Cole Oliver. 3 months

Well, somehow, against my will, this dude is getting older.  And bigger.  He's 3 months old already and growing like a weed.  But there are three big brothers to keep up with, so I guess I understand his hurry.

 At 3 months old Cole ...

• wears size 3 diapers.
• has outgrown all his 3 month clothes,
• is still the hottest/sweatiest baby ever.
• is taking great naps during the day.
• sleeps well in his car seat 
• consistently sleeps 6-8 hours at a time at night.  Hallelujah!
• can get his hands to his mouth.
• chews on his fist constantly.

• drools a lot (I fear teeth are coming soon)
• is a very happy baby now that I've eliminated all the gassy foods out of my diet.
• has wonderful, big, open mouthed smiles :) Although he's camera shy whenever I try to capture it.
• coos and talks to us all the time.  He's even started dinosaur growling.
• is totally entertained by his goofy big brothers.
• has learned to rock himself in his little rocking chair.
• can roll from his back onto his side easily.  Can't quite get to his tummy yet.
• just rolled from his back to his tummy as I was typing this. Haha!
• still loves to be swaddled and bounced or rocked to sleep.
• will sometimes nurse to sleep on the bed.
• likes to be held facing out.  There's a big world that he needs to see!

Cole Oliver. 2 months.

Time is so funny with a baby in the house.  Some days drag on for.ev.er and yet, here we are, with a 2 month old.  A lot has changed in the last month, mostly for the better thankfully.

At 2 months old, Cole....

• weighs 13lb 4oz (holy giant baby!)
• is stretching to the end of his 3 month clothes
• wears size 2 diapers
• is having a lot more happy awake time
• had his lip & tongue tie revised at 5 weeks old.  The recovery was super rough, but thankfully he's doing much better now
• still doesn't have an amazing latch, but it's better than it was before
• is the least consistent napper. ever.
• is sleeping longer stretches at night time, sometimes up to 5 or 6 hours at a time!!
• loves to look at faces
• is starting to smile and coo (my favorite!)
• still loves to be swaddled
• is no longer a fan of the pacifier. he prefers to nurse to sleep
• doesn't love his car seat, but he's not crying the entire time he's in it anymore.  so that's good.
• does not like being worn in my wrap or sling.  super inconvenient.
• has a very sensitive tummy.  I've had to cut out all dairy, soy, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, peanuts/peanut butter, any kind of sausage and orange juice.  (sigh)  Food will be fun again someday.
• loves bath time and being naked in general :)
• enjoys diaper changes

Cole Oliver. 1 month.

It's hard to believe it's been a month since Cole arrived in our arms.  It's a little sad because these newborn, squishy, sleep all day times are so fleeting.  But it's good too since those early newborn days are so hazy where I'm still recovering from birth, the baby has his nights and days mixed up, the big brothers are behaving terribly since they, too, are adjusting to a new life.  So it's nice to be a little more settled into a routine.

The big boys were all convinced we should name the new baby "Superman".  Hence the shirt :)

Anyway, we're ALL loving our little Cole boy.  For real, the big boys fight over who's going to hold/rock/pacify him.  Which would be great, except that they're boys.  And it's gets a little rough!  More than once I've said "We're not going to fight over the baby!" and "Don't hurt the baby!!"  Cole has come out ok so far - no major incidents - but I feel like it's only a matter of time.

For the first few weeks. Cole cluster nursed.  For a few hours, he'd eat every 20 minutes or so, which was a little exhausting knowing I couldn't go too far from him when he was awake.  Showers didn't happen much.  But then he'd sleep for a few hours.  Now at 1 month, he's spaced out his feedings a bit more and he's really not interested in nursing if he's not hungry.

Part of that may also have to do with his tongue tie.  That's been our biggest struggle so far.  The frenulum under his tongue is a bit too short, so he's not latching well.  Thankfully it hasn't caused any issues for ME but he's taking in a lot of air when he eats.  Which means there's a lot of gas in his poor little tummy :(  Plus, I've leaned that yet again, I will be going dairy free while nursing.  I've also cut out soy, beans, broccoli, peppers, onions and anything that might seems spicy/gassy.  (sigh)  Fare thee well cheese.  It was nice knowing ya.

