August 31

Today was something. A real doozy.

Let's not talk about it. We can talk about it later.

Let's talk about sweet Daisy snuggling her brother while Lily napped. They were both jockeying for a seat in my lap, and we decided to have a group snuggle.

We can talk about how much Eli loves his sister. She is the one who can always make him laugh, and it would soften the hardest of hearts to watch those two together.

And I died laughing when I finally deciphered Caleb's classwork today.

"helpmeobeewonknobeeelayu"

is really

"Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi! Leia"

My boy. All Star Wars, all the time. I love his sweet little heart.

August 30

Aside from the fact that Eli was completely ridiculous about sleeping last night, today was a good day. We went to church, and Lily insisted on wearing her sparkly black leotard with the sheer skirt, and her red Converse. Then she let me put pigtails in her hair, and she was the cutest thing ever. She told me she was excited to go to her classroom, which I thought was really funny.

After church we made a Costco run, and when we got home Chris had just enough time to eat lunch and put on a suit before driving an hour and a half to go to an old friend's wedding. We had hoped that I would be able to join him, but we knew that putting the kids in the car during naptime and near bedtime was a bad idea, and our go-to babysitter (hi, Mom!) was out of town, so I took one for the team and stayed home.

I put Eli down for his nap, fed the kids lunch, and put Lily down for her nap. Then the big kids and I started a painting project. Or, I started a painting project and got out some paints for them, too, so they'd leave me alone. Same thing, right?  Right when I was in the thick of it, Eli woke up, but I managed to finish.

Daisy was excited to roll around on the bed with her baby brother.

See? That's her excited face.

You can't even tell that before church this morning, I braided her hair into two sweet little French braids. She looked adorable, but she must have taken them out sometime after lunch.

Also, you can see my project in the background. Do you see it?

We moved into our house three and a half years ago, but our bedroom walls remain bare. I finally decided to do something about that, so I had a canvas printed with a stunning image from our anniversary photo shoot last year. To go with it, today I made the canvas that says "I choo choo choose you."

15 years ago, Chris and I had been dating for just over a month when I got this Valentine's Day card in the mail a few days before the actual holiday:

The best part was that when I opened it, I saw that Chris had scrawled Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 on the inside. You know, the one that goes, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day..."

That was all it took; I knew then that I would marry him. It didn't hurt that on Valentine's Day itself, he also had a dozen roses delivered to my dorm room. (We were freshmen in college. Such babies! But when you know, you know.) Chris chose to write "I choo choo choose you" because he was an avid Simpsons fan, and there is an episode in which Lisa Simpson gives Ralph Wiggum a similar valentine. Since then, "I choo choo choose you" has always been a loving joke for us. Perfect for our bedroom wall!

At dinner tonight, Eli tried avocado.

He liked it!

However, the slippery slices proved pretty elusive for him. Still, he kept trying. Way to go, Eli!

August 29

Well, Chris, Caleb, and Lily lasted all night long in the tent! How about that?

Even though it rained on them.

Chris and I specifically checked the weather forecast before deciding to "camp", and it said 0% chance of rain. Somehow, though, the rain still came, and they got a bit damp before Chris got the rain fly back on. I expected Lily to love camping, and all day she asked, "Camp 'gain? Go camp 'gain?"

But when I asked her what her favorite part of sleeping in the tent was, she scowled at me and said, "Not good."

And when Chris asked if she wanted to sleep in the tent again tonight, her answer was an emphatic, "NO."

So I guess maybe it wasn't her favorite thing ever, even if she did get to snuggle Daddy all night long.

Amber dropped her kids off at our house this morning while she photographed our neighbors, so we had a fun little playdate that I somehow managed to not take any pictures of. After Lily went down for her nap (she went down very early and very easily, which is clear proof that she didn't sleep much last night!), Eli and I headed out to do the grocery shopping and stop by a friend's house for her 25-cent garage sale (in her living room).

