Love

Ever since the first time she saw him, she has been smitten.July 17th, 2010

Now, there are few things that make me happier than seeing how their relationship has developed over the past year. She asks about him first thing every morning if she wakes up first.He kicks and squeals when he sees her. She is a little Mama and always looks out for him.He always laughs at her silliness. Of course, it's not all fun all the time. She is bossy bossy, and he has quite the ear piercing scream when she makes him mad. And, out of all the toys we own, WHY do they always want to play with the same one. Never fails. But all of that - the good and the bad - is just part of having a sibling, and I'm so happy they have each other. I know their relationship will continue to change over the years, but my prayer is that they will always have this same love for each other that they have now. It might look different when they are 14 and 16, but I pray it's there nonetheless. I love my sweet sister and my little brother!

Brother Sister Bond

While making the transition to two children, it hasn't really surprised me how much I love having two sweet little babies. I knew I would love Jude, and I knew that we would adjust to our new member of the family and barely remember a time when he wasn't part of our family. What has surprised me a little is how much they love each other. It's been such a pleasant, wonderful surprise!

Aubrey is the best big sister. She really is very helpful to me. If Jude is upset and I can't get to him right away, she can calm him down a lot of times by talking to him or giving him a toy.

When Jude is practicing his sitting up, Aubrey about has a fit for Jude to sit in her lap. She is obsessed with holding her baby brother. Jude thinks Aubrey is just the funniest thing he has ever seen. They will both just laugh hysterically at each other, and sometimes no one else has a clue why they are laughing. But they know. I used to worry about Aubrey a little bit before Jude was born. It made me kind of sad that she wouldn't have my full attention anymore, and I almost felt like I would be betraying her a little bit by loving another child so much (those feelings were on my particularly hormonal pregnancy days -- ha!). But I don't feel that way anymore. Now I feel like she has been given a precious gift in the form of a little baby brother who I'm sure will embarrass her and drive her crazy one day.

It's my prayer that Aubrey and Jude will always be close. I'm not crazy enough to think that they will always get along. (But it can't hurt to pray for that, too! ;) But I hope that they will always have a closeness and love for each other that you can only have with your siblings. It's such a sweet bond, and I'm so privileged to get to watch this little relationship develop and evolve before my eyes. So thankful to be their mother!

Life With Two: 6 Months In

Now that we are almost 6 months in (WHERE has the time gone??), I thought it was time for me to give a little update on how life with two kids is going. The short answer is that it's wonderful, and I wouldn't trade my two babies for anything in the entire world! Now for the long answer ;)

Life with two children is definitely not without it's challenges, but the transition really has been easier than I expected it to be. I still think, for me, going from no kids to one was a much more difficult transition than going from one to two. I know this is different for everyone, though, and I think a lot depends on your children's personalities. I also realize that having two kids isn't anything unusual or unique to me. Someone from church who has four kids was teasing me the other day and saying that two kids would feel like a vacation! I'm sure that's true, but two kids is the most I have ever had, so it seems like a lot and a big accomplishment to me. Ha! :)

So far, the hardest parts of having two children are:

-Trying to figure out a schedule that works for all of us!
I am still trying to get Jude on a good nap schedule. He ends up taking 2 naps a day (sometimes 3 if we are out and about in the evenings - he will usually sleep in the car for a while). It's just been hard trying to figure out the best time to get anything done between all the naps I'm trying to work around. There just doesn't seem to be any good time to get out of the house and go to the grocery store, run errands, etc. By the time we wake up, eat breakfast, and all get ready, it's time for Jude's first nap. Then it's lunchtime. Then it's time for Aubrey's nap, and, shortly after that, Jude's afternoon nap. By the time they both wake up, it's late afternoon, and the day is over. Thankfully, this hasn't been a huge problem yet, because Jude is still young enough to nap well in his carseat. A lot of times, he ends up taking his morning nap in his carseat. I think this is a large part of the reason why he has had a hard time napping in his bed. We can't stay home all day everyday, though, so we just kind of have to do the best we can. It's also really difficult to get Jude down for a nap while Aubrey is awake. Still trying to figure that one out.

-Not being able to "sleep when the baby sleeps."
I love sleep. I think I require more sleep than the average person. Haha. When Aubrey was a baby, if we had a rough night, I would just put her in the bed with me the the next morning and we would both sleep LATE. Or I could take a nice nap when she napped. That's just really not always an option when you have more than one child. It seems like Aubrey always wakes up the earliest when Jude has had the worst night. And if the thought even crosses my mind that it might be a good day for me to take a nap, I can pretty much bank on Aubrey or Jude or both not napping well. It's just almost guaranteed. There have really been days when I get up feeling like there is no way I'm going to be able to function and take care of two children as sleepy as I am. I do, though, and I've never fallen asleep and had anything crazy happen. Yet. Haha. (Jude actually sleeps worse now than he did when he was 8 weeks old!)

