Soundtrack

July 28, 2012

9 & 10 Months

Good grief - this is becoming pretty pathetic. I'm hoping that once Hamilton starts back at school in September and we get back in a routine that I'll be able to work blogging back in my schedule. I appreciate all of you hanging in with me - even with the month(s) gaps in between posts. I have updated Project 366 so make sure to take a look at that - you'll see a video of Luke crawling :)

I never did post a 9 month update on Luke and now he's 10 months old. So how about I just do a comparison update for you because it has been pretty big months for the little guy! The 9 month pictures he is in stripes - the 10 month pictures he is on the front porch in green.

Eating:

9 Months: Three 5 oz bottles of formula with one to two stage 3 jars of food three times a day. One 5 oz. bottle of juice once a day with a snack of puffs.

10 Months: Three 8 oz. bottles of formula with all table food three times a day. One 5 oz. bottle of juice once a day with a snack of cheerios.

Sleeping:

9 Months and 10 Months: Sleeping from 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. each night. Napping around 10 and 2 for about 2 hours each.

Teeth:

9 Months: None - and he's sorta perplexed by it :)

10 Months: Yep...still none, not even a poke - and now he's just sad about it :)

Crawling:

9 Months: Army crawling (or as H called it Arm Crawling - which makes just as much sense to me)

10 Months: Officially moving on his hands and knees FAST!!

Weight/Height Stats:

9 Months: 29" (72%); 20 lbs. 14.8 oz. (54%) (he is only a 1/2" longer than H was, but 4 lbs. heavier)

10 Months: No dr. appt.

Personality:

9/10 Months: He's babbling and talking a lot more. He's everywhere, moving fast, crawling on, over, under, and through everything. He's pulling up on everything, meaning if I haven't moved it off of the table, chair, fill-in-the-blank object he's pulled up on he has thrown it off for me (i.e: papers, magazines, books, coasters, drinks, cups, etc. etc.). He's loving his independence when it comes to eating. It's a little tricky giving him table food when he has not teeth, so I have to be creative with the type of food he can gum and not choke on. Right now it is foods like pasta, mashed potatoes, soft veggies (corn, carrots, green beans, etc.), sandwich meat, pancakes, grated cheese, and then baby food things like puffs, cheerios, yogurt melts, and some of the Gerber Graduate meals. He is a snuggle bug and buries his head into my shoulder a lot when I hold him, especially when someone approaches him or talks to him. He thinks Hamilton is the funniest thing ever.

He is still my chunky monkey and his red hair has stayed even after 2 hair cuts. He really hasn't chosen a favorite toy (by this time Hamilton was obsessed with his cups) - he's so busy all the time either following H or going onto the next thing I don't think he's had time to choose anything. He will still sit and play in his exersaucer and/or jumperoo. He loves to be upside down which can be dangerous when you are holding him. He will twist and turn and dip and dive when he's in your arms, when he's in the shopping cart, when he's on the changing table, etc. all meaning of course that eyes MUST stay glued at ALL times on this monkey!! He is a very happy baby - such a joy to have in our family - I know the part he will continue to fill is to bring the spunk, spontanity, and edge to our foursome. I love kissing those sweet cheeks and tickling those thighs and seeing that toothless grin (which I know is on borrowed time).

I hope to post some before and afters of the oganizational kick we are on around the house. Trying to simplify and weed out. It's the projects we said we 'would get to' after we moved in and 2 years later we finally are. We are headed to Texas 8/2-7 so some catch up will probably happen after that. You can pray that I survive the flights with my busy baby.

http://www.shannonholden.com/clients/2012-06jansen/

June 22, 2012

8 Month Pictures

Let me know your thoughts :)

June 05, 2012

Update...

I don't know what to title these monthly posts anymore...

The biggest milestones over the last month: H finished 4K PreK, both boys first dip in the pool this year (L's first ever), Luke turned 8 months, Hamilton caught his first fish, and we leave to celebrate our 10 year anniversary.

Here's his thumbs up after he received his diploma. He'll actually be attending this same school (First Baptist Cumming Preschool) in the 5K program next year as well. We'll decide after that whether he'll be going into Kindergarten (holding him back) or testing into 1st grade. We absolutely love the program and are thrilled he has the chance to stay there one more year.

Since we were going to the lake for Memorial Day weekend we felt we needed to get the boys in the water before we 'threw' them in the lake. So we decided to head up to the neighborhood pool and get reacquainted with the water. Hamilton took a little bit to get back into his swimming skills, but quickly remembered how much fun being a fish was. Luke immediately loved the uninhibited space to kick his legs and splash.

This cracks me up - looks like he is walking :)

Brothers...(the sunset was beautiful that night and did wonders for Luke's hair color)

And just because I love this picture...

