James: Two Months!

The second month with our sweet James has been a month of learning: learning his temperament and personality, learning what he likes/ dislikes, learning his schedule and learning to fall completely in love this this little boy. The month started off a little rocky with a cold. We have had a slight cold circling around our family for a couple of weeks. James seemed to have two rounds of it and seemed just a tad more fussy than usual. We also started off the month with a growth spurt (at least I think). He was wanting to eat more frequently and closer together and even had a couple of nights of waking up every 2 1/2-3 hours (which means like an hour of sleep for mom) which was not fun at all. Thankfully, toward the end of the month, we started to get in a rhythm are are doing quite well. During the day, James eats, has play/active time where he likes to be talked to, interact with his big brother and be included in our activities. If I leave him alone for too long, he starts complaining and get super happy and smiley when I include him in the action. He then naps and then starts the whole cycle over again. James is becoming more active during the day and more interactive with other people. He will smile when he is smiled at and will 'talk' to you. He loves the word 'Ah-goo' and will say it back to you. Hearing those little baby coos and smiles melts my heart every time.

We were very blessed and had help from family members for the first month! I was kind of terrified being left alone all day long with two kids under two. Not that we don't have some not-so-good days, but I would say that we are doing pretty well. It took me a week or two to get into the swing of things, but now I would say we have a good routine going on. I have yet to go out in public alone with both boys, but hey I will get there someday. Baby steps ;)

Going from one kid to two kids is not double the work, it is like quadruple the work! It seriously feels like I am going non-stop all day long, bouncing back from one kid to the other. And I know everyone says that newborns are such hard work, but I really feel like the newborn is the easy one and the toddler is the hard work! Besides having to feed a little one pretty frequently, he is easy and will just lay back and chill and watch us, or is sleeping. Now, I did pray for a very easy and happy baby and I am so thankful that the Lord has answered that prayer! It is so fun to see my two boys interact with each other and I am excited to see their relationship grow and develop as James gets older. Zach is already trying to include him in so much stuff (trying to have him sip out of his cup, offering him food to eat, giving him a crayon so he can color and giving him the toys he is playing with). I think they are going to be great friends and will have some pretty crazy memories together as they grow up! 

Eating
James is still strictly breastfed and nurses every 2 1/2-3 hours. He does not go any longer than 3 hours during the day. At night, he has started to stretch out his feedings and can go a good 7-9 hours, then usually every three hours after that. He hit a growth spurt earlier this month and was eating more frequently.

Sleep
At this moment in time, which can change at any minute, James seems to be a better sleeper than his big brother was. I prayed for a good sleeper because honestly, I feel like sleep has been my biggest struggle with Zach. I have been working on starting good sleeping habits with James from early on. I think part of our problem with Zach was that he had such bad habits for such a long time and it was hard to break.
 
During the day, James naps after his eating and active time. Napping is still an experimental project right now. At the beginning of the month, James really liked to nap in his swing and would fall asleep pretty quickly and would sleep on average 45 minutes to 2 hours. I am really not wanting to form any bad sleeping habits. Toward the end of the month, I have been working on having him nap in his "crib" (aka pack n' play). Having him sleep in there has been a hit and miss with the length of the nap. I notice when he starts giving me his sleeping cues, hold him for a few minutes then set him down in the crib. If he wakes up, I usually pat his chest for a few seconds until he falls back asleep. We have had a good week or so of him napping in the crib (yay us!) Most of the time he naps 30-45 minutes but has gone a few times for over an hour and I have had to wake him up to eat. Although he does nap longer in the swing, I want to instill good sleeping habits early on and have sacrificed quantity of sleep over quality. James is still sleeping in our room at night because his big brother is still in the crib. We did move him from the rock n' play sleeper to the pack n' play. I did not want him to get used to sleeping in the rock n' play and thought the pack n' play was more like an actual crib. I wanted him to get used to sleeping in a larger/flat space. I am still experimenting with his bedtime. At the beginning of the month, he was awake more in the evening and have his last feeding between 10:00 and 11:00. Toward the end of the month, he has been going to sleep between 8:00 and 9:00. I was doing some 'dream nursing' with him, but he didn't really seem to eat that much and didn't make much of a difference. At the beginning of the month, he was still waking up every 3-4 hours at night. There were some nights where he was even waking up every 2 hours. It was brutal. Thankfully, the last couple weeks, he has been going 7-9 hour stretches of sleeping at night. He still loves to be swaddled to sleep. It appears that he does not like his pacifier too much so we have stopped giving it to him. Honestly, we are completely fine if he never has one (although much to his brother's disappointment). His older brother LOVES his pacis and is starting to be weaned off of them. We are fine if James never has this habit, thus never having to break him of them. 

