Emery had his 2-month check-up today.  He is now in the 99th percentile for height at 25.5 inches, and the 87th percentile for weight at just over 15 lbs.  He’s growing well, is happy, and is doing all of the exciting things that young babies do—like coo, kick, flail his arms, smile, show curiosity, and follow people with his gaze.  He also had his first round of vaccinations today.  As he was reclining on the table about to get his shots, he was smiling at me and the nurse, to which the nurse exclaimed, “Oh, I wish he was a little more serious right now, because I’m going to feel really bad when I wipe that smile off his face with these shots!”  Of course he cried after his shots, but he settled down pretty quickly, and all in all, he’s handled the whole ordeal pretty well.  He went to sleep very peacefully tonight, and doesn’t appear to have developed a fever in response to the vaccines.  It’s crazy to think that he won’t be a baby by this time next year—that he will be a walking, talking, little boy.  The idea of it is exciting—to know that he will grow up into a neat little person before our very eyes.  But I’d be lying if I also didn’t admit that the idea of it stings a little—that our baby won’t be a baby forever, that his babyhood seems to be slipping through my fingers.  How do we savor these moments?  And how do we capture them so we can return to them whenever we need reminders of how precious and beautiful our lives are?

I am trying to learn how.

Holden’s fourth birthday party was a hit!  Here are the highlights:

Holden awoke on the day of his party to find our dining room transformed into a warm space adorned with planets and stars.  It was a bit like waiting for Christmas morning as we strained to hear his reaction to the decor as we lay in bed.

The healthy snacks in all their glory:

And a close-up of Rob’s fruit and vegetable-inspired rocket:

The activity and take-home swag were all rolled up into one—I used iron-on images from the craft store on plain white T-shirts, and then let the kids go to town on them with fabric markers.  Each kid got to take home their own T-shirt!

The delicious outer space birthday cake!  It was a basic cake from the local grocery store that they were able to decorate using a scanned outer space image that we provided for them.  Edible planets never tasted so good!

His Star Wars birthday card from Oma and Grandpa was among the most impressive of H’s gifts.

Fun, turning four is.