Luke turned 8 months on the 25th. We were supposed to have Shannon come today for his 8 month pictures, but with the rain the natural light was too dark so we rescheduled for Thursday. I'm excited for her to come. Crazy to me the next pictures will be his one year! I took a few pics of him on the monthly blue dog chair and some without since he kept climbing/rolling/leaning off said blue dog chair and I chose not to fight that battle (feel I'll be saying that a lot parenting him).

Luke is a little over 21 lbs. and is officially in 18 month clothes. Yes you read that correctly, 18 month clothes!! So I also am officially done with Hamilton's hand-me-downs since his 18 month clothes he was actually 18 months old which was Fall so sweaters and jeans aren't really want chunky-monkey (as I lovingly call him) needs this summer. He is eating 4 times a day: 8a, 12p, 4p, 6p. All but the 4p feeding he drinks an 8 oz. formula bottle and 1 jar of stage 3 food. At 4p he eats a 5 oz. bottle of juice/water and works on his chewing with puffs or a teething cracker. He goes down about 7:30p, but usually doesn't fall asleep until about 8p. He wakes up anywhere from 6:45a to 7:30a (although today he didn't wake up until 8:30a?). He takes an awesome morning nap usually from 10-12:30 (so he eats whenever he wakes up), but rarely takes an afternoon nap (so I take advantage of that time to run errands, grocery shop, etc.).

He is very curious (as you can see above - that is a very typical face for him). He always wants to know what is going on and is constantly moving, turning, searching, looking at what's happening. He is not quite mobile, but I have a feeling it could be any day...literally. He is able to get up on all fours and sits there and rocks back and forth before he falls back to his belly. He sometimes pushes with one leg and is able to get forward. If he really wants something he figures out how to roll back and forth to get there. We are in trouble when he becomes mobile. Hamilton = content with one thing and basically stayed put. Luke = well basically the exact opposite. Looks like I'll be using the Pack&Play for the actual Play part this go around.

As you can see...still no teeth. Not even any popping up or scratching the surface of his gums. Hamilton was pretty late with his teeth, but his bottom two were visible by 8 months.

Untouched-up photo - the boy has the prettiest bright blue eyes. Coupled with that red hair...I think he's pretty handsome :)

He really is a great baby. I have come to the conclusion that he thinks the world is best viewed upside down. When you hold him, hold on tight, otherwise you'll throw your back out as the 22 lb. bowling ball flies backward so that he's upside down. When you stand him up he immediately leans forward and puts his head on the ground upside down again. He adores his big brother - follows him with his eyes wherever he goes. Hamilton is really the only one that can really get Luke laughing. We tell Hamilton all the time 'Can you please cheer up your brother?' and he'll go and Luke will be happy. It makes car rides much better when Hamilton is next to him. He is an overall happy baby that craves a lot of attention and interaction. He loves to snuggle and gives very slobbery open-mouth kisses over your nose.

I have to put something in his hands to get anything done (i.e. change his diaper, his clothes, feed him, etc.). This picture his item of choice was his comb and he was talking to it, swinging it around, staring at it, etc. He loves his paci and loves to hold it and pull it in and out of his mouth making a 'pop' sound. I'll hear it on the monitor or when we are driving - makes me smile. L.C. (as my family lovingly calls him) you are a joy!

We headed to the lake with the Jansens Memorial Day weekend. (The house is still for sale if anyone knows anyone that might be interested). It's always a wonderfully relaxing time when we are up there and lots of fun with the boat, swimming, and fishing. Here's the fam swimming...

The biggest news of the weekend was Hamilton caught his first fish with his pole all by himself. He was so proud!!

Luke enjoyed his first trip to the lake as well...

And just for comparison sake: H: 14 mos. L: 8 mos. (wish I would've taken his shirt off, but you get the idea). Are those shoes not the best?

Like I said...upside down.

We are headed to Mexico soon for an early celebration of our 10 year wedding anniversary (which isn't until 8.24, but Mark's dad is out of town the month of July (there's only two of them in the company so they both can't be gone) and Mark is traveling with work back and forth to Virginia in August so June it is). We will be stopping in Texas to drop the kids off with mom and dad and then Mark and I will be heading here. I am very excited for some time away and some one-on-one time with my man.

May 18, 2012

Luke:: 7 Months

So yes there was no Luke:: 6 Months which is very sad to me, but since he had the stomach virus, then was in Texas, and came home with RSV and a double ear infection throughout his 6th month there really wasn't a chance to get a good (and happy) picture of him. So onto 7 months. Well goodness - 8 months is next week, but hey I'm blogging so choose your battles wisely :)

Luke is our chunky monkey as we lovingly call him. He is a hoss - a bundle of rolls and rolls. And have I mentioned heavy - whew! this boy gives me a work-out!! This month I have purchased him 18 month clothes (because all of Hamilton's 18 month clothes are Fall since that was October when Hamilton was actually 18 months old!) as well as moved him into a bigger car seat. (We purchased Hamilton a booster seat and moved Luke into Hamilton's seat facing backwards of course). He is right over 20 lbs. and just longer than 29". He is constantly moving whether it's bouncing in the jumper or exersaucer or rolling all over the den or bedroom (or off the bed...whoops!) or doing kicks and air angels as we attempt to change his diaper or clothes. Whew this boy is going to wear.me.out. We have had to put a lot of 'baby' things away already like the swing and bouncers (he's over the weight limit) or the bumpo (he rolls out of it) which I thought I would be more emotional over, but honestly I like the simplicity of my den again.

