Asking Jane

Walt's cousin recently blogged about a Motherhood Blog she follows called Asking Jane. I followed the link and found myself sitting for an hour reading the posts and feeling so peaceful and happy. I told Walt about it, and he asked, "Did it make you want to have more children?" Yes, it did, actually. I loved it and wanted to pass it on.

Not a House Party (.com)

For LDS singles ages 26-35, here's a great opportunity to provide service while getting to know new people. It sounds like a really fun, unique way for singles to connect, and the setting is beautiful!

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Lately

At the cemetery visiting my mom's grave on Mothers Day


Isaac helping our neighbor mow the lawn. He was on cloud 9!


Isaac loves it when I put Tommy in the crib with him :)


Bowling with the Johnsons


Thomas with Grandpa Johnson


Easter Sunday - visiting the cemetery where Walt's mom is buried


Thomas's Baby Blessing - Easter Sunday, April 24th

Thomas

Last week was Thomas's two month checkup. He weighed in at 12 lb. 8 oz. and measured 24 1/2 inches long. That puts him in the 95th percentile for length. He has a little eczema (which should be easily cured with the right kind of lotion) and goopy eyes like Isaac did, but otherwise is very healthy and is on target for other milestones. Thomas sleeps well and eats well. He takes a great morning nap and then catnaps all afternoon, which is a little tricky for me because when he's awake he wants to be held and played with. It means I often get very little done in the afternoon. But I also get a lot of one-on-one time with him while Isaac takes his afternoon nap, so that is a bonus. We've started bathing the boys together in the big tub. We just place the baby bath inside the bathtub, and Isaac LOVES it. He loves to help wash Thomas with the sponge. As a side note, Isaac has also caught on to how we burp Thomas after he eats, so he has taken to coming up behind us, patting our backs, and saying "burp!". We often humor him with a fake burp, which we may regret at some point, but it makes us all laugh.

Thomas likes tummy time. He also likes to sit on my lap while I play the piano or type on the computer, and he loves watching Isaac play. His hair has lightened a little bit but is still brown, and his eyes, which we all thought were going to be brown, have decided to be blue. We are having Thomas blessed on Easter Sunday, April 24th, and are looking forward to several members of Walt's family traveling here for the occasion as well as my extended family coming for an open house before church.

We sure love this little guy. It's hard to imagine our life before him. So glad you're ours, Thomas!

Isaac

I love being the mom of two little boys!!! Lots of people told me how hard it would be at first, but I've been relieved to find that it's also a LOT of fun! Thomas has had three nights in a row of 7-10 hours of sleep, then eating briefly and going back down for 2-3 hours. It's a beautiful thing.

Isaac is a great big brother. He shares toys and sippy cups with Thomas (places them in Thomas's swing or on his stomach) and will often squat down by him and say "Hi Baby!" When Thomas cries for any reason Isaac is very concerned that "baby is sad" and wants me to take care of it. If I put Isaac in the car before Thomas, he gets worried that I've forgotten the baby and sometimes starts to cry.

I have to remind myself that Isaac is only 21 months. He's a little big for his age and so verbal that I sometimes expect too much of him and feel like I'm disciplining more than I should. The biggest challenge of motherhood for me so far is trying to figure out appropriate expectations for behavior, be consistent, and recognize when I've done too much or not enough. I assume I'm not alone in this. Overall we have a great time together. Isaac and I have a ritual that goes as follows:

Mommy: "Hey, are you my favorite Isaac?"
Isaac: "Uh huh!"
Mommy: "Am I your favorite mommy?"
Isaac: "Uh huh!"
Mommy: "We're each other's favorite!"

Several times throughout the day Isaac will say "Momma?" just to hear me say, "Yes?". He'll smile and go on doing whatever he was doing. Just checking in, I guess. Some of Isaac's favorite foods are hot dogs, yogurt, raisins, mashed potatoes, and scrambled eggs. He'll go get the frying pan out of the drawer and bring it to me saying, "Eggs? Please? Okay!" Sometimes he asks me to sit down and play the piano. On a couple of the more intense pieces he'll say, "Wow!" at the loud parts. He is obsessed with trucks! Especially Daddy's truck. If they are having male bonding time, Walt will take Isaac out to the truck in the garage and they'll be there for 15-20 minutes while Isaac turns on the lights, honks the horn, pulls down the visor, opens the glove box. And then there is the inevitable tantrum when it's time to come in. He could sit out there all day and be happy. Songs are a favorite thing, too. We'll sing "We Are A Happy Family" and I'll pause to let him fill in the name of someone. Daddy, Nanna, and Grandpa are favorite choices, but he also thinks it's hilarious to say Jocelyn (his cousin) over and over and over. Yesterday he said, "Blanket", and I informed him that unfortunately the blanket couldn't love him back. Good thing he didn't understand what I was saying - his little heart would have been broken! I'll keep those thoughts to myself from now on. :) He's also picking up on some of the expressions I use. He'll say, "Wow! Dump Truck! Cool." Or "Awesome!" This is such a fun age, and I'm loving it!


Daddy was in charge of dishing up dessert. Mommy is not so generous. But look at that smile! :)


Post-dessert blackmail picture. Pirate? Cowboy? Joker? You decide.



Taking a spin in Nanna Julz's antique baby buggy.

Invitation

Isaac was invited to his first birthday party. The little boy next door is turning 3. I'm excited to go! What is a good $5-ish present for a 3 year old boy?

Week 2

How Do You Even Make it Out of the House With Two Tiny Kids?

That's the question I've been pondering for the last week. Hmmm. Is it even possible? I'd love to make it to the grocery store, but just thinking about taking Isaac (19 months) and Thomas (almost 2 weeks) out at the same time by myself makes me want to take a nap. Meanwhile, I'm having lots of fun with them at home, but someday I'll have to get out and about. So if you have any tips for me, please share!

Isaac walked frontward down the steps this week, which was a fun milestone. I love being at home to see these firsts. I cheered him on, and he was so proud of himself. When he got down, he climbed right back up and did it again. He's also started using longer strings of words, and his most common phrase right now is, "there it is!" for when he finds someone or something he's looking for. He likes to smile and make faces at himself in the mirror, and he has a funny, contagious laugh. His personality is really starting to come out! It's so fun! (when he's not throwing a tantrum)

Thomas outgrew his newborn diapers at one week old and graduated to size 1. He is sleeping 4-5 hour stretches at night, which is so nice. He's a great baby, and Isaac doesn't seem to mind him. I'm tired but not exhausted. My grandma was here for several days helping out while Walt was out of town. She fixed meals, did all the dishes and laundry, and helped watch Isaac so I could rest. It was wonderful!