I asked my friend to hold Eli while I riffled through her things, and while she held him her daughters became interested in him. When I looked up again, Eli was giggling happily at the girls and wearing this lion headband. It was really funny.

Then on to the grocery store! 

Eli discovered my necklace and wholeheartedly approved. He played with and sucked on it the whole time, and didn't touch my hair once.

(Don't mind the weird lump on the side of my wrap; that was Eli's elbow when he tucked his arm back down in the wrap after playing with the necklace.)

Eli fell asleep in the van on the way home from the store, and I miraculously managed to transfer him to his crib. Hooray! (He must have been really tired.)

Chris and Daisy helped me unload the groceries, and then I snuck into bed for a much-too-short rest. When I got up, Lily was awake and fussing, so I wrapped her on my back. Now that Eli is here, I don't wear her that often, so it was a special treat.

She really was happy to be up there. She just didn't want her picture taken.

See? That's her trademark "no pictures!" pose.

Daisy wanted her picture taken, though!

And then at dinner, I got out my camera to take a picture of our whole family.

I am so happy that I moved the furniture on Friday and reclaimed our dining room! Mealtime feels so much more pleasant and peaceful in that room, and I love that we have an open, uncluttered space to eat in. I also love that our dining room table has been with us since our first apartment in college, and before that it was in my parents' (rarely-used) dining room, and before that it belonged to someone else. This table is a workhorse, and now it is working hard for my family. It's funny to think that this table saw the very first meal I prepared for my new husband (spaghetti and mashed potatoes. Really. I've learned a lot since then.), held puzzles we put together, hosted meals for our extended family, and now will be a gathering place for our not-so-little brood. 

I love it, and I am thankful.

August 28

Eli is 7 months old today!

It also happened to be my older sister's day off school, so she came over to hang out with us this morning. While Emily and I were talking, our baby sister, Jenny, called and asked if she could come over. Having one sister over to play is rare; having two is a really special treat. We had so much fun!

I had a tiny bottle of champagne left over from my first-day-of school celebration, so we all had mimosas. Then we texted this picture to our mom, who was equally happy to see her babies all together, and jealous that we got together while she was out of town. I guess we'll just have to do it again when she's in town!

We had mimosas, baked muffins, made cards for our aunt, and then it was time for Eli's nap. When I returned from putting him down, I saw this: 

And this: 

I briefly contemplated tiptoeing back out of the room and crawling into my bed for a nap, but I decided that wouldn't be a kind choice.  I love seeing how happy my girls are to be with their aunties!

Much later, while Lily napped, we attempted Eli's 7-month pictures. They did not go well; he had just woken much too early from a too-short nap, and there were bugs everywhere. He didn't want to sit, he didn't want to smile... I just did what I could.

So. This is Eli at seven months old. I would guess he weighs just over 16.5 pounds. 

He sits, but not well, and tips at least 75% of the time. But he can do it.

He has learned how to bounce in his bouncer, which is hilarious.

He chews on everything.

He is starting to recover from his naptime sleep regression, but nighttime sleep is still a challenge.

I usually try to put him to bed in his crib around 7:30 each night, and he refuses to sleep there. Chris wears him until our bedtime at 10, when we bring him into bed with us. Then I nurse him all night long. There are no 3-hour or 6-hour gaps; I'm lucky to go a 2-hour stretch without him waking to eat.

I am exhausted.

Still, during the day he is a really good baby. He is happy, and he loves his siblings.

Daisy has figured out that he can see her perfectly from his rear-facing seat in the van, and she loves to make silly faces and noises to make him laugh. He thinks she is hilarious.

We just started giving Eli occasional foods, but his diet is 99% mommy milk. He is enjoying the sensory experience of food, though! So far we've tried cucumber and sweet potato.

Sweet naked baby. 

Hi there, handsome!

The last two pictures were taken during our Friday night  celebration, in which we ate (gluten free) grilled cheese sandwiches (a BLT for me) on the couch while watching Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

Then Chris set up our tent in the back yard, and he and the older three "camped".

