2016 in Review

This year started out with us being more focused on getting ready for Baby B2. New Years weekend was Potty Training weekend for William and we put the cloth diapers away for good. He was ready and the transition went really well! We haven't tackled nap or night time yet, so we still have disposables for that. Maybe that will be a goal for 2017. He transitioned to his big-boy bed in February and did really great with that too! He was a big boy and ready to be a Big Brother! He grew 4 inches and gained 8 pounds this year . . . slowing down finally!

We spent nearly every weekend this year looking at houses and condos, only taking a small break when baby arrived. But we continue to wait for the right home. We made a lot of changes to our apartment to accommodate another family member. There will be many more to make as he is on the verge of crawling. Maybe 2017 will be the "Year of the Move!"

In April, Chris went to Europe to visit friends (I had after all, gone to Australia six months prior). His mom came to help me out. He traveled to The Netherlands, Belgium, and London.

In May, my friends threw me a Baby "Sprinkle" (instead of a shower). It was so fun to get together with a group of women I rarely get to see. I felt so blessed! Little did I know, Baby B2 would arrive just eleven days later!

Stephen Christopher joined our family on Wednesday, May 18 at 10:23 p.m. This was by far the most exciting day of 2016 for our family. After that, the challenges started. We dealt with all sorts of weight-gaining issues and ended up needing to use a dairy/soy free formula while I went on the same type of diet and nursed as much I could. Now, at age 7 months, he prefers to drink a bottle so I pump several times a day. Thankfully, weight is no longer an issue. He has gained a little over 10 pounds and grew around 8 inches! We haven't attempted to get him to sleep through the night just yet as it is one of the few chances I have to get him to nurse successfully. My goals for 2017? Sleep!

We had several people come and visit after Stephen's birth and I'm so grateful for each and every one of them! Chris's mom came right away and stayed for two weeks, his sister came in late June and helped us out for a week. Chris's older sister brought her family for a weekend visit over July 4th and my college roommate stayed for a long weekend in mid-July. My mom wasn't able to come out until September as she had surgery in April and wasn't cleared for travel when Stephen was born. I'm so glad she healed well and is doing just fine now!

The second most exciting event of 2016 was my brother's wedding! We traveled to Minot, North Dakota at the end of July for his outdoor wedding, everything was beautiful and everyone had a great time. Chris was a groomsmen and William was the ring bearer. Afterward we spent a few days in Bismarck with my sisters and parents. I didn't end up making it "home" this year.

I returned to work in September, working part-time (20 hours) from home. We enrolled William in preschool; half-days everyday. He loves it. I love having a little more time to get my work done and focus some attention on Stephen. Transitioning back to work was really hard. I found myself struggling to find a routine that worked and was completely exhausted most of the fall. I know it was this hard (or harder) when I went back to work after William was born as I was trying to work 30 hours then. I think I was a little shocked at how hard it still was. I am not superwoman. I know this now.

We celebrated William's third birthday in October with a little party after his swimming lessons and a morning near Santa Cruz riding Thomas the Train. Chris and I enjoyed the actual train ride more than he did!

The fall was filled with activity. We enjoyed trick-or-treating and the pumpkin patch with great friends. Thanksgiving was a wonderful day with great food and friends. The season providing the prompting for me to remember how blessed I am.

We spent Christmas in Texas visiting Chris's family. We had a lot of fun together and even got to go on a date!

They say the days go slowly when you have a newborn but the year goes fast and that is true again. 2016 was filled with good moments and I have great memories of family, friends, and even some fun. But it was challenging to say the least. I'm looking forward to 2017 and the changes that are coming -- I'm hoping for many!

Happy New Year!

This year started out with us being more focused on getting ready for Baby B2. New Years weekend was Potty Training weekend for William and we put the cloth diapers away for good. He was ready and the transition went really well! We haven't tackled nap or night time yet, so we still have disposables for that. Maybe that will be a goal for 2017. He transitioned to his big-boy bed in February and did really great with that too! He was a big boy and ready to be a Big Brother! He grew 4 inches and gained 8 pounds this year . . . slowing down finally!

We spent nearly every weekend this year looking at houses and condos, only taking a small break when baby arrived. But we continue to wait for the right home. We made a lot of changes to our apartment to accommodate another family member. There will be many more to make as he is on the verge of crawling. Maybe 2017 will be the "Year of the Move!"

In April, Chris went to Europe to visit friends (I had after all, gone to Australia six months prior). His mom came to help me out. He traveled to The Netherlands, Belgium, and London.

In May, my friends threw me a Baby "Sprinkle" (instead of a shower). It was so fun to get together with a group of women I rarely get to see. I felt so blessed! Little did I know, Baby B2 would arrive just eleven days later!

Stephen Christopher joined our family on Wednesday, May 18 at 10:23 p.m. This was by far the most exciting day of 2016 for our family. After that, the challenges started. We dealt with all sorts of weight-gaining issues and ended up needing to use a dairy/soy free formula while I went on the same type of diet and nursed as much I could. Now, at age 7 months, he prefers to drink a bottle so I pump several times a day. Thankfully, weight is no longer an issue. He has gained a little over 10 pounds and grew around 8 inches! We haven't attempted to get him to sleep through the night just yet as it is one of the few chances I have to get him to nurse successfully. My goals for 2017? Sleep!

