Michael: 12 Months!!

5/15/14
This month:
*You weigh: 21lbs 6.5oz 

*You are: 29 3/4in tall
*You are wearing: size 12 month clothes and size 18 month sleepers

*You still eat about every 2 hours. I feed you in the morning, when I put you down for a nap, when you wake up for a nap (x2), before bed, and typically once in the early morning around 5:30 or 6:00. 
*You have your 2 top teeth, 1 next to your top tooth and another trying to pop through, and your 2 bottom teeth.
*You are in a size 4 diaper.

*You go to bed around 8:30-9:00 and sleep until around 9:00. You take 2 naps a day that range from 1.5-2 hours long. You get up in the morning around 9:00, nap at 11:00 and sleep until around 12:30-1:00 and take your second nap around 3:30 and sleep until 5:30ish.

You have started taking a few steps at a time, but still don't cant to walk full time. You are so fast when you crawl and have no need for walking to slow you down!! You like to eat and love to feed yourself but are still pretty picky. You really like carbs. A meal full of breads and pasta is heaven for you! You are soooo loud during meal times. You sit in your highchair and yell until we feed you or you get what you want. We say "Oh that's just Michael singing his dinner song". It's super fun. I hope you grow out of that phase quickly.

You don't really talk, you do say ma ma ma ma and da da da da but I'm not sure that you are using them in context or know what you are saying. I'm sure you will eventually be a little chatterbox like your sister. You are still a mamas boy and I love it. We are still nursing, and I'm not sure how much longer we will go, but I love that down time we have to just snuggle and spend some quality time together. 

You are so smart. I know that every parent always thinks their child is a genius, but you are pretty smart! You are a little observer and love to mimic what other people do. You got a new riding toy for your birthday and you knew exactly how to push yourself around on it.  

You get into everything. Ev-er-ry thing. Everything. It's insane. I don't remember it being like this with Ellie, but every time I turn around you are into something you're not supposed to be, or putting something else in your mouth. Did I mention the time you ate ashes a few months ago? That was fun. You can climb up onto the couch in our living room and have taken a few falls off of it and even one or two over the back of it. We all say that you are going to be our ER baby. You definitely keep me on my toes there's no doubt about it!

I absolutely can not believe how fast the past year has gone. It feels like it was just last summer and I was trying to get the hang of balancing the needs of a newborn and the needs of a toddler. Those days sure seemed long, but the weeks flew by! I am so glad that we have long since settled into a routine and that you and Ellie are starting to play together more and more. You just adore her and love to be in whatever she is doing. She is still learning to be gentle with you and that she has to share all the things, but I am looking forward to the day that you two are the best of friends and spend all day playing together. I'm sure we will still have some quarrels in there too, but it is my hearts desire for you to have a close relationship. After all, I don't know what I would do without my siblings!!

We love you so much sweet boy. I am so glad that God chose me to be your mama and look forward to watching you grow and learn. I can't imagine all the changes that will be coming in the next year! 

Happy First Birthday Michael!

Michael:11 Months

4/15/14

This Month:

*You weigh: Around 21 lbs still
*You are wearing: 12 month clothes 

*You still eat about every 2 hours. I feed you in the morning, when I put you down for a nap, when you wake up for a nap (x2), before bed, and typically once in the early morning around 5:30 or 6:00. 
*You have 4 teeth and another trying to pop through
*You are in a size 4 diaper.

*You go to bed around 8:30-9:00 and sleep until 5:00-6:00, eat, then sleep until around 9:00. You take 2 naps a day that range from 1.5-2 hours long. You get up in the morning around 9:00, nap at 11:00 and sleep until around 12:30-1:00 and take your second nap around 3:30 and sleep until 5:30ish.

You have started clapping your hands. You did it randomly in the car one day and were so excited when every made a fuss about it and you do it all the time now. It is so cute!!

You also started shaking your head back and forth side to side and it is the funniest thing. You aren't meaning no when you do it, I just think you like the way it feels! You will sit in your highchair and and perform all your new tricks for us!

