Grateful for

I'm grateful there are NO similarities between my kids.

 

LJS, two and a half months old, Nov. 2012

 

LMS, two and a half months old 2010

 

Oh... wait....

 

LMS, three months old 2010

LJS, two and a half months Nov. 2012

 

Nevermind. 

Grateful for

The night I went into labor, I was beyond excited.  I felt good, I had time to take a shower, I was preparing myself mentally for what was about to happen. 

I was calm.  Cool.  Collected.

Except for one thing. 

When I watched my beautiful little girl sleep, I was overcome with tears.  As much as we had looked forward to and prayed for a sibling, I had immense guilt in that moment that she would no longer be my only baby.  The single center point of her Mommy's world. 

I didn't want to wake her, but I also didn't want to leave without saying goodbye.

So I laid in bed with her, cradled that two-and-a-half year old body and told her how much I loved her.  How lucky I was that God selected me to be her mommy.  How much I'd treasured our time together.  I hugged her and smelled her hair and held her precious little hands in my own, and tears just streamed down my face.

She never fully woke. 

But I can't ever forget: I asked her if she was excited to have a baby brother, and the sweet thing smiled, nodded and muttered, "mmm-hmmm."  Then she turned and snuggled into me. 

There is something special about being the first, an she will forever be mine.  I couldn't be more grateful for the incredible little person she is.

Grateful for

Baby giggles.

How easily I've forgotten that beautiful little sound.  Like hope and promise bubbling up and brimming over. 

The love it awakens, those sweet peals of tiny person joy. 

I love, love, love that boy. 

Grateful for

 

The love these two share. 

The smiles our girl can get from her baby brother, who absolutely adores her.

 

 

How gentle she is, and how much fun I have being their mom.

 

Oh, how I hope those two will be friends for life.

Doubled? Check, and check.

I've been in awe at how BIG my little guy is getting.

I know that sounds like one of those "oooh my baby is growing up too fast," Mommy's-all-nostalgic things to say. 

But seriously. 

I can't keep this kid in clothes.  He seems to get bigger literally every time I see him.  I swear I can actually see him growing between the time he goes to bed and when he wakes up. 

We went to his two month appointment today, and aside from the fact that everything is healthy and on-track, I was most pleased to have a little validation.

I'm not crazy - he really is growing like a weed. 

They're supposed to double their weight at six months.  This child of mine has accomplished that in two (okay, full disclosure: 2 months and a week).

Height: 23 inches (20 at birth) - 52%.
Weight: 14.6 lbs (7.5 at birth) - 90th%!
Head: 16 1/2 (can't remember at birth... normal sized) 98th%

Oki doki.

 

Turns out, I'm totally okay with having a little more to love. 

Big fish, small pond

Happy Halloween!

There is no doubt in my mind after this Halloween that we moved to the right neighborhood.

We've always decorated our house for Halloween.  I've written time and time again about how much I loved to hear the kids oooh and aaah as they came up our walk at the old house.  With the exception of jack-o-lanterns, we were basically the only house in the entire neighborhood that was decorated.

Well, the decor in this neighborhood puts ours to shame.  Not only is every third house decorated, but several of them are done with lights, music and effects.  We were the big fish in a small pond, but we've graduated to the big leagues.

Now, it's true: most of our boxes aren't yet unpacked.  We weren't going to try to compete since only the basic necessities can be found, and technically speaking, this shouldn't count.  But somebody caved (spoiler alert: it wasn't me!).

It's nowhere near as good as some of the other homes, but all things considered, I was pretty impressed with his last minute handy-work.

We had a great time trick-or-treating.  We live in a place where everyone knows their neighbors' names, and there were dozens of kids going up and down the streets.  I can't express my excitement that this is the place our kids will spend all their Halloweens!

And... 

there's plenty of candy to go around!

Two months

It's crazy how fast time goes.  I don't much recall his first month of life.  It has disappeared into a haze of anxiety, little sleep, infection and trying to move into a new house.  Casey and I couldn't even get it together enough to take his "official" one month old photo. 

But we're starting (emphasis on the starting) to get settled and into a routine, and things are becoming a little less hazy. 

Some things about my sweet little peanut at 2 months:

He has grown out of the following: all newborn and 0-3 month clothing.  3 month clothes are hanging on for dear life, and he actually fits in 6 month clothes.

I've upgraded his diapers to the next snap, because the newborn enclosure is too small.

He has three modes: Awake happy, awake unhappy, and asleep.  He is both smiley-er and more prone to tears than Leah was.  Both his smiles and his sad faces are ridiculously awesome. 

Still eats a ton, but we've downgraded from every single hour and a half to sometimes being able to go two or three hours in between feedings. 

Is beginning to sleep better through the night.  He goes to bed wonderfully at 8, and I'm usually only up twice with him through the night. This is a HUGE triumph, because I was up... I don't even know.  A LOT more than that.

His goal in life is still to fall asleep while nursing, and I will admit that I love the way he has to keep his tiny hands on that part of me as much as I'll let him. 

Is continually carted around in the Moby wrap. I have far fewer pictures of him than I'd like, but it's because I'm always holding him. This boy looooves to be snuggled up against his momma.

He holds his head up quite well.  Just as with Leah, I get tons of comments about how strong he is.  My children don't melt into me while they're being held the way most newborns do.  They both loved to hold their heads up and look around.

Does well in his bouncer, and enjoys talking to and playing with toys.

Has rolled over from his back to his stomach - or, mostly, anyway. 

Loves to support his own weight on his legs, just like his sister did. 

Hates the car.  Just like his sister did.

Is loved and adored by his momma, daddy and big sister.  We feel so fortunate to have this special little man in our lives!