I helped them get situated, then put Eli to bed. When I emerged from Eli's room, I noticed Caleb and Daisy's light was on, and their door was closed. I peeked in to find Daisy, curled up in a ball, asleep on the hardwood floor. Apparently Caleb scared her by talking about wolves, so she came inside, but she didn't want to go to bed yet... I tucked her into her bed and snuggled her for a bit. Sweet girl.

Then I stopped outside to see how my other loveys were doing. Caleb passed me, heading for the bathroom, so I snapped a picture of Chris and Lily, snuggling in the tent. I'm pretty sure this was a dream fulfilled for her: Daddy finally snuggled her all. night. long.

And then I went in to wash diapers and do dishes and edit photos in an attempt to blog before Eli realized he was sleeping in his crib and woke up.

I snapped this selfie so you could see my fancy new necklace. I'm super excited about it because it is "Mama Metal" - specially made to be safe for babies to play with . It's all fine and sterling silver, with no solder, and is made to be strong enough to withstand a baby's tugging and playing.  I had a local artisan make this one just for me: four circles for my four duckies, and in the back there are two linked hearts for Chris and me. I love, love, love it. I've been feeling so frumpy and dumpy lately, and it's nice to finally have a beautiful piece of jewelry to wear all the time.

I also love that it should give Eli something to play with when he's on my back, instead of pulling my hair. Hooray!

August 27

This morning, I got Caleb on the bus, took Daisy to preschool, and then took the younger two out for a playdate with MOPS friends. It was a nature walk at a park, with a lovely mile-long path. Lily insisted she wanted to walk, but I knew for sure that she would want the stroller, so I brought the BOB along. Eli was ready for a nap, though, so he was wrapped up on me, and Lily really did want to walk, so I ended up pushing an empty stroller for the first 1/3 mile. Then my friend Lacy comandeered it for her three girls, and then Lily wanted to ride, so at one point Lacy was pushing four children in a double stroller. So it goes.

But then Lily was done riding and done walking, so I borrowed Lacy's Ergo and put Lily on my back. I rocked that tandem carry, while Lacy pushed her girls in my double stroller. It was funny and perfect.

Also funny and perfect? Another friend was carrying her three-year-old daughter, who happened to be wearing...

wait for it...

a Wonder Woman watch.

Seriously. Do you remember that Daisy promised Lily her own Wonder Woman watch, and Lily is now consumed with the idea? You know I asked my friend where she got the watch, and now I just need to make it to WalMart so that Lily can have her own watch.

After our playdate, we picked up Daisy, ate lunch, Lily went down for a nap, Eli took a much-too-short nap, and Daisy helped me make some meatballs for dinner. Then Eli woke up and I rearranged all of our furniture.

Really.

Our dining room is now our living room. It is fabulous.

And Daisy held Eli, which was equally fabulous.

I'm going to post too many pictures of this, because they were too cute to choose. I mean, look at Eli's smile. It's perfect.

But then look at how happy and proud Daisy is here? Equally perfect. I suppose some photoshopping could solve my oversharing of pictures, but ain't nobody got time for that.

And this one is so funny!

(I love that Daisy is wearing her pink skirted leotard, her apron, pink star socks, and gray Converse. That outfit is totally her.)

My cutie pies!

(Lily says "cutie pie", and it is hilarious.)

Silly kids.

OK, that's all. I promise.

We ate dinner in our dining room, at our newly-reclaimed dining room table. Now that Eli is in the high chair, it is really crowded for the whole family to sit at the little kitchen table. I decided that we needed to go back to eating at the dining room table, which makes me really happy. Caleb, however, was devastated to lose his Lego table. Sorry kid. At least he has another Lego table in his room.

At bedtime, I tried again to get a very-tired Eli to sleep, but he wasn't having it. This time, though, after my frustrations yesterday, I didn't waste my time. I wrapped that boy on Chris' back and went to the gym.

When I left, they looked like this: 

Hi, handsome men!

