Tuesday Twelve.

1.  Zachary turned 8 going on 3 weeks ago...I posted about it TODAY.  Go see it.  I don't want it to get buried in the posting and not get it's proper Happy Birthday-ness.

2.  We are fast approaching March and hello spring, but hello where was winter?

3.  We are also almost done getting everything updated for our update to the adoption stuff.  This go round has been a bit more stressful, probably because we have an actual date that things need to be done by.

4.  Nolan is wearing me O.U.T with the no napping thing.  It's really not cool, not cool at all.  He is currently sleeping..strapped to my chest in the Moby.  It's sweet really, really it is, but also I am tired.

5.  As a result of #4 there are rings in my toilets and dog hair/cat hair/dust/dirt in places I would rather there not be....but it will wait.  The baby takes precedence.  He will nap eventually and then he will be off to kindergarden and then college so yes the dirt can wait.

6.  The boys started soccer last night all 3 are playing on 3 different teams we shall be busy.  Yes we shall.

7.  I have had the stuff out to take Zachary's picture for several weeks now.  We have done the outside ones and I would like to tinker with some inside "studio type" shots this go round.  But I am skipping the lights therefor I need good inside lighting.

8.  We went to TN this past week while the boys were on break.  It was nice to see everyone but honestly traveling with 4 kids is a lot of work.

9.  We got Nolan's birth certificate in this past week....he's the only one of us that doesn't have a TN one.  Weird.

10.  Zachary told me yesterday he has 59 more days of school left.  Crazy.

11.  I need to clean...but eesh...#4 and #5.

12.  Nolan is getting sweaty.

13...oh gosh darnit---I forgot to do the 4 on the 14th thing.   Grrr.  I remembered all the way until the 14th.  *headsmack*

catching up...

very soon.   I haven't written because I don't want to post a thing until I post about Zman being 8...which I  didn't want to do until I took some pictures of him...which I haven't done.   So yeah.  The issue with that is the best time of day for light is while he is at school.  Will figure it out :)

Eight.

Eight.  Eight.  Eight.  Zachary is 8.  Eight always sounds so big and pivotal but then they turn the next age and it seems big too...but 8 just is.  He's 8 and he's great.  My smart, fun, wild, happy go lucky boy.  

So much to say about this boy.  Zachary is and always has been full of life and energy and happy.  At 8 he fills up a room with his life.  He loves to have fun and loves to play but all at the same time can be so very big and serious when he really needs to be.  He is a whiz at school and why we are so surprised by that is beyond me...I mean we knew he was a smart cookie but maybe because of his silly and goofy we didn't see how much.  He is a busy dude, always moving.  At 8 he loves to play outside with friends and loves to play video games.  Computer games, wii games, DS games...and even board games he just loves games.  He loves to read and will breeze thru chapter books in a night (oh how I know how that is....a good book must be finished instantly!) if we aren't paying attention and forget to tell him to turn out the light.  He's profound and mature.  

He is a lover and knows how to turn on the charm.  His teachers love him, the girls love him, and his fun makes other love him.  At school he is quiet and serious and rarely gets in trouble but at home he is a tornado in a room.   Our Zachario is so many things rolled into one awesome little boy.   Happy, silly, serious, thinker, watcher, observer, funny guy, party man, motivated, hard worker, handsome, awesome.  Watching him grow and twist and turn thru life is amazing and seeing him develop into the boy he is and the man he will be is even better.   I can't believe he's 8 and I can't believe we have such a fun spirited awesome little guy to call ours and I am so forever thankful that we do.  He adds the spice we need and the reminder to be silly and have fun.   Happy 8th Birthday Zachary, Zman, Zachario...we love you more than you know.   

3 Months

One quarter of a year and I am still amazed.  At 3 months I snuggle him and picture his grown up self and wish I could keep him so sweet.   At 3 months he is a pro smiler and I managed to get one little chuckle laugh out of him last week.  No full on belly laughs just yet.  He rolled over last Thursday from stomach to back...I think it was a fluke but I am counting it.  I had laid him down and he just plopped right over.  He seems to be creating a routine of his own eating every 3 hours and napping for 30 min or so every hour and a half.  At night he has been bumping his bedtime earlier and earlier and seems to be consistently down for the night between 7:30 and 8.  Which is right when his brothers go to bed so that works for us!  We know when he is down for the night because he is O.U.T. out, most definitely different from his daytime sleep.  He has had a few nights of sleeping for 7hrs before waking to eat.  Most nights he only wakes one time.  We get up in the mornings about 6:30 to get ready for school and often he will wake up long enough to get a clean diaper and eat and then konks back out for another hour or so.