But since I've cut out those things, he's been much happier.  And when we get his tongue tie fixed on Thursday, that will hopefully resolve any remaining gassy issues.  He really is a pleasant baby, but not when his tummy hurts.

Night time sleep is getting better now that he's figured out his nights and days.  Most nights he'll sleep for a few hours (any where from 2-4 hours), nurse and go back to sleep.  Sometimes though if he takes in too much air while nursing his tummy will hurt so we have to get up, burp and then rock back to sleep.  Sometimes that takes 20 minutes.  Sometimes that takes an hour or more.  Coffee is my very best friend.  He'll sleep part of the night in his rock n' play and part of the night in our bed.  Quite frankly, I don't care where he sleeps.  As long as he sleeps!  Daytime sleep is anything but consistent.  One day he'll cat nap all day long.  The next he'll rock a couple 3 hour naps!  If having 4 kids has taught me anything, it's to let go of expectations and just take each day as it comes.  If Cole is having a hard time sleeping, then we binge watch Netflix and I hold him for his whole nap.  If he's having a happier day, then I can put him down and wash a load of laundry or something.  The housework is so far behind it hurts my head to thing about it, but I know I won't get these days back either with my tiny boy.  So the dust sits.  The floors remain unswept.  And my arms and heart are full :)

Cole loves to be swaddled.  It's guaranteed to calm him down almost every time.  He takes the pacifier pretty well if he's tired.  He's a big fan of being held, but not always in my wrap or sling.  To put him to sleep, I'll usually swaddle him, give him the touchie (aka pacifier) and rock or bounce him to sleep.  He loves movement,  But he hates riding in the van and usually cries the whole time we're driving.

He's also a hot little baby.  He sweats more than anyone else in our house.  Most days he's just in a onesie, even to sleep at night.  I'll swaddle him in a thin, muslin blanket and he'll still wake up sweaty.  If he's sleeping with me, the bed will literally be wet where his head was.  And because I don't wash our sheets every day, my side of the bed is, well, kinda gross.

Cole loves learning our faces and is becoming more interested in watching his goofy brothers.  He also LOVES ceiling fans and staring at lights.  Oh, to enjoy the simple things in life.

Cole Oliver. A Birth Story.

It was Monday, May 2, 2016, 4 days before my "due" date.  I had just come off of THE busiest week of my pregnancy. (note to self: running a rummage sale for 3 days at 38/39 weeks pregnant is NOT a good idea.  It's just not)  We were all still feeling a bit cooped up and the kids were driving me, and each other, CRAZY so we packed up in the van and left the house.  We stopped at Goodwill to drop off the last of our rummage sale stuff, I grabbed coffee (as my reward for not killing the children), went to the chiropractor (where I assured him I would indeed see him the following Monday still pregnant), picked up a few homeopathics for the birth, and stopped by Chris' office to visit Daddy.  It was good.  There was no fighting.  We needed to get out.

Once back home, the boys played outside and I sat with my feet up on the back patio soaking in the sun.  All last week it was cold and rainy so this was a welcome change.  I had a massage scheduled for that evening that I was very much looking forward to.  It was going to be a good day.  It needed to be a good day.

While I was making the boys' lunch, my lower abdomen started cramping.  Awesome.  This was a regular occurrence during the last few weeks of my pregnancy since this baby was sitting SO low.  Sometimes those poor muscles just gave up on me and would start cramping.  So I rubbed magnesium lotion all over my belly, something that had helped in the past.  But today, it was proving not so helpful.  A little while later it cramped up again.  And a bit later, again.  Dang cramps.

It wasn't until about an hour later that I realized these "cramps" might be contractions.  It's still funny to me that I've had three other babies (and I teach people about labor for crying out loud!) and I still didn't recognize these as contractions.  Around 2:30ish I texted Chris and our doula to let them know what was going on.  I wasn't totally convinced this was labor as the contractions were very mild and I was easily walking and talking through them.  But I wanted to make sure they had their phones close by, just in case this developed into something.  A little while later our doula, Suzanna, called to see how I was doing.  I felt kind of silly even talking about labor, because this definitely didn't feel like it.  But I knew how Benny's birth went and I wanted people to be at the ready.  I told her I was doing great and would keep her posted if anything changed.  Then she asked me if today was a good day to have a baby.  Hmm.  I hadn't really thought about it.  I wasn't even to my due date yet so I wasn't really thinking about labor, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that "yes", today was a good day to have a baby.