So what is Luke eating these days? Well he had been eating 4x times a day:

8am - 8 oz. formula bottle
11:30am - 6 oz. rice/formula bottle and 2 jars of stage 2 food
4pm - 8 oz. formula bottle
8pm - 6 oz. rice/formula bottle and 2 jars of stage 2 food

But at a recent doctors appointment (follow-up for his mole on his head - which I am happy to report has almost disappeared!! Thank you God for your healing power.) she said I could start him on stage 3 foods and need to eliminate rice in his bottle. So his new schedule is:

8am, 12pm, & 6pm - 8 oz. formula bottle and 1 jar of stage 3 food
4pm - 5 oz. water/juice bottle and puffs for snack

So we've been on that schedule for the last week or so and he seems to be happy and content.

He naps great in the morning - usually 10a.m. to past 12pm (so he eats lunch as soon as he wakes up). He sometimes naps in the afternoon but a lot of the times does not. If he does he only sleeps from about 3 to 3:30/4:00. Eating at 6pm has eliminated the witching hour which is good. He goes to bed now closer to 7pm and wakes up between 7 and 8am. We are currently trying to wean him from his swaddle. Which how this chunk can even fit or feel comfortable in a swaddle is beyond me. He sleeps great without it on his tummy for his naps. But the kid is just not happy without being in a cocoon on his back for bed time. But like I said - we are working on it.

He is a very emotional baby - and what I mean by that is he feels each emotion fully. When he is happy he is laughing and smiling and jumping. When he is sad he is crying, grunting, fussing. And a lot of times the cause of the happiness is his big brother - no one can make Luke laugh or smile more than Hamilton. But when he is sad it usually takes picking him and I've found go out on the front porch swing to make him happy. He is a social creature and is happiest when he is being engaged with people.

He loves to babble and talk. He says a lot of 'ba ba ba's' and 'ma ma ma's'. He has not cut any teeth yet, but I'm not worried since Hamilton didn't cut his first tooth until 8.5 months. He is very strong and can hold his head and torso up quite well. He sits well too - staying in one position (before toppling over usually trying to reach for something) for 10-15 minutes.

Overall, Luke is a very happy and fun baby. He's high energy and always moving, but ssweet as ever. He loves to snuggle and will smile at you, but then turn bashful and bury his head in your shoulder. I look forward to learning more and more about who this baby boy is and will become and understanding the ins and outs of his personality.

May 13, 2012

Hamilton's 5th Birthday Party

Hamilton has recently been very into Jake and the Neverland Pirates on the Disney channel. So when he requested a Pirate birthday party I thought how fun it would be to do a treasure hunt. You have already seen the treasure maps I made on the Project 366 blog. We had the party at our neighborhood park and portico which ended up working out great. The weather was beautiful and it really was a great day. The kids had lots of fun and Hamilton felt very special - which honestly is the point, correct? Thanks to my parents for flying in to be a part of the special day and for all our friends and family who came to help us celebrate our very special boy! I haven't done his 5 year interview yet, but when I do I'll post his answers. Now onto the pictures - that's what your interested in anyway :)

I decided just to make a big collage, so if you want to see it bigger, just click on the picture below to make it bigger.

Check out Project 366 for updated pictures.

March 11, 2012

Luke:: 5 Months

Of course I'm a little behind, but wanted to at least post Luke's 5 month update. Unfortunately, he's had the stomach bug since Tuesday and Hamilton came down with it last night so it's the true cause of my delay. We went to the doctor on Thursday (already had it scheduled for his well check - even though he wasn't well). He weighed in at 18 lbs. 7.5 oz. Still my big boy!

