Dear Little Stinker,

You are 6 months OLD!!  (and a couple weeks)  

Some facts about YOU:

- You wear size 3 diapers, size 12 mo clothes that are too small, but I can't bring myself to buy bigger clothes

- You smile all the time and are soooo sweet except when we take you out of the bath and try to put a diaper and PJs on you (how dare we, don't we know you like to be naked???)

- You have two bottom teeth and just cut your two top ones.  They hurt like crazy and you've been fussy about it for a while.

- You love the water and fall asleep when I bring you close to the waves or put you in your pool floaty.

- You sit up all by yourself

- You can ALMOST crawl.  You take a couple "steps" and then belly flop toward whatever you are trying to get to

- You just pulled yourself up on the ottoman yesterday for the first time

- You have started solids but are actually not a big fan of eating.  You have tried avocado, green beans, peas, and pears.  Pears were your favorite (obviously).

- You have been sick a lot since you've started school (as have we all).  Your runny nose is still cute.

- You are really really strong and I have to keep a good hold on you whenever you get rambunctious

- You love your sister

- Your hair is blonde...I think...you don't have very much

- You still sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed most of the night.  We will work on getting you to sleep in your crib longer when you are not teething/sick/etc which means you will probably be sleeping with us until you go off to college

- Your favorite toy is an Old McDonald music making thing that was a hand-me-down from your cousins.  You also love anything you can chew on.

- You still sing yourself to sleep.  It is the sweetest sound in the world.  However, it is quite distracting when you decide to take a nap during church :-)

We love you so much Bud and you teach me every day to just forget everything else and smile.

beach time with daddy

 showing off new board shorts (and runny nose)

 nap time

 sitting up like a champ

 nerdy hat...and nerdy mom

first bible class

giving sister kisses

beach

ready to take off

high chair initiation

avocado smile

you prefer the spoon

can't get better than this

you were asleep right before we took this pic

sweet boy

ick.  you certainly can make a mess.

Dear Little Stinker,

You are FIVE MONTHS OLD!  You are growing by leaps and bounds both physically and mentally every day.  Your “babyness” is fading more and more, and I told your Daddy it’s going by too fast, so we might just have to have another one (to which he firmly objected :-) ).  So you stop all this growing and stay my teeny baby for just a little bit longer, okay?  Okay.  You are the world’s happiest baby.  Even when you don’t feel good, you give smiles to anyone who looks at you.  Just a tiny little tickle gives you the belly laughs.  It is quite impossible for me to have a bad day when you’re around.  You are STRONG and inquisitive and in perpetual motion.  I love watching you watch the world around you.  You are constantly figuring things out and have such and intense determination when there is something you want.  I hope you keep every one of these qualities into adulthood.  We love you to pieces and even though I wish you could stay teeny forever, I’m so proud of all the growing you’ve done and will continue to do.

Some facts about YOU:

-        - You are in size 3 diapers, size 9 month – 12 month clothing, and size 2 shoes.  You have meaty thighs and they are the cutest things in the world.

-      -   You still have barely any hair.  It’s turning strawberry blonde, which means you will definitely be a blondie like your sister eventually.  I just wish some more would pop up!!

-       -  You got your first tooth!!  It is the bottom left one, and I’m sure it will be quickly followed by the right one.  You handled it like a champ.  There were a few nights of restlessness, but as soon as it popped up, you were able to sleep again.

-        - You are a champion roller.  If you see an object you want that’s out of your reach, you manage to roll to it.  Which means I need to be baby proofing sooner than I thought!  You can almost sit by yourself, but still need something around you just in case.  It will probably happen within a couple weeks.  You are thisclose to pushing up on your hands and knees too.  Your upper body is strong enough, you just need a little more coordination in your legs.

-        - You squeal.  It’s baby cooing, but at a high pitched loud volume. 

-        - You discovered your tongue and stick it out at us a lot.

-      -   You found your thumb, but instead of sucking on it you like to chew on it. 

-      -   You moved into your sister’s room!!  However, you only spend a couple hours a night in there.  Then it’s into Mommy and Daddy’s bed because Mommy is just too tired to wake up several times a night.  (You still wake hungry A LOT)

-       -  There was about a week where you pooped in your clothes as soon as you got to school.  Every day.  I would come in at lunch to feed you and you would already be in a different outfit.  You are your father’s son.

