpkin!

Sunny September

We are officially into the second half of September and can you believe that we're still experiencing summer like days?! The high today is 84.  84!! September, I am in love.  The moment we walk in the door we hop into our suits and then hop right into the pool.  As much as I love and crave those crisp fall days I am also a huge fan of extending our swimming season.

Emerson is a fan as well,  Post swim bath and full of smiles.  I.love.this.girl!

And here we go.  Some pics from the past few weeks!

My fabulous contractor (aka, Kris ;) is back in action.  We have been mantle-less for months now.  The original mantle was hideous.  Every day I would see that thing and every day I loathed it.  So I had Kris rip it off and replace it with a custom made rustic piece.  Now to decide what to do with the rest of the fireplace.  I like the brick but am not sure if it goes with the mantle.  The black part of the fireplace definitely needs painted. It's a work in progress but we're getting there!

Emerson had a little playdate with her neighbor friend.  Look at all this love! The girls are only two months and three houses apart.  Built in best buddy!

I am still soaking up all the cuddles I can get.  E loves being rocked to sleep and I love rocking her so it's a win-win for all.  

This past weekend we spent the morning at the school's birthday party. The day was filled with a bounce house, friends, snack, and Clifford! I'm pleasantly surprised that the girls were both into this furry friend.  Hopefully that's a good sign for our upcoming Disney trip in December.  

Us girls have all the time in the world to take car selfies when stuck in traffic.  OMG these Rochester roads are killing me.  Rochester traffic is bad enough but when you close multiple major roads for construction AT THE SAME TIME it's a freaking nightmare.  Oh well, at least it will all be done in time for the snow to come...

Why stop with a car selfie? Post pool selfies are fun too!



And applesauce via straw selfies must be documented as well.  Whatever works to get this kid to eat more than one bite of something.



Sydney loving :) Our pup is still hanging in there.  Last week was pretty rough--she wasn't eating a lot and had trouble moving around--but this week her appetite is back (probably because she's on an appetite inducing pill) and she's begging for food again.  One day at a time.

Labor Day weekend was spent at home with a visit from my parents.  They couldn't have picked a better weekend to come up.  The weather was absolutely fabulous! We spent a lot of time poolside enjoying the sunshine.  But before the heat hit we went out and about.  It is September and you know what that means...Yates cider mill time!

Isn't it just wild how they go from itty bitty to maxi dress wearing in no time?!

And wasn't Teagan JUST born?! How is she turning three next week?!

Another fun filled morning activity was Rollers & Strollers.  I love this event, especially since I majorly fail in the roller skating department and can go on the rink in shoes.  Emerson was able to participate too all while chilling in her comfy stroller.

I was so proud of how great Teagan did on her skates! 

Parker too rocked it!

After we got home from our morning fun we found some animals trying to figure out how to take a leisurely swim.

Look at the middle left.  That's right...it's a turkey! One of seriously like 13.  These brave birds will come right up to the pool fence like they own the place. 

Scrolling though my phone pics and I stumble upon this beaut.  Silly girl stealing my phone and taking selfies!

And here Parker is again photo bombing.  Sydney too :)

And finally, I leave you with a picture of miss smiles :) 

I'll will recap E's 4th month soon! You know, before she decides to turn five months on me.

Some days

Some days I upload pic after pic to blogger with the best of intentions.  Intentions to post that exact evening, not a day later.  And then an entire month passes quickly by and here I am.  But as always, better late than never :-P

I have lived through baby milestones two full times now.  You would think that it would be old news by his point but each time it still catches me by surprise.  Like this day when Emerson made the realization that, hey! This moving, nommable thing is part of ME!

While pondering this major discovery, I captured the most epic photo bomb.  My goofy T.  Just when I think she can't be funnier than she already is she steps her game up a notch. 

Mother hen I'm telling ya.  I honestly would not have survived maternity leave without this great helper. Whether it was comforting Emerson when she cried or helping Teagan get dressed for the day, Parker was my right hand woman.

Please note that Teagan is still in the nude.

Another thing that also doesn't get old no matter how many babies one has.  The cuddles :)

Everyone loves a good cuddle! Teagan is pouting because her turn with E ended.  Talk about being loved. So loved that no one wants to give her up.  

See how happy Teagan is to have her lil sis back in her arms??



Teagan also likes Parker to be in her arms as well.



And sometimes sisters are played with just fine on the floor.  The perfect distance away for Teagan to play the tune of "Animal Sounds" over. And over. And over again.  That song will forever be burned in my memory.



Other things:

Parker always seems to catch the most perfectly candid iPhone pics.

The big girls are still obsessed with this statue at the library.  His name is Andy and his parents are significant library donors.  The real life Andy drowned while studying abroad in India in his late teens.  I'm sure Andy's parents have witnessed the love many, many children visiting the library have for his statue. While I cannot begin to imagine the pain a parent must feel to lose a child, I can only hope that seeing the excitement and cheer the memory of their son has on children brings a bit of joy to their hearts.

On a happier note: MATCHING MAXI DRESSES! I even scored one for E to wear next spring.  I was so made to be a mom of girls. The only piece of the puzzle missing here is a matching one for me!

And a little snapshot of the oh so hard (insert sarcasm) maternity leave.  Chilling with my ladies and friends at Rochester's Wild Wednesday.

There's river wading, rocking gathering, and bucket filling.

There's fire hose spraying (one kid loved it, one kid cried).  Mom had a blast.

And of course it's not a wild Wednesday without a larger than life slip n slide.

Emerson basically behaved like a boss the entire time, rocking her fan equipped double BOB  while decked head to toe (check out those tootsies!!) in pink.

The end of the day wasn't pretty, as is the case whenever we skip a nap.  And without fail if we skip nap, Teagan falls asleep for the night in the silliest positions. Practically off the bed and did not even stir when I moved her to a more normal position.

Update on Syd :she's hanging in there but the end is imminent.  Typically our family meals look something like this below.  The girls hanging out at the kid table while Sydney stands guard at close proximity, waiting for any morsel of food to accidentally fall to the ground.

But lately she's barely eating, even with an appetite inducing pill.  Wet dog food she won't touch so we switched to a mix of chicken, quinoa/rice and veggies.  Then she would only touch the chicken.  Then she wanted nothing to do with the chicken.  So now we give her whatever.  Hot dogs.  Sliced cheese.  Meatballs. Pasta.  Whatever she wants she gets.  This sucks.

That's all I have for now.  I'm taking tomorrow off to do some things that I just can't get done during the week--huge Costco trip (my fave!), a trip with my ladies to the mall per Parker's request (love it!), and a swing by the pool store.  My parents are visiting for the whole weekend so we will surely have a great time :) I appreciate my weekends so much more now that I'm back to work so I am READY for four straight days off!