Alder Jacob {9 Months}

*Another monthly post that is way more than a month late. Ha. Whatever.

9 months. 3/4 of a year. 75% of his first year of life has already come and gone and I just can't believe it. What was life before you little one? What did I even do with my "free" time? When I look at his monthly pictures, I am in shock at the difference between 8 and 9 months (or maybe more like 10 months in this picture, I'll never tell), but regardless, he is looking less and less like a baby each day. 

The older he gets, the more his little personality shines through. He is a happy, happy baby, but he certainly knows what he wants and makes sure he lets us know. Drew and I always talk about him having grit. Aiden better watch out because Alder is not going to let him get away with a single thing! Even though he can't always say what he wants, he has his mind on something and won't stop until he gets his way. I think we are in trouble. Haha. His current nickname is Big Baby and he is often portrayed by his brother as the villian as he is always knocking things down or taking Aiden's hot wheels and putting them in his mouth. Oftentimes, Aiden will run away in the hopes of being chased by his brother who is newly crawling and he will yell "Oh no, here comes Big Baby!" Alder's very favorite thing is to "chase" his brother. They laugh and laugh and laugh. It is hilarious and gives me a glimpse into life with two very active and mobile boys. Lord help me.

He is making so many new sounds: lots of grunting and "yelling" at us at the dinner table and lots of squeaks when he is excited! He started saying words too! His first word was "WOW!" And he would look at something, point with his finger (like in the picture above) and say "WOW!" Then it was bye, bye followed quickly by "Mama" (Melt my heart) and then my favorite sound, "UH-OH." When any one drops something we quickly hear, "UH OH" and it is the most adorable sound in all the world if you don't count his giggle.

This kid puts away food like you wouldn't believe. He is a big eater so thankfully he is able to feed himself because I couldn't spoon food in his mouth fast enough! He can sign more, but often times chooses to grunt at us instead. His favorite foods right now are pumpkin risotto, sweet potato eggs, steamed sweet potatoes, oatmeal and bananas (always bananas.) If you need a simple breakfast idea for a 9-12 month old, take 1 banana, mash it up and add two beaten eggs. Mix and pour like pancakes on a hot skillet. It is crazy how much these resemble the texture of pancakes and Alder gobbles them down!

Two days before Thanksgiving this guy finally started crawling. He would still rather stand or have us help him walk, but he has realized that being mobile by crawling will suffice for now. And this kid is FAST! He continues to pull up on everything and pull out everything that resides in a container or basket. His favorite past time is pulling out all the DVDs (which drives Aiden nuts.)

If all Alder wanted for Christmas were his two front teeth, then his wish has been granted. He now has his top two and bottom two teeth and his little grin is just the cutest thing ever! Some other milestones this month...he celebrated his first Thanksgiving, had his 2nd airbnb stay (did not go well sleeping in the pack and play), celebrated his first early Christmas and met lots of Aunts, Uncles and cousins! And the best milestone of month 9...he is now sleeping through the night! It took a nudge from Dad to make me have him cry it out, but it took a total of an hour and 15 minutes and 2 nights and he is sleep trained. Praise the Lord.

A few stats about Alder at nine months: 

Weight: According to his 9 month appointment stats he weighs 18 pounds 8.5 oz making him in the 25th percentile for weight.

Height: 28.5 inches making him in the 50th percentile for height.

Size clothes: He is wearing 9 month clothes, but I just washed all of Aiden's old 12 month clothes so they're ready. Yay for the boy's sizes matching up this season!

Sleeping: As mentioned above, this month has been my favorite month in the sleep department because hold the phone...Alder is actually sleeping through the night consistently. With a little sleep training that my husband forced us to do (I'm so glad) and BOOM...sleep!

Random stuff only parents want to know:

Nicknames: Big Baby, Baby J, Alder J and Aiden's nicknames continue "Lellow" short for marshmallow and "Lellow Popper" I don't know where he comes up with this stuff.

Likes: Being tickled, holding on to my hands so he can chase his brother around the house, feeding himself like a big kid, drinking out a sippy cup, saying Uh-oh, getting smooches from his Dada, dancing to music and clapping his hands.

Dislikes: Not being able to walk yet.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Alder from this month...

We love you to the moon and back baby boy.

Watch Alder Grow...

            One Month Update                        Two Month Update                       Three Month Update

 Four Month Update                        Five Month Update                    Six Month Update

 Seven Month Update                        Eight Month Update                    Nine Month Update

See Aiden at NINE months here!

