24 weeks...

I feel like starting solids with babies is a necessary evil. In fact it ranks low on things I enjoy doing - pretty close to potty training. But we're doing it and I know 4 months from now it will be much better.

Until then, I put a spoon in his mouth and only a 1/3 stays in his mouth, the rest dribbles down his chin. Which I scoop off and feed him again, but this time only a 1/4 stays in his mouth. The whole time I'm holding his hands so I can get the spoon close to his mouth and as I go to reload the spoon with more rice cereal, he blows raspberries with the biggest smile on his face. The first time it was pretty cute and funny. And even the second time it was pretty entertaining as he surprised himself when food splattered on his face. After that it just created more mess to clean up and less food that he actually consumed. But I am nothing if not persistent!

Birth Announcement...

I designed these a while back. It took me some time to actually get them printed. Once they were printed they sat on my desk for way too long. I finally got most of them out just before we left for the summer, with a few stragglers still sitting on my desk. That my friends is the difference between the first child and the fifth child!

23 weeks...

He's not sure what to do now that all his entertainers have left for school. Now it's just boring ol' mom and a somewhat interested Cannon. However, he is sleeping a little bit better now that the house is quiet. I tried taking the swaddle away completely and it resulted in days of no rest for both of us. So he's swaddled again, one arm in and one arm out. It's just enough for him to be able to pull the pacifier out and not be able to put it back in!

22 weeks...

Briggs had his first experience with the lake last week. Which means he had his first experience with a lifejacket. I've yet to have a baby who is happy and comfortable in a life jacket - why can't they develop a better design?! He was a good sport though and the motion of the boat even put him to sleep in my sister-in-laws arms for a bit.

He was at the doctor last for a well-check. At 5 months old, he's 13 lbs and 26 inches - long and lean. He's about too long for all his 3-6 month clothing, yet they're all baggy around the middle. We're also transitioning away from the swaddle for sleeping. Some days I think it's a good idea, other days not so much!

19 weeks...20 weeks...

Still playing catch up on editing his weekly photos. Weeks 19 and 20 was our last week in Idaho and our first week back in Arizona. He traveled like a champ for the 6 hour drive to Utah (as long as Steve or myself was sitting in the back of the car next to him) and then he had his second plane ride as we flew home and Steve drove with the older kids.

The adjustment coming home was far better than the adjustment of us leaving for vacation. He's settling in nicely.

19 weeks...

He learned a few tricks while he was in Idaho. One afternoon while playing with him on the floor, he rolled from his stomach to his back. I didn't quite see the action so I figured one of the kids rolled him over. So I put him back on his stomach and he quickly rolled back over. We played this game over and over again. At first he surprised himself. After that he was surprised by how excited we all were with him rolling over. The next day he was on his back and he rolled to his stomach. Within two days we went from stationary and safe to mobile and unpredictable.

As much as I love the rolling stage, it's the beginning of the safety freak out mode. They no longer stay in one spot and little toys have to be picked up. He can no longer hang out on the bed or couch. But the plus side is he'll start rolling over to sleep on his stomach. Fingers crossed it improves his sleeping after our vacation sleeping blunder.

18 weeks...

Briggs turned 4 months old on week 2 of our vacation. Eleven hours in the car. He went to his first family reunion. Met a lot of his cousins and aunts and uncles for the first time. Went to college. Explored a cave. Enjoyed his first rodeo and parade and many, many fireworks.

Week 2 of vacation was the steady decline in his sleeping schedule. Each day he slept less and less and before long he was waking a couple times at night. Not the direction we wanted to go in the sleep department.

As far as size is concerned, he's long and lean and looks more like Bennett each day.

17 weeks...

It's time for me to play catch up on his weekly photos. I took the photos every Wednesday while we were out of town and I'm just getting around to uploading them.

A couple weeks back, Briggs took his first plane ride. Steve thought it better to make the long drive without the two youngest kids. So I hopped a $44 plane ride up to Utah where Steve picked us up as he drove through. It worked better than I had imagined and Steve was happy with a somewhat quiet car for the 11 hour drive.

Briggs 1 month...

I was cleaning up my photo library when I came across many from Briggs' first month of life that I never posted. I kept thinking I was going to post them but the reality of the situation was I was drowning and blogging wasn't on the top of my priority list.

Instead I was snuggling this little guy. And every couple days I would have to pull out the camera because he was getting bigger.










I want to go back to that stage - minus the postpartum emotions and recovery. I want to be in that moment without the grogginess. It seems cruel to have a woman go through all that she does to bring a baby into this world only to make the first month a difficult transition so she has a hard time remembering the snuggly, stay in a ball stage!

