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!

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

3 months

Dear Noah,

You turned 3 months old on June 25th. Today is July 13th. You will be 4 months old in less than 2 weeks. I've sat down countless times to write you this letter and something always happens. You and your brother are not the best sleepers at the moment and I feel like I'm going non-stop every day. Your dad is also off for the summer and we've been enjoying a lot of wonderful family time! It has been such a blessing to have the extra time as a family of 4. I have needed every second with your dad home as we adjust to scheduling both of you boys.

I feel like this month brought us a whole new baby! You suddenly love to coo and talk and give these amazing smiles that melt my heart every time! One day you suddenly decided to eat every 3 hours during the day and go a beautiful 8 hours at night and you rarely look back. You are suddenly very happy and a true joy to be around. I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be your mom!

You still fit comfortably in 0-3 month clothes and I am so glad! You've gotten to wear my favorite outfits several times. :) The biggest accomplishment of this month was you suddenly learning to roll over. One day your dad and brother were playing outside while I enjoyed the A/C inside with you. I was taking pictures of how well you held your head up on your tummy when you suddenly fell to the side and flipped right over! I thought it was just a fluke but you did it again when I flipped you back to your tummy! I ran outside to tell your dad the exciting news and you promptly refused to do it again. You just buried your face in your blanket and cried. You've rolled over several times since then, but that day you were just done!

We've been so busy living life together that I've forgotten a lot of what we did, but I have a ton of pictures because you're just the most adorable baby on the planet!!! I love you my little Sugar Bear! Thank you for your sweet smiles and snuggles! I love every single day with you!

  

Love,

Mommy