Dear T3

Dear 18 Month Old T3

 

3,042 diapers

6,005 bottles

700 baths

156 bananas

20 gallons of apple juice

a few full night’s sleep

92 temper tantrums

1 trip to the ER

100,000 kisses

and unlimited love

 

That’s how we’ve spent the past amazing 18 months.

 

I watched you grow from my precious little baby, 

into my sweet little boy.

You like to do big boy things now.

And like all big boys do, you have a mind of your own.

 

Case in point:

You've always liked food–until recently.  Now you spit out anything you don't like the texture or taste of. I might have cried out of frustration, but a little part of me was excited you have a mind of your own.

 

In fact, I cry at all your “little moments (good or bad)”. The other day I walked in on you "reading a book" all by yourself! And I shed the first of many proud Momma tears.

You have selective hearing. For example, “get out of the kitchen cabinet” means nothing to you, but “let's go bye-bye” has you at the door ready to buckle yourself into the car seat. 

You still drink a bottle…only at night time.

Sometimes when we go to the park, I just take a step back and I watch you…like really get a good look at you…try to get into that little head of yours and see the world through your eyes. And in these moments, I admire your fascination with the all the little things this world has to offer–all the things in this world that you are witnessing for the first time. And then it’s like I am seeing the world for the first time all over again.

I get giddy when I see your wheels begin to turn as you learn something new. And you are always so eager to learn to learn new things, so long as it’s not Momma trying to force you to learn them.

 

You do things in your own way and in your own time, and I am learning to be okay with this.

In 18 short months, you have changed my world,

and I am so proud of the little boy you are becoming!

I love you Pumpkin!

Your Momma  

 

 

It's been a long time...

It's been a long time since I've blogged and honestly it's been so long that I haven't wanted to start writing again.  I feel like I've missed out on writing about so much that part of me doesn't want to start again.  But, here goes nothing.

Thomas is now 17 months old and seeing him is the highlight of my day.  During the week I only see him after I get home from work and to see his face light up makes the days not seem so bad.  

He says quite a few words now, such as:

• Hi
• Bye
• Mama
• Dadda
• Ought Oh
• Fank you (thank you)
• Welcome
• Cracker
• Down
• Up
• Mess
• Love you

I feel like he is the smartest little boy, ever!  But, I'm sure every parent feels that way.  He is the sweetest, most caring, daring little boy I know and I wouldn't change a thing about him.

Yes, he tries my patience and does things he's not supposed to, but that's just his way of learning boundaries and rules.  Or at least I hope it's a phase.  

Tom and I are doing well.  We have so much fun together and I'm amazed that we're still finding new things out about the other person.  We love our new apartment and love the space that we have.  

My brother Joel is coming to visit this Thursday for 9 days!!!  I am so excited to spend time with him.  And to watch him and Thomas play together will be so much fun.  I remember playing with him when he was Thomas's age.  Surreal and it makes me feel old.

I'm cooking my first Thanksgiving meal next week so that should be interesting.  I've never cooked a turkey or sweet potatoes so let's hope nothing gets burnt!  I'll try to post some pictures of that day next weekend.
 
I guess that's the quickest update I can give.  We're all doing great and I will do my best to post more often.  

What I want from life...

What I want out of this life is this: to raise my (current and possibly future) children to love Jesus and to love others. For them to always feel so loved and secure and able to come to me with anything. I want them to ALWAYS, ALWAYS know how loved, treasured and prayed for they are. And I want to be fully present for all of it.

If I get to do that, only that, the rest of my days, it's enough. And you can quote me on that. This is my God-sized dream. And it scares the you know what out of me. My fears? My worries? They are all, ALL centered around somehow failing my children. Which is silly, because I am one VERY flawed, messy human. Of course I will make mistakes. But the anticipation of these mistakes is what keeps me awake at night.

I was asked by a mom friend recently what I hoped to learn in the coming year. My answer was simple (and a little embarrassing). I said I wanted to learn how to not pass down my fears, my worries to my children. I wanted to learn how to make them feel secure when I feel the opposite.

I'm a hypocrite. I tell my son (who can't even comprehend what I'm saying yet) to have faith and to trust Jesus but I don't. Not really. If I did, my fear wouldn't be camped out on my shoulder constantly. I wouldn't be running worst-case scenarios through my mind, because I would truly believe that Jesus would make any worst-case scenario doable. Right now I am a bad advertisement for the faith I know I have deep down, underneath all the lies that tell me this world is way too scary to trust in a God.

