Playground Thoughts

This afternoon we took a walk to Conway Park--across the street from campus. We set out a little before 4 p.m. with a picnic and our tennis shoes so we could have a leisurely evening in the beautiful weather. It was so pleasant. Josh & I took turns holding the baby or playing with Hunter around the playground. Hunter continually amazes me. He is so creative. Since he is two, he loves to "boss around" his daddy & me. The perfect place to do that is on the playground--I took my orders with a smile. I so enjoyed going down the slides with him and chasing him around.

 I love being outside. I have decided it is one of the best ways for me to recharge. Getting away from the distractions, like the never-ending chores and the ever-calling internet, I am able to truly tune in to the moment. I loved watching Hunter run and jump and enjoy being alive. He is so full of life.

 This stage of motherhood has been very difficult and I have been struggling with it. Two-year-olds are a lot of work. They require more patience than is humanly possible. Hunter still has a lot of physical needs but he strongly desires independence. He also has a lot of emotional needs as he is learning more and more about his world. For example, he constantly (like at least 3 times a day) asks me if I am happy. This question always takes me off guard. I never want him to think he is responsible for my happiness or that I do not love him if I am not happy. So I don't want to burden him with things he doesn't need to worry about if I am not happy at that moment. But on the other hand, I want to build an honest relationship with him where emotions, both positive and negative, are welcomed. But then again, he is only 2 (almost 3!). In the moment I usually end up saying something like, "No, mommy isn't happy but it has nothing to do with you, I love you." OR "No, I am not happy with your behavior, but I always love you, Hunter." And then I spend the next hour fretting over my word choice. I am not sure what drives his question, but it makes me excited that he cares about how the people around him are feeling.

 Parenting is the single most difficult job I have ever had. Though this time is hard, it is flying past me. I cannot believe Hunter is going to be 3 in a few weeks and Adelyn is well on her way to being 6 months old. A relative of mine said on Facebook recently, "The days are long but the years are short." When it comes to parenting young children, that quote is so true. The days around here are long. They are tough. There are moments that I don't know if I will survive. Sounds dramatic, but it is true. I lose my patience, I get bored, I get exhausted by the never-ending laundry and dishes. And then I have moments of pure love as I get to watch little personalities develop, true delight be expressed, and see the sense of wonder in both of their eyes. It is a hard job with rewards. Sometimes the rewards are few & far between. But they do exist.

 Tonight when we got home, I did the bedtime routine with Hunter. We read "Telling Time With Thomas" and cuddled on his bed. I asked him what he wanted to pray for and he said three things: 1. "Sir Topham Hat be nice to Thomas." 2. "The wheels on the bus keep going 'round and 'round." 3. "Baby sister would get lotion on her after her bath." True prayer requests of a 2 year old. I was just so happy he wanted to say things to Jesus. What a sweet boy.

 I am thankful for an evening with my family-- free from the normal distractions of life and full of simple togetherness. My prayer for the evening? That I would remember how much I love my kids and how this demanding season of their life is just that-- a season.

4 months

Adelyn's 4 month Stats:
Weight: 13 lbs, 7 oz
Height: 24.5 inches
Head: 16 inches

She is growing beautifully! Adelyn sleeps around 9-10 hours in a row at night, eats 5-6 times a day, and is still so laid back! She gives smiles freely to people once she studies their face for a few minutes. Her laugh is adorable! She wiggles her whole body when she smiles or laughs.

We thought we had her sold on the paci, but she has decided her two middle fingers are more comforting. She refuses the paci all the time now... oh well! The pediatrician wasn't too worried about it. I guess I won't worry, either!

We did have a few scares this month. At the beginning of the month, she had poop in her blood several times so we ended up taking her to Children's Hospital ER. Turns out she had a tear on the inside of her that was bleeding as she pooped. We were so thankful it was nothing major.

