Bryce's 4 Year Stats

Bryce had his pediatrician appointment last Wednesday and did great! He's 42" long (85%tile) and 40# (80%tile). He answered all of the pediatrician's questions and I basically just had to sit there and watch. He's so funny that it really was an entertaining appointment, and no shots!! We got a Frosty to celebrate!

I have a few Bryce stories to share while I'm here...

I was talking to Bryce about how nice people were to send him presents for his birthday, and he said, "God must have given me my present early." I asked him what it was, and he said, "Audrey." 

We were getting ready to walk out the door to get Chris from school. I was putting my shoes on, and Audrey was a little fussy in the car seat. Bryce went over to talk to her and said, "Don't worry, I'm your brother and I'll take care of you. I can do anything for you. Well, I can't give you milk." He lifted his shirt all the way up, and said, "See, I don't have any boobs".

One more. We were having our parent teacher conferences, and Chris was telling us everything he thought we should discuss. We then asked Bryce if there was anything he wanted us to discuss with his teacher. His response? "Well, you could talk about how I'm so nice to Jacob, and Jacob's so nice to me".

Seriously, we just love Bryce to pieces.

Baby's first s'mores

Audrey is 1 Month!

You I can't believe Audrey is a month old today, but I also can't believe everything that's happened in the past month! Amazing what a week in the NICU does. We're finally getting in the routine of a family of five. I would have to say right now Audrey may be the easiest family member : ).

Audrey is such a doll! I've never seen a more relaxed and easy going baby. During the day she still naps quite a bit. When she is awake she is really getting strong. She does tummy time and completely lifts her head up. She grabs onto things constantly, mostly my hair. I think I had cut off my hair before he boys were this age, so I don't remember it as much, but she gets a grip on it and won't let go. She's a big "talker" also. She came out of the womb grunting and cooing, and that has continued. If she is awake, she is probably making a noise of some sort. I think it's more coos now than it used to be. She's also doing some smiles. She's done a couple right at me, but I think they might still be related to reflexes and not social quite yet...but they're still adorable! 

For being one of my kids, she's actually a great sleeper at night too. Last night she only woke up one time. The best part is, she wakes up to eat and then goes right back to sleep. At this age with the boys we were still at the point where I could my even count the number of times they woke up in the middle of the night. It's so much easier to enjoy a newborn when you're not exhausted. I've never had this opportunity before : ).

Audrey has been exactly what this boys family needed. I never could have imagined how sweet the boys were going to be with her. They want to hug her and kiss her all day long. She even has Chris saying things like, "She's just soooo cute in that outfit" in a sweet little voice. We are so happy to have this sweet little girl in our family now!

(This was last week. I went to get her because she was grunting and she had completely rolled over and had gotten a leg out of her pajamas. And there's no sheet on her bed because she had peed/pooped/spit up on every one in the house and they were in the wash : ) ).

Happy Birthday Bryce!

Dear Bryce,

Happy 4th birthday to you! It's hard to believe it's been 4 years since we brought tiny little Bryce home from the hospital in a stroller on the streets of NYC! You love to hear the story of when you first came out and gave a tiny little cry and then fell right back to sleep on me. 

We have just adored you from the second you were born. You are always so thoughtful. You genuinely love to help, whether it's cooking dinner, or an extra chore, I can always count on you to be cheerful.

You have become such an amazing big brother. Tonight Audrey was a little fussy and you sang to her while I was giving her a bath, and then brought one of your toys over and we read her a book. It really worked to cheer her up, and we even got a smile out of her. You're also an amazing little brother too! You and Chris have developed such a close relationship. It's so fun for us to see how you each help each other grow in different ways. Chris just told me last night that you're his favorite person in the whole world.

We're not the only ones who feel that way. Every time I go to a conference with your teacher she always says, I just wish I could have eight Bryces in my class.You're a great friend and you are so smart. I'm amazed at how quickly you pick things up. Your favorite things to do right now are play games and race cars. We play No Stress Chess a minimum of  3 times a day. You love to play tag and run races. Your best friend at school is Jacob. Your favorite colors are yellow, blue and green (the order changes quite a bit). 

You are becoming very strong in your faith. Over the past few weeks you've started telling me how you just prayed to God for something, and you've memorized lots of Bible verses with Chris this year. 

We are so blessed to have you in our family, Bryce. You make every day brighter for all of us, and we really just can't get enough of you. Thank you for consistently being the kind, sweet but tough and fun person you are. 

We love you, 

Mom and Dad