So to answer the question, what I want is this:
To show my children that love wins. That Jesus loves us, even when we feel unlovable. That we can trust him, even when logic tells us it's safer to rely on our own understandings. That they are loved, treasured, and adored, not just by their parents and family but by God. I want to be there for their skinned knees and their bike rides and their sibling squabbles. I want to give them birthday parties and Christmas traditions and breakfast every day. I want to kiss their sweet cheeks.  And I want to dance with them at their weddings.

And that's enough for me.  What do you want from your life?

Dear Thomas

Dear sweet son, 

Thanks for letting me be your momma every day. I love it, every second of every day. Today is our first Mother's Day together and I am just head over heals for you, sweetheart. Sure, sometimes things are challenging, like when you wake up at 2 am in the morning and don't want to go back to sleep. But hey, it could be worse. You're the best son a Momma could hope for. I prayed for you for so long, sweetheart. I feel like God made me to be your mom. It's what I'm good at, and it's what I love. 

You won't be a baby much longer. That makes me sad, but I have to say that I am loving getting to know your little  personality. You are so funny, and I share a lot of giggles with you every day. I look forward to the day you call me Mommy and of course I'll probably cry (which will make your Dad laugh). We're a funny bunch, the three of us :). Baby boy, thanks for giving me a reason to celebrate this holiday. It used to bring me sadness, but now I love this special day. You and me, we make a pretty good team. 
Love always, 
Momma

11 Months!

Oh how fast the past eleven months have gone.  It makes me so excited and sad at the same time.  Next month you will be one years old and I'm not quite sure I'll be able to handle that just yet.  More on that later.  Ha!  Thomas has made me the proudest I have ever been - watching him grow and learn new things has been amazing.

At 11 months Thomas:

• Loves Cheerios
• Can feed himself bite size things off his tray
• Loves to "drink" out Momma's water bottle. (And by drink I mean spill it everywhere).
• Walks around furniture all the time.
• Is a super fast crawler!
• Tries any food you put in his mouth.  His favorites are tuna, strawberries, avocado and ranch dressing.  Ha!
• Is wearing 12 month clothes.
• Wore shoes for the first time and hated them.  
• Got his own bedroom when we moved into our two bedroom apartment.
• Sleeps for ten to twelve hours a night while only rarely waking up in the middle of the night.
• Bangs on his crib and "hollers" at us to come get him up.
• Has the best giggle I've ever heard.
• Is so in love with his Daddy - he loves when Tom comes home from work.
• Still prefers Momma when he wants to cuddle or doesn't feel well.
• Hates when you leave the room and he has to crawl to you. 
• Still loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. 

Thomas you are still the love of our lives and I have no clue what we would do without you.  I can't believe how fast this past year has gone.  From anxiously awaiting your arrival to now almost one - I've loved every moment of it.  

The Many Emotions of Moving

We are moving this weekend!  Such an exciting time for us that we can finally afford a two bedroom apartment.  We'll be staying in the same complex we live in now, just moving two buildings down so that move shouldn't be too hard at all.  I hope.  We are almost completely packed - probably another three solid hours and everything will be done.  

Thankfully, we've made some pretty amazing friends while living in Ventura.  We had a friend watch Thomas for me for a few hours yesterday afternoon so I had a solid two and a half hours of packing by myself.  It's amazing how much I can get done with no distractions!!  Also, we have friends that have offered to keep Thomas all night Friday night and bring him home around 4pm or 5pm on Saturday so we don't have to worry about him during the move. We are SO blessed to have such amazing people in our lives.  It's tough without having our families living closer, but God planned ahead (imagine that!) and brought such great people into our lives.

At the new place, I'm excited that Thomas will finally have his own room (and we will have our own room again), and that we'll have more storage space so everything won't look so cluttered (or look like Babies R Us threw up in our living room).  I'm excited that we'll feel more comfortable having people over again now that it won't look so bad, and that I'll get to decorate the new place!