The second scare came when my mom was visiting. We were eating at Chick-Fil-A and I felt a rattle in her lungs. Josh & my mom felt it too. Since she had a low grade fever, I decided to call the doctor's exchange. The nurse asked me a ton of questions then asked to hear Adelyn breathing. The nurse thought she heard "grunting" so she told me that she didn't want me to panic but that I needed to call 911 and get an ambulance to come immediately. My mom & I (Josh had taken Hunter home at this point) decided to drive to the ER, since we thought we could get there faster than an Ambulance could get to us. Turns out it was nothing major at all. The nurse really freaked me out, but Adelyn was fine. Just an upper respiratory illness. Many hours in the ER later, we took her home....

The third scare was the day after her shots. I changed 3 diapers that had red-tinged urine in them. This is EXACTLY what happened with Hunter after his 4 month shots, which led to 7 months of antibiotics and the diagnosis of urinary tract reflux. So I took Adelyn to the doctor expecting for the same news, since it is genetic. The doctor did not see any signs of infection so we decided to wait it out. So far she has not had any more symptoms. I am really hoping we don't!!!

It has been an eventful month!

Hunter is still doing wonderfully with her. We are so thankful for our little Adelyn!

Easter 2012

This Easter it was so fun to see Hunter begin to put the pieces together of Christ and the Gospel Story. We purchased "Resurrection Eggs" from our church and Hunter loved opening them up and finding what was inside. We told him the story of Jesus Christ as he opened the eggs each time. I hope it began to lay some foundation for Hunter to think about Christ.

We participated in the campus Easter Egg Hunt-- Hunter did MUCH better this year as he searched for eggs! ;) He found his 12 in about 2 minutes! So fun! Then he colored a little bit and enjoyed some candy.





Easter Sunday we went to church and then went out to brunch with a young family we met at a local playground. Then we went home and rested for a little bit before heading to Courtney's annual Easter celebration. There were more kids there this year which was fun for Hunter. Plus the weather was absolutely gorgeous and we were able to be outside the whole time. It was great fun.

Uncle Josh's Birthday

Happy Birthday Uncle Josh!!! We love you!

Hunter's Hair

This week when I was at Target picking up a prescription for Hunter, I ran into two older ladies who were in the health department. One of them gave me a very stern lecture about my son's hair. She said, "Hasn't anyone said to you, 'Oh, what a pretty little girl!' ???" I told her that yes, we had received that comment once or twice. She said that the first time someone said that to her about her son (35+ years ago) she sent him straight to the barber shop. She then proceeded to tell me how important it is that I do the same.

I LOVE Hunter's hair. It has the perfect amount of ringlet curls. I cannot decide if it is time to cut it.

What do you think? Is it okay that I let my little boy have such long hair?!?

3 months!

Happy 3 month Birthday, Adelyn!!

You are such a sweet little girl. You are 12 lbs, 0.03 oz and so cuddly. You sleep around 9 or 10 hours at night, which thrills mommy & daddy! You sleep comfortably in your crib at night and for most of your naps. Sometimes you sleep in your swing or in mommy's arms. You are quite laid back and hardly ever cry. When you do cry, it is this adorable little shriek.

We started cloth diapering this month and it is going really well. We have them on their smallest setting with only a newborn insert. They are so cute on Adelyn! She found her thumb this month, as well. We are trying to force the paci on her, but if she gets the chance that thumb gets popped right back in her mouth.

Adelyn & Hunter have been sick this week. Hunter got a cold and cough and Adelyn picked up on that as well. Then Adelyn got some sort of intestinal virus, too. She was pooping blood on Friday & Saturday, so we spent Saturday afternoon in the ER. She is totally fine: just a tear in her bottom due to too much diarrhea. Other then this scare this week, she has been a healthy baby.

She is strong! She holds her head up really well and fights to stand as well. She loves to put weight on her legs. I think she is going to be a little athlete! ;)

Valentine's Day 2012

We did our annual Valentine's Day cards a few weekends ago! This was our third time to do this project. Here is a link to the FIRST time when Hunter was about 8 months old and LAST YEAR when Hunter was a year and a half. Hunter's hand has grown so much this year. Instead of doing both of Hunter's hands, we did his left hand and Adelyn's right foot. It turned out really cute!




I love this tradition with Hunter and it was great to add Adelyn to the mix this year!! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of her. It took Josh holding her and me painting her foot and pressing her foot to the paper to make this happen. So no hands were free to take a picture. But here she is in her cute Valentine's Day outfit!