Four Months!

Hello 4 Months!!!  On November 8th Maclyn hit the 4-month mark! This sweet little girl is growing like a weed and so is her personality. People used to ask me when I was pregnant with her if I was "trying for a girl" and I would be very offended by this, because I most certainly was not trying to have a baby girl. And now that Mac is here, people say that I "finally got my girl" and I am equally offended by this because it has the connotation that I got my way. But I won't lie, I am loving having a baby girl! The clothes, the accessories, and even her personality are so different from my boys!

This sweet little lady had her 4-month shots today. It hurt me to no end to watch her cry when that mean ol' nurse gave her those ugly shots. I just wanted to cry. Before my sweet baby girl lost her happy we got her stats:

weight: 15lbs 13 oz
height: 25 7/8 inches

She is growing great and the doctor is pleased! I could've told you she was growing well because she has been outgrowing clothes rapidly! Luckily, according to her doctor, she is about to start leveling off. I'm good with that because we have lots of adorable clothes that I want her to get lots of use out of.

Maclyn loves: her toys that make noise, clean diapers, mommy and daddy, her pacifier, her brothers, her bouncy seat that vibrates, bathtime, her soft blankets, her black and white board, her fists (to look at and suck on)


Maclyn doesn't like: bottles (yes, still), being kissed on her face (she squeezes her eyes shut), being held like a baby, bedtime (generally takes 2-4 hours), getting her nails filed (we are gonna have to work on that one)

Maclyn probably has one of the sweetest personalities. She smiles readily, loves to chatter and coo (she sounds like a dove), and is generally easy going. She does get mad when her bottom is dirty or when she is hungry. Also when she is tired. But she gives good warning signs and fusses some before all out screaming. She isn't a big fan of being cradled or bounced either, she enjoys facing out to see what is going on. She prefers to be held while standing up if you really want to know the truth. She loves her pacifier and uses it to fall asleep and occasionally to chew on, but that's just about it. She still loves her brothers so, and will turn her head as far as she can to see them then she smiles and coos at them. And the feeling is mutual.

What are Maclyn's skills? Well, she looks pretty darn cute. She can hold her head still and without support. She smiles. She cannot roll yet, and seriously doesn't seem to care. She does do tummy time and will hang out for a good while before fussing. Maclyn sleeps through the night now and it is fantastic! She can reach for and grab toys put in front of her.

I guess being the third baby has made her really go-with-the-flow. This child has been shuffled all over for school drop-offs and pick-ups, soccer games and practices, church activities, shopping trips. She does really well with it all and is truly an easy baby. The only "issues" we have are her difficulty in taking bottles and her difficulty in going to bed in a timely manner.

This sweetheart has already brought so much joy to our family. I am saddened at how quickly the last four months have flown but I already cannot imagine life without Maclyn. She is a perfect addition to our family and we are incredibly blessed that God chose us to be her parents.

Halloween Extravaganza

Oh Halloween! How I love thee. The decorations, the costumes, the candy, the parties. It is all so much fun! And as my children get older and more into this holiday, I enjoy it more! This year Finn had been telling everyone that we would be having a huge Halloween Party, because we always do. Sadly I couldn't make that happen this year. Something about having a third baby and Josh working Halloween weekend kind of put a damper on that. But the events revolving around Halloween were not few and far between. And once the parties started I don't think the boys realized that they were missing a "huge party" at our house!!

First event was Trunk or Treat at our church. This is always so much fun! This year a neighboring church was also having a Trunk or Treat so we walked over there after and enjoyed their event too! We have lots of friends there as well so the boys had a great time seeing their buddies!

Annie is Queen of Hearts, Keagan is the Golden Power Ranger, and Finn is Poe Dameron from Star Wars

Stacey is always good for a great costume! This year she was Cruella Deville from 101 Dalmations

 

Dana with baby Eleanor

Sweet friends!!!

Finn and Keagan with Reagan

After Trunk or Treat and after the boys were in bed Mom and Dad dug into the candy! And Maclyn enjoyed holding the Milk Duds box!! Check out those rolls! 

Sunday Halloween baby for church!

Sunday night the boys went to the church where Finn goes to preschool and enjoyed their trunk or treat. The boys ran into a bunch of their buddies and apparently Star Wars characters were the hot costume this year!!

Monday morning (Halloween Day!) the boys were able to wear their costumes to school. They each had Halloween events going on at school and I made my work schedule light so I could go participate with them.

I felt super protected on our way to school with these two riding with me!! 

Playing on the phone while waiting in the carpool line at Finn's preschool...

The first school event was Finley's Halloween Carnival and candy run. It was lots of fun! And lots of candy!

 These silly boys!!!

Finley with his teacher Mrs. Diana

Then it was time for Keagan's party and spook walk. This was supposed to take place at the same time as Finley's and I was going to have to choose between the two. The spook walk was supposed to go around to area downtown businesses and the county courthouse. Well, some idiot called in a bomb threat to the CIA about one of the judicial buildings (yes, that happened. sad world we live in) and so the buildings were on lockdown and the spook walk was cancelled. (Thank you idiot...you ruined my kid's fun.) Luckily, the area businesses came to the gym and set up to hand out candy in the afternoon, so I high-tailed it over to walk with Keagan and his class. He didn't think I could come so he was super excited when I showed up!

  Mrs. Paula was handing out candy with the Benton Republican Headquarters!! 

Keagan with his teacher Ms. Denise

Finally it was time for trick-or-treating in the neighborhood! Finley thought it would "nevah" come and it would take "a-hundwed and fowty yeaws." (he cannot say his r's) But it came and it was a blast! Maclyn hung on through it all and even fell asleep. She is a champ-baby and it was a lot of fun taking all THREE of our babies out trick-or-treating this year! Before we headed out I grabbed some pics of each of the kids

Keagan - Golden Power Ranger 
Finley - Poe Dameron
Maclyn - pink flamingo

(the kids got good use out of their costumes this year!)

(and now it is November. Where in the world is this year going?!)