We had several people come and visit after Stephen's birth and I'm so grateful for each and every one of them! Chris's mom came right away and stayed for two weeks, his sister came in late June and helped us out for a week. Chris's older sister brought her family for a weekend visit over July 4th and my college roommate stayed for a long weekend in mid-July. My mom wasn't able to come out until September as she had surgery in April and wasn't cleared for travel when Stephen was born. I'm so glad she healed well and is doing just fine now!

The second most exciting event of 2016 was my brother's wedding! We traveled to Minot, North Dakota at the end of July for his outdoor wedding, everything was beautiful and everyone had a great time. Chris was a groomsmen and William was the ring bearer. Afterward we spent a few days in Bismarck with my sisters and parents. I didn't end up making it "home" this year.

I returned to work in September, working part-time (20 hours) from home. We enrolled William in preschool; half-days everyday. He loves it. I love having a little more time to get my work done and focus some attention on Stephen. Transitioning back to work was really hard. I found myself struggling to find a routine that worked and was completely exhausted most of the fall. I know it was this hard (or harder) when I went back to work after William was born as I was trying to work 30 hours then. I think I was a little shocked at how hard it still was. I am not superwoman. I know this now.

We celebrated William's third birthday in October with a little party after his swimming lessons and a morning near Santa Cruz riding Thomas the Train. Chris and I enjoyed the actual train ride more than he did!

The fall was filled with activity. We enjoyed trick-or-treating and the pumpkin patch with great friends. Thanksgiving was a wonderful day with great food and friends. The season providing the prompting for me to remember how blessed I am.

We spent Christmas in Texas visiting Chris's family. We had a lot of fun together and even got to go on a date!

They say the days go slowly when you have a newborn but the year goes fast and that is true again. 2016 was filled with good moments and I have great memories of family, friends, and even some fun. But it was challenging to say the least. I'm looking forward to 2017 and the changes that are coming -- I'm hoping for many!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas was at least two days ago so I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and were able to spend the special day with someone special -- or remember someone special if they are no longer with you.

We celebrated a true Texas Christmas with 75 degree weather and a perfectly cooked prime rib. We had arrived in San Antonio on Thursday afternoon and spent a couple of nights at Chris's parents home before going to Chris's brother's home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They also have two boys the same age as ours so it was fun to let them have a couple of days to play together.

On Saturday, we headed to church with the whole family for Christmas Eve service. The church was beautiful as were our nieces in the choir. William did amazingly well sitting through the service and loved the music. He was even a little cuddly! Stephen on the other hand should have fallen asleep in the car but didn't . . . and then was quite a squirmy handful the whole evening. After the service we headed back to Brad's home where Christmas Eve dinner (tamales) was serviced and presents were opened.

So many presents! William opened a back-hoe first and showed little interest in anything else for the rest of the evening. I had to force him to open his other gifts, which I probably should have just kept wrapped until the following day. Stephen was finally sleeping so I got to open his as well as my own. Baby presents are so fun! (Mine were more practical, but much needed!)

Christmas morning was nice and quiet. The boys played, I slept in (after feeding Stephen three times during the night). Family came over again in the afternoon for dinner. I've been really tired lately and have a terrible time taking naps. It had caught up with me a bit that day and I was having a hard time staying engaged. Hopefully the rest of this week will be restful and I'll feel more like myself!

I don't have many reflections of Christmas to share with you this year. Between the nightly feedings, lack of sleep, and fierce mom-brain, I'm just trying to stay focused on Jesus and all he did for me. My imperfect self needs his constant grace and cleansing. I'm so very thankful God took care of my salvation through his Son and didn't require anything of me, for I know I would have failed. His birth (and death) is the most wonderful gift ever given.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas was at least two days ago so I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and were able to spend the special day with someone special -- or remember someone special if they are no longer with you.

We celebrated a true Texas Christmas with 75 degree weather and a perfectly cooked prime rib. We had arrived in San Antonio on Thursday afternoon and spent a couple of nights at Chris's parents home before going to Chris's brother's home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They also have two boys the same age as ours so it was fun to let them have a couple of days to play together.

On Saturday, we headed to church with the whole family for Christmas Eve service. The church was beautiful as were our nieces in the choir. William did amazingly well sitting through the service and loved the music. He was even a little cuddly! Stephen on the other hand should have fallen asleep in the car but didn't . . . and then was quite a squirmy handful the whole evening. After the service we headed back to Brad's home where Christmas Eve dinner (tamales) was serviced and presents were opened.

So many presents! William opened a back-hoe first and showed little interest in anything else for the rest of the evening. I had to force him to open his other gifts, which I probably should have just kept wrapped until the following day. Stephen was finally sleeping so I got to open his as well as my own. Baby presents are so fun! (Mine were more practical, but much needed!)

