Nine Months

My Sweet Little Eli,

I absolutely cannot believe that you are nine months old today. It seems like just yesterday that you were a tiny little newborn and all you did was nurse and sleep. You continue to light up our lives and your little personality is coming out more and more!

You weigh about 18 1/2 lbs now and have the cutest little chubby cheeks. You are content to sit on the floor and play with toys (or just look around) for long periods of time. You also enjoy your time riding "Old Blue" (your horse jumperoo) and hanging out in the exersaucer. You are not a big eater. You want nothing to do with baby food or a spoon and aren't too good with managing little bits of real food yet. So, you just enjoy your milk.

You have been sick the last couple weeks with a stomach bug, a bacterial infection, and severe pink eye in both eyes. You are finally on the mend and we are all so glad! You looked so pathetic with your swollen, red eyes!

You sleep through the night every once in a while, when you feel like it. Most of the time you still wake once to eat. Just a couple nights ago, you moved into the crib from the co-sleeper. You have been sleeping beside my bed for 9 months now and it is really strange for you to be sleeping the in crib now. It makes me a little sad that my little baby is growing up!

You are the ticklish, most laughable baby! You love, love, love to laugh and anyone can make you do so. You especially love it when you are tickled and when your sister talks to you in her crazy voices. You love her so much and I can't wait to see how your relationship with her continues to grow.

Eli, we are so blessed to have you in our lives. I can't imagine my life without you. Thank you for bringing joy into even the hardest of days. We love you so much!

Love,
Mom

You Know You're a Mom If...

...your infant burps and you hold out your hand to catch the spit-up

...you are constantly saying "take that out of your mouth!"

...you find rocks and matchbox cars in your pockets

...you tell time by when the baby had his last bottle

...you are an expert poop examiner

...if you get to sleep until 7 am, that is considered sleeping in

...getting 4 hours of straight sleep is a wonder

...coffee keeps you sane

...you are constantly singing children's songs, even when kids aren't around

...going to Target by yourself is a huge treat

...you would rather buy clothes for the kids than for yourself

...you use sign language (that you use with the kids), even when you talk to adults

...swaddling blankets are your best friend

...going out to eat means going to Chick-fil-a so the toddler can play on the playground

...your favorite websites are www.babycenter.com, www.babysteals.com, www.kidsteals.com, and www.zulily.com

Feel free to add on!

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday, our little family ventured out to Hammond, LA to visit Ms. Heather's Pumpkin Patch. We had a splendid time and the weather was beautiful!

This is as close as Emma would get to the animals in the petting zoo.
She's at that stage where she's scared of animals and such.

But Matt had no trouble holding this cute little chick.

And neither did I. Eli tried to grab a hold of this little chick as well.

A perfect spot for a cute little boy.

Of course, sister had to join in.

Yee haw!

Just a little country girl, who actually lives in the city.

Pretending to ride the Oregon trail in a covered wagon.

Rubber duck racing.

Emma was a little skeptical of the huge air pillow to jump on at first.

But joined right in after a few minutes.

"I want these two!"

"This one's heavy, Mama!"

Later that afternoon, we enjoyed some pumpkin painting!

We had so much fun & I can't wait to do this again next year! I love the Fall and all the fun activities it brings!

Six Months (with pictures)

Dear Eli,

It is so hard to believe that we are halfway through your first year of life. I cannot even describe what a joy you are to our little family. You have such a happy spirit. You are smiling all the time, at anyone who comes your way. You have the greatest smile and can make everyone around you smile as well. The joy you bring is indescribable.

You love, love, love your sister! She can make you laugh and laugh. It is the cutest thing! She loves to cuddle with you and sing you songs. I love the bond that you already have.

You have turned out to be quite a chunky little man. :) Last week you weighed in at 16 lbs. You can now sit up (in the tripod position) on your own. You discovered your feet last week & now love to hold them. You refuse to eat baby food. We have tried cereal and pears and you just clinch your lips together and spit bubbles. It's pretty entertaining.

