Hugh - Two Months!

As usual time is flying around here. I can't believe that September is practically over. Almost overnight the weather here in Maine has changed and we have already had our first frost. I have been frantically trying to switch over the kids' clothes to avoid arguing with Lily over why she can't wear a skirt and tank in 46 degree weather not to mention the visit from social services when I inevitably lose the argument and she goes to school in her bathing suit.

We have been so busy since Hugh's last post. It is safe to say that he has been out and about much more than the other two were at this same age. Luckily Hugh is a very laid back guy!

This past month we had our family pictures taken by an amazing friend who is trying to start a small photography business. It was a loooong morning but she did a fantastic job capturing some elusive smiles. Per usual I fully intend to post my favorites here but my queue is overflowing with partially written drafts. What else is new?!?

Also this month we took our first family of five vacation. We spent five days on Cape Cod for a friend's long anticipated wedding. She was a bridesmaid of mine and I was so honored to be by her side while she married the love of her life. The entire weekend was so full of joy and love and all that good stuff that we hardly even noticed how much work it was to take three children on vacation. Hugh was probably the easiest of the three kids...I'll give you two guesses as to who was the WORST most difficult.

I realize this could easily turn into a full family update kind of post...which really is not the point. Hugh is the star of this show...or this post at the very least.

Likes: Nursing, napping in the swing, being swaddled, paci, being held, having pressure on his chest, mommy, the front pack, squirming, the Mamaroo, riding in the car, smiling.

Dislikes: Being put down, napping, having a wet/dirty diaper (the only one of my kids to care), the first 30 seconds of any car ride,

Nicknames: Hoo, Hughtiepie, Hoopie, HJ

Milestones: First road trip, first smile, and drum roll...thrush!

Feeding:  Hugh is still a great nurser. During the day he nurses every two-four hours depending on what we are doing. My supply has been much easier to manage this time, which I would love to chalk up to experience but is probably just luck. We do not have a set schedule except in the evenings and at bedtime. Hugh nurses every night after the big kids go to bed at 7:30 then he hangs out and cat naps with Dingle and I until 10ish. I get ready for bed and pump, four ounces for Hugh and the surplus goes into the fridge. Matt gives Hugh the four onces any time between 10:30 and 11:30 but I honestly wouldn't know because most nights I am sound asleep. On a good night Hugh sleeps until 4, nurses and goes back down until 6. After 6 he sits/sleeps in the bouncy seat next to the bed. For the past few days he has gone back down until after 8. Does it sound like I'm bragging? I assure you if there is one thing I learned from Ben, it is that I have absolutely nothing to do with this feat...I just happened to get a good one this time! (so far)

As I mentioned above we had a sad, but not at all unexpected, milestone this month. We have thrush. I had it with both of my other kids so I recognized it at first twinge on the Cape. I was obviously hoping we could avoid it this time around but if this is the worst thing that ever happens then we are so blessed.

Sleeping: Clearly nursing and sleeping go hand in hand at this point so I already covered our nightly routine. Sleep during the day is still sporadic but we are starting to get into a morning/afternoon napping schedule. We are still swaddling...of the escape proof variety. Hugh really likes to sleep in the swing. I was hoping we could avoid buying a new one but I don't think the travel swing I bought used is going to last a few more weeks let alone months.

Odds and Ends: The kids still adore their little brother. Even when he is screaming and being really needy they are patient and for the most part understand that he is "just a baby". Ben has regressed a little and wants to be carried and fed. Worst of all I am pretty sure he will wear diapers forever. Lily is super helpful but not annoyingly so (that is not to say helpful children are annoying but on occasion "helpful" children are not all that helpful). She will help me out with getting diapers or paci but for the most part leaves Hugh alone when he is content.

I can't believe I haven't mentioned this yet, Hugh is freaking huge! SO much bigger than my other two, and Ben was no peanut (until he was much older). Hugh already weighs more than 13lbs and 3 month clothes are snug. He definitely wore newborn clothes and newborn diapers for the shortest amount of time. My arms literally ache at the end of the day from holding him and he is already too long to lay on my legs.

Overall I would say the Hugh is an easy baby, but not one with a ton of personality yet. He is a little stingy with the smiles. He can coo but most of the time is very quiet. He is pretty easy to soothe and rarely gets really angry. I am not complaining, mellow is fantastic...it is just not in our wheelhouse! I suppose there is a first time for everything!

Up next: Apples, pumpkins, and three pint sized dinosaurs!

Lily's Bedroom Reveal!

This post is so long overdue, cheers to me for checking something off my "to post" list!

When we first moved into the dream house Matt and I both agreed that any and all major projects would have to wait. For one, we put our entire life savings down in order to make our offer the most desirable to the sellers and the bank, so putting money into the house right away just wasn't an option. (This was compounded by several thousand dollars in unforeseen expenses that come along with home ownership including but not limited to buying four dump trucks worth of gravel for the road.) Aside from not really having the money for big renovations we didn't have the time or the energy. Matt was still commuting to the city every two days and I was six months pregnant with two toddlers under foot all day.

After a couple of months in the house things settled down, Matt started working from home, and I finally stopped having heart palpitations every time I looked at our savings account balance (sort of). I had started to bug Matt about redoing the kids bedrooms but he didn't really seem all that eager. To satisfy my own itch I decided that I would make Lily's curtains and a matching comforter. I own a sewing machine but had only ever used it to hem skirts and other small tasks. Since there isn't anything you can't learn on youtube I decided to just go for it. I went to the fabric store and spent over an hour choosing "the world's most perfect pinks and purples" per Lily's request.

I used a couple of different websites for step by step instructions to make Lily's roman curtains but the one I found the most helpful was this one. I didn't take pictures of my progress as I went because there are so many great tutorials on pinterest. I am a novice seamstress at best but I have to give myself a pat on the back because I really do think they came out awesome.

After the curtains were finished I moved on to the comforter. I looked up the basic dimensions for a twin quilt but aside from that the design and pattern were made up on the fly. Again, I am not an expert seamstress and if you look carefully it shows...BUT I absolutely love this quilt. I am really proud that I made something so "Lily" from scratch. The quilt took me a loooong time and the learning curve was steep. Making the boys' quilts will hopefully go more quickly...with less cursing. I had enough scrap fabric left over to make two pillow shams too. What can I say, we are just that fancy!

The paint...ah the paint! Matt has a love/hate relationship with the colors I chose. For one they are very "Lily" but they are also very bright. He would have preferred I chose something that complimented the wood a little better but again, they are very Lily, and this is her room. We knew when we chose the paint that we were expecting a boy so it was okay to really just give the girl exactly what she wanted. The purple stripes were a little harder to keep straight and 'sharp' than we anticipated (read: never again are we painting stripes!), but in the end I was very happy!

My sister is so crafty and I am so not...but I am working on it. For her birthday Kate wanted to make Lily something for her room. For as long as any of us can remember Lily has had an elaborate bedtime routine. Every single night each person in attendance at bedtime must give her "a kiss, a hug, a big squeeze, and a snuggle." To immortalize this ritual Kate printed and framed these phrases to hang on her wall.

Last but certainly not least I wanted to add a little something to the empty wall space. I looked up a few ideas before deciding on growth charts for each of the kids' room. Kate and I did the projects from start (going to Lowes for wood) to finish (painting the numbers) in about 24 hours.

In the end I am just so excited that Lily has a bedroom that looks put together, is easy to clean and organize, and most importantly is a reflection of who she is at the magical age that is four!