5.

Our baby boy is now 5! Whaaat?! When I look back on the monthly updates from his earliest days under the age of one, words and phrases like happy, smiling, talkative, funny, having a big heart, outgoing/social, relentless, and little shit are described most, and wow, do they all still ring so very true today!

He's more of a goofball than ever and keeps us highly entertained. He loves to make us laugh and accomplishes that often. If he's doing one of his little spontaneous stunts that includes goofy faces and movements, he takes me back to the days of growing up with Ryan! David didn't know Ryan then (obviously) and thinks the same.

He has such a big heart. He tells me how much he loves me numerous times each day. He's full of sweet, genuine compliments. He's sure a cuddler too. I'll sit down a few feet away on the couch, and it's not more than a minute that he is curled up against me and positioning my arm around his shoulders. I've mentioned on other blog posts what a sweet big brother he has turned out to be too.

 

His neediness reminds me that he's still a little mama's boy. Like when he runs out to give me just one more high five and knuckles on the way to work. Or begging for just one more hug before bedtime in his cheery, little voice. I try to remember that I won't be nearly as wanted and known as the "super best mommy ever" one day. 

 

He is very BOY and is all sports and superheroes these days. He loves to be outside and has come to expect that he will do something fun every day, even if it's just riding his jeep/bike/scooter/etc around the block. He is so spoiled by David staying home and has no clue.

 

He is also into just about every sport there is, both playing and watching. He seems like an athlete to me so far and it's fun to watch his activities!

 

 

His outgoing personality has made making friends easy, and he has his group of buddies here in the neighborhood that we get together with here and there. Derek and Jake are his best buds of the group. We have noticed this summer that he really tends to drift toward older kids when we are out in public or at the pool, and he has been taking on an alpha role with kids his age. We think it may be because he likes to play rough and is a really good swimmer, so a lot of kids around his age truthfully can't keep up or get kinda wimpy. Let's just say that there have been plenty of opportunities to talk to him about including and being nice to everyone.  

 

He hasn't liked to play alone until recently, which could just be out of necessity with our hands tied with Natalie! It's nice to see him learning to entertain himself and not rely on our attention. He loves building legos, playing with monster trucks, and all things superheroes (both dressing up and playing with toys). One thing that he's into that I am not is the darn ipad. We try to limit, but it's inevitable and a part of our society now. It's been a good babysitter at times this summer though (like when he wakes up at 6 am and we don't want to get up yet)! He likes to watch toy reviews on there where families play with and talk about various toys.

 

 

I'm proud of his imagination and curiosity. He is always thinking. It's not abnormal for him to wake up and ask something like, "Do frogs have teeth?" I often find myself wondering how he even thinks of some things. My parents have laughed at the comments that come out of him at bedtime and first thing in the morning during sleepovers with him. He taught them all about hot lava and rocks at 7 a.m. the other day.

 

He still is such a talker and has an ever expanding vocabulary. That's one thing that strangers have always commented on, going back to his very little days.  He basically starts talking the second that his eyes open and doesn't stop until they close! We have no idea how he maintains such a high level of energy.

 

 

I wouldn't be accurately documenting Nico at this age if I didn't mention the not so fun side of his Jeykll and Hyde behavior. When he's not being his loving, fun self, which luckily happens about 75% of the time or more, you really have thoughts of wanting to punch him at times. He's gotten quite bossy in his last year and doesn't like it when he doesn't get his way. I'm not sure who made up terrible 2's, but it's more like terrible 4's! He is quick to anger and words like "you're mean/stupid" or "I don't like you" get thrown out easily these days. He is more defiant and challenges our authority with a stern face and a prompt "no" when asked/told to do something. He tends to be way worse to David than me. His behavior is definitely a parenting work in progress. We have been trying to take privileges away, which helps some, but there are days that we definitely don't feel in control. He's a good kid though, and our parents remind us of that. We know that too, but in the moment, it's hard to remember!

All of that set aside, I do love this boy with my whole heart. I hope he always can know and feel this. He's just the best. He has brought so much joy to our lives and is a special guy indeed! Happy 5th birthday, Nico!

