Emerson's First Day of Kindergarten

Blink...I'll never do it again.

I just can't get over how fast five years went by and now Emerson has entered the realm of elementary school. If I blink again, I may just be staring at a man ready to go off to college. An unsettling thought.

Truly, I'm very excited and happy for this new leap in life. He is so ready for Kindergarten and happy to go. I just need to get over all my mommy feelings and let the boy grow : )

They day started by me making pancakes as a special breakfast, at which Emerson said "Pancakes? I'd rather just have cereal." Lesson learned, don't try so hard.

Jesse delayed going into work so he could walk with us to drop off Emerson. Emerson loved that we all got to go with him. And I love how easy it is to get to the school from our house.

That heat though! We were all sweating and panting by the time we got there, and this was at 8 a.m.
 At this point, I started to rethink this whole walking thing and wished we lived further away so he could just ride the bus, lol.

Emerson walked right in, gave his teacher some flowers, set at his desk, and started coloring. I lingered for just a minute.

 

 

And then we left. For both Jesse and I it felt strange as we walked home without him. We stopped and talked to a neighbor and she said "Aren't you missing one today?" That's probably when it hit the hardest. You know, as if I had sent him away forever : )

Henry and I both didn't really know what to do with our day. The saddest part was watching Henry wander around aimlessly trying to figure out what to do without his buddy. Blake could have cared less and was happy to be fed and napped, typical baby.

Pick up was another story. I waited across the street with the other moms, he saw me and waved (very excited to see me). He was all smiles until he reached me and I gave him a big hug. I could tell as he buried his head deeper into my leg that the tears were coming, and boy did they.

 

What should have been a quick 10 minute walk home turned into a 25 minute walk home due to the endless meltdowns, tears and tripping over himself. I made Blake forfeit his stroller so Emerson could ride. And did I mention that heat? If I thought 8 a.m. was bad, 4 p.m. was a furnace.

We made it home, he laid on the couch and I was finally able to get him to calm down with some special ice cream. Then he opened up about his day. How he didn't cry, made a new friend named Jacob, played with REAL musical instruments with Mr. Wallace, who also goes by Mr. Waffles (que fits of giggles).

After all that, I finally got that moment of peace that he was going to be OK this year.

Grow, Emerson, grow. Don't ever let me stop you : )

The Party Boys: Henry Turns Three, Emerson Turns Five

If you've only seen the past several blog posts of mine, you probably didn't realize I actual have two other sons. Nothing like a baby brother to come along and hog all the attention on my blog. Oops.

Well, I do have two very special big boys who deserve a little milestone recap.

Henry

 

In January, this sweet boy turned three! Looking back at photos from even just this past summer makes me realize how much he has transitioned out of that baby/toddler look and into a little boy.

For one, his HAIR! Anyone who knows Henry knows he has an awesome set of thick curls on his head, but really, these just developed since this past summer. Before that his hair was thin and wispy. Always had the baby curl at the bottom, but nothing like what it has become today. His last hair cut was August 2017...I'll just leave that information out there.

Look at how much this baby has grown. And again, that hair!

 

School wise, he's learned lots in the past year, but definitely beats to his own drum in this department. Things just click for him a little differently, and that's OK. Oddly enough, he's really smart with Bible lesson memory, not so much his ABCs though, lol. And he learns the best through song.

 

Having birthday muffins with his friends at school

Speaking of songs, he does LOVE to sing! I think he has the sweetest little voice, of course. He also remains our little stunt devil, not really afraid to try much of anything. He likes to play with his brother and has a wild imagination when he plays solo. He's fast to make a friend and has a kind, sweet soul. He's also our funny boy. Always acting silly to get you to laugh.

Emerson

My eldest is one whole hand years old and that I just can't wrap my mind around.

His independence shot through the roof this past year. He developed a love for school and anything related to math or science...so now I'm questioning if he's even my son, ha.

PAC Man themed birthday party at a trampoline park. He was super excited, if you couldn't tell.

 

 

He loves musical instruments. I'm learning it's not so much the sound or end product of the instrument, it's more of a fascination of just how the thing works. And when he sets his mind to something, oh boy, watch out world! He recently told (demanded) that he learn to ride his bike without training wheels. We stalled for a bit, but he was persistent and he did it! Even when we're not with him, he's outside practicing by himself.

He can become super shy, especially when people are proud of him or when he does something awesome in front of people. He got to play basketball this past winter and did so well. When he made his first basket, he tried to act all tough and hide his smile. Meanwhile his daddy and I were on the sidelines making way to big of a scene of excitement.

I could honestly go on and on about these boys and all the awesome things they are doing, but this is a good summary for now.

Some very big moments these boys have been through in the past year (ex: moving, hurricane, new brother). Through it all, they had each other and a very special bond. I know Blake is too little to ride bikes, jump on trampolines and run around, but I can't wait to see how these three boys rule the world with each other by their sides.

Happy growing, my big boys!

Blake: 5 Months

 "Say what? I'm FIVE months old?"

Five months in and I'm becoming worse and worse about writing down the things Blake does each month. Hopefully I can recap the highlights from the memory of my mushy mom brain. Maybe.

Let's see...

Drool. There has been lots of drool. The teething process is in full force, but no teeth yet. For the next several years I now get to blame all crankiness on teething. Yay for excuses.

Talking more and more, and making new sounds.

Controls hands better. Intentionally grabs things...and puts straight into his mouth.

Wants to hang upside down like a monkey. Thinks it's funny to throw himself backwards and give anyone holding him a heart attack. Thankfully, I know this is just a phase as he learns how to move about.

Sleeping. Naps have become more hit or miss on the ease of them. I think his wake times are shifting and they have not adjusted well with our day-to-day schedule. Normally he wakes around 8 a.m., takes first nap around 9:30, and from then on who knows. He typically takes two-tree naps a day.

