Miles has been very drooly lately, but at a doctor’s appointment the pediatrician said she saw no signs or any teeth coming soon. Well, Miles must have seen it as a challenge because as he was gnawing on my hand this morning I felt the first real poke of something sharp and hard. Sure enough, the first of his bottom teeth are coming in! Horray Miles! One week before his six month birthday!
He almost rolled into one! After a few weeks of rolling side to side (with help from mommy and daddy) and after some cheering on by big brother Jacob, Miles finally learned how to roll over on his own. After my complete joy over him learning this new skill, a realization hit me… We really need to work on Jacob’s clean up skills!
While Jacob has always been messy, now I need to worry about Miles rolling into/onto/over pointy things or getting something in his mouth. Jacob brings sand and crumbs into the room and miles won’t always stay where we leave him now! It is crazy to remember all these things that we worried about with our first that we need to review.
For now I will just be proud of Miles and hope for the best!
A few days ago Miles hit his three month birthday. Time flew by so fast, and now it is time to start planning for my return to work. I have mixed feelings about this because I love my job, but I have not really left Miles for more than a few hours in the entire thirteen weeks of his life. When Jacob was this age he spent several long chunks of time with either set of grandparents. I am not sure why we haven’t done that with Miles, but I don’t really mind. I am trying to enjoy all this time while it is here. However, we need to start figuring out how to balance the needs of all while I am working. Dropping off and picking up the kids from daycare is going to be interesting.
In the meantime, I am having fun just soaking in Miles. I love how his eyes just follow me everywhere when I move around him. I love that when he cries he calms down as soon as I touch him. I love how he grabs my shirt when nursing, telling me that he wants to stay close. I will miss his “superman” stretch when he outgrows it. He has a cute snort sometimes when he is working up a cry. He has the cutest toes and a chunky belly and legs. He is definitely heavier than Jacob was at this age, yet he still looks so much like Jacob that the daycare staff are having dejavu.
Three months and he has just become such a great part of our lives. I doubt Jacob remembers a time before Miles. He wants to make Miles feel better whenever he is crying. He wants to see him every morning. He wants Miles to go upstairs so he can play big drums. It is an adventure but I wouldn’t change a thing.
one of my favorite views
Miles is about to turn two months old, Jacob is on his way to turning three, and I can’t believe how fast time is moving. As I enjoy all the newborn cuddles and seeing those first smiles, I also look at how far Jacob has come and can’t wait to see both boys get older. I don’t know how I came to be so blessed with these sweet boys who already love each other so much.
I love how much Jacob dotes on Miles, always wanting to be a part of what is going on. Despite him being a toddler still, I see so much maturity in Jacob at times. His vocabulary continues to grow and I can understand more and more of what he is saying. He can explain himself more too, asking why things happen or if he deserves a treat. When I look in Jacob’s eyes I see a glimpse of the older boy who is to come, and I try to seal in the memory of him being as little as he is now.
As for Miles, I feel this new connection that I wasn’t expecting. Jacob was always so independent, even as a baby, but Miles seems to always want me and I am happy to oblige. His eyes follow me as I move around the house and I recognize one of his cries as a “hey, where are you Mommy? I don’t see you” little sound. He is so like Jacob but also so different. It is hard to explain, but I can’t wait to see his personality emerge more and more.
Through it all, I still have my wonderful husband and we are constantly trying to remember to balance parenting and marriage. I crave those times when we are alone (or even when we only have Miles in tow) so we can reconnect, even for a few minutes. He works so hard and there is never enough time in the day, but I know that he loves us so much that he will do what he needs to do.
I guess I am just being sentimental, but I feel so fortunate to have this life. I thank God every day for these amazing gifts. Who knows how much time we have on this world, so I will cherish every moment.
Miles turned one month old on Friday and will be 5 weeks old tomorrow. Time is slowly drifting by and the days are mixed between great and hard. On the hard days I am sleep deprived, unsure of when I last fed him or if I remembered to make Jacob a lunch for school. On great days miles sleeps long chunks and I get laundry, dishes and dinner done without any problems. On the best days my mom comes to help and I get a long nap in the middle of the day. I am so grateful to have family nearby to help out when needed.
Jacob is finally adjusting and starting to stay in his bed at night rather than coming to our room. He gets in a little trouble at school, but I think it is mostly him being a toddler. He loves Miles and asks about him a lot. “Is Miles awake? Is Miles happy? Mommy, get Miles!” He also loves Miles’ toes just like he loves ours.
I am enjoying my time with my little ones and looking forward to getting cleared by my doctor to start doing more. I will soon be able to lift heavier things (like Jacob!) and exercise to start working off some baby weight. For now I will just enjoy these early days and all the cuddles.
