Category Archives: milestones

Feb5

9 Months

Posted on by
Standard

9 months

This post is a wee little late, but nevertheless, I wanted to document our amazing little guys 9 months here! I cannot believe time is passing by so quickly. I have flashbacks to when we were on our way to the hospital and the craziness that ensued! Over the past month you have grown so much!

On the 12th of January, you decided it was time to start standing up on your own. Once you figured this out, it wouldn’t be long before you started learning to cruise. We finally had to block you in with a fence so that you wouldn’t mess with the television or you wouldn’t escape when we weren’t looking.

You love being read to. Your love for books grows constantly.

When I carry you through the hall and you see your daddy’s picture on the wall, you get so excited!!!

You’ve started learning to give kisses too!

kiss

You love it when we put you on our bed and flip you over. You think that is one of the greatest things ever!

You’re eating more and more food and loving it. We gave you your first Popsicle this month too! You were really cranky, we think due to teething problems. Chewing on toys and a teething ring just weren’t cutting it. So we broke out the good stuff! And you LOVED it!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is also a favorite. While mommy doesn’t let you watch much television during the day, she does let you watch Mickey!

One of these days your sleep problems will subside…we just know it! But for now, we’re just trying to make it through!

421757_10101039532555339_282919276_n

Jan1

Happy 8 Months Little Man!

Posted on by
Standard

Christmas 2012 058

Not only is it a new year, but it’s also the start of Jonathan’s 8th month here with us. I can’t believe we’re counting down to his first birthday now! Yikes! This past month has flown by, and with it has come a whole lot of new things!

~On the 12th of December you started full force crawling. You had been making a lot of attempts, but just couldn’t get it down. And the day you figured it out, you were off! Now there is no containing you!

~The next morning you decided that you no longer needed our help in sitting up on your own. You went from lying on the floor to sitting up on your own.

~We celebrated your very first Christmas. You enjoyed trying to eat the wrapping paper more than you did your new toys.

~You have figured out how to stand up this month too! You also love when we help you walk around. I imagine it will be very shortly when you’re walking on your own.

~You’ve started to eat finger food.

~Your favorite food is still sweet potatoes, and would eat it all day long if I would let you. You’ve got an orange nose to prove it!

~Your favorite thing to do is rip up all of your alphabet letters and make a mess with your toys!

~Mama is your favorite person and you’re developing a serious case of separation anxiety. While you love for me to hold you, you won’t say anything other than da-da. Everything is da-da. You’ll wave bye-bye while saying da-da!

Dec1

7 Months, Wow!

Posted on by
Standard

Nov

 

 

Little man, I can’t believe you’re seven months already! Time is flying by and I know the next month will be even faster. You are such a joy to both your daddy and me! Here is a recap from this past month…

-You are trying so hard to crawl

-You are able to sit on your own as long as we put you down.

-Almost able to go from lying down to sitting up…almost!

-You’re still having trouble sleeping, but hopefully we’ll remedy that soon.

-Da-Da is your new favorite word

-Teeth! Your two bottom teeth are starting to poke through

-Your grandma came up for Thanksgiving and spent time with you and mommy while daddy had to work.

Nov1

Happy Half Birthday, Squirt!

Posted on by
Standard

 

 

I doubt I would have ever even thought to call you Squirt, but when we were in the hospital, the rounding doctor (she was one of my favorites) called you that, and its sort of stuck!

Its amazing how quickly six months really has passed. Some days really have been long, but the (half) years sure are short. Your daddy and I are madly in love with you! You bring us such indescribable joy and many laughs.

In this past month you have accomplished so much!

-Sitting up- you can sit in a tripod position for about a minute unassisted, and sit up on your own for almost 15 seconds!

-Sitting up in both your high chair and in the grocery cart

- My favorite is that you have started saying “ma-ma”. And its not just “ma-ma-ma-ma”, you know who you are calling and what you’re saying! When you woke up this morning we heard you scream “MA-MA”!  I.LOVE.IT! We’re also working on “da-da”, “ba-ba” and trying to teach you to wave bye.

-You’re rolling all around. Nothing stops you from getting to the toy across the floor. You’ve not quite figured out how to scoot or crawl, but you’re getting there! I give it another two or three weeks!

