Happy birthday Leo!

Okay, okay yes he's almost 17 months now but doesn't mean I love him any less :) This is dedicated to my sweet boy, Leo Robert, and all of the things he has done and accomplished over the last 6 months or so.

For Leo's first birthday we went to Florida with my mom and Gram.  Leo was born 89 years and one day after my Gram so it was an amazing moment in MY life to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday AND my son's first birthday.  Especially in a place that means so much to me.  Oh yeah and I turned 31 a few days before :|  Seriously, where does the time go?!

So here are a few of Leo's quirks at age one:

*His favorite toy is any ball.  He loves playing "catch" and he has an amazing arm!  At 17 months, this is STILL true.  When we go to the gym, the ladies at kid watch know to take Leo straight to the balls to play!
* He has such a cute sense of humor.  When we are laying on the floor playing, he will crawl over to me, PULL UP my shirt so he can blow raspberries on my belly!  Where he picked this up, I have no idea but he thinks it's hilarious...and so do we!

* At one year he had 5 teeth.  Now at 17 months, he's up to 8.  The bottom cracks me up...he has the front two and two molars!
* Super picky eater which is super annoying AND probably why he's a shrimp...weighing in at 17lbs 13 oz at one year!

* A little before a year he busted out his first "word" daaaaa.  Which could be interrupted as 'Dad' or 'dog' depending on who's in the room.  Months later, he finally gave me a 'mama' (which can also be confused with 'more' depending on the circumstances) and Jack is 'Ack'.  Most frequently used work is 'ball'.
* He has THE most expressive eyebrows.
* I finally got my snuggly baby!  Sometimes while sitting on the floor, he will crawl over, lay his head on my lap, roll over and smile up at me.  Absolutely.Melts.My.HEART.

On Saturday, December 13, Leo decided it was time to start walking!  It was a Saturday morning and J had gotten up with the boys.  He woke me a short time later by showing me a video of Leo sitting in the middle of the floor, standing up and taking a few steps.  In absolute shock I ran down stairs and for the next 10 minutes with a look of determination Leo stood, stepped, fell and repeated.  It was amazing!  A mere two weeks later, he gave up crawling and became an amazing little walker :)

We spent Christmas in Illinois for the first time since 2009 and Leo was such an amazing traveler (however he needs a little work on the airplane).  He was charming and adapted to new surroundings really well.  He was a little overwhelmend with all of the people at times but he would just crawl over and seat himself in my lap and enjoy the show.   I think his favorite gifts were a ball (kid loves balls!) and an elephant ride/push toy.

I've said it before and it continues to amaze me but Jack and Leo are SO different.  Jack is my little maniac who challenges me every step of the way.  While Leo, is so relaxed and good natured.  He's very go with the flow and adapts well in new environments.  Once we wised up and just gave him a bottle in his crib at bedtime he's been sleeping like a champ (7pm-7/8ish am).  He is very social and doesn't have a fear of new people, especially men.






We went to visit J at work.  I was holding Leo and we were talking to a group of women.  One of J's male co-works walked into the room and Leo instantly reached his arms out.  The man wasn't really a baby person but he obliged and Leo sat happily in the stranger's arms.

Both times I have become 'mommy', my first instinct was to protect my babies and then I learned to love.  I loved because this little person was a part of me.  But over time their personalities emerge and I fall in love all over and for new reasons.  It's such a wonderful part of being a mother.

While I wouldn't change a thing about Jack's strong personality, having Leo's sweet and calm dispostion is like a breath of fresh air and gives good balance to our home.

This may be my favorite picture of Jack and Leo for 2014.  It's slightly deranged (completely NOT posed, totally reminds me of an early episode of Weeds) but perfectly captures this dynamic of brothers.  

Happy belated birthday, sweet boy!
I love you,
Mom

Sweet Boy Is 10 Months

(Only about 6 months late, who's counting!)




10 months...wow!  I guess it's time to start thinking about a birthday party!

So much has happened in 3 months.  Shortly after 7 months, his two bottom teeth popped through.  And oh my word, he is a terrible teether :|.  Teething never bothered Jack but now that we are four teeth in (the top two came in around 9 months) I have discovered that a new tooth will take Leo out of his A game for at least two days.  He has a non stop fever, won't eat, only wants to nurse, is super fussy and will only sleep while being held.  It's rough.  Only 16 teeth to go...can't wait for the molars to come in (cringe).

