The Evolving Elseners: April 2015

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Ditch Day

Skipped school today to spend the day with Stace and Aurora at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Park Addicts

Daily requests to go to Field Park by Mann School. They are obsessed.

Unattended

Ten minutes in the neighbors house resulted in this. It's not paint. It's marker. And not the washable kind. He tells me it's a Spider-Man mask.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Somehow my baby Q is already 9 months old today and well on his way into a mischievous stage. Quinn is a crawling machine and quickly gets all over the place towards whatever chokable toy his siblings have left around. He's started pulling up on absolutely everything, whether it's stable or not. He has figured how to get bend and get back down from standing, so that's a good acquired skill when he chooses to use it. And just today he started taking a few cruising steps around the couch ottoman. Sam likes to call this phase the "lower back pain stage" because you are always bending over trying to prevent the baby from falling and seriously injuring themselves. I call this stage "exhausting and impossible to be productive." Good luck getting anything on our massive house to-do list done while Quinn is in this busy, busy phase.

"Look Mama, holding on with one hand!!"

Mr. Q has been chatting up a storm and really discovered his vocal chords. Since we moved, he's been battling a few viruses and colds, so his sleep has been less than great. Now that his room is next to ours, he's really letting us hear it when he wants me in the middle of the night. (Beware Quinn, you are adorable, but once you are healthy again there is some sleep training coming your way because Mama is exhausted!)

His bottom two teeth have finally broken through his gums, creating massive amounts of drool and snot. He's got a great pincer grasp and is getting all the fingers foods into his mouth, but hasn't quite mastered the idea of gumming them and then swallowing. We'll keep working on that. But he's generally still a good eater and loves a pouch.

Height: 28.75 inches (68th percentile)

Weight: 20 lbs 9 oz (67th percentile)

** His doctor thinks is weight is lower than it normally is due to being sick the past few weeks.

Head: 45.2 cm (56th percentile)

You are currently exhausting, but we love you Quinnie-pie!

Sunday, April 19, 2015

11, 9, 6 and 5!!!

Happy birthday to our fabulous spring chickens!

Monday, April 13, 2015

Blooming

Glad we moved in the beginning of spring to experience the beautiful blooms of the magnolia trees in front and back, plus the cherry blossom tree. Every day more and more is sprouting up in the yard. Fun to see what may come next!

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Biker Boy

Thursday, April 9, 2015

34

Although this isn't a significant age birthday for me, it feels like the start of a new chapter. My motto for this year is to be settled. To settle into our new house, to settle into our routine as a family of five, and to settle into the amazing life we're lucky enough to have. So much of the past two years felt uncertain with our housing situation and chaotic with the searching, showings and stress that came along with it. To have that in the past is such a relief and burden off our shoulders. We're loving the new house, even with its creaky floors and weak water pressure :) It's the start of an adventure that Sam and I are happy to be on together and can work to make it the house of our dreams where our three wonderful kids can grow and create a lifetime of memories. My hope is to allow myself to have more fun with the kids because I know life can feel crazy now, but they will be big in no time and I will look back and miss these times. So less time cleaning, worrying and reprimanding-- more time playing and being actively engaged with them. I think 34 is going to be great and I am anxious to see what it has in store! Happy birthday to me.