Dear 2017 {A Year in Review}

Dear 2017,

Where did you go? I swear I blinked and then you were over. Despite how quickly you seemed to go, you were a year full of some very special things, the best being the addition of Alder to our family. Last year at this time I was very pregnant and very hormonal about the changes happening to our family. I was so nervous about how bringing a new baby home would affect Aiden and the relationship we had. I remember very vividly crying as we left for the hospital because I knew things were changing forever for our family and I was worried. Well here I sit a year later propped up in bed, soft music in the background as my husband has graciously given me a few minutes to myself. I can hear my boys laughing together in the family room, cars vrooming on the hardwood floor and I wonder how I ever doubted that Aiden wouldn't be anything but ecstatic about having a brother. Hands down my favorite thing about 2017 has been watching my boys learn to love each other.

I remember being absolutely terrified about leaving the house with two kids by myself. And now I can snap two kids into carseats and load and unload groceries like a pro and with confidence, but it was a process. That has been my 2017. Learning to embrace my fears and just go for it.

This philosophy of mine carried over as I started a new role at work shortly after Alder was born. I went from 40 hours a week to 15 and I am so thankful to be a mostly stay at home mom, but also have a job that I love. But with every change I face, I was scared I wouldn't be good enough for this job. My coworkers are amazing and have encouraged me and supported me in my new role and sitting here a year later seeing the progress that has happened makes me so thankful. God is so faithful, friends.

With two kids, Drew and I have had to learn a lot about balance, about giving one another grace, about patience and about sacrifice. Having two kids has flipped our world upside down, but in the best way, but we still have a lot of learning to do about raising boys while also cultivating our marriage at the same time (especially since 9 months out of this year we were sleep deprived.) We have managed to go on more dates in December than almost the entire year combined, but we hope to be better about date night in 2018. One of my favorite things we started to give us more "adult time" was a suggestion by my friend Andrea. A few nights a month we feed the kids dinner and then put them to bed and then fix ourselves a nice cheese board and some wine, start a fire in the basement and call it date night in. It has been so fun to try new wines and cheeses and have more "us" time.

I have failed at being crafty, blogging consistently or hosting fun parties this year, but I did manage to keep two kids alive, potty train a toddler, work part time and still appear to be thriving so that's my big win of 2017. I did manage to throw Aiden a pretty cute Hundred Acre Wood party and pull off some amazing Halloween costumes though. Aiden also started showing a love for cooking so we have had fun cooking some recipes together and that is something I plan to continue in the new year!

So here's a look back at some of my favorite posts, events, recipes and discoveries of this past year...

Favorite posts:

It's no surprise that my favorite posts are once again centered around motherhood, but more specifically about the transition from one to two kids. It has been hard. It has been sweet. It has been a blessing. It has been a process.

My First Baby You'll Always Be

Phrases Toddlers Don't Care About

Alder's Birth Story

Our First Week as a Family of 4

How to Prepare Your Toddler for a New Baby

The Transition to Two

How Can Life Get Any Sweeter Than This?

My Kids Are Superheroes

Favorite events:

I did a horrible job documenting events this year. I never posted about my girls (and babies trip) to Michigan in July (which was absolutely amazing to be with my college friends on the brim of being out of college for 10 years (HOW?!). I never posted about meeting my new nephew for the first time or hosting my sister in law's baby shower (it was adorable and he is adorable, trust me). We didn't take any vacations or do anything big, but we did a lot of small family adventures and explored some new places together

Easter on the farm

Aiden's first MLB Game!

Michigan girl's (and babies) trip

We explored a lot of zoos this year! (Columbus, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville)

We met our new nephew and found out we are getting another niece of nephew in June!

We Knocked off a ton of things on our Fall Bucketlist

Alder's first Halloween 

First Thanksgiving in Kentucky with Alder where we stayed with my whole family at an AirBNB

Continued Aiden's Advent and had fun with our Christmas Bucketlist

Favorite recipes:

I also failed at documenting any recipes here on my blog this year mainly because cooking was harder to prioritize this year (we ate more McDonalds than I ever imagined we would) but that doesn't mean I didn't make some amazing meals along the way. Aiden got a chef outfit for Christmas and has been my little buddy in the kitchen. Our favorite things to cook together have been my Mom's sugar cookies and Taco Pie. Here are a few of my favorite healthier recipes that I tried this year (July was a good health month for me). And as always, Pioneer Woman remains my favorite and I'm excited to try new recipes from her Come and Get It cookbook this year!