A little while later Chris called to check in.  Again, I told him things were going well.  I was definitely having contractions, but they were still really mild.  I was finishing up some laundry, then planning to start supper and go outside and play a game of ladder golf I had promised Brooks.

Around 4pm, Chris suggested I let our midwife know what was happening, you know, just in case.  So I texted her and our birth photographer.  Our midwife, Belinda, called about 20 minutes later to see how I was doing.  She was actually finishing up at another birth in Iowa and her partner was also at a birth (oh dear!) but I told her contractions were still mild and that I was doing well.  I had finally come to terms that today was probably baby day, but I just wasn't sure when things would pick up.

Our photographer, Amy, and I were also texting back and forth to figure out when she should come over.  So much to try and coordinate.

I set the spaghetti sauce on the stove to simmer for dinner and then headed outside to play with the boys.  I chatted with our neighbor for a bit then proceeded to let Brooks beat me at ladder golf.  With all the walking around outside, the contractions were starting to pick up in intensity.  I was still talking through them, but it wasn't very pleasant to walk through them anymore.  During the ladder golf game, Brooks asked why I kept stopping.  I told him I was having belly squeezes.  "Do they hurt?" he asked me.  Uh huh, just a little bit, but it feels better if I stop moving when I have one."  He was very patient with me as we finished our game.  Up to this point I hadn't bothered with timing them, but I figured I should start.  5-6 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute.  Yep, this was labor.

Around 5pm, we finished up our game and I really didn't feel up to more walking.  So I headed inside to rest.  I had a contraction while heading up the stairs and I went down to my knees.  These were getting more serious.  I needed Chris home but at this point he was already on his way, so I didn't call.  I texted our doula to let her know this was indeed labor and she decided to start driving in from Brookings.  I also let Belinda know contractions were pretty close.  She was just wrapping up at the other birth and waiting on her nurse.  Then they would head up to Sioux Falls from Iowa.

I knew I needed to call Grandma Gale to come get the three other boys, but contractions were commanding more of my attention now and quite honestly, I was tired of texting people and trying to coordinate everything myself.  "Chris can handle that when he gets home" I thought.

Chris came home shortly after 5pm and immediately started filling up the birth pool.  He called Grandma Gale but she didn't answer.  A few minutes later, he called her back.  No answer.  He called Papa Gale.  No answer.  Then Bekah.  Then Heather.  No one was answering their phone.  Uh, that sucks.  So we started going through our list of regular baby sitters, knowing we needed to send our kids somewhere for the evening.  No one was answering their phone.  Now I was started to get a little panicked.  I was trying to help the boys get an overnight bag packed in between contractions, but I was not much help.  Benny woke up from a late nap and needed a diaper change.  Chris was still making phone calls and trying to gather birth supplies.  And I'm alone in our room, now moaning through contractions.  It was stressful, to say the least.  I was trying to focus on labor and block out the other noise, but it was hard.

Then Brooks came to check on me.  "Do the tummy squeezes hurt now, Mama?"  Yes, they do buddy.  It's a lot of hard working having a baby."  "Is there something I can do to help?" he asked.  What a sweet boy.  I was sitting on the ball leaning over our bed, and I asked him if he could rub my back.  So he stood next to me, laid his head on the bed near mine and rubbed my back.  I looked into his bright blue eyes, filled with concern for his Mama, and smiled.  Here was my firstborn son, taking care of me as I worked to birth his third little brother, our fourth son.  I closed my eyes and soaked in his love.  Everything was going to be ok.

Chris was going to put a movie on for the boys until we found a place for them to go, but I realized it was now 6pm, and the boys were probably hungry.  They hadn't eaten dinner yet.  Or even had an afternoon snack.  So Chris slapped some peanut butter on bread and sat them down for "dinner".

