LONG 2 Month Update

Didn't I just write this post? No, wait, that was the TWO WEEK update. Thankfully, time is flying. One day when I'm old and gray I'll wish it weren't, but for this moment and season, it's a great thing.

Carson went for his 2 month check up today. Height 23.something--75th percentile. That's amusing to me, that Jesse and I would have a child well into the 75th percentile for height at any point in his life! Weight 12.2 lbs. 50th percentile. Head circumference--who cares.

Kaitlin went for her 4 yr old appointment (a bit early) and now weighs a whopping 29.5 pounds and is I think 39 and a half inches tall. She's back down in the 3rd percentile for weight (almost the 10th, though) and 50th for height. So I guess she thought that means she and Carson could share pants (see pic). Not yet, his are a bit short on her, but the sad thing is, he will outweigh her probably around his 2nd birthday. At least the situation isn't reversed, though, huh?

Sleeping--Carson--yes, many nights 6-8 hours between feedings. Sometimes just 3-4, but at least he knows what night time is and is ready to go to bed every night by 8ish. That is, until this week when got some blasted medicine that makes him extremely gassy. So we've reverted to the 4 week old sleep habits but I know it's only temporary. Different medicine on order as I type, thank GOD.

And maybe I should erase that last paragraph because (can I get an "AMEN" here?) every time. Every single time. EVERY SINGLE TIME I brag on him for doing something good ("Oh, he's hardly crying now!" "He's warming up to his car seat" "He slept through the night last night!") he stops doing it. So I find myself superstitious and I am so NOT superstitious, but you would be, too, if it meant another hour of sleep and the trade off is you have to keep your mouth shut about how well he did last night. And if I do talk, now I feel like I have to preface it with "Well, this might all change tonight, but he just...XYZ..." Otherwise we'll have an awful morning or something to make up for the fact that I forgot to throw in the little superstitious disclaimer. Ridiculous, I know.

Smiling and cooing. Yes! All the time. Especially at 4 AM, as though to say "I'm sorry for waking you up, but I'll be irresistable to make it worth your while." The only reason we moms keep our newborns around and some degree of sanity for ourselves. Although, sane becomes a very relative term during this season of life.

Couple questions about the pediatrician's office. First of all, when did they all get to be younger than me? What the heck can these young men think they know about babies? Ha ha. Second, why is the pediatrician the ONLY doctor where you consistently wait an hour for your appointment to start, even when you show up on time? You'd think in the 30+ years since I've been visiting a pediatrician, somebody would have solved this problem. Because I definitely remember some marathon waits back in Dr. Regan's office growing up. But it's even worse now... now they make you keep the door shut ("privacy laws") when you get back to the room where the actual exam takes place--so you can't even shoot the docs and nurses dirty looks as they pass your room and wash their hands 300 times. Rivals the DMV, except thankfully I don't need a new driver's licence every 2 months. Although if they catch me driving with half my body contorted into the back seat to keep the pacifier in my baby's mouth they just may sentence me to repeated visits. Come to think of it, let's do that for drunk drivers.

In other news, I shouldn't complain about my job as the mom of the household because I might get outsourced soon by Kaitlin. She is already Carson's pacificer-replacer, diaper-fetcher, burp-cloth monitor, cry-radar, smile-getter, and outfit-chooser. I have to pull up a chair every time I bathe him so she can watch. (oddly, no questions about the male/female difference yet. Look for that post soon!). She totally digs being Mommy Jr. Only now she's really making a run for my head-of-the-house-female position, as she decided to fold laundry yesterday. See pic above...I think she did a pretty good job! I feel like the doctors on Grey's Anatomy, competing for a surgery so they don't lose their jobs in the hospital merger--I'm competing with my 3 yr old for housework!

Her little memory is incredible. It's taken her all of about 15 tries to memorize the entire Pledge of Allegiance. She still says ...and to the "weplublic" with an extra "L" which is super adorable, but she's got it other than that. Indivisible = no problem for her!

Thanks for reading my loooooong update. This is what you get when you combine a stay at home Mommy with a computer that has no minute-limit and an audience of ANY size, animate or inanimate. Cheers!

Kiddos Update

I'm sensing the beginnings of some sibling rivalry. I keep trying to snap pics of Carson when he's smiling and so today, Kaitlin cuts in and demands I take pics of her smiling, too. You know, since that's new and all...
She's been in preschool about 4 days now and already her handwriting is better! Okay, so it's not the school, but still, it's getting pretty darned good and what's cute is that she loves to go out to the back porch and write "our family" as she calls it--and she writes out "kaitlin" first (of course) then "mommy," "daddy," and "carson". It's so sweet! Right up until she gets defiant about me trying to take her picture. I'll let you figure out which photo that is, ha ha!

Fun With Friends

At the risk of serious trouble, I'll post this pic because to me, it's priceless. Kaitlin had a visit from her two bestest friends, who are twins. They came all the way up from Florida (8 and a half hours in the car) to visit and the kiddos had a great time. So did the Mommies! Thanks B&R for a wonderful time!

Just Sayin'

A thought struck me today. As someone who has done both, child rearing is, in fact, much harder than rocket science.

Amazed

I have been completely blown away the past couple weeks by the kindness and love of my friends and family. I can't go into a lot of detail at the moment, but I have to write about what God is teaching me through it all. Two specific lessons stand out:

(1) I read early on in Kailin's little life that "sleep begets sleep." You don't exhaust your child to get them to sleep well; instead, you nap them as needed and put them to bed at a reasonable hour and sleeping will come much easier to them.
So it is in our lives with serving others. My Bible Study group has extended their arms to us and loved us so much lately, in such tangible and practical ways, that I can't help but to want to give it back away. To them, to anybody. It's the exact reaction that Jesus expected from His followers, when He told us to love Him and our neighbors above all other commandments. He loved us so much, and that kind of love begets more love. His kindness led us to repentence--and our kindness will lead others to Him. And sometimes when we see somebody not serving or not loving very well, it's our very natural inclination to not want to serve them or to love them, either. (like trying to keep the kid up late to get them to sleep in). But it doesn't work if you really want things to change. The very people that are least kind or least giving...well, that might just be what they are needing from others to jump start their hearts in the same direction. I am humbled after watching my small group to realize just how poor I can be at serving others in my own life.

(2) God provides. How many times in the past few weeks have I cringed and been unable to see how to get through something. It's like being in a video game trying to get through a castle maze thingy. The animated electronic guy just needs the next treasure to keep going or else his little life is over. If he gets it, he has enough to go find the next part of the maze. That's sort of how I've felt; I just need the next little bit to keep going. But every time I peek my head around the next corner, I can't see a thing--no little treasure. There is NOTHING there. I panic. I'm human. My confidence and perseverance is in critical condition. It's not until I actually walk around that corner and I'm in the room that what I need the most suddenly falls from the sky or materializes where it wasn't before. I thank God for that, knowing He is the giver of all good things. And that treasure has come in a hundred forms--friends visiting, my mother in law, a pick-me-up phone call, meals, an encouraging e-mail, something fun to do, a smile from my kiddos, a couple hours alone, an uninterrupted cup of coffee--always just enough to get to the next room but never lacking. So, thank you small group. Thank you friends. Most of all--thank you GOD.

Priorities

Okay, I'm skipping shower time in order to write this!
Today is Kaitlin's first day of preschool. She was sooo excited and ready to go. And if you know me, you will be most impressed to know that I got her there on time. Poor Carson paid the price. He got halfway through his feeding and I had to cut him off and leave. Ah, the fun of being second-born. But we learned our lesson and will time it better next go round. Kaitlin was so disappointed that Mommy drove her and she didn't get to ride a yellow (fave color) school bus. Whoops, forgot to go over that part with her. Truth be told, Mommy's a little disappointed there's no school bus, too. :)
On the bright side, Carson 'complained' so much on the way home about still being hungry that he has slept the whole time Kaitlin's been at school and oh boy! That means I've had free hands the ability to get some stuff done!
I finally managed to get a semi-smiling picture out of Carson--see the one with the newspaper in the background. He is smiling at the headline over his right shoulder--too bad for OU!
Off to shower; enjoy some pics of Kaitlin on her first day and also just some random updated pics of Carson. 10 lbs 13 oz as of Sept 8th. He weighs at 5 weeks probably what Kaitlin weighed at 5 months. I wonder if I'll ever stop comparing my kids. Makes me awfully glad that God saw fit to make this one a boy. :)

2 Week Check up

In typical Kelly fashion, I'm late on Carson's 2 week check up. But only by two days. At any rate, he weighs 9 lbs (75th %), is 21 inches long (up from 20 inches at birth, between 50-75th %), and his noggin is 14" around (25th %). He's doing great by all accounts and sleeping peacefully as I type. Ah, bliss.