16 weeks...

Its way too hot for anything but a onesie for this guy. Nursing under a blanket has become uncomfortable and sweaty. And he needs sunscreen just to travel in the car. Welcome summer. You came with vengeance!

He's generally our happy camper - not sure what his deal was today but he spent the majority of the day crying. He didn't want to be held. He didn't want to sleep. He didn't like the pacifier. We all have those days where our skin just doesn't fit right. Today was that day for him. Here's to hoping he got it out of his system and he can be our happy cooing baby tomorrow.

15 weeks...

We went from warm to scorching in no time flat. Is it time to head to Idaho yet??

With our warm weather, this guy rarely wears pants. Or shorts. Or bottoms of any type. The summer would be much more enjoyable for me if it was socially acceptable for me to go without bottoms!

Briggs has decided napping is for the weak and he only manages 20 minutes or so when his eyes are so heavy he can't help but close them. But he makes sure to keep it short - he doesn't like missing out on things.

The kids fight over who sits next to him in the car - even though they know that the seat comes with responsibilities like playing peek-a-boo and fixing any pacifier issues. Bennett takes the role seriously and is probably the best at keeping him entertained.

He knows me and I love it. He knows my voice. He knows my face. Nothing sweeter.

14 weeks...

Last weekend this guy was the best sport ever as he tagged along to Steve and my romantic getaway...to youth conference. :)

I was really not looking forward to taking him with us, but we're kind of attached and come as a package deal at this point! Just the thought of having to keep him happy when he wouldn't be on his nap schedule and then feed him every three hours when I was in full costume was daunting. To ease some anxiety, we rented a room at a nearby RV park instead of tent camping. (great move on our part - for the baby's sake but probably more so for Steve and myself!)

The first day he was awesome and I thought it might be a fluke - but three days in all and he was a rockstar. He was in the stroller some of the time, he laid in a baby bean bag for a bit, we carried him and there were plenty of people willing to hold him. Because he was so good, Steve and I were both able to participate the entire time which we didn't expect. (We had plan b, c and d if A didn't work out!)

Saturday night when we returned home he flipped a switch and he was no longer our happy camper and it took some time to recover. The mountain air was obviously good to him.

13 weeks...

We spent the holiday weekend with lots of family and this little guy was passed from aunt, to uncle, to cousin and back again. It was a rude awakening yesterday when he wasn't held the majority of the time he was awake!

He's three months old and just as lovely as ever. I find myself saying, "I love you so much I want to eat your cheeks." I heard Hallie this morning repeating the same phrase - he's lucky his cheeks are still in tact!

He loves bathtime.

We're keeping his eczema at bay with a magical steroid oil. I just wish it worked as well on Bennett and Cannon.

He sleeps for 8-9 hours at night, eats and goes back to sleep fairly consistently.

We took him on his first road trip - only three hours each way - and as expected he cried a decent amount. And crying is always harder to deal with in the small space of a car.

He's relatively happy - but once he gets worked up - it takes a while to calm him down.

He sleeps swaddled and by the time I get him in the morning he's escaped his tight cocoon.

He's still in 0-3 clothing but he's on the brink of transitioning to the next size. He's not so little anymore!

12 weeks...

Can you imagine wanting food and not being able to satisfy the hunger yourself? So the only way in which you can let people know you're hungry is to gnaw on your hands repeatedly. Doesn't sound so great, does it. Being a baby is a tough gig.

Thank you...

Having a baby can be a tough adjustment. It's like hopping on a merry-go-round for a good solid 10 rotations, then jumping off and running as fast as you can in any direction. There's a good chance you'll stumble, throw-up and then you'll most likely end up on your back, nauseous as the clouds and sky continue to circle above you. If you're lucky, you might be able to perform this task with grace and make it look easy. But no matter how graceful you try and make such a difficult dismount - it's doesn't change the fact that you spent 10 rotations on the merry-go-round - essentially jumbling every single aspect of your life. And it takes some time laying on your back before the clouds start to slow and you start to see straight again.

Unfortunately, the whole time you're laying on your back getting your bearings straight - life is still moving on around you. Laundry still has to be done, dinner still needs to be cooked and children still need to get to and from school. It's all a little overwhelming.

Luckily, the effects of a merry-go-round are typically temporary. I finally feel as though I'm not on my back anymore. The clouds and the sky have slowed in their spinning. The dizziness has subsided. I'm thinking more clearly and I'm overcome with gratitude for all those that stepped in to help us out.