Finally I texted our neighbor, Hannah, to see if she was home and if she could take the boys, just for a few hours until we got a hold of Grandma Gale.  (my one regret of this whole labor was not texting her earlier in the day!)  Hannah wasn't home (gah!!) but her husband was and said he would take the boys.  I felt awful sending over my 3 boys (to add to their 3 little boys) but we literally had no other options.

Amy arrived around 6:15pm and was awesome at helping boil water for the pool and getting our bed ready with waterproof liners.  I told Chris that Jon would take the boys and Amy quickly offered to take them over to their house.  I laughed as I watched them through the window - she had Benny in one arm, their overnight bag in the other and they were just short of running down the sidewalk.  I was thankful to know they had a place to go.  And thankful Amy was there to take them.  I texted Belinda to let her know things were really picking up and to see if she was on her way.  She was on the road.  Whew!  At Benny's birth, the midwife barely made it there in time.  I was happy to know Belinda would be here.

Once the boys were gone, I finally settled into labor.  I stayed in our bedroom since I needed to use the bathroom often.  Around 6;30pm Suzanna arrived.  By this point contractions were really close and very intense.  I was definitely not talking or walking during them, and very little in between them either.  Chris was also with me now that the big boys were out of the house.  I really needed him with me now.

Baby was sitting so low that sitting on the ball wasn't comfortable any more and laying down wasn't comfortable when I wasn't in labor, so I wasn't even going to try that.  So I stood, leaning over our bathroom sink and moaning and swaying through each contraction.  They really hurt and each one brought on more pressure down low.  Chris and Suzanna were rubbing my back, getting me water and talking me through contractions.  I honestly have no idea who was touching me since I barely lifted my head out of my arms on the counter.  The contractions were really close and each one seemed harder than the last.

I really appreciated all the help from Chris and Suzanna but I really felt like I went inside myself during this labor.  The contractions would come and I really wanted to give up.  I wanted to let fear take hold of me.  To cry out that I didn't want to do this anymore.  But I knew I had to.  No one else could birth this baby and there was no other way around it.  I had to do it.  So with each contraction I let go.  I relaxed everything I could to make the most of each contraction.  And I had to let go of the fear.  I kept wanting to ask "how many more contractions do I have to do?" but I knew they couldn't answer that any more than I could.  So I kept leaning, and swaying and moaning.  Chris prayed over me.  I knew Amy was praying.  And I knew this baby would be here soon.

A few times Suzanna asked if I wanted to get in the tub but I always said no.  Mostly because I knew that during Benny's labor getting in the water made contractions worse.  I couldn't handle worse right now.  And partly because Belinda wasn't there yet.  And I needed her there before I got in the water since things would probably pick up then.

Contractions kept coming, sometimes they didn't end, but then I would get a short breath of relief before the next one came.  With each one I could feel more and more pressure down low and I kept hoping that I would get that "overwhelming" wave that caused me to start pushing.  But it didn't come.  Not yet.  So I kept swaying and moaning.  One of the best things Suzanna said to me was "These are really strong contractions."  So simple, yet I felt so empowered just having her acknowledge the incredible amount of work I was doing.  And to reaffirm (at least to me) that I wasn't being a wimp and that these really were hard.  And I was making it through them.

Suz also recognized that pushing wasn't too far off and encouraged me to start making my way downstairs to the birth pool.  I finally agreed.  For the last hour I hadn't left our little bathroom and as I stepped out to walk downstairs, I realized I wasn't going to make it very far.  A contraction hit and I knew I wasn't going to make it past those few steps out.  I gripped onto Chris and yelled for the whole neighborhood to hear (literally.  I realized later that our bedroom windows were wide open!  Oops.)  And with that never ending contraction, I started getting that urge to push.  I felt ok standing there, but Chris and Suz thought it would be better for me to get on my hands and knees since my legs were shaking with fatigue.

