Happy 6 Months, Baby Boy!

Today is Luke's 6 month "birthday".  How on earth is he already six months old?  I am thrilled that he's growing like a weed and doing so well, but part of me is also really, really sad because I know he's my last baby and it's gone/going by so quickly.  

Here's a little peek at what our big boy is into these days:

• He started rice cereal at four months and then this past weekend we began feeding him baby food.  His first was sweet potatoes and then he had peas.  He likes them both and didn't even make a face at the taste of the peas!

• He is sitting up on his own, but still props on his belly a good bit when he does.  

• He can roll over both ways, but hardly ever does (as in, I think he's done it a grand total of about 5 times.)  I'm a little concerned about this and will bring it up at his next check-up in few weeks, but I think he's honestly just content to lay on his back or tummy or to sit up.

• His hand coordination is getting really good.  And, as is the standard for babies his age, what goes into his hands immediately goes into his mouth.  We have frequent talks with Audrey about things we need to make sure are out of his reach!

• He is an incredibly content baby.  Of course he fusses when he's tired or wants to be held, but 99% of the time, he'll stop as soon as I pick up him.  He rarely ever cries if he's in my arms and just loves sitting there taking the world in.

• He is still on his reflux medicine, but it seems the past week or so the spit-up has finally started to decrease.  We may try to wean him off of it after this round and see if he's finally outgrowing it now that we've started solid foods.

• No teeth yet, but I can tell he's working on them!  Lots of drool and gumming things.  

• He still loves his pacifier.  I try to put him down without it at night, but at some point (usually at several points) he wakes up and I have to go pop it in his mouth.  Not sure how to fix this issues. I guess the solution would be letting him cry it out until he can learn to either find it himself or use his thumb.  Right now I'm just not willing to do that for fear of him waking Audrey, so for the time being, I get up between 1 and 4 times a night just to reinsert a paci and then once to feed him.  

• He loves peek-a-boo and being tickled, both of which produce the most adorable giggles and grin you've ever heard and seen.  

• He wears size 4 diapers and is in 9 - 12 month clothes.  I haven't weighed him lately, but I think he has to be at least 20lbs by now and will be moving into a bigger car sear in the very near future!

• He adores his sister and the feeling is mutual.  It melts me to watch her love on him or see him grin at her.  I pray they have a wonderful relationship as they grow up together!  

And here's a look at his schedule these days:

Sometimes between 4:00am - 5:00am - Wakes to eat and goes back to sleep

Sometime between 6:45am - 7:15am - Wakes and nurses

7:45am - has 3 tablespoons of rice cereal mixed w/ breastmilk (soon to be mixed with fruit)

8:30am - 9:15am -I shower while he's in his bouncy seat, then playtime.  We usually read and/or he plays in the exersaucer

9:15am - 10:30am - Morning nap.  I finish getting myself and Audrey dressed, do laundry, and get the house ready in case of a showing.

10:30am - Nurses and I get him dressed

11:00am - 1:00pm - Play date or errands, us girls eat lunch

1:00pm - Nurses while Audrey plays

1:30 - 3:30 - Afternoon naps for both kids. (AJ goes down around 1:45 or 2 until 3:30)

3:30 - Nurses while Audrey eats a snack and I read to her

4:00 - 6:00 - play time, errands, chores, cook dinner, etc.

6:00 - Nurses, then eats a veggie and 3 tablespoons of rice cereal.  Dinner for all of us around 6:30

7:00 - 8:00 - play time, bath time.

8:15 - family bedtime story, devotion, and prayers.  Nurses then goes down for the night.

So that's Little Man's schedule these days.  Of course, it varies and we're flexible (waaaay more so than we were with AJ!)  At least two days a week, we head out around 9:30 to meet for a play date somewhere and he naps for 20-30 minutes in the car then. And occasionally he'll catnap here and there, especially if we're at home around 5:30.  He enjoys a good 15-20 minute pre-dinner snooze in my arms and frankly, I love it too.  I plan on dropping a nursing session in the next week or two and restructuring his eating times a bit, but just haven't had the time or patience to mix up anything in our world right now!

I love seeing his laid-back, sweet-as-pie personality develop.  He gets dragged around by two strong-willed females all day and just goes with the flow.  Guess he thinks we're worth putting up with, just like his Daddy does.  It'll only be by the grace of God if I don't make this kid a complete Mama's boy.  :)

Happy 6 months, Lukey.  We love you!

Luke is One Month!

Luke is one month old today!  As most parents of newborns, part of me feels like it's been every bit of a month and the other part feels like 30 days can't have possibly passed already.  Part of me is happy we're through those really tough first few weeks and the other part is aching that I'll never have them back.  I actually lied to a lady yesterday (in the church parking lot, no less) and told her that he was three weeks old.  Granted, he was three weeks and six days, but I knew as I was saying it that I should've said a month.  I just couldn't bring myself to speak the truth because it sounded so old!


We have been doing really well.  Really, really well, all things considered.  At the beginning of the week I decided it was time to at least begin thinking about a schedule.  My philosophy this time around has been to hold off trying until it becomes more convenient to be on one than not on one.  As I'm starting back to Bible study and we'll be picking up with our small group next week, I decided it was a good time to at least head in that direction.  


Though we're nowhere near predictable yet, he's beginning to be more awake and show patterns (at least in daytime eating) that I'm working with.  My goal is to get him on the following feeding schedule:  7:30am, 9:45am, 12:45pm, 3:15pm, 6:00pm, 8:30pm daytime and then on demand at night.  For the last few days we've actually been pretty close to that.  He likes his lunch a bit earlier than 12:45, but we'll get there.  Once we have his check-up on Tuesday and I know he's gaining weight okay, I'll feel better about making him wait and stretching him a bit here and there.  


Sleep-wise, I have three main goals right now: keep him awake for at least a little while after each daytime feeding, get him on the same afternoon nap schedule as Audrey, and stretch out those nighttime feedings.  We're slowly making progress in each area.  He even went four hours on Tuesday night (from start of feeding to start of feeding, remember, so he slept for a little over three after I fed him, changed him, and got him settled).  Unfortunately between the neighbor's loud music and his noisy sleep habits, I still only got about two hours straight that shift.  And then last night he was back to eating every 2.5 and I was only getting 1.5 hour shifts, so who knows.  Still, I don't feel completely exhausted.  Just half-way exhausted.  Which is livable. 


