Day #31

Baby Bliss

Today is a day to celebrate because I finished the first full month of my project!!  We are on day #31!

It's been a challenge taking the time to take a picture, edit and upload it while trying to be as creative as I can be.  Juggling this the 2 other kids and our small zoo, I've found that it's been a challenge, but not really that hard.  It's all about putting it into our little routine.

I have to say that I think that this is one of my favorite pictures so far for this project.  I think it's his expression on his face, oh and the hat.  When I first bought him this hat, just before Thanksgiving it was too big for him.  Now it barely fits.  I can't dress him in pink fluffy things, like I did Jaylee, or pretty headbands.... so a cute hat is the next best thing!

Thank you for all of your support and thank you to those who are following!

Day #30

Peek a boo....

After I fed Sawyer this morning he fell back asleep on my bed.  I got up and ate my breakfast and started some laundry.  As I was switching laundry I heard him laughing.  It was the same laugh that he does when we tickle him or play with him.  I thought maybe he was laughing at the cat or something.  I found him holding part of his blanket up high and laughing.  Then he would bring it back down and do it all over again.  It's a game that Marshall usually plays with him.  Marshall will take the blanket and throw it over him, then he will lift up the whole blanket and Sawyer laughs.  It goes to show that he is really starting to entertain himself now.

Day #29

Practice Makes Perfect...

I've noticed today that Sawyer has mastered rolling from one side to the other.  He has no problem rolling onto his side, to his back and then back to the other side.  He is also getting better at grabbing the toys dangling down.  Last night he grabbed one of the rings hanging down but he got all frustrated because he couldn't get it to his mouth.  Tonight he looked up at the toy and grabbed it with no problem.

It's amazing to me how fast he is changing and developing.

Day #28

Too Cool For School......

Just some classic baby fun.  There's nothing like putting a giant pair of sunglasses on a little baby to get a good laugh.  

Day #27

He Melts Mommy's Heart....

What is it with babies.  They give you that look and you turn to mush.  Those big eyes just gaze back up at you and it's over.... Baby love never gets old.  

Day #26

We Choose Cloth

We use cloth diapers on Sawyer and I love it.   I used them when Marshall was a baby and I couldn't wait to do it again.  I actually re-used a lot of Marshall's cloth diapers that were still in decent condition.  Not only are they fun and cute, and good for babies skin, but they are better on the environment and cheaper in the long run.  We sometimes use disposables, like if we are out and about for a long day and I don't feel like carrying a bunch of dirty diapers around with me.  But 95% of the time we are using cloth.  Cloth diapers are so easy to use compared to back in the day.  No more pins!  Just snaps and clasps!  The only downside is, more laundry.  But I am doing laundry all of the time anyways.  What's another load every 2 days??  I don't mind.  

Day #25

Eating my fingers......

Sawyer's new thing is chewing on his thumb and pointer finger.  He looks like he's going to whistle at a pretty lady walking by!  He is such a flirt.  When you talk to him he raises his one eyebrow up and it melts everyone that sees it.  

Day #24

Baby Tickles

All babies are ticklish.  But Sawyer is so incredibly ticklish.  Every time I change his shirt and get near his armpit, he cracks up laughing.  It's the cutest thing ever.  There is nothing like a baby laugh to brighten my day!

Day #23

My Buggy Baby

I couldn't resist getting Sawyer this caterpillar outfit yesterday.  There's nothing like dressing up a baby like a bug!

I have to admit that I am a little worried about Sawyer today.  He slept decent last night, he woke up twice to eat, but he slept in until 11:00 this morning!   I actually woke him up around 11:00 and changed and fed him.  And he fell right back asleep.  He actually fell asleep sitting here while I was trying to play with him.  He usually only gets this sleepy if he was up all night.  Hopefully it's the start of a growth spurt.  His cheeks look really rosey..... I really hope he's not getting sick or something.  He has been so healthy so far and hasn't even gotten a cold yet!  Hopefully he's just being a lazy baby today.... either way I will probably be up ALL night tonight if he keeps this up.

Day #22

Learning to use his hands....

Sawyer's getting a little bit better at using his hands.  He's not strong enough to hold plastic or wood toys yet, but he can bring blankets and his snuggie doggie into his mouth now.  It took him a few tries here to actually grab it and bring it to his mouth.  He was concentrating so intensely in this picture trying to do it that he went cross eyed!

Day #21

A Day In the Life of A Baby....

Today we are cleaning.  I mean really cleaning and organizing.  

Dusting, cleaning bathrooms and this is what Sawyer gets to do.

He sleeps through the loudness and chaos of the older kids playing and running around.  He sleeps when the dogs start barking and the vacuum cleaner is running.  He sleeps when the phone rings and when I holler at the kids.  The only alarm that wakes him is his belly or his diaper.  Lucky baby!

Day #20

This is how I felt spending the first part of the day at the D.M.V.  

Kidding, well not really.

Somebody does NOT like belly time, at all.

