Seven Months

Dear Isaac - 

You are seven months old!! You are still the happiest guy.  It is easy to make you smile just about all the time. Things that make you smile the most: peek - a -boo, daddy throwing you on the bed, Addilyn jumping and running around you.  You get so excited when you see Addi in the morning or when we get her up from her nap.  You love when daddy comes home and cry if he doesn't come pick you up right away.  Pops has been using a scooter for his knee and you love the basket on it. You want to sit in it whenever you see it and are so happy standing in it, ringing the bell on it.  You love the music on little toys and lay on your stomach bobbing your head back and forth so hard and fast. It is quite funny.  You love looking out the window.  You're so happy when we hold you and you "stand" by the window.  You'd easily do that for 20 minutes.  You love being outside.  When I stand by the door with you, you lunge yourself forward and want to get out! 

You aren't super vocal, but have started making the mama sound and I love it.  I can't wait till you say it for just me!  Your laugh is just the cutest and one of my favorite sounds.  You are snuggling and so sweet.  You've been giving me some open mouth slobbery kisses and I love it.  

You still don't love the car seat.  Nothing like how it was a few months ago, but you cry whenever we put you in it and are often fussy in the car.  You don't love getting your diaper or clothes changed. You started having a little stranger anxiety and cry sometimes if someone else takes you and I walk away.  But if you don't see me you are totally fine!  

You started sitting up on your own and are happy playing with toys around you.  You still fall over here and there, but are getting much stronger.  You are scooting around and are so close to crawling. 

Your sleep is not good at all and I am so tired!  Some nights nothing I do can get to back to sleep so I've let you cry, and then you'll have some decent nights with two wake ups and you go back down easy after I nurse you, but that's the best it gets!  Other nights I'll nurse you, hold you awhile, have daddy go in and you still end up crying when we put you down. I've tried not going in and letting you cry but it doesn't seem to work for very long, and you're up many times again after a few days.  You put yourself to sleep for naps with little or no crying but rarely sleep longer than 30 minutes.  If Addi is napping, I'll nurse you and hold you for a while to make your nap longer.  I can't wait for you to sleep more and hope it is coming some day in the near future.  I am tired! It's a good thing you are such a happy baby!

You are eating solids and usually eat two times a day.  I've started giving you food we're eating here and there, along with pureed food and there hasn't been anything you haven't liked.  You love bananas, avocados, peaches, pears, carrots and sweet potatoes.  It's so much nicer having you sit at the table with us for meals!

This month we moved into our new house.  We love it!  We have so much space, inside and outside and it's been so fun playing and living here.  We've gone on so many walks on our street, or following Addi around on her bike.  You are going to love it even more once you're walking around and playing outside!

Isaac Jordan - you are just the happiest, cutest boy and I am so thankful you are mine.  I can't believe how fast time is going and feel like you're first birthday will be here before we know it.  I'd love if you slept a little more and you're making my eye bags continue to grow.  But you are so worth it and I couldn't love you more.

Love,

your mama

She may be an attention hog

(Sorry for the blurry photos.  I use my phone most of the time and she moves far too quickly these days to get a clear picture.)
I've been having a hard time the last two weeks or so adjusting to this new phase of motherhood.  I feel like all of a sudden Addilyn is not such a baby anymore.  I know things have been constantly changing since she's been born but with her starting to move more, eating solids, getting teeth and showing her personality I feel like it has taken parenting. to a new level.  

It has been so fun to see Addilyn's personality come out.  She is so funny and I think she is starting to realize it.  The other night she started making these funny faces and sounds when I was feeding her and Chris and I started laughing and she kept doing it.  Then first thing the next morning she did the same thing again.  It blows my mind that she is smart enough to remember stuff like that now.  
On the down side she has also started crying when I take something away from her or throwing these mini fits when she doesn't like something.  This part of parenting scares me.  I feel like when she's a baby it's a huge responsibility to take care of her, but there's not a whole lot of wondering how or what to do.  Feed her, cuddle her, love her.  It LOTS of time but it was clear how to handle most of those things.  
Now? I feel like I don't know what I'm doing.  How much solids to give her.  When to start nursing less and feeding real food more.  When do I start trying to actually teach her things?  
We take a music class on Mondays and Addilyn loves it.  She does her manly grunt and nose sniffly laughs (super feminine I know) throughout the whole class.  This last week though, she was a little more fussy than normal.  At the beginning and end of class they do a hello and goodbye song and go around and sing each kids' name.  Turns out she was incredibly happy, laughing and loving it when everyone was staring at her.  Move onto a different baby? Not so happy. 
Shoot.  My baby is an attention hog.  
Of course I am aware that babies are happier when they have your attention.  And being my only baby and staying home with her, she of course gets all my attention.  But it did make me realize that my responsibility as a parent is definitely changing.  As her personality continues to develop I want to know how to encourage her positive qualities, and know how to handle the not so positive ones too.  

I've started praying a lot more for Addilyn in terms of the kind of girl she is going to become.  I've always prayed that she'd know how much she is loved by us and by God and grow up loving and knowing Him.  But I'm starting to pray more for other qualities, like for her be a good friend, to be kind and loving.  To be affectionate and sweet.  And I would of course love it she kept being funny too.    And because I know there will be a million times those not so pretty qualities make their appearance, I also am praying that I'll have wisdom in how to handle them.  I was well aware that motherhood would be hard. But there are times when I look at this little girl and can't believe that I am responsible for her.  And now not just for her physical needs but all her other needs to.   I absolutely love being a mom, and know that I will continue to go through plenty of phases where I don't feel prepared.  And I'm so thankful for the reminder that God picked me to be Addilyn's mom and picked her to be my baby. 