You can stand on your own, but haven't been brave enough to take any steps yet. I think that it will come soon though! You're hair is still holding onto a little bit of auburn, I love it! You are still such a happy and sweet baby; who loves his mama. And I can't say that I'm complaining about that! You aren't very happy when I leave you in the nursery on Sunday's, but I think that you will eventually do better. You are such a little ham and love to smile and flirt with everyone. You have a little dimple that shows sometimes when you smile really big and it melts me! 

I can't believe that next month we will be celebrating your big first birthday! This past year has flown by!! We love you so much sweet boy!

Michael: 10 Months

This Month:

*You weigh: Around 21 lbs
*You are wearing: 12 month clothes 

*You still eat about every 2 hours. I feed you in the morning, when I put you down for a nap, when you wake up for a nap (x2), before bed, and typically once during the night. I am happy to say that we are still nursing and going strong! I am so thankful that things are so much easier this time around!
*You are in a size 4 diaper.

*You go to bed around 8:30-9:00 and sleep until 5:00-6:00, eat, then sleep until around 9:00. You take 2 naps a day that range from 1.5-2 hours long. You get up in the morning around 9:00, nap at 11:00 and sleep until around 12:30-1:00 and take your second nap around 3:30 and sleep until 5:30ish.

You have mastered cruising around furniture this month and learned to climb the stairs (with supervision of course). I think climbing the stairs is your favorite thing to do. If we leave the gate open you are instantly booking it over there! You have discovered your hands and ealized that you can open and close them and get mezmorized by your new skill. You have also relized that you have a toun gue and love sticking it out like a little lizard! It's so cute!

You are such a busy body and love to watch everyone around you. You are a very distractible nurser and will only nurse if you're in a dark room with white noise. That makes it hard to spend a day away from home! And you definitely don't nap in your stroller or while we are out and about. Sometimes you will fall asleep in the car, but not always. Your two top teeth came through this month, you were fussy for a night or two, but otherwise did pretty well with them. When I hold you, you love to blow raspberries on my shoulder. That's your new party trick. You are definitely a mama's boy. When I walk over to you you will put your arms up to reach for me and it melts my heart! I get paged to pick you up from the nursery during the sermon at church almost every sunday, I do cherish that you always want your mama. I know one day you will develop your independence and my days of snuggling you will be few and far between!

You are still cruising around the furniture and there have been a few times where you will let go and stand for a few seconds, but then you sit down and crawl off to your next destination. You love to get in the cat food and play with the cat door and have actually trapped him in the storage room in the basement a few times becuase you locked his cat door while you were smacking at it.I'm sure Jack doesn't really appreciate that.

I can't believe that your first birthday is right around the corner. You are such a sweet and happy boy. I love watching you grow and learn new things and am cherishing these last few months while you are still a baby. I couldn't imagine our family without you and can't wait to see what the future holds for us! I love you sweet boy!!

Michael: 9 Months

2/15/14

This Month:

*You weigh: 20lbs 15.5oz
*You are wearing: 12 month clothes 

*You still eat about every 2 hours. I feed you in the morning, when I put you down for a nap, when you wake up for a nap (x2), before bed, and typically once during the night. I am happy to say that we are still nursing and going strong! I am so thankful that things are so much easier this time around!
*You are in a size 4 diaper.

*You go to bed around 8:30-9:00 and sleep until 5:00-6:00, eat, then sleep until around 9:00. Thankfully we seem to have finally mastered all the insane wake-ups you were having. I think I was about to end up in the looney bin with how much you were waking up at night!!! You take 2 naps a day that range from 1.5-2 hours long. You get up in the morning anywhere between 8:00-10:00. Your schedule can change day to day depending on when you wake up. About 2 hours after you wake up in the morning you are ready to go down for your first nap. Your second nap is about 2.5-3 hours after you wake up from your first nap.

You started crawling with your belly off the ground this month. You are also standing on and cruising around furniture. You are a persistent little boy. We can move you away rom something you're not supposed to get into a thousand times and you will go back to it one thousand and one. You're such a little stinker!