He's still sleeping in our room and will be until he consistently drops two of his FOUR nighttime feedings.  Though Audrey moved out on or near her one month mark, I don't feel the need to rush him.  With her I was so much more by the book and afraid if I didn't do something by a certain point, she'd miss the window (i.e. be sleeping in our room until she was nine.)  As I mentioned in my previous post, this time around is more relaxed.  I don't feel like getting up and feeding him 3-4 times a night in his room, so we'll wait another couple of weeks.  David can sleep anytime, anywhere, and be back asleep within 90 seconds after waking, so he's fine with it too.


We have also made the decision to let him sleep on his tummy like we did with Audrey.  (What?! Gasp! Shock!  *Dialing DFCS*)  You can read more about all that came with that decision on Audrey's One Month blog post here.  We came to the same conclusion for the same reasons and are trusting the same God that protected Audrey to watch over Luke as he sleeps.  


He is slowly becoming more awake and alert and I love seeing those pretty eyes when they lock on mine for just a moment.  He is looking more and more like his sister and, therefore, like his Daddy.  Guess I'm out of luck for a baby that looks like me.  Don't get me wrong, I think David is an incredibly good looking fella.  I just wanted to see some of myself manifested in these kiddos...and in ways other than Audrey's OCD and organizational tendencies. :)  She is starting to favor me a bit more, I think, so maybe down the road they'll turn into a good balance of the two of us.  I'm so very glad they both have David's adorable dimples, though.  That'll make for three irresistible smiles I cannot say no to in this house!  


Hmmm...what else?  No bottle yet, but I plan on starting to pump this weekend so he can have the occasional one while I'm out.  He's in size one diapers and has outgrown all of his newborn clothes.  In fact, several of his 0-3 month outfits are starting to fit a little snug!  I won't know his weight/length until after his check-up next week, but I'm guessing and hoping he'll be just at 10 lbs.  


As for his gassy tummy, it's a lot better, despite the reintroduction of chocolate into my diet (yeah, I lasted about 3 1/2 days with that one.)  I think sleeping on his belly helped with it.  He is spitting up more now, but I'm not alarmed because it doesn't appear to be a whole lot.  I'm trying to nurse him at an incline, burp him often, and keep him elevated for awhile after each feeding.  I'm sure we'll address it with the doctor next week, but his protruding gut and developing rolls seem to speak for themselves.  


Here are some other factoids/Luke's first month in numbers (again, click here to compare with Audrey's first month):

• Approx. 270 nursing sessions (more than with AJ because it's easier to just feed on demand than stretch out the second kid)

• Approx. 275 diaper changes (less than with AJ because you let the second one sit in it longer!)

• Who knows how many visitors, but definitely less this go-round.  Sorry, kid.  You're the second.

• 16 home-cooked meals delivered so far (more than with AJ because I'm in two small groups...and because people are generous and know we need it more this time around!)

• 12 sponge baths (more than with AJ because, well, I don't know!  Boys are stinkier?!)

• Approx. 15 outings including his first trips to Chick-fil-A, Publix, Target (several), Hobby Lobby, Wolf Camera, Kohl's, Gymboree, Moe's, Babies R Us, Five Spot yogurt, Buy Buy Baby, my Bible Study at church, and at least half a dozen trips to the park.  (Waaaay more than with Audrey.  He's gonna have to learn to keep up with the two of us on-the-go girls!)

• Not nearly enough hours of sleep.

• Not nearly enough kisses, hugs, and cuddles...gotta work on that!

SO, that's what's been going on in his/our world.  I'll update more in the March recap at the end of the month.  Until then, check out the gallery for an album of his professional newborn pictures.


Happy One Month, Luke!  We love you and are so very, very glad you're here!  
  

The News at 30 Months (2.5 years!)

Shame, shame, shame on me.  I haven't posted one of these updates about Audrey in five months.  It is NOT looking good for Baby Boy ever having hope of me recording his life and milestones.


Ah, well.  What you can when you can, right?  So here:


At two and a half, she is simultaneously becoming more independent and dependent by the day.  She can do so much by herself, but she also longs for a lot of interaction and socialization, specifically with adults.  She is incredibly verbal and talks constantly, so she prefers having someone who will listen and respond to all those thoughts in her little head!  


Her vocabulary, verb conjugation, and overall verbal ability never cease to amaze me.  She uses past, present, and future tense correctly about 75% of the time.  Most of the new words she's using lately astound me mainly because they illustrate that she's also grasping a difficult concept.  For example, she'll explain that she "accidentally opened the wrong day on the advent calendar" (which she did when I left her unattended with it) or that one out of the three dolls she was playing with sits up the "easiliest"  (okay, so she didn't quite have the exact phrasing correct, but it still impressed me!)  She also uses pronouns and possessive nouns (she vs. her, his cup instead of him's cup, etc.) correctly most of the time.
Her slang and casual vocabulary are pretty funny to hear as well, especially when she refers to David as "Dad", as if she's just too grown to say "Daddy."    


Another crazy thing for us to witness developing is her memory.  You cannot say anything you don't mean because she'll hold you to it.  She's always been one to harp on things continuously, but the difference is that now she could go weeks or months in between bringing it up and is still able to recall it with accurate clarity.  Yesterday, for example, we went to meet some friends at Chick-fil-A.  She told me how the last time we saw them was at their house and the time before that (about two weeks ago), they came to our house.  That time, Mrs. Karen went to go get Chick-fil-A and bring it to us and her friend cried while her mommy was gone and then we played play-dough.  She also remembers our beach trip in September (and wants to talk about it all the time), our visit to the pumpkin patch in October, our trip to Savannah in November, meeting Baby James in the hospital (totally to our advantage so we can remind her of that when our time comes!), etc.  And Lord help you if you skip a page or say the wrong words from a book.  She knows most of them by heart and will correct you immediately.


