Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Luke: 6 Months

Luke, you are six months old!

These six months have flown by...and I know, from experience, that the next six will fly by even faster. It won't be long before I will begin preparations for your first birthday party...which makes me a little sad! :(

Here's what you're up to these days...
  • You weigh 19lbs. 6oz. (up 12lbs. since birth). You are 27 inches long (up 7 inches since birth). You are in the 75th percentile in both height and weight, and Dr. Ray says you're "stocky" and perfect (of course, I already knew that:)!
  • You're in between sizes...you still wear a lot of 3-6 month, but I'm starting to wash your 6-9 month clothes and get them ready. You're still wearing size 2 diapers, but when we run out you're moving up to size 3!
(You love sticking those little piggies in your mouth!)
(It's getting harder and harder to get a picture of you
on the changing table, because you are a roly poly!) 
  • Your schedule is as follows:
      • Wake Up - 6-7ish *My sweet babies haven't taken on a love of sleep like their parents. :)
      • Breakfast (7:30-8ish) - fruit & 7oz. bottle
      • In Between - cat naps, playing...you love to be moved from place to place after about 20 minutes. You like your jumparoo, swing, play mat, bumbo seat, blanket in the floor, etc.
      • Lunch (3.5-4 hours later) - vegetable & 7oz. bottle
      • 1ish - I'm not exactly sure what you do at daycare, but when we're at home you and E both lay down for a nap around 1pm. You usually sleep between 2 and 3 hours! :)
      • "Snack" (3.5-4 hours later/after nap) - 7oz. bottle
      • Play/Catnap
      • Supper (5:30-6ish) - vegetable
      • Bath (after supper)
      • Play/Read Stories/Catnap/Last Bottle (8oz.) 
      • 7:00 - Mommy rocks you while you finish up your last bottle, I sing "You are My Sunshine", "Love You Forever", etc. I lay you down, turn on your elephant, kiss your sweet face, tell you I love you to the moon and back, and leave you for the night. You usually jabber and move around for a little while before going to sleep, but once you're out that's it for the night! :)
  • You are eating all of the first foods (with the exception of prunes...not because you wouldn't LOVE them, because I'm sure you would...but more so because I don't want to cause any problems...we do have some on standby if we need them though:). Each day you eat a fruit, an orange vegetable, and a green vegetable. I mix 2 tablespoons of cereal with the orange vegetable. You like all of the vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, peas, and green beans). You also like all of the fruits you have tried (pears, apples, bananas, and peaches).
(I have to keep a CLOSE eye on you in the bath tub.
You love to splash the water...sitting up or laying down!)
  • Your first tooth finally broke through on 03.10, and your second one came almost 2 weeks later (03.23)! You are still drooling/chewing/gnawing a lot so we are on the lookout for more!
(Yes, you do cry! This is what you look like when you're extremely
tired and Mama is trying to get a picture of your pearly whites. Rest
assured though, I laid you down and you took a long evening snooze:)
  • You are still sleeping great (see schedule above)...you didn't even let a few teeth interrupt your good sleeping habits! :)
  • You have experienced your first "spring forward" time change...and you did it wonderfully! :)
(Love that drool!)
 
  • You are sitting up on your own for about 30 seconds at a time (sometimes more, sometimes less...depending on your interest level at the time). Sometimes you get tired and fall to your side or back...no worries though, I'm always there to catch you! :) Sometimes you just slump forward 'gorilla style'.

  • You still have a slight rash on your cheeks, but Dr. Ray gave us some cortisone cream to use. I usually put it on in the mornings and at night, and it has really helped. We have an appointment with the other Dr. Ray (our Dr. Ray's daughter-in-law, the dermatologist) during Spring Break. I'm hoping it's something that can be easily treated! :)
  • Speaking of Spring Break...I am looking forward to every. single. second. that I will get to spend with you and E!
  • I love you so much sweet boy. It saddens me to think of how fast you are growing, but it excites me to think of all the fun days ahead. I love to hear you laugh and see you smile. I often wonder what your little voice will sound like when you start talking, what your little face will look like after your first big-boy haircut, if you will keep your easy-going personality, and about 1,547 other things. I pray that you grow up to be a young man who loves the Lord, loves his family, and loves himself! I pray that you find a young lady who will compliment your kind nature. I pray that you will love her with all of your heart, respect her, and take care of her...and I pray that she does the same for you!
Happy 6 months precious one!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

My weekend was spent...

