Tyson - February 2012 - 2 Months

Well let's start with your stats from your doctor's appointment shall we?  I knew you were getting chunky, and we were all excited to how big you would be at your appointment.  I was a dork and made your appointment 2 weeks after my 6-week appointment - so you were 8 weeks old but not exactly 2 months old.  I'm pretty sure that's the only reason you weren't right up there in the 90th percentile for weight like Logan was.  Anyway, you weighed in at a whopping 12 pounds and 2 ounces, which was 70th percentile and 23 inches long, which is the 50th percentile.  You're definitely a bit of a chunk, and I love it.  No offense to your skinny sister, but I LOVE chunky babies.

On February 12 your dad blessed you in our ward here in Kanab.  Both your grandpas plus all 3 of your uncles were there to stand in the circle as well, and your dad gave you an awesome blessing.  I know he spent a lot of time thinking about some of the things he wanted to say, and it really was just perfect.  As your mom I may not give you the blessing when you are a baby, but I can hope that you will feel the blessings that you have around you, particularly an immediate family and extended family who love you as well as the opportunity to grow up in the gospel.  I hope you take advantage of these things and rely on them as you grow up.  Your dad, grandpas, and uncles are great examples of worthy priesthood holders, and I hope you and Logan realize how blessed you are to have so many great men in your lives.

Chillin in your tie after your blessing.  I'll post pictures in your cute little blessing outfit 

that Aunt Lisa took later.

Other than your blessing this month has been pretty relaxed.  You've been spending your days eating, sleeping, and growing.  You've started to give smiles a little bit more freely - but no one gets them as easy as your dad.  I don't know if you just get tired of looking at my mug day and night, but all your dad has to do is get close to you and start talking, and your face nearly splits in half with big gummy grin.  I may be a bit jealous - but any time any of us can get one of those smiles the whole house goes crazy.  Logan and Tess can usually coax a smile out of you occasionally too.

Logan doing his best to get you to smile.

You weren't sleeping that great around the beginning of the month, but you have gotten better since a friend lent me a book and I finally figured out I was letting you get overtired more often than not.  Now we've got you on an eat, awake, sleep... routine that is working much better for us, and most of the time I just need to put you in your crib with the white noise machine on and maybe your mobile and you go to sleep pretty quickly.  Now, if only we could get a few more nights with longer stretches between feedings I wouldn't have a complaint in the world.  You really have been a good baby, and I can't complain much at all really.

This is a bit of a grumpy face during a bath, but I must have caught it just wrong.  You LOVE your baths, especially when I pour some water on your toes.  The bath is where I got some of your first smiles...

In the months before you were born I remember wondering from time to time why we had gotten pregnant when things were in a good routine with the four of us.  Now I can't imagine why we wouldn't want to have such a fun little person in our house to liven things up!  For a while after you were born I felt really overwhelmed with trying to take care of your brother and sister, cook, clean, work, and take care of you, but I feel like I'm getting on top of things now, and I am so grateful that you are a part of this chaos.

Love you Ty,
Mom

Logan - February 2012

Well life seems to have slowed down a little bit for us in the last month, and I have spent the last couple days wondering what I would write about.  You don't change every day like you used to and how Tyson now does.  You don't say as many ridiculous things as you used to and as Tessa now does, but as I got looking through the pictures I have for this month I realized that doesn't mean I don't have anything interesting to say about you anymore.

You are a really good big brother to Ty.  When Tess was born you obviously had your nose cut off a little more than with Ty.  Now you're used to not being the only one and have quite enjoyed the fact that Tyson is a boy like you.  You love to bring up the fact that the girls are outnumbered in our family now.  Holding Ty  has gotten a little old for you in the past few weeks.  You'd rather find any cool toy you can think of and put it right in his face (mom's fault for telling you he can't see very well far away) and explaining to him what it is and why it is so cool.  You love when he is awake and always ask me if he has "wide open eyes."  Apparently sleeping babies aren't as sweet to big boys as they are to their moms.  If he ever fusses or starts to cry you are immediately be his side singing something along the lines of, "Baby Ty don't cry.  Don't cry, baby Ty!" which sometimes works, and sometimes makes it worse.  It is sweet to see how much you love him though.  You were so excited the other day when I let you "babysit" him in the front room while I went to my bathroom to put my makeup on.  I checked on you more often than you noticed, and you did a great job keeping him company.

You are also a pretty good big brother to Tess too.  A lot of times now you two are able to play for half an hour or more together without fighting!  I cringe when I go into the playroom after one of these long sessions of playing together, but the mess is worth it!  The other day when your dad was out of town I heard  you and Tessa talking together early in the morning.  It's normal for you to be up early but not so much for Tess.  I found you two snuggled up in Tessa's bed chatting away.  It was pretty cute.  You told me she woke up and was crying so you went in there with her.  I'm not sure if that is the case or not (you've become quite the fibber lately...), but in any case Tess seemed happy to have you there.

And you've always been a really good son.  Here you are helping dad blow out the candles on his birthday pie (31!).  