When I returned 45 minutes later, they still looked like that.

Then I took a shower, and when I was clean and in my jammies, I came out to find this: 

Boo-yah. Sound asleep on Daddy's back, with a little bit of spit up on the wrap. Victory!

(OK, really, victory would be Eli sleeping in his crib.  But Eli sleeping while wrapped on someone else's back is a close second place.)

August 26

It was good day today, but I'm having a hard time remembering that because I am so frustrated with Eli. Bedtime and late evening is such a challenge with him, and it's really discouraging for me. For example, he was exhausted and ready for bed tonight at about 7:30. That is a normal and appropriate time for a 7-month-old to go to bed. So we did all the normal bedtime things, I snuggled him and nursed him until he was full, and he fell asleep in my arms. But the moment I laid him in the crib, he began screaming. So I picked him up and started it all over...

At 8:36, I left his room and he began screaming again. He wasn't happy until Chris put him in the Ergo.

I feel frustrated because I wasted an hour trying to get him to sleep. If I had known it was fruitless, I would have stopped after fifteen minutes and gone to the gym. But instead, I wasted an hour and I didn't get to go to the gym. And the thing is, two nights ago I went to the gym and left Chris to settle Eli. When I returned an hour later, Eli was wide awake, playing with Chris. At 9:15. I just want him to sleep like a normal baby. He's been better about naps lately, and I don't understand why his little mind thinks going to sleep for a nap is fine, but going to sleep for bed is not fine.

What it comes down to is that I really would like two hours of the day (maybe three, but that's pushing it) where my child has all of his needs met and he doesn't need me. I know that this is a short season and this will end soon, but I am stuck in the middle of it right now, and it is so frustrating. SO. FRUSTRATING.

But we had a whole day before the 7:30 bedtime debacle rolled around, and it was mostly a good one.

OK, really it was a normal day that had a few good parts and a few bad parts.

Eli woke up at 6:15 this morning and wanted to party. At 6:30 I texted Chris: "COME GET YOUR BABY." Amazingly, it worked, and he took Eli until he left for work at 7. Then I put Eli back to sleep in his crib, and all was right with the world. We did morning breakfasty school things, and Eli slept. I took the big three and the baby monitor to the bus stop, and Eli slept. Caleb was feeling sad, though, so I sat down in the middle of the sidewalk and pulled my big first grader into my lap for snuggles. He didn't even mind, and I was glad that Eli was sleeping.

After we got Caleb on the bus, we had an art party. My aunt is having a double mastectomy on Monday, so the kids and I created a whole bunch of beautiful cards in an effort to fill her mailbox with love and support. I even broke out the paints and glitter, so you know things are serious.

Oh, did I fail to mention that it was a topless art party?

Just kidding. Everyone else kept their clothes on. Lily is the only one I don't trust. 

Daisy was so excited to use all of our art supplies: I don't remember the last time I let the kids play with them because it can be so much work. But I don't want to be that kind of mom, so hopefully I will be better about creating opportunities for them to create, messes be damned. 

Eli sat in the high chair and chewed on his lamb, and we were very productive.

The afternoon was weird: Daisy started yawning at 11:30 and she is coming down with a cold, so I knew today would be a nap day for her, even though she doesn't nap anymore. I put her down at 1:15, and she went right to sleep, despite her protests. Then Eli and I put Lily down at 1:30, only she didn't go to sleep. I'm pretty sure she talked in her room until nearly 4:00, even though I went in to try to settle her a few times.

Eli actually took a two-hour nap, which is exciting and wonderful. Hooray, Eli!

And my mom came over after she got off work, which was a fun surprise. She brought a belated birthday gift for Lily: her very own art supply box, filled with crayons and markers and glue sticks and paper and scissors. Caleb and Daisy each have one, and now Lily is thrilled that she has one, too! 

This is her trying to figure out the scissors: 

She had no idea what to do, but she knew they were for cutting paper and she knew she wanted to use them. It was pretty funny.