-Having to divide my time between the two children.
This hasn't been as hard as I was worried it would be, simply because Aubrey really adjusted to having Jude around SO easily. Some days she just is a little more clingy than usual or she's just in a funk, and I can't sit and hold her whenever she wants me to anymore. That's because she usually wants me to hold her while I'm feeding Jude. She has just had to learn that the world doesn't revolve around her, and that sometimes we can't have everything we want immediately. This is a lesson that Jude will learn probably earlier than Aubrey, because this does go both ways. Sometimes I am tending to Aubrey and Jude just has to cry for a little while. Of course, it's hard to hear either one of my babies crying, and I wish that I could do more things at once.

-Leaving the house on time.
This one is pretty much impossible for me. No matter how early I start getting us ready to be somewhere, it's always always a mad dash to get out the door, and I have to just take some deep breaths when I finally do get us all in the car. I think this may have more to do with having a nursing baby than with having two kids. Everything just kind of needs to happen at the last minute. I need to feed Jude right before we walk out the door, but I can't get him dressed until after I feed him (he spits up a lot). Because he spits up, I can't get myself dressed until after I feed him either. Then I have to load him into his seat and make sure Aubrey hasn't undressed herself or taken her shoes and socks off, and gather up all of our stuff... whew! This is why my diaper bag usually has no diapers, wipes, or spare clothes in it. Haha! Sometimes it's all I can do to get us out the door ;)

-Making comparisons.
I actually don't have a hard time not comparing Aubrey and Jude to each other. Of course I do like looking back on the blog and seeing what Aubrey was doing at Jude's age, and things like that, but I don't expect Jude to be just like Aubrey or do things at exactly the same age that she did. I do, however, compare what I did for Aubrey to what I do for Jude and how much time I spent holding her and how many pictures I take of him... stuff like that. Sometimes I feel like I have to make everything completely "fair." I have to hold him just as much as I held her, and I can't do a baby book for Jude because I didn't do one for Aubrey, and I have to do the same amount of blog posts about both of them... you get the idea. I've had to realize that I could drive myself crazy if I tried to make everything exactly the same. Aubrey and Jude are individuals, and they might have different needs at different times. They have different personalities and will probably have different interests. I just have to be the best mother that I can be to both of them and love and encourage their uniqueness. While I would NEVER want to show any favoritism (which I honestly can't imagine - how could you have a favorite child??), I won't always treat them exactly the same, and that's ok. Not only is it ok, but it's necessary, in my opinion.

Now for some of the BEST things about having two children:

-Having this much love for two children.
It really is amazing, and I didn't see how it was possible before Jude was born, but I really do love both of these children with my whole heart. I wondered before Jude was born how I would ever love another child as much as I love Aubrey, but I do. It's just that simple. I think it's such a beautiful thing that I love Aubrey more than I can express and I think she is the cutest, sweetest, most precious child on this earth. Period. AND I also love Jude more than I can express, and I think he's the cutest, sweetest, most precious child on this earth. And the fact that I love them both completely takes nothing away from my love for the other. I don't really understand how that's possible, but I know it's true :)

-Watching them interact with each other.
I know Aubrey and Jude are both still really young, but it's cute to see a sweet little relationship developing between them already. They really love each other. They just look at each other and laugh and laugh sometimes. It's the cutest thing ever. Aubrey is so sweet to Jude. The other day, he was crying, and she looked at me and said, "It makes me sad when him cries, Mommy." Melted. my. heart. It would just thrill me to pieces if they are each others best friends. There is just something so special about sibling relationships. Your siblings should just GET you.

-Feeling like a REAL FAMILY.
I know that we were already a "real family" before Jude was born. David and I were our own family from the day we got married, and we were certainly a family when it was just the three of us, too. But for me, there was just something about having multiple kids that cemented that feeling. It was like I woke up one day and realized that David and I have KIDS. Not a child, but CHILDREN. We aren't just playing house or babysitting, these are our children to raise. They have been entrusted to us. It's an amazing, wonderful thing.

-Knowing that I'm doing what I have been called to do.
This isn't necessarily something that came with having two kids, but just with having children in general. I have always wanted to be a mother, and I really feel like this is what God has called me to do. Being at home with these two kids everyday is not always easy, but I know I am fulfilling my calling, and I also realize what a privileged it is. These two little souls are my mission field right now, and I hope and pray that I point them to Christ daily.

Having children is simultaneously the hardest thing and the most amazing thing that I have ever done. Even on the hard days, there is nowhere I would rather be than right here with Aubrey and Jude! :)

Christmas 2010

I feel like there are several things that I need to blog about that I don't want to forget, but first things first - I still haven't blogged about CHRISTMAS!

