Wallace | Six and Seven Weeks

Oh boy, I've gotten pretty behind in these weekly updates. I still want to record several things about sweet Wallace for his album/baby book that I will likely print from these posts....sometime after he goest to college;)

Weeks 5-6 were pretty brutal, if I'm honest. Probably a low point in our time with Ace, but not really because of HIM. Just because of life.

Right, my man?
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During his one month pediatrician appointment, the doc announced that Wallace has thrush on his tongue. He DOES have a white tongue but all of our kids have had that, and we always chalked it up to 'milk tongue'. He is not in pain when he nurses and seriously rarely cries anyway. He has a great latch and nurses all.the.time, and gained three pounds his first month of life. So I think nursing is going pretty well, you know?

All three kids with their 'milk tongues'...or was it thrush then, too?
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But back to the thrush: I also don't seem to have any signs or symptoms of thrush. No cracked nipples or pain or anything. However, I was on IV antibiotics during Wallace's birth due to Strep B....but again, I've had that every single time with each kid and received at least some antibiotics during every birth. Then I had mastitis around week four (I think? Did I even mention that one here yet?), so I was on antibiotics for seven days including the day we went to Ace's appointment.

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I suppose the antibiotics could set me and therefore him up for thrush? All I know about thrush is that it can be horribly difficult to get rid of, just from hearing other moms' horror stories. I started to feel kind of panicky about what this could become and looked back at pictures of Ace to see that even on day ten, he had the white tongue.

The pediatrician was very non-chalant about it, but prescribed Nystatin drops for Wallace to take four times per day 'until the symptoms are gone.' Which, he has no symptoms of thrush except for a white tongue. I gave the drops for about three days and it was horrible--he gagged, choked, cried, and spit almost all of it out each time. I was supposed to give it to him after feeding, but then not nurse again for 30 minutes. IMPOSSIBLE for Wallace since he would nurse constantly if I let him. I applied anti-fungal cream to my nipples after feedings but then felt weird nursing him later with it on there, even though the doc said it was fine for him to eat it (???!!!!). I was super stressed about the 80+ oz of milk I had pumped and frozen, if it was 'contaminated' with yeast or not and worried about my pump parts. Again, the doc was very laid back about the whole thing and didn't really tell me much of anything except that thrush is very common and it usually resolves by 2-3 months of age. If it is still present at our two month appointment, he said the lactation consultant could give me some magical nipple cream that works really well.

So anyway, all of that to say that I did try treating it with the drops and cream but then I just had to stop because it was becoming super stressful in itself (and combined with everything else in life). And Ace is not at all bothered by it, and neither am I. I might buy some Genetian Violet after reading about it online, since it seems to act quickly and pretty effectively. I've tried to cut back on sugar and alcohol too, and am taking a probiotic still even after my antibiotics are long gone. So really, who knows? Is this even thrush? And if so, did my other kids have it and we didn't know? I will treat it again if I need to but it does seem like his tongue is not quite as white as before. And he's just so stinking happy.....

Enough thrush talk, but have any of you had a thrush diagnosis that seemed iffy and then it went away on it's own?

The other reason weeks 5-6 were pretty hard was because of the mastitis I already mentioned. I felt the clogged duct one day, tried massaging it out and nursed a ton on that side, but by the same evening I already had the fever, body aches, chills, and red hot streaky boob. It was rough, and thankfully the OB on call agreed to call in the antibiotics for me to begin right away. I slept on the couch that night because I was freezing and yet sweating, and basically totally miserable. Luckily the meds did help within about 48 hours.

Unaffected by the meds or thrush or mastitis:
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Cheeeeeeeks:
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That next morning after I started meds, we had three leaks into our kitchen ceiling from construction. And I started potty training Porter, which was no walk in the park. When it rains it pours, right??

Once we got over the hump of that nonsense, things have been settling into a better routine. I had to adjust to my parents being away again, after their amazing twelve day visit with us. My mom and dad flew here from Colorado while Tony and Lois were out in Oregon. My brother also came for a bit, as did my grandma and grandpa---it was an amazing span of two weeks with tons of visitors and helping hands.

When they left, that is when I got mastitis and the thrush diagnosis and the leaky ceiling happened...but then a week later the cloud lifted and I thought, 'I can do this.' My in-laws will still help me out here and there, and even if it's just taking the big kids to a playground for two hours it is MUCH appreciated. Nate is back to his regular hours including several late nights working until 7:30-8, so sometimes he is gone for a solid twelve hour stretch. On those days I try to give myself as much grace as possible and we HAVE to get out of the house by 9:30-10 or we all start to go a little nuts.