Completely unrelated but I want to remember: for Daisy's birthday, our friend Mr. Kevin gave Daisy a Hello Kitty watch. None of the other children have a watch, and it's a really special thing for Daisy. Yesterday, Daisy told Lily that for Christmas, she would give Lily her own watch - a Wonder Woman watch. I have no idea where that came from, but Lily latched on to it. All day yesterday and several times today, Lily would randomly say, "Own watch? Daisy get own watch? Mine?" She is fixated on the idea of getting her own watch. Daisy had better  not forget!

August 25

It was another lovely day, and we spent a good chunk of it outside, which is so good for my soul. 

Also good for my soul? Sending two of my four children off to school today. I feel awful typing that, but in this season it is a really beautiful thing. Today, it allowed me ample time to enjoy the sweet little ones who were left at home.

I mean, seriously. Look at this kid. He is adorable, and so, so mobile all of a sudden! He's definitely not crawling, but given enough time and lack of supervision on my part, he can move from point A to point B, C, or D. It's both impressive and frightening.

Happy baby! Can you believe he'll be 7 months old in a few days?

Lily handed me Pinky the blanket and asked me to wrap her baby on her back, and was so happy when it worked.

She is just too darling.

Those big brown eyes?

(The big knot and fading bruise on her forehead from Lord-knows-what incident?)

The sweet little ponytail with the perfect little curl?

Seriously. Are you dying? I'm dying.

Love this girl!

Then she wanted to grab my camera and take pictures, but you'd better believe that's not happening. Instead, I handed her my phone and let her try things out.

She really wanted to take a picture of Eli, but he would not say cheese like she wanted him to. He just kept trying to grab the phone.

Soon it was almost time to pick Daisy up from school, so I packed a picnic lunch for us and we all headed to the park.

The girls were way too distracted to eat, though, so we never even managed to get around to playing at the playground. Instead, we spent our time enjoying the great view. Honestly, I didn't mind at all.

This kid is loving the chew beads right  now!

We headed home and Daisy was so cooperative while I put the little ones down for their naps. For her reward, we made a grain-free peach cake with some delicious peaches the neighbors gave us.

(Here's the recipe, Jill. You know I'm not a fan of coconut flour, but I really didn't mind it in this recipe. It was actually really good. If I were to make it again, I'd cut back the honey in the cake to 1/4 cup or less.)

Daisy was the one who chose to bake a cake, and when I agreed she immediately began giving me instructions.

"First, we need our aprons. You need your apron and I need my apron. I can crack the eggs and I can mix...."

She looks slightly manic in the picture, but she was very well-behaved.

At dinner, we let Eli have his first piece of food! 

It was actually pretty anticlimactic; he got some sticks of cucumber because we happened to have them lying around. He was so, so excited and gnawed on them frantically, but didn't actually consume any of them.

I've spent lots of time reading about Baby Led Weaning and traditional and nourishing first foods for baby (barely cooked egg yolk and grass fed beef liver, anyone?), so handing my baby a leftover slice of cucumber felt pretty disappointing. But since he didn't actually eat any of it, I figure it's not that big of a deal.

After dinner, Chris, Caleb and I enjoyed Daisy's cake; no one else got any because they didn't eat their dinner. So it goes. The gym was closed due to a water main break, so we headed up to a new park nearby to walk. 

Okay, actually, we headed up to the park to scout photography locations, because I'm hoping to take pictures of a friend's darling daughters soon. The park didn't disappoint, and now I'm so excited for our photo shoot!

My kids were my models. They were already in their jammies and I did no posing or directing them at all, so these pictures aren't frame-worthy, but I still love them.

This one is hilarious. I don't know what Daisy is doing, and I love that Eli is sitting all by himself.

Isn't she funny?

Then we went on a family walk. 

And by "family walk", I mean Chris handles all of our family while I walk. He had Daisy on his back, Eli and Lily buckled into the BOB, and Caleb in the footwell. My husband is a beast.