...lovin', kissin', and huggin' these sweet things!
Oh how I wish every day was spent like this...
2 weeks until Spring Break! :)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Tooth Talk

Emma had a dentist appointment this morning. Her sweet daddy carried her (because for those who don't know, my well of sick leave has run dry). Dr. Norby said we should really praise her for taking such good care of her teeth...reckon he knows WE take care of her teeth? ;)
Afterwards they ran to Target to pick up a short list of things we needed. I would love to have been a fly on the wall. Needless to say E came home with several things Mommy NEVER would have given in to...such as brownies, candy, and a new ball. What can I say? She's got him wrapped around her finger! I did give him a bit of a hard time about it (jokingly of course), but I really do love that she's got him hooked! There is nothing like seeing the man you're in love with so completely wrapped up in your little girl!

Luke couldn't let E outshine him in the tooth department. His second tooth broke skin today! Now he has his two bottom teeth...

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Girl's Night Out {and a photo shoot}

Last night a group of women from our church went to Fayetteville, GA to see Anita Renfroe and Mandisa. I saw them both a few years ago at the Women of Faith conference...and let me just tell you they have only gotten better! If you ever get the chance to go it is so worth it! :)
The "Under 40" portion of our group=)
The "Over 40" portion of our group=)
Group Shot
My "Bronco Driving" Friends! :)

A girl's night out is always refreshing, but I was thankful to come home to my husband and sweet babies. We had a little photo shoot after church today.

Here's what we got...
 I love these sweet faces...and I can't wait to spend every day
with them during Spring Break. Counting down...3 more weeks! :)

Friday, March 18, 2011

Emma: 3.5 Years

I looked at the Lilypie Ticker to the right of my blog and it hit me...my sweet baby girl is three and a half years old today! Wow...it seems like yesterday I met her for the very first time...and my life hasn't been the same since!

Emma - You are the smartest, sweetest, prettiest little girl! You are beautiful on the inside and the outside. Mommy and Daddy love you so much, and our love for you continues to grow. You amaze us each day, and you teach us more than we ever learned in any classroom!