Play
James's play time is right after he eats. He is very alert and active. He loves being talked to and will talk back to you. It is the. cutest. thing. ever! He is so smiley and happy. It just melts my heart. Not that I am biased, but I do think I am his favorite person right now ;) (Don't worry- Zach has totally switched to having Daddy be his favorite person!) I feel like I could just sit and talk to James all day and not get tired of his smile or the little noises he makes trying to talk to me. He enjoys laying on the ground, kicking his legs and flailing his arms. Zach likes to lie down next to him and hold his hand. If we are busy in the kitchen, James likes to sit in his bouncer and be involved in watching our activities. He also enjoys his play mat and staring that the animals hanging down, or looking at himself in the mirror. I have definitely started to be more disciplined with tummy time. I have been doing it, but not super long, although he gets other forms of tummy time with either the football hold, or being held against my chest. The doctor said he should be getting 30 minutes a day, so I have definitely been trying to do that by breaking it up in chunks. Not going to lie, tummy time is harder to get in with two kids for some reason. The practice is helping though because James is holding his head up for longer periods of time and is switching looking at different sides with more ease now.  

Likes: eating, being around people, baths, being naked, being swaddled, being talked to/ smiled at, the word 'ah-goo', mom

Dislikes: waiting to eat, drying off after a bath, pacifiers, being in car seat when the car is not moving, tummy time

Size
Weight: 12 lbs. 12.5 oz. (84th percentile)
Height: 23 inches (66th percentile)
Diapers: Size 1
Clothing: 0-3/ 3 month
Nicknames: Jamesy, Jamesy Boy, Little Baby

Milestones:
Dedicated at Church: 2.8.15
Mom's first solo day alone at home with two boys: 2.10.15
Smiling: 2.14.15
Transitioned to pack n' play for sleeping at night: 2.18.15

A Note from Mom
James, you have grown so much this past month. I know that I am probably going to be saying this every month, but this past month you moved from being a newborn to an infant. It is so crazy how much you can grow and change is just a short amount of time. You are such a sweet little boy. I love your smiles, your coos and your talking. One of my favorite things is when you are eating and you stop just to smile at me and talk to me. I was a little afraid as to how our family dynamic would change with another kid, but the addition of you has made our family 100 times better. I love being a mommy to the two most precious and sweet boys. Zach loves being your older brother and can't get enough of you. Your daddy treasures the time that he gets to spend with you either in the mornings or evenings. You have brought more love and joy into our lives and have made our family so much more awesome. I thank the Lord for you everyday because you truly are a gift from Him!  

Two Month Pictures

**James's hair has a slight red tint to it in some lights, including some of these pictures. We are waiting to see if he is going to take after his daddy and be a redhead or stay brunette. We shall see!**

James: One Month!

 

The first month with James and as a family of four and mother of two has definitely had its ups and downs. The first week in particular was a little rough. Our little guy had not pooped since the day he left the hospital and this caused some unnecessary concern with the pediatrician and led me on a roller coaster of emotions. I was all concerned that something was wrong and it made me lose confidence in myself as a mother. Needless to say, after taking James to this pediatrician 3 times, we have now found a new pediatrician. I did not have a problem with this doctor with Zach, since we came to him when Zach was 9 months old. But seeing how this office handles newborn care, no thanks, see ya.

After the rocky first two weeks, things got a lot better. Our little man still does not like to poop that often. He will go a week or longer without having a BM! Zach was the same way when he was younger, so it must be something with my kiddos! James is a very happy and content baby. He really only fusses when he is hungry. Boy, when this boy wants to eat, nothing can stand in his way! He will also do a little whine to let us know that he is tired and will go to sleep. Besides that, he really does not complain that much, unless he wants a little attention or a change in scenery.

Zach has adjusted to the role of big brother with so much enthusiasm and joy. He loves to go up to James and say, "Hi baby. Hi baby" and kiss him many times. If James is lying on the floor, he likes to lie down next to him, talk to him and hold his hand. He gets excited if I suggest him reading a book to James and will run and get him a book. He also loves to share all his toys with James and I will find various toys stuffed in James' blanket or lying on top of him. He is such a sweet and kind big brother. Sometimes Zach is a little too eager and is still learning the word  'gentle.' James has received a few minor battle scars as a result of his brother being a little too loving. I think James is going to grow up to be a tough kid with having his brother around.

James is definitely starting to lose the newborn appearance and look more like an infant. He is filling out his clothes more and I even see some rolls beginning to form on his thighs. He is also getting to be more alert and active. He likes to lay on his back and kick his legs. He can track objects and noises. He will lovingly look back at you when you are talking or singing to him. He has even started to say "Ah goo" and  have some social smiles here and there. He really is a sweet and precious little boy. 

Eating
James is strictly nursing (besides the 3 bottles of formula I gave him in the hospital because they would not discharge us unless he had a wet diaper and the 2 days that I used formula to top him off during his first week to get him to poop). He nurses approximately 8 times a day. During the day he nurses every 3 hours, unless he asks for it sooner. He tends to be more hungry in the evening and will sometimes eat every 2 hours. At nighttime, he goes anywhere from 3-4 hours between eating. He definitely knows when he is hungry and there is no fooling him when myself of others are trying to stall him.