He is overall a very happy baby - smiles and laughs (especially when he sees his brother). He is very much a social 'thang' - gets quite upset when he can't see someone or when he is not receiving attention. I can put him in the exersaucer in the kitchen while I'm cooking, but seeing me isn't enough. I have to be talking to him, showing him undivided attention, keeping him engaged. Same thing when he's in the bouncer when I'm getting ready in the morning. I'm glad I'm usually by myself when these 'conversations' are going on because I think they would be quite comical to the observer. He is VERY active. We call it making snow angels, because that's what it looks like he is trying to do. He flaps his legs and arms wildly up, down, and all around. This is for sure the same kid that was in my belly a year ago based on his active kicking style alone! He loves to babble and blow raspberries. He does not like his carseat unless Hamilton is sitting back with him. Again - that whole 'needing to be engaged' thing working against us. :)

For his milestones this month he found his feet - too cute! I love this stage. He also is able to roll over from back to tummy and vice versa. He is eating cereal bottles and fruits and vegetables from a spoon. He loves bananas and hates peas. He's okay with most everything else. He eats at 8, 11:30, 4, and 7:30. At 8 and 4 he drinks an 8 oz. formula bottle. At 11:30 and 7:30 he eats a 6 oz. rice cereal bottle and 1 to 1.5 jars of stage 1 baby food. Of course this stomach thing has thrown a kink into this schedule and he's drinking more pedialite this week than anything else. He still falls asleep great at night without any rocking or coercing; however, he has started waking up a tad earlier (closer to the 6:30/7 hour). But again this started this week with the bug. His napping is very inconsistent. The time table is pretty much the same (somewhere around 10, 2, and a short catnap at 6), but the length he changes daily. Sometimes it's 30 minutes sometimes it's 2 hours. Makes planning to do anything during these times difficult.

Oh the wonderful red hair still grows strong! I L. O. V. E. LOVE. it!! His eyebrows are even red which gives me hope it's staying for the long-term. He does have this one patch of coal-black hair on the back right-side of his head. It's growing out of his birthmark - I'm so tempted to cut it off because it does annoy me...slightly. But, it's a reminder to me of grace God showed us regarding Luke's health and how what could have been serious is not. Why hide or remove the 'rainbow' God gave me as a reminder of his provision. Every time someone asks me about it or I see it I'm reminding to pray for my son's health and thank God for his provision. Might sound 'churchy' or like the 'blah' response, but for me it's real - it was real and still is, so it's the truth.

We've had a lot of fun over the last month and have an adults-only ski trip coming up as well as a lot of busy weekends throughout March and April with fun trips and special times planned. To check out our day-to-day adventures click on the Project 366 gallery. It's sorta my way of blogging these days - so make sure to check it out. Enjoy! (Project 366 tip: you left off 1.27.12 - so make sure you go back to check it all out!)

February 19, 2012

Siblings

I'm not naive enough to think that siblings should be or even could be similar in any way. I know this first hand because me and my own sibling are as opposite as they come. She loves peas - I hate them. She was an athlete - I was a dancer. She's blonde - I'm auburn. She's short and couldn't be chubby if she tried - I'm taller (I didn't say tall, but I am taller than her) and well the chubby I'd rather not mention. She's got the 'hot' factor - I've got the 'nerd' factor. She takes risks - I only calculate them. She's got a bit of a wild hair - I'm as straight-laced as they come. She is Miss Fashionista - I call her before I get dressed. You get my drift. But just for visual sake...

But the one thing I know is that all of those differences I listed (and all the ones I didn't) can't change that we are sisters. Related and stuck with each other for life...but the crazy thing is that neither one of us would change each other or change that we are sisters for anything. And although we can drive each other crazy, we also love each other like crazy.

So when it comes to the new siblings in my home I knew that my boys would and could be different. And although they seem to look like brothers according to their pictures (which is more than me and Katie have going for us - we don't even look related) this is how I know they are different.

First Luke's AWESOME red hair that I L-O-V-E LOVE!! (Trying to get prepared for what could be a fiery personality).

But here are the pieces of evidence I wanted to share with you the most:

Here is Hamilton at 10 months on Valentine's Day

And here is Luke at 4.5 months on Valentine's Day

Here is Hamilton at his 1st birthday party

And here is Luke still 4.5 months (not a great pic, but you can at least see him in the outfit).

Notice anything similar? Blowing my mind over here...literally blowing...straight through all of Hamilton's clothes! HA!

Here is a sweet picture of the cute brothers...

Hamilton and Luke were watching a Praise Baby DVD and Hamilton was telling him everything that was coming up on the screen.

http://www.shannonholden.com/clients/2012-02jansen/

February 15, 2012

Luke's 4 Month Photos

Here's the link to his 4 month photo shoot - let me know your favs and thoughts :)

Comments (4)

January 28, 2012

Luke:: 4 Months

Well, like I said - I guess I'm becoming a monthly blogger - which isn't really the definition of a good blogger. Oh well - trying not to feel guilty these days so I'm going to choose not to feel guilty about blogging! Can I get an Almen?

I have spent the last hour (maybe two) updating my project 366 - so make sure to click on that link and see the daily adventures of our life (since you obviously won't be reading into detail of our life on the actual blog). HA!

Luke turned 4 months this past Wednesday - I remember this being one of my favorite ages with Hamilton so I'm looking forward to this month. I have a sneaking suspicion it will hold some rolling over and some cereal too.

