Christmas Eve

 

^^ I love the picture on the left. It is so my kids. Connor, the comedian. Isla, always entertained by her older brother. And Callum, the newbie wondering "What have I gotten myself into?!"

^^ In their pjs and ready to go look at lights

Christmas eve was a pretty chill day for us and I really like it like that. We started that last year. Realizing that overtired kids going into a long day like Christmas just isn't fun for anyone, we decided to make Christmas eve a relaxing, fun evening for our own little family. 

It started with church with both of our families. I meant to make dinner for us ahead of time, but never got around to it, so we picked up In-n-Out on our way home from church. Then we put the kids in their pjs and drove about 20 minutes to a place where you can drive through a light show. We went there last year as well. Isla slept through the whole thing last year. This year, both Connor and Isla were awake and crawled up on our laps for the drive through the lights…and Callum slept peacefully in his car seat.  Then we headed home and got the kids to bed. 

I would like to note that I dressed the kids all festive for church and took pictures of them (as seen above). Then Isla decided to modify her outfit…

Ian didn't want to let her do it, but I didn't think it was worth the fight. Under the Elsa sweatshirt is a purple cat tank top. The outfit is pretty classy, if you ask me ;)

And that was our Christmas eve…no fuss, no frills, just right. 

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Three Kids

The transition to three kids has been a lot easier on the older two than I thought. They both are so smitten with Callum. They constantly want to see the poop in his diaper when I change him, want to lay next to him and talk with him. They always want to know where he is and be with him. It really has gone well. I am still getting used to having three kids. My house is a mess. Every time I get a handle on it, I sit down to nurse Callum and it becomes a disaster again. I have only been managing to make dinner again for the past week. And I have learned that crock pot meals are my best friend because as long as I get them in the crock pot sometime in the morning, they will be ready for dinner. The real test will be when school starts back up in a week and a half. And really, it isn't a test for anyone but me…it just means I actually have to get my butt out of bed at some ungodly hour to have all of us ready in time for school. In the mean time, I will enjoy our lazy mornings and trashed house. Because, really, it means newborn snuggles and I can't get enough of those before they are gone.

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52/52

Connor: This boy is growing up before my very eyes, yet is still very much a young kid. I love how into Christmas he has been this year...and he can't keep talking about "staying up all night" on New Year's this week. 

Isla: So tough, yet still so much girl in her. She got some lip gloss and kept putting as much on at one time as she could, then would come announce  to me how beautiful she looked.

Callum: Survived his first Christmas by sleeping and eating. 

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015."

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Same Hat, Different Boy

^^ Connor at a week old 

^^ Callum at a week and a half old

It's been fun pulling out Connor's old clothes and putting them on Callum. Connor asked to see a picture of him in a particular outfit a few days ago. When I went to find it, I was struck by just how much Callum looks like baby Connor. They have the same shape eyes and sandy blonde hair.  Ian said the problem with sharing clothes is then we will have a hard time telling the kids apart in old pictures. I beg to differ because most of the pictures I took of Connor I used a flash with, so I think we will be able to tell! Plus, after a month or two, babies really stop looking like babies and start looking like themselves and I am guessing then we definitely will be able to tell them apart. But, I do have a feeling I will be looking back at a lot of pictures of Connor over the next several months as I dress Callum in his clothes. And since I am a sap, I totally love the walk down memory lane.

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Grinch Fun Run

A week ago, we took the kids downtown to the Grinch Fun Run. We told them about it ahead of time and talked about how they needed to chase the Grinch to keep him from stealing Christmas. That morning, I let both the kids pick out their outfits, but told them they needed to dress festive. Isla wore completely inappropriate shoes for running (cat ballet flats) but she said they were running shoes, so I went with it.

The event itself was totally chaotic and not well planned out, but the kids didn't seem to notice and still enjoyed themselves. And Connor was totally stoked about his running number and participation medal. Isla was just stoked about life (aka: full of energy), so you know.

Callum was safely nestled inside of his stroller and slept through the whole event. I am glad he stayed asleep because it was actually quite cold outside. Connor and Isla refused to wear coats, making it seem warmer than it really was, but it was a pretty chilly morning. Maybe all the running (the fun run was only two blocks) kept them nice and toasty.

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51/52

Connor: This kid has so much energy. He literally never stops moving. It's crazy. Sometimes just watching it going down makes me tired. But then, he will pause for just a moment, to cuddle or kiss "the baby" and my heart turns to mush.  

 Isla: She has needed some extra cuddles since Callum joined our family. And I never say no to cuddles. 

 Callum: I still can't get over his newborn goodness. He prefers to be held upright, rather than laying down. He smiles in his sleep. And he is actually starting to open his eyes more consistently. 

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015."

