goo - 5 years

oh goo. my heart is so full right now. because i have a sweet little five year old girl living under my roof.

i'm going to be honest. i have put this off for a night that i wasn't frustrated with you. and i have been trying to write it for a while now. which is kind of a theme of this past year.

to say it's been a tough one would be an understatement. we feel like the Lord is really molding us into the parents He wants us to be. and you have provided daily challenges for us. to hold firm. to be consistent. to discipline you but not crush your gorgeous spirit in the midst.

last year, ten days after your birthday, i gave birth to your new little sister. you LOVED/LOVE her. you were so excited. but we have pictures of you coloring by the window of my hospital room while bigH and daddy and i loved on E. and our other family members talked about our new arrival.

• you love E. you love her SO MUCH. and you were elated that day. but it takes a lot to get you jumping up and down. and her arrival? heh.
• now? any time she cries, you run to her room or yours and get a stuffed animal as quickly as you can and give it to her. and honestly, it brings tears to my eyes. you are incredibly thoughtful around her.
• you and bigH? have had a tough year this year. he would do ANYTHING for you. and/but sometimes you aren't kind to me. normally, he shrugs his shoulders and lets it roll off his back. but sometimes he's had it and he taddles like he's never taddled before. and you despise when he taddles on you. daddy and i have worked SO HARD on helping you truly love one other and have the other's back. and trying to teach you to be loving and gentle and kind to him. and to use sweet words that make him feel good, not bad. and to make sure the tone of your voice is loving. and to watch how you look at him. because it hurts his feelings when you glare at him. we're praying that by the time E is old enough to really interact with you guys, you'll have this sibling relationship down pat.
• you have become quite opinionated with regards to your clothing. and oh goo...how this has been a source of stress and contention between us. it has become a DAILY (sometimes multiples times a day) battle of clothing choices. i have always dreamed of picking out clothes for you and seeing you in clothes that i LOVE and hoping that you will love the same ones. but...no.
• your clothing choices are: anything pink, purple, and/or sparkly. you would be in heaven if everyday you could wear a tank top and skirt, preferably the same color. you love your school shoes, but you always wear them with character socks. you love your north face flip flops. you wear your saltwater sandals every sunday but only because sunday isn't a choice. and also on sundays, you wear a smocked bishop dress and a bow. and i'll tell you...you look breathtaking. you love wearing ugg-looking boots in the winter. you love crocs in the summer. once you decide you like an outfit/article of clothing, you request to wear it everyday. you LOVE character clothes, which mama has a VERY HARD time with. you love skorts.
• you do NOT like having your hair brushed. at all. at least by me. you'll tolerate having daddy do it after bath. but only during a tv show. and oh my word, goo. you have AWESOME hair. i so wish i had your hair. it's a great color -- mix of brown and red. not to mention how wavy it is. not curly. not straight. wavy. it is awesome. and your hair? is ALWAYS in your face. my goal this year is to teach you how to put it behind your ears.
• speaking of hair, you never want to brush mine. every so often, i'll just throw it out there, and nope. not your thing.
• you LOVE having your fingernails and toenails polished. but you pick the fingernail polish off within the same day, so we've quit having those done at the salon. :)
• you've been to the eye doctor AGAIN. because you are having the same problem with your eyes. but the (new) doc said he didn't want to do surgery a third time. so daddy and i are praying constantly for ultimate healing.
• last year, you had a HORRIBLE time getting used to school. this was your third year at the same preschool, but it was a very difficult time. you cried every morning, and your teachers had to pry you off of me. i cried every day. all the kids in your class knew you as the little girl who cried at school. but you stopped pretty quickly after. the longest you ever cried was an hour. but after you stopped crying, you were perfect the rest of the day. your teachers and i tried several different things to help with the "transition." (i was surprised there was a transition seeing as how this school wasn't new to you.) the one that worked was me taking you 15 minutes earlier than everyone else. also, ms. elise, who works in the office, helped immensely by offering support to me and encouraging you when you had an easier drop off. you had wonderful friends and your teachers and friends really loved you.
• you also had a VERY difficult transition to going back to church. when E was born, we stayed home for several sundays. so when we finally went back, you cried loud and hard. but there is a guy who works in the childrens' area named dave who has been a lifesaver this year. anytime we see him in the hall after a tough drop off or a sunday morning when you seemed sad, he would head to your class to check on you.
• it takes a village, goo. and God has blessed us with amazing people in our life.
• you love to "read." you love books. you love puzzles.
• you still love princesses and ballerinas.
• you went to princess ballet camp this summer. and were pretty much in hog heaven the whole week.