Because Wallace is the fourth child, he is getting really talented at sleeping on the go, and sleeping during incredibly noisy construction! He's doing much better in his car seat now and we've taken our first run together in the single BOB. Ace didn't even fall asleep during our run, he preferred to stare at me and smile and coo and cheer me on during my snails-pace jog. But it's a start of a nice running relationship we will have together, I can feel it. He likes the Ergo just fine, too, since we mostly walk everywhere we go right now and he absolutely prefers to sleep while being held.

Peaceful angel.
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In the past week, I have been making a conscious effort to lay him down in the Mamaroo, upstairs in Truman/Cecelia's room, for naps. Some days he does really well with that---he even napped for 3+ hours two days in a row while snoozing in that swing, swaddled, with white noise and in a dark room. We can't ALWAYS force the 'real' naps since we are out and about most of the time, but when the stars align this child can nap like a boss. Best naps are in the morning and evenings can be a little fussy.

Not him!
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Worn out from crying:
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Actually he probably did have a string of 5-6 fairly fussy evenings a week ago, but that seems to be improving a lot now. And really, he was fussy for HIM but not compared to Cecelia or Porter as babies. He'd calm down after an hour of bouncing/walking/nursing/shushing.

He's still usually awake for maybe an hour max, then needs to sleep again during the day. At night he's waking up after a 4-6 hour stretch at first, then after that it's every 2-3 hours. This is another way to say he's usually up twice at night to eat and it's been like this pretty much since he came home from the hospital. He sleeps in our room, in the Mamaroo and I'm swaddling him but I don't think it makes much of a difference. We are really grateful for a good sleeper and hope it doesn't change anytime soon, so let's pretend I didn't even mention it so the blogging gods don't strike me down.

Fave:
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Where we spend the early morning, pre-nap:
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Sleepy smiles:
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Next up? Stats from his one month appointment. He stayed in the 84th percentile for weight, and was officially heavier than ALL of the other kids were at one month. By a lot!! His 11lbs 12oz was way more than T, C, and P's 10lbs 2 or 3oz, and my little fatty gained exactly three pounds in his first month of life. He measured 23" long which I always assume is totally inaccurate as they wiggle around on the table, but that would be 93rd percentile. And his head is still slightly big at 39cm or 88th percentile. The doc loved Wallace at this appointment, and even with the thrush diagnosis it seemed like everything looked very normal. His baby acne cleared up around the 6-7 week mark and so far he doesn't have cradle cap. He wears all 0-3 or 3 month clothes and some seem a little snug. Slow down, baby boy!

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Loved the zoo! ;)
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Another really amazing milestone would be Wallace giving us genuine smiles. I think this started happening pretty consistently somewhere between 5-6 weeks, and now we can get him to smile just by looking at him;) I really think this is the BEST gift as a mom to a newborn: seeing him smile at me makes my heart to funny things and it makes me talk in a sickeningly high-pitched delusional voice, too. I take way too many pictures of this child, thus bucking the trend for the fourth kid to be under-documented. I mean, it's hard to avoid this face, especially when he looks right at me and smiles! It's like he recognizes me and it's the best. Throw in some adorable 'coo's and 'goo's and you have a recipe for the sweetest, happiest babe ever.

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I've mentioned nursing already, but Wallace nurses on demand so I'm not sure how often. I'd say he likes to eat at least every 2-3 hours during the day if not more often. Usually takes both sides but sometimes he will stay latched on one side until he drifts off to sleep. I'm trying to keep him on an Eat-Play-Sleep schedule but I fail quite regularly at this goal. He will nurse for at least 10 minutes but again, many times he just falls off when he is asleep or totally full. Wallace has now had a few GIANT spit-ups but maybe only two times has it seemed like a ridiculous amount. I think he just likes to overeat, really, and doesn't seem to be upset when he barfs.

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Still tiny, though.
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I'm pumping most days, just one time for about five minutes, but I'll get 5-7 ounces at a time. I just added it up and have a grand total of 148 ounces frozen right now. I have about a month to go before I return to work on October 2, so this number makes me happy!

