2 Years Old

I find Nolan's monthly updates to be so helpful as I go through this first year with Isaac. But I think there's going to be a day much, much later that I'll enjoy reading these updates about my once little people.

Last week, Nolan turned TWO YEARS OLD!!! We are all done with the baby years. I may have been a little sad about this the night before his 2nd birthday. Shocker. 

Nolan's favorites foods: hotdogs, Chick-fil-a grilled nuggets, meatballs, watermelon, blueberries, oatmeal, tater tots, and a variety of cookies. 

Nolan takes 1 afternoon nap that lasts 2-3 hours. He goes to sleep between 7:30-8:00. When he wakes up in the morning varies, but he stays in his crib until 8 happily. 

Some of my favorite things that Nolan says: 
Nonee  (Nolan)
No Nank a new (No thank you)
Happy Day (Happy Birthday or any celebratory day)
Watch lions (his way of asking to watch Lion King)
Isaac mad (kindly lets me know this whenever Isaac is crying)
Nonee's song (Nolan's song which is Whom Shall I Fear by Chris Tomlin)

Nolan's favorite things to do: jump off the ottoman, play with his cars, line his cars up, race his cars, play soccer, play basketball, run anywhere and everywhere, and play with Ryann and Alee.

Nolan is so expressive, so energetic, and so happy. He does clam up in front of a crowd or new people. He's started to string more and more words together. But I honestly love the way he talks right now. He's so cute with his broken english. 

Nolan weighs 29 pounds and is 35 1/2 inches tall. He's in the 75th percentile for height and the 55th percentile for weight. Which is interesting. He feels really heavy; I would've guessed those percentiles to be switched. 

This little boy loves books, is obsessed with diggers and tractors, and still thinks the zoo is the bees knees. He'd watch Lion King or Kung Fu Panda everyday if I let him. His new favorite thing is taking a bath with Isaac, which is utterly adorable.

Nolan is seriously irresistible. Everywhere we go people comment on his amazing curls. It's crazy that he didn't have them a year ago. Thankfully, he still has some yummy cheeks on him.

Nolan is so much fun. Though he has his fair share of time outs for being disobedient, this 2 year old stage is usually hilarious. He makes me laugh so much everyday. I love him so much and love being his mom. I can't imagine the fun this 3rd year will bring. 

3 Months

Another month marker for our little Isaac. He's getting chunkier and happier. And we're growing more and more fond of our littlest boy with each passing day. Even Nolan is enjoying him more!!

Isaac doesn't have much hair left. He's definitely got a very defined bald spot at the back of his head from moving his head while he sleeps. I'm so, so curious to see what color his hair will be as it grows back. 

The little nugget went to the doctor last week for his 2 month check up (a little late...it's how I roll). He was 14lbs, 1oz and 25in long. Those stats put him in the 80+ percentile for both weight and height. He got his first round of vaccines too. He had a mild fever and some poor napping, but otherwise, he handled them like a champ. 

We had a whole week at the lake at the beginning of this month. All the cousins together for 5 days was so. much. fun. Isaac did just dandy. He slept a lot. But it's exciting to think about these 5 and summers to come. 

Isaac is turing into such a social boy. He loves when we talk to him. He loves smiling back at us. His little legs kick with genuine excitement whenever he gets undivided attention from us. It's so cute! Anytime I have to wake him up, he smiles as soon as his eyes focus on me. I mean, seriously? That's adorable. 

Isaac is really finding his voice these days. He'll talk and coo and squawk. The doctor was actually very impressed with his social skills and predicts he'll be an early talker. How they can predict things like that I just don't know. 

With they way the boys' schedules work out, I get one on one time with Isaac twice a day. It's still just the two of us at his first wake time, and then once Nolan goes down for his afternoon nap, Isaac and I have almost another full hour together. I'm so thankful I get uninterrupted time with my sweet baby. He's growing so fast! I love having time to treasure him. 

Isaac still takes 4 naps a day, but I think we're getting very close to dropping that final cat nap before bed. Things that still surprise me: his hiccups (getting better but still happening at least once a day!!!), the struggles with the paci (come on, man!! Take the paci!!), the way he rarely demands to be fed, and the bottle-- still not great at it, but he's actually started to take it from me better than other people. 

