Bennett's 7 Month Letter

Bennett Harris,
   You are just growing up too fast! It seems like you've learned and accomplished so much this month. You were a baby when we hit six months and by seven you are super close to being mobile and more independent. You continue to be the sweetest little charmer! You smile so sweetly and your giggle/squeal is one of my very favorite sounds. I can't believe you are closer to being a year old then my baby!

   This month you began sitting up and you are a pro! You can lean all the over to either side to get a toy. You have decided you'd rather turn a complete circle on your booty then lean far enough over to fall onto your belly, although you do that on purpose as well and scoot your legs. Our lament floors aren't super conducive to forward movement but you go backwards pretty well. Your little arms are getting stronger everyday and you push yourself up with ease now. You will be crawling before we know it. And while I'm not nearly as pumped about your mobility as I was with Tucker's because I'm no longer a rookie and know what this stage brings, I'm excited to see you accomplish it. You also showed us all that you can patty cake by yourself this month! Who knew? Pretty cute Middle Brother!!! Two of your bottom teeth also made their big appearance this month. They're really cute but make you look older. You still LOVE to eat! Your favorite foods are orange vegetables and baby cereal. You don't really like any fruit that we've tried or the green veggies. Sometimes you refuse a bottle because you want to eat off of a spoon. You also really like puffs but you love Mum-Mum's. You got your second hair cut this month from Aunt Sass and it's getting thicker every day. It's still really soft and always stands up like a baby duck.
   At your six month doctor's appointment you weighed 18.14 and were 27.75 inches long. They were surprised how well you were already sitting up and thought everything else looked great! You are wearing a size 3 diaper and size 6-12 month clothes. You have two teeth.
   Your favorite things are your brothers, bath time, eating from a spoon, sitting up, sweet potatoes, being thrown up in the air and bouncing. You don't like green veggies, being left alone or trying to go to sleep by yourself.

 
You got to go a lot this month! Your laid back personality lands you on a lot of shopping trips and errand runs. Aunt Chelsie is getting married in less then a month and you've helped us do a lot of shopping for things for her. You also usually get to go to the store with me or any other outings because your brothers are both more trouble then you are. Tucker is bear without his nap and Casen spits up all the time so you draw the short straw. But you are so sweet about it and never complain. You nap on my shoulder or in the car between destinations and still manage to smile sweetly and not fuss. You my friend are a trooper!
   This month we celebrated several big events. Tucker's 3rd Birthday, Aunt Chelsie and Uncle Jared's wedding showers, Aunt Chelsie and Aunt Sarah's graduations from OSU, Mother's Day and your baby dedication. You were happy to be loved on by lots of people and traveled like a champ all over the place. We couldn't ask for a better disposition in a baby! I hope you keep your laid back personality, we need one that's a little less drama!

 
Bennett you are the perfect addition to our family and you love your brothers so much! You are so happy just to be near Tucker or Casen. You talk to them and laugh at most everything they do. You also have developed quite the love for your Daddy. You get so excited when he comes around, you flap your arms until he gets you and just love on him.

    You are a charmer pure and simple. All who know you, love you instantly. You are just super sweet and laid back. I can't imagine life without you and I love when you grab my face to give kisses or rest your head on my shoulder to fall asleep. You wake up smiling and go to sleep sweetly. We love you so much and we're so thankful for you! We can't wait to see the twists and turns your story takes.

I love you more,
Momma

Mother's Day 2013

This was my first Mother's Day with multiple children and it was extra special for several reasons. We got to dedicate both Bennett and Casen on Sunday morning made a little sweeter because their Daddy was the one who got to do the honors since we are currently without a pastor at our church. Lots of family was in attendance for this special day in the life of our boys. We had a great cookout at our house surrounded by both my family and Chris', which is a rarity. It was a long day, as most Sunday's are, but it was so sweet to be reminded how important family and Jesus are. We pray that all three of our boys will grow up to be men of God who love Jesus the most then their families. Triple blessed!

Casen's Three Month Letter

Littlest Casen Cole -
  You have taught us all so much in your three short months of life. You have tested and stretched me in ways I didn't know still hadn't been stretched by your big brothers. But you have captured all of our hearts in the same way they have. You are getting so chubby and smiley. When you smile your little eyes light up and your whole face gleams. You are precious little man. You already have such a personality and are not going to run over by your big brothers. You are either really happy or really not. You don't have a middle ground! Your place in our family has not been without its tough moments, but we wouldn't trade for you. You are my little dark chocolate baby with the bright eyes and strong personality and we're crazy about you baby boy.
   You are still struggling with reflux. We've tried several different medicines, combinations of medicines, oils, chiropractor, an ultrasound and other homeopathic things without much relief. You aren't crying as much as you were at first, but you do spit up a LOT still. We all go through several outfits and burp rags a day and sometimes you can still see how uncomfortable you are, but we're still trying all we know to do. At your last doctors appointment you weighed 11.14 and were 21.5 inches long. (the smallest of the three brothers at their two month appointments) You are gaining weight even with all the spitting up, so our doctor isn't too worried about you at this point. We are all just ready to get your little belly to feeling better.