Seven

Dear Addi Jane - 

 I can't believe that another month flew by! So many new things have happened this month and I feel like every few days you are learning something new.  Besides the week that you were sick this month, you have been so happy.  You had a few days where you started making the "bababa and mamama" sounds and I got so excited.  But then you went back to your manly grunting sounds, which while they are funny, you sound like this little monster.  Your laugh is mostly this grunting kind of sound too, although occasionally we get this awesome belly laugh and it's the sweetest sound I've ever heard.  You started scrunching up your nose and almost snorting when you get excited.  You do this when someone comes over or when someone comes up to you.  It's really quite funny and really silly sounding.

Right after your six month appointment you got so sick.  One night you woke up two hours after going to bed and you were coughing a lot and really congested.  I went to bed myself and just layed you next to me.  An hour later you woke up coughing again and threw up a lot.  You were really wheezing and we brought you into the bathroom and turned on the shower, hoping the steam would clear things us.  We called the doctor and were started to get scared as you seemed to have a hard time breathing.  Thankfully you feel asleep soon after and I held you the rest of the night, but the next morning you were even worse.  We took you to the doctor and they told us you had bronchitis and rsv.  They gave you a nebulizer treatment and you hated it.  You cried the entire half hour we were there.  It was so sad and I felt terrible for you. 

The next few days were rough.  We had to do nebulizer treatments at home and you couldn't sleep laying down, which meant that your daddy and I held you all day and night.  I was too nervous to have you try to sleep on your own and knew that you were in pain.  You'd cry every time you coughed and your little voice was so hoarse.  We went to the doctor three more times and after a week you were mostly better.  It was definitely the toughest week we've had since you've been born and I was so happy when you were healthy.  It made me so thankful that you've been a healthy and happy baby the majority of your life! I sure hope we don't have to deal with that again for a very long time! 

 This month you started sitting up on your own, although you don't stay there long!  If I'm not behind you, you usually fall over.  You start scooting around a lot, moving in circles and backwards.  You get frustrated when you can't reach a toy and aren't happy too long on your stomach when you're by yourself.  

You are finally turning into a pretty good sleeper!  I thought I would never say that.  After being sick and being held all day and night you did not want to sleep in your crib.  It was hard for me, but we had to let you cry some more and thankfully after three nights you were able to put herself to sleep at bedtime without your pacifier.  After a week or so you were only waking up once to eat and now you're waking up around 4 and will usually go back to sleep until 6:30 or 7.  You often wake up once or twice at other times, but usually put yourself back to sleep in a few minutes.  You sleep in a sleep sack and sleep with your little lamb under your arm.  It is the cutest thing!  You take three naps a day and the first two usually last 45 - 70 minutes and the last one is about 30 minutes.  It took some time to get you back into napping in your crib too.  I haven't held you for naps in weeks because now you fall asleep better in your crib.  I love it but I do really miss holding you! 

This is the second month you've been eating solids and you are finally starting to really eat them and enjoy them.  Somedays you aren't two interested, but most days you eat some oatmeal and fruit in the morning and then some oatmeal and veggies at night.  I've made some different vegetables, like sweet potatoes and peas, and hope to make some more of your food.  We got this little feeder thing that you love, although I don't think much food actually gets in your mouth.  But it keeps you busy while we cook dinner or eat.  

This month you started giving me lots of kisses.  They are slobbery and wet and I love them!  Sometimes while you're sitting in my lap playing or reading books you look back and give me kisses and it makes me so happy.  You've given your daddy a few kisses here and there, but are still pretty stingy with them.  I hope you start giving out lots of hugs and kisses!

Valentine's day was on your seventh month birthday.  We made daddy cupcakes and brought them to his work.  You care way more about the sprinkles bottle than anything else.  It's nice that it distracts you while I bake.  Daddy brought you home a balloon for Valentine's day and you loved playing with it!

At the end of the month we decided to get passes to the YMCA.  There is an indoor pool there and we've already been there twice each week!  You LOVE swimming.  You get so excited watching other kids in the pool and love splashing in the water.  Daddy even took you by himself once and I think this will be a favorite thing for both of you to do together.  He loves spending time alone with you!

You continue to want to gnaw on everything.  Everything goes in your mouth, even other peoples arms, legs, whatever you can get a hold of.  This month you sat up in a grocery shopping cart, although it didn't last too long because you're so squirmy.  We started going to a baby music class on Mondays and you love it.  You don't always cooperate with what we're supposed to do, but you're always happy there.  You love the songs and love interacting with the other babies there.  I love how social you are and love that you like being around other people.  

One of my favorite things is our morning routine.  You wake up anytime between 6:30 and 7 and I usually bring you into bed next to me.  I nurse you and unlike other times during the day, you actually nurse for more than five minutes.  You are extra snuggly and will just look at me, talk and play with my face.  I love it.  Sometimes I turn the tv on and you'll watch a few minutes of cartoons.  I love our slow mornings together and am so thankful we don't have to rush and get going in the mornings. 

This month you are wearing mostly 9 month clothes and I think your legs are starting to catch up with your long torso.  I swear your hair grew overnight and you have this full fuzzy head of hair.  Your eyes are still as big as ever.  Thank and your cheeks are my favorite features of yours.  

I can't get over how fast you are growing.  There are still days that I look at you and can't believe you are my baby.  Sometimes I have a hard time believing that I get to be your mom forever.  Your daddy and I continue to wonder how'd we get so lucky to have such a cute and happy baby girl.   We still thank God for you constantly and I know we always will.  

Addilyn Jane - I love you more than I can ever tell you!
Love, 
your mom