My Birth Story-Miles
I woke up at 4am on Tuesday, January 5 to get ready to go to the hospital for a scheduled c-section. I was really calm and relaxed despite being disappointed that I did not go into labor naturally beforehand. I really wanted to try for a natural birth, but I guess someone had another plan for me.
When we arrived at the hospital two hours before our surgery time, we went straight to the post-op recovery room where I remember being after I had Jacob. No fancy labor and delivery room for me. The nurses were very friendly and started to get me prepared. I thought there might be a lot of waiting around but something was happening most of the time. Soon enough, the anesthesiologist was there explaining what would happen and how I might feel, which was different from the emergency csection. Then my doctor came to check on me and say they were almost ready.
One thing I really wanted to do differently this time was to see the baby as soon as he was born (while still all dirty and gooey). I missed that with Jacob and I felt it was harder to really bond with him because of that and how scared I was. Luckily, when I mentioned it to my doctor (despite it being maybe 30 minutes before we began) she said they would do what they can.
When we went into the operating room, I got on the table and got the spinal block, which was not as bad as I thought it might be. I was surprised at how quickly I started losing feeling in my legs and soon enough I was on the table and they got going. Again, I was so surprised at how quickly things went! I thought it may take a little longer since it wasn’t an emergency but as I laid there holding my husband’s hand, I got updates from the anesthesiologist that they were nearly there. After a little tugging, a nurse lowered the little window flap on the drape in front of me (they found this drape just for me!) and I saw my son’s head and body being held up. It was only for a few seconds, but it was so magical and felt RIGHT that I couldn’t say anything but “I like it!” Soon enough I could hear little cries and sent David off to take our second son’s first video. When they cleaned him and brought him to lay on my chest I just soaked him up and touched his head.
After that, the doctor quickly wrapped up my surgery while dad and Miles waited for me in the recovery room. I held on to the image of him being born while waiting the maybe 15-20 minutes to be reunited. The funny thing is when your body is numb but you are fully awake, things are so off. When they moved me to the bed, the nurses said it would feel like I am falling which was so true! By then I was so happy that I just said “whee!”
Once I was back in recovery, we put a naked (diapered) Miles directly on my chest for some skin to skin time. He started rooting around and I helped him start nursing, which he took to right away! We stayed in recovery for over an hour until a room was ready and began the long journey to recovery. It hasn’t been easy, but finally one week in and I am getting used to this routine again. I just wish I could spend more quality time with Jacob. He has been very good with there being a baby in the house, but I still don’t think it has sunk in that Miles is here to stay. I want Jacob to be more involved but right now we are just trying to keep him in a bit of his routine while I recover.
Well, we made it past Christmas and tonight’s full moon! I am grateful that we were able to enjoy the holiday with family and not be in the hospital. Plus, we would feel bad if our little man had to share his birthday with a major holiday. But, he is safely tucked away and seems to be happy staying with me for a little while longer.
That being said, I do sense he is getting ready to arrive. Yesterday I noticed my tummy was considerably lower, and I get a lot more Braxton Hicks (fake) contractions. It finally is getting hard to put on my own shoes and sit on the floor with Jacob. I get aches and pains I don’t remember having last time. I finally began nesting this past week and feel in a time crunch to get everything ready. Luckily we are 90% done with the essentials. There are still some things I want to do.
-I am still hoping to see Star Wars on the big screen!
-I want to get all the stuff in boxes in our garage sorted and put away (this includes all the bottles I have, ack)
-set up the baby swing and pack and play so Jacob is used to seeing them around.
-get over this cold that started two days ago (thanks Jacob)
-spend some time with David
-just relax!
It is going to be hard doing all this with only 10 days or so to go, but I know with the help of my hubby and family I can knock a few things off my list. Until then, I get to just practice patience.
See you soon!
Sitting at just under 30 days left and we learned that our son is already expressing his independence by pointing in the wrong direction. I often feel a big lump on my upper right tummy, but we learned that it is likely his head. Yup, he is breech right now.
The doctor said that he may still turn head down, but if he doesn’t that means my chances for avoiding another c-section are gone. It is hard not to be a little disappointed, but I will wait until the next appointment (and another ultrasound) to see if he flips. Until then, I am talking to him more, encouraging him to turn. Even if it isn’t working, at least I feel him moving lots and know he is almost ready to make a debut.
I turned thirty weeks yesterday and looking at the calendar causes mild anxiety. I can’t believe that soon enough we will have TWO children! Today I was thinking that I should really take some time to enjoy these last ten weeks or so as who knows when quiet moments will happen in my future.