-We dedicated you to the Lord! You, my son, are a gift from God. We fully believe that without God’s intervention, we would not have you in our lives today. We made a promise to God, to you, to our families, and to our church body that we will do our very best to raise you in a Godly home, teach you about the Lord, and one day, if its the Lords will, help lead you to surrender your life to Christ!

-First Halloween! Your cousin Katie gave you a Mickey Mouse costume! You sure were one cute mouse! We didn’t take you trick or treating since you’re still a little too young. You did get to go to a Fall Festival at church and dressed up to go to daddy’s office

-You laugh so much now! Your daddy can make you laugh best, but I’m not too far behind! Daddy makes all kinds of funny sounds, a lot of which you try to imitate. You can try to blow bubbles with your lips, but usually just spit everywhere. Daddy’s Donald Duck sounds make you laugh the hardest.

-You got your very first serious cold, and it has not been fun for you! Lots of snot, runny nose (which, like all babies, makes you mad to have cleaned), and congestion. Its also made you sleep a lot worse. We’ve been experiencing newborn sleep patterns a lot these past few weeks. Mommy does not like waking up 3 times during the night, but if it is what you need for right now, we’ll work through it!

Baby boy, I can’t wait to see what this next month brings! I’m so excited that God has blessed me with you & your daddy each and every day! I pray for you daily, for you now and for your future. I pray that daddy and I are Godly examples in your life and that we show you His greatness, so that one day, you too will love Christ as much as we do!

Love you lots!

 

 

 

Oct1

Love my 5 month old!

Posted on by
Standard

Jonathan,

You never fail to bring Joy to your daddy and I! I can’t begin to tell you how much we love you and how thankful we are the Lord has entrusted you to us. This past month has been filled with huge milestones for you and for us. You’re growing up so fast. I can’t believe we are celebrating five months already! I know in the blink of an eye you’ll be turning a year old, and then grown up before we realize time has gone. I pray that we show you the love of Christ and that you grow to worship the Lord each moment of your life!

Here are highlights from this past month:

~Your first road trip! We drove to NJ early this month. I don’t think you really enjoyed being away from your bed. You definitely did not sleep well but that could have been because of another first…

~Your first ear infection. We realized this after you fussed a lot on the journey up to NJ and most of the first day. Tylenol wasn’t really cutting the pain for you. Thankfully we were able to get you some antibiotics to help you feel better.

~You went to the beach for the first time. And you hated it. It was probably because you weren’t feeling well. We didn’t try to let you get in the ocean though. The water was very choppy from a hurricane that was off the coast.

~You got in the pool for the first time. Daddy took you in and mommy snapped pictures and took video. We’re not sure if you liked it or not because you gave us no reaction.

~You met lots of your family! You met your aunt Theresa, cousins Katie, Danielle, and Jeremy. You got to meet your great-aunt Loretta, extended cousins Jessie, Chris, and JT. You saw your grandma and great-aunt Pat again too. You covered your aunt Pat in lots of spit up, a signature move for you!

~When we came home, we gave you solid food for the first time. Rice cereal, and you ate it like a champ! So far you’ve had rice cereal, oatmeal, squash, and green beans. Squash has been your favorite!

~You finally rolled over! And now you’re unstoppable! You’ve not only mastered rolling from your back to your tummy, but you’re also getting a hang on rolling from your tummy to your back. The only problem is that you’re rolling into the side of your crib at night and waking yourself up or rolling and playing, getting your arm or leg stuck in between the crib slats. You definitely aren’t liking that and scream until we come rescue you.

~You’re finally sleeping through the night, or at least most of it! Praise the Lord! You’re falling asleep around 7:00 and either waking up at 4 to eat and then going back to sleep until almost 7, or staying asleep until 6. You couldn’t find a happier mama!

~You have found your toes and you LOVE to suck on them!

~You love to take your burp cloth and cover up your head to play peek-a-boo! You crack yourself up every time you do this!

~You & your daddy love to crack up together! I’ve captured great video of the two of you and it melts my heart watching the two of you together

~Today, for your 5 month birthday, you finally decided to take a great nap…in your crib! Not only was it a nap, it was a super nap! 3 hours long! You’re still trying to figure out naps, but we’ll get there.