-        - You are obsessed with the TV.  Obviously, we don’t let you watch it, but if it’s on when you’re in the same room you can’t keep your eyes off of it.  I can’t even nurse you any more if the TV is on.  That’s something else you inherited from your Daddy.

-        - You and your sister love each other so much.  Every morning she wakes you up and gives you kisses and you give her your biggest and best smiles.  Any time you are crying in the car, I say “Peanut, make your brother feel better”, and she sings you a song.  Lately, it is the ABC’s and Twinkle Twinkle.

-        - You had your first beach day!  You loved it!  You smiled and basked in the breeze.  Then you let me rock you to sleep and slept for a good bit on the beach towel.  That’s my boy!

-       -  You still love your teachers at school and give them big smiles when we get there in the mornings. 

We love you so much Stinker and can’t believe it’s been five months since you arrived.  We are blessed to have you as a son and can’t wait to see what God has in store for you.

Oh my word the shoes.  Kills me.

 No one in our house likes mornings

 BFFs

 Checkin yourself out.  Sorry about all the girly colors.  That's what you get when you have an older sister!

First beach day 

 First visit to the pool...you weren't really in the mood.  We'll get you in the pool next time.

Dear Little Stinker,

You are FOUR MONTHS OLD!!  And, darling boy, what a month it has been.  On March 24th, your Grandad had a stroke while he was visiting us with Nana.  It was scary and awful and you expressed your unhappiness by pooping all over the bed in the midst of the crisis.  Some day we will laugh about that part.  Grandad was in the hospital for several days and is still in in-house rehab right now.  He is a trooper and is getting better every day and we can't wait for him to come home.  Your Nana has been by his side the entire time (except for the rare nights I can convince her to come to our house to sleep in a real bed).  This means we had several amazing people come to our house to take care of you and your sister while your Daddy and I tried to figure out work and spending time at the hospital.  I pray that you and your sister make the kind of life long friends that I have...ones that will come to your rescue without you even having to ask.  Even if they're getting married that week.  Even if they don't have children of their own.  Or even particularly like children :-)  They are willing to come and love on my babies as their own.  And bring food.  We are now in the midst of adjusting to a new "normal".  You and Peanut started school two weeks ago.  Dropping you two off that first day almost broke my heart in two, but I have to say that it's really not as bad as I thought it would be.  You love your teachers and are always smiling when I come to get you.  I even get to come over and nurse you during my lunch break.  We are all a little tired and hectic trying to fit everything into a 24 hour period, but we can only get better at it.  Thankfully we are a strong family and we all love each other very much and amazingly have clung to our sense of humor through it all.   Only with God's grace.  And now, Mr. Man, some facts about YOU:

- Your size two diapers are getting snug, as are your 6 month PJs.  You are in the 75th percentile for length and 50th percentile for weight.
- You are a drool monster!  You grab anything you see and put it in your mouth.  You are constantly chewing on your hands.  This may mean teething, but I know we won't actually see a tooth for a while.
- You are getting better at sitting up and looking around at everything (in the Bumbo).
- You laugh a LOT!  You are such a good natured baby, and it is so easy to make you smile.  I love it.
- Your "talking" voice is so cute and squeaky.  You talk to us all the time, and speak in very very long sentences :-)
- You still think your sister is the coolest thing to look at
- You sleep in your crib when we first put you down for the night, but when you wake up for your first feeding I put you in bed with us.  I was going to try to break this habit, but now that you're at school all day, I'm really loving our snuggle time.
- You wake up happy in the mornings.  Usually I'm up getting dressed and I'll put Peanut in the bed with you while she's waking up and drinking her "green juice".  When she makes too much noise you stir, then open your eyes and look at us and give us the best smiles.  When Peanut sees you awake she says "Good morning sweetheart!".
- You poop less.  Not sure what that's about.
- You had your first fever today.  I think it was a reaction to a shot you had yesterday (Prevnar...for future me when I reference back and wonder which shot you reacted to).  You just ate and slept all day and hung out with your Daddy.

I love you my little man.  It's life's biggest joy to watch you grow and learn.

This is your favorite bath towel.  You love soft things.

Smiles!

Little Easter bunny...