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Callum {1 week}

 

 

I don't even know how to begin to describe how much I am loving having a newborn in my arms. Maybe because it's my third and I am just more relaxed, or maybe because life just has to go on because, well, things are busy with the other two finishing up school before Christmas break, but I am really relishing having a newborn around…just slowing down and staring at him as I feed him. It's fun having him sleep on my chest. I enjoy hearing the little squeaks he makes. Even his little cries are adorable. All of us get super excited when he opens his eyes…he is opening them more, but still doesn't open them super often.

Callum is obviously a part of some sort of baby eating contest and nurses around the clock, very often. He gets hangry and will be so upset that he can't even latch on. And I find it funny at times because he will have literally eaten like the hour before. He prefers to sleep on his belly…I have deducted this by the length of time he stays asleep. He also prefers to be held upright, as opposed to laying down cradled in someone's arms.

Connor is very into Callum, always wanting to hold and touch him. I have already walked in on some sweet moments of Connor just staring at Callum as he sleeps. It really melts my heart and I totally didn't expect this from Connor. Oh, and Connor still isn't really using Callum's name. I have heard him say it a couple times, but he mostly calls him "baby" and if I ask Connor his name, he will still say " I call him by his middle name, Robert". Isla, on the other hand, doesn't touch or hold Callum as much, but loves to interact with him. She loves to talk to him and share her stuffed animals with him. She also let me know the other day, that though Callum is small, he is still bigger than an ant.

We are all smitten with this little man in our house.

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Fall

I used to despise fall. All it was, was the gateway to my least favorite part of the year, winter. I don't despise winter because of the weather. I despise winter because of the lack of sun. The long days of summer are where it's at for me. The short days of winter, being holed up in your house for far too long, just never appealed to me.

When I became a mom, fall became different. Fall became fun. There are so many fall activities that are fun to do with kids, going to the pumpkin patch, apple picking, halloween. Not to mention playing in all those falling leaves. Fall quickly became one of my favorites.

This year, it has taken all the way until December for the leaves to fall from the trees…our neighborhood is older and has tons of trees, so is covered in leaves right now and I kind of love it. I personally think it is because of the drought, but who knows. All I know is that fall has pushed right into the Christmas season this year. It feels kind of weird to watch the leaves fall from the trees at the same time as seeing all the Christmas lights up on houses.

I'm happy we got to play in the leaves a couple times before they become an annoying mess. Because there is nothing quite like the joy on the faces of kids frolicking in leaves…or riding their bikes through the leaf piles my neighbors so painstakingly created in the street.

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50/52

Connor: He is so incredibly proud to have a brother and dotes on Callum all the time. It really does make my heart soar. And I've even heard him call the baby Callum a couple times, so maybe he is coming around about the name.  

Isla: Even though she can be pretty rough and isn't into dolls at all, she is all about hair bows and sparkle. 

 Callum: Oh the newborn squish. I can't get enough cuddles from him at the moment. I really am loving this new baby in our house. 

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015."

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Callum, the first 24 hours

Callum Robert

December 9, 2015

12:07pm

7lbs, 14oz,  21 inches 

My labor and delivery ended up being much longer and more complicated than I thought…or really than anyone thought. The midwife thought I was going to deliver at like 6am, but Callum wanted to keep us guessing. Just like I did with Isla, I was able to grab Callum as he was coming into the world. And I was the one that announced that he was a boy. In fact, they all seemed shocked that I knew so quick, but I got a peek as I was bringing him up to my chest. The midwife and nurses were awesome. They did delayed cord clamping. Ian cut the cord. And Callum was checked out while in my arms. It was a great, albeit quite stressful at times, experience. I can't be any happier over having this little boy in my arms. Now enjoy some photo goodness of Callum's first 24 hours. 

 

 

^^ We didn't tell anyone that Callum was a boy until Connor and Isla came and found out. It was fun waiting and letting them find out, then telling everyone else.

^^ Connor and Isla were super excited to meet Callum and check him out. They wanted to check out everything about him. Connor immediately told us he didn't like Callum's name and two days in, still refuses to call him it and instead calls him Robert. 

 ^^ Both the nurse and pediatrician that came while Connor and Isla were visiting were super great about involving them. They let the kids listen to Callum's heart and check his temperature. The pediatrician even asked the kids to introduce him to Callum. It was all really sweet. And I was slightly surprised how sweet and involving all the staff were with Connor and Isla. 

 

We were able to leave the hospital just after Callum hit 24 hours old. I don't remember this with Isla, but apparently there are a bunch of tests they run at the 24 hour mark. So after the tests were taken and we got the bilirubin results were back, we were free to go. Callum cried as soon as we put him in his car seat, but quickly settled down. Now we are at home and Callum is getting used to being the third child…being manhandled constantly and living life in a house that rarely quiets down.

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