Six Months times THREE

Maeve
17 lbs 13 oz
26 inches

Soren
18 lbs (50th percentile)
26.5 inches

Asher
14.5 lbs (5th percentile)
25 inches

I wanted to post photos of Maeve in her six month onesie before she turns seven months old! I also wanted to compare photos and stats of Maeve to The Deuce when they were six months old. Maeve is as tall as Soren was and just a few ounces lighter. She has more hair than both of them did at six months and she's much more mobile! A&S were just starting to sit on their own and Maeve has been sitting on her own for ages and she's already crawling. She still prefers to roll around from place to place but she can exercise a crawl when she so desires. I often find her crawling around her crib, so cute.

It's no secret that I love babies and six month old babies are especially charming and wonderful. Every single sound Maeve makes--from her humorous growls to her soft sighs-- is my favorite sound in the world. I love how she grabs at anything and everything when she is nursing and that she shows her affection by grabbing my hair and chewing on it. She's so fun.

Weekend Fun

Maeve loves to stand and I love to see her stand--especially in her swimsuit!


You guys! So cute!




The splash park! So fun!










Asher took a tumble and then a spray to the face so he was a little annoyed.


See ya Soren!


Asher's premium spot.

We discovered a fantastic splash park over the weekend and it is only about seven minutes from our house! The boys loved it and I thought it was pretty exciting too. Free to boot!

Soren ran around like a ping pong ball and Asher was happy to stick in the same few spots--namely the little buckets of water that doubled as mini soaking tubs. I enjoyed dangling Maeve's feet in the water and letting her splash her hands in the various streams of water.

Let's be honest though--most of all I loved that this splash park gave me an excuse to put Maeve in a bathing suit. I nearly collapsed from her cuteness and I was reluctant to even take the suit off because never has she looked more darling! That girl is joyfully cute.

Holiday

We are having a super cute holiday weekend. Happy Memorial Day!

Maeve and her Sweet Moves

Exciting news! Maeve is crawling! I can't wait to get her on video so you can all see the way she works her legs and arms in a crawl. I am equal parts impressed and stunned. I feel like she is growing up too fast! She has two teeth and has started to crawl and she isn't even seven months old yet. Sigh.

It's hard to imagine that the two day old baby babe above is now rolling and crawling and chatty and eating solids and charming us daily with her terrific personality. I knew this day would come--I just didn't think it would happen so quickly.

Turbo Baby

Last night I gave Maeve more sweet potato and ultimately it made her gag and projectile vomit, which we all found amusing. Soren laughed and said, "it was like a waterfall!"

I decided to give Maeve some boring baby oatmeal and she enjoyed it so much she impatiently took the spoon from my hand and fed herself! We were amazed!

Bedtime Revival

I simply cannot get enough of this baby babe cuteness and I want a LOT of it. Basically, I have a fever and the only cure is MORE MAEVE.

I have had a powerful impression lately that I need to stop fussing about the (insert whiney voice) 'difficulty of managing bed time for three kids by myself. Wah, wah, wah.' Instead, I need to see the joy that is inherent in that time because it does exist. Bedtime can be a sacred time because it is when I get to conclude the day with my children and let them know that they are loved and that I am HAPPY to have them and be with them. It is with unconditional love that children thrive and find confidence in life and in themselves. I have the power to give this to my children and I want to give, give, give.

I'm a Winner

I was astonished when I won nearly $200 worth of paper punches from a Martha Stewart blog earlier this year. I never win anything so it was kind of a big deal. Well--I won again! I entered to win a star in celebration of Ann's 500th post on her blog and I was the lucky luck face winner! I chose a sunny yellow star and it came in the most glorious packing imaginable that I could not let the sweet details go uncelebrated.













Amazing, right? I love the Knudsens SO much. I was hugely fortunate to grow up with Ashley as a best friend and to enjoy the generosity and beauty of her family. I love having stars from them all over our house because they are a happy reminder of our friendship.

My Other Kids

Remember these guys? They are so cute. Maeve gets a lot of play on this blog and for good reason because she is the baby babe and her cuteness is absolutely awesome. It is because I have older children that I dedicate so much space on this blog to Maeve--they grow up so mercilessly fast that I want to remember the tenderness of the first year.

Yet...Asher and Soren, my Deuce, are just as cute and startling in their creativity. My boys make me laugh daily and they are so clever that I regularly shake my head with furrowed brows and wonder, "How do they know that? or When did they learn that? or What the?" The imaginary worlds they create through play are such vivid, exciting places that listening to them makes me realize that I occupy a pretty dull mental space.