Hands of hips

We've had a busy month of family visitors. Aunt Amy, Uncle Brent, Lillian and Lucas came to visit us. This of course meant a trip to the beach and lots of extra hands to hold Blake. He also took his first trip to Tennessee where he celebrated his first Easter. 

Easter attire

 That makes five months a wrap, folks!

Blake: 4 Months

This growing boy is now four months old (almost five, but we won't focus on that right now).

 

 Blake wasn't so sure about photo taking this month

Blake can now roll both directions, loves to sit upright, and tested out the Bumbo for the first time at Grammy and Granddads house.

Yep, he hated being put down for photos

He's so over his baby swing and rock n' play. Prefers to just play on the floor, even though it is short lived.

He's eating about every three hours and only wakes up once at night, around 4 a.m. But he can also go longer some nights.

His hands continue to be his favorite toy. We must have started the teething process because he loves to chew and suck on his hands...he'll also chew on his paci and whatever else he can shove in his mouth.

Since birth he has had blocked tear ducts in both eyes, but his left eye has cleared up. Here's hoping the right eye corrects itself as well. If not, he may have to have a minor procedure to open it up.

This month he traveled to Oklahoma for the first time to see family. He is an awesome car traveler! I made the seven hour drive by myself with all three kiddos and thankfully the whole trip went really well. It may be a different experience the more active and wiggly he gets, but I'll take what I can get for now. 

Blake continues to be our happy, easy going baby. We just love him to pieces.

 Ending on a happy note!

Blake: Months 1-3

Let's just call this Q1 of Blake's life.

You know what my ONE piece of advice should be for all first time moms? "Don't set the bar too high with the first one."

First child
- Monthly blog updates, Check
- Daily journal, Check
- Memory books made for every life event/first holiday, Check
- Baby book completed, Check
- Sending family photo texts of my cute baby frequently, Check
- Nightly reading and bath, Check
-A ROUTINE, check

Second child
 A little less from all the above, but it still gets done, even if I am a little behind on updating with photos.

Third child
Absolutely none of the above. Good. Grief.

Seriously, how do fourth children (and beyond) have any proof that they ever existed as a baby?

Moving on...

Blake is now three months old! But first, let's play some photo catch-up.

1st Month

I could tell from the very first days of life that this was my "chill" kiddo. He does your typical baby things on a typical baby timeline, there are no surprises, and I love that. He eats about every 1.5-2 hours. Prefers belly sleeping and is not a fan of full swaddling. We compromise by swaddling with one arm out.

Quilt made by Gramma

This month, Blake celebrated his first Thanksgiving and participated in one of my favorite holiday traditions, picking out our Christmas tree. We had several visitors, including all of the grandparents.

He seems to resemble Emerson's baby pictures the most.

By the end of this month, we had already phased out all newborn clothing and moved into 0-3 month clothes. We also developed baby acne. (not my favorite). And he FINALLY got his first real bath. It took a good three weeks before that umbilical cord fell off.

2nd Month

This month Blake celebrated his first Christmas/New Years, took his first trip to the beach (Galveston), started giving out smiles (although very hard to get out of him), eats about every 2-3 hours, and has found his hands and loves to suck on them.

Quilt made by Grammy

He continues to be a good sleeper. He loves his nap time and he even gave me a few 10 straight hours at night. Success! This is due to nothing that I have done, he is just by nature a good sleeper. And I get to brag about it, because I've had my fair share of not so great sleepers.

3rd Month 

Blake has turned into a smiley, giggly baby and I just love it! He continues to love to suck on his hands, but will now also take the pacifier more easily. He went through a week phase of not taking the bottle, but thankfully he that was short lived and is now on good terms with it again.

Blanket made by Aunt Amy

We stopped swaddling and moved him up to his very own bed. 

Blake is happiest when he gets to lay on his back on the floor and squirm. He is now wearing 3-6 month clothing. He stays awake about 1.5-2 hours between naps. He still loves to nap on his belly, but doesn't fall asleep as easily as he once did in the early days.

Well there you have it, my attempt to keep Blake updated on the blog. Happy growing, Blake!

Introducing Blake Edmund McKee

He's here, he's here!

Well, technically he's been here for a few months now. Third child, enough said.

Blake Edmund McKee arrived on Friday November, 17, 2017 at 10 a.m. He weighed a whopping 9 lbs 11 oz and was 20.5 inches long. He was born at Memorial Hermann Katy hospital in Katy, TX.

Blake was taking his sweet precious time to come into the world so we decided to induce the day after his due date, and boy, I sure am glad we did. My body could not have managed a larger child.

 

I had scheduled his induction date the week prior at my doctors appointment, but I honestly never thought we would make it that long, especial since my other two both came two weeks early.

The day before he arrived we were able to make arrangements with our very good friend, Traci, to have the bigger boys picked up and taken care of while we were in the hospital. Then Jesse and I were able to enjoy a good dinner and milkshake before heading to the hospital to check in.

We checked in Thursday night, the 16th, around 10 p.m. and got things started right away.

By morning, we were ready to meet our little guy. Three whole pushes later, he was here and in my arms. All the nurses were anxious to weigh him.

On Saturday, Nov. 19th, big brothers Emerson and Henry got to meet Blake.  Henry was infatuated with him and Emerson didn't quite know how to act around this new little thing.

We had a very uneventful delivery and hospital stay, which considering how stressful the past few months had been on us because of Hurricane Harvey, I definitely welcomed this stress-free event.

By Sunday, we were able to go home and be a family of five for the first time. Blake fits in perfectly with our little family and we could not feel more blessed to have him in our lives.