Sleep
James still sleeps a great deal during the day, although is getting longer stretches of being awake. He is most awake in the evening (which is also when I felt him kicking the most in the womb). After his big brother goes to sleep, it is his awake time, which is kind of nice because it allows for dad and mom to have some one-on-one time with him. He usually has his last feeding between 10:00-11:00 and will go to sleep (if he's not already asleep by that point). He usually wakes up to eat at 3:30 and then again between 6:30-7:00. He goes right back to sleep after eating in the middle of the night. There have been one or two nights where he has been awake, but I still put him down and he just is content looking around for a bit before falling asleep. Right now, he likes to be swaddled, held and sometimes rocked to sleep. Since he is a newborn, I am taking all the baby snuggles I can get, but soon I will start to lay him in his crib for naps. I don't want any bad habits forming, like what happened to his brother, and making napping and sleeping extremely difficult. He does like his pacifier to sleep, although doesn't seem as attached to it as Zach. He is still sleeping in the Rock N' Play sleeper in our room. Big brother is still occupying the crib. We are starting to make a plan for when to move big brother out and the little peanut into the crib. 

Play
James enjoys laying on his back and kicking and looking around. He enjoys the occasional rattle or toy being shown to him or placed next to him to look at. He likes being included and having people around. If I have him in his bouncer in the other room he may fuss, but if I bring him into the kitchen where I am preparing dinner with Zach, he is happy and content watching us. I think I will bring out the play mat soon and let him explore that. 

Likes: Eating, sleeping, mom, having a change in scenery/ view, our headboard, picture frames, the 'football' hold

Dislikes: Being hungry, pooping

Size
**We have been having some trouble adding James onto our insurance. Thanks to Obamacare, we have had to jump through several hoops. As a result, I had to cancel James' one month appointment so I do not have any stats. Hopefully the insurance will get worked out this week and he will go to the doctor within the next couple of days.

Weight:
Height:
Diapers: Size 1
Clothing: 0-3/ 3 months
Nicknames: Jamesy, Jamesy Boy, Little Buddy
 
Milestones
Lost umbilical cord: 6 days
Pooped [this is a big deal with all the stress that we were over during his first week]: 16 days
Started social smile: 3 weeks
Saying Ah-goo: 3.5 weeks

A Note from Mom
Little James, you are such a sweet little boy. Honestly, before you were born, one of my biggest fears was that I would not be able to love you as much as I love Zach or that you wouldn't be as cute as him. I hated having those fears and didn't want to compare the two of you. Everyone kept telling me that your love just multiplies and that I would love you as much, and they were right. The second you were born and placed in my arms, all those fears disappeared and I haven't thought of them since. I loved you so much from your first breathe of life. And you are just as cute as your big brother. I may be biased, but I think you two are the two cutest little boys I have ever seen.

You are such a precious and sweet little boy. So far, you are very easy and chill. After I am doing feeding you, you are fine just lying down or being in your bouncer and watching your big brother and I play. Your big brother loves to include you in our play. I look forward to the day (as I'm sure Zach is too) of when you two can actually play and interact with each other.

You have brought to much joy and love into our lives. We are so thankful that you are here and a part of our family. We love you, sweet Jamesy Boy!

One Month Pictures

 

21 months old

Our sweet little boy is 21 months old! He is quickly approaching 2 years old which is so hard to believe. He is at a fun age where he is such a little sponge and is soaking up so much information all the time. He is also at a trying age. We are learning that our little boy has quite the strong will and some anger issues at times and is very persistent. We are working on having him obey his parents and saying yes.

He became a big brother at 20 1/2 months and LOVES it! Any time I have his little brother on the floor, he goes over, lays next to him and holds his hand. He gives James at least 30 kisses a day and loves to get right in his face and say, "Hi baby!" He is such a sweet big brother, and it just shows what a sweet boy he already was. 

Eating
Zach goes through spurts of being a really good eater and a really picky eater. He always seems to be interested in whatever we are eating or drinking, so we try to be very careful of what we are consuming around him. He usually only gets water or milk to drink, but there have been some occasions where we have mixed in a little bit of juice with his water or chocolate milk with his milk. He still has never had a sip of soda and we are keeping it that way for a while. He loves his carbs (bread, pasta) and fruits (favorites: watermelon, pineapple, oranges/clementines, grapes, apples, applesauce). He is really picky with proteins. The only consistent protein I can get him to eat are Hebrew National hot dogs. Occasionally he will eat ground beef if it is mixed in with pasta. He does not like chicken or any other form of meat that is just offered to him in pieces. Thankfully he has started liking peanut butter and will eat it on apples or bread, or even by the spoonful. He also enjoys cheese. He has become a little sweet-toothed baby and loves lollipops, cupcakes, cookies and his favorite Joe-Joe's (Trader Joe's version of Oreos). He will ask for Joe Joe's all the time and one time Justin told him they were going to the store and he said, "Buy Joe Joe's!" We try to limit how many sweets he eats, but we do let him indulge in a little from time to time.  

Sleep
Oh, sleep. I think I need to just accept the fact that I have an extremely. early. riser. and that might not change. Ever. Zach did have some good chunks of time of sleeping through the night and waking up at 7:00/7:30 in the morning. It was so luxurious. For the past month or so, he has been waking up at 4:00 in the morning and not going back to sleep on his own. He will then proceed to still wake up at 5:30/6:00 in the morning. Because he wakes up so early, his nap time and bed time have been experimental lately. Usually he goes down for a nap at 1:00 and will sleep at good 2-2 1/2 hours. However, he has been getting tired (and cranky) earlier so we have put him down at 11:00. It goes day by day to see what time he wakes up and what his mood is like. He usually goes to bed at 8:00, but with his earlier naps, we have been having some meltdowns around dinner time, so we are also experimenting with his bed time. Some nights he goes down at 7:00 or 7:30. I am trying to find something more consistent to see what works best for him. He has climbed out of his crib a couple of times. With his little brother now here, Zach's transition to a big boy bed will happen in the next month or so.  