Christmas morning was nice and quiet. The boys played, I slept in (after feeding Stephen three times during the night). Family came over again in the afternoon for dinner. I've been really tired lately and have a terrible time taking naps. It had caught up with me a bit that day and I was having a hard time staying engaged. Hopefully the rest of this week will be restful and I'll feel more like myself!

I don't have many reflections of Christmas to share with you this year. Between the nightly feedings, lack of sleep, and fierce mom-brain, I'm just trying to stay focused on Jesus and all he did for me. My imperfect self needs his constant grace and cleansing. I'm so very thankful God took care of my salvation through his Son and didn't require anything of me, for I know I would have failed. His birth (and death) is the most wonderful gift ever given.

Merry Christmas!

Baby B2: Seven Months Old

Stephen is a funny little guy. He really doesn't like being on his tummy at all so to get around he lays on his back and pushes with his feet. Inch by inch, he ends up all over the place, often going in circles. He loves reaching for his toys and is showing more interest in pushing buttons, pulling on strings and making noise. He is quite content to lay on his side holding a toy or looking around. Crawling seems very far away!

He can sit with some help, not really interested in doing it by himself yet. Food is a good motivator though! He sits quite well when we borrow William's booster chair/high chair. (Can you tell William isn't up for sharing yet? It is still very much his chair.)

He has become quite a babbler and bubble blower in the past few weeks. He also has new sounds to share with everyone! Stephen loves being around people and will often greet everyone with a smile and a coo. 

I feel like we took a break from developmental stuff and focused hard on health. At least I did! In the past two weeks Stephen has had surgery and a lip tie clipped. This involved so many appointments, special instructions, special care and more cuddles. More tears, more wake-ups, and a lot less sleep. Now that it is all said and done, he is doing great! I am exhausted.

We had started to work on sleep training around Thanksgiving and it was going well but now after the past two weeks, we are basically starting over. And we'll start over again next month after our Christmas traveling. Our goals are to have this little guy fall asleep on his own with only two feedings at night. Hopefully in January we can aim a little higher!

Stephen is still loving his pureed foods, not quite ready for chunky stuff yet (trust me, I accidentally tried it!) He loves everything -- pumpkin, green beans, banana, broccoli, avocado. This month we've also added oatmeal to the mix. I had thought I'd wait a little longer for grains but his pediatrician was adamant we start now. Starting solids is such a funny topic; every book recommends different ages for nearly every food. I've decided to use my best judgment . . . and don't judge.

We're looking forward to flying to Texas later this week -- especially since he loves to bounce in our arms and refuses to sit still! He really isn't into looking at books yet like William was at this age. I'm really hoping he takes at least one good nap on the plane.

It's Stephen's first Christmas we are reminded once again of the humble state in which our Lord and Savior came to us! A baby born in a manger with an audience of animals and shepherds was to be the one to take away our sins and reign over all the earth! How strange it all seems as I look at this little guy.

Stephen is a funny little guy. He really doesn't like being on his tummy at all so to get around he lays on his back and pushes with his feet. Inch by inch, he ends up all over the place, often going in circles. He loves reaching for his toys and is showing more interest in pushing buttons, pulling on strings and making noise. He is quite content to lay on his side holding a toy or looking around. Crawling seems very far away!

He can sit with some help, not really interested in doing it by himself yet. Food is a good motivator though! He sits quite well when we borrow William's booster chair/high chair. (Can you tell William isn't up for sharing yet? It is still very much his chair.)

He has become quite a babbler and bubble blower in the past few weeks. He also has new sounds to share with everyone! Stephen loves being around people and will often greet everyone with a smile and a coo. 

I feel like we took a break from developmental stuff and focused hard on health. At least I did! In the past two weeks Stephen has had surgery and a lip tie clipped. This involved so many appointments, special instructions, special care and more cuddles. More tears, more wake-ups, and a lot less sleep. Now that it is all said and done, he is doing great! I am exhausted.

We had started to work on sleep training around Thanksgiving and it was going well but now after the past two weeks, we are basically starting over. And we'll start over again next month after our Christmas traveling. Our goals are to have this little guy fall asleep on his own with only two feedings at night. Hopefully in January we can aim a little higher!

Stephen is still loving his pureed foods, not quite ready for chunky stuff yet (trust me, I accidentally tried it!) He loves everything -- pumpkin, green beans, banana, broccoli, avocado. This month we've also added oatmeal to the mix. I had thought I'd wait a little longer for grains but his pediatrician was adamant we start now. Starting solids is such a funny topic; every book recommends different ages for nearly every food. I've decided to use my best judgment . . . and don't judge.

We're looking forward to flying to Texas later this week -- especially since he loves to bounce in our arms and refuses to sit still! He really isn't into looking at books yet like William was at this age. I'm really hoping he takes at least one good nap on the plane.

It's Stephen's first Christmas we are reminded once again of the humble state in which our Lord and Savior came to us! A baby born in a manger with an audience of animals and shepherds was to be the one to take away our sins and reign over all the earth! How strange it all seems as I look at this little guy.