LINDEN | TWO MONTHS

T W O

 

Here we are. Another month down.  I admit, the past week has been just crazy busy + I'm tired = untimely updates. My bad.  But, hey, that's life.  Not perfect, but we're still squeezing in a two month update.

 

You guys, this little boy has been the biggest delight.  It doesn't matter what kind of mood I'm in or how tired I am because this little man successfully gets me to smile every.single.day.

I love that.

 

LAST MONTH: 

 

THIS MONTH:

 

 

BABY LOVES

LOVES to smile and it is the best smile any baby could possibly ever have

LOVES to chat it up with me

LOVES seeing my face.  There's nothing better than someone thinking your face is the best thing in the world.

LOVES to snuggle
LOVES bath time with big bro

HATES eating from a bottle.

Nothing to really hate this month besides the bottle. 

 

EAT

Linden is still doing great with eating.  We hit a road bump this month with the bottle though.  We initially gave him a bottle at week four and five and he took them with no problem.  And then we stopped giving him a bottle.  What I failed to realize is that babies are like goldfish.  They forget how to do things they don't do frequently, so when I decided to make my first trip into town without the boys, things went downhill for Joe when it came time to feed Linden.  Let's just say, I didn't get all my errands finished before having to rush home to feed a hungry little boy.

Since then, we've had to start over with finding a rhythm when it comes to bottle feeding.  Linden showed us his stubborn side by refusing at each attempt and we tried so many different bottles and nipples to find one he'll take. Talk about a stressful time knowing that in a couple weeks, he'll be starting daycare and he has to eat somehow.

Joe and I spent a small fortune on bottles/nipples (and we're talking about some complicated looking bottles with six pieces).  After a while, I thought to put him in a bouncy seat so that I wasn't touching him at all and digging out an old latex nipple that we still had from Conner's bottle years.  That did the trick!  So for anyone who has a baby that refuses a bottle, try setting it up so that you're not holding them and see how that works.

 



 

SLEEP

This kiddo is so predictable.  He goes to bed at 8pm, wakes up between 1 and 1:30am and again between 5 and 6am.  After that, he'll doze off for one last stretch and be ready to start his day at 9am.  I really can't complain and because he is so consistent with his nighttime feedings, my body has grown accustom to the broken sleep.

 



 

PLAY

I am convinced I have the strongest little boys.  At just six weeks old, Linden started rolling over.  He is Rolling Over!  Let that sink in because if that's an indication that he'll be mobile sooner than normal, I'm not ready for that.  He has amazing neck strength and will hold his head up high for over 5 minutes before laying it down for a rest.

He also loves looking and batting at his toys hanging from his floor gym.  He gets this big smile of accomplishment when he makes something move.

Linden also loves to "talk".  He makes his noises and waits with a big happy face waiting for me to respond.  It's the best.

 

1 TO 2 MONTH PHOTO DUMP:



WEEKEND WRAP UP | CABIN FEVER

Another weekend come and gone, and I have no idea how it's already Monday night.

 

This weekend was a kicked back kind of weekend. No agendas. No plans.

 

Friday evening was pretty relaxing with homemade pizza and hanging out as a family in the living room while Conner ran off the last of his energy.  Honestly folks, after two plus years with this little boy, I still haven't figured out how he has an endless supply of energy.

 

 

Saturday was my first time leaving the boys at home and getting some alone time.  And of course that 'alone time' was spent grocery shopping. Normally, I don't enjoy getting groceries, but after nearly 8 weeks with two boys, grocery shopping alone was a treat.

 

That is until Joe asked me how much longer I'd be because Linden decided that he was going on a bottle strike. I've never heard of a baby deciding out of the blue that he no longer accepted a bottle, but sure enough, he decided that when I was grocery shopping would be a good time to start.

 

You can imagine my stress level since I only have a few weeks left before going back to work and sending the boys to daycare. Linden-boy, you better start lovin' that bottle again soon!

 

 

Sunday felt like we were starting to get back into our old groove again.  We went to church and got to see friends that we haven't seen in so long.  Seriously, it feels like forever.  The rest of the day was spent getting snowed on non-stop.  Joe and Conner took advantage of it all and went sledding down our little hill.  And by sledding I mean that Conner just ran down the hill and Joe used the sled.  Me and Linden-boy stayed inside where it was cozy warm.  I like the look of snow falling from the inside of the house.

Can't help it, I have more southernly blood in me so I prefer staying warm.

 

By the time Conner got up from his nap, Joe had nearly finished his indoor jungle gym that he's been working on for Conner.  Guys, it is amazing!  It's perfect for this little boy who loves to climb especially during these winter months.

 

I love that man, and I hope these boys realize how much their daddy loves them to do things like this just for them.

 



TODDLER LIFE | 27 MONTHS

I feel like I was just sitting down yesterday talking about Conner at 26 months.  Now here we are at 27 months.  And before I know it, I'll be saying the same thing when he's turning 36 months.  I can't believe how fast these weeks fly by.

 

 

 

This has been by far the most challenging month so far.  I love being home with my boys on maternity leave, but wow, his energy level seems to grow everyday (and so does his temper!).  We've entered that stage that if he doesn't get what he wants, it turns into non-stop, high pitched screaming for 5 minutes straight. Multiple times a day.  It's been the biggest test to my patience, and I can only hope and pray that this behavior is brought on by teething.  It's about that time where little kids get their last set of baby molars, so I have to wonder if these hardships are being brought on by that.

 

But the moments that Conner smiles, it can take me from the verge of breaking down and crying to just having a happy heart.  Unless, he smiles after I tell him to stop jumping on me (for the 10th time) while I'm nursing Linden, and he just stops, smiles, and jumps away.  Then I'm not happy and stress levels spike. 

Toddler Talks

I haven't noticed any big differences in his speech over this past month.  I feel like we've actually slid backwards.  Rather than using words to communicate what he wants, he just grunts, points, and yells most of the time now.  I don't know if this is linked to his unusually aggressive behavior this month or what.

He says his typical words/sentences still, but I haven't heard him say any new words.  I'm hoping that by going back to daycare next month, it will help get his speech back on track by hearing other little kids his age talking.

Toddler Play

Conner has fallen in love with his train set that he got for Christmas.  He is constantly carrying around four trains in his arms and one additional one in his mouth at all times.  It's funny to watch him maneuver up and down stairs and countertops with blankets, trains, snack cup and milk in tow all at one time.  He's got it down!

I feel like every month I have to mention that he is still playing with his Tonka truck as his number one choice of toy.  It's loud when he runs it all over the wood floor and tile, but it's so important to him and us that he can do this so he burns off a good portion of all his energy.  I'm not kidding - his energy is never ending.
 

Toddler Eats

We are still making some improvement on the protein front with this little boy.  He is becoming more and more willing to eat the foods that we make for dinner, but there are still nights where he will not eat no matter how hard we try.  At times it is difficult to raise a child that thrives better as a habitual snacker when you want to be able to sit down as a family and eat.  But, it's important to me and Joe that we don't force him to eat in a way that doesn't jive with how his body works with food.  He's a bird - eats a little at a time all day long.

One thing that really makes me smile about this boy is that he just flat out loves veggies.  He will choose veggies over everything probably 75% of the time.  He's become like his daddy and loves cashews too!

 

Toddler Sleep

He's back to taking nice long afternoon naps! Yes!! And he's been doing really well with going to bed (and staying in bed) at nighttime when it's time to go to sleep.  Now, if only I can get him to sleep in a little bit.  He's always up and fully energized by 5:30 every morning.

26 MONTH PHOTO DUMP