You are much like your sister in your ear troubles. You have been struggling with ear infections for a few months now and will be getting tubes next Wednesday. I am so ready for you to get tubes and be done with all these antibiotics, since you've had some pretty yucky reactions to them. We are hoping this will be the end of your ear troubles!

Tonight, you had been fussing for a couple hours, and I had assumed it was because of your ears. Then I decided to rub your gums & what do I feel, but YOUR FIRST TOOTH! Poor little boy, cutting teeth & ear infections all at the same time. This too shall pass!

We love you sweet boy. I cannot wait to continue to see you grow & see the plans that God has in store for your life!

Love,

Mom

Sweet Summertime

Summer recap.

We...

Celebrated the 4th of July with fireworks on the river

Played with her friends in our refrigerator box "house"

Spent lots of time cuddling in Mommy & Daddy's bed

Celebrated Daddy's birthday with yummy cupcakes & dear friends

Spent some time in Florida

Found some seashells


Went to a Zephyrs baseball game


Splashed in the water at a friends birthday party


Went around and around on the merry-go-round


Spent some time swinging

And had our sweet "little man" dedicated at our church

What a fun summer it has been!

Stream of Consciousness

Here we go...

• Blogging has been on the backburner for a while, but I would like to pick it up again. It is quite difficult when you have a 2 year old, 5 month old, and 2 "full-time" jobs.
• Emma started "school" today at the Knowledge Garden. It was time. There are way too many babies in the daycare at work and Emma has been having a really hard time being aggressive towards them and acting out. She needed more structure and more learning time with friends her own age. We are so excited about this opportunity for her, yet it's tough, since this is the first time she's ever been away for us for an extended period of time.
• Eli is 5 months old. He is growing and changing every day. His personality is really starting to show and he is so much fun. He is a super smiley baby and loves to laugh. He is still really laid back and completely different from how his sister was at this age. We are loving our "little man".
  
• I am addicted to Baby Steals & Kid Steals. For all you mommies out there, you can get some great deals on some awesome stuff! We have scored on some cloth diapers, Aden + Anais security blankets, ERGO doll carrier, babylegs, and probably some more stuff I am forgetting.
  
• Matt and I got to go on a much needed date last Friday. We went to Chili's b/c I had been craving their avacado burger & then went to see Charlie St. Cloud. We had a great time & I am thankful for friends & family who love our kids enough to keep them for us!
• I am sleep deprived. Eli is still getting up twice at night and now we have to get up even earlier so that we can get Emma to school before work. Coffee definitely keeps me sane these days.
• My heart is quite sad this week, as the Friendship House staff went to the NC mountains for a staff retreat. There was no way I could take off work, so I was unable to join them. I am missing them greatly and wishing I were there. I need some serious girl & God time.
  
• My heart is quite happy for some other reasons. I love seeing God fulfill His promises to those who love Him & serve Him. I am blessed to see some dear friends receive some awesome blessings right now.
• I am SO ready for football season. Ready for those Saints to have a repeat of last season!
  
• I seriously need to stop drinking Dr. Pepper. I am drinking way too much of it these days!
• Though there have been some hard days lately, I am still loving my life & know that the hard times only make me stronger!

That's it for now.

Emma turned 2!

I am just now getting around to uploading pictures from Emma's birthday (May 21st). Let's just say I've been a little busy!

We ate yummy homemade pizza

Emma had an awesome monkey cake (made by Megan)

Emma enjoyed a few presents--a soccer ball

A doctor kit & ERGO baby carrier for her baby dolls

And Eli even joined in on the fun!

Overwhelmed.

Simply, overwhelmed. That's how I feel these days, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Though the days are hectic, I am loving my life.

As a friend of mine recently said, "no one ever told me that being a mom of two kids was gonna kick my tail". I feel the same sentiment. Emma is fully embracing being two years old. She is an energetic child who loves to do her own thing & can get quite aggressive. She wears us out every day. Even in the midst of her bundle of energy, she still is so stinkin' cute. She says and does the cutest things. I am really trying to cherish these moments, because I know they will pass quickly.