• you went to VBS with bigH this year. i was so sad when i dropped you off because you didn't know anyone at first and you looked so sad. but i was so proud because i picked you up and your teachers said you had a wonderful day. and made a lot of friends.
• you would rather play by yourself.
• you love make believe.
• you have a rock/acorn collection.
• you try hard to play PS games with bigH. anything to get to play with him, you'll try.
• you think bigH hung the moon. you look up to him so much. yet, you guys bicker like nobody's business.
• you have perfected the art of pouting. i can't count how many times i said, "goo, it seems like you're not very happy right now. why don't you head into your room and come out when you find your happy place?"
• you say your favorite color is pink, purple, farkly (sparkly) -- as though that is one color. and i really think in your mind it IS one color.
• you love to sing in the car. and there isn't a sweeter sound.
• this fall, you're going to a preK class at a new school. luckily, you'll have your best friend claire there. you'll have to wear a uniform, and i'm hoping that takes away some of our morning issues. when you finish this year, you'll have a choice of going straight to first grade at bigH's school or going to kindergarten also at bigH's school. we've already made that choice for you. you'll go to kindergarten. so you can have bigH's kindergarten teacher. she LOVES Jesus, and we want that to be your first public school experience, just like it was for bigH.
• your favorite shows are magic school bus and peppa pig. you just got into the wiggles because daddy got free tickets to their concert a couple of weeks ago, and you two had a good time together. you used to like jake and the neverland pirates, wow wow wubbzy, doodlebops rockin road show (only if i'm not here), dino dan (if i'm in another room)
• you love to color houses, people, rainbows, the outline of your hand, and flowers. but you need help drawing butterflies, stars, and hearts.
• you successfully colored "dad" with an "x" through it the other night when you were mad at him. that seems to be a wisner kid rite of passage.
• you have a temper. oh. my. heavens.
• you are beautiful. i know. i'm totally biased. but sometimes i can't NOT stare at you. and marvel at God's incredible creation.
• you are a big fan of extreme words: always, never, "uh yot" (a lot), tiny, ever
• you don't have the concept of time figured out. you say that anything before today was done "on the yast night."
• when there is something you don't want to do, you say "but that is going to take bor uh yong time." (that is going to take for a long time.)
• we joke that everything you touch either breaks or spills. poor you.
• you can suck a juice box dry in no time flat.
• you love to "snort" like daddy pig (on peppa pig). the face you make while doing it is PRICELESS. (fyi: it sounds nothing like a snort.)
• you love to play hopscotch.
• you love ANY flavor of sno cone. and you could probably survive on snocones and fruit salad.
• you just got into the wiggles and you love to do captain feathersword's "blow me down."
• you say "once ago" when you are talking about the past.
• swimming lessons this summer? oh heaven help me. even though you can put your face in the water and hold your breath, you sat on the side and refused to do much. and when you DID do something, it was because she forced you, and you cried the whole time. needless to say, you didn't get a lot out of swim lessons this year. and neither did she (super awesome teacher). you were DEATHLY afraid of the deep end. daddy and i just talked about you "loving to swim," and we changed that to you "loving to be in the water."
• you are the only wisner to be rescued by a lifeguard. and because of that, you successfully evacuated that pool. which resulted in an incident report. awesome. except no. not awesome at all.
• your eyes are very sensitive. they get red quickly and often. you've figured out that it feels good to put a cold washcloth over your eyes. who knew you'd keep the cloth ON?
• you have a moderate to severe addiction to bandaids and neosporin. in fact, one of the things you wanted for your birthday was "uh yot" of bandaids. and a lot of bandaids you got.
• you don't really have a favorite anything. you love a lot of toys, music, shows, movies. but you don't really hone in on one thing.
• this summer, we went to disney world. you got to meet so many princesses. but your favorite was prince charming. and you hugged him "bor a yong time." you got your hair "yarn wrapped," and it's still in...six weeks later. you did NOT like splash mountain and made that VERY CLEAR to us. the one thing you talked about more than anything else was the swimming pool and the popsicles. of course. you liked the magic carpet ride. you got the mad hatter's tea cup ride WITH alice herself.
• you and bigH love dave, our mailman.
• you say you're talking in spanish. and you really just say quickly, "licka licka licka licka bicka licka."
• you are the only person i know who can LOOK outside and get thirteen mosquito bites.
• this year was the first time you were the little sister at all of bigH's games (football and basketball).
• you play your mobigo for ten minutes before bedtime.
• you love a lot of different food. but you are picky about some foods. you don't love pizza because "there is ALWAYS too much red sauce." you don't love many meats. you'll eat pepperoni in your lunchbox. you'll eat a slim1 ham and cheese sandwich from jimmy john's when you don't realize you're eating it (especially when it's warmed). you ALWAYS want someone to blow on your food. you could survive on fruit and vegetables.
• you played soccer this year. and LOVED it. and LOVED your coach, Coach David. you kicked a goal, and i went NUTS for you. it was such a proud parent moment.