Belinda still wasn't there.  But I don't recall being worried about it.  I knew the baby would come and I knew he would be ok.  Chris, however, was getting little concerned.  Later, he told me he was thinking through having to catch this baby on his own and just praying that nothing went wrong.  And we were both so glad that Suzanna was there.  She put down the waterproof sheet on the floor and a few chux pads under me.  And while I was pushing she had Chris get in position to catch our baby.  I never sensed panic or fear.  Just Chris and I, our doula, and photographer - having a baby.

During one pushing contraction, my water broke and I kept pushing.  Oh, the primal sounds that come out during pushing!  I totally forgot how hard it is to push out a baby.  Which seems silly, but in the water, it seemed so effortless.   No burning or stretching sensation.  The baby just kinda slid out.  And during my last two births, I think I pushed for a whole 5 minutes.  This kiddo was taking what seemed like an eternity to come out.

And then I heard it.  The giant, collective sigh of relief as Belinda and her nurse came into the room.  Oh, we were all so glad she was there.

She quickly set up her things, and got into position to catch a baby.  It wasn't long after that that I had the worst contraction of my whole labor and a crazy amount of pain.  Belinda told me to push slow but I felt like I really didn't have control over pushing.  My body just took over.  Everything hurt so I didn't feel like I pushed too hard, but even if I was I don't think I could do anything about it.  So much pressure.  So much pain!  Oh my word this baby just needed to come OUT!  And then he did.  I felt his head was out and immediately there was so much relief.  A moment later his body was out and that was it!  He was here.  7:30pm on Monday evening, May 2nd.

I can't even describe the amazing feeling the comes with holding your baby for the first time.  All wet and wrinkly and perfect.  He was just perfect.  We did it.  I knew I could do it and I did.  I was so happy to not be pregnant anymore and I was so happy to finally have this little boy in my arms!

It was just a few minutes later that the placenta came out.  After that Chris cut the cord and I made my way to the bed.  This was the moment I had been waiting for.  When the pregnancy was over, the labor was over and I could just rest with a newborn baby in my arms.  Sweet bliss!  We spent time together nursing and getting to know each other.  We had two names picked out, but we decided to call him Cole Oliver.  It fit him well.

Belinda, her nurse, and Suzanna were cleaning up their things, draining the pool that I never used and making sure we were all settled in.  The pot of spaghetti sauce was still on the stove, but instead of feeding my family, it fed my birth team!  Grandma Gale eventually called us back (she left her phone in the house earlier while she went outside to work in the garden.  She wasn't expecting me to have a baby that day either!) and she came over and picked up the boys from the neighbors.  They were thrilled to have a sleepover at Grandma's house!

It was a day that started as an ordinary day, but ended with a sweet new baby in our arms.  And just like that, we were a family of six!

When you finally get around to hanging curtains...

We've lived in our current home for almost 4 years.  We never intended to live here that long, but it's just the way things worked out.  We've made it "home" as much as we could during that time, but since it's a rental we never did a whole lot.  We hung pictures and curtains on most of the windows and that's about it.  But one thing we never did was put up curtains in our dining room.  We have a long bank of three windows and I didn't have any curtains that fit.  And whenever I would mention buying curtains for those windows, Chris would grumble and say something about not wanting to spend money on a rental.  Which made sense, I guess.  So I never bought curtains.  And for three years those windows were naked.

And then we started house hunting.  Two years ago.  We had put in offers on FIVE houses and obviously came up short on each one.  The chances of us actually buying a house were looking pretty slim.  So in one sense I kept hesitating putting up curtains because, you know, we could move any time.  But with each house we didn't get, the more anxious I was to make the house we DID have more of a home.  I wanted curtains!!

Well a few months ago I was talking with a student of mine who was interested in bartering for part of her class cost.  When I found out she was a seamstress, I asked if she would sew us some curtains for our poor naked windows, and she happily agreed.  I received those curtains about a month ago and right away I bought a curtain rod and made Chris hang them up.  He still wasn't excited about hanging curtains in a rental house but he saw how happy it made me and he installed the curtain rods with a smile.

He then said jokingly "You know, now that we've hung curtains, we're going to buy a house and move, right?"

"Well, if that's all it takes!" I laughed.