~You’re having a good time in the nursery at church. In fact, you let me sit through an entire worship service. Thank you!

~We opened you up your first bank account. We hope to get you started on the right financial foot and teach you how to properly save and spend, differentiating between needs and wants.

And at home, when it’s just the three of us, we can often describe you with these two phrases:

Baby boy, your mama and daddy love you and can’t wait to be there with you through all of the big milestones that lie ahead of us! Praise God for the blessings we have been given through you!

Sep1

My little baby is already 4 Months old!

Posted on by
Standard

Jonathan,

I can barely believe my eyes! Wow, you’re four months old and have grown up so much this past month! You weigh half an ounce shy of 15 pounds, right at the 50th percentile for your age. Your heavy head is in the 60th percentile, but sadly, you’re going to be like your mama and daddy…not extremely tall. You’re only in the 3rd percentile for length. Sorry kid!

This past month you gave us the best gift ever! SLEEP! Most nights you averaged NINE hours of  glorious sleep! You woke up happy and playful, laughing hysterically at the silly things we would do That all changed though at the end of the month when you got your first cold…croup  to be exact. I felt (and still feel) terrible for you. You’re almost over it! You’ve had a stuffy and runny nose. You’ve coughed and sneezed, and then there is the poor raspy sounds you make. And you’ve had such a tough time sleeping because of it. Mommy has been sick too. Sick and sleepy, we’re not doing so great!

We’ve noticed that you’ve become more ticklish too! Of course we take full advantage of this by tickling you and making you laugh as much as possible! It seems you have “found” your voice too! You are very vocal and share your opinions quite often! In fact, daddy and I swear you’ve said “ma ma” a few times.

(His claws grow faster than I can get them cut! Thus he scratches his head up in his sleep)

Some of the funniest moments from this past month-

  • One morning we were sitting at the table eating breakfast. You were sitting in your Bumbo and wanted to hold your burp cloth. You were watching me and I told you that you needed to start wiping your face since you wanted to hold it. Daddy was sitting at the end of the table and told you that “next week we’re going to expect you to clean your own bottom.” You quickly quit looking at me, turned and looked at your daddy. The “you’re crazy” look you gave him was priceless!
  • A few days later you were giving me a tough time one morning. Daddy was trying to study in the kitchen, but came over to help calm you down. He held you for a few minutes. I asked you “I bet you’re tired of dealing with mommy since you see her all day, aren’t you.” Right on cue, you shook your head up and down! I swear, you are a smart kid! You know exactly what we’re saying sometimes.

This coming month we’ve got some great things in store! The biggest and best is that we’re taking you on your first vacation to the beach! I’ve got you swimsuits, sunglasses, a hat, and tent! I can’t wait to see you enjoying the ocean and pool!

Aug1

Happy 3 Months!

Posted on by
Standard

Jonathan,

I can’t believe you’re three months old today! Its crazy to think how fast time has passed (though some days nights time crept by). Your personality has developed so much over the last few weeks. You laugh and talk to us a lot! One night daddy had you laughing so hard for so long that you threw up! We have discovered that if we lie you on your changing pad, no matter what your mood is before, you’ll be happy within a minute.

You’re getting bigger by the day. You weigh about 13lbs now and we’ve discovered that you can sit up in your Bumbo seat without any help. You still hate tummy time, but you’re getting better about holding your head up for more than 0.05 seconds!

You also like to drool…A LOT. You’re starting to grab ahold of things now, and you like bringing anything, and everything to your mouth.

Just the other day you decided to give us a break and sleep for longer than 3 hours at night. We were so thankful for that! We’ll get the hang of this sleep thing before long!

We love you little one!

 

Jul4

2 Months!

Posted on by
Standard

Jonathan,

Happy 2 months (and 4 days) little guy! The past month has flown by, yet crept along, all at the same time. Last week I had to pack up all of your newborn clothes and some of your 0-3 month things. It made me a little sad to have to put them away, but at the same time I’m looking forward to the days ahead! This past month has been filled with a few new things for you.