You are starting to "talk" more and like to screech. Dinners around here can get pretty loud. You are still a little social butterfly and do not like when you are left alone even for a minute! You like to be in the middle of evertything and love attention! Since you are so mobile, you spend a lot of time bugging your sister and trying to get whatever she is playing with. The two of you completely melt my heart. She is the only one who can get you to belly laugh. Watching her love you is the sweetest thing ever and I know that you two will be best friends as you grow.

You are getting better at eating solids. You really like to feed yourself, but haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet. Most of the time what you're trying to put in you rmouth ends up in your lap! You like pears, apples, carrots, squash, and avocado and sometimes we can get you to eat pureed food or eat it out of a pouch.

I can't believe that in just 3 short months you will be 1. These past 9 months have just flown by. You are such a sweet boy and such a joy. You definitely love your mama :) You have brought so much happiness to our family and we are so blessed to have you as a part of our lives! I love you Michael James! 

See Ellies 9 month update for comparison here!

Our Journey to Parenthood

When I was younger and thought about getting married and having a family I just assumed that when my husband and I were ready I would get pregnant right away and have a healthy baby. I was so naive. I personally know women, and have read stories of many women's heartaches with trying to conceive, miscarriages, stillborns, or the loss of an infant. Every story doesn't always have a happy ending.

Mike and I were high school sweethearts and go married in February of 2008. All I've ever wanted in life was to be a mom and I was ready to have a baby right away. Mike; not so much! So in the spring of 2010 we decided that we were going to try and get pregnant in June of that summer. Apparently God had other plans because on April 24 I saw two pink lines on a home pregnancy test. It was a little earlier than we expected but we were both so excited. I was due January 4th and had a very uneventful pregnancy. In August we found out we were going to have a little girl and decided to name her Eleanor. She came into our world at 37 weeks and changed our life forever.

Head over to Everyday Love to read the rest of our story of our Journey to Parenthood

Michael: 8 Months

1/15/14

This Month:

*You weigh: 20.5lbs
*You are wearing: Mostly 12 month clothes, but still some 9 month 

*You eat about every 2 hours. I feed you in the morning, when I put you down for a nap, when you wake up for a nap (x2), before bed, and 1-2 times during the night.
*You are in a size 4 diaper.

*You go to bed around 7:30-8:00 and sleep for about 30-40 minutes then wake up and fuss. Then we get you back to sleep, and about 15-30 minutes later you wake up and fuss again. Rinse and repeat for up to 3 hours. Not so fun. It's like you go through phases. You will sleep great for a few days or a week then you sleep like crap for a few days or a week. It's frustrating because you know how to put yourself to sleep, but instead, once we put you down in your crib you wake up and cry instead of sweetly sucking your thumb into slumber land.I don't know if you are daeling with some seperation anxiety or what, but we're all ready for some good nights sleep. You take about 2 naps a day (sometimes 3 depending on what time you wake up for the day) and get up in the morning anywhere between 8:00-10:00. Your schedule can change day to day depending on when you wake up.

 Your two bottom teeth popped through this month about a week apart. When you got your first tooth you had a bit of a cold and a fever too, so I took you into urgent care to make sure everything was ok. And it was; can't help the mama worries though! You had about 2 fussy nights each time your tooth was coming through. A few of those nights daddy ended up sleeping with you in the recliner all night. 

On 12/24/13 you pulled yourself to standing for the first time! You were so happy. Since then you pull yourself up onto everything. You want to be part of all the action. We had lots of family Christmases to go to this month and you did pretty well at all of them. Unfortunately lots of people were getting over colds and you ended up catching one. Hopefully you won't catch anymore this winter.

You are still breastfeeding (We made it longer than I did with Ellie!!!!!!) and I hope we make it to at least a year! You have no interest in solid foods, the only thing that you care to eat are Mum Mums. You seem to like feeding yourself so I will mash some banana or avocado on your highchair tray, but you still aren't that into it. Someday you'll eat solids...right?!

Our mini mozart

You are such a happy baby. You are starting to babble more and make some laughing/screeching sounds. You make this relly funny face where you scrunch up your nose, squint your eyes, and raise your eyebrows, but it is almost impossible to catch it on camera. When you are excited you sit and flap your arms, smacking one hand on top of the other. It's so funny. You love playing with Ellie and getting into whatever she is doing. You love to watch her and laugh at her. I really hope that you two are always best friends and have a close relationship.

