Grant's Birthday Party

For Grant's 7th birthday party, he requested a party at our house with a Star Wars theme. Highlights included light saber battles, a Death Star piñata and an appearance by Kylo Ren. The party completely tested my DIY abilities, and I'm already planning Miles's birthday party at a local bouncy-house place. But Grant had an amazing time with his friends, which of course made it worthwhile. 

Behold the Death Star piñata

The Death Star was ultimately taken down by a 9-year-old with a baseball bat

Charlie's First Foods

We gave Charlie his first tastes of solid foods last week. He was mildly impressed by bananas, not so much by avocados. At first bite, he held the food in his mouth, unsure what he was supposed to do. He grimaced and then spit most of it out. We tried again the next day and the next, but he clearly wasn't crazy about this weird stuff in his mouth.

He did seem to love sitting up with us at the table—in his very own seat. He has a better view of his brothers and can participate in the conversation.

Later in the week, we tried applesauce, which was way more to his liking. In fact, he loved it so much he cried when the bowl was empty. So far the verdict is: sweet stuff=good; green stuff=meh.

Grant Is 7!

Happy 7th birthday to a sweet, affectionate boy who isn't afraid of worms or dirt, eats whole apples and tomatoes, loves Legos and Star Wars, and is always, always ready for an adventure. May the force be with you, G! 

Charlie at 6 Months

It blows my mind that Charlie is already half a year old. Even though 6 months is my favorite baby age, part of me is sad that we'll never have a newborn again. On the other hand, I'm ready for a good night's sleep and looking forward to him growing out of the night-waking phase. Still bald and toothless, Charlie is smiley and full of energy during the day. He kicks his legs constantly, and I swear he's trying to figure out how to run.

This month, Charlie:

• Finally left the swaddle behind. We swaddled him for what seemed like forever because he slept so well in it, and why mess up a good thing?
• Often rolls over in the night to sleep on his tummy.
• Took his first road trip, a quick overnight trip to Minneapolis with Kent and me.
• Takes two solid naps and has pretty much dropped his early evening (5 p.m.) cat nap. He goes to bed at 7 and still gets up once or twice at night. 
• Seriously loves Kent. When he comes home from work, Charlie whines until Kent picks up him, then he snuggles against his chest. It's pretty darn cute, if not slightly heart-breaking for me.
• Grabs at anything within reach, including plates, hair and earrings. Everything goes straight to his mouth of course.
• Loves music and being sung to. His favorite song is the Alphabet Song. No matter how fussy he is, this song will bring an immediate smile to his face.

Charlie's past monthly photos.

Monthly photos of Miles.

Easter

We had our annual Easter egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's house with all of the cousins. It was a cold, gray day, but the boys had a blast hunting for eggs and playing with the cousins. 

Charlie and his buddy James bonded some more. (Charlie's tie was a little short -- we'll do better next year.) 

The first photo of all nine boys in the family. 

Baby Yoga

Charlie has spent a lot of time lately perfecting the art of getting his toes into his mouth. 

Buddies

I assumed when I was pregnant that Miles wouldn't pay much attention to the baby, that he would do his own thing and hardly notice until he was older and getting into his stuff. As it turns out, Miles is my baby whisperer. He rushes to hug Charlie whenever he sees him, and lives to make him laugh. He insists that Charlie sits by him at every meal. And Charlie just lights up whenever he sees Miles. These two absolutely adore each other.