Happy Half-Birthday!

     My baby boy turned 18 months old on the 5th of this month. We are halfway to celebrating yet another birthday. Where on Earth did the time go? He is getting so big and learning so much each day. He has a huge personality and is always doing something crazy that makes us all crack up. He's the highlight of my day.

     We had his 18 month check up last week and he is healthy as can be. A whole whopping 30lbs and he is 35 inches tall! Thank goodness he walks pretty darn well because hauling around his solid 30lbs gets really tiring really quickly. He has almost all of his baby teeth, all we are waiting on now is one canine tooth and then his 2yr molars. He is also beginning to tell us when he needs to be changed which makes me think we will be starting potty training in the not so distant future. I'm looking forward to no more diapers but I'm not really looking forward to the process of achieving that!

     He is a typical little boy who loves to run around, jump off of things, and just generally act like a crazy jungle boy at times. He likes to take pillows off our couch and then body slam them on the floor. He's always doing something too, never sitting still. One of his favorite games is playing tag. We will chase him all over the house as he just squeals with laughter.

      He is the best big brother around and so far we really haven't noticed much jealousy at all with Lucy. He is always eager to bring her a blankie or diaper. At the moment he is "helping" bounce her in the bouncy seat. I love watching him interact with her and I can't wait until she is old enough to really play with him. My favorite thing he will do is give her a kiss, it's just about the sweetest thing on the planet. Of course then he must give everybody withing a one mile radius a kiss too, including the dog.

     We are working on trying to teach him some things but truthfully he is much more interested in playing with his toys and running around to really get anywhere. I try to read him books but most of the time he isn't very interested. I am planning on taking him to a local story time tomorrow and my hope is that he will learn to love books like his mommy. I think it's a boy thing.

      He can point to most of his body parts, and he can identify some people like Lucy, mommy, daddy and grandparents. He doesn't have too many words and they aren't really words persay. He says mamma and dadda pretty well, and sometimes he will say grandma or grandpa pretty clearly but it's mostly just babbling in his own little language with sounds that might resemble words but I'm not entirely sure what he is trying to say. I wish I knew what he was saying.

     He is incredibly inquisitive. I swear you can just see the gears turning in his head while he tries to figure out how something works. It's incredible to see him learning right in front of my eyes. He will investigate just about anything he can and figure out how it works.

     Sometimes it is a bit hectic around here just trying to balance the needs of both kids and I'm thankful Roxas is great at understanding I can't always get down and play with him. 
      Last night, or early this morning depending on how you want to look at it, I was sitting in bed looking at a sleeping Lucy in my arms and I had this overwhelming feeling of joy. It's a feeling of your heart just swelling up with pride and love. I'm so happy and in love with my little family it's beyond words. It's just the best thing on Earth. There is nothing better than a hug from my little boy and a big gummy smile from my little girl. I'm so blessed to have Kenny who works himself to death and allows me to stay home and focus on taking care of our babies. He's my true knight in shining armor, and I love him more and more each day.

    I would also like to share this past Sunday my best friend welcomed her little boy into the world, Mr. Coltin James Brockmeyer. I've been friends with Tashia since 7th grade and we've gone through so much together and shared so many experiences that we are practically sisters. I can tell her anything and know that she will always be there for me no matter what. Seeing her become a mommy makes me so happy because I know what joy a child brings and for her to have that joyful experience is the best thing I could ask for. I wish there weren't 200 miles in between us so I could be there to help her as she recovers but we will be making a trip to visit sometime soon (I'm hoping for next month!).

