Noah: 4 Months

*Noah turned 4 Months old on Friday May 9th.  I wrote this post on Saturday the 10th, and Tuesday May 13th.*

Dearest Noah,

Yesterday, you turned 4 months old! Time has really slipped by us. I remember that I used to think it would take forever for your brother to turn 4 months old and get to try baby food. But you turned 4 months old in a flash!

We bypassed the rice cereal route for you and just started you on baby food squash. You weren't sure what to think at first, but you liked it more as we went on. You probably had about 15 bites of it. We will try it again tonight and tomorrow night before moving on to carrots and then sweet potatoes.

You are quite the talker these days! You blab to yourself in your crib. Pretty soon, you and your brother will be having gibberish conversations through the bedroom walls! The other day, you woke up from your nap early and started (loudly) talking to yourself. I went into your room and put your paci back in and you instantly fell asleep! It was the funniest thing. You can talk to yourself for a good half hour in the mornings before you start to fuss.

You love tummy time! You do so well when we put you on your tummy on the floor! Sometimes I'll put a toy plush turtle in front of you and you have a staring contest with it. :) You can raise your shoulders off the ground and lift your head up quite far and you smile when doing it! I know you'll be crawling before I know it. If you are doing tummy time and placing your face close to the ground, your hips and legs raise up like a little puppy dog's legs when the pup is eating food from a dog bowl. :) It's seriously cute.

We celebrated Mother's Day this weekend. It was your first, and we did a baby dedication at church! You were very amiable and oh so cute in your light blue bubble suit. Pictures to come soon. You received a certificate of dedication. Your daddy and I promised to raise you up in Christ and the church congregation along with family members present agreed to hold us accountable in doing so, and agreed to shine the light of Jesus in your life as well. You are blessed, Noah Scott. Truly blessed.

You are just like your brother in that you love to be outside! When you are fussy, all we have to do is step onto the back porch and you settle right down. You totally love sitting in your stroller and watching your brother play with the sand table or on the slide. I have a feeling you'll be an early crawler and an early walker. Michael looks like he's having too much fun and you don't want to miss out!

As long as you are swaddled, you are a stellar sleeper--once you get to sleep. I'm sure it won't be long until sleeping through the night is a consistent occurrence. You've slept through the night about 4 nights during the past week. You didn't sleep through the night on Friday night or Saturday night but I didn't care because it was the weekend and I didn't have to get up early to go to work. :) As I'm writing this, you are working on falling asleep in my arms.
You are swaddled and paci'd but you'd still rather gaze at the TV where Paw Patrol is playing. So we stand up and sway a bit, but your eyes stay open and you begin looking all around. Oh well, we'll try naptime again in a bit.

You're in size 3 diapers during the day and now we put you in a size 4 Pampers Extra Protection overnight diaper for nighttime. You are totally not big enough to wear size 4 diapers during the day, but we had these leftover from when your brother graduated into size 5 diapers. So, you get to wear these remaining diapers until they run out and, at that time, we'll buy you the Huggies Overnight brand (which we totally like better).

You can still fit into size 3 clothes, which amazes me. Of course it depends on the size of each particular onesie. You're definitely comfortable in the size 3-6 month clothes. I can't believe I'll already have to start pulling out the rest of your size "3-6 month" clothes and size "6 month" clothes, and put away your size "3 month" clothes. Time is just going by too quickly!

So Content to be outside and watch Michael play:

 

 

Loves tummy time on his "I-Spy" quilt:

 

 

Trying baby food-- doesn't quite like it:

 

 

After baby-food-- quite calm:

 

 

Outside again to watch brother play:

 

 

 

Noah, dear, you are such a smiley joy. I love you to absolute pieces. You make up a third of my heart beat. I am always eager to get home and love on you and your brother. I'm ever so grateful that God put you into our family. I'm blessed to be your mommy. I totally forever love you. Love, Mommy

Heart Strings

Dear Future Adopted Daughter,

 

We are eagerly anticipating your arrival! We already love you so very much and you already hold a special place in our hearts. 

 

I am looking forward to the day when I can begin buying all the cutesy girlie things out there in the stores. These days, everywhere I turn, there are special things made just for girls: pink baby bathtubs, pink walkers, pink bibs, even pink Dr.Brown's bottles!

 

One day, I will make use of these products. One day, I will fill up a third of my laundry basket with little girl clothes at the consignment sale. One day, I'll have to look up on Pinterest how to untangle Barbie hair. One day, I'll have more of an excuse to buy pastel finger nail polish. One day we will hold you in our arms and you will have a forever home.

 

How I long for that day!

 

Right now, it seems so far away. Nearly unattainable. I doubt, at this point in my life, that you have even been conceived. But I am already praying for your birth mother. I pray that she cares for you while you grow inside of her. I pray that she hums songs to you and drinks plenty of water. I pray for a safe labor & delivery for her and for you. I pray that she experiences the peace that passes understanding as she gives you to us to have as our daughter forever.

