Growing and Changing

Lukey and Cade are doing what they do best...growing and changing!  This week Luke started eating real baby food!  He has been eating rice cereal and oatmeal for about 3 weeks or so and this week we added sweet potatoes and carrots to his menu.  He doesn't seem picky at all and has eagerly accepted  everything we've offered him.  He even cries sometimes if we don't get the next spoonful up to his mouth fast enough!  :) 

Tonight Cade sang his ABCs to me all the way through all by himself!  Hearing his little singing voice was one of the sweetest things I've heard...maybe ever.  I'm glad it was dark in the room (he likes to sing before he goes to sleep) because I couldn't hold the tears back. 

To My Future Self...

Your life right now is hectic.  Nonstop.  Draining.  Exhausting.  You wake up at 5:15 and don't stop doing mommy or teacher stuff until 9:30 or 10.  You're up throughout the night to tend to one or both of the boys.  Work is stressful because you're never fully prepared - you get there late and leave early every day and the time you have to spend at home working has been cut drastically.  You're worrying yourself to death over... well, everything.  Why is Cade whining so much?  Am I spending enough time with Luke?  Am I working hard enough with Cade to make sure he's learning as much as he can?  Why is Luke's head tilting like that?  Am I doing everything I can to ensure that Cade and Luke grow up to be loving, happy, successful people?  Yada, yada, yada.  You feel like you are constantly doing SOMETHING yet NOTHING is getting done. Your 32 year old self will never forgive you if you ever take getting to sleep 8 hours straight or using the bathroom without an audience for granted. 

Your life right now is amazing.  Purposeful.  Fulfilling.  Perfect.  Each morning you are greeted with smiles from two of the most beautiful babies God has blessed this world with (not to mention one pretty handsome husband :)).  You always have someone to talk to and your days are filled with laughter.  Two little people adore you like no one ever has nor ever will.  Your family is happy and healthy.  Every single day you get to watch Cade and Luke do something they couldn't do the day before.  There are times when you are filled with so much adoration that you think your heart might just burst.  You have never laughed so often, smiled so big, or loved so hard. 

Parenthood is everything I thought it would be yet nothing like I anticipated.  It's harder, much harder; yet better, much better.

5 Months Old

Little Lukey,
You are 5 months old!  Your little personality is beginning to surface and we're starting to get a peek into the kind of kid you might be.  For the most part, you're laid back and happy most of the time.  You get a little fussy when you are hungry, gassy, or tired but you're pretty content otherwise.  Here's a little more about you...

• I'm not sure of your exact weight, but if I had to guess I'd say you're around 18lbs or so.  You are growing so, so fast and you are so, so big!  Your little thighs are chuuuunkyyy and I love it!
• You wear size 3 diapers and size 9 month clothing in most things - though you're starting to outgrow that size.  I feel like I can't keep you in clothing for more than a couple of weeks.  Your daddy cut the toes out of a couple pairs of pajamas earlier this week, haha!
• You are sleeping a little better!  Yay!  You go to bed around 7:45 - 8, wake up around 2 or 3AM to eat and then go back to sleep until 6:15 or so.  You are nursing about 4 times a day and get four 4-4.5 oz bottles of breastmilk a day. 
• You began eating rice cereal about 10 days ago.  We started giving you a bottle of breast milk mixed with a tablespoon of rice cereal in addition to your before-bed nursing session to make sure your tummy is full and it has worked wonders!
• Your first little tooth is poking through!  It's your bottom right tooth (when looking at you). 
• You're starting to sit up on your own.  You're not quite so independent with it yet, but you can definitely hold yourself up (in a lean over on your hands kind of way) for a couple of minutes. 
• You still love to be held and to watch Cade play.  No one makes you smile and squeal like Cade!  You have gotten back into sucking your fingers and playing with your feet and you love to reach for and hold toys.
• You have the most kissable cheeks and thighs! 

We love, love, love you!!!

 

4 Months Old

Sweet Lukey,

You are 4 months old and getting sweeter and sweeter by the day!  Here's a little more about you at 4 months:

• You weigh 16lbs, 15.5oz - 80%tile.
• You are 26 inches long - 79%tile.
• Your head circumference is 17.25 cm - 82%tile.
• You wear size 9 month clothing and size 3 diapers.
• You are a very happy baby and you smile a lot, but you have your share of fussy days too. You're starting to get mini dimples that are super cute! 
• You like to suck on your fingers and you grab anything within your reach and put it in your mouth.  You've starting pulling Mommy's hair - hard! 
• You love to be talked to, to be held, to watch Cade run around and play, your glow worm, playing in your exersaucer, and getting baths. 
• You talk very loudly when you first wake up for about 15 minutes and you're a little quieter for the rest of the day, but you coo to us a lot.
• You eat every 2.5-3 hours during the day and we've gotten somewhat back on track at night - you wake every 4-5 hours.  You moved into your crib (from your basinet) this month.  Go Luke!
• You have crazy, crazy hair - long, dark and curly, especially around the crown of your head, and your love to pull it and play with it. 

