{iPhone Rewind} :: September

Aunt Lindsay made Aiden's outfit and blanket, which match the ones she made for Eli and Maddie...and I absolutely LOVE that! Such a sweet gift and keepsake!

Finally...a week in, and Aiden finally started the sleepy newborn phase... for like a day haha. He arrived fully alert and ready to party, and hasn't really changed that :)

It's the 3-car-seat life for us! :)

First family outing! So thankful for Grandma...because it definitely wouldn't have happened otherwise haha #manonmandefense

He has the BEST smiles...even if they are gas-induced.

Chillin' with daddy

Love her :)

These kiddos soaked up all the Grandma time they could! We definitely could not have survived without all of her help!

I just love him so...

There were a few days that were cooler, so we were able to spend some time outside

Front porch sittin' with my little dude

When you get the double cart at Target {huge win!}

And when you leave Target with new books and toys because Grandmas are the BEST :)

How Aiden feels about the noise his brother and sister make...

Squish face!

He was studying this book so intently

Aunt Lindsay got a lot of good Aiden snuggles while Mama was in the hospital. So, SO thankful for her.

Presley Kate drew a picture of baby Aiden. I sure love that little niece of mine!

Rockin' the tummy time and the 'do  :)

Smiling at Granny!

How have I not discovered these sooner??

He's such a little SQUISH :)

Trying on Daddy's shoes

Then and Now...when they both want to snuggle, you happily oblige

Brothers...oh how I love them both.

Aiden :: 1 Month

Aiden,

My sweet baby boy, I am so in love with your squishy little self. You have fit right into the crazy of our household, and we could not be more excited that you are here! Your first month has been quite eventful! But despite all of the craziness, you haven't skipped a beat, going right with the flow. You are pretty happy and content, so if we can just figure out your gas issue, then you may hardly ever be upset. Your Daddy and I had no doubt we would fall instantly in love with you {and we have}, but to actually have you here and part of our family just feels so overwhelming that I think our hearts might just burst. Your brother and sister are your BIGGEST fans and absolutely adore everything about you. We cannot wait for you to grow and understand how awesome they are too! The Lord has been so kind to us, and we are so grateful for your precious life, that you get to be ours. We love you so much, and we are so excited to see how you continue to fit into our little family!

Love, 

Mama

AIDEN MICHAEL

Stats :: 12 lbs

Clothing/Diaper Size :: still in some newborn clothes, but mostly 0-3 months; you have already been in size 1 diapers for a couple of weeks now! we stockpiled WAY too many newborn diapers haha.

Loves :: eating, smiling, tree frog snuggling :)

Dislikes :: burps...seriously, 95% of the time, that's why you're upset. and you have A LOT of gas. you also don't love being swaddled, but you have a love/hate relationship with it...you hate it at first and fight with all your might to get out, but when you calm down, you realize how cozy and comforting it is and fall fast asleep...

Eat :: baby boy, you came out of the womb ready to eat, and you haven't really stopped! haha. to say that you are a good eater is an understatement. the pediatrician and all the lactation consultants cannot believe how much weight you have gained in your first month. I am so very thankful that we have had good success with nursing! you have taken to it like a pro, despite Mama fumbling her way through. when I had to go to the ER and couldn't nurse or even pump for you, you took to the bottle/formula like a champ! and then when we were back together, you didn't skip a beat going back to nursing. and I am just so thankful!

Sleep :: you're not a bad sleeper, you just want to eat so much that it doesn't really leave much time for sleep haha. in the week or so though, you have graciously given us a few longer stretches at night, and we're so thankful! also, I am amazed at the level of noise/activity you can sleep through during the day with your brother and sister running around. I hope you keep that ability and learn to sleep through just about anything! one thing though...you are a SUPER noisy sleeper! you move and grunt and make all kinds of noise! I love having you close, sweet boy, but you're going to need to be in your own room sooner rather than later haha.

Play/Development :: you have super strong neck muscles and pick your head up pretty easily already. you may still flop over a bit, but tummy time doesn't seem to be a problem for you. you also have super strong leg muscles, often "standing" really well. you grasp our fingers {or arm fat haha} pretty tightly; one of my favorite moments was when you grasped onto my finger right after delivery. you came out of the womb eating, but you also came out of the womb smiling! I know that the first month is just gas-induced smiles, but you are already social smiling, particularly in response to voices. maybe all of your gas has just encouraged your smiling :)  you are just a super happy baby, so if we can eliminate the gas issue, you may hardly ever cry! you have started to coo as well, and it's just so sweet, especially when you coo at your brother and sister.

Unique to You :: we are still trying to find a nickname for you. we started calling you "buddy" because we're so used to calling Eli that. but Eli knows it's his nickname, and was just SO sad when we were calling you "buddy" so we are trying out a few others on you. you are pretty alert for a newborn...you didn't sleep for 5+ hours after delivery, and all the nurses commented on how alert you were. you have man sized burps and toots...seriously, they are SO loud and intense; there is nothing discreet about any of it haha.

Redeemer Reunion

This past weekend, we got to see our Redeemer Church family for a little reunion. It has been 4 years since we were last together, but the Lord has been good to preserve many relationships. It is such a sweet thing when you can come together after 4 years and pick up as though hardly any time has passed.

We enjoyed catching up and learning about what the Lord had done in each family's life since Redeemer closed. And we are so thankful that they are all plugged into new church families, growing in their faith and walk with Jesus. We were missing a few families, and we were sad not to see them this time around. But it was a sweet time to celebrate the Lord's goodness to all of us.

