Pumpkin Patch

As part of Theo's enormous birthday weekend, we went to Stocker Farms. This was a new farm for us that we discovered from a flyer left at Theo's Preschool's Fall Festival fundraiser. The flyer looked promising, and it turned out there was so much to do that we didn't actually even get around to gathering any pumpkins!





















See all my photos, or the photos my mom took.

Theo's Fourth Birthday

Theo's fourth birthday was a big one: it was the first one he's been planning for months, adding things to his wish list and specifying the types of cakes he'd want, and more importantly, we wanted to have a nice event for him so he didn't feel overshadowed by the arrival of his little brother Xavier. Both sets of grandparents came into town, and we had a full set of activities, including birthday presents when my parents arrived (before the party), presents from the party, and then a morning and afternoon set of presents on his actual birthday. Oh, and I almost forget an early early present that came in the form of a box with Theo's name on it; fair warning for the future: unless we're specifically asked to keep an eye out, Theo knows how to read his name and if something comes with his name on it, he's allowed to open it when he wants!



Some party shots:



















More presents:





If you want to check out even more photos, see the ones my mom took or the ones I took.

Xavier's Two Week Check Up

Xavier had his two week checkup with the pediatrician mostly to see how fast he was gaining weight. He was at his birth weight at his one week check up but we didn't know how far his weight had fallen and come back up.

I was not concerned as he had weighed in at the midwives' appointment the previous day. That weight was 10 lbs 1/2 oz, which was 4.5 oz in five days when half an ounce a day is considered good.

At the pediatrician Xavier excelled, weighting in at 10 lbs 8 oz - a 7.5 oz gain in 24 hours! He also grew a quarter of a inch in a week to 22.75 inches and his head circumference remained the same.

Good job growing big guy!

Xavier's One Week Check up

Xavier had his first visit with the pediatrician last week, which was also his first time outside the house. The weather was clear and sunny and except for the loading process into the bucket car seat, he had no objections. Michal had to check on him multiple times during the 20 minute drive to make sure he was still breathing.

He did well at the doctor's office. He did not want to open his mouth and made some very advanced attempts at pushing the doctor's hands and stick away but otherwise remained unperturbed.

Our pediatrician has moved practices since Vivian was a newborn. We were concerned about exposure as the new practice does not have a newborn waiting room or even a separate area. But it turns out they just take you immediately back to the exam room if you have a baby.

Xavier weighed 9 lbs 12 oz, which means he was exactly back up to his birth weight. He grew half an inch to 22.5 inches and his head circumference increases by one centimeter to 38.

In other news we finally got around to capturing Xavier's first giraffe photos. In case you have seen the giraffe photos from our older children, you should know this giraffe (much like this child) is a significant portion larger than previous giraffes. We did not get all three giraffes in the photos for comparison's sake. Maybe we will make that happen next time. In the meantime, enjoy!