Play
Our little boy is a non-stop moving machine. He is constantly on the go. He loves to have someone to play with and is not independent at all. If he wants you to play with him, he will come over, grab your hand, say, "hand" and will lead you over the activity that he wants to do. Or he will come over and say, "Up, please" and expects you to follow him. I am trying to encourage more independent play, especially now with a newborn in the house. He loves trains and got a train table for Christmas. It has been a wonderful investment and has provided many hours of entertainment already. He is very well-rounded in his play and enjoys many activities. He likes arts and crafts like playing with play doh, painting, watercolors, drawing, and shaving cream. He enjoys lots of different sports: hitting his baseball off the t, playing basketball, kicking a ball and playing catch. He has also learned how to catch a ball. He loves going down his slide that his Aunt Jen got him. He likes to roll trains and other stuffed animals down the slide or slide down into his tent/ ball pit. He is also very musical and likes to drum on his drum set, play his guitar and xylophone. He likes to sing and dance. He has a Go Fish Guys DVD and will sing along and mimic the dance moves as he watches it. He also loves playing outside, going to the play ground and going to Catch Air (indoor play place). He also loves to help out in the kitchen and will want to help me cook dinner or bake.

 Zach's favorite place to go and play is Catch Air. An indoor play place with slides, ball pits, jungle gyms, etc. In the morning if you ask him what he wants to do or where he wants to go and will always answer, "Catch Air!"

Dad has officially become his primary love object. He is always asking for Dada and wants dada to do everything with him. It does break my heart a little bit, but I suppose it transitioned at the perfect time with me being so occupied taking care of his little brother. If I had to lose my title to anyone, I'm happy that it is his dad. 

Favorites
Food: Joe Joe's
Book: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" "How do Dinosaurs say Good-Night?" "Little Blue Truck" "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed"
TV show: Chuggington, The Hive, Baby Einstein, Go Fish Guys DVD
Song: "This Little Light of Mine" "Touch your Finger to your Nose" "Stay"-Taylor Swift (sorry dad!)
Word: "Up, please" 
Place: Catch Air
Pacifiers- We have to hide them during the day.
His brother 

Speech
Zach continues to grow and grow in his speech. He consistently says 2-3 word sentences. He has some good manners in terms of using the word "please." Although he thinks that if he says please he will get whatever he is asking for. Just recently he has started to pick up the word, "thank you," although I have been working on it for months. He can pretty clearly communicate what he wants or his able to show us/point to it. He has also become very vocal in what he doesn't want, saying "no." That has made meal times a little more difficult if we ask him if he wants to eat this and his response is "no" every time. 

Size
Weight: 30 lbs. (Estimate- have not been to the doctor)
Height: 28 inches (Estimate- have not been to the doctor)
Diapers: Size 4
Shoes: Size 6/7
Clothing: 2T pajamas although those are getting very tight, 2T shirts, 18-24 month/ 2T bottoms 

Milestones
Catch a ball
Sing along with songs
Use a fork and spoon to eat
Climbed out of crib a couple of times (big boy bed is just around the corner)
Car seat forward facing (20 months)
Became a big brother: 1.3.15

Happy Birthday James!

I know some of you enjoy a good birth story and I this second time around was such a different experience than my first that I would like to remember it and have it written down.

The weeks leading up to James's birth, I was dreading going into labor. Absolutely dreading. I wanted to skip over the whole labor and delivery thing and just hold my baby in my hands. With Zach, I was so impatient for him to come out that I was upset every night when he didn't come. With James, I was completely ok with the fact that he hadn't arrived yet. The first time around is better in that you have no idea what is going to hit you, and the second time around, you know exactly what you are getting into, and I was not fully prepared for that yet.

I was really hoping for a January baby. I wanted him to have a different birth month from Christmas and have a little separation from all the craziness that is in December. I had my 38 week appointment on Christmas Eve. At that exam, I found out that I was already dilated 3 cm and 80% effaced. My midwife told me that I was very 'ripe' and that I could really deliver any day and that she did not think I would make it to my next appointment. Hmmmm... sounds familiar to my first time around. We were planning on driving up to Asheville, NC that day to celebrate Christmas with my family. I went home and talked it over with Justin and we decided to risk it and drive 3 hours. We had the infant car seat and hospital bags packed just in case anything happened. If all else failed, we would just have another Asheville baby ;) We made it through Christmas, thankfully, and after that I felt much more ready for the baby to come.

My next appointment was on New Year's Eve. I was still dilated the same amount and my midwife told me that it was mainly just mentally now, when I was ready to have this baby. Although I agree with that a little, it was also in the Lord's hands of when our little guy was going to come. Justin thought it would be cool to have a NYE baby, but I was still hoping for January.