Ellie needs to take some smiling tips from you! 

 These past 8 months have flown by and I can't believe that there are only 4 months until you are a year old. I wish that I could put time in a bottle and keep you my little baby forever, I could definitely go for you sleeping through the night though! You are a joy and a blessing to our family. I love you so much sweet boy!

Here is Ellie's 8 month update for comparison

Michael: 7 Months

12-15-13

This Month:

*You weigh: 20lbs
*You are wearing: 9 month clothes

*You eat about every 3-4 hours. Sometimes more sometimes less.
*You are in a size 4 diaper.

*You go to bed around 7:30-8:00 and slep until around 3:00-4:00, eat and then sleep until around 7:30-8:00. Sometimes after you eat you will go back to sleep and sometimes you are up for the day. Some nights you might wake up a little more, but you have typically been sleeping pretty well. We figured out that you like to be all warm and cozy when you sleep so we turn on the space heater and that has seemed to do the trick! You take 2 or 3 naps a day, it all just depends on how the day goes. You go back down to sleep after you have been awake for around 2 hours. After 2 hours you are all funned out. You have been napping pretty well.

This month has been crazy busy, between Thanksgiving and birthday parties and finally selling! our! house! It seems like the month has flown by. I feel like the next time I blink we will be celebrating your first birthday!!

You are still army crawling all over, but you are super fast. I feel like the second I turn my back you are all the way across the room trying to get into something. You love to play on the floor with your toys, but aren't so content when we put you on the hardwood. You much prefer carpet or being on a fluffy rug. On December 12 you sat up on your own for the very first time! I was folding laundry and when I looked up there you were sitting and banging on a toy like it was no big deal! You are such a big boy, I can't believe how fast time has gone!! 

You are still breastfeeding like a champ but have had a few solid foods. You ahave had avocado, banana, squash, and carrots. I can't say that you are a very big fan of any of them. You scrunch up your nose and make a sour face whenever we try to feed you. I figure we'll take things at your pace and just slowly introduce things. I know eventually you will get the hang of it! 

You battled a little bit of a cold at the beginning of the month but even though you didn't feel good you were still so happy and sweet. You are almost always happy and love watching Ellie run around and play. You light up when she comes and talks to you or gets near you. I can't wait to watch your relationship grow and see the two of you become best friends! I often try and imagine what your personality will be like as you grow and wonder if you will have the same strong will as your sister, or if you will be more relaxed and go with the flow. 

We took a little photo shoot with Auntie and these are some of the gems that we captured. You are such a delight. 

I am so excited to see what our future holds with you and the little boy that you will become, but part of me wishes I could keep you my sweet little baby forever. Every night when I nurse you to sleep I cherish this time I have with you. I know that you won't always be this little and one day you won't want me to rock you to sleep. But for now, I close my eyes and smile as you nurse and touch my face, try to stick your hand in my mouth, flick at your ears, pat your head, wave your arm like you're directing an orchestra, and gently stroke my arm. I thank God for you and am so happy that you are a part of our family. I love you so much sweet boy. 

Here is Ellie's 7 month update for comparison

Michael: 6 Months

11-15-13

This Month:

*You weigh: 19lbs 9oz and are 27in long
*You are wearing: 6 and 6-9 month clothes

*You eat about every 3-4 hours. Sometimes more sometimes less.
*You are in a size 3 diaper.

*You go to bed around 7:00-7:30 and typically wake up and have to be put back to sleep at least once within an hour of going down. Then you wake up around 11:00 or 12:00 to eat and sleep about 3 or 4 more hours and then wake up for the day between 7:30-7:30ish. Sometimes you might sleep a little bit later. I like the mornings you sleep until 8:00! Daylight savings time really screwed things up! The past few nights you have gone down and stayed down until around 2:00 or 3:00. You are still sleeping in a pack and play in our room, but papa just finished your crib so for almost a week you have been taking naps in your own room!

