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2/12

This not-so-little guy is just so round and delicious. Those cheeks keep filling out and there are some pretty serious thigh rolls in the works. At his 2 month check-up, he was off the charts for height (I’m not kidding when I say that he is pushing up the national average) and 95th percentile for weight. While the girls were both bigger and taller than average babies, they weren’t nearly as hefty as their brother. I am so enjoying nomming on all that squishy goodness. And he’s still got room to grow in his overall getup.

1/12: Sander’s First Year

Friends of ours gifted Sander this adorable overall outfit in a size 12 month. The idea is that we photograph him wearing it each month until his 1st birthday, when it’s intended to fit. You know I love a good growth series, so after school on Thursday, Sunny and I snapped photos of our happy, alert, little guy for the first installment.

While it may fit him prior to Month 12 given his size jump start at birth, the straps are adjustable, so I’m confident it will still fit in some capacity on his first birthday.

52 Weeks

This video (now almost two years old!) just won an award as part of a Williams video competition, Movie Madness. It has been such a joy to revisit the project. James and I may have to revive its spirit in a new iteration to celebrate Sunny’s half decade birthday. I can’t believe it’s had almost 10,000 views on Vimeo. Very special, indeed.

52 Weeks

I am stupidly proud and happy with the result of our Weekly Growth series. Despite a few gaps in the process and wide variation in photo quality and lighting, James was able to compile a video that captures Courtland’s first year of growth. Watch as she goes from wriggly, little blob to full on motor-skilled baby.

As always, many thanks to my incredibly talented husband for putting this vision together. And to Rabbit! for providing the perfect song.

Week 52

We’ve made it to the end. 52 weeks of wrestling and bribing two little girls. 52 weeks of funny faces and silly dances. 52 weeks of memories. 52 weeks of growth.

It has been a joy compiling the video of all of the images. I hope that it will be ready to share next week. It’s amazing to watch Courtland so vividly transform from a relatively motionless blob to a crawling, toddling, busy, pain in the neck.

Sunny is in motion. For 52 weeks. But it’s very amusing to see her start reacting to her sister’s antics as the weeks go on.

As I’ve gone back and read each weeks thoughts, in some ways, very little has changed.

Courtland is still a terrible sleeper.

And I’m still humbled by the love and gratitude I feel to call such a terrible sleeper my own.

Courtland: 52 weeks
Addison: 38 months

Week 51

I’m sharing these late – but the series is complete! And I shall be compiling a video of the year soon enough. 52 weeks sure did fly! I’ll share the final week’s images shortly.

I can’t stop staring at my two beautiful little girls. Not a baby in sight. *sigh*

Courtland: 51 weeks
Addison: 38 months

Week 49

This week’s images are a bit fuzzy, but we’re presenting them anyway for fear we’ll miss these final weeks altogether if we don’t. Hard to believe that in three weeks, Courtland will be one full year. So much has happened, and yet, it feels like just yesterday I was rolling around the Berkshires with a 9 month belly filled with baby and ice cream.

Courtland: 49 weeks
Addison: 38 months

Week 48

First and foremost, Sunny would want me to draw immediate attention to her not one, not two, but FOUR braids. The girl’s got her own style.

What you don’t see in this picture is the goose egg protruding out of Kaki’s right temple after she crawled away, stood up on the bed, and face planted into the window crank of the sky light.

DANGER BABY!

She takes her nickname very seriously.

Courtland: 48 weeks
Addison: 37 months

Week 47

Remember these?

Yeah, me neither.

Fortunately, James jogged my memory and after a 15 week hiatus, the Weekly Growth Series is back. A lot has happened since the last shots. Just look at those chompers Courtland’s flashing! And the mobility!

The girls are as cute and crazy as ever. Now off to a day of play at Tanglewood, serenaded by sweet baby James (Taylor). Happy 4th to all of you!

Courtland: 47 weeks
Addison: 37 months

Week 32

Whoa Nelly! Sunny’s face in the series below about sums up my current state of being.

Equal parts excited and overwhelmed. A dash annoyed at Miss Courtland Whaley (i.e. The Teething Velociraptor). And a hefty serving of exhausted. Okay, Sunny doesn’t look exhausted in the least. She’s a ball full of preschool energy and chaos. But Mama sure is beat. For a combination of happy and heartbreaking reasons. Such is the ying and yang of life.

Of course the baby would decide to crack her first teeth, plural, on the same weekend that we started moving into our new home and that I hosted a grand ol’ baby shower. More on the shower and house later, as there are so many things to be said and posted about those two events. But for now I will merely state that Courtland has two bottom teeth erupting. Mama’s got resulting sore nipples and saggy eyes (or is it saggy nipples and sore eyes? Honestly, the adjectives are more than interchangeable). Sunny has developed a love affair with headbands and the color pink (I blame preschool for that stereotypical choice). And James has put a hole in the wall of the new house. Already. I leave the man alone for two hours, only to find that he has removed a wall in the kitchen because he has a GREAT idea for some custom cabinets.

I have never seen him so contented and energized. Home ownership suits him. Very much.

Even if it means that we’re living in a house with gapping holes of plaster and dry wall.

Also, as the counterpoint to all of last week’s exciting news, something happened that about split my heart in two. I’ve been distracted and my heart has been aching for a dear friend ever since. Yet another reminder that despite our best efforts, life plows ahead. Messy. And beautiful. And complicated. And without warning or reason.

Anyone can slay a dragon, he told me, but try waking up every morning & loving the world all over again. That’s what takes a real hero. – StoryPeople

Courtland: 32 weeks
Addison: 34 months