Reid continues to grow well and bring us smiles every day. He is a great cuddler and I love just looking at him and wondering what goes through his mind.
Griffin used to sleep in this exact same position!
Reid went to the doctor for his 4 week well check this week where he checked out great! Dr. Wilde remarked that his big belly and chubby cheeks are the telltale signs of a growing and thriving baby. He did get one shot in his thigh – the poor guy turned beet red and did the whole no-sound-making-angry-crying face for a minute or two before he calmed down and then he was just fine. He weighed in at 10 pounds 15.6 ounces (we had guessed 11 pounds at home for this visit so we were close!) which is the 78th percentile. He was 22.5″ long (92nd percentile) and his head circumference was 40 cm (99th percentile). We have ourselves a super healthy and big baby! We did have some concerns at this appointment as Kevin had noticed a marble-like lump off to the side under his right nipple last week. As it turns out it is a normal thing in breast-fed babies. Something about hormones from the mother….I’m just glad it is nothing to worry about and it seems to be going down already since last week when Kevin discovered it. He is really a happy and content baby a majority of the time. There have been some times though that I wonder if he has a bit of reflux or issue with something I’ve eaten. So I discussed that with the doctor who asked if he spits up much. I told him he hardly ever spits up and so he mentioned silent reflux when the baby may have some reflux and it is most noticeable when he’s feeding as it would arch his back, be really fussy, and pull off while he’s eating. Learning about that made me question if he does have a bit of reflux because he has done that at times, but the more I think about it I think in his case he just has a fair bit of gas as he will burp or toot and then calm down. He also has baby acne, which I’ve wondered if it is truly acne or a reaction to breastmilk (or a factor in something I’m eating). So I’m hoping both his complexion and gas get better and I’m working on not worrying about them!
This week Reid’s right eye was also oozing some yellow sleepies. I’m pretty sure he has a clogged tear duct so I’ve been massaging that and hoping it will clear up soon. 
One of the projects on my list has been to repurpose the loft into a more usable space and also less of a junk collecting area. This week I moved all of the leftover wood (blue boxes) from the middle of the wall down into the corner and I also moved my craft/work table up against the wall so the room is more open. We are going to convert the existing storage bookshelf from craft and miscellaneous storage into kids storage and also move the identical storage shelf from the family room up to the loft. I think Griffin will really enjoy having a carpeted playspace and Kevin and I will enjoy having the kids toys (read that as at times messy area) up in the loft. We are gradually moving toward improving our family room area so it will become a place where we spend our time as right now we hardly ever use it!
This week Kevin interviewed for his job as he had updated he resume and had to reapply for his current position. The state’s fiscal year begins each July 1st and this year Kevin is hoping to change the company he uses as a pass through for billing. So, I bring that up as he wore a tie to work for his interview. He looks so handsome, eh? Luckily a friend snapped this photo of him and he sent it to me as a typical work day doesn’t involve ties!
We enjoyed a quick dinner followed by family movie night on Friday. It was awesome – we were all snuggly and I loved that I was in bed at 8 pm, lol! We watched Trolls, which Griffin really loved. It had him up dancing and I loved watching that the best!
Saturday’s mean t-ball time! The kids this week were feeling more comfortable and getting the hang of how things work. It made for a smoother game where we made it through each of the batters twice in an inning and were able to play two innings this week. Each week there is a sportsmanship value that the coach teaches the kids and this week it was about sharing. At the end of the game the coach awards a player a medal for demonstrating the value and this week Griffin was awarded the medal for sharing! It was so appropriate as he is wonderful at sharing with others. Each time he makes a craft he wants to give it away to someone, or he gets a snack and will share it with someone, he regularly shares toys, and so on. I was super happy for him and I could tell he was proud that he had been given the medal by Coach Abigail.
Another fun Saturday afternoon spent with Cole and Cooper, complete with Mr. Brian making them all lunch!
Brotherly snuggles before we headed to the Powell Festival at Village Green Park. It was a beautiful night to be outdoors listening to live music, having dinner, and watching Griffin enjoy the kids play areas. 
Kevin pressure washed the porch and patio over the weekend and it looks a-m-a-z-i-n-g! The floor is so clean and the patio is also weed free as he used the flame thrower and burned them all up!
On Sunday we had a neighborhood block party that we helped organize along with 3 of our other neighbors. Our neighborhood hadn’t had one in a few years and we thought with the turnover we’ve had in the ‘hood and the new kids and families it would be good to have a gathering. Kevin was the grill master and we setup the bounce house in Brian’s yard, along with other outdooor games. We had a decent turnout and it was nice to meet new neighbors and others who’ve been here a long time but that we just don’t know! 
Check this guy out at almost 5 weeks filling out his new 3 month outfit from Grandma Beilstein. So big!
Lily always getting comfortable on the couch. I’m not sure how we’re going to teach her not to get up on the furniture once we replace our awful couch someday!