You like to jump in your jumper, but love to be on the floor. This month you started crawling. It's more along the lines of army crawling but you are definitely on the go! And you are quick! You like to explore and I have had to pull you out from under the end table a time or two. Sometimes you will get up on your hands and knees and more a little bit, but you haven't quite conquered the "normal" crawl. Ellie is not enjoying having to share toys now that you are mobile and more interested in playing. I have to constantly remind her not to take toys away from you and that she has to share.

Once you wake up the clock starts ticking because you can really only handle being awake for 2 hours at a time before you are ready for a nap. When you are tired you lay your head down and suck your thumb and that is my cue to get you to bed! Now that we have a little more of a routine things are a little easier. And you have been napping for longer stretches during the day. And a well rested baby is a happy baby, and a happy baby makes for a happy mama!

You are still such a happy baby. You smile at everyone and are just a joy! If you don't fall asleep nursing you still need to bee bounced/swayed to sleep, but sometimes we can lay you down and you will suck your thumb and go to sleep on your own. You have gone to the nursery at church a few times and have actually taken a little nap while you were there. Of course they love holding you while you sleep!

When you are happy you scrunch up your face and it is the cutest thing ever!!

For your first Halloween your dad picked your costume and you were a pirate. We went truck or treating at church and you spend most of the time in the carrier but you did really well and looked absolutely adorable. We were going to go out on Halloween but the actual day ended up being super cold and rainy so we skipped it and stayed inside.

Trying to get a good picture of the both of you is impossible

I am so happy that we have made it 6 months exclusively breast feeding. Even though sometimes it has been hard and trying that you wouldn't take a bottle, it really made it easy to not have to struggle to continue to breastfeed. The time and flown by and I am so glad that we have made it this far. I hope to go at least another 6 months. I plan on giving you some avocado in the next couple days and see how that goes. I am not going to push you with food and am just going to take things slow. Breast milk is still supposed to be the main source of nutrition, and after all; food before one is just for fun!!

Sometimes I am so amazed with how much I love you. After having Ellie I never though I could love another child as much as I love her, but you have really shown me that my heart just grows with each child. I never want to forget all the little things about you being a baby. Like the way you suck your thumb, the reddish tint to your hair, how your feet are so fat they won't fit in most shoes, how you really don't have a wrist-it goes from a chubby arm right into your little sausage hands. You are the cutest, sweetest little things and I could just eat you up. I am so thankful you are a part of our little family!!

Here is Ellie's 6 month update for comparison 

Michael: 5 Months

10-15-13

This Month:

*You weigh: about 18lbs 8oz according to our scale at home
*You are wearing: 6 month clothes

*You eat about every 3ish hours. Sometimes more sometimes less.
*You are in a size 3 diaper.

*You have wanted to go to bed earlier this month. Closer to 7:00 than 8:00. I wish I could get you to stay up a little later, but you don't want to take your last nap of the day. After about a month of your sleep regression, waking up every 1-2 hours, you finally learned to roll both ways and started sleeping better. On September 21st you slept through the night until 8:30am. This was the best you have ever done. I heard angels singing that morning. you had a few nights sleeping until 6:00 or so, but then went back to waking up around 4:00 to eat and again around 7:00. But then you typically go back to sleep until 8:00 or 8:30. You are still sleeping in a pack and play in our room.

Your hair looks pretty blonde but if you are in something that is red it looks a little auburn.

You are doing better in your swing and like to play in your jumper, but love to be a part of the conversation. When we eat dinner you do not want to sit in your bouncer on the floor. You want to sit in the bumbo on the table and see what is going on. You are a little social butterfly. You roll all over the living room floor trying to get to toys that you want to play with.

You have the sweetest smile and have the hint of a dimple in one of your cheeks. I love it! You are such a happy boy.  

You still suck your thumb and I absolutely love it. I think it is the cutest thing in the whole world. Not to mention it is nice that you are able to self soothe pretty well. If you wake up at night fussing sometimes if we just give it a minute you'll find your thumb and go right back to sleep. I can tell when you are tired because you will put your head down and start sucking your thumb. That is my cue to snatch you up and get you down for a nap! Typically you wake up about 8:00, eat and down for a nap around 10:00, sleep for 1-2 hours, up for 2 hours, eat and back down around 2:00 for another 1-2 hours up around 3:00-4:00, eat again around 6, and then down fort he night around 7:30. Some days you don't nap well at all and some days you nap great! You are getting better as you grow.