On Friday, January 2nd, I was awoken at 3:00am by a crying toddler. Zach has been waking up in the middle of the night for the past week or so (growth spurt, maybe?) When I was awake I noticed that I was having some light pains and contractions. I started timing them and keeping track. They were about 8-10 minutes apart, but not very strong at all. I woke Justin up at 5:00 to give him a heads up. I also texted my sister (babysitter for firstborn) to give her a heads up as well. Justin got me a bowl of cereal and what do you know, my contractions stopped! I went back to sleep, disappointed that I wasn't actually in labor. I had reached a point where I wanted out little boy to be born because my sisters were down south from college and they were set to go back up north on Tuesday, along with my parents. I wanted them to meet the baby and for them all to come to the hospital.

On Saturday, January 3rd (my due date!), Justin encouraged me to have a fun girly day with my sisters since my little sister, Stephanie was leaving that day. Stephanie came into town for a few days to stay with us and help out with Zach. She was a huge help, playing with our little guy and giving me some rest. I went out to lunch with Jen and Steph, we got a pedicure, went to Babies R Us and shoe shopping. After lunch I started feeling a lot of pressure and my stomach kept getting very hard. No pain, just lots of pressure. It wasn't until we were at the shoe store that I started feeling uncomfortable. We drove home and met my parents who were there to pick up Steph. We were all inside just talking and hanging out. At one point I was playing with Zach at his train table and I got a pain and couldn't stand up. Cue the start of labor. I went upstairs to use the bathroom and I got another pain. Hello- contractions had started at 4:45/5:00ish. The contractions were painful and strong from the beginning. They were the intensity of when I called the doctor when I was in labor with Zach. I felt so unprepared mentally. I kept thinking, "My goodness. If they are this strong right now, I don't know how I'm going to make it through this." I lied down on the bed, not telling anyone what was going on, and started breathing through contractions and timing. Justin came up to check on me, and I told him that I was having painful contractions and they were already 4 minutes apart. We both started getting ready for the hospital, him running all over the house and me packing up the remainder of my bag in between contractions. I went downstairs, gave my little boy a big hug and cried because I knew that pretty soon our lives were going to completely change again. We left for the hospital at 5:45, with my contractions being 3-4 minutes apart already.

Once we were at the hospital, my midwife came and checked me. I was 7 cm with my bag of waters still in tact. She told Justin he better move the car now because things would start moving quickly. I was set up on the monitor at 6:30, the time I arrived in the labor and delivery room. The next hour and a half was spent having contractions that were 2 minutes apart. I really didn't think that I had the mental and physical capacity to deliver another baby naturally without any drugs. But, when I heard 7cm and knew that was transition and the hardest part, I put up the fight. I worked hard to use my relaxation techniques and had my awesome husband there to encourage me the whole way. Some thoughts that went through my mind during contractions: Focus on this contraction, take them one at a time, if my mom did this 9 times I can do it again, I had my first baby naturally I can do it again, and why did I pray to go into labor today?!?  I had really bad back pain with each contraction, which is something I didn't have during my first delivery. Justin's main job was to rub my back almost the entire time.

At about 7:45 my midwife came in and said I was now 9 cm. She asked me if I wanted my water broken and that doing that would intensify and speed things up. I said yes. She broke my water and asked me if I had any urges to push. I told her no and how I was afraid for the pushing part because I thought I did it so bad during my first labor. She told me not to worry about it and that when the time came I would know and she would help me through it. Not even a minute or so after I told her I didn't know how to push, I had a big desire to push. It all happened so quickly. His head was right there and was already making its way out. The midwife quickly called for nurses to come into the room. It was literally like 3 extremely painful pushes with some screaming involved and asking Jesus for help and our little man was out!

James Michael Powlison was born at 7:59 pm.

They brought James up to me right away. The midwife handed Justin scissors for the cutting of the umbilical cord. Justin and already made the decision that he was not going to cut it, after his first experience, but he went ahead and did it again! James wasn't crying as much as they were wanting him to, so they took him to see if they could make him cry some more. They said that since he was born so quickly, he was probably still in shock. After they determined that he was good and making enough noise and breathing well, they started to examine him. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of him getting weighed for the first time because Justin was on the verge of passing out himself. After cutting the umbilical cord, Justin got really light headed and had to sit down and have the nurses bring him juice ;)

I am so thankful to the Lord for answering so many prayers regarding this delivery. I prayed that Justin would be home and he was. Thankfully he was and that I had family in the house with me, because if we had to wait for someone to come over and watch Zach, we might not have made it to the hospital. I prayed that there would be no traffic driving to the hospital. Atlanta traffic is terrible and I did not want to be stuck in the car any longer than I had to be. Since James was born on a Saturday, there was no traffic. I prayed that I would get a midwife that I liked and knew. I got the midwife I just had my last appointment. (Side note: we are pretty sure it is the same midwife who delivered my two nieces!) I prayed for a drug-free delivery and I was able to do it all naturally. I prayed that it would be a fast labor. I would call 3 hours total pretty fast! And I prayed that the baby and myself would be healthy and we both were.

Thank you Lord for our sweet little boy. 

18 months!

**This post is SUPER OLD! :( I had it written when Zach was actually 18 months old and was just waiting to take pictures, but never got around to taking pictures :( Since I put so much effort into writing it, I figured I might as well post it! 