the actual day of your birthday was so amazing.

1. we served you breakfast in bed. you ate pink donuts. bigH colored you a picture and a holly shiftwell, from cars2.
2. you got to watch any show you wanted.
3. a friend of ours watched E while you, bigH, and i went to see winnie the pooh at the studio movie grill.
4. you went to a bookstore with papa and bigH.
5. your dinner of choice was cinnamon rolls and chocolate cereal and orange juice.
6. as for gifts, you asked for bandaids and a tray for movie night.
7. you got 7 princess barbies, lots of strawberry shortcake play toys, and lots of coloring supplies.

goose, i tried to explain to daddy the other night my feelings for you. and the only way i could explain them was this: no matter what my feeling is for you, it is intense. when i am disappointed in you, i could spit fire. when someone messes with you, i want to be violent with that person. when you do something funny, i laugh louder and longer. and when you do or say something sweet or meaningful, well, i am a puddle of tears.

i love you more than i can even explain. you do such kind things for your brother. you love your sister with your whole heart. you could eat daddy with a spoon. and you and i? as you say, "mama, i like you a yot. i'm glad we're pals." you bless my life immensely, and i am so glad God gave you to us five years ago.

love you, goozeroo.

9 and 10 AND ELEVEN..it's fast approaching

(this has been written at different times during the last 3-4 months and is very disjointed.)

dear e,

i'm having a really hard time with you getting closer and closer to turning a year old. soon, you'll be walking and talking and turning into a little girl. and i LOVE you being a baby. and bigH and goo love you being a baby.

i skipped your nine month post because honestly? i didn't want to write it. because writing it would own it. is that so dorky? yes. yes, it is.

these last two months have been amazing. if i could have a million nine-month-olds, i'd keep having children. this is my favorite age BY FAR. you have made so many changes.