I can't believe another month has gone by. He is still a big eater, drinking 9 oz. bottles of formula every 4 hours and still a great sleeper, sleeping from 8:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. He is cooing, and talking, and smiling, and giggling more and more - all of which keep Hamilton entertained to try to make him coo, talk, smile, and giggle at him even more. Luke is still in the 3-6 mos. clothes and some even 6 mos. sleepers. His hair has some slight curl and to my pleasure still very red! We have his 4 mos. pictures scheduled for next Friday so be on the look-out for a link to the sneak peak of those. Luke always pulls his hair with his left hand when he is eating his bottle - one of those quirks I love knowing that I'm one of the few that know about him. He has started enjoying baby toys (rattles, car-seat pull toys, etc.) and is almost rolling over. He can get to his side and stretches around, but then springs back to his back. I think it will be very soon when he accomplishes this feat. His reflux is becoming manageable with the Prevacid medicine and the Similac Sensitive for Spit-up (lime green tub). I made the mistake this week of thinking we could switch to the normal Similac Sensitive (orange tub) and he was up ALL night (no joke - it was worse than a newborn) so needless to say I quickly switched him back and the next night he slept like a rock until 9:00 a.m. (Bad mommy moment!)

We have some fun company coming in February...my long-time BFF Jen Nelson Black is coming for a few days in mid-February and then Emmy and Bubba are coming for a visit at the end of the month. So add company coming to the Jansen household normal scheduled programming and you can just bank on the next time you see a post will be February 25 or after :)

All is well though - lots of house projects going on - Hamilton growing like a weed and loving school and looking forward to his 5th birthday right around the corner. (Although the told me yesterday he wanted to cancel the rest of his birthdays because he wanted to be 4.5 forever - I asked him why and he said because he's the happiest he's ever been and doesn't want to grow up - oh my, guess we are doing something right, huh? HA!). Another cute story about Hamilton (and Luke) is Hamilton told me he loved Luke so much forever and ever. Then he told me he wanted to live with Luke forever and so he had decided he was going to marry the same person Luke married. Hmmm...don't think we are going to endorse polygamy in our family. I explained to him (using Katie as an example of how she's not married to daddy - that was a strange conversation) that he couldn't marry the same girl Luke marries. So then he came up with the idea that if he married Ansley and Baby Luke married Baby Avery that they would still be in the same family and thus be able to live together forever. Gotta love his brain - it's always thinking!! Whatcha think, Aunt Megan? Ready to be my boys MIL?

I pray that the relationship between my boys continues to grow and become stronger as they get older. It is the best part of having multiple children thus far - and I can only imagine that it keeps getting better!!

On to the main attraction...Luke's 4 mos. pics.

The bashful grin...my fav!

The red hair - oh how I love thee!

A good pic of the curls up top.

I know it's blurry, but I got him laughing. Oh those cheeks - they are a magnet for my lips!

Standing tall!

January 02, 2012

Luke:: 3 Months

So I'm becoming a monthly blogger these days - unfortunately I just don't find the time to be able to sit and blog. But it seems I can find the time to keep you up-to-date once a month - guess you'll have to take what you can get.

Luke turned 3 months on Christmas Day. (I'll have to get to a Christmas post another time). He is eating non-stop. And when I say non-stop I mean it took us a long time to figure out what to do with the kid. He drank 18 ounces in a 5 hour period. People! Some babies drink 18 ounces a day!! This kid is a hoss and huge and heavy!! He's already in 6 month clothes and weighs more than Hamilton did at his 4 month check-up appointment. I'm considering bringing out the exersaucer to see if he'd like it. As strong as he is with his legs and holding his head up, well I think he'd actually enjoy it. He is smiling so much more and even giggling just a little bit. When he sees Hamilton it always makes him happy which is so sweet. Hamilton is still enjoying Luke so much. It's my greatest joy these days seeing them together. (When Hamilton was staying at Mimi's house I called to check up on him. He asked me if he could talk to Luke on the phone. It was precious to hear their 'conversation'!). Luke loves people and must be able to see someone at all times. He is not a great day napper, but we have no issues or problems with him going down at night. In fact, we don't have to soothe him or rock him to sleep at all. After his 8:00 feeding we swaddle him, turn the light off, give him his paci, turn his sound machine on, pray over him, lay him in his crib, and leave. We have yet to have to go back in for him to go to bed. (This is the exact opposite of his brother - Hamilton napped great and took awhile to get to sleep at night). So I am very thankful!! (Knock on wood - as soon as I post this we'll start having issues).

I mentioned that he was eating a lot and I wasn't able to produce enough to keep up with him. He would nurse and then still take a 6 to 8 ounce bottle. It got to the point where feedings were taking up to an hour. So as of 12/30 I have officially weaned him. He is still drinking 8-10 ounce bottles every 3 hours (yep back on the 3 hour routine), but I have a much happier baby and he seems to not spit-up as much on the formula. (However it is still WAY more coming up than I was used to with Hamilton). Needless to say the boy is growing...fast...and is quite a chunky monkey.