The whole family took a trip back to Illinois during the first week of June.  During that week Leo learned how to go from sitting to hands and knees and back.  Sure enough, the next week, at 8.5 months, he was crawling like madman.  Within the last week, he has figured out to pull himself to a standing position which means those first steps are just around the corner.

 (Leo received lots of love from the ladies while in IL.)

(9 months in, 9 months out!)

I think I have reached a heartbreaking decision...it's time to stop breastfeeding.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE nursing my babies.  I nursed Jack for a year and I had every intention of doing the same (if not longer) for Leo.  I love our quite moments together and the memory of nursing both of my boys will be something I will cherish forever.

Ever since his teeth started to pop up, he has been nibbling on me regularly. I figured it would pass as I never had this issue with Jack.  However, with each new tooth the biting has become worse.  Last weekend, the four little razors did a serious number on me and removed a good chunk of skin on an incredibly sensitive part of my body.  Bandages and Neosporin have not been able to heal it due to the fact that I still have to nurse.  I even resorted to only pumping on the one side.  Either way it is extremely painful and has left me very hesitant to put anything near his mouth!

It's heartbreaking because there is a very good chance that this it.  My last baby.  The last time my body will do what it was truly made to do, grow and sustain life.  I feel like I was just pregnant yesterday and now I am severing the last thing that connects me and Leo in the intimate little bond we have shared for the last 20 months.

Sweet boy, getting to know you over the last 10 months has been a joy and privilege.  Thank you rounding out this family!

Mama

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jack!

(Written in March.  Better late than never :))

Last week, our first born turned 3!  I will say this EVERY year until forever but I can't believe he is 3 already.

A Year of JACK

Every year of Jack's life has had its up and downs but I can honestly say that I have enjoy the last year the most.  He is no longer a baby or a toddler trying so hard to express himself.  He is now this amazing little boy who says the funniest things and amazes us every day with something new.  He is a sponge that soaks up every word, every action.  He displays incredible empathy for a 3 year old, he says please and thank you (most of the time!) unprompted and he is very social (which pleases his introverted mommy and daddy SO much!).

This year Jack became a big brother and he has made the transition effortlessly.  In 6 months there has only been one time that he pulled out "You don't love me anymore."  Broke. My. Heart.


He hasn't displayed jealously or anger towards us or Leo or life in general.  Instead, Jack has been loving, gentle (as gentle as three year old can be!) and genuinely concerned about Leo's wellbeing.    He likes to sing to Leo when he is upset and always wants to show off his little bro to his friends at school..."Hey guys, come see my baby!"




Jack at 3 years:

* He is potty trained!  I am not ashamed to admit that after trying several times and several methods we finally settled on bribery...and it worked!  Of course there are occasional accidents and night time is a work in progress but he is a diaper free dude =) (Update: 2 months later and he 100% potty trained day and night...YAY!!!  He lets us know when we are out and at home he just goes on his own, it's awesome And he no longer requires bribery!)
* Favorite show is Dinosaur Train.  He can identify several different types of dinosaurs and knows the differences between carnivore, herbivore and omnivore. (Update:  Literally within a DAY this changed.  His new favorite show is Octonauts.  Obsessed.  But on the upside he is expanding his knowledge of prehistoric animals to sea creatures!)
* Loves to sing!  His favorite is Old McDonald and I sing You Are My Sunshine :)
* Can count to 15, knows his ABCs and colors but not a fan of being "art-sy"
* Will NOT smile for a picture...even bribery fails.
* He is thriving in school!  In January he moved up to the Primary classroom (aka preschool).  I was nervous about the transition because the Primary class has kids ages 3-6, the class has more structure but also give the kids more independence (for example the kids are allowed to serve themselves their own snacks when they want and pick out activities they want to work with).  The thought of giving him so much freedom made me nervous!

(Jack's first teacher, Ms. Ginger, will always have a special place in our hearts.)

* Now that warmer weather has arrived we have been spending a lot of time outside which means we have entered the "bug phase" much to my chagrin.  Thankfully rolly pollies are his favorite and he loves to hunt for them.  During a recent catch he told the bug "It's ok.  I'll take care of you."  So sweet...unfortunately the majority of these unoffensive bugs will meet their demise in the hands of this 3 year old.
* Traveled to Seattle and Lake Cushman in Washington.  Hiked through the "jungle" and saw an amazing new place.

*Went to his first baseball game.

* Shortly after he turned 3, he entered a painfully shy phase.  Mainly it's only with unfamiliar adults and thankfully he pretty good at jumping right in and playing with new peers.
* He's very much a boy...he loves to play in dirt and puddles, gets super excited about every "stinky truck",  loader and airplane we pass, and he won't keep his hands out of his pants.  (Sorry, Jack at age 20...the last one is very true, xoxo!)