• i'm still making your baby food. you now love homemade applesauce with just steamed apples and cinnamon. you eat bananas, carrots (whole but mushy and pureed), peas (whole and pureed), sweet potatoes (definitely with cinnamon), squash and zucchini, green beans (though these are not your favorite unless they are whole from KFC), mashed potatoes (especially from boston market -- yes, you appear to be a food snob), pears, peaches, blueberries, strawberries. you also love all of the gerber finger foods like puffs, wagon wheels, apple/strawberry mix and the cheeto-looking things. you love to sit on the floor when bigH and goo are having a snack and have your own snack. you feel (and look) like such a big girl. you still LOVE eating frozen fruit out of your mesh feeder. it makes your mouth so red because it is so cold.
• you love to clap. especially when we say, "yay E!"
• your smile is infectious. seriously.
• you are still attracting SO MUCH attention. everywhere we go.
• you will ALWAYS win a staring contest. man, you're intense.
• you have the best giggle. bigH can get you to giggle like nobody's business.
• you LOVE to sit with goo on the couch in the mornings when she's watching her morning cartoons. you sit with one toy and are so content just being with her. until...she starts messing with you. and then you're done with her.
• you still don't roll over. it's ridiculous. but every once in a while, you succeed. dr. g isn't concerned.
• you still get swaddled for nighttime. again...ridiculous. you always get out of it quickly, but it puts you right to sleep.
• speaking of sleep, you're doing it. you're finally sleeping well. most mornings, you wake around 6, eat, and go straight back to sleep for 2-3 hours.
• you have a little place under your neck that we put diaper rash cream or aquaphor on constantly. you are drooling so much that it's always chafed. poor you.
• we put diaper rash cream on quite a bit, so you really have never gotten a true diaper rash.
• at your nine month check up, your iron level was low. so now you take a 1/4 teaspoon of iron everyday. i was way worried that something was really wrong. but dr. g assured me that it was nothing to be worried about. as long as your level is increasing with your iron supplement.
• at the end of 8 months, you had two teeth. at the end of your ninth month, you had 10. four on top, four on the bottom, and two in the back. holy cow. you're so advanced.
• knocking on wood, you still haven't had an ear infection. crazy.
• you still like your sophie giraffe.
• you still play in your exersaucer in the afternoons before dinner. and that's still where you have your afternoon poop. you're regular, and we are thankful for that.
• when i go in your room to get you out of your bed after a nap or in the morning, you see me, smile HUGE, and kick your feed like CRAZY. i love it and it puts me in the best mood.
• you still love your ergo carrier.
• you're riding in a big girl stroller and you look so tiny.
• the women at goo's school and bigH's school love to hold you while i pick up your siblings. you still don't have stranger anxiety yet, and i love that about you.
• daddy gives you your bath every night, and that is such a special time for you two. you do NOT like getting your jammies on, and this makes daddy sad.
• your favorite thing to do is sit in the middle of the living room and rummage through your basket of toys like you're at a garage sale. you love your stacking cups. every baby needs stacking cups.
• bigH and goo love to squeeze your tush right before you get in the bathtub. they yell, "squooshy tushy!!" and sometimes they kiss it. mostly they just pat it and love on you. man, they love you. (and by the way, i had to go to dictionary.com to look up how to spell squooshy and to see if it was a real word.)
• i still love the second toe on your right foot. delicious.
• you went to kung fu panda 2 with all of us. you nursed in the back of the theater and then proceeded to fall asleep. best day of my month.

skip a month or two...