With all of these positives there are a few things that make me a tiny bit sad about leaving our current apartment.  Our current apartment is the first place Tom and I got to call ours after moving to California.  We had been renting rooms from people before that.  This apartment is also where conceived Thomas and I spent my bed rest before he was born.  Because the apartment only had one bedroom we didn't really get to nest and create his nursery, which was okay because as long as we had him that's all that mattered to us.  Also, at this apartment is where we got to bring Thomas home from the hospital.  That day seems like a blur right now because I had never been more tired in my entire life, but none the less, this was his first home.  This is where we spent his first ten and half months of life.  Where he learned to sleep through the night, crawl, "pull up", got his first teeth, etc.  So, deep down I'm a little sad that we're leaving this place of so many firsts.  

After saying all of that, I am looking forward to the many firsts for him we'll have in our new place.  His first steps, words and so many more.  I truly am so excited we are moving, but with each new chapter in life it's nice to get to sit back and remember the things that have happened to get us where we are so that we can move forward.  

Here's hoping for a stress free move this weekend!  

10 Months!

How in the world is it possible that in two short little months my little boy will be 1 years old?!  That blows my mind.  Seriously.  I don’t understand how it’s possible that in ten short months this little person has come into and taken over my life and heart.  I love that boy with a passion that I didn’t even know existed until I looked at his sweet chubby cheeks. 

At 10 months Thomas:

• Crawled for the first time – thankfully Tom and I were both home to see it happen!
•  Pulled himself up and stood on his own – which is also why we lowered his crib.
• Walks around furniture on his own.
• Will drink out of a sippy cup as long as someone holds it for him.  He hasn’t quite figured out the tipping it up part yet.
• Tried apple juice (mixed with water) and wasn’t a fan for the first couple of attempts.
• Started eating Gerber Puffs – also hated these at first, but came around.
• Had his first ear infection and his second dose of antibiotics.  Let’s hope the sicknesses are gone for a while now!
•  Hates the sound of packing tape (we’re moving on the 20^th so he can have his own room).
• Occasionally hates when we leave the room – the separation anxiety is starting to kick in.
•   Loves to touch the game systems and the DVD player – he’s constantly told “no”.  Sometimes he even looks at us first and then laughs when he touches it.
• Loves to cuddle with Momma.  Loves to play with Daddy – they make each other laugh on a regular basis.
• Stopped sleeping through the night – he now wakes up 1-3 times per night.  We’re hoping this ends soon.
• Loves looking in the mirror and open mouth “kissing” himself.  So cute!
• Is still wearing mostly 9 month clothing, with some 12 months.
• Is still constantly attached to his pacifier – he found the stash of extra ones and occasionally we’ll find him with one in each hand, one in his mouth, and one hanging from his bib.  This is completely acceptable and normal to him.
• He loves Daddy’s video game controllers.  We give him one while Daddy is playing and he giggles like he’s playing along.

As you can tell we are completely smitten with this little one.  I can't wait to see what adventures and things he learns in the next month! 

9 months

I'm not too sure why it's so hard for me to remember to do these posts every month, but here goes:

At 9 months Thomas:

•  Wears mostly 9 month clothing, but also wears some 12 months.
•  Has now tried all the fruits and vegetables on the 2nd foods and hasn't had a reaction to any of them. 
• Got his second tooth - it's also on the bottom.  He's super stingy and won't let many people see them.  
• Loves his tongue!  He's started to stick it out and laughs when we stick out ours to match.
• Had his first trip to the Emergency Room for pneumonia and bronchitis.  Poor kid.  He took it all (including the x-ray) like a champ and was back to his normal, healthy self after a few days. The ER doctor said he'd never seen a baby that laid back when they were that sick.  (That's my boy!!)
• Lights up the room he's in.  He'll "talk" and smile at anyone who will give him attention.  
• Still hates the baby Puffs - I bought vanilla - maybe I should try a different flavor?  He gags and acts like they're poison.  
• Started standing up in his crib so we had to lower it.  He thinks he's the coolest thing ever when we walk in there and he's standing.  How can we be upset that he's not sleeping?  Too stinking cute!
• Started to have the separation anxiety thing just a little bit, but as long as you talk to him from the other room seems to be okay with it.
• Is still very attached to his pacifier - it might be harder to ween him off of it than I thought.
• Had his first Valentine's Day and was smothered in kisses from his Momma and Daddy.
• Had his 2nd overnight stay away from Momma and Daddy.  Everything was so new around him so he didn't sleep much for them.  Oops.
• Has had some sleeping issues - wakes up two to three times per night and can't always put himself back to sleep on his own - which means he's ended up in our bed quite a few times.  Not something we want to get in the habit of.
• He loves family time cuddling in bed on the weekends.  He just lays there and looks back and forth to each of us and just smiles.  He knows we're wrapped around those little fat fingers.
• This boy loves his Daddy more than anything else.  "Da Da" is the only wore he says.  When I hear Tom coming in after work I ask Thomas "Where is Daddy?" - he looks at the door and gets the biggest grins ever when he finally sees him.  There is no better feeling than knowing I picked the perfect man to have children with.  