Potty training has markedly improved, though I still wouldn't say we're there yet.  Her record is five days without an accident, but then she'll have two wet incidents in one day out of nowhere.  She still sleeps in diapers and we're still taking her at regular times - before we leave the house, after meals, & once every hour when we're out - so I don't think that really counts.  I think the truth of the matter is that we're finally trained.  I will consider her fully there when she can take herself to the bathroom, go, wipe, flush, wash, and dry without my assistance.  I expect that'll happen by the time she's ten.  At this point, I'd just settle for not having to remember on her behalf and her taking ownership of it.  One day.  


She still loves to sing and dance, read books, play with her dolls, and be outside.  The past few months, she has also really gotten into helping me cook.  She'll drag a chair over to the counter, climb on, and help add ingredients and stir.  Her imagination is thriving and I would LOVE to know where she comes up with some of the stuff she does (see quips and quotes below.)  She makes up words, songs, and dances all the time.  She enjoys doing mazes, is getting great at counting objects (though she still skips 15 almost every time), and even has a vague concept of things like time and addition.


Her overall personality is still a mix of both David and me.  She can be shy, especially in a large crowd (David), she's very observant (David), and inquisitive (David).  She likes her order and routine, sometimes to a fault (me), has a temper and gets frustrated with objects (me), and is impatient (me)...hey, wait...why is all the negative stuff from me?!?!  Truthfully, I think it's easier for me to spot areas in her that I know she'll struggle with because they're my battles too.  Though she doesn't have a sibling yet, I can see many first born traits emerging:  she's a leader, she's a perfectionist about many things, she has a strong sense of right vs. wrong and a desire to please us.  She likes rules and boundaries, and she really likes making sure others follow them as well.  In fact, her stuffed animals seem to get put into time out a lot.  Her caring and nurturing heart is so precious, but as a two and a half year old, she's obviously still very self-centered.  So, as long as she doesn't have a boo-boo too, she'll be more than happy to doctor yours up and fuss over you.


Speaking of self-centeredness, we've tried hard to instill a sense of gratitude and the desire to help and serve others since before she could walk.  Lately, she's been able to earn a coin, usually a nickel, to give to our church's Feed 5000 project every time she helps us empty the dishwasher.  (We are firm believers in doing chores and helping out because you're part of a family, not for an allowance or reward, but we thought it would be good to have one activity she could do to raise money for a project our church was doing.  We'll tackle saving, spending, and tithing down the road.)  So, for a few weeks, she collected all the coins in a box and we kept stressing why she was doing it.  When people would come over, we'd let her show them her box and explain that she was going to give it to the church to help them buy food for people who needed it.  Let me just tell you that few things have warmed my heart as a mom as much as watching her tiny hands carry her little plastic bag full of coins and dump it into the bucket at church two weeks ago.  Of course, she has since asked for it back, so we've started another round of collecting for the church.  


To balance all my bragging and boasting, I will add that her whining is still an issue.  It's not necessarily when she requests something, so it's more than just asking her to rephrase it in a big girl voice.  Instead, she'll whine if  she doesn't want to eat something, we don't respond right away, or we are taking too long to pay attention to her.  It is nails on a chalkboard to me and I haven't found a good solution for it yet other than consistent reminders and time-outs when needed.  Just leaving her and going for a drive, though tempting, seems a little irresponsible.


Her eating and sleeping habits haven't changed much in the last six months to a year.  She eats most everything, though we're keeping her off of peanut butter and peanuts because it appears to cause a little rash around her mouth.  Some day I'll take her in for an allergy test. Her favorite foods are macaroni and cheese, pizza, and cookies, though I assure you those are enjoyed sparingly.  She still naps from 2pm - 4pm, goes to bed around 8:30pm, and gets up at 8am.  She has been taking a long time to fall asleep at night, so I imagine after Christmas we'll be adjusting her to a shorter nap.  This makes me sad, but I know Baby Boy isn't going to sleep for longer than an hour and a half or so once he gets past the first month, so I guess it'll get me readjusted to those shorter naps.  




Here are some funny quotes and quips from her over the past few weeks and months:


 - "There are no clouds in the sky today.  They must be on the ground somewhere.  I'll use a stool to put them back up and then fly, fly, fly back down into your van, Mommy."


 - She's learned to "do a secret" as she calls it.  She puts her little hands around her mouth and whispers just quietly enough so the neighbors can't hear.  


 - Me:  "We did a great job cooking dinner, didn't we?  AJ:  "Yup.  You're welcome."


 - She calls the scar on my forehead a music note.  Because it's actually two scars right beside each other - a chicken pox scar and a vertical line - that's what it looks like to her.


 - A few months ago she told a random sales lady that "My parents don't play with me because they're older.  And they don't pay any attention to my brother and sister."  WHAT in the WORLD?  Nice, kid.  


-  AJ:  "Can you toss me a grape, Dad?"  (David obliges.)  "Thanks."


 - I was explaining to her that I wasn't sure her Daddy was going to let her do something. She answered, "Yes he will! I'll say 'pweeeeeeese' [batting eyelashes] and he'll smile, and laugh, and say, 'Okay!'" Oh boy.


 -  When answering her about what was for dinner I said chicken. She said "No way, Jose" with feigned shock. Guess getting the sarcasm gene was inevitable.


 - Words she says incorrectly that are too darn cute to correct: Burriteo (burrito), pennio (piano), and "bless yous" are sneezes.

 - When we asked her what we should name her baby brother, she replied "Zeke."  It's the name of one of her dolls (a girl, no less) and I believe she got it from the show Sid the Science Kid.  


 - She's very complimentary of other people and, sometimes, their attire or accessories.  She told one sitter she "just loved" her purse and told her Grandmom that she "loved her socks.  They're so cool!"  


 - In addition to throwing out the compliments, she's very gracious at receiving them.  Whether you compliment something she's wearing or something she had no part in (our Christmas tree, for example) she'll say "Thanks!"


 - She is obsessed with different things - stuffed animals, her fingers, her food...whatever - having Momma and baby pairs.


