Ham It Up

No, this isn't a post about ham...or pork...or bacon (even though we sure love bacon over here).

It's a post about how Cillian just hams it up for the camera these days!
Complete with him saying "cheese!", which actually comes out like "chz".
That's one of his new words. Cheese.
The other? Shoes.


Our little guy has stopped for the camera a few times recently, so being a good mommy & not neglecting to have pictures of the third child, I'm sharing these:

Biker Boy!

 Too young for yard work? Not this guy!

Memorial Day 2012

 He stopped specifically for the camera here. HAM

 In the middle of saying "cheese", can't ya tell?

 Maybe it's me, but I think he looks too old in the overalls! Adorably cute, of course. Unbiased opinion. 

 Camera!

 He got closer to assure I saw him uttering "Cheese!"

 In true stinker-fashion, he darted off into his brothers' room as if we'd never guess he was in there.

Alright, so perhaps I posted too many Cillian pictures.
PISH....wait for it...POSH.

He's my current baby and these are the moments, right?

It's [still] Empowering

Wearing my baby.

We wore Cillian all the time his first few months, and still regularly once he was mobile.
But lately, with him walking, it feels like forever since we wore him daily.

Enter the past 2 weeks.
I don't know if it's the massive teething he's doing or what, but the boy has not been napping well, sleeping horribly at night, and more cranky than usual. He's usually not cranky, he's so good-natured.
It's been impossible to cook dinner, he gets into everything of the boys, then they whine, and it's a cycle that's not fun to be in.

Lightbulb moment: wear him.
Again.
Just like when he was younger.
(except now, on my back)

Boy has the Beco been a lifesaver! I've been wearing Cillian on my back, and it's empowering.
It gives me that "I can do anything!" feeling.
With Cillian on my back, he can't mess with the boys, and he is happy because he's being held.
I'm cooking dinner while wearing him.
Putting away laundry.
Playing with the boys.
Heck, it was adorable...they were running in circles on the trampoline, and C & I were running around on the outside of it, alongside them. We were all cracking up.
I'm able to do homework with Aidan while Cillian is on my back, dance with him...

It's so empowering.
I forgot just how empowering babywearing can make you feel.
To be able to take care of your baby, get things done and take care of the older kids...it's a good feeling.

Spoiled by the Sun

We hit almost 80 degrees here twice this week already...and loved every ray of that sunshine.

Brennan constantly wants to ride his scooter, and we've enjoyed many things:

 trees with buds, a sure sign of Spring...

 hugging trees and attempting to climb,

 waaayyyy up there!

 Puddles galore, which is far too tempting for a young boy.

 Cillian has loved his stroller walks, with Brennan to watch in front of him.

 We saw these fun ducks on our walk yesterday. 

 Another day, another tree, followed by "take my picture, mom!".

 Yesterday it was great that Aidan had next to no homework. We went straight to the park & everyone was happy.

 Loving the swings

 my oldest & my youngest

 BE IT KNOWN: Aidan mastered the monkey bars. After trying for so long, he finally did it!

 Sometimes life is an uphill climb~

These temps aren't typical for us, here in the Midwest, but we sure aren't complaining!

A Bond So Strong

Brothers...

The Absent-Minded Blogger

From the looks of it, I've abandoned this blog. Say it ain't so!

Several things have just been consuming me and every ounce of my time lately, and not just the 3 little charmers in my life (ok, the big charmer, too;).
More on that to come.

For now, I want to post the big "catch-ups", the highlights from the last month that I've failed to post, capture, and later on treasure. Why else blog? ;)

Let's see, I'll start with:

Pinewood Derby! 

Aidan's 2nd year in Scouts, 2nd race. He really dedicated himself to making his Star Wars-designed car, and we are so proud of him. On top of it all, he won 2nd place prize for design for his den! 

 Aidan with his big trophy

 Next up: Brennan!

Brennan has been doing very well in preschool. He is well-behaved in class, and his fine motor skills are developing nicely. The boy can color very well! Here are some pictures to share his preschool fun.
Groundhog Day hat

 Valentine's Day 

 I adore this picture. It's so Brennan.

More Scouts: the Blue & Gold Banquet 

Cillian!
My sweet baby moved into his new convertible car seat. He's loving it, and I don't miss luggin' around that baby carrier, either. I do wish they didn't have to be rear-facing (my older 2 were forward facing after age 1). But hey, he has 2 brothers to keep him company back there.

 Speaking of Cillian,
he had his FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!

 Already. How on earth did he turn 1 last Saturday?! It went by way too fast. 

 He sure loved his cake.

 And we sure love him.

 He also experienced his first Spaghetti Dinner at our church. It's a big tradition in our parish, and they make over 5,000 meatballs for it. Cillian enjoyed himself.

 Here he is enjoying one of his birthday presents, almost walking completely on his own

 Loving another birthday gift, wrestling with Brobee

So yeah, 22 pictures later (are you actually still here?!), I'm almost caught up.  Life is busy busy busy, but good. My boys are growing up before my eyes, way too fast.

I have many reasons to be more present in the blog world, and hope to do so starting with this post.

I Forgot to Mention

Cillian is now in his own room.
He has been for about 3 weeks.

It's bittersweet for me.
Our babies were always in our room with us, mostly out of necessity due to lack of space.
In that, though, I came to appreciate it. It's easier with nursing, but I also learned that I (most of the time) like my babies close to me. I actually sleep better at times when they're in bed with me, nestled all snug.
Aidan was a fabulous co-sleeper. He'd snuggle in and stay put.
Brennan was only for a month or so, and then he needed his space.
Cillian is depending on the day. ;)

Unfortunately he reached a point of waking nearly every 2 hours. It coincided always with us coming to bed, so he seems sensitive to any noise. Once awake, he'd want to nurse, then after that we'd have to leave the room to let him cry, come back in once he stopped, he'd wake, and the cycle continued.
It was "musical sleeping": starting in our room, moving to the living room, back to our room, even the boys' room. I just needed SLEEP!

So we said we'd do a trial run, and it was much much better. This week not so much, as 2 more teeth are coming in.
All in all, Cillian seems happy with his own room & space.
I do still bring him to our bed from time to time, but I admit it is nice to be able to move more freely in our room. Kid #3 is what it took to have an actual "nursery" in our home! :)
The playroom has been transformed:

I was sad to give up the only "playroom" we've ever had, but sleep is more important.
For now.