 

I want you to know that you are deeply loved, Little One. We have loved you from the start- and even before it! Jesus has crafted you to be a member of our family and our home.

 

I pray that we instruct you well. I pray that you will see the radiance of Christ through the lives that your father and I lead. I pray that you always feel safe, secure, and loved. Because you are, Dear One. Forever.

 

I pray that you ask Jesus into your heart at a young age and that you always choose to follow Him.

 

I joyfully anticipate the day when we meet you for the first time and get to bring you home with us. How I long for that day. How I long for that day.

 

Precious daughter, you are so very dearly loved. Love, Mommy

 

 

B-Day Fun!

On my birthday, I took the day off of work to hang out with my little boys! It was a blast!

 

After breakfast, the boys and I went to my mom and dad's house. We hung out with my mom, dad, and brother for a while. After lunch, my mom and I took the boys with us to Kohl's to do some birthday shopping. Kohl's is always a fun place to shop because they always have fantastic sales if you're willing to do a little hunting.  Mom spent around $50 and saved $189! Now that's a deal!

 

I got six shirts and a dress. I tried to pick things that were different color schemes and patterns from what I already had. I wore a new shirt to work nearly everyday during the next week.

 

After Kohl's, we drove through the Starbucks drive-through and ordered mocha frappuccinos with toffee-nut syrup. 

 I took some birthday selfies with the boys when we got back to mom's house. Soon, Aaron showed up with a Venti mocha Frappuccino with toffee-nut syrup for my birthday I gift! He knows what I like. I was so pleased to have another one to enjoy! It was definitely a birthday treat.

 That night, Aaron & I made creamy spinach and sausage pasta for supper. This is a one pot wonder and we totally love it! We enjoyed some brownies and ice cream later on and watched one of our favorite shows--"Vikings."

 It was a fantastic birthday, to be sure! Here's to a great year of being 26! Bring on the fun!

Here are the birthday photos:

Toddler Food

I speak for myself (and maybe other moms of toddlers) when I say that I LOVE to read blog posts about what other moms are feeding their toddlers! It gives new ideas for toddler menus and comparisons for how well other kids can eat certain foods.

 

My nephew is an awesome eater! He was eating certain foods before Michael was, and Michael is nearly 3 months older. I was always a bit scared to try out new "big kid" foods with Michael, and I'm still not the best at it. I vow to be more open to trying out new foods for Noah at a younger age than I did with Michael.

 

All that to say, here is a post about the current toddler eating patterns in our home.

 

For breakfast, Michael typically eats fruit-and-cream oatmeal, or French Toaster Sticks. I have also made toast, buttered it, cut it into strips and drizzled it with maple syrup. If Michael is still hungry after eating one of the above-mentioned foods, he can have some shredded cheese or an applesauce. Breakfast includes a sippy of milk.

 

Lunch is a toughy. Michael is picky these days-- so sometimes, we have to resort to the "fall back favorites" in order to make sure he gets some nutrition at lunch. The same gods for dinner.

 

Usually, Michael gets a protein of some kind and then some carbs. He has a sippy of milk or water- and sometimes he has two sippy cups on his tray (one with water and one with milk).

Lunches could include:

 

-turkey or ham sandwich with a thin layer of mayo, & possibly a slice of cheese. Usually crusts are removed and sometimes the sandwich is cut into a shape with a cookie cutter!

-pb&j sandwich. Thin layer of peanut butter. Thin layer of jam. Michael likes to open up the sandwich and lick the jam off the bread and peanut butter. He does not always finish the rest of the sandwich.

Michael eats sandwiches vertically, and they do not stay intact throughout this technique.

- Mac and cheese. This is hit or miss.

-peach fruit cup or mixed fruit cup. We buy a bulk variety pack in Costco

-applesauce cup. We buy a bulk size pack in Costco of this also.

-cut up Nutrigrain bar. Also bought in Costco bulk pack.

-shredded cheese or cheese slice

-yogurt in a bowl

-Cheerios or other dry cereal

-goldfish crackers

-banana

 

 

We attempt to feed Michael a smaller portion of what we're having for dinner. Sometimes he really likes it and other times we resort to the foods listed above.

 

We let him carry around a toddler snack cup with goldfish or Cheerios or other dry cereal or a combo. He snacks on this throughout the day.

 

He also has a sippy of water with him throughout the day.

 

This is a lunch I made for him last weekend. It includes a fruit cup, a nutrigrain bar cut into bite-size pieces, a cheese slice cut into bite-size pieces, and a sippy of milk. I LOVE using the bowl and plate made by BOON. These dishes have a suction cup on the bottom so they can't slide off of the high-chair tray. What a great invention! They were part of Michael's Christmas gift. At Target the other week, I stumbled upon these bendable bibs with a catch-all pocket made by Tommee Tippee. They came 2 to a pack. I am super pleased with them!

