Deer in the Headlights

Dallas Arboretum

Last weekend, while my college buddy, Donna 2, was here, we all went out to the Arboretum for a morning walk and a picnic on the grounds. Mikaela had a wonderful time and Mike was able to take some great pictures.

 Right now they are doing an Alice in Wonderland Exhibit.  They have three or four different plant houses to depict various scenes from the story.

Mad Hatter Tea party

Queen of Hearts Croquet Game

Then we spent another hour or two walking around the grounds seeing  various gardens.  The arboretum is so beautiful.  And thanks to a morning storm, the temperature wasn't too high until after lunch, even though it was humid.

 

 

 

Crape Myrtle Tree Tunnel

College Roomies, "The Donnas"

water walls

checking the map

We tried to get good pictures of the kids, but when I set Nicholas down  on the blanket in the grass, he decided that was a great place to nap, so this is the best we could get.

having a picnic in the shade

Mikaela loved having a picnic - we think this is actually her first real picnic.  

3 Months Old

Nicholas is 3 months old!  Sometimes it seems fast, but really, I can't remember what life was like before he came.  I am so glad God gave us this sweet boy to complete our family.

I don't have length/weight stats because there wasn't a doctor visit at 3 months, but I did take him to the doctor a couple weeks ago and he weighed 12 lbs, 8oz then, so I estimate he's probably about 13 lbs now.  He's wearing 3-6 month clothing.  The green outfit in the picture is actually labeled 6mo and it fits him comfortably.

Sleep:  Up until last week, Nicholas was sleeping through the night.  I mean, 8 - 10 hours at night.  It was fabulous.  Last week, it dropped back down to five (if we are lucky), but we think it's because of his hemangioma in the diaper area. It became ulcerated and it bothers him a great deal.  We are seeing a specialist and hopefully will have the issue resolved within a couple of months.  He is no longer swaddled.

Eat:  Again, up until last week, he ate eagerly every 2-3 hours.  It has been a little more challenging lately because I think the position for nursing causes some discomfort from the hemangioma so he doesn't nurse as long and therefore needs nighttime feedings again.

Activities:  He likes to lay on his back and kick and blow bubbles.  He does his activity center longer than the swing or a bouncy seat, but tolerates all three for short periods of time.  He best loves to "talk" to people, smile, coo, and has even laugh a little (though our video coverage of that didn't work out yet).

He has rolled over from belly to back several times, but not since the previous post.  Again, probably discomfort.  On his back, he's really thrown his legs as though trying to turn to belly, but no success yet.

He loves chewing on his fingers.  I hope that doesn't mean teeth anytime soon.

Watching the Rangers

all clean

woke up happy from his nap one day

watching his sister dance around

We Have Laughter

Today Nicholas started to laugh.  Of course, by the time we got the camera ready, he seemed to stop, but I wanted to blog this so that I'd have it recorded.  It's kind of a high pitch squeak with some short "ahhs" but combined with that big, open mouth, toothless smile, it is priceless!

Old and New: What Nicholas Can Do

The first video is when Nicholas discovered he could kick the sea horse of his bouncy chair and make it move.  This video was taken on May 23.

The second video was taken just the other night (6/10) when he repeatedly rolled from belly to back.  By the time we caught it on video, he was kinda done, but there you go!  We'll try again soon!

Car Ride Etiquette

When we arrived at church this morning, we heard Nicholas stir in the back.  We asked Mikaela if he had been asleep.  Her reply: "No, he wasn't because you two weren't being quiet."

Haircut

Since Mikaela hasn't been able to see without pushing bangs out of her face for several weeks now, I thought maybe I'd take her for a hair cut.  Enjoy!

Most recent picture of her hair, pre-cut.  I didn't take one this morning.

She did great in the chair.  She just became very still and quiet, not really verbally responding to any questions asked of her, but followed Lynn's instructions of looking down, up, etc as she cut.  Before and after the cut, she was excited and bubbling with energy.

no more bangs in her face

I will try to get better pictures later, but it's really cute.  It will be a nice, short, summer hair cut.  Hopefully it will help thicken her hair a little.  She isn't into pigtails or anything, just a simple bow from time to time so this hair cut was perfect for that.  I can't believe how grown up she's getting!

P.S.  It will be several years I figure before we have a post like this for Nicholas, Mr. Baldy.