 - I knocked over some picture frames at a store the other day (thankfully none broke!) and I said "Oh no!" as I bent down to pick them up.  She came rushing over, patted me on the back and kept repeating, "It's okay, sweetheart!  It's okay!"  


 - When we use the "big potties" at stores, I squat down beside her and let her lean on me a bit to stabilize herself.  Sometimes I'll scratch her back to try and get her to relax.  When it's my turn to go, she'll ask, "Can you lean on my shoulder now?" or she'll come around and scratch my back.  A very sweet moment, albeit in a disgusting public restroom.  


 - She's loved learning all of the Christmas songs.  Her favorite is "Jingle Bells" to which she sings "In a one horse soap and sleigh."  She knows those aren't the right words, but she'll just say, "I sing it wrong don't I?  I'm so silly!"


 - She's very concerned about her Grandmom "having a friend" when her Granddad travels.


 - Her bedtime prayers are so precious to hear.  They range from being about Baby Brother (and I think something to the effect of "do everything for him".  Maybe so we don't have to?!) to being about her Granddad's travels to specific people and their boo-boos.  


 - She loves saying the wrong word on purpose or making up silly words.  It cracks her up when David uses different fruits for the book "Ten Apples Up on Top".


 - After bath, she runs into our room and does the hotdog dance from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while she's naked.  It's hilarious.


 - She's becoming more aware of different emotions and will tell us when she's mad, upset, tired, etc.  The other night she even told us she had started to fret about something.  

 - One night during prayer, David peeked down at her and saw her using her two pointer fingers to cover up her doll's eyes.


 - Manners have really started to stick without constant reminders.  She's pretty good at "please", "thank you", and "excuse me".  Of course, she still has trouble with tone sometimes as she demands that you "please do x right now!"


 - She constantly wants to be a part of the conversation if you are rude enough not to automatically include her or speak to her directly.  We must hear "What are you talking about?" a hundred times a day.  


 -  She and I have a thing we've started doing where she'll tell me I'm the best and then I tell her she is.  We argue back and forth until I usually relent first.  Still, I know she is...by far. :)


We are so proud (obviously) of what a sweet big girl she is becoming and, though we are a bit nervous about handling two little ones, we know she's going to mature quickly when Baby Boy arrives and be an amazing big sister!  

The News at 21 Months...and 9 days

Well, as usual, I'm late in posting this update since AJ turned 21 months on March 20th.  But at least I'm posting, right?!  


She is getting funnier and feistier by the day, with more of a personality, preferences, and a mind of her own by the minute.  I've joked a lot lately about how I'm actually going to have to start parenting her soon as opposed to just keeping her alive (though, trust me, there has been plenty of both parenting and survival since Day 1!)  A few months ago she would blindly obey when I asked her to do something whereas now, we get push-back or boundary testing. For example, drumming with hands or utensils during meals is a no-no.  We reviewed this for the one thousandth time the other day and took her spoon away.  So she drummed lightly with her hands, which we reprimanded.  So she drummed ever so lightly with her fingers while eyeing us to see if it counted as drumming.  (It did.)  Just one minor example of many about how she is testing her limits.  Totally normal, but sometimes totally exhausting. 


I can definitely see some of her Momma's bossiness (though I prefer to call it "emerging leadership skills").  Of course, just when we think we've got her figured out, she'll turn off her outgoing craziness and become shy and thoughtful like her Daddy.  Hopefully she'll find the perfect balance in herself like we did in each other.


Below are some quips, stories, and hilarious things our big girl is up to these days:

• As we were driving down the road the other day, she exclaimed, "Watch out cars!  Here we come!  Mommy's driving!  Watch out!"  I asked her where on earth she got that and she just grinned.  When I retold David the story later he promised he has never said any such thing.  He suggested that she's just super perceptive.  Uh-huh.

• She is very much into singing songs these days.  "Jesus Loves the Little Children" is a favorite and I love her rendition of the "red and yellow, black and white" part.  It usually becomes "red, yellow, blue, green, purple..." etc.  I just visualize a bunch of multi-colored people and smurfs running around Jesus.

• Another favorite song she sings is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" because she adds an "s" on star.  I don't know why I think that's adorable, but I do.

• On Mondays, we go to story time at our local library.  As we were pulling in one day, Audrey says, "It's Audrey's neighborhood liberry!"  Thank you, my community-minded child. 

• All of the harping we do about manners seems to be paying off a little too well.  Now she'll say "Excuse me" or, worse, sometimes she'll scold, "Say 'scuse me!" for someone else in the store if they cut in front of us.  At story time the other day the leader was making her way to the front of the room and Audrey loudly proclaimed, "Scuse me!" after she stepped over us.  The whole room burst out laughing while I hid my red face.  I'm a little embarrassed that my child is trying to teach manners to others, but really if my 21 month old has them down better than you, well...

• She is SUPER particular about lining things up regardless of how I try to hide that side of myself from her.  She ran past a trashcan in the hall that had been knocked over and stopped in her tracks, turned around, and went back to set it upright.  Another time she was walking past the fridge, got almost out of the kitchen, and went back saying "Fix T" to line up the crooked letter T magnet.  Yesterday she pitched a royal fit when I picked her up without letting her line her shoes up against the wall like Mommy's and Daddy's.  Oh boy.  

• Lately she is into looking at pictures of family and friends around the house.  She's always loved seeing their familiar faces, but recently we've had to add it to the nap and bedtime routines.  I'm about ready to switch out photos in the frames because we have stared at and explained the same ones so many times.

• I was walking down the stairs one afternoon and David was standing at the bottom holding her.  She looked up, stared at me for a second, and said, "So pretty, Mommy! Mommy so pretty!"  And there have been few times in my life that I felt more beautiful than in that moment.

• We were sitting at the dinner table the other night and she said, "Mommy kiss Daddy", so I did.  Then she said "Mommy kiss Audrey" and motioned with both hands for me to come towards her.  "C'mon. C'mon." she said seriously,  "Mommy kiss Audrey."  As soon as I quit laughing, I did.

