6 Months

So which boy is in the first picture?

Isaac is 6 months old! He had his well-child visit today and everything looks great. He is 21 lbs (95th percentile) and 27 3/4 inches (85th percentile). Isaac is almost exactly the same size as Caleb at 6 months. It is rather uncanny how similar the two boys are in looks. Even people who didn't know Caleb as a baby comment on how similar they look. Nate and I are starting to joke that they are twins, just three years apart.:)

I asked the Dr. about Isaac's skin issues. His mouth area broke out in a rash the other day when I gave him yogurt. The Dr. said he might be sensitive to milk products right now just because of his young age. She said to wait 6 more months and see what happens. I'm going to try some soy formula soon. Anyone have a brand suggestion?

Isaac is officially out of the infant car seat, very sad day. He probably should have been moved out of it about a month ago. But, it was so convenient to carry him around in it and he could take naps easily. Never mind that you needed to have super-human strength to lug him around.:) He is making progress at night. I feed him at 7 pm and he sleeps til 6 am. My goal is to get him to 7 am, 6 am is still too early! His nap schedule is still hit and miss- mostly my fault though. We have something planned most mornings, so he doesn't get a consistent morning nap. I struggle with whether I should give up activities in the morning, or just figure he'll never nap like Caleb did and adapt to something different. He pretty much takes 3 shorter naps a day. He is nursing every 4 hours now and eats food 3 times a day.

Sorry for all of these boring stats, they are mostly for the benefit of interested family members!:)

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! We had a fun day here. Yesterday, Nate and Caleb decorated heart cut-out cookies. Today we did everything in hearts! I made grilled cheese in a heart shape for lunch. For supper I made lasagna with a heart in the middle and heart shaped rolls. (I got those ideas from Taste of Home.)

I was thinking today how my perspective on Valentine's Day has changed. When I was younger and single I was all about the romantic side of V-day. Don't get me wrong, I still like the flowers and romantic gestures! However, now I tend to think of V-day in relation to our family. I was telling Caleb we celebrate V-day so we can show people how much we love them. So I find myself thinking of ways to have fun with them and show how much I love them.

I'm super excited about tomorrow. Nate and I are having our first night away since Isaac was born. My parents are going to spend the night with the boys. I'm really looking forward to having a night of sleep without interruptions!

Another First

Isaac has experienced his first ear infection.:( Last night was not fun here. He woke up around 3:30 and I went ahead and fed him. However, he did not go back to sleep like normal. So, Nate and I took turns rocking him downstairs until he fell into a light sleep around 6:30 am. We took him to the after-hours clinic this afternoon. He was given some antibiotics. I feel so bad for him. I really hope he can sleep well tonight. Thankfully he can take ibuprofen now.

Something more light-hearted now- my husband is the best! There is a new gym in town that I really wanted to join. We had talked about it, but decided against it. However, Nate surprised me last week with gym memberships! They have a gym and swim program for Caleb and a nice childcare area. I am going to try a spinning class orientation tomorrow. Honestly, spinning looks like torture. But, I figure I can at least try it for an hour to see what it is like. They can't kill me in an hour, right?!

Wisdom of Mothers

Today I am thankful for all the other mothers out there who offer a listening ear and a bit of wisdom. I've been struggling the past couple weeks with my role as a Mom. I think this is the first time I've been really discontent over a long period of time. Maybe winter and lack of sunshine is contributing to it. I love my boys, but it's been hard to like them the past weeks! Caleb is constantly whining and asks questions endlessly. Isaac doesn't sleep as much as I would like. I've been praying and asking God for wisdom and strength. The past couple days I've gotten some good practical tips from other Moms. It's amazing how having a few more tactics to try gives renewed energy and hope! So here are the tips I heard.

One Mom would institute talking time-outs when her child was Caleb's age. It was good for Mom's sanity and it taught the child the skill of being quiet sometimes. Why didn't I think of that before?!

A different Mom had a tip for whining. Whenever her son started whining and they were both losing control, she would stop and just hug him. Her son would calm down quickly and she could then get him to use a non-whiny voice. Again, why didn't I think of this? Obviously a child will respond better to affection than a raised voice.

So, I'm thankful for God answering my prayers and offering new perspective through other women.

Anyone have any parenting tips they've found helpful? Even if you don't have kids yet, you can still chime in!

Farewell

Yesterday was a sad day for the Jongsma family. The family dog, Crystal, was put to sleep. She was 15 years old and was going blind, deaf, and had lost control of her bodily functions. My parents knew it was time, but it is weird for all of us to know Crystal isn't around anymore. I remember my siblings and I picking Crystal out of a litter of puppies when I finished 8th grade. I even named her. We had friends who had a Westie named Pepsi and I joked we should name her Crystal because Crystal Pepsi was big at the time. Well, the name stuck. She was a fun dog who liked to cuddle on the couch. She was also a yippy dog-I'm sure you remember that, Deb! I'm not sure how to explain Crystal's death to Caleb. I think we'll wait until we go to my parent's house again to tell him. I don't think he'll understand it very much.

In other news, I am so tired of snow!!! I am slowly going crazy from cabin fever. It's hard to get outside with Caleb because Isaac only takes 40 minute naps. There are so many places I want to take Caleb to; the aquatic center, crazy bounce, children's museum-but the weather is not cooperating! I've been trying to do fun indoor stuff with Caleb; making snowballs out of rice krispie treats, snow crafts, indoor picnics, and lots of games. Caleb pulled out Elefun this morning and I thought I would scream! Ok, enough of my pity party. Hopefully we'll get out some this weekend.