He hates it.  He likes to lay on his back or sit up so that he can see everything going on around him.

We will keep working on it, a little each day so that he can get stronger.

He is already trying to sit up, he does little mini baby crunches.

He is also rolling over from his back to his side, and then to his other side.

But I guess that belly time, just isn't his thing right now.

Day #19

Monkey see, monkey do

Sawyer is really starting to mimic facial expressions.  He really watches your mouth when you talk or smile, and he copies me when I stick out my tongue.  He is really starting to babble and "talk" to us a lot lately.  Jaylee and Marshall crack up when they hear him jabbering away!

Day #18

Sawyer discovered his hands a few weeks ago.  He's been chewing on his fists for quite a while now, but over the past couple of days I have really noticed that his little hands are really starting to open up a little bit more.  He can pick up his blanket and bring it to his mouth, and hold onto his little snuggle doggie.  He also holds onto my shirt when he is eating, which is the sweetest thing ever!!

He still won't take a binky and he still hasn't mastered thumb sucking.  Hopefully over the next couple of months he will be able to self soothe himself a little bit better at night.

Day #17

Bath Time, finally.......

It's no secret, one of my least favorite Mommy duties is bath time.

I don't know what it is, but I find myself always putting it off.  It's not as bad bathing the baby. It's pretty cute and he's not splashing me yet.  But he did pee all over my bed after I got him undressed!  I don't like bathing the other kids, at all.  I am not a fun bather with the kids.  It's all business, no messing around.  In and out!!  I've got things to do.  So Russ has taken over bath duty for the kids in the evening.  He's much more fun with them then I am when it comes to bath time.  Plus the kids look forward to having that time with him, since he doesn't get home from work until 7ish.    

I find lots of excuses to get out of bathing the older kids, the biggest one is, sorry Sawyer is hungry.  I definitely can't nurse him and bathe the kids at the same time.  I'm not that talented.  I find myself scooping up the perfectly content baby and making him nurse so that I get out of bath time.

I have a few more but I can't out all of my secrets because Russ occasionally reads my blog.

Day #16

Sawyer is fast asleep in this picture taking his morning nap.  I should be using this time to get some things done.... but no.  I choose to play on the computer instead.  Usually Mondays are pretty crazy.  I have to pick Jaylee and Marshall up from school at 3:00, then rush home to feed everyone and then back out the door at 4:30 to get Jaylee to dance on time.  Luckily today the kids don't have school because of the holiday, so things are a little more relaxed today.

We gave in and have been letting him sleep at night in his swing this weekend, and it has actually helped him get into more of a sleep pattern.  He sleeps just about the whole night through if he is in the swing, or if he is co sleeping with us.  

Day #15

Today the boys all stayed home while Jaylee and I had a girls day out.

Russ, Marshall and Sawyer had some much needed one on one time today.

Russ is such a good Daddy to these kids of ours and we are all so lucky to have him in our lives.

Day #14

Big Sister, and little little brother.....

When I was pregnant with Sawyer Jaylee wanted a little sister soooooo badly! 

When we found out that we were having a boy, we broke the news to her and she said

"Awe Really"  She made this face like she just ate something real sour.

The visions of dressing up a little baby girl in pink bows and dresses was now gone, and you could see her thinking of scenarios where Marshall drives her crazy with his karate chops and wrestling moves.  And now there would be another little boy in the house doing the same....

But she loves her Baby Sawyer.  She is such a little Mother to him.  She likes helping me dress and bathe him.  She was one of the first people that he started smiling at!  He sees her face and he just lights up.  She is so good and gentle with him and is always kissing and hugging on him.  It should be interesting to see how the dynamics play out between the three kids since they already fight over Sawyer's attention!!

Day# 13

Yawn baby, yawn......

It must be hard work keeping Mommy up until 4 in the morning.  I have to be honest and say that last night certainly was a rough one.  He would sleep for 45 minutes to an hour and then wake up again.  I fed him, rocked him and held him close and he would drift off to sleep, snoring away.  I then would carefully lay him in his bassinet, only for him to immediately start crying when he felt my touch leave him.  I laid down with him and he would sleep away, me on the other hand couldn't sleep that deep.  Russ is a violent mover in his sleep.  One time when Marshall was fast asleep in our bed, Russ flipped over with such violence that Marshall was literally catapulted out of our bed onto the floor!!  So I am sure you could understand my worries.  The thought of my little Sawyer being bounced off of the bed was enough to keep me awake.  When he finally drifted off into a deep sleep it was almost 4 in the morning, and he slept soundly until 9.  This has been happening almost every night for the past 3 weeks. 

So as tired as I was when I woke up this morning and saw his little face laying there next to mine, it made all of that frustration go away.  My problem is that I am comparing him to the other kids.  I was lucky that they were both good sleepers as babies.  Sawyer is so mellow and so not demanding during the day.  He is patient when I am feeding him and I have to interrupt his meal to tend to Marshall, Jaylee or our herd of pets so I guess I owe him this time at night.  He is so happy during the day and hardly fusses.  I know this stage will pass and I will look back and miss him as a baby.