• After the rain cut our jog short the other morning, we explained to her as we hurried to the car that we couldn't stay and go on the swings because it was raining.  She calmly replied, "Get umbrella."  Even when we told her that wouldn't work, she didn't get upset.  I love that she's becoming more logical and accepting of our explanations!  Of course, try to tell her why it doesn't matter that shoes aren't lined up straight and you'll lose, but nonetheless, she's getting there!

• This one came from her Grandmom: She and David's dad were keeping her one evening while we were at small group and gave her a vanilla wafer.  She took a bite, looked at the cookie, and said, "Crescent!"  We've been working on that shape as well as semicircle lately, so that cracked me up!

• When she wakes up in the morning, I'll ask her if she had a good night's rest and if she had any dreams/what she dreamed about.  She's recently started telling us she had a good night's rest, which sounds so hilariously old.  After she said it the other day, I asked her what she dreamed about.  She replied "castles."  I know she got it from a book we've read where the little girl dreams of castles, but it was still so funny!

• Sometimes she'll offer David and I bites of food (usually stuff she doesn't want) and we'll say, "No, I'm fine.  But thank you!" or something to that effect.  The other night David was trying to get her to eat a bite of something and, you guessed it, she said, "No, I'm fine.  But thank you.  Thank you so much!"  Needless to say, we didn't let that fly.

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure there are plenty I'm missing, so keep checking back for my tardy updates.  She keeps us on our toes, for sure!

I'm having trouble with the picture gallery, so if you really want to see the latest album, leave me a comment and I'll email you the Facebook link.  I'll let you know when they're updated on here.  

18 Months Old

My oh my.  I cannot believe I haven't written an update post in three months!  I've put in little tidbits and stories and written a lot about our travels, but has it really been three months since I've detailed what AJ is into?  Oops!

So, with fair warning, here comes some major proud Mama bragging: 

I reread the 15 month post and it's hard to believe how much has changed just since then.  We are well past the point where I can list all the words she can say, because there are just too many to count!  I read somewhere that at 18 months they are learning and committing a new word to memory every 90 minutes.  I believe it!  She is surprising us with at least 3-4 new words a day.  And she repeats them over and over until you figure out what she's saying.  Sometimes we win, sometimes we have to try and distract her.  


Some of her latest and most adorable words and phrases are "pajamas" (this comes out sounding like pumjumoms), "Big girl" (when doing something "mature", such as sitting on the couch or taking a bath in the big tub for the first time),  "Right back" (she'll say as she's leaving the room), "Dare she is" (when she finds something or someone, regardless of gender) and “You alright” (she’ll tell herself if she’s bumped her head).  One of my favorite things she says is “All Gong” because of the soft “G” sound she puts on the end of “Gone.”  We work a lot on repeating pronunciation, but that one I’m leaving alone for now.  It’s just too cute.

Her comprehension of verbs, especially similar ones, is amazing too.  For example, she'll use bring vs. take, fell vs. drop, and have vs. do correctly most of the time.  And believe me, "Audrey do it" is an extremely common phrase around here nowadays!  Thankfully “Mommy do it” is still pretty popular, too.  She is also learning big vs. small and can tell you which object is big or "mall." 

With all of these new verbal skills, she has begun to put together simple sentences:  “Mommy change Audrey diaper” or “Audrey carry drink” or “Show Daddy _____” (baby, leaf, whatever), and “Mommy sit down.”  She also answers basic questions.  “What should Mommy wear today?” is usually answered with “Pants”.  The cutest is when she’ll request something repeatedly “Color? Color? Color?” and then we’ll say “Would you like to color?” and she’ll answer, “Okay!” or “Sure!” as if we came up with the idea instead of her.

She knows her alphabet A-Z and can say it and point/pick out all of the letters.  We had to work hard for about a week to get "LMNOP" all in without skipping any, but she's got it down now.  She can also make a lot of the letter sounds.  I hope to work with her more on those and lowercase letters after Christmas.

Animal noises are so old news.  Now she refers to most of them by name and will even note whether or not they have a tail, what color they are, if they're soft, etc.  She still loves watching our neighbors’ cats when they come through the backyard and will hold her sippy cup up to the window as if offering them a drink while telling me whether they're black or white.    

And speaking of colors - they came out of nowhere!  We have been naming them from Day 1, but haven't purposefully worked with her on them.  Nonetheless, it seemed like one day she just started saying them and now she knows about ten.  She even understands the concepts of "shades" as she proved when I was wearing a navy shirt under my light blue robe.  She pointed and said "Blue, blue.  One, two blues."  I think she already has most guys beat in that department!

She can name most shapes and can easily put them all into her shape ball now without much help from us.  She'll say "almost" to herself as she works to get them oriented the right way then usually gives herself a hand and a "Yay Audrey" when she's finished. (Sometimes if Mommy and Daddy are playing too, we'll get a "Yay Mommy!" or "Yay Daddy!  Good job!" from her.  So cute!)  She also knows numbers 1-13, though 11 usually gets skipped.  She loves counting so much that what begins as actual counting often ends up just reciting the numbers she knows.

Schedule-wise, she/I are still pretty rigid, but I feel that that actually allows us more flexibility and dependability.  I know when/where/what we can do because she's so predictable and she can handle the occasional interruption and flow with it because she knows it's temporary.  She wakes up at 8am, has a snack at 10:30am, eats lunch around 12:30pm, naps from 2 – 4:30ish, has a snack when she gets up, eats dinner around 6:30pm, and goes to bed around 8:30pm.

Like her parents, she enjoys most all food.  She still hasn’t had strawberries, chocolate, much seafood, or peanuts/peanut butter.  I also have yet to give her French fries, cookies, or many other treats and sweets, but she does love the occasional fried chicken nugget from Chick-fil-A or a lick of their ice dream cone.  She is getting better at feeding herself with utensils, but I must admit that we mainly stick to cut-up finger foods for the sake of time/cleanliness.   

Her favorite toys by far are still books.  She will get one and "read" it aloud which is hilarious hearing her make up words and sounds.  There are one or two that she really can name every word on every page (Sandra Boynton "Opposites").  We've read it to her so many times that she's memorized it.

