Like a Big Boy

It is amazing to me how as a mom you can feel proud and sad at the same time - proud that your child has accomplished something wonderful and sad that they are old enough to accomplish it. Every time I turn around, Jack and Charlie are reaching new milestones. It fills me with such joy, but I have to admit it does hurt a little because it means they are growing so fast and becoming such big boys.

Last night, Jack's big accomplishment was sitting in the tub for his bath. Usually both boys take a bath together, so I have been waiting to take Jack out of his little bath seat. Bath time with Charlie can get a little wild and crazy, and I knew he would have a hard time not falling over with his wild child brother thrashing around. Charlie took a shower with Nick last night, so Jack had the rare opportunity for a relaxing solo bath. He was thrilled to sit up and play with his toys and thoroughly enjoyed the new vantage point. He was all smiles and looked so grown up sitting in the water splashing and playing.

Freddy the Frog

We found a tree frog outside the windowpane that frames our front door. Charlie was excited to see a frog, and we named him Freddy. The little frog hung out around the front door all day. By the afternoon, I decided to catch Mr. Freddy for Charlie to see up close. I am not a big animal person, so I had no intention of actually touching Freddy. Instead, I scooped him up in a plastic cup and walked him out to our deck. Charlie was thrilled to see Freddy jump out of the cup and all around our deck. He was so cute talking to Freddy and trying to feed him leaves. I kept telling him that Freddy eats bugs, but Charlie insisted that he was just pretending. After Nick got home from work, he and Charlie walked Freddy down into the wooded area behind our house so that Freddy would be more comfortable.

Puppy

One of Charlie's nicknames is puppy. I have been calling him that since he was an infant. While riding in the car the other day, the following conversation took place:

Me - "Puppy, look at the man mowing the lawn."

C - "Where's a puppy?"

Me - "There's no puppy. You are my puppy."

C - "Nooo, Mommy! I not a puppy. Samson a puppy, and Blackie Dog a puppy. Carlie not a puppy."

Silly me! I think I might need to find a new nickname for the little guy so that he does not think his momma is crazy.

***Carlie was not a typo BTW. Little man does not pronounce the "Ch" sound very well, so it come out more like Carlie. He also refers to himself in the third person very often.***

Party at the Splash Pad

Charlie and I went to our friend Brock's 4th birthday party this weekend. The festivities were held at Riverside Park's Splash Pad. Charlie was slow to warm up, but he eventually got in on all of the water fun. He enjoyed himself so much towards the end that I could not get him to leave. I had to start walking away from him in order to get him to follow me.

The rest of the party was great, too. Jenny, Brock's mom, is pretty much my party-planning idol. She always goes all out for her kiddos' birthdays, and this party was no exception. The fish theme was evident everywhere you turned from the table clothes, centerpieces, and the handmade soaps and cookies given out as favors. The cake was Charlie's absolute favorite. Not only was it beautiful, it was also very yummy.

Jack is 7 Months Old

Our baby boy is 7 months today. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I just posted his 6 month update a week ago, but I only posted about his accomplishments up to that point. So sit back, relax, and get ready to hear all about how much this little man has done this month.

We have added a new nickname to the list for Jack - wiggleworm. He has become so mobile and is slowly making headway towards becoming a crawler. He can turn around in circles on his belly, and will roll over and over to get somewhere. When on his belly, he also lifts his little bottom in the air and propels forward using his legs. He does not go far and gets terribly frustrated, but I know that he will be moving and shaking soon enough. Oh my, what will life be like with two bambinos on the move?!?! Not only is he making progress towards crawling, he is also just getting so strong. He bucks and squirms so much that it is hard to keep a hold on him at times.

Jack continues to be a loud mouth and is beginning to form definite syllable patterns when he is babbling. Today I heard da-da-da many times. Dada was Charlie's first word, so I will be interested to see if Jack will honor his Daddy in the same way. Nothing against Nick, but I would not mind hearing some ma-ma-ma's soon.