We love you so very much!

You were really into grabbing your feet for about a week or so...

Christmas 2013

We had a wonderful Christmas!  Todd's family was here to celebrate with us.  This year was extra special because Cade understood a lot more and I can tell that the magic of Christmas is starting to unfold for him.  We had fun making cookies for Santa, sprinkling reindeer food outside, being with family, and of course...opening presents!  He was so excited to see what Santa brought for him and had fun tearing into his wrapped gifts.  Luke spent most of his first Christmas being showered with love and attention - every baby's two favorite things!  There are few things in life more precious than experiencing Christmas with your babies! 

 

 

3 Months Old

Little Lukey, you are 3 months old!   I'm certain that you keep getting sweeter and sweeter by the day! This isn't a check-up month for you so we don't have your official weight and height, but here are some other fun facts about you at 3 months:

• You wear size 3 diapers and size 6 months clothes.
• You eat every 3 hours (about 4-5 ounces a feeding).
• You have started to wake up more frequently at night to eat - you have been sleeping in about 4 hour stretches.
• You are a very happy baby and you smile all the time! You have started laughing and it is so sweet.
• You are a very, very easy baby to take care of. You don't cry very often - only when you get too sleepy or too hungry...and sometimes when we first put you in your car seat. You get a little fussy throughout the day, but rarely do you break out in a full blown crying fit.
• When you do put on a frown, you stick your bottom lip out sooo far. :) It's truly one of the cutest things I've ever seen.
• You are learning how to use your arms and hands. You grab onto things and bring them to your mouth. You also reach out to swat and touch things.
• You like to coo and you do so very loudly! :) You are especially smiley and talkative in the mornings.
• You love to watch Cade. No one makes you laugh like he does! :)

We love you sweet Lukey!

 

Two Years Old!

Sweet Cade,

You are two years old!  I wish I could capture the two year old you and put you into a bottle so that I could bring you out anytime I wanted to in the years to come; I know that I'm going to miss your two year old self in the worst of ways.  You have brought so much joy to our lives and I feel like the luckiest mommy in the world to call you my son.  At times, you can be quite difficult to manage, but truthfully those days are few and far between.  Most of the time you are happy, funny, playful, sweet, energetic and irresistibly adorable.  Here are your two year stats:

• You weigh 27.3 lbs (39th %tile)
• You are 35.25 inches tall (73rd %tile)
• Your head circumference is 20 cm (93rd %tile)
• You wear size 2T clothing and size 7 shoe.
• Your favorite foods are pasta, yogurt, fruit cups, pizza, and rice.  You like to drink milk and apple juice, but you drink mostly milk and water.  You aren't quite the eater that you used to be and have gotten a bit pickier.  You turn your nose up to most vegetables, unfortunately. 
• Your favorite books are Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, Welcome to Our Town, If You Take A Mouse to School, and a Thomas the Train book.  Your favorite TV shows are Bubble Guppies and PAW Patrol.
• Your favorite things to play with are toy trucks (namely fire trucks and trash trucks) and trains.  You also like to build with blocks and you're still pretty into cooking.  You demand that you take a toy (it varies) everywhere we go - whether it's in the car or upstairs for bath or to bed...something must go with you.  I think it's your way of controlling something.  You still sleep with Snuggle Bear but you don't seem to be very attached to him. 
• You are a happy kid and you smile and laugh a lot.  You like to be silly and make others laugh also. 
• You become excited quite easily and for some reason, when you get really excited your first instinct is to run and then hit someone/something or throw things.  I'm certain you'll grow out of this...or I hope you'll grow out of this, I should say.  :)  
• You LOVE to cook with Mommy and you also like to help Mommy with chores around the house (sweeping, putting groceries away, etc.)
• You go to bed around 8 and wake up around 6:15 during the week and around 7:00 on the weekends.  You still sleep well for the most part, but sometimes you'll wake up and throw a major tantrum.  That's pretty rare, though...thank goodness! 
• You are very smart and communicate very well.  You speak in 5-6 word sentences and I can understand most of what you say, but I'm not sure everyone else does.
• Your favorite thing to do is watch TV - though it's definitely not Mommy's favorite thing to let you do (but I do appreciate the mini-break it gives me, I have to admit)! 
• You are an AMAZING big brother.  Just tonight you sat on the floor in front of Lukey to entertain him for a full hour while Mommy made a nice dinner for Daddy.  When he cries you sweetly say, "Don't cry Lukey."  You give him your most prized toys and you make silly noises to try to get him to laugh.  I can only pray that the love and acceptance you have for your brother remains the same forever and ever!

For your second birthday we went to Build-a-Bear.  You made a stuffed dog named Lennox.  Later in the day we had the Power and Burrous families over for a mini birthday party.  We ate pizza and cupcakes, opened presents, and played with friends.  You seemed to have a great time!  I am so excited to see what your 3rd year brings for you, Cade.  We LOOOOOOOOOVE YOU!