    
    

1 Month Already

     Lucy is one month old today. Wow. Where did the time go? It seems like we were just coming home from the hospital yesterday. Lucy is growing up too fast already and I'm finding myself already wishing time would slow down. Our little girl is growing so fast. She was 9lbs at her last appointment and I'm sure she's gained another pound if not two since then. I love her chubby little thighs and pudgy wrists. She has already outgrown some of her newborn outfits and I was a little sad to move into the 0-3mo portion of her closet.
      Our stellar photog friend Jenna took some super sweet shots of our perfect princess and I'm totally in love with how they came out. Considering Lucy was crying for the majority of the shoot I'm amazed at how many great pictures she was able to get. You can see them at her blog: Jenna Ebert Photography

     It's been a crazy month full of adjustments for all of us. It's funny, I know every baby is different but I never really thought Lucy would be different from Roxas. Boy was I wrong. Lucy is what I refer to as "high maintenance". She wants to be held almost constantly and eat just as often. I am enjoying these moments though. It seemed like in the the blink of an eye Roxas went from snuggly, itty bitty, baby to this big tank of a toddler who very rarely wants to snuggle. So even if I can't get to all the things I want to get to, I wouldn't trade my time holding and snuggling her for anything.

     Her sleeping habits are by far the most difficult thing I've been dealing with. She likes to be awake from about midnight to 3 or 4am. Then Roxas is up around 7:30...not a lot of sleep for mommy. It's only temporary and will be over soon but it's hard to convince yourself of that when it's 3:30am and you're dead dog tired. Some nights I longingly look at my pillow wishing I could just lay down and go to sleep but it's just not an option.
     Another difficulty we've been having is her tongue-tie. I'm extremely frustrated with the doctors we've seen so far. Her pediatrician noticed it and referred us to the ear, nose and throat doctor. The ENT confirmed she did have a very short frenulum but he didn't want to do anything about it until she was a year old. There is the possibility she will grow out of it and may not need it clipped at that point but if she does it will require sedation and I'm not overly thrilled about it. Not to mention I feel this tongue tie is the reason I'm having such pain with breastfeeding. Thank the Lord for the sheep that give me my tube of lanolin because that's the only thing saving me from having to bite a wooden spoon just to feed little one. She is gaining weight which seems to be why none of the doctors are willing to snip the frenulum. I get the feeling they don't see a problem as long as Lucy is growing. We are going to get a second opinion from a doctor in another town who snipped the frenulum of a friend of ours. Hopefully they will just do it, get it over with and our breastfeeding relationship can improve.

     It's been a crazy trip having both kids. I have really enjoyed this time with them. Sometimes it is rough. There have been times when both kiddos are screaming and it's just not possible to take care of both at the same time. I'm extremely lucky that Roxas is a great big brother and he is ok playing on his own or just sitting next to me reading a book or watching tv. Sometimes I feel bad that we don't get to spend as much time just him and I playing anymore but he seems pretty darn happy so that makes me happy. I'm also lucky to have such a great husband who has been so supportive and helpful. On his days off he will get up with Roxas and I can catch a little bit of sleep when Lucy naps in the morning which is the best thing ever. Our family has also been an invaluable resource. My parents and my in-laws have saved the day for me quite a few times. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have all this love and support.
     This post-partum period has been so drastically different than last time, I'm actually really enjoying being a new mommy. I didn't realize how miserable I really was last time until I got a handle on it and started feeling better. Sometimes the thoughts still creep in but I'm finding it easier to dismiss them and regain control. I wish I would have figured it out sooner because I truly enjoy my life at the moment. Even with the times where I'm sleep deprived, cranky and both kids are screaming...I still wouldn't trade it for anything.

     I can't wait for the weather to get cooler so we can go to the park, and have some fun outdoors. Now that Roxas is bigger it's a ton of fun playing with him and watching his crazy antics. He is a total ham and loves to make us laugh. He is all boy for sure though, he will headbutt you or body slam you if you're not paying attention.  He learns something new every day and always surprises me. It will be so much fun when Lucy is big enough for him to really play with her, he has been bringing her all kinds of different toys to play with lately. He's a great little helper, even if it's not exactly productive I love seeing how eager he is to help out with his little sister.

     So, that's our first month together as a family of four. It's been crazy, tiring but awesome at the same time. I am excited for what the future holds for us next.