Littler Easter bunny!

My two babies

Easter morning...

Easter afternoon.  You two were so tired!

Chillin in the Bumbo (don't mind the middle finger action)

Favorite place to be - piled in Mommy and Daddy's bed

Dear Little Stinker,

You are THREE MONTHS OLD!  You are growing like a weed and coming into your own little unique personality.  We’re finally falling into a rhythm and, of course, I couldn’t imagine life without you.  You are such a happy easy-going baby.  You smile and giggle and snuggle and are pretty much awesome the majority of the time.  At the end of every day I get a little sad that I can’t hold you just a little bit longer because it never seems like I get enough baby love.  You are definitely your Daddy’s son and he still says to me “I can’t believe we have a boy!”.  There’s just something about that male bonding :-)

And now, some facts about YOU:
- You are still in size one diapers, but that is only because I just bought a huge pack and refuse to let them go to waste.  Next time we buy you will be getting size two, due to the infinite amount of diaper blow-outs that have occurred.
- You barely fit into your 6 month sleepers length wise.  I say you have about a week or two left in them and then we’ll go to 9 month.  Your 0-3 onesies look hilarious on you.  I can get them buttoned but they are skin tight.
- You probably weigh around 13 pounds now.  Last time we were at the doctor you were around 12 pounds 15 ounces.  Your eyes are still a beautiful blue and your hair is starting to lighten and has a reddish tint.  That’s exactly what your sister’s did before it turned blonde.
- Mommy is back at work (and hates being away from you), so that means you spend the majority of your days with Nana and Peanut.  You love them both and are always happy when I get home (unless you’re hungry).  You take three 4 oz bottles from Nana a day.
- You love being naked and getting baths.  I can just see your little body relax when I put you in the warm water.  You hate getting your diaper changed.  Sorry bud, you’ve got to wear them until you’re potty trained.
- You have some weird dry patches on your legs that seem to get better when I put oil on them.  I’m only mentioning this for my own reference when I go back and think, “has he ever had weird dry patches before?”.  My memory is shot.
- You LOVE your sister.  She is your number one choice for entertainment.  You watch her and smile at her and basically think she’s the best thing since milk.  She loves you too and snuggles you and gives you kisses all the time and says “It’s ok Bud” when you cry.
- Your fingernails grow like weeds.  I have never seen anything like it.
- You are starting to notice toys and are even trying to grab them.  Your coordination isn’t quite there yet, but I’m sure in the next few days you’ll get it.
- You can roll from your tummy to your back!!  However this makes you very angry because it usually happens at night when you were sleeping on your tummy, roll over, and then want to be back on your tummy to go back to sleep.  You haven’t quite gotten the hang of going the other way.
- You are starting to be a drooler.  It’s not so much involuntary drooling, but actively trying to lick/eat my shoulder when I’m holding you.  I end up soaked.
- You took your first airplane ride!  We went to your Uncle and new Aunt’s wedding in North Carolina.  You were AMAZING.  I was so nervous but you just slept/ate/smiled the whole time on all of our FOUR flights.  And of course you were a big hit at the wedding.  I don’t think I saw you the whole night because all of our family members were fighting over holding you.
- You love your bouncy chair and your play mat.  You also love when Nana puts you in a blanket and rolls you.  She used to do that with your sister too.
- You take naps in your crib and go to bed in your crib.  However, when you wake up for the first time at night to eat, I take you in bed with us and that is where you stay until morning.  I kinda love it because I get more sleep AND more baby snuggles.  Win win.
- You laugh when we tickle/kiss your belly.  So we do that a lot.
- You are dying to be able to sit up by yourself.  You heave your body forward when you are in a reclining position (like in your carseat) because you want to be upright.  Unfortunately you do not have the core strength to stay put.  Like, not even close.
- You take pacis when you are really sleepy and we hold them in for you.  But you still just want to suck your thumb, which hasn’t happened yet.  You give it a valiant effort though.
- You have started cooing and the cuteness kills me every time.  You are VERY vocal and continue chatting for long periods of time.  I just talk right back to you and we have our own secret conversations.

We love you with everything we have and the best thing in our lives is sitting back and watching you and your sister learn and grow.  Just don’t grow up too fast!