At 3 months he holds his head up like a champ, is rocking "tummy time" though isn't a fan he can lift his head quite high and look around.  He can sit propped up and can stand on his short little legs for I think as long as we will let him.  He still "drums" his fingers and is moving his little hands all over the place.   He is often found holding his hands together at his chest and it is quite possibly the sweetest thing ever.  He is drooling lots and is often found sporting a bib these days--I know his brothers did the same thing at this age, though Nolan likes to let it all bubble out of his mouth and usually is kicked back chilling with foam coming out his mouth.  He still seems to like to be swaddled to sleep though he wiggles those arms out as soon as he can.  We also busted out the exersaucer and jumperoo....it looks like we have a daycare in the living room.

It seems I could go on and on with all that has changed over the past month.  He has gone from a newborn to an infant who enjoys toys and is smiling and smiling.  He most definitely prefers me over most people.  He does let a few people hold him for just a bit before turning into hysterics until I "rescue" him.  Poor Robert is trying to not get his feelings hurt.  I think he is worse than his brothers were about this, at least at this young of an age.  He is doing much better about getting startled by loud noises and fast movements but still will let out a wail if we talk to loud suddenly or even appear in his line of sight out of the blue.  I think he is very alert and this is part of why he startles so easily.   Other than those times he rarely ever cries and is a content happy guy at 3 months.   We are getting into a routine with him and enjoying every minute with him.  His brothers adore him and we still just can't enough of this sweet chubby cheeked baby boy.  

Twelve on Tuesday

1.  Nolan is going on a little over an hour of sleeping in his crib--during the day--this is a first.  However I should point out I have had to go in and put the paci back in his mouth three times, though all 3 times he nodded back off to sleep in seconds.  Progress?

2.  Tomorrow Nolan will be 3 months and I have brought all my "studio" equipment up in an attempt to capture "studio'ish" pictures of him to mark the occasion.

3.  I am feeling the pressure to get these just right because Jakeb, Zachary, and Gavin all 3 had studio portraits done at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months...they are all hung in a row upstairs.  Nolan can't be left out...oh the pressure...not really but I would like them to be similar--we shall see.

4.  I managed to get the upstairs dusted as well...I would be much more productive with my day if baby boy would nap.  Eventually my friends, eventually.  For now I will enjoy his snuggly naps in my arms.

5.  Last night I woke up with little feet kicking away into my side I groggily sat up to find Nolan in quite the precarious situation.  One that has me thinking it may be time to either being sleeping without pillows or move the little guy to the bed beside our bed rather than in it.

6.  Gavin and Zachary have performances at school tonight--Zachary is not eager and Gavin can't wait.  He was in my room this morning at 6:23 dressed with his bed made and ready to go.  He is the only one so far who actually has participated in his school performances.  He sings loudly and proudly---we love it.

7.  Jakeb plowed thru his math this past "semester" and managed to bring his grade from a B to an A.  Thus having straight A's.  Awesome dude he is.

8.   I think I may bust out the knitting needles and/or crochet and teach myself that again--or rather remind myself.  I started doing both of those a few years ago and never actually made anything but I really want to!

9.  And also...the sewing machine.  Mmmhmm.  Going to get that off the top shelf and at least set it on the desk downstairs.  I also asked for that years ago and thus far all I have managed to do with it is lose a crucial piece (and replaced it) and sew very crooked curtains.

10.  Can you tell I have been on Etsy and Pinterest?

11.  2012 has been the year of facing the debt and getting it gone.  Yes.  We have debt.

12.  We need it gone so that in 2013 we can kick things back into gear on the adoption front.

Sunshine.

This past week has been full of it. I am grateful because I need it...I suppose we all do though, eh? The big boys are off to school and Nolan is still snoozing..in the swing. I THINK he slept from roughly midnight to 5:15...I am not sure because I know he stirred and I popped the paci in his mouth but I am honestly not sure that I didn't feed him. Yes I am THAT tired. The lack of continuous sleep over the past 11 months has completely caught up with me. While I am not a napper I am 100% a person that needs a goodnights sleep...but it is what it is and really I am not complaining just rambling really. I am posting this via my [broken] iPad. Poor Gavin dropped it and broke the screen. My sweet 5 year old boy who can beat himself up for making a mistake one minute and then drop to the floor throwing a fit because he doesn't get something he wants the next. He's a confusing one that boy. But very much my little buddy these days. I just noticed Zachary's wet nasty socks by the back door. The very socks I told him to put in the washing machine. It seems they didn't quite make it there....they are laying next to no less than 4 pair of shoes belonging to the same child. We all like shoes in this house. Though 2 of those pairs were hand me downs just given to him from a neighbhor. This is basically a post of randomness as are much of the posts I make here so I don't know why I need to give that explanation...if you ever have an actual conversation with me you would see why. I pretty much bounce all over the place when I talk too...just gotta keep up folks. Valentines Day and the Zman's birthday are fast approaching which means roughly 60 valentines that need to be given and birthday treats for roughly 30 kiddo's prepared. Thinking about getting that worked out soon...other than that not much else on my plate...other than you know the normal things. Enjoy the sun!