This week we made impressions of Reid’s hand and feet. They turned out really well, though we did have to round the bottom of the footprint. We had planned to have them be the same length but it turns out his feet are longer than his hands :). 
Griffin really loves to learn and has shown an interest in numbers and letters. He regularly asks what the letters he puts together spell and he’s been doing some addition here and there. He also really likes matching the written number to the number of objects or coming up with words that end in certain letters, for example, “at” (cat, bat, pat, rat, etc). 
Oh Brutus, he’s just killing me some days. He is the sweetest dog, but he definitely needs more attention and exercise that he’s been receiving lately. This week while rearranging the loft I was vacuuming as I was moving furniture around so the cord was all over the floor. He and Lily were laying on the floor playing with each other and I looked at them and realized he had chewed through the vacuum cleaner cord. Ugh! Killing me. He’s been ruining a couple of items a day sometimes, from Finn’s toys to Kevin’s Keen sandals, to my shoes, Griffin’s shoes, etc. He is all puppy. 
This video was put together by Google from various photos that I’ve taken over the years. I thought it was so cute I’m posting for everyone to see, not only the dogs through the years – but look at Finn grow up too!
I was fortunate to break away from work over the lunch hour to go surprise Griffin at pre-school for the Mom’s and Muffins mother’s day gathering. I hadn’t told him I’d be there as I like to surprise him – and I just love to see the expression on his face when he discovers I’m there. So fun! I was able to play with him in his classroom where he showed me so many of his toys. Then the kids were read a book by the teacher, showed us a dance they do to music, and each child was called to the front one at a time to get the painting they had made for their mom. While the child walked up to the front the teacher read one line off their “mom” worksheet which you can see below. Some of what the kids answers were to the questions were pretty hilarious! For mine, she read that “Griffin’s mom is 10 years old”. I could tell as he was walking back to me with his painting and the paper that he was a little embarrassed. He sat down and muttered “I didn’t know what to say for how old you were…..” like I would somehow be disappointed that it wasn’t correct. So I reassured him it was ok not to know how old I was and how much I loved the painting he made and all of the answers to the questions that his teachers asked him about me. Apparently we make and eat a lot of pancakes and waffles around here…..
On Thursday morning I had yet another weekly non-stress test which again went well and the baby’s heart rate looked great. This week I met with Dr. Costa afterwards. She thinks based on my current status and that I delivered Griffin 10 days late, that I will go after my due date. She actually mentioned that she saw my ultrasound results from last week and that I have above normal amniotic fluid (mine is 18, normal is 10-14), though it’s not cause for concern. But it does make it more difficult for the baby to move down to the cervix, which is what causes it to begin dilating. Even though I’ve been having regular braxton-hicks contractions, the additional fluid makes it difficult for the babies head to move down which is why I haven’t made much progress in the last couple of weeks. I’m ok with that since it has allowed me to get through spring at work! 
Over the weekend Kevin started working on the nursery closet. We are going to customize the shelving and add some built in drawers. So Kevin and Finn headed to Lowe’s to get the necessary supplies and then began working on the pieces parts. And, as always, Brutus inserted himself in the activities wanting to be in the garage during all the activity. 
On Mother’s Day Mom and Dad came down and the Bethune’s also joined us at Griffin’s flag football game. The league gave the kids flowers to give to their Mom’s and/or Grandma’s that were there – how cute! Afterwards we headed to Graeter’s (who doesn’t enjoy a sweet treat after a little flag football) and then on to the Bethune’s for a pizza dinner to celebrate Mother’s Day. Yummers! Griffin made the sweetest card for me with Miss Debbie. I really enjoy reading the sentiments that she captures when she asks him questions like that. 
While Griffin played outside one day he created this masterpiece which he called his “collage”. A unique and beautiful compilation made when he combined water and sidewalk chalk and then painted with his feet. He was so proud. There were several colors but you can’t quite see that in the photo here. 
Griffin loves to be outside and play sports as much as possible. Anytime he hears his neighbor pals Cole and Cooper outside he immediately wants to head outside and play with them. They get in games of driveway hockey and lawn baseball quite a bit. 
And from this weeks trip to the zoo:
Lily is doing well and this week went in to have her Mast Cell Tumor removed. Everything went well and we will hear in a week or less the grade of the tumor (our hope is a low-grade tumor meaning it is localized and hasn’t spread). She has to wear the cone of shame for another two weeks. Thankfully this girl is a rock star with her cone. She is gentle with it (not blasting into things) and doesn’t mind wearing it. Sometimes I let her get comfy in her crate and then put it on her as it can be a bit difficult to turn around inside her crate with it on! Her incision was pretty large as they have to remove a large area around the tumor to ensure they get all of the tumor by taking the good skin around it as well. 
After we picked Lily up on Saturday morning we quickly went home to drop her off and then headed to the fun annual Powell Easter Egg Hunt at Village Green Park. It was a beautiful and sunny morning and there were TONS of eggs so Griffin took home quite a bit of candy!