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OH, and Wallace took his first bottle right before he turned six weeks old. I went out for a girls night dinner and was away for two hours...my longest stint without my baby yet. Nate was home with all four kids and managed to give Ace a 3oz bottle of freshly pumped milk. I was afraid he wouldn't take it, since he hates the pacifier now and only wants to nurse/be held by me when I'm around. But go figure, he took it just fine! And he also took a pacifier and didn't scream his head off the entire time I was away. When I returned he was wide awake and content for about two hours, nursing only a little bit and mostly just staring directly into my soul;) I have a feeling he will do great for Tony and Lois when I return to work but I still don't love being away from him at all right now.

Concerned citizen with a muscle tank
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Happiest.
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I seriously cannot handle him.
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We are trying to remember to do tummy time and Ace is rocking it better than I thought he would. The big kids find tummy time to be their favorite because they yell and cheer for baby Wallace when he slightly twitches his neck muscles:) I also realized he is ready for something to DO when awake. So I pulled out the activity mat and he happily passes the time staring at the aged, dangling animals for a good 10-20 minutes at a time.

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The bigger kids are still completely obsessed with Wallace, but I think Cecelia's love for this baby is the most apparent. She calls him her best friend and definitely has a natural motherly instinct with him---covering him up, snuggling him, asking to hold him.
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I think he looks most like Truman these days, too. It has to be the double chin! T on left, W on right.
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Porter and Ace just have totally different face shapes! (Ports on the left, Ace right)
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Three boys, all their own person!
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In conclusion, we all just love this guy so much! I mean, how could we not be totally under his spell? It's not all puppies and rainbows over here and we are quite ready for school to start at the end of this week. But the newborn baby part of life is pretty amazing.
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Headed towards two months, and it seems like he's been with us forever. But it's flying by! Love you, Ace-man/Acey-Base/Waller/Wallipop.
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Adventures in Potty Training a Three Year Old (Beer Me).

Well, potty training Porter has been awesome and awful all wrapped into one tiny pair of undies with superheroes on them. I will be showing pictures of said undies and taking a lot about pee and poop here today, so if that doesn't sit well with you? Skip this post about potty training, it's not for you if pee and poo talk irritate you. It's not a glamorous topic, but I'm discussing anyway because it's ALL CONSUMING and I forgot so much from the last two times. And it's been kind of a rough week in general so I need to frantically type away my feeeeeeelings.

Last week I decided enough was enough and it was TIME for this three year old to stop wearing a diaper. The two biggest kids were completely potty trained before two-and-a-half and they rocked the three day method immediately: night training, nap training, poop AND pee training all at the same time. It was glorious and easy both times before this....from what I recall, anyway.

Enter Porter: three years old and stronger willed than the other two combined when it comes to getting him to do things he does not want to do. I've been dreading potty training with him for no other reason except that he is too smart for his own good. He knew when he had to potty but he just didn't want to go in the toilet, so I never pushed him and figured 'it will happen someday'.

Someday turned into last week on Wednesday when I realized we didn't have a ton planned for the week, his man-sized poops belonged in the toilet, and I wanted to rip the bandaid off and GO FOR IT while on maternity leave. Because, you know, why not potty train while undergoing major house construction with a newborn and the big kids home for the summer? Why not?!?! (She says with psychotic laughter and crazy eyes).

Anyway. Monday of last week he said he had to poop, so I had him sit on the potty. Nothing happened but I put on big boy underwear anyway, just to give it a go. He didn't have an accident but didn't go in the potty either. We were both pretty amped up and excited about these adorable big boy undies. Then he was off to a playground with Tony (in a diaper), then napping, then I lost all steam to try that day. 'It will happen someday,' kicked in again but I knew that it was time.

On Wednesday, 'someday' arrived. I ditched the diaper first thing in the morning, we hung out mostly at home for the day, and even when we walked to get the big kids from VBS he stayed in the undies. And stayed dry! Until we came back home and he was a few feet from the house, and he had a pee accident. No biggie, as he had several of those throughout the day. Inside the house, creating puddles, you know---the whole shebang. But I knew he was GETTING IT and had lots of successes in the potty, too.

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I would reward Porter each time he peed in the potty, going a little overboard with high fives and excited claps and hugs...plus plenty of M&Ms and suckers and marshmallows. Note to self: trading diapers for dental bills may not be a win, but I'm going with it anyway. Day one was pretty darn good, boasting about 6 accidents and 4 successes. He wore a diaper for nap and bedtime and I was glad to have the first day behind us. He was so stinking proud and it really almost made me cry to hear him say, 'I did it! I peed in the potty, mommy!' My baby was becoming a man...or something.