18 months. 1 1/2 years old. My little baby is becoming more of a little boy with each passing day. Although I think I will always view him as my baby. It is crazy to think that the next time I write a monthly update for him (21 months) he will be a big brother! It was also his last well-check up at the pediatrician as an only child.

Eating
Zach is still a pretty good eater although has gotten a lot more pickier in the protein department. His favorite protein of choice these days are Hebrew National hotdogs. Not my number one choice, but if it gives him his protein, then so be it. I think it just shows how he is such a boy and likes things such as hot dogs.... like his daddy. One area that he takes after his mom is not wanting to eat the same food over and over again. I personally can only have leftovers for about two days and am sick of them. Well, I think Zach takes after me. He will gobble down something I make, I will get excited that he ate it so well that I will offer it to him over and over again, only to have him reject it. He is becoming quite skillful with using utensils. He loves to say 'spoon' when he sees applesauce or yogurt come out. A new favorite is the fork. If there is a food that he is not eating or trying, all I have to do is put it on a fork and he will eat it! I usually offer him a fork at each meal, which he is becoming quite good at poking up his own food with. He still uses his fingers when he realizes that they are a faster way of getting food to his mouth than getting it with the fork. He has also taken an interest in napkins and sometimes wants his own napkin to wipe his mouth.

His favorite foods are still fruits and vegetables, although he seems to be burnt out on bananas and blueberries. He loves grapes, apples, oranges, clementines, watermelon, strawberries, squash, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, corn (especially on the cob). I have managed to get him to eat a few bites of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (when served on a fork) and scrambled eggs once (that were dipped in ketchup). He has finally turned to liking potatoes although eggs and peanut butter are still struggling in that battle.

Sleep
Oh, we are back at the sleep struggle once again. At his 15 months, I wrote how he was sleeping beautifully. Well, that lasted for about 2 weeks. At 15 months, we went on vacation and the traveling, combined with a double ear infection and teething with molars led to bad sleeping and we are still trying to recover. After many failed 2 naps a day (he would take a morning nap and just play during his afternoon nap) I decided to transfer him to one nap a day at 16 months. It worked out fine for a bit. He would go down for a nap at 1:00ish and sleep for about 2 hours, staying in his crib for 2 1/2-3 hours. However, if we were ever in the car for a morning adventure, he would fall asleep in the car and not take a nap later, or fall asleep, wake up and not go back to sleep. He has also been waking up super early in the morning, 5:30-6:00 am. It is really hard for him to make it until 1:00 when he wakes up that early. I have been doing some experimenting, but we still haven't found a schedule that works.

He goes to bed at 8:00 and sleeps until usually 6:00. Yep, he is a super early riser. Every night I pray that he will sleep in late and I always seem disappointed when I hear the monitor go off at 6:00. My husband keeps telling me that he doesn't understand why I am always so shocked to hear it when this is what our life has been for the past year and a half. I just keep hoping that one day it will be 8:00 and stay 8:00. 

Play
Our active little boy is still as active as ever. When he wakes up at 6:00 and his dad and I try so desperately for him to sleep 15 more minutes, he does not give in and is ready to go. Zach is bouncing around our bed, saying "down" and cannot wait to start the day. His play is very active and on the go. He very rarely will sit down and play for a long period of time. He does enjoy putting stickers in his sticker book and reading books, but will quickly get up to get another book, a stuffed animal or find another toy. Even watching a tv show or a baby einstein video only captures his attention for 15-20 minutes and he is done.

Zach loves to be outside. Thankfully the weather is cooling down and the humidity getting less so we are back to our almost daily walks to the park. In his stroller, as we walk, he will point out dogs, cars, trucks, choo-choos (when hearing a train whistle), po-po's (police cars, although they are not always police cars), and will tell me when his stroller hits a bump. At the park he loves going down the slides, the merry-go-round and other spinning toys and most recently the teeter-totter. He also loves playing with the wood chips. He is a very, very social kid and will always go running up to any kids he sees. Most of the time, other kids ignore him (which breaks my heart!) but he doesn't seem too phased by it. He is becoming very independent at the park and is able to climb the steps and go down slides all by himself. I no longer have to be right behind him on the equipment. I now follow along right next to him on the ground. He also likes to be outside blowing bubbles (actually holding the wand himself and putting it in the bubble solution and trying to blow), sidewalk chalk, picking up rocks, filling up buckets with water. When we take our daily walk to check the mail, he is discovering leaves and throwing acorns and picking up rocks.

In the house he likes to strum his guitar, climb on his truck, grill hamburgers and hot dogs on his grill, throw balls and say, "He shoots, he scores!". He has taken a real interest in flushing the toilet and turning on the water faucet. He usually does these things when I am trying to get ready in the morning. Let's just say that I prefer to get ready alone because it is a lot less stressful ;) Zach has also become very interested in cooking. If he hears me chopping vegetables or cooking, he comes running into the kitchen, wants up and wants to see everything that I am doing. I have even allowed him to help with baking several times. He will help me measure out flour or sugar and will dump it into the bowl, then mix it with the spoon while saying 'mix mix.' While I'm cooking dinner, he likes to go into the pantry and take out every can, box and item that he can find and put it on the floor or 're-organize' the pantry. We have also started doing some art projects together. He can 'color' with a crayon and we have done some painting!