Here are the monthly pictures on the blue dog...

He has found his hands. He always clasps them together and stares at them. Here I was able to get his attention away and catch a quick smile.

Big ol' grin - even if it is out of focus a bit.

And the always popular ever-so-serious look. And yes his hair is still red - it makes my heart happy.

I also decided to make a Leap Year tradition - a 366 Photo-A-Day album. So you'll see the album posted to the right. I'm giving myself 29 'misses' (get it? 29...leap year...), but I hope to have a fun year of pictures to look back on. Enjoy!

December 01, 2011

A Surprise. Thankfulness. Two Months.

So it's been almost a month since I've posted and still don't really have the time to be posting this so how about a lot of pictures and not many words :) <after finishing the post I guess I had more to say than I thought - so if you read all of this...good for you I guess; if you scroll through quickly...I totally understand :)>

First, I flew to Texas to surprise my mom with both boys (by myself). Whew! It turned out great though - the boys did fantastic traveling which was a huge answer to prayer. The only 'bad' experience was nursing Luke on the plane during bad turbulence - not something I want to do again.

My mom had no clue. A big thank you goes out to Dad for holding up the secret at home - he had the much harder job having to keep the secret going while living under the same roof as mom.

Here are some pictures from the surprise and with some of the friends & family we got to see.

Surprise Emmy!

Aunt Renna, Uncle Mackey, Cousin Karen, Cousin Kristina, and Baby Luke.

Cousins Jack, Tyler, Hamilton, and Kristina.

My Godmother Sharon...

My Aunt Mary Jane...

Bubba keeping Hamilton entertained while all the attention is on the baby...only fitting to do art projects together.

Crazy Aunt KT and her boyfriend Justin...

So there you go...it was a fantastic fun surprise that was oh so filled and busy. But hopefully it will mean our trip during Christmas won't be as crazy :)

Hamilton unfortunately was pretty sick throughout the Texas trip, but felt much better by the time we got home.

So we got back Monday night and Wednesday morning we headed to Lake Hartwell for Thanksgiving at the Jansen's lake house. It was such beautiful weather. Unfortunately...I got whatever Hamilton had and stayed in bed and took it easy most of the time. It was the first time for me to experience being sick and having to nurse a baby - not something I want to do again! (Didn't I just say that about nursing earlier in this post...things that make you go 'hmmm').

I love this picture. Hamilton really does love his brother. I am so thankful I haven't had any issues with Hamilton's transition out of being an only child. Seriously, none. Hamilton has adjusted so well. Love how he put his arm around him on his own like they are best buds. Oh may it be true!

Luke is now 2 months. Crazy. He is overall doing well. He's weighing in at a whopping 13.5 pounds. He's already in 3-6 months clothes which is throwing this rule-following-everything-is-black-or-white-order-following mama off completely. I was thinking that my kiddos clothes were going to be totally off season since Hamilton is an April baby, but Luke just may fit in all of Hamilton's 6 month fall/winter clothes come next month. Love my babies saving me money :)

Luke has started grinning and full-out smiling. This is the best I could get on camera so far. Hoping to capture it soon. It makes my heart glow that he smiles best to me...sometimes us mamas do appreciate a 'reward' in the simple gesture of a baby's smile. It does your heart good and makes it all worth it.

You can't hear it, but he's cooing in this picture. He's starting to 'talk' a lot more too. Especially to Hamilton which I love. Hamilton always asks me 'What's he saying?' I'm constantly making up stuff.

He is nursing great (much better than Hamilton ever did). He eats at 8, 12, 4, 8, and midnight in which he then sleeps until 8 the next morning. Feel so blessed to already (basically) be getting a full night's rest. He loves his car seat and probably sleeps the best there. He will usually stay awake and not nap between his 8 and 12 feeding and then sleep like a champ from 1-4. He chooses whether he sleeps after that (some days yes, some days no), but goes right down after his 8 p.m. feeding until I wake him up to eat at midnight. I love that he's adapting to a schedule so well - it pleases my heart!

I can tell that he is able to focus a lot better because he is staring and taking everything in so intentally. He notices the mobile over his swing and watches it oh-so-seriously go round and round. He stares at us with much more intensity. This also means he is able to tell when no one is around and my little social bug is not happy when he can't see someone. (Could I have a 'sanguine' on my hands...oh boy!)

He has also been doing a lot of this lately...

Which does make your heart break, then your head ache, then your brain ooze out your ears, then it just all of sudden sounds like a strange hummm in the house. Just kidding..sorta not really. Some days are better than others and the better for sure outnumber the not better. I'd never say bad because there is not a bad day with Luke - just harder. There is nothing bad about being a mother to either of my boys - even on the hardest of days. Can I hear an Amen moms?