Jacob still has no clue what is going to happen. He knows he is a big brother, and he knows baby is in mommy’s tummy, but I doubt he knows a baby will be living with us soon. In the next week we will start getting baby’s room ready and preparing to get anything we need for him.
This morning Jacob hit a huge milestone, making for a very proud mommy and daddy. He has been showing a lot of interest in using his potty chair this week, so we’ve done a lot of sitting and singing songs with no results. Well this morning, I decided to sit him down as soon as he woke up and nothing was happening. However, as soon as I left the room to get a clean diaper, I heard music coming from the bathroom! His potty chair was singing because he made peepee in it for the first time!!! Mommy and daddy danced and cheered while Jacob looked a little confused.
We are just so proud of how big Jacob is getting!
The Big Boy!
it is hard remembering back to being pregnant with Jacob, but I swear this baby is way more active sooner! Every day I get brief moments of lots of wiggles and kicks. Daddy was even able to feel one good kick, which is about 3 weeks earlier than with Jacob. I hope this isn’t a sign that he will be a much more active boy in the long run. While Jacob can be a handful now as a toddler, he was a very calm baby.
I still can’t believe that in about 4 months (or a little less if he comes early like Jacob) we will be bringing home our second son. I think I remember how to take care of a newborn. Until then I am just going to try and take care of myself and baby as best I can. In a few weeks I need to take the glucose tolerance test that will tell me if I have gestational diabetes again. I am expecting that I have it, so I have tried to be mindful of my diet. My doctor said in the meantime to just feed myself and baby. Don’t have to tell me twice!!
last night Jacob woke up around midnight and just couldn’t (or wouldn’t) fall back asleep. It was three hours and one snack break later that we finally put him in his crib and said “night night” and left him there. I think he was surprised we did that, but he quietly laid there until he found a comfy spot to fall asleep.
During the long three hours, I was getting so frustrated with him and myself. He kept punching me feet which hurt, and I just wanted to get back to rest. Somewhere in that long night filled with a mommy’s struggle, I got my first real kick from baby bean. It made me stop and just appreciate how quickly time goes on. Maybe I won’t have more nights like this with Jacob, but a new baby brings new opportunities to teach me patience. I just hope that I can continue to be the best mommy that I can be.
Jacob is fighting something right now, but mommy and daddy are trying to take good care of him. On the positive side, he got a new book today about being a big brother and we read it together. He seemed to like it. Plus, at one point I felt his little sibling moving around a bit, so maybe new baby bean is encouraging big brother to get better soon.
Luckily the nausea is subsiding mostly, and I am starting to gain a little weight. Since I have been trying to be careful with what I eat to avoid gestational diabetes again, I lost a little weight then maintained it for several weeks. Baby is still growing (as is my belly) so I am not worried about it. Feeling the baby’s movements will help encourage me to keep up a reasonable diet.
Time moves slowly when you are anxious to meet a new baby! In about three weeks we will learn our baby’s gender. Hopefully around then we will start doing belly bump pictures, so I can document this pregnancy as well.
I am finally in the second trimester and starting to feel better. I don’t remember feeling as nauseous with Jacob, so I am grateful that it is starting to go away. However, everything has shifted forward and my stomach looks about 5 months big instead of 3. I guess there is no denying that this baby is growing.
We are in Las Vegas through tomorrow and having a great time. Jacob is getting a lot of swimming in. Luckily it isn’t too hot.
I am sure every parent is proud of their kid, but the older Jacob gets, the more impressed I am by the little person he is becoming. He continually surprises us with a new word, phrase, or song, or by showing off his kind heart.
This week Jacob fully transitioned to the preschool side of his daycare. So he is in pre-pre-school or something. He is adapting so well, and the teacher gives us a glowing report each day. So far, he has come home singing songs I had no idea he knew, has shown a great love of art, and been so happy to be reunited with friends from his old classes.
Today was an especially touching day for me. Another, older girl was having a hard time saying goodbye to her mommy, and Jacob wasn’t sure what to make of it. I explained to him that the little girl was sad because she missed her mommy, and that maybe she needed a friend. Jacob went right up to her and tried to show her the toys nearby. He even handed her a piece of a puzzle and had the most genuine concerned look on his face. I wanted to cry too, because of his pure heart. While he couldn’t make her feel better, I did see the little girl sneak a peek at him and I just hope he made a small difference. What a sweet moment.
I was also proud today because during a spaghetti dinner (mostly noodles for Jacob) after eating with his hands proved to be slow, he tried out the fork and actually understood me when I said to lean over his bowl to get closer to the food. He got what I meant right away and spaghetti night was never so clean! He also prayed before his meal with mommy and daddy, asking (as always) for more “Amen”.