We had a really great Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve at my grandparents' house. This a tradition that we do every year. We eat a big lunch that my grandmother cooks and then open all our presents from our grandparents. Aubrey and Jude wore cute little matching shirts that I had made for them, but Jude was sleeping for a big part of the day, and then Aubrey got chocolate on her shirt, so I didn't get any good pictures of the two of them together. (You will probably notice Jude's head - no, we don't own a cat that attacked him, in spite of the fact that it looks that way. He scratches his head like that no matter how often I cut his fingernails. He is now sleeping with socks on his hands, which has helped some.) Here are the Christmas Eve pictures:Don't my children just looked thrilled?? Ha! (I would be crying, too, if my head was all scratched like that! Poor Jude.....)Aubrey loved opening and checking out all of her presents!How CUTE does Jude look in his new hat?? LOVE it.Aubrey obviously got into the brownies ;)On Christmas day, we had both of our families over to our house. It was really nice to be able to just be home on Christmas. Aubrey was able to take a good nap (it was MUCH needed since she had skipped her nap the day before) and the kids stayed in their (Christmas) pajamas all day! So nice! It was just a great day full of family and lots of good food :)Christmas morning in their matching pj's.Aubrey dug right into the presents from David's parents.Jude loves just chilling in Aubrey's old PINK bouncy seat. Ha!So, that was Christmas 2010. We are so blessed and thankful for our families and, most of all, our Savior, Jesus Christ!

This and That

I feel like I really haven't posted much lately. I'm blaming it entirely on this little guy:You know my sweet, easy baby? Yeah, he's recently decided to go a little more high-maintenance on me. I feel guilty even saying that, though, because he still is SUCH a sweet baby. He just likes his Mama and he likes to be HELD. He has definitely reached the age where he knows if he's not being held and he doesn't like it one bit. It's funny to see the differences in Aubrey and Jude's personalities already. Aubrey was pretty high-maintenance as an infant. I'll be honest and say that I pretty much held her constantly for the first 3-4 months of her life. Haha. She really started to get easier and more independent when she was about 4 months old. Jude has been just the opposite. He was a pretty easy infant, and I actually had guilt over the fact that I didn't hold him NEARLY as much much as I held Aubrey as a newborn. Now that he's 4 months old, though, we're making up for it! ;) I'm half kidding - he really likes to be able to see me at all times. Usually I don't have to be holding him as long as he can see me and I'm talking to him. Nap time has been kind of hit or miss with him lately, too. He doesn't really like his pack n play anymore. He loves to sleep in his swing, but I know I'll regret that habit, so I'm trying not to let him sleep in his swing everyday. Some days I just need him to sleep for a few solid hours, and we do resort to the swing. Even though Jude has been more needy lately, I can't stay frustrated with him for long. His smile melts my heart every time, and I'm certainly not going to complain that he loves me! :) It does make it difficult to blog when you've got a baby attached to you, though.

Aubrey is doing great. Everyday with her is an adventure. I just never know what is going to come out of her mouth. She talks constantly. She speaks in 8 and 10 word sentences now. The other day, she said something and I was so impressed that I had to stop and count how many words she had just said. She definitely has a mind of her own. She wants to pick out her own clothes these days. She doesn't like the stuff that Mommy picks out for her to wear. If she is already like that at 2, I can't imagine what she will be wearing at 10! Ha! She thinks she NEEDS everything she lays her eyes on. I hear, "Mommy, I NEED that!" a lot these days. I'm trying to teach her the difference between a want and a need. I don't think she quite gets it ;) She still is just in love with Jude and is sweet to him almost all of the time. Her absolute #1 favorite person in the whole word is my brother, Joel. She thinks he hung the moon and then some. When I tell her I love her, her response is almost always, "I love JOEL!" It's heartwarming, really :/ Anyway, the other day, my family was going through and naming everyone and asking Aubrey if she loved them. She was saying, "No, I love Joel" every time. When they got to Jude, though, she paused, thought for a second, and nodded her head that she did love Jude. Awww. If she isn't going to love her mother, at least she loves her brother. Haha! She's a mess.

We have been doing lots of little projects around our house. We are hosting Thanksgiving lunch over here this year. Before you get too impressed, I'm NOT cooking the turkey ;) Anyway, we've gotten several things done around the house that have been on my list for the past year. We need to host things more often! All that to say, I'll be posting pictures soon. I know I've never even posted pictures of Jude's nursery! That's bad! Nursery and dining room pictures are coming soon :)

I guess that's enough for now. Just wanted to give a little update. Hope everyone is having a fun Thanksgiving week!

