sycamore trails lessons

I was so disappointed in the swimming lessons that Aimee did earlier in the year.  However, because we have a community pool, and the kids love to go, I felt it was important for safety reasons that the kids have some basic water skills.  Aimee and Porter were just the right ages to get to be in the same class.  Since I was very pregnant, this was a perfect way to let them both have lessons with minimal effort on my part (except for the wrangling Pratt part, but that was a given).

 I had heard that Sycamore Trails, the city pool in Miamisburg, had great lessons.  I heard right.  Instead of a grouchy mid-aged woman for a class of seven kids that just made the kids hang on the side of the pool until their turn to be floated back and forth, it was a class of nine kids with three fun, cute and energetic highschoolers.

 The kids were always engaged and someone was always right there to encourage, and make it exciting.  Even my water shy little Porter had a blast!  Chad was able to go one morning to watch. He saw how Porter being timid in the water earned him extra attention from the teachers and figured he had nailed down how he was going to get dates in the future.  I think both parties enjoyed it!

 I would say the only down side of the whole experience was just that because it is an outdoor pool, it was always just a smidge chilly in the morning.  That made it tough for the kids to want to get wet.  I can't blame them. Plus, their session just happened to a rainy stretch, and lessons were canceled twice, and should have been one other time.  

It was practically torture to Pratt that he didn't get to play too, but now I know that the crew there can handle all three of them next summer while I wrangle May!

life with may

I admit that when I found out I would be having another little girl I had mixed emotions.  Of course there was the side of me that was over the moon about it.  It was especially fun that Aimee was with me when I found out. Instead of crying out, "noooo!" like she did when we found out Pratt was a boy, she was bouncing off the walls excited.  Chad had been wanting another little girls so badly that I couldn't wait to tell him too.  But, there was a side of me that sort of considers myself a boy mom type.  I grew up as the only girl sandwiched in between four brothers until I was nine.  I loved building forts, digging, and even getting tricked into eating everything from raw eggs to dog food.  It was fun!  I get annoyed by all of the drama, and sometimes I feel like gagging at all of the bling-type stuff out there for girls.  Coming off of two little boys, I just thought it would be a tough transition.  Well, I was wrong.  It has been awesome!  Aside from the little perks, like not having had any front blow outs (also know as wiz-outs here), May has just added a balance and softness to our home, that I didn't even know we needed. 

 

A few tidbits about this little lady:

She is the polar opposite of her big sister when it comes to size!  Aimee was such a featherweight, but May, not so much.  She started out pretty average, but has been putting on all kinds of cute chub.  She had a well check at 5 weeks.  We learned that she has been gaining around 2 ounces a day.  That is just shy of a pound a week.  She was 10 pounds 15 ounces that day.  That put her in the 95th percentile for weight, but was only in the 50th for height!  Even Pratt wasn't that round!  I love it!

One of my good friends from Omaha used a clothes basket to lay her daughter in as a makeshift sort of bouncer.  So, because our bassinet didn't survive our last move, I took a page out of her book.  May sleeps in this basket every night in our closet.  Each child has stayed a progressively shorter time in the room with me because all of their little baby sounds keeps this light sleeper awake.  However, this basket in the closet method has been ideal!  She is still technically in the same room with me, even at 6 weeks old! As an added bonus, she has only had two nights where she got up more than once!  She is a great sleeper!  We usually put her down around 8:30, and rendezvous at about 3 A.M.  I am a fan, although her days of waking me up at all are numbered.

I hate how it is almost impossible to catch the sleepy smiles, but somehow I lucked out and caught one.

When Chad gets home, he takes all of the May cuddling time he can get, and doesn't like to share.  He figures since we have all day to do all of that he gets first dibs in the evenings.

My amazing neighbor gave Aimee and May matching dresses.  Aimee loves this!

I love tubby time pics!

My friend Nicole offered to take some newborn pictures with her awesome new camera.  She did them just a few days before May turned one month.  She had already filled out a ton, and by far has the chubbiest cheeks in her baby pictures of my babies.

It can be hard to give everyone the turn holding May that they want.  If she isn't sleeping she is eating, or someone else got to her first.  I think it is super sweet that they all love it so much!

Aimee loves to tell people that she has a baby sister.  As we pass people in the isles of Wal-mart, Aimee is sure to inform them of her fortune.  Aimee also loves to help change May's diapers, sing to her, and anything else that I deem as being a good big sister.

I get the "you've got your hands full" phrase a lot, and I guess that is true.  However, it the only thing that feels different is just that life is a little sweeter.  It just keeps getting better!

four big ones

I regret to begin by saying that I don't have great pictures of Porter's big day.  I mostly took video, and still haven't figured out why they won't load.  Aside from that, Porters big day, I think, was a success.  It was nice to have his birthday on a Sunday, and one that Chad had off, so that we could all spend the day together.  And while Sunday birthdays somewhat limit activities, we had no shortage of them that weekend.  Friday night we went to a Springboro city celebration at a park.  They had bounce houses, face painting, cotton candy, snow cones, a gym bus and a climbing wall, all free!  I thought it was pretty considerate of them to put on such a great party for him!  All of the kids had a great time.  Porter also surprised Chad and me by being brave enough to climb the rock wall.  He even made it higher them Aimee! 

 

On Saturday our next door neighbor had a big birthday party.  Porter got to have all the perks of a party (minus the presents I guess), and it was definitely bigger and "cooler" than what I would have come up with.  We were all partied out by Sunday, and just got enjoy a relaxed Sabbath, open a couple of presents and eat lots of cake!  Porter ordered his volcano island cake months ago, and even before the sparklers were lit, I had approval from the birthday boy.

 Porter hangin' with the coolest guy he knows!

 At age four, Porter is just one year away from Kindergarten, but reading like he has already been there, done that.  He likes pretty much anything that Aimee tells him to like, unless it is food.  He is the most finicky eater I have ever met.  Porter loves to try out new words or phrases that he hears.  He also loves nothing more than to be called a gentleman for holding doors for others at Church.  His funny little "isms" keep us entertained!  Porter challenges Chad and me in very different ways than his brother and sister, but his affectionate side helps make it a little easier.  We love our Porter so much, and feel so blessed to have him as part of our eternal family!