Natalie: 6 week update

I continue to fall more and more in love with this little girl every day. She is 6 weeks old already and is full of happiness! The most exciting change these past few weeks is the presence of... SMILES! They come pretty quick these days if I talk in a higher pitch baby voice and smile at her. I seriously spend so many minutes of my day trying to provoke these new smiles and reactions. They melt my heart every. single. time...

She often smiles at me and her eyes are full of love following a diaper change or feeding, and I imagine her thinking, "thank you mama. You know what I need." It means the world when she is starting to get fussy in another's arms and then she pauses when she hears my voice. (I suppose I am the one with the milk, ha!) My dad says that she definitely has eyes for me.

We have had some ups and downs these past few weeks, if I'm being honest, but they were relatively minor and all better now! One hiccup was the thrush (oral fungus) that little Natalie had on the sides of her mouth and tongue. It was a mild case, but it did require going to the doctor to get some meds for us both. The night that I noticed it was her fussiest yet. It was also David's return to ice hockey, so I was alone with a restless, unhappy baby and a rebellious 4 year old that refused to go to bed all. night. long. Funny timing on that one, God. I was quickly reminded just how good all of the other nights really had been. The following week, I went to the ER at midnight with incredible boob pain and shivering. It was sudden and odd. I was hit with mastitis, which basically means swelling of the breast tissue and an issue with clogged milk ducts. My guess is that it was due to my oversupply of milk and not fully clearing the ducts each feeding, or not changing her feeding positions enough to clear all ducts. The verdict is still out, but I do know that I felt 90% better within an hour of starting those antibiotics that night. Both the thrush and mastitis definitely gave me my doubts about continuing to nurse. It really, really sucked for a few days.

Once our little issues resolved, I started kickin' with gas and haven't slowed down yet. I feel like I am getting this mommy of two thing down without feeling any of the guilt that I worried about having with time split between both. There's a happy balance with more than enough love to go around. Weeks 5-6 really brought about a newfound energy, and I have started feeling fully like myself again. I still am very surprised at the difference in the timeline for healing and pain with baby 1 vs. 2. Sooo much slower this time! I can now finally get out of bed normally without having to roll on my side first. I'm napping less now too and making a point to stay more active and get out of the house every few days. While we still aren't really supposed to take her out much until Week 8 when she's vaccinated (plus it's been 95+ degrees every day), we have gone out for simple things like Nico's tball games, early dinners at places with minimal crowds, and a few errands.

Another new thing is that she is starting to be awake for longer periods during the day! It's not unusual for her to be awake for a few hours at a time even. Her "schedule" is basically a day full of sleeping and eating with no particular attention paid to the clock for now. It's all baby led based on what she's needing, and it's working for us all. The only consistency is that she is still happily awake for those late night party hours with daddy from 9 to 11! He calls her his chunky monkey and sweets.

I really don't mind getting up throughout the night. Sure, there have been a few times when I'm exhausted and wishing I could sleep instead, but that's when I remember how quickly this season passes. I can't help but also reflect on how many times I wanted to be that mom getting up in the middle of the night, back when we were struggling with getting pregnant. And how many moms feel that way today. Those thoughts keep my perspective real. How can you complain anyways at the chance to spend a little more time with this face?

She's still a big eater and has continued to pack on the pounds! She tries to eat her hand and lets out a cute, little whimper when she is hungry. You've got about 2 minutes to feed her or she gets pretty ticked! With that growing belly, she has stretched out some night time intervals from 3 hours to 4 hours.

She weighed in right at 10 lbs at her monthly checkup, putting her in the 85 %tile. Her height was 21.5 in the 86 %tile. Her head is still nice and big apparently in the 100 %tile! She's growing out of her newborn diapers and clothes already and is onto the next size up already. Please stop growing so fast!

She continues to looove her swing and spends a lot of time in it during the day (when I'm not hogging her.) It is fun to notice her alertness and vision improve as she stares at objects more intently now. She tracks the animals and lights on the mobile and is quick to turn her head in response to our voice or simply walking by her. She loves to stare at ceiling fans and the decor above our bed the most. She's pretty active and spends plenty of time kicking her legs. Her strength is improving, and she's so close to being able to hold her head upright without looking like a bobble head while we hold her in a sitting position.