She also loves her baby dolls and her Little People sets.  She has a nativity one and I cannot tell you how precious it is to hear her say "Jesus?! Jesus?!" as she's hunting for the baby Jesus.  The other day she was sifting through basket where we keep it and said, “trough” as she held up the animals’ feeding trough.  It took me by surprise and I cracked up, which got her cracking up, of course.  Apparently David had taught her that one.     

We do let her watch a little television now (bad Mommy, I know!  We really try to keep it to about one 20 minute show 3-4 times a week at most plus a few nights of Wheel of Fortune, of course.) Little Einsteins is her favorite and she requests it by name and quotes parts of it throughout the day.

Her manners are coming along well, too, thankfully.  I must hear "Up, please" at least a thousand times a day!  "Scuse me" is my favorite, mainly because she'll say it as she is lightly butting you out of her way.  We're still working on "Thank you" and are now introducing "Ma’am" and "Sir." 

I have continued to try and involve her in little chores around the house in the hopes that she’ll develop a spirit of service.  She loves to match socks from the laundry, stir things when I’m cooking, and (usually) to help pick up her toys at the end of the day.  Side note:  Baby Center.com posted the results of a study about toddlers helping that I found really interesting.  In the overwhelming majority of cases, if a toddler saw an adult struggling to complete a task (i.e. stacking books) they would quickly and eagerly pitch in and help.  If, however, the adult did it without a problem, the toddler was less likely to assist, even if asked for help.  Seems like we all need to be needed from a very young age!  So, though it may take two or three times as long, I really try to let her help me as often as I can. 

She is still a little shy when first meeting people, but warms up much more quickly than she used to.  She remembers faces very well, even if weeks pass in between visits.  We still hear quite a lot about Brian, Kimmy, and “Leese” from our Savannah trip and rarely a day goes by that all four grandparents aren’t brought up.   

Here are a few other cute quips about our big girl:

-      In the grocery store the other day, an older lady stopped by to fuss over her.  When she walked away, Audrey pointed to herself, grinned, and said, “cute.” 


-    Sometimes she gets on a greeting kick, saying hello to everything.  "Hi milk." "Hi sofa."
     "Hi chair."  "Hi brush."  When she's really feeling friendly, she'll throw in a little wave.

-     This morning, she asked where Daddy was.  I explained that he was at work, but that soon he was going to be off for vacation and would get to spend lots of time with us at home.  “Isn’t that wonderful?” I said.  She nodded and very clearly said, “Treat.”  Indeed, it will be a treat!

-      We’ve been singing a lot of Christmas carols this past month, with Jingle Bells being a common request.  She can’t quite keep up with all of the words, but she’ll say “Hey” and “Ha, ha, ha” at the appropriate times.  She also loves to dance to them...foot stomping optional.

-      In addition to hugging and kissing on her stuffed animals herself, she’s started to have them hug and kiss each other.  The objects involved don’t always make sense, though.  The other day she gave her coat a kiss and tonight her hat gave her lamb a kiss.

-      I can’t remember if I shared this one, but it’s so cute it’s worth writing again.  A few weeks ago, she had a cold.  One night I heard her through the monitor as she sneezed.  It was followed by a very faint and sleepy “Bless you” to herself.  Precious!

I've saved the absolute best for last:  About two weeks ago, she began saying "Yuv (love) you, Mommy" or "Yuv you, Daddy" totally unprompted and spontaneously.  It is the SWEETEST thing I have ever heard and it melts me.  

Yuv you, Audrey.  Happy 18 Month Birthday, Sugar.

(P.S. Check out the two newest albums in the gallery.  One is random pictures and visits with friends/family for her 16th - 18th months and the other is Christmas activities and family celebrations...more to be added to that one soon!)  

The Latest

Audrey's 7 month birthday was two weeks ago and I've been meaning to write this post since then. As usual, the date made me pause and think about how far we've come since she was born. I'm long overdue for giving an update about what our busy girl is into these days!

She had her six month check-up on Dec. 29th, so we waited a few days to make sure she didn't have any reactions to her immunizations and then tried her first solid food (other than rice cereal or oatmeal) on New Year's Day. We began with sweet potatoes, which she was slow to like. Now they are one of her favorites, along with bananas, apples, pears, and prunes - she loves prunes! She tolerates squash and carrots, but is not at all a fan of peas or green beans. We have to trick her into eating them by putting them on the spoon and then dipping the tip of it into a fruit. I told David I'm afraid that I'm just going to make her hate fruit, too, but whatever gets those veggies in her! She makes lots of noises when she eats and likes to bite the spoon. She hates having her face washed off when she is finished, but we suspect this may be because it signals the end of the meal for her! :)

She cut her first bottom tooth on Friday, January 8th and her second bottom tooth on Sunday the 10th (it was a rough couple of nights with her waking up a few times from the pain.) Since then, things have been relatively calm in that department and she seems to be less fussy.

She hasn't really displayed a lot of stranger or separation anxiety yet. However, she is very slow to warm up to or smile at unfamiliar people, and usually gives them quite the serious "I'm not too sure about you" face. Once she decides you're okay, though, she'll break into a grin that will melt your heart. Seeing her sweet dimple makes me want to eat her up, which I usually do. She tolerates my constant kisses and snuggling like a champ, just like her Daddy. She isn't much of a cuddle bug, and doesn't really like to be rocked unless it's when she first wakes up. She does love to be held if you're up and walking, so she can have a better view of what's going on. She is such an observant girl!

She has mastered sitting on her own and likes to stand if we're holding on to her. She'll grab our hands and pull to stand, but she isn't pulling up on her own just yet. She also isn't making much effort to crawl (though she does manage to get all over her crib at night - how do they do that?!) I honestly don't mind. In fact, I may take her out at the knees if she starts. The longer she stays immobile, the easier it is to keep up with her! After accomplishing rolling from stomach to back at four months, she is finally getting the hang of rolling from back to stomach, though she still gets stuck sometimes.