Countless friends, neighbors, family and church members have served us over the last two months. They've taken our kids to play, made dinner, dropped off gifts, came to visit, given us words of encouragement - all of which was deeply appreciated. On more than one occasion their acts of service were a direct answer to my prayers in a time of need. People are kind and giving and supportive. The load on our family during this time was significantly lighter thanks to all those who offered unsolicited help (because we all know it's hard to ask for help sometimes!)

Thank you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

11 weeks...

I'm not sure who was more bummed he couldn't join the boys on their campout this weekend; Briggs or me. I have grand visions, three years down the road, of all the boys taking off on a weekend camping adventure while Hallie and I enjoy some much deserved girl time! We're outnumbered!

Briggys boy is happy and smiley most of the time. He strongly objects to being in the car and his high pitch scream while in the car is changing some of our summer road trip plans!

Choosing a baby name...

When we were pregnant I was often asked if we had a name. When I told people we hadn't settled on a name yet, they assumed we just didn't want to tell anybody the name. That was never the case - we really had no idea what to name him. In fact, that was the case with the last three kids - we were scrambling the last day in the hospital trying to settle on a name so we could sign all the paperwork and be discharged.

This go around we took another approach. We wrote many of the names we were considering on the white board in our hospital room. As guests (mostly family) came by to visit, they would notice the names and we'd start discussing which of the options they liked. (knowing very well we could end up choosing a name that none of them liked, and that would be okay!) As our time in the hospital went on, names were crossed off when we decided they were no longer options.

We made it down to two names by the last day: Anderson or Briggs. We came up with middle names for both to help sway us in one direction or another. We both agreed we would be happy with either name. The kicker - Steve told me he loved the name Anderson but he wouldn't call him Anderson, instead he would go by a nickname. I insisted we name him the nickname then. But Steve wanted to name him Anderson. We didn't see eye to eye and we went back and forth on that subject for too long.

Ultimately Briggs walked away the winner. How's that for a systematic approach?!

10 weeks...

We found out my sister is having a baby boy in October - which means there will be 10 boys in a row on my side. Luckily the four outnumbered girls in the family were all born at the same time.

I'm excited Briggs will have a little friend in the family to wrestle with. He's pretty excited about it too as you can see.

Briggs' blessing...

Last week we had a lot of family visiting for a wedding. All of Steve's siblings and spouses came into town and his parents flew in from Ghana. With everyone gathered, Steve's sister had her daughter baptized and we blessed Briggs in church. The blessing was given during our church services and was performed by Steve with the help of his Dad, brothers, brothers-in-law, nephews and two of his best friends. There were a lot of loving hands in that circle to aid in that blessing.

And it was fun to see everyone sitting together at church. They joked that the congregation swells considerably when there's a Pothier blessing.






Each of our boys have worn the same outfit for the blessing including the pants my mom made for Hunter many years ago. (Aside from Bennett in which we couldn't find the shirt when it came time to bless him so he was blessed in a different top.)
Hunter:

Bennett:

Cannon:

Briggs:

And although Hallie wasn't blessed in the same outfit I couldn't not include her picture as well - after all she was blessed in a dress my mom made for her.

I was thinking back to blessings of all our children. One in Rexburg, one in Milwaukee, one at Aspen Grove in Utah, one in AZ at Hallie's baptism and Briggs in AZ. Out of all of the blessings, Hunter's was the smallest circle of people: Steve, Steve's dad who had flown out and three friends who we became close with during our time there. All the rest were large circles of family. But in the end, it really doesn't matter who, or how many people were there - its the blessing that matters and Steve has performed each blessing. He does a great job at preparing himself to give that sweet baby a blessing for his/her life. I love listening to him pray for our children, it never gets old.

9 weeks...

Has it really been two months since I was lying in the hospital giving birth?!

He's 9 weeks old and just starting to give us some smiles. He weighed in this week at 11.1 lbs. Definitely one of our smaller children. He sleeps one 6-7 hour stretch at night and it is glorious. His clogged tear duct continually leaves his eye red and full of goop. Pretty sure every one of our kids has experienced this. He's still not a huge fan of the swing, but he tried out the bumbo seat for the first time and he was content for a length of time. He looked ridiculously old sitting in that thing. Little man is growing up.

He had a big day on Sunday when Steve blessed him in our church, surrounded by so many family and friends (more on that to come). It was beautiful.

He was a third wheel to a weekend of family wedding events and he handled it like a champ. He was passed around and loved on by everyone around him. Fortunately, he hasn't entered the "stranger danger" phase - but I anticipate it happening shortly.