You met your future bff Cameron this month. You two are only a little over 2 months apart. I can't wait to watch the two of you grow together and hope and pray that you will be friends for life. I love his mama so you really don't have a choice!

You aren't too sturdy if we prop  you up to sit, but you'll get there. You still have no interest in taking a bottle, but I have given you a sippy cup to hold and play with to try and get you used to it in hopes that you will use one in the next month or so. If not, oh well. There's plenty of time to go to the movies and have girls night, you will only be little once and the time is flying by!

You are enthralled with Ellie and spend a lot of your time watching her. It is so cute when I see her crouching down next to you and whispering things to you. She will bring you toys and cover you with a blanket and sweetly tell you "You wouldn't be so tired if you would just go to sleep!!" I think she might have heard mama say this a time or two!

It is so fun to watch your little personality take shape and I can't wait to see what it will be like as you grow. You are such a sweet boy and I love you so much! I can't imagine our family without you in it!

Here is Ellie's 5 month update for comparison 

Michael: 4 Months

9-15-13

I can't even explain how much I love you! You are the sweetest little baby. I can't believe how fast time has gone and that you are already 4 months old. It seems like we just brought you home and here you are transitioning from a little newborn into an infant. You are learning so many new things and even though you aren't our first baby we love to watch you take in the world and reach all these new milestones. I can't imagine our life without you!

This Month:

*You weigh: 16lbs and 15.5oz (Ellie didn't weigh this much until 8 months!!)
*You are wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes.

*You still eat about every 2ish hours; sometimes more, sometimes less. You are pretty efficient though and nursing sessions only take about 5 minutes or so.
*You are in a size 2 diaper.

*You have a bath every night around 8:00 and then eat and go to sleep. On August 16 you started a horrible sleep regression. You were waking up every 2 hours, and sometimes every hour. You were try to roll over in your sleep and are constantly waking yourself up. We have tried a lot of different things to help you sleep better. Nothing is working. I am hoping that in time you will go back to sleeping longer stretches. I don't know how much longer mama can handle this!!

Your hair has definitely lost most of the auburn hue and is pretty lint with just a hint of auburn!

You are a little more content in your swing or bouncy. During dinner you want to sit in the bumbo on the table and be a part of the action. Or you like to be held on our lap; which doesn't make eating very easy! You love to lay on the ground under your play mat. This month you accomplished rolling from back to belly AND belly to back! I guess all that practicing in your sleep really paid off!

You have a toy monkey that you love playing with. Whenever I bring it over you will smile and wave your hands and kick your feet. Everything instantly goes in your mouth. If someone is holding you, you always try to put their fingers in your mouth and gum them! 

 You are such a happy sweet boy. Anytime someone talks to you, you break out in a huge grin. It is the sweetest thing ever. You are such a talker and love when we lay down and talk to you, sometimes you are just down right loud! You definitely love attention!

 You have discovered your feet and are constantly grabbing at them. You love to put them straight in your mouth! Who needs a pacifier when you've got your big toe! Speaking of pacifiers, we've pretty much given up hope of you taking one. You still have no interest in taking a bottle, but that doesn't keep us from trying!

I think we have conquered the car seat and you rarely ever cry in the car any more. Thank the good Lord for that! There has been more than one occasion that you have fallen asleep while we're driving. I love it.

 You are definitely a little thumb sucker, and it still melts me when I see you do it. It usually means that you are tired and we better get you down for a nap asap! You can really only handle being awake for about 1.5 hours before you need to be back to sleep so it makes it a challenge to get anything done during the day! I still feel like most of my day is trying to get you to nap! We are getting into a little more of a routine and I feel like I am finally starting to get the hang of it! (Or maybe my hormones are just starting to balance out!)

You love to watch Ellie run around and you are constantly staring at her. She loves to bring you toys and try to hold your hand. She still gives us a play by play of what you're doing. I can't wait to see the two of you become best friends and watch you play and grow together.

Here is Ellie's 4 month update for comparison