• MONTH 11 -- oh EK. i am DYING here. i am dreading the one year mark more than i have ever dreaded any kid's birthday.
• you are delicious. period.
• as for food, oh my. you eat anything. granted, your sister would eat anything at this age. (and still eats most anything.) so we're hoping you're not picky. for a long time, you only ate homemade pureed baby food. but now you're eating some "pick up" food. you had a really hard time with choking so we held off on the finger foods. but now you love them.
• the foods you eat (have eaten): the non-frosted part of a donut this morning, strawberries, blueberries, mango (OH MY WORD HOW YOU LOVE MANGO), banana, apple (you don't care for), grapes (daddy does NOT like it when you eat grapes because you forget to chew them), mandarin oranges, watermelon, pineapple, pear, cherries, raspberries, chicken, avocado (mmm), peas, green beans, squash, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, corn, carrots, sweet potatoes (you DEVOUR them when i sprinkle them with cinnamon and a *little* sugar), bread, chicken noodle soup (you WENT TO TOWN on this stuff the other night).
• FYI: i wish people cared about what i like to eat.
• you are STILL trying to figure out the sippy cup. there is only one you've "mastered." and to say you've mastered is laughable.
• you nurse about 4-5 times a day. once around 8am, once around noon/lunchtime, once around 4-ish, and bedtime. and for all of those CIOers out there, look away...sometimes once in the middle of the night.
• here is my take on your "feeding" in the middle of the night. i FULLY understand you are no longer hungry in the middle of the night. i am FULLY aware of the fact that you can sleep a full night. but now there are reasons you wake up that truly wake you up. like when i didn't get your diaper on well and you wet the sheet and your jammies. the main one now is when somehow you get on your knees and hold onto the rail. but you don't know how to get back down. and so you stay there, on your knees, crying, without having any idea how to get back down. so i finally go in there, after an hour of listening to you wail (dad sleeps with ear plugs now), feed you, and put you back to bed. we know you can go to sleep on your own. but, EK, you are our third. and you are our last. and i'll be honest. i am soaking up EVERY LAST DROP of your babyhood. because i'm going to be a MESS when you start walking and talking.
• speaking of...you STILL don't roll from front to back very well. you cry a lot about this. you can sit for extended periods of time. you go from back to front in about half a second. but front to back. very challenging. dr g is not concerned, which means we're not concerned. yet.
• you make a lot of noise at night.
• you have a lot of teeth.
• you still don't have stranger anxiety (which is awesome), but you have developed some separation anxiety. mainly from me. and as dorky as it is, i'm thankful for that. we're buddies, you and me.
• the workers in the nursery LOVE you. love the way you're dressed. love that you don't require a single thing when you're there. love your smile.
• i could look at you all day. you are a breathtaking little girl.
• still no hair. it'll come. and hopefully, it'll be as beautiful as goo's.
• bigH has gotten in the habit of going into your room when you wake up in the morning or after your nap. and he's gotten in your crib several times. i don't know who loves it more, you or him. have NO worries about boys treating you disrespectfully. bigH SO has your back, girlfriend.
• goo loves to "read" to you.
• you love to go swimming. you sit in a little floatie boat-thing. with your sun hat and kick and giggle. and if we give you one of your siblings' diving toys, you are ALL SET. you lean back, chew on that, and float to your heart's content. it's hysterical.
• you usually take a nap from about 930-1130 or 10-12. and then another nap from about 330-5 or 530 or 3-5. you never have been one to do the little dinky short nap late in the afternoon/early evening.
• dad still bathes you.
• you still get swaddled for naptime and bedtime. but it's a very light, thin blanket, and you come out of it in no time. the swaddling is more for habit.
• you really like playing with the wipes package. you love the "crunchy" noise of it.
• you went to disney world this month. you were/are a ROCKSTAR. you slept well there. it was incredibly hot. you nursed like a champ. you ate different foods. you rode in the stroller a LOT. and baked in the sun. and rode some rides. and fell asleep in random places. and rode on an airplane. daddy and i could NOT stop commenting on how amazing you were/are.
• papa found out he has/had cancer this month. and you have been with me every step of the way. i used to think it was kind of a drag to have a nursing baby that you had take everywhere with you. but you are so different. i like being able to be with you all the time. you got to see uncle bob again, as he was in town to see papa.
• people love taking care of you.
• you cackle instead of giggle. it's freaking awesome.
• your birthday is next month. HOLY COW. don't know what we're going to do. celebrating you is the only important thing to do.
• you love to clap when we say, "yay EK!" and then you grin from here to eternity.
• you light up when you see bigH or goo. especially when daddy walks in from work.
• you fight sleep in the car. and only do so when necessary.
• you do NOT like having your fingernails or toenails clipped. you share this with your siblings. man, what a beating. but your fingernails? it is VITAL that i clip them as often as possible. because man, are they sharp.
• when you nurse, you like to take said sharp fingernails and scratch my face, especially my nose. OUCH. and you always like to pull my hair. and not a lot of it at once. no. you like to grab one little piece that's easy to pull. and give it a go. i mean, i lost enough once you were born. would you please let me keep the rest? even though it's grey? sigh.
• you still kick your feet like crazy when you're excited.
• you sound like you're hyperventilating when you get excited. bigH always says, "breathe, EK. that's too much."
• tomorrow (july 11), we are putting you in your big girl carseat for the first time. i know. you've been in your infant carrier (though we haven't "carried" you anywhere in it in i don't know how long) since day 1. but you've never broken the 20 pound mark, and your feet don't touch the back of the chair yet. but tomorrow's the day. why? don't know. just seemed right.
• today was your last sunday in the infant room at church. you've been in THERE since day 1 as well, and we are WAY sad to move you. but...you are no longer an infant. miss jenny is very sad to see you go. luckily, your buddy sam (whose mom has been my nursing buddy since the beginning) is moving to the crawlers room next week with you. glad to know you won't be afraid. :)
• you JUST started crawling. 11 months. freaking awesome. we are so glad you waited so long. we were in NO HURRY to have you moving.
• we moved you into the big bathtub tonight. why? no idea. dad just felt like it was time.
• big sad news in our house this past week. mommy's external hard drive crashed. in a big way. as in...all of your photos since you got here? gone. mommy is what we call OH MY WORD DEVASTATED BEYOND DESCRIPTION. honestly, i can't even talk about it.
• you've been to your third movie now. we saw mr. popper's penguins. you fell asleep through part of it. but you didn't stay asleep very long. still, you've seen more movies in your first year than bigH and goo saw in three years. right on, sister.
• you have several nicknames: big baby, e luh-roo, e-dawg yo (bigH's personal favorite), sweet girl, peanut, punkin, goo (sorry...this one slips sometimes), easy e.
• you have no hair. and it's ok. you won't. until you're at least 3.
• when you eat, you hold food in your right hand, and eat with your left. like the food in your right hand is on reserve.
• i know i've mentioned a billion times, but you're the only wisner baby who doesn't sleep well. sigh.
• you don't cry very often. you're very laid back and easy going. but...when you DO cry, you cry ENORMOUS alligator tear drops.
• when you're sad or sleepy, you suck your right thumb and grab your left ear with your left hand. every once in a while, you lay your head on our shoulder. oh, and when you do...BLISS.
• you are not a car sleeper. you wake up the minute the car stops. you never transfer to your bed. so bigH consistently says, "stay with me, e. staaaaaaayyyyyyy with me."
• you rarely watch anything. not really even baby einstein. we've shown it to you maybe a handful of times.
• you're still not very good at the sippy cup. but you wanna be.
• you have cradle cap or eczema on your head. dr. g will look at it again at your one year check up.
• your iron was VERY LOW at your 9 month check up. which, of course, freaked me out. so dr. g put you on an iron supplement and rechecked it and he said he was pleased that it was going up. so i feel good about that. (we still LOVE dr. g, by the way.)
• i still swaddle you (ridiculous), but you get out of it very quickly. you still love being in it right at the beginning of your nap or nighttime.