Day #12

Ok, here is my dilemma.  My original plan was to post only one picture a day.  But what do you do when you just can't decide!  I will justify it with this, there are two.... well three things going on with Sawyer today.  The first big thing is that he is rolling over onto his side now!  That's pretty big news in the world of babies.  The second thing is that I think, he figured out how to suck his thumb today, it's awkward, but he will get better at it.  The third thing is that I wanted to show off his new baby "fluff".  (cloth diaper lingo).

Why is it so fun to dress up babies like animals.  It's just plain cute!  

Well I already added two, so what's three at this point....

Adding too many is better then none right??

It won't happen often, but I can't promise it won't happen again.

Day #11

Brothers.  I hope that they will stay close throughout their lives, and cherish each other for years to come.    Sawyer smiles from ear to ear when he sees his big brother.  It won't be long before they both work together to torture their big sister!

Day #10

Baby Drool!!!

He is really starting to drool up a storm lately.  I remember when my 3 year old son, Marshall was around 2 months old.  I took him to the photography studio to get his pictures taken.  They showed me the photographs and in most of them he had baby drool running down his chin.  The photographer told me, "Don't worry, I can photoshop that out for you"  I replied with a "No Way!"  Baby drool is part of the baby.  It's part of the whole baby package and an important part of the memory, at least for me.  People get so worried about perfection sometimes that they lose sight of the little things.  We are all guilty for it.  For me personally I like to capture the moment like it really is..... baby drool and all!

Day #9

It was time to break out the toy tray that attaches to his swing.  He is doing really well at grabbing items now.  When I first put him in his swing he kept grabbing at his clothes, so I thought he may like this today.  He ended up getting a little frustrated because the toys are still a little too heavy for him to pick up and chew on.  But he tried for a good 15 minutes or so.

Day #8

This week I am determined to help teach the little guy how to self soothe a little better.  He depends on me holding him or nursing him to sleep, and that makes it very hard when I have 2 other kids to take care of.  During the day he mostly naps in his swing, so we need to break him of that as well.  Before we know it he will be too big for his swing.  So today I was able to give him a binky!  Most of the time he just spits it right out.  And look at this, the first nap of the day and he is sleeping in his bassinet with a binky, his lovey and his favorite blankie that we call "Mr. Fuzzy"  So far, so good.  Let's hope the week continues on this good!

Day #7

Yes, yes.... I know..... the Redskins didn't do well this year.  We are very much aware.  Being born into the Lederhouse family makes you an automatic Redskins fan.  There really isn't a choice in this matter.  Even I have been forced to place a Redskins jersey on at times, and I

am not much of a football fan!  It's not about winning or losing, but the fun of the game and the bond of a family.  

Day #6

The Little, little brother......  Is it true that the third child is usually happy and mellow, or did we just luck out.  This child wakes up smiling, he really does.  My other two were happy babies as well, but there is something different about Sawyer.  There is just something about him that is always shining.  Maybe it's just because I have been struck by baby love.......

Day #5

Today is day #5 of my project and Sawyer is starting to look at me like I'm crazy.  He's used to getting his picture taken A LOT anyways, because I am always snapping pictures anyways, but normally not everyday like I am now.

Today is a little extra special because it is Sawyer's 3 month birthday.  It is flying by so fast.   I can't believe he's been in our life for 3 months now.  Although I can't wait to see what he's going to turn into as he grows, I am going to miss the little baby stage.  Even the sleepless nights I will miss a little bit because it's our time, when everyone  else is asleep. 

He is such a happy baby.  When he cries it just sounds like a whine.  The only time he really cries is when I can't get to him fast enough when he's hungry.  It's funny with your third child you can't always come to their need as fast, like you could when you had just one or two kids.  Maybe that's why he's extra clingy at night.  That's ok.  I will have the whole rest of my life to sleep..... sleep is way over rated anyways.

Day #4

Baby feet are one of my favorite things.  Baby feet are one of the sweetest things in the whole wide world.  I wonder where these baby feet will take him in his lifetime, and what steps he will choose to make in his life.  My hope is that he will become a good man, who will choose the right path to walk.  We need more good people in this world, and I hope that he will become one of them.

Day #3

He sleeps so peacefully during the day..... why can't he at night.  That is the question.  He teases me, sleeping mostly through the night a few nights, and then he will keep me up wanting to eat all night the rest of the week.  The challenge is getting him to self soothe, instead of using me.  He doesn't like a pacifier and he hasn't mastered thumb sucking yet.  I guess this is why God makes babies cute.......

Day #2

I wonder if Sawyer will end up with green eyes like his sister and brother, or if they will stay blue like mine?  I guess time will tell.

Day #1

This is the first entry for the Sawyer 365 project.  He will be 3 months old in just 4 days.  I plan on taking a picture of baby Sawyer every day for the next year.  One down 364 to go!