9/52

Connor: He is so literal, yet still so full of imagination.  

Isla: Oh her and her lip gloss…and yes, it did stain her skin a bit.  

Callum: The smiles have been a plenty now that he is healthy again.  

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016."

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest

A Toy for Callum

I'm kind of a minimalist when it comes to baby gear (unless you are talking strollers or carriers…eek!). But I realize that most baby things can be done without. In fact, we had hardly anything with Connor…living in 600 square feet will do that to you. With Isla I added a couple things - a full size swing and a play/activity mat. The swing was AMAZING and the play mat, though fun obviously not essential. Well, this time I added yet another baby gadget to the mix - a jumper/exersaucer. Ian's parents gave it to Callum for christmas. Up until this point, it's been sitting in a closet, still sealed in a box. Then this week, two of my friends that had babies around the same time, posted pictures of their kids in similar contraptions, so I thought I would pull it out.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am sure Callum is too small for it still. His little toes barely graze the ground on the lowest setting. And I had to have two blankets around him for support. BUT, he is totally happy in the thing. He even reaches for the toys. It is totally cute…I know, something only a mother would really find "cute". And I kind of can't wait to see him bouncing away in this thing…though I can at the same time, because I love me some squishy baby, but you know.

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest

Beating to her own drum

 

^^ Staring at herself in the sun visor mirror

One of the things I really enjoy about watching my kids grow is watching their personalities develop, watching who they will become. This little spitfire of a girl is so fiercely independent, yet, at the same time, loves her friends oh-so-much. Isla has always been so amazing at independent play. She has quite the imagination, I tell ya. And she doesn't seem to care much what others think…which was reinforced when at her preschool parent-teacher conference yesterday, one of the teachers referred to "Islaland" and how she can just be in her own world at times. Which, Islaland is pretty funny when you think about it, because she loves looking at herself in the mirror. I kid you not, each week at ballet, she spends almost the whole class watching herself in the mirror…I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I love this little girl and how carefree she is, even if it drives me batty at times when I am trying to hustle her into the car and she wants to stop and look at a bird in the tree or pick a flower. I hope she manages to go against the grain and remain carefree, stopping to take in the little things in life, for the rest of her life.

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest

8/52

Connor: He held a vote for "house president" and shockingly came out on top. I'm still trying to figure out how he got eight votes when there are only five of us in the house ;)

Isla: This girl has always been one that loves cuddling. I really do love it. She has been requesting me laying with her at night lately and I have really been enjoying the alone time with her.

Callum: After a very sick week and a half, he finally seems to almost be better.  

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016."

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest

Where have all the bloggers gone?

I can remember a few years ago, excitedly checking the comments on my blog. The comments came from friends I had made in the blog world and were almost like a conversation that went back and forth between us. I felt like I knew these people through their blogs. They felt like true friends. I had connections with them. 

All of us wrote about mundane things in our lives. None of us had the best pictures. Yet, there was a very real connection. One for a long time I had trouble explaining to other people. 

And now it's gone. 

My blogger feed is all but empty these days. Literally every single last friend I made doesn't blog anymore. All for one reason or another. A couple tried going pro and their content became sponsored post after sponsored post and no longer real or interesting to me. But most just stopped. 

I've reconnected with a few on instagram. Which, people did predict that instagram would kill the blog. But, it's just not the same. A two line post under a little square picture just isn't the same as a long post about, say, what you did over the weekend or what you wore out on a date with your husband. 

And I miss it. 

I miss the very real connection I felt with these people. I miss feeling like I was having conversations with friends over the mundane things in life. These conversations were easy because they could come during nap time or after the kids were in bed. They could happen at home on the couch or while I was sitting in the car. 

So, if any of my old blogging peeps are out there, just know this…we had a good few years. I really enjoyed your friendship. And I miss the "conversations" we had and hearing about the mundane and exciting happenings of your life. 

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest

A Brotherly Comparison

 

Connor on top, Callum on bottom. These pictures are actually taken two months apart. Connor was four months old in that picture and Callum is two months old. Connor was such a peanut. I do think they look similar, but definitely not like the same baby. It's hard to tell from this picture, but Connor had much more hair than Callum does. And Callum doesn't open his eyes as much as Connor did. I wish I had a picture of Isla in the same outfit to throw in the mix too. But I don't know if she actually ever wore this outfit. I do already have an outfit in Callum's drawers that both the older kids wore and can't wait to do a comparison of all three. But, given those pictures were done at 5 months old, I should probably wait a bit. Then again, Callum is in some sort of growth contest and probably won't fit in the outfit at all at that age. Hey, he's trying to not live in the shadows of his older siblings ;)

I have enjoyed using Connor's hand me downs on Callum more than I care to admit. It takes me back to a time that seems like a lifetime ago, but was really only six years ago. A time when I was a first time mom. A time when I lived in a different country. A time when having a baby seemed so foreign and new to me. It's fun to remember all those things.

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest

So This Happened...

^^ I love that genuine smile on his face

Apparently it's been a big past few days for Connor. First, he lost a tooth, then he learned to ride his bike without training wheels. He was more than ready. We probably could have easily taught him when he got the bike a year ago. But, lazy parenting got in the way…the bike came with training wheels. Not only would we of had to take the training wheels off, but we would of had to purposely go somewhere to teach him. Like I said, lazy parenting. Anyway, we have endured a year of training wheels. Every time a training wheel has caught as he did a sharp turn, I have guiltily thought about how we need to get those off his bike. Well, Sunday was the day. And he was more than ready. He learned in a nanosecond and has been all into his bike since. I am happy for his new found love. Now to figure out how to walk with a baby, a preschooler on a bike that is unpredictable and a kid that just wants to go, go, go on a bike.