We continued to house hunt, but I was mentally preparing myself to spend yet another summer in our current house, making the best of our little piece of yard on our small corner lot.  It's a good house.  We've enjoyed four summers here and we can enjoy one more.

But one Friday morning a few weeks ago we went to yet another house showing.  It was a foreclosure on the west side of town (neither of which were very appealing) but it looked big in the pictures and it was definitely in our price range.  So I bribed the kids into the van and bundled ourselves up to look at a house with no heat in March.

It was a 1978 retro looking house on a huge corner lot in a really nice neighborhood.  There actually was a back yard (not something you often see with a corner lot) and it was fenced in.  That's a good start.  Then we walked inside.  The house was dirty, the cabinets were old, and there was this funky retro rock wall in the basement.  And. we. LOVED. it!!

It really wasn't much to look at, but the more we walked around, the more we saw all the possibilities in this home.  And the more we realized that all the "work" that needed to be done was cosmetic and really not that hard to do, the more attractive the house became.  Paint and a good cleaning would go a loooong way with this house.  Plus, it's HUGE!  The house has over 2400 sq. feet, 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms!  Holy giant house, batman!!  It's far bigger than any other house we even looked at, let alone put an offer in on.  Our only concern was that since it was a foreclosure, you don't get a property disclosure statement.  So you never really know what you're getting into.

But we thought about it and prayed about it.  Chris went back a second time with his boss from work and their site manager to look at all the little details.  I mean, who better to "inspect" a house than the president of a construction company and his right hand man.  They climbed on the roof, looked in the attic, checked out the foundation and they both said it looked awesome.

We decided to go for it.  Let's put in an offer.  We both felt really good about the house and really loved all the space in it.  We did our best to not get our hopes up considering our lousy track record with buying houses.  But maybe, just maybe, this was "the one".

So we put in our best offer and waited.  It was a Sunday and we didn't expect to hear about the house until at least Tuesday.  We did our best to put it out of our minds and to be honest, I was already planning my pity party.  How am I going to grieve the loss of this house?  With five other offers and no houses, this was surely going to be #6 in the pile of houses we didn't get.

Well, Monday around noon Chris comes home for lunch - like he does every day.  But this day?  This day he comes in with a box of 'Oh My Cupcakes' and a stupid grin on his face.  Then he says "I have good news."

Shut up!  You're kidding, right?  RIGHT?!?  He was most definitely NOT kidding.  We got the house.  Shock.  Disbelief.  We put in offers on houses.  We don't actually buy houses.  But this one we bought.  This was OUR house.  The boys came running into the kitchen (apparently the sight of their mother squealing and throwing her arms around their Daddy's neck is cause for concern)  We told them the good news and they joined in the celebration because, they too, had been dragged to dozens and dozens of houses all over Sioux Falls in hopes that each would be "the one".  We cheered.  We jumped and danced (for real, we jumped around the kitchen like a bunch of fools).  We hugged and laughed.  And we thanked God.  Thanked Him for his provision and wisdom through the whole process.  And thanked Him for the house that we've been waiting for for so long.

We're so excited to move!  Exited to have a big back yard where the boys can run.  Excited to be in a different neighborhood.  Excited to finally have a place to call our own.

Now, I just need to find a place to hang those curtains ....

Congratulations Auntie Kayla and .... the guy that goes with Auntie Kayla

Two weekends ago we packed our van with nearly all of our earthly possessions, loaded the DVD player with movies, packed enough snacks to feed three families and hit the road to Green Bay, WI.  Why?  Because my little brother was getting married :)

My two big boys were commissioned to be ring bearers and they were SO excited to be in Uncle Adam's wedding.  We talked about it, bought matching outfits, shopped for "fancy" shoes, talked about it some more.  They couldn't wait!

And they did awesome!  They carried out their ring bearer duties with keen attention and precision.  Well, Carter had his grumpy pants on tight that day, but even so he managed to walk 20 steps down an isle without incident.  That was huge!  The ceremony was beautiful.  The reception was a blast!  All in all the wedding was fantastic.  I'm so proud of my little brother and his new wife Kayla.

But as fun as the wedding was, I will mostly remember that weekend not as the day my little brother got married, but the day my big boys fell in love with Auntie Kayla.  I mean, fell.in.love with her.  She's been dating Adam for several years and it certainly wasn't the first time they'd met her.  But this weekend was different.  Perhaps it was wedding ceremony.  Or the party.  Or the fact that she looked absolutely stunning in her dress.  But my boys were smitten.

After the wedding, we had several hours of down time before the reception,  The baby took a nap, Carter rested on the couch, and Brooks worked diligently to make wedding cards for Adam and Kayla.  He carefully folded the paper, wrote out the words and drew them pictures.  At the reception, he kept asking to give them their cards.  It was such a busy day and they were always surrounded by people that I even suggested that Brooks just drop them in the card basket on the gift table.  But he was insistent.  So we weaved through a sea of people, found the happy couple and gave them their cards.

Several times throughout the night, he found Adam & Kayla and gave them hugs.  And each time they were so gracious and took the time to talk with him.  Then the best thing happened during the dance ... Brooks got to dance with Auntie Kayla!!  He loved the dancing anyway, but with Auntie Kayla??  That kid was on cloud 9!

We danced for quite a while, but when it was sufficiently past their bedtime and Benny was running on fumes, we loaded up and headed back to Grandma & Papa's house for the night.  Carter was tired beyond words, but as I was tucking him into bed, we had this conversation.

Carter:  Mama, I want the sheet over my head.

Me: Over your head?

Carter: Yeah, like this.  (he proceeds to put the sheet over the back part of his head)

Me:  Why do you want your sheet like that?

Carter:  Because I want to be like Auntie Kayla.

Me: ??

Carter:  Auntie Kayla had that thing on her head (a veil) and I want to be like her.

I couldn't help but laugh.  And sure enough, he slept all night long with his bed sheet "veil" on his head.

Then he started talking about his birthday, because, you know, why wouldn't you discuss your September birthday at 10:00 at night??  He says to Chris:

Carter:  Daddy, do you know what I want to do for my birthday?  I want to go to Thunder Road and ride the go-karts.  And you know who I want to come with me?

Chris:  Who?

Carter:  I want you to come.  And Grandma Marty.  And Papa Dave.  And Auntie Kayla.  And ........ who's the guy that goes with Auntie Kayla??

Chris:  Uncle Adam?

Carter: Yeah, Uncle Adam.  He can come too.

We laughed.  Oh, did we laugh.  So now my brother is no longer Uncle Adam, he is "the guy that goes with Auntie Kayla" :)

(Note: In an attempt to be more "unplugged" at the wedding, I didn't take a lot of pictures.  I kinda wish I had, but I was also glad to be able to enjoy the people I was with that day without sticking my nose behind a camera or phone.  All their wedding photos are loaded here.)

What a difference a year makes

Ah, one year ago.  One year ago I woke up 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant, big as a house, in a ton of pain from a delightful case of shingles and fully convinced I was going to be pregnant for at least another week.  And one year ago, I fell asleep in my own bed with a dark haired, squeaky, beautiful baby boy snuggled next to me.  What a difference a day makes.

And what a difference a year makes!  I know everyone says this on their baby's first birthday, but seriously, I can't believe it's been a whole year!  It seems like just a few months ago Bennett was born.  And yet, I feel like he's been a part of our family forever.

Fitting right in!

But I can't imagine our family without him.  God knew we needed him in our family.  When our third boy was born, I really had no idea how he would fit into our family.  What was his role?  His personality?  But he fits perfect.

Over the last 12 months, we've had the most amazing privilege of getting to know Bennett Lee.  He loves to smile and laugh and make people around him smile and laugh.  He's the comic relief in our family and he rarely has a grumpy day.  He has definite opinions about certain things, but is mostly laid back and just rolls with the punches around here.  He's a great sleeper but a horrible snuggler and prefers to have his own space.  And we recently learned that he likes cake, but not frosting :)

And since I'm the one who gets him dressed in the morning, he's a Packer fan too :)

It's been so fun celebrating our smiley boy this weekend with friends and family.  I'm a little sad that he's not my baby anymore, but really excited to watch him grow and learn over the next year.  1 year olds are so much fun!!