Asher is still in love with fire, firefighters, and fire trucks. I was nursing Maeve early this morning when I heard the closet in the boys room open and then a dresser door open. Suddenly Asher was standing next to me with blurry eyes, a huge smile and his 'Fire Team Rocks!' shirt. Clearly he went to bed with that very shirt on his mind because he must have leaped out of bed to retrieve it as soon as he woke up. I love little things like this about having children. Asher is so cute and so happy and so sweet. He never resists a hug or any form of affection. Also this morning he told Soren he loved him about five times and he was doling out the hugs. He is so, so, so cute.

Soren is such a solid kid. He's loyal and observant and intense. He can be so silly and hyper and generous. I'm still wrestling with his affinity for me and how he always wants me to do everything for him and with him. I love it when I am alone with Maeve and he'll stop for a visit--just to say hi or simply be next to me. I worry often that I am not careful enough with the stewardship I have over his devotion to me. He is so smart and sharp and amazing. He is a good brother and loves being a twin to Asher and an older brother to Maeve. He is helpful and so, so cute.

Six Months: Maeve

Maeve's tooth! Her toothy cuteness is unparallelled.











It astonishing that Maeve is six months old! She's been with us just half a year but EVERY time I look at her and hold her and bury my face in her sweet skin I feel so attached to her that I absolutely cannot imagine life without my Maeve. I am convinced that because she is the last baby we will ever have that her cuteness and charm are enormous enough to generously sustain us through the finality of the baby years. I still wonder, however, how it is that we live without babies? How do we survive without the giddy coos and the pleasant growls of such happy, content individuals? I'm not sure we are ever the same once a baby has graced our lives and then grows up--I know that I will always ache for the soft sweetness that only a baby can share.

This girl makes me so sentimental.

At six months Maeve weighs 17 lbs 13 oz and is 26 inches long. She's big and healthy and awesome. At the end of her six-month check-up the nurse went to give her a series of shots and exclaimed, "Oh! I forgot about those thick thighs. I'll have to get a larger needle!" I couldn't believe she said that! I am very proud of those thighs and took that statement as a compliment.

Maeve is nearly crawling and can nearly sit up on her own. She rolls around and spends a lot of time in the side plank position as she navigates movement. She grabs her toes and I think that is pretty much one of the cutest things a baby does. Maeve is famous for her growl and she is fond of doing it at inappropriate times during church, which always makes me laugh. She is happy and cheerful and wakes up with a smile. She is a professional at grabbing things and has become quite swift and adept at grabbing things. Lock down your plates and drinks!

Last week we introduced Maeve to food and she seems curious enough to keep letting me put new food into her mouth. I adore having her eat with us at dinner. Our little family feels so complete with her cute company.

I love this baby babe so much and I love every time she burrows her head into my body for a sweet snuggle. I love every SINGLE time I hold her up to the mirror she smiles hugely and seems so ecstatic that we are together. She's a joy and we all love her so much!

Maeve's First Bite

Maeve finally tasted something other than milk today! I was eager for sweet potato to be her first food because I love it and I think it is more nourishing than rice cereal.

I didn't think it would be love at first bite so I wasn't surprised when she reacted cautiously to the new substance. She was cute in her new bib and booster seat. The boys were hugely amused by the process, making this special milestone even more memorable.

I am in shock that my baby Maeve is already starting solids! So exciting!

Ballers

Baby Bs (Soren and Wyatt) with Camden, who never wants to miss a photo op!








Baby As: Asher and Gage.

So cute, right???



When I saw Gage and Wyatt in their baseball uniforms I could hardly stand all of their cuteness! I also felt grateful to have twin boys of my own to someday wear uniforms and play sports (did I really just admit that???)! Asher and Soren were smitten by the helmets, gloves, and baseballs of their older cousins. Gage and Wyatt are very sweet with Asher and Soren and had no problem letting their younger cousins wear their gear!

Young Love

My loves! Jamie and I celebrate our ten year anniversary next month--it's been a decade of dynamic experiences, emotions, and love. It seems appropriate that we would have a sweet baby girl and her sweet twin brothers to show for our joy and commitment.

I look at these two beautiful individuals and I see the man who gives me everything and loves me completely and then I see the sweet baby girl that looks so much like her dad and she too loves me completely. It is astonishing how much I love them (and the boys) and how wildly wonderful my life is because of them.

The Farmer and the Ghost

I was so pleased when Mike asked to hold Maeve during dinner. He didn't seem annoyed at all when she tried to pull the table cloth off or yank his plate. What struck me the most about seeing those two together was the natural chiaroscuro the two of them created-Mike with his dark skin and Maeve with her skin so white it looked like light.