 You were crying, and this is what your sister did to make you feel better

 Sophie is officially the first toy that you like.  Meaning you will hold it and look at it.  That's about it.

 "Mom, WHY am I in a pink chair??"

 Just hangin in his favorite tractor shirt

 LOVE that smile

 Being a good boy and sleeping on the plane!

Potty Mouth

So today was our first day of potty training boot camp for the Peanut.  You know, the popular 3 day method where you basically are under house arrest with a naked toddler and at the end of the torture your child is supposed to be fully trained.  We failed MISERABLY.  It was epic.  It was probably my fault.

First of all, I am sick.  I would never in a million years commit to this while sick, however, this is my last week of maternity leave.  This time next week I will be a heap of emotional wreckage who spends more time with my pump than my children.  I digress.  So I convinced myself it wouldn't be too bad, since my sickness would keep us home bound and tied to the TV anyway.  I would just feel like dying while constantly monitoring my child for signs of impending "pee pee or poopie".  (The conversations we have around here are hilarious...something I should record and play for her future husband...we say "potty", "pee pee" and "poopie" waaaayyyy too much.)

So I woke up today feeling horrible (so I called my mommy for reinforcements), but committed to the cause.  I got up, made some oatmeal, and sat down with the Peanut and her potty in my bedroom while the Stinker laid on the big bed.  After a while of her sitting periodically while watching Sprout she pointed at the potty and said "Poopie Mommy!".  I knew she hadn't pooped because I had been sitting next to her the whole time, so I said "Do you need to poopie?".  "No, poopie Mommy!" pointing at the potty.  I think she's trying to get a sticker by tricking me, so I say "No baby, that's not poopie".  So get this.  She picks up the potty, looks in it, looks at me and says "It SMELLS like it".  All smug.  I look inside the potty and, sure enough, there was a dime sized drop of poop in there.

At this point I should have celebrated, rained stickers on the child, and done a potty dance.  However I did the opposite.  I panicked and said "OK baby, sit down on the potty, you're not done!!  Sit down!  Sit down!!!  SIT DOWN NOW grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!"  All I could think was I was too sick to clean up poo out of beige carpet.  So she did whatever any two year old would do hearing the desperation in my voice...the exact opposite of what I told her to do.  She started running laps around my room bare bottomed.  Then it happened.  Thankfully it happened in my bathroom on the tile and I was able to drag my sick butt in there to clean it up.

Later in the day accident number 2 happened.  (I mean number 2 as in, the second time it happened AND as in doodie)  This time it was on the kitchen rug.  We thew it away.  Unfortunately accident 3 happened before we realized she had diarrhea and wasn't going to stop.  That one got all over her beautiful Serena and Lily duvet cover.

Maybe we'll try again...next year.

Dear Little Stinker,

You are 2 MONTHS OLD!  And this is my first monthly post for you.  Please don't feel neglected.  It's just that we've been so busy living life that I haven't had much time for documenting it.  These past two months have been such a blur that I find I go days without catching my breath.  You are the most exciting addition to our family!  It seems like we had an empty space that we didn't quite realize was there until you got here.  Now it feels comfortable and complete.  You certainly keep me on my toes!  You are MALE through and through.  Every time I think I know what to expect since I went through it all with your sister, you throw me a curve ball and prove that you are completely different.  We love you so much already and you've only just gotten here!  Your sister thinks you are the cutest thing ever and hates to see you cry.  You stare at her like she is the most interesting thing you will ever lay your eyes on.  The sibling love bursts my heart completely open and I have to take my time to recover from the wonderfulness of it all.

These two months have not been without difficulty.  Your cry is similar to that of a pterodactyl.  It gets everyones attention to say the least.  You really don't prefer to sleep in that lonely old crib.  You would rather be snuggled up to mommy in the big bed.  You are a hungry hungry boy and still eat every 2.5 hours.  But I wouldn't change a single thing, because all of those quirks are YOU.  You reward me with laughs and huge squinty smiles after you eat.  Totally worth it.