Some of the funnier moments from the year....

We had a big Dinosaur Train themed birthday party with friends and family, treats and bouncy houses.  A great time was had by all...under the age of 4 :).  Some of the big gifts this year were Mr. Conductor and a fish tank (with Dori, Huey/Dewey/Gooey , and Kermit) and the "hoopty" from Gramma H.

This year, we discovered that Jack has beautiful wavy blonde hair and for the first time haircuts are a regular thing or else this happens....

J calls it the "Phil Spector" look...we are still working on a specific hair style :)

Jack, sweet boy, you continue to push me further than anyone ever has and quiet frankly I will expect nothing else from you for the rest of our time together.  But in the end, when you look up at me and say with your sweet voice, "Mommy...I love you, " everything is washed clean and my heart is full with just the presence of you in my life.  

Love you baby, Mom

Leo 7 Months

(Written in May 2014)

Leo may be Jack's doppelgänger but it is appearance only.

In the last two months his sweet disposition has begun to emerge and I can honestly say that he just a a happy baby.  Of course, like any little person, he has his good days and bad days but pretty much everyday he will offer up a huge gummy grin to any stranger who stops to say hi.  While out to dinner the other night, the owner asked if she could hold him (we of course obliged, who are we to turn down a free sitter even if for only a few minutes!) and he happily walked around with her for 10 minutes.


















At six months, I started him on solid foods and so far he has loved everything but his favorite it bananas with blueberries.

Bedtime is between 6:00 and 7:00.  He generally nurses around 3:30 am and back to sleep until 6:30 am.  Yes, he's getting up once a night BUT this I can totally handle ;)

In the last month, Leo has truly mastered the art of rolling and he doesn't stay in one place for long.  I don't see him crawling any time soon and after having one son that started walking at 9 months I'm okay if the second son takes his time on the mobility front!  He can also sit up unassisted for a minute or so before toppling over.  He's not in a hurry and I have found that this time around I'm not in a hurry either.

Despite the fact that he has been showing signs of teething for sometime, none of the little buggers have made an appearance yet.  And he continues to think his big bro is the funniest thing around :)



Lindsey

Leo 5 Months

(Written in early March.)

We have a routine!  God, I love it when we have a routine.

Everything about Leo's first few months of life reminded me of Jack's and that was beyond frustrating.  I so desperately wanted to have a different experience with Leo, it was difficult for me to truly bond with him because I kept reliving all of the battles I had already fought.  I was more relaxed but I also felt more removed.   I was sleep deprived (he was up every two hours to nurse or less to fight with the damn paci) and incredibly stressed.  I was starting to pull away from those closest to me and retreat inwards.  Everyday was pure survival mood...

(Jack in the photo at 3 months, Leo at 4 months)

Around 3 1/2 months (right around the time we took the house off the market...that's a whole other post!) I was finally able to figure out Leo's schedule and mercifully his colic died down.  I was finally able to catch my breath. And over the past month, our little lion man is starting to distinguish himself and we are figuring out how to be a family of four.

The biggest victory we have had thus far....LEO IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!

I am Leo's primary source of nourishment at this point but he generally has one bottle of formula a day.  We recently discovered by accident that he can polish off a 6-8 oz bottle easily (hard to gage when he's nursing) so we have been giving him a bottle at bedtime around 6:15 pm.  He wakes around 7:30-8ish to finish the bottle and then he's out until 6:15 am.  A few times he woken at 4:30 am to nurse but I can totally handle that!

I must say that it is an amazing feeling to have a baby, less than 5 months old, sleeping through the night.  Thank you, Leo!

Also in the past week, he has discovered his feet and had an all out laughing fit!  He has only rolled over a few of times and I think they were all by accident.  J is mildly concerned (I think because Jack was a freak of nature in the gross motor department- rolling both ways at 13 weeks, walking at 9 months!) and I just think he's lazy :)

We have had lot of visitor during the first three months of the year and Leo finally got to meet his Aunt Jen and cousins from Illinois.  It was great to finally have all of the grandkids together! 

Leo's thighs are ticklish, he loves chewing on fingers, loves being in the carrier,  he's not a great napper nor a huge fan of the car, his brother is very fascinating, my current nickname for him is "Mouth" and everyday I fall a little more madly in love with him.

 (Leo at 5 months)

 Lindsey