 

As you can see, he is quite comfortable at lunchtime.  :)

 

 So is Noah:

 

I hope this post helps out other moms of toddlers. I know I'll be referring back to it when Noah is a toddler! :)

Michael: 20 Months

*I began writing this post on Monday, April 28th, when Michael turned 20 Months old.

Dear Michael,

You are 20 months old today!  That means, in 4 months, we will be celebrating your 2nd birthday!  I already have a few ideas in my mind about a party theme.


You are such a sweet, sweet big brother!  Yesterday, I watched as you walked over to Noah while he was in the swing.  You crouched down in front of him and touched his Mommy-blankie and jibber-jabbered to him using your newest sound "zzzzzz."  I took a picture of you and him, and I took a short video of you chatting to him.  Noah looked at you very intently like he knew what you were saying was of the utmost importance!  :)  I imagine you were telling him that Mommy-blankies are very special and that he has his very own set to hold onto and cuddle.

You are in an interesting phase of life right now.  You've suddenly become a very opinionated, picky eater.  One day you'll like something, and the next day you don't want anything to do with it.  Actually, on Easter Sunday,  I offered you a cup of Enfagrow Toddler Drink (vanilla flavored milk drink).  I tasted it first and didn't think it was good at all.  You, however, took a drink and said "Mmm!" You guzzled down the 6 ounces I prepared, held out your cup to me and said "oh! oh! oh!" (which, among other things, means 'more').  I prepared another 6 ounces, handed your cup back to you, and you took a sip, shook your head and held out the cup for me to take away.  I stuck the cup in the fridge for a few hours, and tried to give it to you later on.  You took a swallow, shook your head, and handed the cup back to me.  I then handed you a sippy of plain milk, and you guzzled it right down.  So, that's an example of something you liked one minute and disliked 5 minutes later.

Here are some of your stats:

Clothes:  You wear 2T and 3T shirts.  The 3T shirts are pretty big on you, but it's nice to have some growing room!  Hopefully you'll be in this size for a while.  You wear 2T and 3T shorts.  Your legs aren't long enough to wear 3T pants, but we aren't having very many days lately where you'd have to wear pants. 

Diapers:  We have bumped you up a size!  You now wear size 5 diapers.  You still wear Kirkland Signature diapers and we like them very much.  We have also bought a box of Huggies Overnight diapers in size 5 and they are working out just as well as the size 4's did.

Eating: This is hit or miss.  You do have a few constant favorites, though, such as: whole milk, peach fruit cups, bananas, Goldfish and Golden Graham cereal (left dry in your snack cup).  Recently, you have liked shredded cheese and cheese slices again, and you'll eat a Go-gurt yogurt tube if I squeeze it into a bowl or hold it for you to lick.  A new favorite is cinnamon applesauce and "dessert-flavored" Goldfish (vanilla cupcake flavored--which,, by the way, is SOO good!,  Cinnamon bun flavored, and Strawberry Shortcake flavored).  You also like spicy foods!  And you love to eat Ketchup if we put it on your plate for french fries, fish sticks, or chicken bites.

Sleeping: Fabulous!  You are a great sleeper!  You take at least one nap a day-- and sometimes that nap can be 1/5-2 Hours long!  Normally, it's between 45 minutes to an hour.  You go to bed between 7:00 and 7:30.  If you wake up prior to 8:00 am, you definitely warrant a second nap.  At bedtime, you are great!  The other night, we had to wake you up at 1:00 am to go into our safe place during the tornado warning.  After it was over at 2:00am, we put you back in your crib, turned on your night lights again, and you fell right to sleep!  We were elated and relieved. 

Toys:  You love to play with balls, dump trucks, Hot Wheels, and basically any car/motorcycle toy of any kind.  If the toy doesn't make sound, you will provide the sound for the toy.  You love to play in the sandbox-- especially with sticks and dump trucks. You love anything to do with being outside and you dislike coming inside very very much!

Words:  Your latest fun word is "wow!"  You will charm the church congregation by shouting it at important parts of the sermon.  You now say a very clear "Mama" and point to me when you say it.  It melts my heart.  :)  You can also say "shoes." You sometimes say "hempa (Grandpa) and "hemma" (Grandma) if prompted and bribed by mini M&Ms.

Bathtime: You are still a bath lover and you say "bubble!" when we put you in the tub.

You are able to climb now, which is what you have done in the picture below.  When Mommy gets up from her chair, it's time for Michael to take it!

 

 

Here, you are posing for Grandma Dana to take a picture of you.  Totally toddler. 

Michael, you are a joy and we love you dearly.  You brighten our world and it is better because of your presence in it.  We love watching you grow and we love seeing you interact with your brother.  You are very loved and cherished.  I love you forever, sweet boy.  Love, Mommy.