Thomas is so much more fun than I ever thought possible.  The amount of love I have for him still surprises me daily.  To think that even a year ago I thought my life was full knowing he was on his way.  Knowing this little boy has made me a better person just by being his Momma. Even though there have been quite a few sleepless (or less than 3 hours per night) for Tom and I - we wouldn't trade anything for this little boy.  We are truly blessed and thankful to be his parents. I'll try to post some new pictures this weekend.  :)

8 months - late again!

So, Thomas turned 8 months old on the 8th and somehow I forgot to do his monthly write up.  If time would just slow down just a little bit I could get everything done!  

At 8 months Thomas:

• Wears size 9 months clothes - he's getting too big way too fast!
• Just moved from 1st foods to 2nd foods.  
• Got his first tooth on the bottom!  He's super stingy with it so we have to push his tongue out of the way to see it.
• Started sleeping completely through the night, only to start teething and not sleep as well.  
• Went on his first vacation - I'll do a whole new post on that soon though.
• Started getting up on his hands and knees on his own.  It won't be long before he's crawling!
• Loves his sippy cup, as long as we tip it up for him.  He loves to be a "big boy", but he can't quite do it completely on his own yet.
• Tried those puff baby cereal things that dissolve in his mouth.  He gagged and spit it out like it was poison.  Silly boy.
• Picks his spoon up off his tray and puts it in his mouth.  It won't be long before he will want to feed himself.  Lord help my floor and surrounding walls.
• Loves to sit on the couch between us and just "talk" to us.  
• Has the best giggle I've ever heard.  No matter what kind of day we have, he always makes it okay with that laugh.
• Started reaching out when he wants to go to someone.  Melted my heart the first time he reached out to me with his big toothless grin. 

I'll add more if I think of it over the next few days, and post some more pictures.  I'll also post about our amazing vacation and Thomas's first plane ride. 

Pictures!

My 7 Month Photo Shoot

Can you see the drool in this picture?  Cracks me up!

T loves bath time!

Sitting up - such a big boy now!

Not too sure about lemons.  

First time using his sippy cup - he loves it, but still struggles a bit with it

These are just some of our favorite photos recently. We are so in love with this baby boy!!!

7 months!

Finally!!  I got his monthly update actually on the day!  It's the little things for me I guess. 

At 7 months Thomas:

• Now wears all 6 months clothes. The jeans are almost too small around his tummy. 
• Eats five times per day. Baby oatmeal when he wakes up, a bottle of formula at 9, veggies or fruit and a bottle for lunch, veggies or fruit and a bottle for dinner and a night night bottle with rice cereal in it at bed time.
• Has started sleeping in later recently. He slept until 7 am on Sat and Sun!
• Still wakes up several times per night for his pacifier. I've seen glow in the dark ones - I wonder if they work?
• Is so in love with his daddy. Daddy can make him belly laugh like no one else.
• Had his first Christmas!  He wasn't impressed. He loved the wrapping paper more than his new toys. 
• Still loves words with "ooo" in them. His favorite of course is poop. 
• Will hopefully get a tooth soon!  He's drooling like crazy and puts anything abs everything in his mouth. He was really cranky a few nights ago, but still nothing yet. 
• Stays sitting up if I sit him up. He still struggles to sit up on his own. Might have something to do with his tummy getting in the way. 
• Tried lemons for the first time. His face was priceless as he seemed to hate it. However, he kept going back for more. 
• Has started using a sippy cup. He is so interested in our cups of water that I let him try to get his own. He struggled to get water at first, but once he got it, he loves it. 
• Loves sitting at the table while we eat dinner. He just loves being included. 

I believe that's it for now. I'll post his pictures from the past month later this week. 

Happy 7 months baby boy!!!