And between preschool, grandma, and just randomly making Valentines yourself, I think your dad and I have gotten about 10 Valentines a piece from you.  Just last night you brought this one out to us.  It had two hearts that you had drawn on the outside (no easy feat!), and this message on the inside.

It's a little hard to read, but from what I can tell it says, "I Lav Yue Mome and Dad Fom Logan."  I LOVE it. It is by far my favorite Valentine yet because I can tell you tried so hard to figure out how to spell the words, and you did a good job!  For your class we had to write the names of the kids in your class on their Valentines as well as your name in the "From" spot.  Oh boy.  That was quite the task, and it took us about 4 days to do.  I keep trying to remember you are only 4 and obviously aren't going to be perfect at writing your letters, but you've done so well in everything that you've ever tried to do that it is hard for me to see you being sloppy!

The other day after your dad came home from a week of training he took you outside to play a little t-ball.  He was SO excited because you have become a lot more interested in it and would actually listen to what he was trying to teach you.  I think you had a blast too and are probably more excited for t-ball this spring than you were last year.  I'm excited to see how you do this year too!

Now all this gushing about how you're a great brother and kid doesn't mean you don't have your 4-year-old fit-throwing moments.  You do.  Quite often.  But you get over things quick and are usually quick to forgive me and your dad for getting after you a little too often too.  I guess even though you aren't a sweet little baby or a dorky 2-year-old anymore we will still keep you, because you are an awesome 4-year-old who is stubborn and lovable all at once.

Love,
Your first "Balentine"

Tessa - February 2012

Oh Linny Lou, you are such a silly little girl.  I didn't have this picture on the computer when I wrote your letter last month and was so excited when I saw it on my ipod.  This was taken while we were on our drive out south of Fredonia trying to get my contractions to start - so about 3 hours before your brother was born!  It's got that terrible glare from the sun coming through your window, but I was trying to get the picture taken quick before you stopped making such a cute face and before I got a pain that made me unable to move for a minute or so.  I LOVE it.  For some reason you and Logan are always fighting over your those ear protectors that dad keeps in teh back of his truck for when we go shooting.  In fact I'm pretty sure right after I took this Logan pitched a fit and you had to surrender them.  I just love it because it shows how silly and goofy you are.  I know I've said it before, but I really hope you never lose that part of your personality because it ROCKS.

 The other day we had spaghetti for dinner, which is one of you and Logan's favorites.  You don't actually eat the red sauce but instead like the noodles with butter and salt on them, and I can always count on you guys eating dinner without a fuss on "spaghetti" nights.  It's not unusual for you to end up wearing quite a bit of your dinner, but I was glad I had a camera handy to catch your face this night.  We all got a good laugh because you looked like a cat with spaghetti whiskers.  Your dad might have added a few for that second picture to complete the look...

 I've been really excited with how much you and Logan have adapted to having Tyson in the family.  You guys love him without smothering him (well, TOO much).  If you don't happen to notice me take him out of the room to put him in his crib you always start to look around and get a little worried while asking me where Baby Ty is.  I always reply, "Oh no!  Tess I lost him!  Where did he go?" and you fall for it EVERY time.  I could call it gullible, but I guess it is more like you are just trustworthy.  Why wouldn't you believe your mom?  Why would your mom NOT tell you the truth, right?  I guess I should remember that and try not to tease you so much, but it is just so darn fun.

You do love to hold Baby Ty when you slow down enough to think about it and ask.  You usually don't last very long before you tell me you're done and run off to find something else to do.

Lately you've been into jumping a lot, well just perpetual motion actually.  You jump and run and twirl everywhere you go.  One of my favorite things to do is watch you run down the long hall that goes from the front room/kitchen back past your bedrooms to the toy room at the back of the house.  It's like watching a ball in a pinball machine.  Sometimes you actually do hit the wall, but most of the time you just swerve back and forth as you run, narrowly missing door frames and wall the whole way down.  For about a week or so you got it into your head that climbing up onto the couch and then launching yourself back onto the carpet.  The amazing thing is that quite a few times you end up landing on your feet!  We'd been kind of worried about you doing this, but it kept you so entertained, and it wasn't making a mess or bothering anyone that we didn't worry too much about it.  Well about a week ago when you landed you immediately started screaming.  Your dad and I looked at each other like we just lost our nomination for Parents of the Year and thought for sure you'd broken your foot or sprained your ankle.  You definitely had a little bit of a limp for a day or so, but luckily it turned out to be nothing.  Your dad only had to tell you once not to jump off the couch again though, so apparently it hurt enough to make an impression that maybe dad was right and that wasn't the best idea!

I had to make sure I remembered to write about your dad's favorite word to get you to say.  A month or so ago he asked you to do something for him and you replied, "Ab-so-woot-we."  I have no idea where you learned it but saying it for your dad was a big mistake because any time he asks you to do something for him now he makes you say it.  It is pretty darn cute though, so I can't blame him.  I need to get a video of you saying that one of these days so we never forget.

We love you so much Tessa girl, and I'm so glad you love that little brother of yours and that big brother too! I think those boys are pretty lucky to have you for a sister because I can't imagine you being anything but a cool sister - or at least one that will keep them laughing.

Love you sis,
Momma