As for playtime, she loves her Leap Frog Table and her jumpster. She is still getting to know all of her Christmas toys and does a great job playing by herself for up to 20 minutes if I'm nearby. She's a great squealer, which has made dining out a little more difficult these days. Her "talking" is getting more advanced by the day with lots of syllable combinations. She says "Da-da" and "Ma", but has no idea yet who it refers to. My favorite is when she does "Bs" and "Ps" because of the soft little puffs of air that come out. Sometimes she'll practice right in my face with her hands yanking either side of my hair. Every once in a while, she'll clamp her mouth down on my chin. That is the most precious. Never did I think being spit or chewed on could be so adorable.

For the last couple of weeks, I have been trying out a new schedule. I wanted to drop her from 3-4 short naps to 2-3 longer ones. I've been getting her up at 8am and nursing her then feeding her oatmeal. I usually work out while she plays and then we play together until nap time. She naps from 10am - 11:30am. She eats around 11:45 or 12 (usually one small jar each of a fruit and a veggie then nurses) then it's errands or a play date until she goes down for another nap from 2pm - 3:30pm. She wakes up and eats again (nurses) and plays. She goes down for a short catnap from 6pm - 6:30pm, wakes up and nurses, then eats "dinner" (oatmeal and fruit) around 7pm. We do bath time, story time, and prayers before I nurse her again around 8:15 and put her down around 8:30. Though she stopped waking up to eat at night around 5 1/2 months, we usually have to go move her once about every other night because she crams herself against the top of the crib, can't back up, and gets frustrated. We're pretty good at doing that in our sleep now and since my bladder still hasn't recovered from pregnancy (will it ever?!), it works out for me anyway.

Let's see...what else? She loves my painted toenails and grabbing for cell phones and thinks a good game of peek-a-boo is the funniest thing on earth. She sucks her thumb when she is sleepy, is very happy about her feet, and has the hearing of a hawk. (We tried hard to condition her to sleep with noise around, but that stopped working months ago and she's awakened much more easily now. I don't particularly like loud noises when I'm sleeping either, so I don't blame her. We just crank up her sound machine and try to keep it somewhat quiet during nap time.)

One of the cutest things she started doing lately can really only be described as peering. I think she's learned "object permanence", so she'll stick her little neck up and out to look around for something. She has the cutest expression when she does it and David and I just love it. I can already tell what a genius she is and paired with her gorgeous baby blue eyes, she is going to have the guys lining up. But it won't matter, because we are NEVER going to let her date. Ever. In fact, I need to wrap up this post so I can go look through those brochures I ordered on all-girl boarding schools.

So, that is the latest and greatest. She continues to amaze us beyond belief and we continue to thank God for blessing us with such a precious gift.

Six Months

Yesterday was Audrey's six month birthday. If only someone would've told me how fast it goes by! ;) Sarcasm aside, it really is hard to believe how much she has grown and changed over the past six months. As I watched her sitting up in the floor grabbing toys from her Daddy, it was hard to believe how far we've come. Every day has been an adventure. Some good, some bad, but hardly a one of them dull.

Overall, I'd say things have been getting easier as time goes on. One of the biggest differences is that I find that I'm worrying less about her physical health (maybe because her fat rolls
speak for themselves). However, I am still just as conscious as ever about her overall well being. I drift off to sleep recounting the day's events and wondering if I did the best I could. Did I pray "with" her and for her? What did I do with her today that was educational? What did I do with her today that was fun and silly? Did I treat her with kindness? Did I treat myself and others with kindness in front of her? Did she see me scowling about my to-do list or did she notice me smiling as I went about the day's chores? Did I show love and respect to her Daddy? Was I patient? More often than not, I fail in some way or another. But, more often than not, I'm learning to focus on what I did do right and pray that God's grace will fill in the gaps where I fall short.

Most of the other lessons I've learned so far I've already written about in previous posts (Having momfidence in yourself, avoiding comparison parenting, and other random stuff) but there were a couple that I don't think I've shared yet that I wanted to pass along:

1. Let your husband do it his way. This really hasn't been as hard for me as I thought it would be. Maybe it's because by the end of the day, I don't have the energy to interfere. Perhaps because I've had a taste of going it alone during his business trips, I'm just so grateful for the help I don't want to discourage it! Whatever the reason, I've learned to step aside and let David handle Audrey without me hovering and instructing. It doesn't matter if I think I know a more efficient or productive way. That's not nearly as important as letting him get to know her and sharpening his skills as a Dad. As long as it's not a safety or health issue, I try to butt out. Besides, it teaches Audrey to experience things differently and be flexible.

2. Do what's best for your core family. This means conquering the fear of making others angry or disappointed. They'll get over it...or not. Sometimes they'll understand, sometimes they won't. Either way, we have a Little One to look after now. Sure, there are times when schedules need to be put aside and we stretch Audrey to her limits to accommodate others. But there are also times when we know what she can handle or certain things are important to us and we put our foot (feet?) down.

3. Stretch yourself...and the baby! I think that having a schedule and sticking to it is really important for Audrey. It gives her a solid routine and something to depend on, which I think she finds comforting and thrives under. However, I've discovered it's sometimes equally important to throw the routine and rules out the window for the sake of new experiences. In the past six months we've done this multiple times: Doing a 5K, attending a new Bible Study at a different church where I don't know every nursery worker, and taking a road trip to Savannah. Each has turned out better than expected, and we've made memories, gained confidence, and exposed AJ to exciting new things in the process.

I can only imagine how much more we will learn over the next few months and years. My prayer is that my mind and heart will remain open and teachable, and in the process, that God will mold me into a better person and mother.

Happy Birthday, AJ. We love you!

Thankful Thursday

I'm baaaaack! Our internet and cable television went out last Wednesday and just got fixed on Tuesday. I apologize to those of you who have been in despair over my absence. I know you've just been pining for updates! :)

We had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed time with some sweet friends on Saturday. On Sunday we went for a long walk, came home, went back out to run errands and buy me some new tennis shoes, came home, and then went out to dinner. This week has been good so far, too. Audrey seemed to have a bit of a growth spurt during the early part of it and wanted to eat around the clock (hence all the coming home on Sunday.) Things have slowed down a little, though, so we're settling back into more of a routine...or as much of one as you can have with a two month old!

