You are all smiles, snuggles, and pure sweetness. This was a big month for you! You became an American (officially), rolled over from belly to back and almost from back to belly, began sitting up and getting stronger every day, and found a complete infatuation in your big sister. It is a complete joy to be your mother, and you make life so incredibly full.
You have yet to let down your reputation of being the happiest baby, never without a smile for anyone and everyone that looks your way. Your smile is full of tenderness, and often stops us in our tracks, making us slow down in that moment to take in your sweetness. Your Papa is constantly enamored by you, and loves coming home to your smiles and giggles. I pray your kindness is something that grows along with you, and will always follow you where ever this life takes you.
These days, we can hardly keep your clothes dry for more than a few minutes before your constant flow of drool pools itself on your chest spreading like wildfire across your shirt. Your hands are constantly in your mouth, along with anything else you can manage to get in there. This month you started really playing with your toys, and I love watching you grab at them and maneuver them every which way until you find the perfect spot to shove in your mouth and gnaw on with great vigor. The bottom, left tooth looks like it is ready to push its way through, but teeth are funny and just when you think they are coming in, a month goes by and they show up unnoticed!
I'm not sure which one of you loves this more, but we all find it quite adorable.
Swinging is your new favorite activity. You are content to sit in the swing while your sister pushes you back and forth and side to side for much longer than I could stand it if I were you. Zaylee is in love with you, and always wants you to be a part of her fun. All day long she asks to push you in the swing, and rarely wants to go on walks anymore because of this new found love for swinging with you by her side. She is your greatest form of entertainment, and anything she does or says makes you break out in laughter while kicking your feet with wild excitement. You don't mind her being rough with you as long as she is giving you attention, and I can't seem to get enough of watching you two together.
As I was hanging out clothes your sister crawled in beside you making you one happy baby boy!
A few weeks back, we headed up to Lyon to meet with the American consulate to officially make you an American citizen. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful city. You are now a dual citizen with the cutest passport picture ever! We attempted to do our own picture, but instead went to a professional and you were a natural in front of the camera. I am so thankful for my babies having the privilege of being both French and American.
The day after you turned four months you started rolling over on to your back, and continue to be extremely proud of yourself for doing so. You have turned over to your belly a few times, but most of the time you get stuck just before getting all the way there. I often find you in your bed in completely different places than where I laid you down to sleep, and have been witness to your skills of spinning in circles and pushing yourself around the floor. Along with turning and spinning, this past week you have started sitting up on your own. Each day you get stronger and stronger, allowing you to sit for longer periods of time while learning to use your hands to catch and steady your tilting body back to a sitting position. I love this stage of learning and exploring, and you seem to be rather fond of it yourself!
Falling Softly
First time rolling over! 3/7/2014
First Day Sitting Up! 4/3/2014
Time is surely moving fast these days, and as much as I wish it would slow down, I am finding each new day with you a bit better than the day before. Life just keeps getting sweeter as I watch you and your sister grow and take in the world around you. Seeing the world through the eyes of you, my little ones, brings a whole new meaning and admiration for each tiny detail. Here's to five months with you my little love! I am forever grateful for you, and can't wait to see what the next month has to offer us.
5 Month Facts and Stats:
7 kg/15.4 lb
67 cm/26.4 in
Favorite Song: I'll Fly Away with which you hum yourself into a very sleepy state each nap and bed time
You watch every single bite of food and sip of water we take desperately wanting it for yourself, but I am not ready to start food just yet. Maybe next month!
You are a very content, quiet boy, but when you talk you do so very loudly and with the cutest tones in your voice.
Snuggling is still one of your favorite things, and I love this little fact!
Sleep: 2 long naps and 1 short nap in the evening (9am, 1pm, 5pm). 11-12 hours at night with one feeding around 3am.
Zaylee girl, you are quite the expressive talker and so full of life and character when you are telling your stories. Lately, you have taken a great interest in your baby brother and talk to him in a very special voice saved solely for him and him alone. It is not just a voice, but a language all its own and from the looks of it he understands everything you are telling him. He eats up every word you say and finds you to be the very best source of entertainment and conversation. The love you two have for one another is one of my favorite things to watch. It started out small and without great care or concern, but over the past five months it has blossomed into a beautiful display of love, laughter, and friendship. I pray it continues to grow roots so deep and strong that nothing will be able to rip you two apart. Growing up, I was the baby by 5 and a half years, leaving me far behind the older three and a bit left out of the sibling friend zone. They looked after me, cared for me, and loved me well, but it wasn't until I was much older that our relationships turned into beautiful friendships with great depths. They mean the world to me and I would do anything for them. My prayer is that while you two grow and experience life together you will look after, care for, and love one another in a way that is sacred to the bond between siblings. You two are my greatest joys and biggest blessings. I thank God for you every minute of every day.
Mamie has a special way with you, and I love watching the two of you together laughing, baking, walking, adventuring, reading, and just being with one another. You adore her, and are extremely attached to her always sneaking upstairs yelling her name. She can keep your attention better than anyone, and is always finding new ways to entertain you. With the weather getting warmer each day, Mamie has been taking you out to explore and the two of you always come back with new stories of all the things you found along the way. Some days I get to come along with you and witness first hand the other world you enter into when you are with Mamie out in the great wide open. She is full of imagination, excitement, and life and you fall into a complete trance wanting nothing to do with me, or anyone else for that matter. I am so very grateful for the time we have here with your Mamie and Papi, and will remind you always of the special memories that were made this year.
(Where are you froggies?)