EK. basically, most of this will apply in OH MY GOODNESS TWENTY DAYS when you turn one. daddy and i are NOT ready. we're probably just going to have nana and papa and your aunt/uncle/cousins over for dinner to celebrate. we don't even know what to get you. you really are so easy going that you'll play with anyone or anything. you are a dream. your brother and sister are MADLY in love with you. you light up when you see your daddy. and me? well, i don't know how to put into words how i feel about you. i love when you and i get to be by ourselves, have some alone time. but i love watching your siblings respond/react to you as well. i love nursing you. i love feeding you. i love pushing you in the stroller. i love playing with toys with you. i praise the Lord everyday for bringing you into our lives. i love you, big baby.

you loved ikea. so much that you SACKED. OUT.

one of the few times you fell asleep in your car seat.

guess these jammies have gotten too small. but that big baby belly? yummy.

oh how you love your mesh feeder.

seriously. beautiful.

goo picked out matching skirts for the two of you. she has a sweet spirit. and wow, she LOVES you.

the scene in our living room several different times a day. bigH and goo build you a tower and laugh when you push it down.

gorgeous.

what was left of your first serving of guacamole. you LOVE yourself some mexican food.

my shameless plug. but you rocked your tshirt, mini skirt, and leggings. (outfit courtesy of your sister.)

EK 8 months

sweet EK. eight months? really? i'm going to be honest. these last two months have been so incredibly awesome. but. because of that, i have been so sad. eight months? is SO CLOSE to a year. which i feel is the end of your babyhood. and that makes me sad. because we are done having babies. and because of you? having a baby has been fun. as bigH says, "wow. having EK brings us a lot of attention." you do. you bring us a lot of attention. good attention.

• you smile a lot. a LOT. and at strangers. but mostly at the four of us. and oh my. your smile? is delicious. ask ANYONE.


• you got your first tooth. and now. as i write this. you have two full teeth with two more coming in. you're definitely our latest teeth getter. your brother and sister had a MOUTH FULL at this age. i kinda like that you're doing things at your own pace.


• you rolled over from front to back for first time. but sadly enough (sort of), you haven't done it since. you just don't care about rolling. at all. you do tummy time. you don't love it. but you do it. but you've only rolled over ONCE. you're EIGHT MONTHS OLD. we keep thinking we should contact someone about it. but. i'll be honest. it's so nice having you immobile.


• you love to sit in the chair in the living room. we give you several toys and you are content for so long. you just sit there, chewing on whatever is in front of you. sometimes you fall into tummy time. but you smile and "laugh," and we put you back. but you always look so silly just sitting there. like a big kid.