I wish I could say that a week without internet and cable has made me a better person. I would love to say that it made us realize that we don't need these modern technologies in our lives and that it required us to find other ways to pass what tiny amounts of free time we have. Sure, I want to report that we sat around and read thick, smart books and engaged in deep, meaningful conversations about them. Alas, we did not. It just made us realize that whatever we pay for these amenities is well worth it. It's just plain dangerous to take Facebook away from a stay-at-home mom who is already pretty cut off from the outside world.

So, I bet you can already guess some of this week's Thankful Thursday list! Read on anyway and check back soon for Audrey's 2 month perspective pics and a longer post that I hope to finish shortly!

1. Audrey's Two Month "Birthday!" The greatest milestone she's achieved in the past month has been learning to smile on purpose. It is so unbelieveably precious, especially when she looks up at me and gives me a big grin in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning. She is doing great these days and we can't wait to get a good report from the doctor at her check-up next week.

2. The internet and high-speed access to it.

3. Cable television and all it's mind-numbing qualities.

4. The chocolate that David brought back for me from Germany. There were several kinds and I've loved each of them so far. I've been having just a little piece each day and they are so dang yummy! And no, I haven't been walking much this week. Oh well.

5. My friends at Wolf Camera. Yes, I still print pictures. Apparently quite frequently, too, because these people know me by name. I love it! I'm sure we'll be keeping their kids' college accounts well-funded for years to come.

Have a great day!

One Month!

Yesterday was Audrey's One Month Birthday! In some ways it seems like less than a month and in others it seems much longer. Thinking back to the delivery and those first few days at home, it seems like ages ago. But, given how far we've come and how much we've already learned, it feels like she has been a part of our family forever!

We've had quite a few milestones the past couple of days. On Friday, she spent her first night in her crib in her room. It was a tough night, but I don't think she struggled with it nearly as much as I did. I missed sleeping the whole first sleep shift because I just laid there in bed in the dark and watched her on the video monitor.

Another major ordeal in our household has been the decision to let her sleep on her stomach. For those of you without kids (or those of a different generation) this is a major no-no in the baby world. Because research has shown that it puts babies at a higher risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the American Acadamy of Pediatrics strongly recommends that babies sleep on their backs. They even started a "Back to Sleep" campaign in 1994 to get the word out. Since then, SIDS rates have dropped 40%. (Of course, my Critical Thinking class in college taught me to question other reasons for this decrease, such as getting the word out about additional risk factors, etc. But I digress.)

That being said, I think mother's intuition comes into play at some point. Audrey has never been a great back sleeper because she flails her arms and legs so much. Swaddling helps a little, but mostly she just grunts and groans trying to get out. We had several really rough nights and have tried everything in the book (several books, actually, including Baby Wise, The Baby Whisperer, and The Happiest Baby on the Block.) We attempted swaddling, not swaddling, using a pacifier, rocking, more frequent nursing, burping, noise machine, etc. We even let her cry it out for a long time…that was painful for all of us!

While some of the techniques worked short-term, it was clear we needed a better solution. I didn’t want to try putting her in a swing, bouncy seat, carrier, or hold her while she slept because I’m determined not to create habits we’ll only have to break later. I'm not going to put my baby in the car and drive around the neighborhood every time she needs to sleep for the next year. Since I’m confident there was no issue with hunger, gas, dirty diapers, or the room temperature, I knew what would fix it. SO, we finally put her on her stomach. She fell asleep immediately and slept longer than she has to date. We tried it again last night, thinking maybe it was a fluke because she was so exhausted, but she broke another record for longest amount of consecutive sleep.

But, of course, I had another terrible case of Mommy guilt. I fully expect DFCS to show up at our doorstep at any moment. I called several friends, including one that is a pediatric nurse, and grilled them about what they thought. Bottom line: because she is a full-term female breastfed baby, she is in the lowest risk category. I have to keep telling myself that an entire generation of us were raised sleeping on our stomachs. In fact, it used to be the recommended position to prevent a baby from choking on spit-up.

Now, mind you, we still have the Angel Care movement monitor, we removed the bumper and all blankets from her crib, we turn on the overhead fan (recent research says this lowers SIDS risks), and we keep the room on the cool side (overheating is also thought to be a major SIDS factor.) I confess I even went out and bought a second Angel Care monitor so I can use it in her pack n' play for naps. Maybe once she gains better control of her limbs, she'll be fine on her back. Maybe not. But the truth is, she is God's child. And He's got the little bitty babies in His hands. We all need our sleep, especially AJ. I just have to trust that the God who never rests is on alert and watching her 24/7. But please, spare me any mean comments or advice lest I burst into tears over this decision. Just join me in praying that God will keep her safe.

Anyway, another major milestone was her first bottle! I started pumping on Saturday (quit reading now if this is TMI) in an effort to get my body used to producing enough for one pumped bottle a day. We achieved this feat and David gave AJ her first bottle last night. The poor child about choked to death because the milk was coming so much faster than she was used to. Now I understand why they recommend you wait a month before introducing a bottle. If she realized weeks ago that she could get the milk out that fast without have to work for it, she would never have lasted! I'm still figuring out the pumping thing. I'm hoping eventually it will allow me to get out of the house for longer periods or even let David and I have the occasional date night. Here's to goals and dreams...

So, it's been a crazy month, especially these last few days of it. I can't even begin to explain the emotional rollercoaster I've been on. With each day that passes, though, I feel more and more confident in my abilities and decisions as a mother. Or maybe I'm just getting better at faking it, which I think is a lot of how this parenting thing works. I'm optimistic that by the time she is old enough to catch on, we'll actually know a thing or two!

In closing, here is a look at the past month in numbers:

• Approx. 250 nursing sessions
• Approx. 310 diapers
• 53 visitors! That's right, 53 different people have come to meet our Baby Girl. This doesn't count "repeat" visits from the grandparents and others! She is a popular girl!
• 9 baths
• Not nearly enough hours of sleep
• Countless hugs, kisses, and cuddles

Happy One Month, Audrey! We love you more than you will ever, ever know and can't wait to see what this next month holds for us!

New pics are up - enjoy! Click the link under Our Photos on the right side of the page or below:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2213349&id=22619877&l=6fef3ae195