This month we started solid foods and are building up to three meals a day. Jack loves his solids as did his brother. I would imagine that after 6 months of the same meal, anything different would be a welcome change. He prefers vegetables over fruits, and his two favorites are squash and carrots.

The introduction of solid foods has helped greatly with sleep. Now that his tummy is full, Jack is sleeping much better at night and during the day. He still gets up once a night to nurse, but that is fine by me. Actually, I enjoy our nightly cuddle sessions. Now that he is older, nursing during the day is like trying to hog tie a pig. He is just so easily distracted, that it is rarely relaxing like it was when he was a little baby. Our time at night is really the only opportunity I get to really snuggle with Jack anymore. I truly cherish my 5 am wake up calls for that very reason.

Happy Birthday, Cayla Belle!

Our friend Caitlin's daughter celebrated her first birthday last weekend. Cayla Belle is one of the most beautiful baby girls I have ever seen, and she has the sweetest disposition. We were happy to be with her on her special day. We also enjoyed spending time with our close friends.

Wiggle It

Mimi and I took Charlie to see The Wiggles in concert last weekend. Charlie loves them and was so excited about going. In fact, we did not mention that we were going until the car ride over to Gwinnett Center. We knew that it was all we would hear about. He was so curious about where The Wiggles were and when we would see them.

Once the concert started, all of the excitement dissipated. I think it was just too loud for Charlie. He just sat back expressionless and would not leave Mimi's lap. As I scanned the crowd, there were children dancing in the aisles and crying in their parents' arms. Charlie's reaction was definitely something in between. I have not written off concerts all together, but I think we will probably wait another year before we try again.

My mom and I enjoyed the concert. The music was great, and the stunts where really impressive. The absolute best part of the concert was watching a little boy in the front row. He must be their number one fan. He knew the moves to all of the dances, had signs and gifts for the characters, and was dressed up as a mini-Wiggle. He was so into the concert that his enthusiasm was contagious. When he walked into the ladies' room with his mom after the concert, I almost felt like I should ask for his autograph.

Matchy Matchy

If I had a girl, she would be in dresses every day, donning bows the size of her head, and have monogrammed everything. Since I don't have a little girl the dress up, I get my kicks dressing my two handsome boys in matching pajamas.

I am a person who loves pajamas. When I was working, the best part of coming home was getting into my comfy pajamas. On the weekends, I have no problem staying in my pajamas all day if I don't plan on going out. This past winter, while preggers, Charlie spent many days in his pajamas, and after Jack was born he spent even more time in his pjs.

We may not spend as much time in our pajamas these days, but I am loving the fact that Jack is old enough tho wear the same type of pajamas as Charlie. I bought this pair of pajamas on a whim and spent entirely too much money, but my goodness! It just does NOT get any cuter!

Brotherly Love and a Ball Popper

I am not going to lie, life with two children has rocked my world. It has been an adjustment to say the least, and the boys and I are learning as we go. Despite our struggles, there are moments like the other day that make it all worthwhile.

As I washed my hands in the kitchen, I looked over to see Charlie bringing our ball popper over the where Jack was sitting. My first instinct was to call out to Charlie and tell him to be careful, but I had a feeling he wanted to play with Jack. Sure enough, he started showing Jack the popper and talking to him in the sweetest manner. Jack was thrilled to have Charlie's attention, and I could tell that Charlie liked showing Jack ho to do something and playing the role of big bro. Of course, I grabbed the camera quickly to document this amazing moment.

Their play did not last longer than five minutes, but it was a beautiful thing. I have day dreamed about moments like this, and I know that it is only the beginning. My hope is that these boys will be the best play pals some day soon.

What's My Name?

For the longest time, Charlie has called me Momma. Recently, that has all changed. Now I get called everything from Mommy to Mom, and occasionally he says momma with a bit of British accent. He even called me Mother the other day. What a little goober!