• you started food. you're not good at it. your favorite is sweet potatoes. you very rarely actually open your mouth to let the food in. but you want to hold the spoon and gnaw on it. usually, you have a vegetable. and then afterwards, we give you your mesh feeder with some kind of fruit. and that's where you find your happy place. you've done all kinds of fruit. mango, banana, apple, pear, plum, etc. you LOVE your mesh feeder. LOVE IT.


• it's crazy but i've made all of your baby food. which is SO not like me. but i've been having SO MUCH FUN. we've made squash, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, green beans, etc. and you really like it. yay for you and me.


• you've finally gotten into a pattern/routine. which has been so nice. basically you wake up between 7-something and 8. i feed you, and we start our day. usually, taking goo to school. when we take her to school, we come home and play. once hoda and kathie lee come on, i know it's time for your nap. you usually sleep from 10-12. and wake up happier than ever. i feed you, and we eat lunch. and we go get goo from school at 145. we get her and then head to get bigH. we come home around 3, and you go down for your second nap. which is shorter. usually an hour or an hour and a half. your brother and sister are elated to see you, whenever it is. i feed you between 4-5. then, we have dinner around 6. you eat a vegetable and fruit out of your mesh feeder while we have dinner. and it's so fun to have you with you us. bigH and goo LOVE having you with us at the table. you are a complete MESS during meal time. if i could bathe you three times a day, that would be ideal. then, around 7, you and one of your siblings get a bath. you still bathe in the table top bathtub. daddy bathes you while i clean the dishes and get your room ready for nighttime. we still prefer zipper jammies, but every so often, we put you in snaps. you still get swaddled. i KNOW. it's crazy. and we'll probably change that sometime soon. but it works for you. dad finishes your bath and brings you into your room to get you cozy. the bottle is a thing of a past. i feed you and most times you are so tired that you eat both sides and doze off. some nights, however, you are a bit wound up and cry a lot. and i just put you down WIDE AWAKE. but you do fine going straight to sleep. sometimes you wake in the middle of the night. most of the time we just let you cry until you fall back asleep. but sometimes (cry it out parents are cringing right now), i go get you, feed you, and put you back to sleep. honestly, because i know the crying will take forever to stop. and i do mean forever. and you are LOUD. and you are our last kid. so there. but you've gotten a lot better about sleeping through the night. yay for you. so basically i'm nursing you four times a day. sometimes once in the middle of the night.


• sometimes you make little snoring sounds at night. it's not real snoring. just sounds like it. which makes me smile.


• you are BY FAR the happiest wisner baby. period.


• you are rarely unhappy. but when you are unhappy. girlfriend, you are UNHAPPY.


• there have been times that you didn't nap at all today and have been fine. rare in our house.


• we have started putting you in the church nursery. so fun for daddy and me. the nursery workers say you are a dream baby. never need anything. sometimes sleep. sometimes not. bigH has a great time at church. goo does too (now -- praise Jesus). and now you do! yay. which means daddy and i get to worship together and hold hands during church. and drink coffee and learn about your creator together. so awesome.


• you have very specific toys you love. you still love sophie the giraffe. you love your rubber toothbrush. you love you any teether. you love anything that you can hold that makes noise. you love the teething necklace. seriously? a teething necklace? who have i become?


• we got a sit and stand stroller. because goo still loves to ride in a stroller. yes. your four year old sister. sometimes we put your carseat in it, and you're fine. and sometimes you sit in it like a big girl. i like when you do that. you look so tiny. you always have been in an umbrella stroller before too. but i'm a little too nervous to do that very often. you don't seem big enough.


• you had your first trip to big lots. your nana must have been proud.


• you had your first trip to whataburger. which made your aunt kelly proud. and it was your first restaurant highchair experience.


• we took your picture in bluebonnets. texans all over are cringing right now. but...i don't like taking pictures in bluebonnets. i have NEVER advertised to take client pictures in them. the only reason i take pictures of you or your siblings is because bluebonnets are nana's favorite flowers. but i just don't like taking those pictures. and you agreed. because you did NOT like it. at all. will post those pictures next month.


• you had your first park swing experience. and ate. it. up.