Second day boasted more successes than accidents, but he still pooped in his diaper and it was wet in the morning after sleeping all night. More M&Ms and also suckers were had, as we focused on a sticker chart for each success. He was working towards earning a new train after 20 successes and was well on his way by day two. I believe we got him that train by day three but it's all a blur now.

The following picture must have been taken in a different lifetime, because now my house is seriously a disaster and will never be this clean again (slightly dramatic, but yeah---being at home more for potty training means a messier house, I guess).
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Just because I want to remember this: there were multiple times when I was nursing Wallace, stepping on legos, making lunch one-handed, instructing the big kids on dumping the pee in the potty for me, and helping Porter's underwear to inch back up his legs onto his butt....all one handed. Add in a barking dog with every doorbell, and construction workers ringing said doorbell during every nap time and you have the recipe for my week last week. The ultimate in mom life, yes?!

Also, the second day brought a leak in our kitchen ceiling after unexpected rain hit in the early morning. It was from the construction, as they didn't put the tarp down over the new addition, thinking they'd be safe from rain. So waking up to a steady stream of water coming out of our light fixture was a little frightening. It all got fixed, after two more leaks sprouted, and now they use a tarp every night no matter what the forecast. They will patch up the janky kitchen ceiling at some point and construction rages on for the most part, so whatever. The exterior framing is basically done and they've begun tearing off our old roof now, so it's coming along nicely. I'll post about it 'someday'. ;)

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Oh yeah, ALSO, I came down with Mastitis at the end of day one of potty training. More on that later but let's just say that Wednesday night really sucked (I slept on the couch because I was shivering cold but burning up), and Thursday morning wasn't that much better. But we survived!! Last week was really a doozy now that I stop and think about it. The baby is doing great and I'm doing my best to remain sane, thanks for asking. Antibiotics are kind of the best and my boob no longer pulsates in pain. Win. I do have a nasty cold and apparently Ace has asymptomatic thrush (?!), but let's get through this first post and go from there before I start complaining again. But yes, a LOT going on here lately!

End of Thursday, day two, when I declared popsicles for all and waved the white flag at potty training, mastitis, and house construction.
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Day three was Friday, and now I see this is when things really clicked. He had maybe two pee accidents, was dry after his nap, and even dry in the morning after sleeping all night in a diaper. Amazing! He definitely was NOT waking up dry from naps or nighttime the week before this. He didn't poop in the potty so he must have used his nap time diaper this day, but I can't remember. I just know that on day three he turned the corner and I was less nervous about him sitting on the couch in just his undies. No towel needed anymore! Still nerve-wracking to leave the house every time but getting less scary by the day.

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Maybe I should have mentioned this sooner? Part of the three day method that I've always used includes saying, 'Let me know if you have to potty,' and then asking, 'Hey! Are your undies clean and dry? GOOD JOB!' over and over again. You aren't supposed to ask IF they have to potty, because if you have a boy like mine he will always answer in the negative. But if you put the ball in their court and just ask them to tell if you if they have to go, it seems to work like magic for the most part. But Porter caught on quickly and by about ten minutes on day one he asked, 'Mom, why do you keep SAYING THAT?' I really am a broken record during potty training and it's hilarious to me that he noticed. Overall Porter was really excited and happy throughout the process and not frustrated or mad. I could tell he was extremely tired at night and before his nap, just from learning this new skill of not using a diaper, but otherwise he has been pretty unaffected by the training. Me, however? I'm freaking SPENT. In case you couldn't tell.

By day four, I let him nap in his undies and they were totally dry! We even went to State Fair and he peed in a public restroom there, so I knew he was on the home stretch. And by five he was wearing undies to bed at night, and again---dry! I'm not sure how I've had children who night-train so easily but it's very much appreciated. He honestly has not even had a pee accident since day three right now, and he's still super proud of himself overall. Because WE are so proud of him! Having Truman and Cecelia cheer for him and congratulate him on peeing in the potty is a big part of it, I think. But also, I'm careful to stay upbeat about his successes and will still dish out the M&Ms every time that he asks. He doesn't always want the rewards anymore, but sometimes he will remember and I'll oblige.

