Squish is Four Months Old!

Happy 4 months, Squishy-face!

Okay, so technically 4 1/2 months. Sheesh.

I just can't get enough of this handsome little fella! He continues to be the most laid-back, easy-going sweet baby of all time. And... I'm ecstatic to report we are pretty much on a -- wait for it -- SCHEDULE! Yay! I mean, it's not an exact science or anything, but he's eating every 4ish hours, with some nice 6- to 9-hour stretches at night. Can I get an AMEN!?

I was able to get some great pics of my sweet guy today, but this little gem below was taken by LO! Isn't it great?

Last Thursday (Chase's birthday), I took Squish in for his 4-month checkup, and he's growing like a weed! He was up to 16 lbs. 8 oz. and 26.5" long! The one thing I simply cannot get enough of is this boy's THIGHS! I could eat 'em up! See??

I just love all of the interaction with this sweet boy. He's so happy and smiley! He's a lot of fun and the big kids are just smitten with him.

Our only struggle lately is that our sweet boy seems to be having some allergy issues we can't seem to pinpoint. He will start rubbing his eyes incessantly, causing the entire area around his eyes to turn pink and puffy (as evidenced in the pic below). Poor boy! I'm wondering if he has some of daddy's seasonal allergies... bless.

Okay, so I officially promise that I'm going to try reeeeeaaaaally hard to take his 5 month pictures ON or very much NEAR his 5 month birthday. We shall see!

Love my sweet squishy-squish!

Chase's 8th Birthday!

My sweet, sweet miracle turned 8 today! We are celebrating God's goodness and faithfulness in our family. It's simply astonishing what God has done for us! We cannot thank him enough!

First of all, major props to LO for her creative homemade birthday banner, complete with Pokéballs!

We let Chase make all the plans and decisions for his big day. Of course we started with our family tradition of birthday pancakes! Oh, how I love this boy!

Make a wish!

After birthday pancakes, it was time to open presents! Yay! Not surprisingly, there were lots of LEGO, Ninjago, and Pokémon involved, much to the birthday boy's delight!

FINALLY! The Phantom Ninja! He's been waiting for this book forever!

His coveted birthday wish: The Green Ninja Mech Dragon!

One happy birthday boy!

Of course mommy is economical and bought the birthday boy some new t-shirts. This one? My absolute FAVE. I am always telling Chase that he is the bravest person I know. Without a doubt, this couldn't be more true! I snatched this shirt up the instant I saw it!

Another fun t-shirt purchase: "Be KIND. It's Elemental." We'll be working through the Periodic Table later this year in CC, so I couldn't pass this one up! Chase loves Ninjago, and each of the ninja have a special skill referred to as their "elemental power." Elemental powers are used by Elemental Masters in Ninjago, and include elements such as fire, ice, lightning, earth, water, etc. When I saw this shirt, I immediately thought of the ninja and decided maybe I could convince Chase that his elemental power is KINDNESS. Surely that would only serve to improve sibling interactions, yes? (LOL!)

There were a lot of new LEGO sets today. And bless this sweet guy's heart... he waited so patiently, watching big bro and big sis work intently on their creations.

The birthday boy is hard at work!

Big sis is basically a Master Builder. Look at her go!

After pancakes and gifts and hanging out, I took the four kiddos and headed to the doctor's office! I had already scheduled Squish's 4-month and Chase's 8 year well visits for today, but decided yesterday to call and ask if I could bring LO and E to have the older 3 get their flu shots today. You can imagine Chase's excitement at getting a shot on his birthday. AND a finger stick. It was a major win. Thank goodness we had a yummy cake and some ice cream waiting for us at home!

Speaking of cake and ice cream, someone was super excited (and super silly) while the cake was being prepped for singing and serving.

Cake! Chocolate (gluten-free) cake with homemade chocolate buttercream -- all per Chase's request (well, not the gluten-free part... that's just because I've adapted to being gluten-free and didn't want to miss out on birthday cake!).

Yummy!

Time to sing! Look at all of those candles!!!

Make a wish, my sweet boy!

I can't forget to share this sweet squishy face! Just love him and his super-chill vibe.

We topped off the birthday festivities with dinner at Culver's with all the family! It was so much fun and so awesome to hang out and catch up with our fam! More gifts were opened, plenty of frozen custard was consumed, and a wonderful time was had by all!

I am so so so so so happy and so very blessed and so incredibly thankful for all God has done in Chase's first 8 years! He has been through more than anyone I know, but has such an incredibly sensitive heart, and an unparalleled love for others. I can't believe I get to be his mom! God is so good!

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET CHASE!