And now, some facts about YOU:
- You were out of newborn and into size one diapers within your first week.  Still rocking the ones.
- You are completely out of anything newborn size, and only fit into half of your 3 month clothes.  I will either have to break out the 6 month sizes or cut the feet out of your PJs.
- As of your 2 month appointment today you weigh 12 pounds 7 ounces, are 24 inches long, and have a clean bill of health.  You also got your first shot, and your sister picked out your sticker and kept it.  Poor boy.
- You have blue blue eyes and your hair is slowly getting lighter.  And thinner.
-You get zits when mommy eats dairy, just like your sister did.  I'm trying to lay off the cheese for your complexion.  You're welcome.
- You prefer to sleep on your tummy and I'm a nervous wreck the whole time you're sleeping that way.  But it's the only way you get rest.
- You absolutely will not be put on a schedule.  Every day is different.
- Bath time is your favorite.  I think you literally sigh when the warm water hits you.
- Your nicknames are Bud, Mr. Man, and Bay Coo (that's what it sounds like when your sister says your name)
- You spend your awake time on your play mat or in your bouncy chair  You enjoy them for about 20 min, tolerate them for about 5, then HATE them and must. get. out!
- You don't like your car seat, especially if you are in it outside of the car.
- You love the Moby, thank goodness.
- You are eternally congested.
- You have ginormous feet.  They are as big as your sister's, not counting her toes.

I love you so very much and I cherish all of the time we get together, even in the wee hours of the morning.  Because it won't be long before you don't need me as much, and the process of growing up begins.

One Month

"This hat is ridiculous."

Two Months

 Playing with Sister

 First trip to Sea World.  It was COLD!

 My little man

 Big Smiles!!

Dear Little Peanut,

You are TWO YEARS OLD!!

My teeny baby has been replaced by a beautiful, smart, sweet little girl.  You are far beyond anything I could have ever hoped for in a daughter.  I am amazed at you and know that all of the joy you bring us is completely God's blessing and has nothing to do with us as parents.  We still look in awe at you every day and marvel at the love you pull from us.  You have an amazing path ahead of you and I am so excited to help you navigate it.  You love people and are instinctively kind to everyone you meet.  Affection comes pouring out of you (and this is such a relief to us...you know we are an affectionate family!).  You are insanely smart and funny and know how to make us laugh.  You are blooming as a big sister and my heart could burst from the cute when you say "Luff you!" to your baby brother.  You make being a mom wonderful and exciting and I can't wait to see what next year brings.

Some facts about YOU:
- As of today at your two year well visit, you are 26 pounds and 35 inches.  You are still in 2T shirts and 18-24 month pants baggy on you.  You are growing out of your size 6 shoes, but can't quite fit into 7s yet.
- You know all of your colors, you can count to twenty, you know your whole alphabet, and you know what sound every letter makes.  You definitely have the smarts.
- You are very close to wanting to use the potty.  We will work on this some more this month.
- You love the playground and make new friends every time you go.  You can go down all of the slides by yourself now.
- You call mittens "ghost hands".  I have absolutely no idea where that came from.
- When someone comes home or walks in the room you say "Hi!  So glad to see you!"
- When you are sad you say "I'm upset" or "I'm sad".
- You burp SO LOUD now.  You always say "Excuse me" though!
- You are in love with your new play kitchen and make me pancakes every day.  Every time you make a new dish you come out into the living room with a pan full of play food and say "Food for you!!!".
- You are wicked good at puzzles.
- You love Bible class and your friends and teachers.  When I ask you what you learned in class you either say "God" or "Goldfish".  Ha.
- Now you ask for hugs and when we give you one you say "Awww sweet!"
- You love jewelry, especially necklaces and bracelets.  You have some you store in your tricycle that you only wear when you're riding it.
- You love to watch Sesame Street, Strawberry Shortcake, the Disney channel, and LeapFrog videos.
- You don't sleep well any more since your baby brother was born, but I think we're slowly getting back to normal.  It's a big adjustment for you!
- You still love to read books and can "read" several of them with me from memory.  You also pick out words to spell out now.
- You like to call people "Silly".
- Your favorite food is, hands down, chicken nuggets with ketchup.  I think we're moving into the 2 year old picky phase.

Two years down baby girl.  Can't wait for the ones to come.

Birthday present from Nana and Grandad = a princess tent...of course!

 Birthday present from Mommy and Daddy = a trampoline!!  Now you won't be tempted to jump on the bed.

 The gingerbread man you made for Santa

 The big birthday girl!

 Love that smile and those shoes

 Christmas morning with Mommy