A little over a year ago, I was just praying to hear the word momma roll off of his little lips for the first time. Now I hear many versions of momma about a thousand times a day. No matter which name he calls me, I am just thankful that I am his one and only mom.

The above picture has little to do with the subject of this post, but I just love his beautiful face.

AG and Amanda Tie the Knot

Our dear friend Anthony got married to Amanda on July 10th in Roswell. AG, as we lovingly call him, and Nick have known each other since childhood. I met him as a Freshman at UGA. Nick and I were honored to have Anthony serve as one of the groomsmen in our wedding, and Nick was happy to return the favor last month.

The wedding ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was wonderful...great friends, good food, and lots of dancing. It was two nights in a row celebrating with some of our favorite people. We wish Anthony and Amanda all the best as they start their life together!

Pooh and the Girls

Pooh and her girls, Alex and Sidney, were here for a month. Unfortunately, it was right in the middle of the germ fest at our house. We did not get to see them as much as we would have liked, but we sure did have fun every time we could get together. The ladies all came over to play on their last day in town, and it was so nice having everyone together. Lisa and I marveled at the fact that we were sitting around watching our four babies playing together. We have certainly come a long way from our days in the dorm.

I had visions of taking a picture with all four kiddos, but it never happened. Someone was always taking a nap, eating, or just not in the mood for a picture. Here are some of the cute pictures that I did manage to get. How beautiful are these children!?!?

6 Months Old

Jack turned 6 months on July 22nd, and yes, I am three weeks late posting about it. Life was crazy around here for a while, and something had to give. I love blogging about our family life, but it takes time and brain power...both of which I have not had a lot of lately. Things are much calmer now, so I am going to try to back-blog about what we have been up to this past month. I figured the best place to start catching up was with our little man's big accomplishments.


This month brought a lot of changes and growth for Jackson. He finally rolled over from his back to his stomach, started sitting on his own, and his fine motor skills really improved. Jack reaches out to grab everything and wants exactly what we have. This kid is strong, and he will twist and turn to try to get where he wants to go. It seems like he just wants to get up and go. He enjoys sitting up and playing with his toys and will play on his own for long periods of time. His exersaucer is his favorite toy, and he loves to spin around and around visiting with all of his toys. All toys and objects go straight to his mouth, and I am shocked that he has yet to cut any more teeth since 4 months.


We had a GI appointment on the 21st, so I got all of Jack's stats. That was nice, because some how I manged to forget to make his 6-month well check visit with our pediatrician. Little man weighed in at 16 pounds, 3 ounces and was 26.5 inches long. His weight went down a little, but it could be due to the fact that I held off on solids until 6 months. We have since started solids, and this baby likes to eat and eat and eat.


Most of the month of July, Jack was sick. He had a bad cold that made him miserable with congestion and coughing. He then got and ear infection to add to the misery. To top things off, the 10 day antibiotic course for the ear infection tore his little tummy to shreds. During this time, Jack moved into our bed at night, and Nick moved out. There was very little sleep to be had by all, and it was just rough. All is well now, but Jack has totally regressed with sleep. He no longer falls asleep on his own, wakes up multiple times at night, and will not nap...sigh. I am trying to remind myself that he won't be doing this forever and that it will get better in time. I just miss my sleep and feeling like a functioning human being.


Now that he is feeling better, Jack is back to being his happy little self. He still loves Charlie and Samson and would watch them forever. His laugh is infectious, and I can't resist tickling him just to hear the squeals of laughter. We think he is trying to compete with Charlie for the loudest child award. He can be heard throughout the house when he is babbling. It is fun talking to him, because he definitely talks back and tries to mimic the sounds that we make.

Even though it was a rough month for health and sleep, it really was a month of enormous growth for Jack. He seems much less like a little baby and more like a big boy. We are so proud of all that he has accomplished in the last six months and love him more and more every day.