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Avery on the Farm

"A portrait of my Avery, once a week, every week, in 2014"

 

On Saturday, we took a trip to the farm at Prophetstown State Park. We had visited the farm once before Avery was born, but this was his first trip (The first of many, I'm sure, since we only live 2 miles away!) and although it's still pretty early in the season for the farm, we had a great time wandering around checking out the animals and watching some huge horses plowing up the fields. Avery was pretty excited about the chickens, cows and horses... from afar. Once they got too close, he wanted nothing to do with them and quickly retreated to the safety of dad's arms. The one animal he did warm up to? The friendly barn cat. Thanks for being so tolerant of curious little boys, dear cat.

**Happy Birthday to my amazing husband and Avery & Cullen's world-class daddy!! Here's to another year of adventure!**

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Brothers

 For us, Easter Sunday consisted of spending as much time outside in the sunshine as possible. It was a really great low-key day spent with my three favorite guys. Dinner on the patio made for some pretty photo-worthy moments between these two sweet brothers.  Avery couldn't get enough kisses and hugs from Cullen, who is  getting so strong and holds his head up to watch everything going on around him. I'm looking forward to watching these two interact more in the months to come. 

And check out Avery's bottom row of teeth all filled out!

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Baby Charlie

"A portrait of my Avery, once a week, every week, in 2014"

When Cullen was born, Avery received his very own baby (lovingly named 'baby Charlie') from his grandma and grandpa Stewart. Some days baby Charlie never leaves his cradle but other days Avery is a doting caretaker who is very aware of what baby Charlie is doing all day and diligently feeds, burps and wraps Charlie in blankets. It makes my heart smile to see how caring and gentle he is with his own little baby, just as he is with his baby brother (thankfully, baby Charlie is proving to be much more durable than baby Cullen). 

I get a chuckle out of the cute and funny places Avery fondly tucks baby Charlie away for his 'naps' - like amongst our shoes on a shelf by the door or under an ottoman - always wrapped up head to toe like a mummy. Oh, my heart :)

How lucky we were to have uncle Josh and grandma and grandpa Wachsmuth here with us this past week - Avery was one happy little boy, so blessed to have so many amazing people in his life!

Linking up here

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A construction site front-row-seat

"A portrait of my Avery, once a week, every week, in 2014"

They broke ground this week on two new houses right across the street from us. The noise and traffic threaten to drive me crazy but this noise and traffic are exactly what excite Avery the most and because I'm grateful for the free entertainment without having to leave home, I welcome the building crews. 

It's been getting warmer, especially in the afternoons, so we are able to get outside (halleluiah, fresh air!) but this morning was still a bit too cool so Avery spent hours glued to the windows, studying the workers so intently. What a fun thing for my vehicle/machinery loving boy to watch up close!

Our neighborhood has never been so exciting!!  As icing on the cake,
a huge fire truck roared by as I was snapping photos :)

We've been enjoying lots of time with family this week, Avery is in heaven :)

Cullen at One Month!

Time is flying by over here. How this little peanut is four weeks old already is beyond me. At his 2 week appointment, he weighed 10 lbs, 3 oz (That's a whopping 1 lb, 9 oz more than his birthweight!) and has only gotten bigger since (he carries the majority of his weight in those cheeks!)

Cullen is one of the most chill babies I've ever known. I truly didn't think Avery was all that fussy as a newbie but seeing how calm Cullen is, perhaps I was mistaken! (Good thing Avery came first and I didn't know any better!) During the day, Cullen is completely content being held, lying in his swing or stretching out on the floor. No daytime swaddling necessary for this cool dude!  

Cullen has had clogged tear ducts in his eyes since he was born. During the day they aren't too bad as I can wipe them frequently but when he wakes up in the morning or after a nap, they are pretty crusty and he isn't too fond of me digging around in them to clean them out...

He's an efficient little eater; unlike Avery, whom I would consider a 'marathon man' when it came to nursing, Cullen fills up quickly and continues on with his day (a 'sprinter' for sure). At night, he wakes up hungry 3 or 4 times but after a diaper change and a quick feeding, he's back in a deep sleep and I'm usually back to bed within 20 minutes. It's glorious! Cullen is also very good about enjoying his meals on-the-go. Many of his feedings during the day are interrupted by Avery's 'urgent' need for a snack or Play-Doh.

I told Cullen when he was in my tummy that he would have to be pretty tolerant and able to go-with-the-flow in order to survive around here with an such an active big brother and thankfully he took my advice. He doesn't get worked up about much including the noise, constant kisses and squeezes, and 'sharing' (a.k.a., being buried in toys) that comes along with having a big bro like Avery. (I'm sure the 'getting worked up' part will come in good time :)
Our family was hit hard with a nasty stomach bug this past week and I think I can now safely say that Cullen is the only one that was spared (Thank goodness for all those awesome breastmilk antibodies!) After being sick myself, I prayed that poor tiny Cullen wouldn't have to suffer like that and am so thankful to say he's healthy as can be. 

Miraculously, both boys are currently on the same sleep schedule. (why I speak these words out loud, I don't know...) When Avery goes down for

his nap, Cullen also takes a 2-3 hour snooze. He takes this snooze on my chest, which I fully embrace and use as my 'excuse' to nap as well ;) It's a nice little alone time with my sweet snuggly babe (whom I can watch growing bigger and bigger by the minute), but I obviously get nothing done during this time. Oh well, I know all too well that this phase will not last so I'm taking advantage of the down time while I can!
At night, when Avery goes to bed around 8/8:30, Cullen is ready to fill his tank and turn in as well. It's sort of surreal to have some time in the evening to spend lounging with Justin as our boys are both snuggled in their beds sleeping. I wasn't expecting this scenario for months! 

He's so strong! He can hold his own head up to look around and even enjoys tummy time (for about 15 minutes). He's also so serious! I know it's just because he hasn't really figured out smiling yet and concentrates really hard on everything he sees but he has such expressive eyebrows that make him look like such a grumpy old man sometimes :)

We have been so blessed by our amazing friends that have been bringing us meals during these last few weeks. I'm not even joking when I say that we are surviving solely on the food they've given us - without it, we would probably be eating frozen pizza or cold cereal for every meal. I've said it before and I'll say it again: It truly takes a village.

Cullen's cute hair has started to thin out and his hairline now recedes dramatically while the hair on the sides
continues to grow. He pretty much looks like he's balding :)

For comparison, click here to see Avery's one-month post!

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My brown-eyed boy

"A portrait of my Avery, once a week, every week, in 2014"

Just when we thought Avery was over his little cold, he woke up on Wednesday morning with his first stomach bug (complete with projectile vomiting at random and inopportune times). Oddly enough, besides the throwing up (which was heartbreaking to watch), he was in great spirits. A little cuddly at times but still the happy, energetic boy that I know and love. Thankfully, the sickness only lasted a day and now he's back to eating and drinking normally and unfortunately, mom gets a turn at the sickness... We've been laying low for a few days and have spent lots of time watching Sesame Street, reading books, and building blanket forts to hide from Bella.

At last count, Avery has cut through all four of his incisor teeth and his bottom 2-year molars are completely in (I haven't been able to spot the top ones yet but those could be in too) That means that since Cullen has been born, he's been doing nothing but teething (and being sick)- What a trooper!

Earlier in the week, Avery was able to have all kinds of adventures outside with dad on the warmer afternoons. He went 'hiking' with Max, got buried in sand down by the river, and got up close and personal with the big equipment that's scattered around the neighborhood. (Construction season is upon us, which is great that Avery gets to watch but not so great that they always seem to make the most noise during naptime...)

 

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