(We forgot the carrots for the horse's and you felt really bad about it)
I never leave the house without my little flip camera we got from Auntie Tina for our wedding, and am always taking small little clips of life with you and your brother. I love looking back at the little moments we have shared, and am constantly amazed by how quickly you are learning and growing. Time goes so fast, and with each new day comes something new and different. These little snippets are so dear to me, and I am so thankful to have them to hold on to these days spent with my babies in your growing up years. The sound of your voice, the silly things you do, the laughter, and the every day memories are things I never want to forget!
Feeling blessed to have such a goofy, sweet, adventurous little girl and a snugly, kind baby boy to call my own. Life is good!
We celebrated big for your birthday this year, as we aren't sure when we will get to celebrate again in France. We began talking about your birthday on the first of the month to hype things up for you, and as the day got closer and closer you would wake up saying, "Happy day Zayzee!" Although you won't remember this birthday except through stories and pictures, it was important to me to make it special for you my girl. Growing up, birthdays were never about presents in our family but rather an evening out at our favorite restaurant making memories. We did always get one good present, but the big event was always the celebration with family including a chocolate frosted angle food cake. Dad and I would much rather do something special with one another than exchange gifts, and we hope you and your brother feel the same as we plan to find fun ways to celebrate you each year!
We started the weekend off with an evening downtown. The pollution has been high the past two weeks with all the warm weather and no rain, and in hopes to cut down on car travel the public transportation system was free for the weekend. We took full advantage and rode the tram around the city making you a very happy little girl! In France, (and Italy, possibly all of Europe for that matter) you can always count on there being a carousel in the center of town no matter what month of the year it is! You my Zaylee girl love a good carousel ride, and without fail every time we park downtown you immediately yell out, "Horsie! Fries!" We usually oblige your demand for fries, but for your birthday we decided to indulge in some delicious pizza which is an equal favorite of yours! It was a fun night watching you strut around town turning heads as you walked past the crowds on the street with your hands tucked into your pockets talking to all the passersby. You never go unnoticed with your joyful personality shining light where ever we go. I pray you always use that for good and for our Good Lord's glory!
The end of a good night.
After a good nights rest, we woke up singing Happy Birthday as you jumped on the bed proclaiming, "Horsie. Happy!" It was finally YOUR day, and we were so thankful to be celebrating two wonderful years with our sweet Zaylee Jean. I made Grandpa D's pancakes and loaded them up with peanut butter and nutella for a special birthday morning treat. We slowly made our way upstairs to see Mamie, and you were beyond excited to see her and all the special decorations she had put up for you. You snuggled on the couch as you opened up your first present from Mamie, and were thrilled to read your new book with her by your side. We wanted your day to be special, and what better way to make it special than to share it with your good buddy Theo! (I have a whole post about the two of you coming!) It was a nice low key day with our closest friends here in France, and it couldn't have been better (well maybe longer naps would have been nice! ha). We ate outside and sat around the table for hours which is always one of my favorite things to do. It was wonderful! After nap time, you opened up your present from Theo and were immediately beside yourself with excitement. You love playing with your babies, and to have your own stroller was the very best present indeed! In traditional French fashion, we headed out for a walk and made our way to our beloved horses at the ranch, but this time for a special treat!
For at least two weeks before your birthday, we had been talking about you riding a pony and you were very excited that the day was finally here. When we got to the ranch, the ladies prepared the pony while you got fitted for a helmet. As soon as they put it on your little head Dad said, "I think we should buy one of these for her. She looks so cute!" It was almost too much to take in watching you prance out of the saddle room with your riding helmet and nervous smile. You ran right over to the ponies but hesitated when we tried to put you on our little guy, Cappi. Theo took a seat on the saddle next, and both of you quickly decided you needed a little time to get to know the pony before you would actually get on the saddle again. After a few minutes of walking him, we put you up on the saddle, held your hands, and watched as you smiled with such pride that you were RIDING a pony! "FUN!" You were so excited and looked like such a big girl up there holding on all by yourself as we walked along side of you. Chloe decided to run back to get a pony for Theo to ride, and off we went on our 30 minute adventure which was more than enough time for you both. Sweet Theo preferred walking and feeding the pony, leaving an empty saddle for Uncle Lukey and Chloe to take full advantage of (against Papa and Aurelian's better judgemenet!). Hilarious! You, my daring, rough house loving girl, preferred going as fast as possible while Papa and Uncle Lukey would run beside the little pony. You would throw your head back while being bounced around forcefully demanding, "aden! aden!"
Giving your Marcel some love.
I'm so glad we decided to do this for your special day, and look forward to doing it again a few times before we leave this beautiful home in the valley. We had many good laughs that day, and were so happy to be with the Lang's celebrating you my dear girl!
The celebration didn't end there! On Sunday, Papi came home from his trip to Israel and we continued on with loving on you our sweet two year old. We had a nice lunch with Mamie Suzanne and the Boulloud boys as our special guests, and later had a Sanchez family party. It was loud, chaotic, and a lot of fun as it always is when we are all together. The weather was perfect allowing us to all come in and out of the house as we pleased. You were given not one, not two, but FIVE different birthday cakes over the course of the weekend extravaganza, including a raspberry tart, a tropezienne, Mamie's yogurt cake, a specialty ice cream cake from Elie and Paul, and Grandma D's Oreo ice cream dessert. You my girl know how to party!
We missed the Mckendrick side of the family, but were so thankful for the gift they found for you and sent across the ocean.
Two years have gone by far too quickly, but we have loved and cherished every second of our life with you and can't wait for this next year ahead of us! You bring us so much joy, laughter, and meaning to life. We adore you precious two year old! Happy day to you my love.
