A New Year

Just another "diary" entry of what has been going on in our house over the last few weeks....

Christmas was perfect.  First we went to Tuscaloosa and spent a few days with the Reddochs. One of those days we spent at their 100-year-old house in Eutaw. We had a great time and got some fun pictures. I really want to go back in the spring. David can just have so much freedom to run around outside there. It was a lot of fun to watch him exploring.

Joy and Earl came home the weekend after Christmas, and we had a great visit with them. I miss them. They came over New Year's Eve, along with Becki and Jesse, and we had a great time. Joy and Earl didn't leave until about 3:00 A.M.  It was so nice to just sit and visit.

Sam is still teething and taking his time about walking. I'm not in any hurry really, and apparently, neither is he.  All in good time.  He has a birthday coming up in a week. I can hardly believe it. He is eating like a horse lately and has gained a couple of pounds. It will be time to change his car seat out soon.

David has been sick for the last couple of days. He has only had colds before, so this has been a different experience. He has been super sweet though. I wiped his face after he was sick yesterday, and he looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes, and said, "Thank you, Momma."  It was so sweet. He was playing with Sam some tonight though, and he wanted his dad to play "Getchu" (which involves chasing him down the hall and tickling him), so he is definitely feeling better.

Benjamin made the Dean's List last semester. I'm so PROUD of him. Most people have a hard time going back to school after being out for a while, but he is just thriving. There's a lot to be said for doing things in God's timing instead of our own!

I'll add pictures to this soon. Right now, I've got to get headed to bed--still have to shower and do dishes.

I can't believe it's been almost two months since I blogged. Where do the days go?

The ladies in our church went to see Joyce Meyer and Darlene Zschech in Tampa in October. It was a life-changing conference dealing with "The Mouth."  There will be more on that once I get the CD's and can listen to it again. 

We took David to the circus the week before Thanksgiving. He was in awe. We sat ring-side, and the elephants were so close that it was a little scary. His souvenir was a plastic horn that he "plays" every time there's music on.

We spent four days at Seaside with Kym, Jim, and Amy Kathryn, and it was glorious! Jim rented bikes and David and I rode a couple of times. He didn't want his picture taken (too early and too cold),  but he  did love riding the bike. Benjamin and I walked through the town and just enjoyed being away. 

David is growing so tall! He's 36 inches and 29 pounds. He outgrows his jeans about as fast as I can get them. He is also talking more and more all the time. Some days he repeats everything we say. It's so cute, and so amazing to hear him.  He has also learned how to climb out of his crib! It's been so nice having him still in a crib because once he wakes up, I can get up and kind of get my day started before I get him out of bed. The routine has been that once I hear that one or both boys are awake, I get up and fix their breakfast, then go get them out of the bed. I'm afraid those days are over. I haven't seen him climb out yet, so I don't know how he's doing it, and I know it's no simple feat, but the boy loves a challenge!  His new favorite movie is Mary Poppins. He's curled up in the recliner watching it right now with three blankets, one under him, one for a pillow, and one on top of him. He's a snuggle bug. He also met Frosty the Snowman this week, and asks to watch that each night. I don't know why he doesn't ask in the daytime, but I guess maybe he associates it with the whole family, Dad included, being here to watch.

Sam is trying to talk too. He astounds us with some of the sounds he repeats already. Benjamin was an early talker, and I guess Sam could be too. We'll see. He has learned to climb and loves to climb up in a little blue chair that we have. He just chatters away and grins so big when he gets up there.   He still doesn't have those to top front teeth, but they're getting closer all the time. He is loving table food and growing like crazy. He's 22 pounds now. His hair is growing too, and it sure makes some funny pictures sometimes. 

We did put the boys in the same room a few weeks ago, and it's working out pretty well. They like it anyway. :)

 We love this season and are so thankful for its reason, Jesus. We have decided to have a quiet Christmas celebration at home the weekend before Christmas and then travel to Tuscaloosa to be with Kym and her family for Christmas day.  Joy, Earl, and Toby will be home the weekend after Christmas, so we'll have celebration number three when they get here. God just continues to bless us.

More Milestones

Sam has a tooth! I'm so happy for him--and for me. He is not a good teether, and I have no experience with that at all. He's been waking up a couple of times a night for two weeks, and he's not been eating well (still taking plenty of bottles though). He has settled down a little since the tooth broke through. 

In general, he is a very sweet, happy baby. He'll smile at just about anything, and he's a little bit of a snuggler. He wants to eat everything we're eating and will just have a fit if he thinks he's missing out on something. He has tried to take steps from the couch to a chair and from one toy to another. I don't know how long before he learns to walk, but the process is fascinating to watch--for his mom anyway. :) 

 

I still haven't put the boys in a room together, and now I may wait until Sam's done teething if the waking up at all hours continues with the rest of his teeth. I can't imagine David waking up every time he does.  Still, I'm looking forward to the change. We need the space where Sam's bed is to set up a desk for Benjamin's school stuff. Plus, a couple of weeks ago while we were at Mom's, we had them in Pack-n-Plays next to each other (for the first time) and they had so much fun. I woke up one night and heard them both giggling in the other room. It was 3:00 A.M.!!!!! They eventually went back to sleep though. When I told Benjamin about that when I got home, he was all for moving Sam that day. Really the main reason I'm not ready for it though is that they wake up at different times in the morning (Sam is stirring now, and David is likely to sleep another hour). I enjoy having time to feed Sam and dress him, then get David's breakfast ready before David wakes up. I think that we'll make the change over the Christmas holidays if not before. That way, when Benjamin starts the new semester, he'll have his space set up and organized. 

Sometimes being a mom is really frustrating--not knowing if the fussiness and not sleeping is ears or teeth, that sort of thing--but it's an adventure I dearly love. I always wanted lots of children, but I am so blessed to have the two I have with the love of my life. God is truly faithful and good.