Luke has been diagnosed with reflux and we are working with the doctor and giving him some medicine. He is not in pain so-to-speak, just uncomfortable. He spits up A LOT where I wonder how in the world are you growing like you are where I feel like everything he takes in comes up in full force. I'm doing a lot more laundry these days due to all the milk-saturated clothes and burp cloths. But the medicine has done wonders and makes days much more manageable.

And while I said I wasn't going to write much and just post pictures...I lied...

I think it's easy to sorta hide behind the blog and post pictures of smiling children and on days where I shower and put actual clothes on instead of stay in my PJs, and state that everything is going easy peasy. But in reality nothing is ever as it seams, remember? I mean Luke stayed awake a full 12 hours yesterday between 8 and 8 and screamed all but 60 minutes of that time (not counting when he was eating of course). In between the screaming I spanked my 4.5 year old for lying to me twice. Good times right? Told my mom - Just another day in paradise. But honestly - keeping all things in perspective - this is my paradise. It's the paradise I chose and continue to choose each day. Do I get frustrated? Too easily. Do I end up apologizing to Hamilton for how I spoke to him? Too frequently. Do I call/text my husband warning him what he may come home to? Too many times a week. (Now before I unintentionally paint a picture that every day looks like this it does not. Today was fantastic! Luke slept great, Hamilton was back to his sweetheart self. I got a ton accomplished (Hobby Lobby, Library, lunch out with both boys at DQ, BJs, Target, and Publix) all before Luke's 4:00 feeding which I was home in time for. Luke didn't cry a bit. Hamilton didn't whine a bit. And this isn't the first time both boys have allowed such a day to happen. I would say on average: The 'yesterdayday' is a 2-3x a week occurrence. The 'todayday' is a 1x a week. The rest fall somewhere in between. :) )

But as I'm researching where Hamilton is going to go to KINDERGARTEN next year <gasp!> and knowing that I'll be doing the same for Luke sooner than I'd like it's making me reflect and soak in this time. This time of disciplining my son so that he can become the man God desires him to be. This time of nurturing and caring for my baby so that he can grow and develop into the man God has made him to be. This time of constant self-discovery of myself so that God can continue to mold me into the woman he wants me to be. Isn't it amazing how much God uses our children to teach us more of Him?

My sweet friend Rachael asked me how she can be praying for me and I told her my 3 P's. She asked me again recently and I told her I'm still not done with my 3 P's so keep on keeping on. Patience. Perspective. Perserverance. My 3 P's that I'm daily asking God to grant me, show me, and instill in me.

Because very soon...too soon...this time will all be but a memory. A memory I want to smile back on knowing that I experienced it all to it's fullest.

November 07, 2011

Newborn Pictures

We had some newborn pictures taken of Luke (and big brother Hamilton). We use an amazing photographer, Shannon Holden, if you are looking for a photographer I HIGHLY recommend her.

Here is the link to the pictures - it expires on November 15th so if you are accessing this post after November 15, just know it won't work anymore.

Enjoy!!

CLICK HERE

October 31, 2011

Halloween

Want to get some quick Halloween photos up mostly for the Texas fam, but for all of you interested as well.

Here is Hamilton and Luke. If you asked Hamilton what he was for Halloween he would say 'a sharptooth' (which you would have to watch The Land Before Time to understand that response), but he was a TRex. Luke I put in a 'My first Halloween' sleeper.

And then a family shot. We didn't get into the fun of dressing up this year (if you remember we were a Toy Story family last year).

This video is so precious to me. I had to feed Luke so Mark and Hamilton started the TOTing and I caught up with them a little later. This is the house I caught up with them. You watch Hamilton leaving and saying 'Thank You' (he's the first Thank You you hear) and starting to head to the next house. I say 'Hey Bud' then you see him get all excited and say 'Wanna see all my candy?'. It was priceless - nothing like your children getting excited when they see you. Happy Mark captured this brief moment - he was off to the next house in a flash.

October 25, 2011

October Fun & 1 Month Old

We took Hamilton ice-skating for the first time. He had lots of fun. Just Mark and Hamilton skated - I stayed with Luke and took pictures. They skated around the rink like this for about an hour before Hamilton was cold (forgot the mittens and coat) and Mark's feet were aching. Honestly, I forgot how cold it is inside an ice rink - next time I'll remember to bring our warm accessories :)

Mark and Hamilton cleaned out and carved our pumpkin. Hamilton wasn't so sure about the seeds, strings, and mess involved. Hamilton picked out a silly face to carve - I don't have the finished product in a picture...I'll post with our Halloween pictures.