   Your neck and legs are super strong! You like to look around even if your up on our chests. You can push yourself up on your arms and look around during tummy time and you love to stand up in our laps for long periods of time. And you much prefer to look around and make sure your not missing out on any brother fun. You're still very aware of the world and don't miss much. You have also started "talking" a lot more this month. Your favorite people to chat with are Momma, Bennett and the toy cow that hangs over your changing table. You let that guy know what's up on a very regular basis! It's pretty cute.
   You like to eat, take a bath and be held. You also don't mind the jumperoo and the bumbo because of their view is better then the floor. You don't like laying flat on your back, not being held, the wind in his face and sometimes you don't like your car seat. When you do cry you sweat all over. Almost immediately after your first noise your whole body is soaked! It's the weirdest thing to feel your body be covered in sweat from head to toe. You definitely have opinions about most things. It's funny to see such a small baby have such specific preferences.

   This month we celebrated Tucker's 3rd Birthday, Aunt Chelsie & Uncle Jared's wedding showers, Aunt Sarah & Aunt Chelsie's OSU graduations and Emrie's baptism. We spent a lot more time outside as the weather has gotten nicer which I think we've all enjoyed. You have been so sweet as you've been passed around and around and around and as we've been in the car a ton.

   We also got to visit Kateri twice this month. It's always a little nerve wrecking before we spend time with her, but afterwards its so worth it! She loved on you a lot both times and you were so sweet with her. I hope seeing how great your doing helped her as she too is processing your adoption. We're so grateful to her for giving us you and for wanting to still play a role in your life. I hope you always know how much your first momma and your forever momma love you! Your so special and so is your story.

   As the days pass you get bigger and we get more and more comfortable with our family of five. It's definitely still not easy and is still a learning process, but I'm more confident you and your brothers will be good friends instead of just hating your Dad and I for adopting all of you so close to each other. Hang in there with us buddy we'll get it figured out one of these days! We love you so much and we're so glad God chose you to be the third Gordon boy. We can't wait to see how you grow and what your contribution to our family will look like. I can't believe you're THREE months old! Here's to the next three!
I love you more,
Momma

Tucker's Third Birthday Party

I must admit that this year's birthday snuck up on me a little bit! Having two other kids really does mean you downsize somethings. Sorry Tuck! Partially because of this, but also because he is finally old enough to have friends we decided to start the kid parties. We had a family one with my family a week before Tucker's actual big day and then had three kids over to play for a couple hours. My mom's rule was we got to invite as many kids as we were years old and I think that's a great rule of thumb. It was a SUPER fun day! No stress. Lots of play time and a huge mess on our back porch! We did lots of jumping on Tucker's new trampoline and some sensory play (which lasted minutes until the kids mixed everything together. My OCD went a little crazy, but fun was had by all!)

We went with a CARS theme due to Tucker's request!

When asked what he wanted for his birthday, every time Tucker said, "Strawberry cake!" He's a man of simple taste.

Water beads were a HUGE hit!

Happy 3rd Birthday Tucker Gordon! 

Baby Genius!

One day while trying to pacify Bennett while I was feeding Casen he surprised me with this. He's getting so big so fast!

Bennett's First Word

 Sweet sounds from a super sweet boy!

Tucker's Three Year Letter

To My First Born,
  Baby Boy Momma is riding the struggle bus through this milestone. I have not been able to keep the tears from my eyes as we have celebrated you this past week. As you blew your candle out two weeks ago at your family party I was overwhelmed by the moment. You are so big. You are not a baby at all anymore. You talk all the time. You are so smart. You are potty trained. You have opinions (this is both good and bad). You are independent and brave. I cannot believe the baby boy who made me a Momma is much more a big kid then the baby I brought home. It just doesn't seem possible. I don't know why this has made me so sad, but as I marvel at who you have become and all you have accomplished in the past three years I know you have changed me for the better and I'm so thankful for you.

   You are and always have been a big boy. You weighed in this morning at your three year check up at 41 pounds and 3 ounces. You are 39 inches tall. You are wearing mostly 3T clothes, except for Old Navy clothes which you wear a 4 in. Your shoes are size 9 and your undies are also size 4's. (Big Booty Judy!)

