Andrew Update: 6 Months

Well, our little man is 1/2 way to being 1 year old already. I can't believe that 1/2 a year has gone by! Of course in some ways, it feels like he was just born yesterday, and others...it feels like time is going by too slowly.

As far as new accomplishments go, I'd like to say he's doing so much more, but not so much. He still isn't rolling over or talking much. I have had a hard time with this. I don't want to do the comparison thing, and make sure he is "keeping up with the Jones' baby," but I do. My most recent thought was this though, if he is this content to just BE, then maybe he will be a more relaxed and easy toddler (and that I would love!). I'm gonna go with it. He does love to stand, and is getting closer to sitting. Maybe he'll just skip the rolling over part and go right to sitting and crawling. Of course he learned how to blow raspberries too, yes this boy does love to spit and is proud of it.

His nights are still sporadic too. For the most part he sleeps till 5 a.m. But there are a few nights a week he chooses to wake up 1 or 2 times. I thought feeding him cereal might help, but he has started the whole baby food phase and it's not making much of a difference. It took him a long time to get used to the cereal too. I thought he just didn't like it, until last week when I discovered he just didn't like the rice cereal. Now that we have moved on to oatmeal, he is devouring his food. We've also tried bananas and squash and he seems to love those too. He has started to go to bed in his crib for naps now too, and with out being rocked (although not without a small 1-2 minute crying fight). It's progress, yay!! And, although we aren't on as strict of a schedule as I had with the girls, he seems to have a pattern down.

Andrew continues to take delight in his sister Kyra. She pretty much lights up his world. She could be eating breakfast, talking about her day, or writing on a piece of paper, and he laughs at her. He just simply loves his sister. Katie tries to imitate things Kyra does to make him laugh, but I think he deliberately keeps a stoic face to get back at her for getting in his face. Who knew the sibling rivalry could start at infancy?

Yes, although we have a mostly quiet little fella (believe me, when he does get fussy, he gets super fussy), he still invokes delight in our hearts. He loves to be part of the action (we put him in his Bumbo at the dinner table or else he gets jealous). He is a social little bean, and a cuddler...ahh my favorite part. Yes, he knows he tugs at our heart strings.

Just Do It

My brain is currently functioning on overload. You would think I would be worried about getting everything ready for Christmas, but I'm not. I don't have a single present wrapped, but that's just not on my mind right now. I have random thoughts that keep flying through my head and won't resolve themselves. So, if you have better things to do right now, I would stop reading, because this might take awhile.

Last evening I was extremely tired (in part because I have a 6 month old that still doesn't know how to sleep through the night and was up twice the previous night). So, my hubby told me to go to bed and he would give Andrew his last feeding. Wearily I obliged. So, at 9:30 p.m. I went to sleep. It would have been a great night of sleep, if it hadn't been for my 5 year old who woke up in the middle of the night because she was cold, after insisting on sleeping in a sleeping bag in the floor. It didn't take long to put her back in her bed, but after my 4 hours of sleep, my brain must have thought I had enough rested enough because I couldn't go back to bed for another 3 hours.

I lay awake thinking about friends...friends I no longer keep in contact with because of my lack of effort, friends I do try to keep contact with but for reasons unbeknown st to me don't seem to reciprocate my need for their deep companionship. If friendship, companionship, love, is so important than why do we continually mess it up? Why do I let jealousy, and selfishness get in my way to simply care for people? I get so wrapped up in myself, wondering why I didn't get invited to someones house, or why wasn't I the person they felt they could pour their heart out to, that I don't stop to think about what I can do to make someone else feel more loved. I could invite someone with little family for dinner, or send someone who is lonely a card.

I lay awake wondering about my low self esteem, and wonder what I can do to improve my image of myself, so as not to pass this trait on to my girls. I tell myself my new slogan for 2010 is going to be Just Do It! I need to stop whining about not being able to make fabulous meals, making creative projects, having a dust free house, or kids that are perfectly coiffed, and just do something...clean the kitchen sink, play play doh with my kids...do something I can do. I focus so much of my time worrying what other people might think about how I do things in my life. "Would you look at her, she picks up her baby too much...she let's her baby cry too much, she let's her kids watch too much TV, why can't she potty train her child? She spends too much money on junk food. She should really watch her weight." I realize how much time I spend focused on negativity, I just have trouble stopping. Whether people really think badly of me or not, it shouldn't matter. I know only God's view of me matters, I just have trouble remembering that.

I think I've babbled on long enough. There are many more thoughts I have of blogging....writing about things we are proud of all the time vs. what our life looks like in reality, New Year's resolutions, and how to raise our children knowing God. When it comes down to all the issues, I know the answer lies with God. God tells us to "put other's before our own needs." God tells us "we can do all things through Him who strengthens us." God tells us "we are children of Him." Deep down, I know what I have to do. I know I should take it to God in prayer, and read my bible more often. Of course now I'm just laying out more inadequacies...how I'm inadequate in my walk with God. When what I really need to do is stop focusing on what I should do and Just Do It!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Amidst the craziness of trying to put up Christmas decorations with a rather fussy baby and two "getting eachother's goats" girls, I did manage to laugh at some of the cute things Katie said. Thank goodness for laughter.

While driving to the doctor alone with Katie:
Katie: Mom, I see a silent "E"!
(never mind that she still doesn't even know what an E looks like, I just like that she was able to find a silent one. Can you tell we have an older sibling in this household?)

While sitting at the dinner table:
Kyra: Katie, give this dolly to Andrew and see what he does.
Katie: Kyra, I can't do that. He's a boy baby. Boys don't like dolls. We'll have to give it to him when he's older and turns into a girl baby.
(I've got news for you sister...)

While brushing hair in the bathroom:
Mom: (Katie enters the room) Oh, baby...your outfit doesn't match, why don't you go back into your room and put on your green pants.
Katie: Momma, I don't want to. Then I'll look like a human!

If you'd like to read more tiny talk go over to Mary's.