- You took a bath in your whale tub for the first time

- We recently started putting you in cloth diapers. When you were in your very first one, you decided to have a nice big blowout. I wasn’t prepared for that! But it has gotten a little better each day!

- On a few occasions, you’ve started rubbing your eyes to indicate that you’re sleepy.

- You still hate the pacifier, which I’m ok with. It will be one less habit we have to break in the future!

- You have become fascinated with the little birds that hang from your bouncy seat. Because of this, we have set up a play gym on the floor for you and put your mobile up in your bed. You love looking at the toys hanging above you, and find yourself amusing in the mirror. Your play gym has a little piano that you love to kick, but you’re not always fond of it making music.

- You have developed the need to grab things! Most of the time it is my hair or shirt, but we’re working on grabbing other things too!

- You do not like excessive noise. For example, if the tv is on or is on too loud, you get quite fussy! You tend to enjoy it being quiet much more!

The neatest thing that happened over the last month was that your baby Spock picture went viral on the internet. Actor George Tekai, who played Sulu on the original Star Trek posted your picture on his Facebook page too! People from all over the world saw you when you were only 6 weeks old!

 The things I’ve absolutely loved?  Your smiles and laughs, even at 4:00 in the morning when you’ve not let me sleep very much!

 The main challenge this past month has been with your sleep! You still do not like sleeping at night, and honestly some days don’t like sleeping then either. I guess you’re fascinated with the world around you! You did give your mama a nice three and a half hours a few nights, but that was sadly short-lived! Most nights it ranges from 45 minute sleep intervals to two and a half hours. We feed you like crazy, especially before bedtime, hoping a full belly will help you sleep better. We’ve tried white noise and silence, night light and darkness, motion and stillness. You’ve developed a true hatred for swaddling and fight to get free, but without being wrapped in some way, your hands and legs fly freely about and you keep yourself awake. Part of the problem lies with your reflux & gas, but I just think you are curious and don’t want to miss a minute of the world around you!

Yesterday you had your two month doctor’s visit. You’re doing really well and gaining weight like a champ! You weigh 11 pounds and 13 ounces and are 22 inches long. You had a few shots yesterday too, but took them like a champ and only cried for a minute.

This coming month I pray for you  to develop more skills and your curiosity to grow even more! I’m also continuing to pray for much better sleep habits! While I’m looking forward to 4-5 hour stretches of sleep, I’m mostly looking forward to being a better mama, which will come when I’m more fully awake, not stumbling through life barely able to open my eyes and in pain from the exhaustion.

Love you little one!

Here are pictures from when your Grandma and cousin Katie came to visit!

Jun14

Happy Anniversary!

Posted on by
Standard

Our first picture together, not long after we met and started dating!

Happy 4th Anniversary to my very best friend! The past four years of marriage and the year and a half of dating/being engaged have truly been the best years of my life! I am so thankful God chose you for me. You were definitely worth the wait!

I remember the day we met and how fabulous and unexpected it was. We met for lunch, but ended up spending half the day together. I remember the evening you proposed to me…on the beach in Maui. We spent the day together and ended it, so I thought, with dinner. Then you took me out on the beach and proposed to me as the sun was setting off the waters, between the islands of Lana’i and Moloka’i. Four years ago today, you made my dreams come true! I remember the anticipation leading up to our ceremony, the butterflies as you sang to me and as we said our vows, and then the great party we had with our family and friends afterwards!

Dr. & Mrs.

Our first dance

Our wedding cake & figurines

This past year was certainly a year to remember. We started it off with continued struggles through infertility. You (and God) were my rock throughout the heartache. Thankfully God’s plan this past year included getting pregnant, but first you had to help me through the fertility treatments, the tests, the injections in my stomach, and the painful waiting. Months later, we had one of the most incredible, memorable experiences of giving birth to Jonathan. You, again, were my rock. Without you, I wouldn’t have made it through such a whirlwind of an experience!

The day Jonathan was born

We also had the blessing of serving on the mission field together. Alongside our team, we were able to share the love of Christ in Moldova. What an amazing experience!

Thank you Joe for being such an amazing husband, and daddy too! I thank God for each day we have together. I can’t wait to see what God has for us in the years to come!