I can't believe the little man is 1 month old today. Time has flown and crawled all at once. Crawled in that the newborn stage is much harder than we remember, but flown in that I feel like we just got home from the hospital yesterday. He is doing well overall. Eating every 3.5/4 hours, nursing great, and gaining weight - he's 9.5 lbs. now and starting to chubby up a bit. He's quite alert and awake a lot - doesn't sleep nearly as much during the day that Hamilton did. He's not as much of a fan of the swing, but does enjoy the bouncy and play-mat. Luke is quite gassy and needs gas drops after almost every feeding. Right now he takes his last feeding around 11:00, goes until about 3 or 4 in the morning and then eats again around 7 or 8 - not too bad for a wee 1 month old :) He loves to be swaddled, but only in the fleece swaddle and to fall asleep he likes to be rocked with his head just slightly tilted backwards over your elbow so that it rocks pretty heavily back and forth. In looking back at the pictures of Hamilton at 1 month I realized that I could dress Luke in the same outfit. (I know I won't be able to do that each month since we are opposite seasons so I thought I'd put Luke in the same top for his 1 month shots on the same blue dog I took all of Hamilton's on). So here are Luke's pictures. I've added one of Hamilton at the bottom just for comparison sake. I do think they look alike - at least enough to be brothers!

Just wanted to show you how red-ish his hair is - Hamilton did not have this color at all - hopefully he'll stay red :)
And here is Big Brother back on 5.11.07...

That's all for now - I'll update again after Halloween so you can see what Hamilton decided to dress up as this year and the boys together. Thanks for all your texts, phone calls, emails, meals, prayers, and overall support of our family - we really appreciate the outpouring of love!!

Oh and just so you know I do know how to dress a baby for Fall weather - pants and socks were what he was wearing all day, just took off the pants for the pictures so he could show some leg :)

October 19, 2011

What We've Been Up to as a Family of 4

Once again it will be more pictures than words, but wanted to keep you updated with how we are doing.

First, my mom left after being here 2 1/2 weeks - her help was such a blessing! She took amazing care of Hamilton while we were in the hospital and continued to take him to school and fun outings once we got home. She also took care of the 1:30 a.m. feeding for Luke to give us a little more sleep. What a great Emmy we have!! Here she is with her boys before we took her to the airport.

I found Luke sucking his fingers just like we saw in his sonogram!! Among other things - I do know for sure that the baby that was inside is the baby we brought home HA! (Two other big clues: his consistent hiccups and his crazy kicking/punching movements.)

We had a big weekend - took Hamilton to the County Fair, had his TBall End-of-Season party, and his last TBall game. Here are some pics...

He asked me if there was going to be a train ride - I had no idea there would be. He rode this I think 3 or 4 times (in the engine each time of course).

Yes this would be him puckering up like a fish for the entire ride :)

Baby Luke slept the whole time...

We met up with a new family friend - Kelli and Josh and their daughter Addison who is in Hamilton's class at school. This is Hamilton with Addison and her younger sister Kate. Hamilton is quite the ladies man :)

We had our TBall End-of-Season party at The Kinsey Family Farm. The kids got to go on a Hay Ride, eat Pizza and cake, and get their trophies. Here is Hamilton getting his trophy from Daddy the Coach.

And here are my boys at their last TBall game for our first season (of I'm sure/hoping of many seasons) of organized sports.

And here is Mark and his boys during their first weeks of life at the baseball event going on at that time. Mark was coaching high school baseball at the time Hamilton was born and coaching Hamilton's TBall team at the time Luke was born. I was able to put them in the same outfit. So amazing to me - God knew what would be going on 4.5 years later, but I had no concept of what blessings he would bestow upon us. Love ALL my boys dearly!!

And just a quick update - we are doing really well - adjusting to less sleep during this stage. Patience, Perspective, and Perserverance are my prayers these days. Luke is a great baby and Hamilton is the sweetest big brother. Mark, of course, is such a great help. He is such a wonderful, involved, and intentional Daddy. How amazed I am at the man I was given for my husband and teammate in parenting! I am so thankful for such sweet friends that are bringing us dinners each week - what a help that is. I have been able to get out of the house this week - even making it to CBS Tuesday morning and getting some errands done with Luke while Hamilton is in school.

All in all - I'm LOVING my new normal!!

October 04, 2011

We Are Home

Leaving the Hospital

Big Brother Excited

First Bath - big brother helping of course

We are adjusting well. Posts are going to be short, but at least trying to keep you updated. Newborn nights are a lot tougher than I remember :) Today I feel a lot better regarding surgery recovery. Mom is here until Sunday. Big brother is awesome!! Luke is precious. Thanks for your prayers!!

I also updated the pregnancy picture album if you are interested.

September 28, 2011

Meal Calendar

Some people have been asking me about a meal calendar. My friend Rachael set up the following link if you are interested.
We are still on plan to go home tomorrow and mom staying at least thru 10/8.
Thanks for your continued prayers!!
AJ

http://mealbaby.com/viewregistry/610375. It says that if someone uses this link they have to register an acct but that's only because they send out reminders bf your date.

September 27, 2011

What I've Been Waiting For