• when you cry, you REALLY cry. usually means you have HAD IT.


• you have razor sharp fingernails. even when i cut them, the edges are razor sharp. i've actually tried to file them before. but to no avail. and you always seem to scratch me while you're eating. ouch.


• speaking of, you love to touch my face while you eat. usually, i love it. until you grab my lip and scratch the tar out of it. then, i don't love it as much.


• you are so aware of things going on around you. the last two months have made such a huge difference. it's very fun. it's like you're a new version of you.


• you can almost sit unassisted. you LOVE to sit. way more than being on your tummy.


• the big toys you love are: exersaucer, playmat, pink bouncy while i dry my hair.


• exersaucer is essentially your toilet in the afternoon. i know this sounds weird. but you are down to pooping only once a day. and it is WITHOUT FAIL in your exersaucer. between 4-5. it's like you're your dad. :) if we don't put you in the exersaucer, you usually don't poop that day. we feel like we should at least provide you with privacy and a magazine. you're cute, EK. we love you a lot.

life with you has gotten so much more fun. and we love it. life with three is different. hard. but awesome. your siblings still can't get enough of you. your daddy is head over heels in love. and me? well, i am speechless. which is saying a lot. you make our life a better place just by being in it. God is good to us.

one of mommy's friends helped pick this dress out for you. i LOVE you in smocking just as much as your sister.

we're always so proud of you when you do tummy time. you were proud of yourself too.

you love to watch things with your siblings.

and you love to sit in between someone's legs. preferably bigH or the goo's.

we had such a wonderful family day at the outdoor grassy area of a mall. you loved being outside on such a great day.

still swaddled. and still just as cute.

first whataburger experience. where you/we got a LOT of attention. (and a LOT of people wanting to touch your hands and face. and doing so. why WHY do people do this? ugh.)

your first big lots experience. and your first experience in a shopping cart. we're high class here at the wisner casa.

we were hanging out at one of mommy's friend's houses. and you were clearly tired. so i borrowed a blanket, and you went straight to sleep. third kid.

one of mommy's friends has been loaning you some of her daughter's clothes. i have been in hog heaven because we didn't save any of goo's clothes, and these are to die for. thanks, E.

one of mommy's friends (whom she's never actually met) celebrated a birthday, and we decided to send her some cyber love. we love you JT.

goo loves to snuggle with you. LOVES it.

you are becoming quite the pianist.

more tummy time.

you and i hanging out.

more of your friend E's clothes. drool.

daddy teases me about this caddy. but this diaper caddy stays in the living room. and i wanted it so badly when you were born. i LOVE it. it has diapers, wipes, a changing pad, diaper rash cream, aquaphor, and chapstick (for bigH). it is so convenient. and because dad makes fun of me, it is a standing joke about how awesome the caddy is.

we went to the grocery store, and goo wanted to bring her baby with us. not sure how you felt about sharing the attention.

you playing dolls with goo.

i was out, and daddy texted me this picture. it made my day.

you never look at the camera in our family pictures. course, we don't either apparently. :)

yay. a picture of us together.

our road trip to norman to see mommy's ultra special friend holliB. man, we had such an incredible time during spring break. holli has a boy bigH's age, and a girl goo's age. so we came and invaded her house for two days. and did nothing. and it rocked the house. you woke up once in the middle of the night. and i went and got hollib and asked her what i should do. and i GOT HER OUT OF BED and she came upstairs with me and helped me redo your pack and play and get your ready for sleep again. real friend right there. and you instantly bonded with her. at 2am. love me some hollib. and for the record, she and her kids had prepared welcome goodie bags. yes. i got a scarf and a robe, and my kids got a basket full of fun!!!!!

seriously. another picture of us. yay.

oh, how you love your daddy. and the feeling is SO MUTUAL.

bigH had such a blast pushing you at the park.

your poor face. those cheeks are so heavy to lug around.

bliss.

my view from the park.

man, you're beautiful.

blowing raspberries.

your joy.

loving the pictures of us.

so curious.

your sister showing you the ropes.

what you do when you're tired. without fail.

so fun to look at.

i could eat your toes for dinner.

wow, he loves you.

see? i told you you didn't like tummy time.

still trying to be happy.

oh, that smile.

they love you so much.