This two year old is getting to be such a little man. I can’t believe all the changes in such a short time. He is such a blessing in our lives.
Jacob enjoying a little art at school
This pregnancy is kicking my booty right now. I have constant nausea and am starting to get tired and moody. Luckily we have started to tell our family, in case it shows. I am so grateful to be pregnant again, but am ready for this part to be over and be on to the glowy, big belly part.
Jacob has been acting differently too, but I can’t be sure if it is because he is two or because he senses something is different. I am trying to be extra patient with him, but it is hard when I feel so sick. For now I will just give him extra love and kisses.
In a few more weeks I should start feeling better and we will get another ultrasound to see how everything is progressing. It will be exciting to go through that again, and to see our little bean.
A few days ago David and I were looking at old videos from when Jacob was first born. He was so small and helpless. He had no control over his movements or head, and relied on us for everything. As the videos progressed, we saw smiles, laughter, hitting toys with a little fist or kick, first sloppy tastes of baby food, sitting up on his own, babbling, crawling, playing and all the while him getting bigger and bigger.
I look at the toddler in my life now and can barely remember those early days when it seemed hard, but really was just sleep deprived. At least you could put a baby down and he would stay there. Now, as soon as we set him down it is off to the races! We may get more sleep at night, but we use up all our energy during the day.
It is worth it when I see Jacob doing or saying new things. He is trying to say his name (hence the “Baybub” in the title), and many other things. He is pretty good at feeding himself, and tried to put on his own socks and shoes. He loves ABCs and counting. He always wants singing and music. He can play his little drums along with certain songs. Perhaps most amazing is he is learning to trust that when mommy and daddy drop him at school, or leave him with family, that we will be back for him so he doesn’t cry as much. His teachers keep saying how he is growing up.
From a tiny baby to this amazing, growing personality… Isn’t life so incredible? I am so grateful for having a wonderful family to come home to every day. In a few months, he will be ready to enter his terrific twos, and I am so ready to see what he will learn next.
No doubt about it, Jacob is a growing toddler. He may be short and still fitting in 12 (and some 9) month clothes, but he is growing, developing and changing every day. It amazes me at how smart he is. He tries to do so many things that I thought were too advanced for him. He loves feeding himself with a spoon (or spork), and manages to get most of it in his mouth. He likes helping me pull on or off his shirt during changes. He knows that Chalupa lives outside and he is always looking for her so he can feed her a flower. He loves putting his crayons back in the box. Yesterday he was swiping through pictures in my phone. And now we are getting word that the daycare wants to move him up to the bigger toddler room.
His personality is changing too. He knows what mommy and daddy can do to make him laugh and tries to get us to do it (particularly my alien face hugger impression). He gets upset when he doesn’t get his way. He looks concerned when another kid or baby is crying.
Jacob is growing so much that I have to stop every so often and appreciate each moment. He may be so much bigger tomorrow. And our love for him will grow to match.
We have been waiting, watching, and practicing…and over the last few days Jacob decided he was ready to start taking real steps! It was only one or two at first, usually as a means to fall down on purpose (he loves falling). However, we’ve been encouraging him to balance despite his tendency to stand on his foot sideways. We just didn’t consider what he was doing as “walking” yet.
Yesterday, Jacob’s daycare teachers asked if he was taking steps yet. When I said he kind of was, they got really excited and shared that he took quite a few that day. I was so proud if him, and we came home to practice. He only did a few again at home, but we resolved to keep trying.
This morning, we took him to school together so we could see if that helped his walking. Well, there must be something magic in the carpet because he started really walking from mom to dad, back and forth, up to almost 10 steps!! We are so proud of our little man and he looked so happy when he was doing it. I know that parents say to watch out when they start walking because they get in to everything, but right now we are going to celebrate and enjoy the moment.
Jacob just keeps growing at a rate I cannot believe. It seems like since his first birthday he has decided he is going to be a big boy and catch up to all his friends. Within a week of his birthday he started army crawling and soon after that he learned he could crawl on his hands and knees. At the same time, he started pulling up on his toys and shows a real interest in trying to stand. He is getting so good at getting around, that this past week his daycare started transitioning out of the infant room and into the young toddler room. He has done so well that he is making the move permanent this week. He is even transitioning to regular milk and doing very well.
