Four

Four years ago today, at 2:22 EDT in Louisville, KY (not our planned birth location), Connor Alexander was born, weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces.  His has huge eyes, dark hair, and didn't cry.  He just stared at me, and it immediately felt as though he had been mine forever.  You can read his whole birth story here.

one day old (photo by Lindsay Williams)

I cannot believe that four years have passed.  He is still pretty small for his she; he still has those big, beautiful eyes, and he still has my heart.

1st birthday

2nd birthday

3rd birthday

4th birthday, with his giraffe (Jason's gift to him on the day he was born)

Connor is kind-hearted, articulate, a goofball, thoughtful, and mischievous.  He loves superheroes, Scooby Doo, and soccer (although he is never aggressive or competitive in the games, much to his father's chagrin.  His favorite foods are strawberries and McDonald's chocolate chip cookies.  He loves to read, and his current favorites are Hats off to Lyle (a Veggie Tales book) and Make Way for Ducklings.

My favorite sound is when I hear him say, "You're the best momma ever."

I am so thankful we have been blessed with Connor for these past four years.  I learned about love like never before, and I discovered parts of myself I never knew existed.

Happy 4th birthday, Connor Alexander!

Hope to post pictures from his superhero party soon!  :)

7 Months

On Friday, this bundle of joy and smiles turned seven months old:

Since my last update at six months, London's first two teeth have fully broken through, and even though I don't feel any new ones on the horizon, she drools and chews all the time and on everything.

She is also so close to crawling that it could happen any day.  She has all the motions separately, but just hasn't gotten them all to work together at the same time. Here is a video I took yesterday that shows just how close she is. :)

My champion 7:30-7:00 sleeper has reverted back a bit, and is now waking up between 5 and 5:30.  This makes mornings tiring, but she's so happy that it's hard to be frustrated with her.

She is still a champion eater, loving both her bottle and solids.  She has seemed to enjoy everything she's tried, including peas, green beans, avocado, squash, zucchini, broccoli, sweet potatoes, pears apples, and watermelon.

She is also as happy as ever.  Her smiles and laughter fill our home and hearts with a joy we didn't know we were missing before she arrived.

She and Connor are interacting more than ever, and although he is still jealous, especially when she grabs his toys, he is sweet with her as well.  His favorite activity is playing "Patty Cake" with her.  I need to capture it on video.

Here are some more photos of our big seven month old girl:

As always, here is a side-by-side of Connor and London, both at seven months:

Here is the comparison of London at six and seven months:

So blessed to call this sweet girl ours; the only downside is how fast she is growing.  I wish I could slow time and savor each moment with Connor and her even more.

Bedtime Stories

One of my favorite parts, among many, of being a mom is reading Connor bedtime stories.  He loves books, and every night he holds up both hands and says, "Can we read this many books, Momma?"  We usually settle on between 3-5 books instead of 10, and by the time I am reading the last story, his eyes are heavy.

My favorite book to read to him is one his Aunt Lindsay got him, Where the Wild Things Are.  This is why:

Every single time, without fail, when we get to the part where Max is lonely and wants to be where someone loves him, Connor always responds with, "his mommy."

I tear up each time, knowing that he correlates those feelings of love and security with a mother, hopefully his own mommy.  The smile he gives me as I read that page is priceless.  These are the moments I live for.

London's First Word

She may not have a clue what she's saying, but Jason was nonetheless proud to hear this today:

Love our sweet, talkative girl.