It's crazy to think that next month I can start offering solids. WHAT?! I don't know that I'll start right away, but it just seems crazy that we CAN start that at the end of next month. 

We're savoring the snuggles and enjoying the littleness of our baby. He'll be on the move before we know it!! 

Happy Day!!

My Nolan Man,

You, my little love, are two today. TWO. I can hardly believe it's already time to celebrate your birthday again. Though you are so much different than the little baby who could barely walk a year ago, you still have the sweetest round cheeks and most adorable big eyes. Your smile can light up any room, and your laughter can soften the hardest heart. 

Watching you grow this past year has been a roller coaster. I love seeing you grow in independence and your curious self explore limits. But I also know the clock is ticking. The days of your little hands reaching up for me to hold you are numbered. Though you can absolutely.wear.me.down. with the number of times you call for me in any given hour, I know I'm going to miss it one day. 

You are a ball of energy, Nolan. You a runner and jumper by nature. You express excitement with the biggest expressions on your face. You have a love for life that is contagious. You make me pause and be present in the little moments because you find them to be so awesome. You are a joy bringer, Nolan. 

Your two year old self still loves balloons. You happily play with any and every ball. You eat hotdogs like a champ! You love music and hearing Mommy sing. You enjoy animals and love the zoo. You can listen to the same book read over and over and over. You are absolutely crazy about your cousins and hug them incessantly when you're around them. 

You make life so much sweeter, Nolan. Your growing interest in Isaac is precious and perfect. I don't ever tire of hearing you say, "Morning, Isaac." I get a smile on my face just thinking about the big brother you are and will be to him. 

I love you so much, Nolan. More than you'll ever know or understand. I cherish these times we have together. When I grow frustrated with your stubborn stand offs or your picky eating, I remind myself that these days are going so quickly. I adore you and take great delight in being your mom. The nights I get to put you to bed, I savor every second of cuddling you. You will always be my baby boy, but you are definitely a toddler now. I love watching you grow and seeing life through your eyes. There's nothing you could do to change my love for you. I'm crazy about you, Nolan. And I love celebrating wonderful you today!

Happy Day, sweet boy!

Love,
Mommy

Holding Onto Little Moments

My sweet baby got his first round of immunizations yesterday. Isaac is such a chill baby I seriously very rarely hear him cry. But cry he did when he got stabbed those 3 times in his perfectly soft and squishy thighs. Today his sleeping has been just a little off most of the day. Isaac takes 4 naps a day, and the only good one was the first one. I don't know if I can blame the shots on the poor sleep or if it's purely coincidence. 

At nap number 3 (which is also Nolan's nap, aka- the golden hours), Isaac was again having a hard time staying asleep, which is very unlike him. When I went back in a second time, that little booger had gotten an arm out of his swaddle and was sucking on his hand. When I picked him up and held him close he almost immediately fell asleep in my arms. 

Knowing that with one arm out the likelihood of me getting him to stay asleep after laying him down was quite slim, I decided to hold him.

I'm having a hard time thinking of something I love to do more than hold a sleeping baby, even better, MY sleeping baby. 

So I walked back out to the couch and held my baby close. He would burry his head into my arm occasionally. I'd lean down and kiss his perfect cheeks. And I just sat with my littler boy, knowing these opportunities are fleeting. Forcing myself to accept that these moments are but a blink in the big scheme of things.

Lately I've been trying so hard to figure out what the balance of this motherhood thing is. I love being a mom. I love my boys more than I can possibly put into words. They bring me joy, and I take such delight in them. I can't believe I get to be Mommy to those two and hopefully a few more. But. I still feel passionate about the marginalized people of this world. I'm not convinced that just because I'm a mom to little people that I'm given a pass on the command to give to the poor, care for the needy, and love the unlovely. 

So where's the balance. I'm really wrestling with this. 

But in those 45 minutes of holding my sweet Isaac, I was certain that I didn't need to be anywhere else. And I didn't want to be anywhere else. I desperately want to love these boys of mine well and point them to Jesus. Today, loving Isaac well looked like snuggling him close and helping him get some sleep. While I want him to feel normal tomorrow, I treasure the time I had with him today. The Mommy job description is long, but the snuggling? The snuggling is always a pleasure.