Since Jacob is becoming such a big boy, we decided it was time for his first haircut too. We took him to the same place David gets his hair cut. The lady stylist asked how short and we had no idea, but settled on her using the razor attachments to get it done quickly. Luckily, Jacob discovered a magazine he liked and just sat rustling pages as she began. I think it helped that the razor was super quiet because it didn’t even phase him that something was happening. He did get interested in the hair falling around him, and we spent the rest of the time trying to make sure he didn’t eat it.
The entire cut probably took less than ten minutes, but it looks great! While it may take some getting used for mom and dad, as soon as Jacob saw himself in the mirror he smiled. I think he will like the breeze on his head even more!
Next stop, a new car seat to last several more years and maybe soon the road to walking! How fast it all goes!!
I look at the days winding down as we near Jacob’s first birthday, and don’t know how we got here. It was just yesterday that I was pregnant and wondering what was a leg or arm. Last week I was marveling at how tiny they made baby clothes and how big they looked on Jacob. And wasn’t it a few minutes ago that he made his first coo, laugh, sit up, start eating solids and learn one skill after another…
I was watching Jacob play today and it is so amazing to see how far he has come. He knows how to put a circle in the right hole on his dog toy. He knows how to open its mouth and feed it a treat. He understands how to give me what I ask for, and who mommy and daddy are. He may not fully crawl yet, but he has the most infectious laugh. He may drool buckets, but I finally see the telling bump of a top tooth. And he may drop and fling food at times, but he doesn’t refuse his veggies or fruits and loves to feed himself.
I don’t know how I got to be so incredibly blessed with a great baby boy. He does not cry for no reason, he gives kisses freely and is so curious about everything around him. He is the brightest part of my day. I can’t wait to see what his life will hold for him.
Jacob and I were sitting in his room talking and I realized I didn’t make a nine month post! Well, I was talking and he was saying “mamama” and “bbblllbbb” and laughing at my toes. Now he is contentedly laying on his back and sucking his thumb.
I can’t believe it has been nine months since Jacob was born. It seems like time is flying by. He is so much bigger now. Even though he is still working on crawling and picking up small food with his hands, he is learning so many new skills. He is overall a smart, happy, loving baby.
I am starting to think back on this past year and realizing how much our lives have changed. Last year at this time I was pregnant and just starting to really feel Jacob moving. We were preparing in many small ways to bring him into our home, not knowing what he will or will not need. As 2013 progressed we watched my belly grow, welcomed home a tiny little baby, and watched him blossom into a 7 month old little man. We have had sleep deprived days and nights, been peed and spit up on, sucked out countless boogies and changed diaper after diaper.
But we have also had first smiles and laughs, rolling over and playtime, hugs and slobbery kisses, and cuddly naps together. We have seen Jacob grow longer and heavier, and had to put away those cute first outfits. While I think it is amazing how much the year changed from start to finish, I am more in awe with all that will come next year.
In 2014 we should have crawling, walking and standing, the move to finger foods and sippy cups, understanding of words, and many more teeth. We will also see Jacob celebrate his first birthday. I don’t know how we will keep up!
I know we have more challenges and triumphs ahead, and as a team we will all get through it.
We have known that Jacob’s been teething for quite a while now, and during our trip it seemed the drool and hands in the mouth increased a lot. He also woke up more often at night, but thought it may be from such a different environment. One day I saw a little bump in his mouth and I have been waiting for something to emerge.
Tonight was the night! At dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Gonzales and family, I finally felt a sharp little hard, poky thing when Jacob put my finger in his mouth! His bottom right tooth has started to poke through! David and I are in shock even though we knew this was happening. I guess we are both a little sad that our little baby is growing so fast. We hate to see him in pain from this process, but know he is going to need us more than ever to comfort him and give lots of love.
I can’t wait for more tooth to poke out so I can show a picture with his toothy grin.
We are a few days in to our vacation and Jacob seems to be doing well. He is experiencing so many new things and it isn’t too overwhelming yet (we think). Jacob is a real trooper and we are relaxing despite all the work it is to keep him both entertained AND quiet for our hotel room neighbors. We may owe them a bottle of champagne.
One of the highlights from yesterday was a river tour and luau at the Smith Family property on the Wailua river. Jacob took a nap right before getting on the boat, but ended up squealing due to his gums hurting from teething. We gave him some teething tablets, however, and he was happy on the way back. After that he was very hungry and tired, so he fell asleep during the luau dinner. The noise of the crowd and the show woke him up and he stayed awake all the way back to our hotel. Luckily, since he fell asleep closer to 10pm (instead of 6:30 like the first few nights) he slept all the way until 6:30am! Woo hoo!
Today we are going to take him to a little baby beach near our hotel. I think he will have fun splashing in the ocean while Mom is worrying about sand everywhere! We’ll see what happens 🙂