Here's what you're up to these days...
(in no particular order:)
  • You are about 38lbs. and approximately 3.5 feet tall...you are a head taller than most kids your age and a "skinny mini"!
  • You are such a big girl...and you love to help. You have a few chores around the house, like emptying the little trash cans, putting your dirty clothes in the hamper, and picking up your toys.
  • You also do a lot of other things to help out. You usually feed Luke his afternoon bottle while Mommy gets supper cooked, dishes done, and bags packed for the next day.
  • You play with Luke and try to keep him pacified when you want to...and when you don't want to you flat out refuse, ha!
  • You are a hard headed strong-willed little girl, much like your mommy and daddy. We have to remind you often who is boss...and who Luke's actual mommy is...you even call him "son", "my baby boy", etc. quite often! =)
  • While you are strong-willed, you are also tender-hearted and full of compassion. If you see somebody is hurting, crying, or in need you jump right in to help...or stop and pray! It melts my heart when you say "Mommy, let's pray"...you will stop what you are doing, grab my hands, and speak the most precious words! God hears you, baby girl!
  • Your vocabulary is out of this world...your current favorite "big word" is actually...and I have yet to hear you use it incorrectly.
  • You have keen ears...and you pay attention to your surroundings. We have to be very careful about what we say...because things that may not sound all that bad coming out of an adult's mouth DO NOT sound so pretty coming out of a 3.5 year old's mouth! (i.e. gosh, dangit)
  • You love your friends, and you talk about them a lot! Mallie, Ensleigh, Aaliyah, and Faith are your current BFFs at Mrs. Elizabeth's. Faith will be going to kindergarten in the fall, and you will really miss her. The other girls will all go to kindergarten with you...and although I hope you make lots of new friends when you start school, I hope you always stay close with the girls you have been with since you were babies!
  • Speaking of school...I cannot believe that in two years I will have a kindergartner...be on the lookout for a big mommy meltdown! ;)
  • You started taking dance and tumbling in the fall...both of which you love. You run around the house doing flips, back bends, splits, and plies...which your daddy knows absolutely nothing about, so he is getting quite the education in all things girl! :)
  • Your daddy...what can I say? He loves you more than words can describe...and you love him just as much. You are such a girly girl, but you love to put your boots on and get dirty too! You love to do anything Daddy is doing...especially if it has to do with cows!
  • You love to play outside!
  • When we can't be outside you are really good at playing by yourself.
  • Your favorite things to play are "baby dolls" and "school". You are quite the little teacher...and you have "the look" down pat!
  • You love books, and you love to read!
  • You can recognize and write your name and a lot of letters and numbers.
  • You love church, and you love Jesus! You started going to Sunday School (instead of the nursery) in the fall. You learn so much in there, and you amaze me with things you know.
  • You have been to children's church a few times, but for some reason you won't go back. You tell me that you don't know anybody in there...which isn't true! I'm not sure if the vast age difference (3 years to 6th grade) has you intimidated or what...but you won't be able to go to the nursery anymore when you turn 4. I guess you will sit quietly in big church, or you will learn to love children's church...only time will tell!
  • You are a great eater...when you want to eat. The only thing I can think of that you don't like is eggs...and who can blame you there? ;)
  • You're also a great sleeper...except you haven't mastered the art of sleeping in. You go to sleep around 8pm (after bathtime, storytime, and prayer time), and you usually get up by 5:30am. On mornings we can sleep late we try to put you in the bed with us so you'll go back to sleep...sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Even if you don't go back to sleep it makes for great snuggle time!
  • You take a nap after lunch. When you're at home you usually sleep 2-3 hours...and then you're ready to roar again! :)
  • You love bath time...and your current favorites are letters and bubbles. You don't get to play in the tub every night, but you sure do love it when we do have time!
  • You love your grandparents...and you love to spend the night with them! I know that won't last forever, so I oblige most of the time! :)
  • You keep life interesting...and you keep your mama and daddy on our toes! ;) I have a million stories, but I will share just one recent one. A month or so ago we went to the funeral home to visit a man from church whose wife had passed away. When I was putting you to bed that night our conversation went something like this:
        • E: Why was that lady laying on that board?
        • Me: What baby?
        • E: Mrs. Frances...why was she in that box?
        • Me: Well baby, she went to Heaven.
        • E: When you go to Heaven will we put you in a box?
        • Me: Yes, I guess you will.
        • E: And then I'll get a new mommy?
        • Me: No, baby...I will ALWAYS be your mommy!
Baby Girl - I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be!! Jesus, Mommy, Daddy, and Luke love you VERY MUCH! Happy 3.5 years precious one:)

Monday, March 14, 2011

Date Night, Lazy Weekend, Be Ready!

Friday night Emma had "date night" with MawMaw, Poppa Dale & Cheyenne. She was very excited, and I'm assuming she had a great time since she came home Saturday morning and laid on the couch for about an hour!
The rest of the weekend was spent being lazy and hanging out with my miracle babies (and the husband too:). In case I haven't mentioned it before...I am so in love with my little family! =)
On another note...we had a really good sermon at church on Sunday. I think a lot about my salvation, and I pray that my children accept Jesus as their Saviour at an early age. With all that is going on in the world it makes me wonder how long it will be before Jesus comes back (Matthew 24). As a Christian I know that this is just my temporary home...but there are so many people out there who don't know Him or haven't accepted Him. I pray hard for those people...because it would be a terrible thing to be left behind. Be ready!