 
 You favorites things are still cars. You love race cars and know lots about them, including that their tires are made of rubber and create friction so the cars don't slide off the track. You play with your hot wheels everyday and usually carry one around with us everywhere we go. Trains are a close second to your favorite toys. Thomas the Train and all his buddies have made a home in your toy box this year and you really like them too. You also really like to wear socks all the time and are super paranoid about me cutting your toe nails. Weirdo! You like to eat chicken, grilled cheeses, pasta, bread of any sort, cereal, strawberries, apples (any fruit really) and candy. You love your family and thank Jesus for Bennett, Casen, Momma and Daddy every night. Your favorite shows are Bubble Guppies and anything on PBS Kids. Your favorite movies vary quite a bit. You still really like Cars 1 & 2 but you also like Robots, Finding Nemo, and Wreck it Ralph. Your favorite songs are "I Love Rock and Roll," "What Makes Your Beautiful" by One Direction, and "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen. You also still love Justin Beiber and know most of his tunes. It's crazy how many songs you can sing along with these days! You love to play games on our phones or the iPad. These make you VERY smart so you get to play a little every day. Your best friends are Emrie Hays, Michael & Carsten Copeland and Karriona Lakey. You look forward to Sunday school every week because you get to see Mikey. Pretty cute friends. You still love to cuddle and Momma's sleeve, which I love that you still love more then you realize. Your imagination is expanding every day and your play reflects that. You love to play outside and jump on your new trampoline.

   You don't like getting spankings and usually just the threat of one straightens up your behavior. You don't like to share Momma and Daddy with your brothers when you first wake up. You don't like staying buckled up in the car. You graduated to a booster seat when your brothers came along and you got moved to the back row of the van. You much prefer your freedom back there and you're very sneaky about getting out of your lap belt. You also don't love going to sleep by yourself sometimes and have gotten really good at playing quietly and in the dark so you being awake goes unnoticed. Smart I tell ya!

 
 For the most part you are really a good kid. You mind and behave well for the most part. People notice your behavior when we're out in public and love to visit with you. You are very friendly and people are always amazed you are only three by how well you talk and all the words/things you know. You have such an outgoing personality and you draw people in with your sweet smile and funny comments. You are all boy and have lots of energy. You love to wrestle and play rough with bigger kids. It is so fun to watch you interact with others and discover your role in social situations. I hope you always keep your enthusiasm and adventurous spirit. You are not scared of trying new things or meeting new people. We pray that this love for people will always remain and develop into compassion for others. You are also very tender hearted and don't like for others to get in trouble or your brothers to hurt. You cried with Bennett today when he got his shots and said you didn't like that game because hewas hurting. Sweet big brother!

  We have thrown a lot of change at you this year and you have handled it so well. Better then expected or even we hoped. We have added two new little brothers to your world! You went from being the star of the show at our house to getting less then your third of our time and attention. We worried you wouldn't like your brothers or you'd be rough with them but you haven't been that way at all. You don't want to hold them much, but you do wonder where they are and like to check on them. You also do not think it's funny when people joke about taking them home with them. You have not figured out sarcasm and it makes you really upset. It's been a crazy six months for our whole family, but you have transitioned beautifully and you're turning into a wonderful big brother. We pray that the three of you will always be good friends and share a special bond because of how close in age you are.

 
This year you also learned to use the bathroom instead of a diaper. In August you just decided you wanted to wear undies and pee in the potty. I didn't think it would last but you did it. The poop thing took you a long time to figure out and we tried a variety of things to get you to do that. The things that worked were a candy reward if you pooped in the potty and a spanking if you didn't. After about ten days of consistent reward or punishment you FINALLY got it! You've been going consistently potty trained for about a month. Way to go Buddy!

    Your little brain has also grown a lot this year. You know all of your letters, their sounds, numbers through 20, colors, shapes, and lots of songs. You quote movies all the time! You talk in paragraphs and use big words. You know the difference between boy/girl, left/right, up/down, in front of/behind, over/under. I think you will be reading soon. You can tell us what each letter sounds like and if we say the sound you can usually identify which letter makes it.

   Every day you amaze me with the things you can do, how you play, what you retain and your sweet heart. I am so crazy about you and I'm convinced I have the greatest boys in the whole world. You made me a Momma for the first time and no one else will ever be able to do that again. I am beyond proud of you and can't wait to watch you continue to grow and learn and change. You make us laugh and warm our hearts on a daily basis. The last three years have been the best of our lives and I know the next three will be even more of an adventure. We love you so much Tucker William Gordon! 

I love you more,

Momma