Favorites
Book: Elmer, Pete the Cat, How do Dinosaurs say Good Night, Llama Llama books
Food: Fruits and Veggies
Word: Ta- Da! No (most recently)
TV Show: Baby Einstein, Clifford
Song: The Fruit of the Spirit, Go-Go Joshua, This Little Light of Mine, The Wheels on the Bus

Speech
It seems like everyday Zach is learning more and more new words. Most recently he has learned the word no and is quite vocal with it, although he says it in a very sweet, dismissive voice. Justin likes that he can say no and that it is another way for him to clearly communicate with us. If I say, "Zach would you like a banana?" He will say, "No." But it is sad when you ask him for a hug and a kiss and he says no :( He has also started going up to things that he knows are no's and will continuously say no no no.

He is quite the little copy cat with language as well. He was watching a hockey game and kept hearing, "He shoots, he scores!" He started repeating that, although not really the words, but the syllables with the correct inflections, and throwing his hands up in the air for scores! If he hears someone make a sound, he will repeat it, for example: hmmms, ohh's, etc.

New Words:
Please
Green Bean
Spider Man
Watermelon
Jen
Belly Button
No

Size
Weight:
Height:
Diapers: Size 4
Shoes: Size 6
Clothes: Bottoms 12-18 months, Tops 18-24 months. Sleepers: 24 months (they seem huge!)

 Milestones
13th tooth: 9.12.14
14th tooth: 9.20.14
15th tooth: 9.21.14

-Pick up and eat food with a fork
-Say please when he wants something. Still working on thank you.
-Finally got a bigger convertible car seat, although he is still rear facing.
-Identify body parts: head/hair, ears, eyes, nose, hands, feet, belly button
-When asked to count something, he will point and start tagging the objects and will say 'two' and then other sounds on rhythm. I count along with him while he does the pointing.
-Seems to be able to identify the letters Z and O
-Go to different locations in the house when asked (kitchen, take a bath or brush teeth- go into bathroom, go to the stairs, go to the door when it's time to go outside).
-Say the word no

Introducing....

James Michael Powlison 

January 3, 2015

7:59 pm

8 lbs. 8 oz. 

21 inches long

James: Supplanter

When Justin prayed about what we should name our baby boy and James was given to us, he felt that the Lord was saying that the name James is a gift because it was the name of Jesus' brother. 

Michael: Who is like God?

15 Months!

Zach is actually turning 18 months in a couple of weeks. I did have the post written on time and took pictures on time. But, I got a new camera and couldn't figure out how to transfer the pictures from my camera to my computer until last night. Hence, this post is 2 1/2 months late :/ I still wanted to publish it since I want to share all the things our little boy has been up to.

Zach is at a really fun age! He is super super active and is always on the go. He is communicating more and it is fun to have little conversations and interactions with him and actually know what he is saying.

Eating
Zach has always been a very good eater and loves food. He is always wanting to eat whatever we are eating. If I am eating something, he will come up, point to it, or make the more sign, I will give him a little taste and he will go back to playing, just go come get some more in two minutes. He loves fruits in particular, and cannot get enough grapes, apples, blueberries or oranges. He also loves broccoli, carrots, squash, zucchini and sweet potatoes. He eats his three meals with a morning and afternoon snack, although sometimes he gets smaller snacks in between. He does go in boughts of being a picky eater and it seems like a real struggle to get him to eat anything, especially protein. However, I think I am learning that those sprees happen when he has a change in environment (traveling), not feeling well or teething. He drinks milk at breakfast and dinner with water throughout the day. He does enjoy his occasional sweet, especially on Sunday mornings at Sunday school :) Recently he also really enjoys dipping his food in sauces. If he is being a little picky and not eating something, I will squirt a little condiment sauce on his tray and let him dip away and eat! He likes to say, "Dip, dip" and take a bite.

Foods that Zach does not like, even though I keep trying them out: potatoes of any kind, peanut butter, eggs.

Sleep 
 I am SO thankful that his sleep is at a point that I have always wanted it to be at. He takes two naps a day. The first at 9:00 am, which usually lasts 1 1/2 hours. The second at 2:00 pm and lasts 1- 1 1/2 hours. He can finally go down all by himself in his crib with either no noise or a slight cry. When he wakes up, recently he has been content staying in his room by himself for longer periods of time just making noise or reading a book in his crib. This makes me such a happy mommy, the fact that I have a little break during the day!

Zach goes to bed at 8:00 pm (sometimes earlier if he missed a nap during the day). After our bedtime routine, he goes straight in his crib and lies down. He sleeps all night, waking for the day anytime between 6:00-6:30 am. It is a little too early for me, but I can't complain with him sleeping through the night. He is just an early riser. Although the last couple of days he has slept until 7:00/7:30 and has, has not cried and has been content reading in his bed for 30ish minutes! Recently he has made some noise at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning but has put himself back to sleep. I think he has been waking up because he has been doing some serious teething getting those first molars in. It also seems like he might be starting to move into the direction of one nap a day. I am still testing the waters and doing my 'research' (putting him down for two and seeing how long it takes him to fall asleep and how long he actually does sleep) before I start moving in a specific direction.