We miss these people so much and are sad that we don't get to be in intentional community with them on a regular basis. But we are so thankful to be back in the area, closer to these sweet families, with the ability to see them more often. Praise God for this community of believers!

High Five for Friday!

{one} Last weekend, we decided to brave a family outing in order to get out of the house. We were all feeling a little bit of cabin fever, so we decided to walk around Third Monday Trade Days in McKinney. It took us a long time to get out of the house, and we didn't stay super long...but we made it, and it was good to get some fresh air :)

Eli and Maddie LOVED the row of puppies. They got so excited at each new breed haha. I wore Aiden in my Solly baby wrap, we enjoyed a snow cone, and then headed home to escape the heat. Overall, it was a fairly successful outing! :)

{two} My friend Austen has always done a lot of creative things. She has a background in entertainment, and her newest venture is being on the show Relative Race with her daddy. I haven't seem her in a few years, so it was fun to watch her on the show! I'm excited for her and her dad to connect with more relatives, and will definitely be cheering them on. Dread the Red!

{three} And speaking of creative friends...my friend Jill is getting ready to release her second book! The Long Walk is the sequel to her original book The Bridge. I need to re-read her first book so I can refresh my mind on the story, but I am so excited for her to release this new one; I know it has been a labor of love. It releases October 16th!

{four} This week has been a little crazy. I had some complications from delivery and ended up back in the hospital. The Lord was gracious to provide protection and healing, and thankfully, we are already home. It was a pretty scary experience, and I am processing through a lot of emotions. I hope to blog about it at some point. But for now, I am just thankful to be home with my family, thankful for all the family and friends who stepped in during the emergency, and thankful to Jesus for His watch care over my life.

{five} This weekend, we are headed to a reunion with our precious Redeemer family, and I am so excited! It has been so long since we have all been together, and we are looking forward to catching up, hearing about all God has done in each other's lives over the past few years. 

Baby Firsts :: Aiden's First Home Bath

It was finally time for Aiden to have his first home bath! Not that he was that stinky or dirty...but we use baths at night as part of our bedtime routine, so we were ready to incorporate Aiden into the routine.

Despite what these photos show, he actually calmed down pretty quickly and enjoys his bath. As long as we keep him warm, he seems to love it!

Daddy gave Eli and Maddie their first baths too :)

Grumpy old man :)

Fall Bucket List

We had so much fun with our Summer Bucket List, that I decided to make a Fall Bucket List! 

Now...this might be a little ambitious, considering that this Fall we have 3 kiddos under 2, and we are still in that newborn fog. So we'll see how many of these items we get checked off the list. But I figure, if we make the list, then there's a better chance we might actually get out of the house and do a few fun things...?? Maybe :)

And again, I know that the first day of Fall is not until September 22nd. But I decided to get things kicked off in early September, with the hopes that we have more time to fit activities in. So here we go!

Summer Wrap Up

We have had such a fun and busy summer! I wanted to make it a fun one for Eli and Maddie, as it was their last one just the two of them. We were not able to cross off every single item on our bucket list, but we got to do so many fun things, and I am glad we got to complete as many items as we did!

Take wagon rides around the neighborhood

Visit the splash pad {there were several maintenance issues so we just spent more time at the pool}

Take swim lessons

Play at the playground {it was just too hot and it's still too hard for me to take them by myself}

Go to the aquarium

Road trip to see Grandma and Grandpa

Play in the sprinklers

Play with bubbles

Eat watermelon

Draw with sidewalk chalk

Go on picnics

Go to story time at the library {just didn't happen haha}

Celebrate National Donut Day with Daddy

Try ice cream for the first time

Paint with water

Read 5 books a day

Meet our new neighbors

Welcome Baby Aiden!

BONUS FUN:

Play at the Spray Fountain

Play in a Summer Rain Shower 

Celebrate National Ice Cream Day

Play at the Village Depot in Allen

Aiden Michael :: Finally Going Home!

We finally got to go home on Wednesday {Aiden was born on Sunday night}! Since we were not sure when we would discharged, and twin toddlers is a whole lot of crazy, we let Eli and Maddie stay home with Grandma and Grandpa, and we headed home just the three of us. 

We stopped on the way home so Mama could get a Jimmy Johns sandwich...for no other reason than I  just really wanted one haha. Aiden did really well on the car ride and didn't seem to mind it at all. 

First car ride!

First stop at Jimmy Johns :)

First night home...snuggles with daddy :)

It was so nice to finally be home! We are thankful for the care we received at the hospital, but we were ready to be home in our own beds and ready to begin life as a family of five!

Baby Firsts :: Aiden's Visitors

I wanted to be sure to document Aiden's first visitors, the same way we did for Eli and Maddie. Aiden is grandchild #10 on Mike's side of the family, and #3 on my side of the family. He still had some more important people to meet after we left the hospital, but these were his first visitors :)

Meeting Grandpa

Meeting Grandma

Meeting Uncle Michael

Meeting Granny {Grumpz was on a work trip and met him later}

Meeting Aunt Lindsay and Henley

Cousins!!

Laura also came up to the hospital to meet him, but I didn't get a photo {boo!} I texted her after she left and joked about how he was already getting the "second" child treatment of not getting all the same photos and attention as the first kid{s} haha.