 

Content is the word I continue to describe her with to others. Besides what I mentioned above for when she's hungry, she only really gets fussy if she needs a diaper change or needs to burp. Since her idea of needing a diaper change is sometimes the littlest amount of pee, David wonders if she is demanding and impatient like her mother?! On the few fussy occasions, she settles down pretty quickly if she's walked around or just laid down flat to stretch out.

Our first dinner out as a family of 4 - Mexican food at El Rey!

 

 

Cindy came to visit during Week 4, right in the midst of some of our more tiring days. She claimed that we looked worn out over Facetime and could use some relief! If this picture doesn't show real life, I don't know what does. Here's Nico talking back to David, and Cindy telling Nico to knock it off. Ha!

 

We took advantage of our temporary babysitter, and instead of napping, we went on our first date since Natalie's arrival. Drinks on the lake at Abel's was calling our name.

If we're being honest, Nico has been wearing us out at times. I hate to seem like I'm dissing my cute little boy on here, but he has been getting such an attitude, calling us names, and not really listening well. Gotta love him, but he has been a little challenge! Although... when it comes to his sister, he is the sweetest, loving boy ALL of the time. I still am amazed at his genuine interest in holding her often, giving her kisses, and wanting to include her. He's gentle and concerned. I thought the newborn phase would bore him by now. He sure loves her.

And here are a few more of my favorites...

 

 

 

 

 

I love the way she lays on me in a perfect little way with her head up against mine and her legs pulled up. Sometimes I sense that all she wants is to be held by her mama. I simply can't get enough of holding her these days, and there are many afternoons that I spend doing just that. 

 

 

My heart is so full. She is just the best.

 

 

 

Our home

I really feel that we are moving up in the adult world following a recent decision. Drumroll, please..... We had maids come out to clean our house!

This was actually part of David's Father's Day gift. When thinking of what he may want most during a time when all 4 of us will be under the same roof for a vast majority of every summer day, and the idea to relieve us him of some household duties came to mind! I was so excited about how spotless the house looked when they left that I went around taking pictures. (Not saying that our house normally isn't decently picked up, but this was just on another level.) I then spent the next few hours criticizing all other household members for attempting to touch or use anything, ha!

I actually have been wanting to document our home for a while, so I can look back on and remember these spaces where we spent so much of our time raising our babies and making memories. This summer marks 3 years since we have been down here, and man, does time fly by. It is feeling more and more homey, especially with completing the nursery and our recent big landscaping project (pics to follow another time).

Here's the upstairs living area that divides the kids' rooms. (Still surreal to say "kids," by the way.) It's space is mostly used after dinner when we don't all want to watch the same tv show downstairs.

Nico's room locker room. A mixture of his loves- superheroes and sports.

Natalie's room. My favorite room in the house.

The playroom pay room. (One of our favorite Nico mispronunciations that we still like to say.) I'm not sure he has enough toys. Let us know what you think.

  

Kids' bathroom. Nico showers in our bathroom, so this gets used minimally for now. It could be a key location of sibling fights in about 5 years. Stay tuned.

Main living room. Feels so simple and homey to me. One of the items on our must have list for a house was an open concept where the kitchen, eating area, and living room are all blended together. Still wanting window treatments but am incapable of making a commitment in this area.

 

Kitchen eating area. I try to value sitting down together at the dinner table without tvs, phones, and ipads most nights. Even if Nico refuses to tell us about what he did in school that day.

Front entryway. An immediate left puts you in the office. A right takes you down a little boring hallway featuring a half bathroom and laundry room.

 

The office was a little nicer until my 9 month pregnant self decided we should tear down both of the large bookcases in here with no further plan. It'll be a work in progress to find a sideboard/buffet table, a cute area rug, make a gallery wall above it, and possibly paint?!

The kitchen. David gets nervous when I'm in here.

 

Our master bedroom. (The attached bathroom is uneventful and didn't make the cut.)

 

1 week old photo shoot

Cammi J Photography came out to our house to photograph our little sleeping beauty when she was just one week old. I'm SO happy with how these turned out, and it's almost stressful to decide which ones to choose to put in frames around the house! I'll cherish these for many years to come.