Week 24 - Happy Boy!

Week 24 - Happy Boy!
(1/24/10 - 1/30/10)

WOW has Andrew gone through a crazy transformation over the past 2-3 weeks. He has gone from a very happy "little baby" to a curious, happy, and silly "little boy". I don't think I can even call him a baby anymore because for one he is 21 pounds and 27" long. But he has just blossomed with personality and curiosity this past week.

He will watch anything and anyone like a hawk! He will follow you all around the room, will follow any food you eat from the plate to your mouth, if you smile at him he will smile this HUGE smile and will sometimes giggle along with it.

My trips to the stores have now been spent making sure the carrier arm and shade are down on his infant car seat because God forbid you block his view from people watching! When he gets excited he starts kicking his legs like crazy and will scream for you to know he likes what he sees!

I just love this phase, I hope he doesn't grow out of it too soon!

Week 23 - Wishing it away...

Week 23 - Wishing it away...
(1/17/10 - 1/23/10)


*This is the same post over at BeingJake.....I felt it needed to be documented in both of my boys blogs*

This week was a tough week for me. Paul was gone all week for training and I was left for the first time since Andrew was born with two kids for a whole week. But to make the situation worse both of my kids came down with a pretty nasty cold. One that is still, 9 days later, going strong. Most days were spent dealing with a very very cranky 2 1/2 year old who didn't want to play, eat, sleep, or even watch TV. All he wanted to do was complain and throw toys, make a mess, and be disagreeable. Then to top it off Andrew being only 5 months old gets the same cold. But unlike Jacob he can't blow his nose, consciously clear his throat/cough, or tell me what is wrong.

Since just after Jacob was born in 2007 the CDC has removed all medicine for any child under the age of 4 (it used to be 2) so any sort of medicinal help for the symptoms was not happening. Tylenol was used during the first stages of the cold when Jacob had a slight fever, and of course vicks, and vaporizers have been running nonstop for the past week and a half.

I found myself wishing away the week, and honestly wishing away their childhoods. I found myself alone unable to ask for help (for fear of infecting other people), and wishing for anything that Jacob was old enough to be given medicine, and that Andrew was old enough to be able to at least blow his nose or at least talk and tell me what is wrong and to understand what is happening to him when he can't breathe!

What I wouldn't give for them to be feeling better, and for this cold to be gone and for me to be able to get more than an hour of sleep at a time during the night without having to wrangle those God forsaken nose aspirators into my babies nose or find that the 3rd box of kleenex was gone because of how often Jacob needed to blow his nose. I had finally gotten to the end of my rope when I found myself with two sleeping children and a small amount of time to myself. I decided to start reading the other blogs I follow and I ran across a post that suddenly made my life a lot less crazy and frustrating.

MckMama is a great blog if you have never read it, she is very well written and has a lot of really great posts. When I was reading this particular post I realized that she is soooo right. I have been so wrapped up in my "misery" that I wasn't looking at the bigger picture. This week wasn't about just my boys feeling bad and being frustrating. As I took a step back and thought about my week I realized that it wasn't just about the tantrums, and the lack of sleep. But during this week I also gave my boys 500+ kisses (no joke), I rocked them to sleep, I kissed boo-boos, I sssshhh'ed them as they fell asleep, and I was there with hugs and a smile every time they woke up (even if it was for the 10th time that night). I was their "one and only", they were sick and they needed me. They needed me more than I needed sleep, or time alone, or another person to help.

I was wishing away the week and years, and for what?? For maybe a two week cold? I suddenly felt so foolish and realized that although the cold would be much easier to weather if they were older, by having them old I would miss so much more, and who knows how long they will "need me". There is nothing I love more than my kids and their kisses, hugs, "I love you's" and smiles. It seems like I have already blinked and found myself with a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 month old. What I wouldn't give to be able to keep them small and innocent. When they are older they won't need my kisses on their "boo boo's" or need rocked to sleep when they are 15 or 20 years old. They will be obnoxious teenagers who "know it all" and don't need me (or think they need me) anymore.

I realized right then that I can't keep focusing on the bad parts of my week and I needed to be thankful for the moments I do have with my children. And as MckMama said I will not wish away their young years, always hoping to get more sleep, movies watched, laundry done, house cleaned. "I will relish each kiss, hug and song. I will leave their childhood behind with no regrets, no "I love you" unsaid, no cheek unkissed, no request to "Cuddle wif' me!" turned down.

I am gonna miss this.....


(thank you MckMama for such as inspiring post, I hope you don't mind that I quoted you in my post!)

Week 22 - Smiley boy!!!

Week 22 - Smiley boy!!
(1/10/10 - 1/16/10)

First let me say that I am the proud mommy of a 5 month old!

This week Andrew has been working on his arm/hand movement and is getting pretty good and getting a hold of things as long as they aren't too far away. He isn't in to the "reachy grabby" phase yet. If my memory serves me right that is right around the corner. He is also becoming a very smiley boy and will smile and catch your eye from the other side of the room and very often now even from across the house! Here he is in action!

Week 21 - Sittin' Pretty!

Week 21 - Sittin' Pretty!
(1/3/10 - 1/9/10)

This week we have started working on our stomach and back muscles. Andrew is in that phase where he wants to sit up all the time. So the moments of the cuddly little baby are almost few and far between. When he is on your lap he wants to sit up. So I broke out the bumbo seat this week to help him strengthen his muscles. Of course he doesn't like to sit in it for long but we are slowly working towards longer periods of time.

Andrew has also been working on reaching and grabbing for things. He still doesn't grab something off the table or off of the floor. But if something is dangled in front of him he is getting pretty good at batting it and will occasionally grab ahold of it, and almost everything that gets in his slobbery little hands at this point goes straight to his mouth. When he doesn't have a toy to chew on his hands are almost 100% in his mouth!!

I also noticed his feet are starting to make there way up and he almost grabbed a hold of a foot this week too! My how my little boy is changing!

**On a side note, sleeping has been HORRIBLE this week. Something is bothering him, either his teeth, tummy, or some unknown baby problem....either way his wakings have been about every 3 hours at night....so mommy is looking and feeling pretty haggard!

Week 20 - See ya later 2009! It's been great!

Week 20 - See ya later 2009! It's been great!
(12/27/09 - 1/2/10)

It is pretty easy to think about what I am the most thankful for in 2009! I found out that I was pregnant with Andrew Christmas week 2008 and spent the first 8 months of 2009 nervous, happy, and scared about having a new baby! Having spent many many years with infertility problems to now be faced with having two healthy children is a blessing from God. And I thank Him most of all for allowing me to be the mother to my two beautiful children!

If Andrew could say thanks I think it would go something like this (in no particular order):

...Thanks for giving me such loving parents
...Thanks for letting me finally be able to see more than a foot in front of me, those first few weeks were rough!
...Thanks for giving me more control of my hands, although they still don't do what I want them to all the time!
...Thanks for giving me great head control so I can look around, who knew it was so hard to hold your head up!
...Thanks for giving me a great big brother, however could you tell him to stop kissing me sooooo much!
...Thanks for surrounding me with a very large family. I can't wait to get to know them all.
...Thanks for letting me sleep longer at night (that one is for my mom!)
...Thanks for giving me such a chubby little face. I love all of the kisses and attention it gets me!