Lest you think this is a done deal, we still need to get him off the froggy floor potty and onto the real deal. ALSO, he needs to stop pooping in his underwear. For instance, today I have cleaned THREE smallish but horrible poops out of undies and I'm about at my limit for dealing with this part of it. For being so amazing with pee, he is really not getting the poop on the potty thing. At all. Does anyone have any special tricks with this part? My other kids did both pee and poop pretty much right away, so this is uncharted (crappy) territory...no pun intended.

I realize this is probably very normal, and potty training a three year old (boy!) is way different than doing it when they are two like the other times. But I'm really hoping he will start pooping in the potty very soon, like tomorrow, or else I'm seriously just going to buy about three more packs of underwear and start throwing those dirty puppies in the trash. GAG.

Seriously though, it's crazy to me to think that two weeks ago he was wearing diapers and now he just isn't. For all of the dread and putting it off, it wasn't TOO awful......except for the poop part. That really needs to get better but I'll still proudly proclaim him potty trained for pee and when sleeping. Also, it seems like he's trying to drop his nap FOR REAL NOW and I'm not sure he's ready for that. I know I'm not ready to have a non-napping Porter but I guess we will roll with it and figure out a way to make everyone minimally crazy. I realize I never did a three year old post for Porter so this will have to do for now: (mostly) potty trained, trying to drop his nap about six months earlier than his big siblings did, really smart, incredibly talkative, and a hilarious sense of humor. This kid is something else, man. 

M&M face at 9am.
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He really melts me to my soul...when he isn't driving me bonkers. ;)
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And now we only have one kid in diapers again. The giant size 6's will be packed away for Ace to use someday, and I'm off to buy more big boy underwear online!

Wallace's Newborn Family Photoshoot

I knew I wanted to do a family photoshoot with baby Wallace, and had hoped to do it within his first ten days of life to really capture him at his sleepiest. But then my eyes almost popped out of my skull while birthing said baby and I looked like a vampire for a solid three weeks, so we postponed it until I looked more human.

Katie Derus Photography is seriously the bomb. We have used Katie twice now and both times I have been super impressed with her skills dealing with our wild children and then the final product is excellent, too. Katie came to our house to capture some casual, family photos on 7.31.17 when Wallace was a day over three weeks old. My mom and Grandma were here so of course we had to grab a four generations shot to start the event!

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And then we went right into the 'four kids' shot on the couch.
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This is when Porter showed us that he is three and has his own ideas of what to do for a photoshoot. He was pretty naughty throughout but apparently Katie still managed to capture his smile...and I do love the 'real life' shots the best.
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But Wallace woke up and stole the show anyway.
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He does have two mommies, you know.
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Family of six, holy moly!!
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I sure do love these people of mine.
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I did not have the time, energy, or focus to buy any new clothes for us for this shoot. So I picked the one dress that I feel sort of pretty in right now, then went with 'super bright' colors for everyone else. I love how colorful this shoot turned out to be!
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I mean, seriously?? Sweet boy.
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Truman, age seven, and the best big brother ever. Also: toothless and handsome.
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The original two kids;)
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Cecelia, five years old, and sure to hold her own with the three boys. Tough as nails, this one.
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On our sidewalk, in front of the house: I really love these images.
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Four kids! New challenge will always be to get them all smiling in a picture together. Seems like the ultimate mecca of all photos!
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Then I wanted a shot of us from above, laying on each other, all squished together. These don't disappoint although I was sweating profusely here.
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Truman looking at Wallace....seriously?! And Porter's (and Cecelia's!) eyes are breathtaking.
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Woah, all of us looking happy! Party of six.
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I like this one, too. These are near our backyard where the porta potty is sitting currently. Glad we did this shoot right before the big construction began!
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My crew.
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Nate and I with our fourth child. It strikes me to see this picture, compared to those images with 'just' Truman as a baby...everything and nothing has changed in seven years. Married for ten, together for FIFTEEN. And just look at that little caboose of a baby!
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And this guy? He's shaping up to be a great big brother. Porter, age three, is the master of all potty talk and our class clown.
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One more try for shots with the four kids....love this one a lot.
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Gah, so sweet. Even if Truman is slightly freaking out holding Wallace without the Boppy or pillows.
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This isn't even all of the images, but mostly my favorite ones. How will I choose which to make into prints for the house, and which to use for a birth announcement?? What a great problem to have.


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