Sharing is Caring

The other day as I was putting my makeup on, I had Jude in his carseat where he could see me. He is very social and likes to be where the action is. Aubrey was also in the room playing in the floor, as usual. My phone rang in the other room, and I ran to grab it. When I got back into the room with the kids, this is what I found:I asked Aubrey what she was doing, and she told me that Jude was playin' with her toys. I love that Jude looks so chill about being surrounded by teacups and a baby doll. That just sums up his personality.Notice the cup up by Jude's face. Aubrey picked it up and held it to Jude's mouth and said that she was "givin' him some tea." Haha!I think it's so precious that Aubrey shares her things with Jude, but I've learned this has to be supervised closely. Sometimes, like this morning, the sharing gets a little too enthusiastic and includes whacking Jude in the face with a toy :-/ Whew, I'm glad God made babies tougher than they look!

Little Protector

As I've already said, last week we had to get vaccines. We ended having to wait forever, or at least that's how it felt. While we were waiting, another little girl and her mom came in. The little girl was 20 months old, and she and Aubrey "chatted." Actually, Aubrey talked her ear off... the other little girl never made a peep.

Anyway, Jude was in his carseat, and the little girl was very interested in him. She kept going over to look at him. She then started trying to touch him. The mother told her not to "touch that baby's face." I was thinking to myself, "I don't know you from Adam; please don't touch 'that baby' ANYWHERE!" Of course I couldn't say that, so I just bit my tongue and prayed that the little girl wasn't carrying any horrible germs. Big sister Aubrey wasn't so inhibited by social graces. Anytime the little girl would get near Jude, Aubrey would run to him and put her hand on his head. She would stand over him protectively and look the little girl square in the eye and say, "That's MY Jude!"

Maybe this was just a case of a Aubrey wanting to stake her claim on her "property" but I prefer to think of it as big sister protectiveness. Several people commented on how protective Aubrey was of her little brother. She would stand guard over him until the little girl lost interest and walked away, and then Aubrey would put her fangs back in. The mother in me was so proud that Aubrey was watching out for her little brother. (Just an FYI: Aubrey wasn't being mean to the little girl. They were actually playing together until the little girl got too close to Jude. I wouldn't have been proud of or encouraged meanness, of course!)

I hope that Aubrey and Jude will always look out for each other and have each others backs. I can't wait to watch their sibling relationship grow and develop!

Checkups, Smiles, and Pacifiers

Aubrey and Jude both had checkups today. Our pediatrician does a checkup at 6 weeks (Jude didn't get shots today though) and Aubrey had her 2 year checkup (how is she that old?!). I'm happy to report that Aubrey and Jude both got a clean bill of health!

Aubrey is right where she should be developmentally. She weighed 28 pounds (75th percentile) and she was 33 inches tall (50th percentile). We are now going to switch her from whole milk to 2%. Our doctor said to "toddler-proof our house to the extreme." She said that most accidental childhood deaths occur between the ages of 2-3. Our house is pretty toddler-proofed already, but it was a good reminder that you can never be too careful. As Aubrey gets older and more independent, it's easy to get a little lax about how carefully she still needs to be watched. It's always good to be reminded! :)(She would not put that darn lotion down for the picture, so I just went with it...)(... which was apparently hilarious! :)
According to our doctor, Jude is sleeping and eating just right for his age. He weighed 11 pounds, 13 ounces (75th percentile) and was 23 inches long (75th percentile). It's crazy to me that Jude has gained over 4 pounds since he was born! He is getting so big already! Poor little Jude's face has been so irritated lately. At first I thought it was just baby acne like Aubrey had, but it's just gotten worse instead of better. I was glad that his doctor was going to be able to look at it today. She said he seems to have super sensitive skin, and the rash is probably from rubbing against people's clothes that haven't been washed in Dreft. She told me I could put some medicine on it a couple of times a week to get him some relief -- it looks very uncomfortable. Poor little guy. She said I also might want to try eliminating dairy from my diet to see if that helps. His rash always looks worse right after he eats, so he might be sensitive to dairy. We'll see if that helps. Hopefully it will clear right up with this medicine. Aubrey used to have very sensitive skin too, and she's grown out of it for the most part, so hopefully Jude will too. I feel bad that I've been telling everyone that he just has acne! Haha!Jude is getting more and more alert. He loves it when I talk to him. He just watches me and smiles. Last night, I was finally able to catch some of his sweet smiles on camera! (You can see how irritated his little face is... he is still beautiful to me though, even with a rashy face!)
Aubrey is still loving Jude. She is always very concerned about his pacifier. If it's in his mouth, she pulls it out. If it's out of his mouth, she tries to force it in.

Exhibit A: (He had it in his mouth... you can see his little lips are still sucking!)Exhibit B: (She is now trying to put it back in his mouth.)Good thing Jude is a pretty laid-back child ;)

I love these sweet babies so much! Thank God for two precious, healthy children! We are so blessed!