And for your viewing pleasure, a little clip of Connor riding his bike at the park.

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest

7/52

Connor: Lost one of his top teeth this week. I noticed a new space in his mouth and asked him to show me his mouth, then realized his tooth was pretty loose. He lost it on Friday morning, while eating breakfast. He asked for $2,000 for it, but then said he would also be ok with a dollar. 

Isla: She always seems more affectionate toward Callum when it is just the three of us and Connor is at school. 

Callum: It was a big week for him, turning 2 months old. He also came down with rsv, so we've had some pretty challenging days this week.  

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016."

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest

Callum {2 months}

Weight: 11lbs, 6oz

Length: 24 inches

Likes: Sleeping on his tummy, being held or worn, diaper changes and eating

Dislikes: Being put down, his car seat, pent up gas

Callum is turning out to be quite the long, skinny guy. He is in the 89th percentile for height and the 26th for weight, so definitely long and skinny. But, his doctor isn't worried because he is gaining weight. And that always makes me happy. I get so tired of pediatricians that get caught up in the percentiles and where a baby lands, as past experience has shown me, babies tend to end up all over the chart and as long as they aren't going off at either end, all should be fine. But enough of my tangent and more about Callum. 

Callum is in size 1 dapers still. I am guessing he could move up soon, but given that he has only had a few blowouts and I want to use up the rest that I have, I am not too worried. Callum is now able to wear most 3-6 month clothing. He is completely out of the newborn size and a lot of his 0-3 months stuff is getting too short on him. Callum is still completely breastfed. He has taken a bottle twice and both times did great at it.

When Callum smiles, it totally melts my heart. But, he really makes you work for those smiles. And, he generally is more smily when he first wakes up. He loves hanging out on his activity mat and will happily bat at the toys dangling above him for 20-30 minutes now. As long as he is tired, he will tolerate his swing and go to sleep. But, if he isn't tired, he generally doesn't like just chilling in his swing. And he definitely doesn't like just chilling in his car seat. Even red lights in that thing make him mad. He much prefers laying flat in his stroller than if I use his car seat with the stroller. Callum really enjoys being worn. If he is fussy, I can usually put him on and have his calm and asleep within a couple minutes. Plus, it helps keep my hands free to help with the other kids. 

Sleepwise, Callum is doing great. I have let him put himself on a schedule and one definitely has been emerging over the past couple weeks. His fussy time in the evening (from about 8-11pm) seems to be disappearing. He will go 4-5 hours at night before wanting to eat and is usually the last person in the house up for the day. Given that he is the third child, he takes a lot of naps on the go. But, if we are home for one, he will take a really good 2-3 hour nap.

We all love having this little man in our house. The charm of having him around definitely hasn't worn off. 

And in case you wanted to compare, here are my 2 month updates on Connor and Isla. Callum is still remaining my longest baby and still continues to land in the middle weight wise, with Isla being the heaviest and Connor the lightest.

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest

Brotherly Love

 

Watching Connor love on Callum really does leave me all googly-eyed…and sometimes concerned when he gets a little too crazy around such a small baby…but mostly googly-eyed.

Ever since I was pregnant, I've been waiting for the kids to turn on Callum and not think he was cool anymore. When I was pregnant and they were all excited, I would tell them how babies cry all the time, then I would fake baby cries. They thought it was hysterical. Then Callum came out and they really don't care about his cries. In fact, they want to help when he cries. Now I find myself saying "just wait until he takes your toys." And it made me realize, maybe I am a bit pessimistic. Maybe these kids really do just love having Cauum around. And sure there will be times when he annoys them. But maybe, just maybe, I should stop waiting for them to turn on him and just relish the fact that they love him so.

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest

6/52

Connor: Always taking it all in, even when I don't think he is paying attention. 

Isla: Always ready for an adventure. 

Callum: Still trying to figure out life on the outside. Doesn't like it when I set him down for too long.

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016."

  

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest

A Yellow Chair

Alternately titled "20 ways to photograph a chair". You know that would be like a top pinned thing on pinterest…because people be ridiculous. Or, I could have just titled it "my living room". But, I got a new yellow chair and that needs to be celebrated.

 

^^ I got our new family pictures printed and up on the wall and that too needs to be celebrated. And, don't you worry, I have now straightened the two frames on the right that were equally crooked together.  

I feel like when your husband agrees to your idea of getting a bright yellow chair for the living room, you need to jump on it. And that's exactly what I did. Like, I went and bought the chair the very next day. Not that there is much to agree on, because this chair is AMAZING.

We used to have two chairs that match our couch right in that spot. But, they have been moved to the playroom and the old couch back there finally went bye-bye. That was something neither Ian or I were sad to see go. The leather chair on the right used to be in our bedroom and it has pretty much been homeless since it got replaced with a crib. So, it's happy to once again have a home. And I am happy not only with the sunny disposition the yellow chair brings to the living room, but also the more eclectic feel the mismatched chairs bring to the room as well.

I like to rearrange things in my house as often as others like to, say, vacuum. It happens often. But it makes me happy and its fun for me. And, generally, it requires no money, so no harm done. This time the chair did cost some money. But look how happy it makes the room! I know, I know, it's just a chair. But, you know you like it.

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest