Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Birthday Pictures

My mom and mother-in-law have birthdays just days apart. It's such fun to do a whole lot of celebrating in a short time! It kind of reminds me of the crazy number of birthdays we packed into March and the beginning of April when I was a child. (Seriously. Ask me about it sometime.) This year, I decided the best gift we could give our amazing moms was a memory, frozen in time. So I dressed the boys in their cutest outfits and grabbed my camera. The result was more than I could have asked for! Now that everyone has unwrapped their gifts, I can't help but share the pictures with the world! These boys are just so cute and they've absolutely stolen my heart...











Tuesday, October 7, 2014

6 months

Dear Noah,


This is my 3rd letter today. I have been so behind in my letters to you and I'm so sorry! Life with 2 little boys is much more chaotic than I first anticipated. You both keep me on my toes - especially now that you're crawling! I have spent the past several months loving every moment with you and Caleb. I just haven't had time to sit with a computer in my lap.


At your 6 month check up, you weighed 17lb, 10.5 oz (50%) and you were _____ inches long. (Holding steady at 50%.) However, your head size is still off the charts at over 90%! You amaze me every day with what you can do! You sat up at 4 and a half months and within a month you were crawling across the living room floor. Right now you still do the army crawl on your belly, but you are working those legs and I don't think it will be long before you are on all 4s cruising through the house!

Happy 1/2 birthday Noah!
A little after you turned 5 months, you acted like you were starving! You stopped sleeping through the night and nursed non-stop. We decided to try solid foods and see if it helped. So far we've tried bananas and sweet potatoes. You are absolutely not a fan! You can't figure out how to keep the food in your mouth and don't understand you're supposed to swallow! We talked to Dr. Thomason and decided to back off for a little while. You'll figure it out eventually. No one goes to college still breastfeeding, right? (By the way, since we stopped trying solid food you went back to sleeping all night. Guess it was just a growth spurt and things are back to normal, huh?)



WDQSWqE1 - Oh my silly boy! You just crawled over my legs and got to the laptop! That'll teach me to try writing while you're awake and on the move...

You are still in 3-6 month clothes but I can tell that won't last long. You are growing quickly and I know we'll have to move up a size soon. I've learned that you hate it when your shirt is wet from drool or spit up. But you hate bibs even more! Oh my silly boy! You also have a lovely habit of having a blow out every. single. morning. You also spit up with a constant dribble all over the place. How are you gaining weight if everything comes out of you all the time?


We tried to move you from the cradle to your crib, but you weren't ready. It lasted 2 nights before I moved you back to our room. We decided we were ready to move you in your room again and you made it 1 night before you came down with a nasty case of croup and needed to be close to me throughout the night. Once your congestion finally cleared you moved to your room and you've been sleeping beautifully every night. Now if only we could figure out how to make naps as beautiful...


I think one of the most exciting developments of the month is the precious 2 little teeth that popped out with no warning. You are so passionate about your feelings that I was quite nervous about how you would handle the pain of cutting your first tooth. Then one night at CG, I put my finger in your mouth and you bit down with your gummy smile. Suddenly, I felt a tooth burst through your gums! We did it! We survived cutting that first tooth! The next morning, another tooth broke through. Now you have a precious 2 tooth smile and I treasure every smile I get before those top teeth show up.


We are headed into my favorite months of this first year! Six to nine months is so much fun and I can't wait to watch your personality develop. We're also headed into my favorite season of the year! I am excited about getting to share the holidays with both of my precious boys! Although, I'm just a little nervous about having a baby who gets into everything around a Christmas tree! (And a thousand other pretty, precious, shiny decorations!) I enjoy every day with you, my precious boy. I'm so madly in love with your heart melting smile and I'm so blessed to be your mom!


Love,
Mommy

P.S.-- Now that you have teeth, no more biting when nursing! Youch!

Monday, October 6, 2014

5 months

My precious Noah,

This was a big month for you! You learned to sit up, you can roll any way you want, and you have become the king of the backwards scoot. My favorite is when you get on your belly and your arms and legs flop around like you're thinking, "How do I work this thing?" You are so precious, my sweet boy! Here are some pictures of our month together!

5 months old and cute as a bug!

You were the victim of a run-by sunglasses incident...
Your first selfie!
 

Your smile lights up your face and melts my heart!

4 months

Oh my sweet Noah... I'm so sorry I haven't written you letters the past few months. I started this letter to you and then never finished it.

Dear Noah,

At your 4 month check up you weighed _____ (50-75%) and were ____ inches (50%). Your head was off the charts - well above 98%! You're just one smart little boy, aren't you? I am constantly amazed at all that you're able to do! You now wear 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. You're growing so fast little man!

Not long after I wrote your 3 month blog post, you went to 1 short night time feeding and acted like you could hardly keep your eyes open long enough to eat. Then, one night, you went an amazing 12 hours! I couldn't believe it. Since then you mostly sleep between 10 and 12 hours. It sure is nice to get some sleep... Sometimes you still wake up hungry and I enjoy the sweet snuggles, but I'm very thankful it's not every night!

You are much more alert this month and have started playing with toys. I love seeing you reach out and grab toys as you pull them to your mouth. It amazes me to watch you learn to interact with the world around you! You watch your brother as often as you can. You smile every time he comes near you. You keep trying to sit up so you can see everything he does.

You continue to be a bright spot in our lives and are changing more and more every day. Here are a few highlights from your 4th month!

4 months old - lots of fat rolls and a million smiles!



I feel like this expression fits your personality so well!


Chick-Fil-A's cow appreciation day!





We found out you were a boy in the middle of an ice storm in November. We immediately went out and bought this outfit and dreamed of the little boy that would fill it. But then you fit into this size in July and I decided you'd never get to wear it. Amazingly, God gave us a COOL day in the middle of the Texas summer and a baby boy who hates to be cold. I joyfully put this on you and felt my heart skip a beat. You are the boy we dreamed of for so long! We couldn't imagine anyone more precious to wear this sweet train.


Sweet brothers in semi-matching pajamas!

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

2 years

Dear Caleb,
4 days old
1 year old

2 years old
 You are 2 years old! I can hardly wrap my brain around it! (I just checked - that's exactly what I said after your first birthday.) I handled your first birthday without a tear, but this birthday left me in a puddle of emotions... Your age is no longer counted by months. You are no longer a tiny little guy. You are now a big brother. You have an amazing little personality and are as strong willed as the day is long!You've grown a full foot taller this year and have moved into 2T clothes. Where did my tiny baby go?


By far, the biggest event that's happened recently is the birth of your little brother. On March 25th, Noah came into this world kicking and screaming! It's been a roller coaster of excitement and emotions, but you've done well. When Noah came home from the hospital we put him on the floor so you could get to know each other and you began bringing him all of your favorite trucks. I was so excited to see you trying to share with him! Noah cried a lot in those early months, but you didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, there were several times that you came to get me and brought me to your brother as he screamed in his bouncer. It warms my heart to see you interact with him. You'll love on him and bring him toys on your terms, but if Noah reaches out and touches you then you quickly run away!


You continue to love balls but have a special fondness for "dasketdolls" (basketballs). You love to play with cars and trucks (In fact, your big boy room is car themed.) but nothing makes you quite as happy as your box of balls. You spend hours playing soccer, catch, basketball, and tennis! You've got an amazing pitch, a fantastic swing with your tennis racquet, and a strong kick. We keep crayons and a coloring book on the table so you can color every day. You often ask us to draw dasketdolls, dootdolls, baseaballs, folfballs, wadda balls, and dig dolls. (basketballs, footballs, baseballs, golfballs, bowling balls, and big balls)


I'm amazed at how quickly you're learning new words! I was actually concerned that you were behind in your language skills because all you were doing was grunting. Then one day you said "More milk please mom!" You little booger! You've had the words all along but you're so smart you've discovered it's easier to just grunt. I still can't believe how long you got away with it! Now we're forcing you into using words more often and I'm discovering you have an amazing vocabulary. However, you're stubborn streak has come out in full force and you are determined to continue to grunt. When we ask you to use your words you say "No!" Good grief little man!


You love to laugh and are super curious about the world around you. Your best friend is your daddy and you follow him everywhere. He's had extra time off this summer and he's spent a lot of it with you. I'm not looking forward to having the two of you separated in August when school starts again... However, we're going to start our own version of homeschooling this fall and I think you'll enjoy the new challenge in your day. You are proving to be an extremely smart little boy! You know all your capital letters, your shapes, your colors, and your numbers. In fact, the other day I asked you what color my shirt was. You confidently answered "Pink!" I was shocked. We have not talked about the color pink and you don't usually use the pink crayon. I asked you where you learned the color pink and, without hesitation, you said "Bot!" Looks like you've learned colors from Team Umizoomi - which is still your favorite show. You enjoy watching PAW Patrol, as well, but Team Umizoomi is absolutely your show of choice! You still suck your thumb and carry around your precious waffle weave blanket. It is a precious part of your world that I deeply cherish!



I am so blessed to be your mom! I can't get over how lucky I am to have you in my family. You are cheerful and loving and a true joy to be around! When I think of you at 2 years old, I will remember your infectious laughter and your excitement over "dasketdolls" and every kind of construction equipment we might see! I love you so much, my sweet pumpkin and can't wait to see how you grow in the months to come. I pray for you daily and know God is going to do mighty things through your sweet heart!



Love,
Mommy