The Carlos Family: August 2012

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Our little E is 4 months big!

Gosh, I love this boy. He gets sweeter and sweeter every day. Easton has become quite a chunk this last month...he doesn't miss a meal! Despite disliking tummy time, he is super strong, as his 4 month pictures show. He's very close to rolling over from his back to his tummy, which his time on his play mat definitely encourages. Easton loves grabbing toys now...rings, his little Sofie the giraffe, and other toys. I'm amazed at the concentration of bringing both hands up to grab the toy. Little E loves sucking on his fingers and often gets his little thumb in his mouth. He still sleeps great despite a little week long hiccup of waking around 3 AM to eat. I don't mind though, because he eats for about 10 minutes and goes right back to sleep. His normal routine is to sleep from 8-5, eat, and then get up between 8 and 9. He's quite a champion nurser...feeds only take 10-20 minutes now, which makes keeping up with the two troublemakers much more manageable! Easton started refusing the bottle a few weeks ago, but now will take my milk from a Tommy Tipee bottle as long as he's positioned in front of the TV! Whatever works, right?! His giggle is infectious, smile heart melting. He's always so happy to see me in the morning, which is the best. Easton started blowing crazy bubbles this month, like spit all over the front of him bubbles and also started making "growling" sounds. Easton is 15 pounds, 1 ounce and 24 1/4 inches. For comparison, Clayton was 15 pounds, 7 ounces and 24 1/2 inches and Chloe was 21 inches and 13 pounds, 3 ounces. So, our boys are right in sync with each other! Here's some pictures of our adorable little man...

Easton's talented Grammy knitted his hat and diaper cover for his 4 month photo shoot. I think the pictures turned out beautifully!

Daddy says "habada, habada, habada" to little E and he cracks up every time!

Easton's first time in his new stroller...he did really well.

Clean and happy!

Getting so strong.

Easton has hit the "everything goes in my mouth" stage.

Nakey boy!

So nice to be able to see the world and watch my crazy brother and sister cause mischief!

July...July...Finally Settling in to Our New Home!

For the first time in a long time, I'm grateful time flew this past month. July was a very stressful and busy time for us as we completed our move in and worked on several big projects. Ryan worked a lot and worked a lot at home. I know he's looking forward to relaxing with and enjoying his children once again. I'm grateful for Ryan's handiness, but am glad we are moved in enough that he come home and play rather than work! The big project completed were:
-Ryan and his dad painted all of the ceilings in the entire house! Oh my gosh, that's nearly 3,000 square feet of tall ceilings. Thank goodness for the hard work, patience, and dedication because our ceilings look beautiful!
-Ryan and an electrician friend installed fans in all of the bedrooms and replaced all of the bathroom light fixtures.
-We had the grass reseeded and it is looking amazing! The babes haven't been able to play in the backyard for a couple of weeks, but it's just about ready for them to trample again!
-Ryan had an epiphany and hired painters to finish painting the entire downstairs and it looks INCREDIBLE! I'm so excited to hang our family pictures and do all of the little things that make a house feel like a home.
-Ryan replaced all of the electrical outlets with new, white outlets. What a difference!
-I painted stripes with help from both Grammie and Nonnie in Clayton and Easton's rooms. Chloe's is next.
-We hung a lot of decorative stuff upstairs, which is pretty time consuming.
-Ryan painted the babies' bathroom and we hung a new mirror, medicine cabinet, and put up the decor.
-I've been busy working on little decor projects for Clayton, Chloe, and Easton's rooms inspired by my Pinterest and Etsy obsession.
We've done a lot, but are thrilled to finally have the settled feeling. Now we can enjoy our new home and hopefully resume a social life again!

Clayton, Chloe and Easton's news...

Despite the craziness, our children are settling in a lot better than I expected. Clayton and Chloe are both doing fantastic at swim lessons. We still go once a week so that they don't lose the skills they've learned. Chloe has been doing Mommy and Me dance, but Mommy isn't happy with the program so she joined Clayton at his soccer "practice" yesterday. Both of their language is incredible. It's amazing how they just start talking and don't stop! We officially have to watch what we say because our little parakeets will repeat what we say. Our favorite word of Clayton's is "nectarine" which he concentrates so hard so say each syllable and Chloe's is "mone" or "more." Clayton is totally potty trained, which is awesome and Chloe is just about there. I can't trust her completely yet, but as long as I stay on top of her she doesn't have any accidents. It's amazing how she just followed Clayton's lead on it. What the girl will do for M & M's! We've had some park and house play dates with some of their little friends, which has been nice. Easton is such a trooper. He goes with the flow and adjusts his napping to the busy lives of his brother and sister. Clayton still loves everything "ball related" and is now a big Jake and the Neverland Pirates fan. Mommy does a really silly dance at the beginning, which he thinks is hysterical. Chloe recently developed a true love for her dollies, which I'm excited about. She enjoys coloring too and is so focused on her artwork. They both know most of their shapes and most of the words to all the songs I've been playing in the car since they were about 6 months old (it's so adorable!). Clayton and Chloe can both count to ten with a little bit of help from Mommy. I'm so honored to be Clayton, Chloe and Easton's mommy and look forward to the adventures that await us each day!

Here's some pictures of our summer fun...

Chloe has a newfound obsession with her snow hat...I think she didn't get the memo that it's HOT!