Stuffed Sweet Potato with BBQ Chicken

Ranch Pork Chops and Potatoes One Sheet Dinner

Chicken Shawarma Bowls

Creamy Sun-dried tomato Paleo Baked Chicken Thighs

Favorite discoveries:

I always like thinking back about some of my favorite finds of the year...things I'm not sure how I didn't know about before, but am glad to know about now. 

The Crown on Netflix (So good!)

Silicone Bibs (why did I not ever use these with Aiden, WHY?!)

Polar Express Train Ride

Free Open Gyms at our Community Rec Center

I am so very thankful for what I learned this last year and I'm thankful for the people I get to do life with everyday. Cheers to a great 2017 and an even greater 2018! Happy New Year friends! Thank you for sticking around!

Holiday Moments I'm Treasuring Up

This holiday season has simply been the best. I do not document things in this space as much as I used to, but I do want to remember these sweet moments with my boys because as much as I think I'll remember every little detail later, I know that I won't.

Aiden (age 3) is just LOVING the Christmas season. We listen to Christmas songs and jump on his bed every night and he loves shouting Merry Christmas! He certainly has brought us extra joy this holiday. His favorite Christmas movie is The Grinch (the cartoon version). He acts it out as he watches and it is hilarious. He asks to wear a Santa hat like the Grinch and he always scrunches up his face and says "I have a naughty face like the Grinch, Mama." He can also quote most of the book and movie and the kid does not get tired of it!

He loves reading his Bible and acting out the stories. Whenever he sees the 3 Wisemen he always starts singing "We three kings." He is truly beginning to understand the meaning of this season as best a three year old can.

We also haven't stopped watching the Polar Express since last Christmas so when we heard about the Polar Express train ride we knew we had to get tickets. We bundled up in our jammies and went downtown Lebanon for dinner before our ride. It truly was magical. The boys got to sit with Santa on the train car. Aiden said he wanted cookies for Christmas and Alder did not mind sitting in Santa's lap (yet). We drank hot chocolate and enjoyed the festive train ride. I highly recommend it if it visits your city!

Last year Aiden and I had so much fun doing an advent calendar with different activities each day so I knew I wanted to do it again this year. It took some prep on the front end, but I have loved watching him enjoy our activity each day. You can see my ideas for a kid friendly advent calendar here. This year we did a few new things (like drive around to see Christmas lights in our jammies), but we continued our tradition of baking and taking cookies to our neighbors, making Christmas crafts, dancing around in our pjs by the tree, making snow, etc.

We also started something brand new this year since Aiden is older and soaking in everything he is learning about the Bible! We are doing something called the Jesse Tree where each night we read a story from the Bible and add an ornament to our tree to remind us of what we learned in that Bible story. It is so wonderful and has truly helped prepare my heart for the reason behind the season and the amazing way God has woven together our history. I have loved watching Aiden so intently listen to God's word. I plan to do a separate post on this later with pictures and in more detail, but if you have questions please leave a comment or email me.

Alder (10 months) continues to soak everything in as he is always content simply being entertained by what his brother is doing. His favorite things about the Christmas season so far: playing with tissue paper, playing on a toy drum that Aiden got out when he was pretending to be the little drummer boy, pulling lights and ornaments off our tree and attempting to derail the train that goes around our Christmas tree. He has been a trooper on all our outings even if they are past his bedtime. We LOVE that he is here with us this Christmas and can't believe he will be one next month!

Our holiday season has been jam packed with fun family outings, but also filled with sweet nights at home watching Christmas movies in our pjs with a fire in the fire place and the sound of a train whistle from under our tree. I'm so thankful for this season, for these boys and for the most wonderful gift of all, Jesus Christ.

I hope your holiday season has been truly magical.

I can't wait for Christmas morning!!!!!!!

A few last minute deals Santa wants you to know about...

Aiden with Santa last Christmas

Raise your hand if you still have Christmas shopping to do. I am raising my hand with you. Well whether you are finished shopping or not, here are a few deals Santa wants you to know about...

Fayfaire has 12 Days of Christmas savings going on. So many of their fun and trendy kid's shirts are marked down to $12.00 including these "Santa is my bestie shirts."Aiden is going to wear the toddler style and Alder will be wearing the onesie when they meet Santa this week! I can't wait! Check out their Instagram page too for a chance to win some free stuff in their 12 Days of GIVEAWAYS!

Shipping is fast so if you order soon you could have them in time for another visit to Santa before he heads back to the North pole to load up his sleigh. Also, Fayfaire gives back with the money they make from each purchase you make!