This past week when he is ready to get out of his crib, I hear 'Mama' over the monitor. It is so nice to hear instead of the screams or whines that used to happen.

**The week before we had is 15 month check up, we traveled out of town, Zach got sick, has an ear infection in both ears and is teething like crazy with all his first molars. Unfortunately his sleep has been very rough for the past 2 weeks, waking up several times a night, sometimes even coming into our bed and refusing some naps. I am hoping and praying that once he recovers from his sickness his sleep will go back to being the glorious state that it was.

Play
Zach is all boy. He is constantly moving and never seems to sit still. He also goes from one toy to the next within minutes. He loves being outside, running around, pointing out birds and airplanes in the sky, picking grass, and playing on the play ground. One of his favorite activities is the water: splash pads, pool, water park. He is fearless and goes charging through the fountains without even thinking. He doesn't mind getting splashed in the face and will even voluntarily stick his head in the fountain to feel/drink the water. After going to a few water parks, his new favorite activity are slides. He loves going down the water slides and has even done several by himself. He knows how to scoot himself using his feet and hands to get in place and slide down. It is amazing to see how much he has developed and grown the past few months. At the playground, I used to have to help him up the stairs to move from area to area. Now I can stand back a little and he can move around the whole playground by himself, climbing stairs, scooting down the bouncy bridge and going down the slide all by himself.

In the house he likes playing with his sports activity center. He will place any ball on the tee, hold the bat correctly and hit the ball. He has become quite the little slugger and can make that ball fly. He also likes taking the golf club and hitting little balls around the house. He loves his Cozy Coop Truck that he got for his birthday. His favorite thing to do with it, besides being pushed around, is climbing and standing up in the trunk or climbing and lying flat on the top of the truck. Like I said, all boy and almost gives me several heart attacks a day. I like that he likes to explore and is fearless, so I let him do these things, with close supervision. A recent favorite is climbing and sitting on the coffee table and playing with toys on top of it. Since he is sick, we allow him to do it for now, but pretty soon that will not be an acceptable play area. He likes playing with his little train set on the coffee table and will say, "Choo Choo!" Music has always been a favorite of Zach's. He strums his guitar several times a day, plays the xylophone/piano and will bang the drum like there is no tomorrow. When he hears music, he likes to get one of his instruments and does the cutest little dance. He also likes placing and dropping different objects in containers: shapes in his shape sorter, cars in a water bottle or paper towel tube. He has also rediscovered his stacking rings and enjoys putting them on and taking them off.  

Favorites 
Book: Llama Llama books, 'The Foot Book', Slide Garden
Food: Fruits
Word: Mama
TV Show: Curious George

 

 Notice my hand trying to 'catch' him while I snap a picture ;)

Speech  
The doctor said that he is already advanced in his speech by the number of words he can already say. Although he still can't really orally communicate with us, it is amazing that we are starting to skim the surface and understand his wants/needs. If Zach is stuck, he will say "Stuck." When he is done eating, he will say "Done", take off his bib and try to take the tray off of his high chair. He will do the 'More' sign language signal when he wants more or really wants anything. He does that signal a lot in one day.

List of words he can say:
Mama
Dada
Nana
Pa Pa/ Pa (Grandpa)
Dog
Cat
Bird
Down
Stuck
Cheese
Blue (Blueberry)
Nana (Banana)
Dip
Done
Bubble
Pop
Ball
Baseball
Uh-Oh
Bye-Bye
Choo Choo (Train)
Baby
Beep Beep
Po Po (Police- Thanks Aunt Jen!) 

He makes some inflections and motions for phrases:
-Where is it? Noises with those syllables and inflections and holds hands out to side
-Who's there? Holds hand up to ear like holding a phone

Sign Language: More, Milk. 

Animal Sounds: Cow, Elephant, Lion, Gorilla, Snake, Monkey, Shark (Dun Dun- like think Jaws, again thanks Aunt Jen!) 

Size
Weight:23 lbs. 13 oz. [35th percentile]
Height: 33.5 in. [95th percentile]
Diapers: Size 4. After having a handful of wet pj's in the morning, he has moved up a size.
Shoes: Size 5
Clothes: Bottoms 12-18 months, Tops 12-18 months 

Milestones
9th tooth: 6.24.14 [upper right first molar] He may have had it even earlier but I didn't notice until that day.
10th tooth: 6.29.14 [upper left first molar]
11th tooth: 7.17.14 [lower right first molar]
12th tooth: 8.2.14 [lower left first molar]

- Found out he is going to be a BIG BROTHER! [5.11.14]
- Identify people when asked where they are in a room
- Lower himself backwards from the couch, chair or bed
- Spin
- Give kisses with a cute little smack 
- Bring certain objects when asked [ex: stuffed animal snake, baseball, book, shoes, toy penguin]
- Identify objects/ animals in books when asked where they are [Where is the bird on this page? Point to bird]
- Identify some body parts, mainly on other people. We hadn't really even talked about this/worked on it until recently.
- Spoon feed independently (mainly yogurt- but will do some other things if I don't mind him getting messy)
- When asked where the baby is- he will point to my belly and many times come over, lift up my shirt a tad and give the baby a kiss.