Eli continues to be a breath of fresh air to me. He still sleeps a lot, which is nice. Poor guy even gets forgotten about sometimes because he's so good.

Besides the kids keeping us busy, Matt & I worked a 49 hour week at Earth Search last week. I love being a nanny there and love the kids to death, but sometimes it's exhausting. When we have 4 babies screaming to be held or fed (with only 2 nannies) and 3 toddlers running around destroying things, it can get quite crazy. I am glad when each day ends, but I am so blessed to be able to go to work and get paid to spend time with my own children.

Then, comes the Friendship House. We come home & get to spend our evenings with 6 college girls (summer missionaries), the regular staff, and a sweet family we have. It is a blast and every evening and weekend, we never know what we are going to encounter, but it is still exhausting.

This stage of my life has been exhausting and overwhelming, but I am learning more and more about who I am and who I want to be. And it is all good.

Three Months

Dear Eli,

I am so sorry that I have not written you a letter before now. I am going to do my best from now on to write your monthly letters. I definitely don't want you to feel left out, being the second-born. :)

You are such a blessing to our family. You bring a breath of fresh air and peace to our lives. You are such a laid-back baby. You still sleep most of the day. If you are awake, you only stay awake for about 45 minutes and are pretty content during your awake time. I have honestly left you in your carseat a few times and gone off with your sister to play, and forgotten about you. That's how much of a good baby you are.

You continue to grow and explore this new world. You are over 10 lbs now and have the cutest little chunky cheeks. You have found your hands and like to suck on them sometimes. You also will reach out to your toys if you are in the bouncy seat or carseat.

You have had some struggles in your short little life. You have reflux (just like your sister), that seems to give you a lot of trouble. I have also figured out that you have a milk protein intolerance and that was giving you tummy troubles. I have cut out all dairy products from my diet, and you seem to be getting better.

You are a great sleeping at night as well as during the day. You usually wake up once or twice during the night and go right back to sleep after you eat. I enjoy those tender moments with you in the quiet of the night.

You father and I are so glad to have you in our lives. You bless us and bring us so much joy. We love every bit of your precious little self!

Love,
Mom

Two Years

Dear Emma,

I can hardly believe that you are two years old now. You are a full-fledged two year old now. You have recently discovered your independence. You love to do things by yourself and always say "Emma do it" or "my do it". This includes climbing into the car by yourself, opening any food wrapper by yourself, and reading by yourself.

Recently, the "paci fairy" came to visit you. You got to put your pacis in a special box and the next morning, the paci fairy left you a special present in trade for your pacis, a train set. You have done quite well going to sleep without your paci. You now talk and sing yourself to sleep.

You love to sing. Your favorite songs include Row, Row, Row Your Boat, 5 Little Monkeys (Swinging in the Tree), 5 Little Monkeys (Jumping on the Bed), and If You're Happy and You Know It. You sing all the time now, and it is so cute!

Another thing you love to do now is count. You can count from 1-12. Once you hit 12, you always say "mango" (instead of 13). Your father and I have no clue where you got this from, and it cracks us up every time you say it. A few days ago, you were counting even higher, and this is how it went, "fiveteen, eleventeen, mangoteen". Hilarious!

You are quite the climber, though you always have been. You will climb onto or into anything you can. You love to go to Chick-fil-a and climb in the playground and slide down the slide. We actually go to Chick-fil-a so often that you think chicken comes from cows, seriously!

Your favorite toys are your Fisher Price dollhouse, your train set, puzzles, blocks, and books. You love to read. You would read 50 books every night before bed, if we would let you. You don't like to sit on the potty unless you have a book to read. So glad you love to read!

You are such a great big sister. You love Eli very much and are very concerned when he is crying. We are working on you not being so rough, and giving gentle touches. You like to hold Eli in your lap and like to give him his paci. Your father and I can't wait to see how your relationship with your brother continues to grow.

Your father and I are so proud to be your parents. We are constantly amazed at how smart you are and the cute things you say and do. You always bring a smile to our face. We love you and look forward to the many memories we have to come!

Love,
Mom