Want another way to give back when you purchase a gift? Buy some gorgeous jewelry from Noonday Collection via my friend and Noonday Ambassador Katie TODAY and get a Starbucks gift card and ensure your order gets to you by Christmas! I told my husband (I mean Santa)  that these Rose Gold studs were going in my stocking.

Loft also has a 40% off sale going on, which I already took advantage of. Merry Christmas to me, love my parents. ;)

Happy shopping friends!

My Kids Are Superheroes

Sometimes I look at my kids and think how lucky they are and how easy they have it. They have their own personal chef (me), they get to take naps, they have tons of toys, people drive them around, they get to go to fun places, they have no real responsibilities and they are so loved and care free. But then I think from their perspective for a minute and life appears a little harder. They can't always communicate what they want, they are basically not in control of anything in their little lives even though they want so badly to be and they don't always understand what is going on in this big old world around them, which can be scary...basically they are tiny superheroes.

Well, they are my superheroes anyway.

Aiden age 3
Super powers include: endless amounts of energy, running away from his parents at lightning fast speed, the strength to fight naps at all costs, the ability to know when someone is sad and instantly make them feel better with a kiss, can gulp down a glass of milk right before your very eyes, has a brain that can remember facts and quotes at an amazing rate, brown eyes that will melt your heart and a laugh that is known to cause instant happiness.

Alder 9 months
Super powers include: Scaling the couch, crawling at top knotch speeds out of his mother's view, a teethy grin that will captivate you, eyes that will zone in on even the smallest crumb on the floor, a stomach that expands at alarming rates to hold food, laser beam focus on his brother and the things he most wants in life, ninja strong kicks when getting his diaper changed, but when you hold him in your arms your heart will melt and you will feel yourself becoming a calmer, happier person.

And so ends the most fun photo shoot ever.

Photo credit: Little Rascals Photography

Alder Jacob {8 Months}

*Another monthly post that is more than a month late. Ha. Whatever.

Month 8 has come and gone. It was our first fall as a family of 4 and we made the most of it! Alder got his first taste of pumpkin (which has become one of his favorite flavors) and he got his hands dirty in what I like to refer to as pumpkin guts. We visited pumpkin patches and pumpkin festivals, got dressed up in several different costumes and took Alder trick or treating for the first time! 

And he was sweet enough to let me dress him in all pink for his first Halloween costume and I won't apologize because he made the cutest Piglet ever!

This month more than ever I have started to see the baby in front of me slowly melt away. He always, always, always wants to be standing and he gets the biggest smile on his face when he manages to stand up on his own. We are all thinking he will just skip crawling and go straight to walking! 

He started playing peekaboo with us at dinner and it is my favorite thing ever! He usually uses the lid from his bowl and hides behind it until we say "Where's Alder?" Then he drops it and gives us the most adorable two tooth grin!

He is still getting lots of Mama's milk, but he is also a champion eater. I honestly don't know where he puts it all though. Often for breakfast he will crush an entire banana and an entire avocado. We have moved from purees to more mashes and he isn't phased by new textures, he just chows down. 

It has been fun to see more of his personality come out this month. He is such a happy, playful kid, but he wants what he wants and is determined to get his way. If I pull out two different foods and he knows he likes one better than the other he will push away the spoon until you give him the one he wants. And he knows simply by looking at the food, which one he prefers. He has a strong opinion about things, which will make life interesting when he can walk and talk! 

This month, as with all minutes, hours, days with him has been a delight. I'm so happy I get to be his Mama and watch him grow up.

A few stats about Alder at eight months: 

Weight: Who knows. Bigger than last month. Haha.

Height: No more 6-9 month clothes so he is obviously getting longer too.

Size clothes: 9 month

Sleeping: This month Alder finally, FINALLY decided to sleep through the night. But this amazing decision was short lived. I keep reminding myself that this is a season and that someday I will get at least 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep again.

Random stuff only parents want to know:

Nicknames: Alder J, Baby "Lellow" (Aiden's pet nickname for his brother), "Lellow Popper" (another pet nickname from his brother, no clue how this one came about), Baby J.

Likes: The buzzzzzz noise, playing peekaboo, waving hi to everyone, pulling himself up on everything, splashing in the bath, his brother, being kissed on his belly, growling.

Dislikes: Not being able to walk yet.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Alder from this month...

It's hard to believe you are almost 3/4 of a year old. Slow down time!

Watch Alder Grow...

            One Month Update                        Two Month Update                       Three Month Update

 Four Month Update                        Five Month Update                    Six Month Update

See Aiden at EIGHT months here!

SaveSave
SaveSave
SaveSave