Looking Back at 2020

It's hard to even put enough words together to form a post, hence nothing since Elliana's birthday. And honestly, I think 2020 is such a unique year, that reflecting back on it feels odd. Because in some ways, it feels like we are still living the bad stuff of 2020. Covid is not gone, racial injustice still runs rampant, and the most polarizing election of my life still feels unresolved. I am still hearing political campaigns on the radio, and I'm just so over it. But alas. 

I'm going to start with the most obvious of things...

COVID-19

We are living during a global pandemic. Nine months of this year have been lived under a different kind of stress. I remember in early April, I would have this desperate desire to run away. There was no where to run to. We were under Shelter in Place orders, but I just needed out. I needed to not be around my children every moment of every day. I needed to not have to make any more decisions or wonder about the tiniest of choices if they were jeopardizing our health. I just needed the fatigue of this new stress to relent for an hour. As the weeks marched on, I found myself feeling compelled to disappear less and less. We adapted. We settled in. I found myself relieved on Saturdays that we weren't managing schedules, figuring out how to not be too busy. We were busy never. I remember playing soccer with the kids in the backyard and just feeling really ok with how life was going. But things still got tough mentally at times. The isolation wore on me. Thoughts were camping out in my head that I knew weren't good, but I wasn't sure if they were true or not. And to have to spend anymore mental energy than already necessary sifting through and dwelling on the validity of them felt so taxing. 

But we did have a lot of family time. Adam got to see Elliana more than either of the boys in the first year of life, and that was really sweet. I baked so much! SO MUCH! We walked our neighborhood so many times. Adam's boss gave us their old trampoline, and it pretty much saved us this year. There was a lot of good that came out of COVID. But I am still so ready to see it go!! 

CHURCH

This will be quick. Church has been one of the harder parts of the pandemic. We switched churches right before this hit, and so no one knows us. We know close to no one. It has been hard. I wasn't sold on the church we were going to, and so it's felt like we've just been drifting and drifting and lost sight of where land is. It's really been since we left the church that had a dramatic split that we've been involved and immersed in a church body. And man, I'm weary. We'll find out our church's plan for meeting in 2021, but it all feels daunting. Like really? We're going to establish community at this church in the middle of a pandemic? 

COACHING

I made the difficult decision to coach this year, even though we are living through a pandemic. It was a calculated risk that having this small outlet was going to outweigh the potential harm. This year I coached middle school, and I enjoyed it so much more than last year. Middle school is ROUGH, and I still find that age group more challenging than high school to coach. But I enjoyed the girls. I enjoyed thinking about something other than what happens at home and the chaos of the world. It absolutely added stress to my life and the whole family, realistically. There were plenty of days I asked myself why I was doing this. But now that my season has been over for almost a month, I'm glad I did it. I really loved and mostly enjoyed the girls. They got first place at both of their competitions, which is shocking they even got to compete during this pandemic. And I'm glad I got to facilitate a little bit of normal for these girls when their worlds have drastically shifted, too. 

FAMILY

Wow, this year really helped me appreciate family more. Not just my 5 person family here in the walls of this house, but the greater scope of our families, too. We are fortunate that we have been able to see our families, which I know a lot of people haven't. In the spring, I was so nervous for both sets of our parents, thinking about how dangerous this virus could be for any of them to contract it. I still get nervous if I think too much about it. But gosh, do we savor family gatherings! My boys were so thrilled when they could hug their grandparents. They were truly giddy when we gathered at the lake with family for the first time. Our beach trip this year didn't have ideal weather, but none of the kids cared because they were together. And I was right there with them. I cherish these people, and I'm so thankful we've stayed healthy. 

Things I'm proud of thinking back on 2020

I nursed Elliana for a full year. And that was hard for me. We found out when she was 6 months old she was allergic to not just peanuts but also milk and egg, the option to switch to formula was no longer an option. And that rainy March day, I realized that I would be breastfeeding until baby girl turned 1. I did it! And I was so happy when it was time to stop! Oddly enough, no one was particularly proud of me for this, but it felt like a huge accomplishment to me. 

I read the entire Bible in 90 days. Some of my friends and I decided to do this together, starting September 1. It was A LOT of reading every day. And the fear of falling behind is honestly what kept me on track. We had a book that provided the reading plan and commentary on each book. We read it chronologically, and it was very interesting. I had never read the Bible that way. I would not recommend the 90 days part, but I absolutely would recommend reading the Bible in chronological order. 

Fun Friday! Oh my word, starting from the first week of shut down, I started this. And it was both awesome and exhausting! I tried to make all school assignments and learning extra fun, we tried a new recipe to bake together, and we got donuts a lot of Friday mornings. The boys truly looked forward to Fun Fridays! And the required a lot of effort on my part. I decided Fun Fridays would stop when summer officially started, though the boys pleaded for them weeks into June. 

I started running in July. I HATED running. It is not an enjoyable way to exercise for me AT ALL. I love strength training! Tell me to squat 100 pounds, and I'm there! Running is just hard for me. And that's why I started back at it. I was mentally not in a great place, and I decided to gamble on running to prove to myself that I can do hard things. It's the last day of the year, and I actually started my workout with a run. Running further and faster than I thought I could proved to be thrilling for me. I did injure my IT band in October, just weeks before I was planning to run a half marathon, and I did in fact cry over this many times. But, I kind of pushed through. I'm still running, but I maybe have accepted that my knee can't handle training the way I was doing it. I'm still figuring it out. 

There's a few other things I could probably really reflect on, but my people are getting pretty rowdy downstairs. 2020. Man. I can so vividly remember being at counseling the first week of January 2020 with Adam, and he was saying with such confidence that this was going to be the Year of the Tomberlins after we had endured a pretty painful 2 years. We laugh about it now. This has certainly been the year of covid, NOT the Tomberlins. But I'm so thankful I've had Adam with me. He's a pretty incredible dad, and I cannot fathom allllllllll of this time at home without a partner who is IN IT with me. 

2020- you were kind of crappy, but you had some treasures for us. And I'll take those treasures and trash the rest! 

To My Daughter

 My Elliana Joy,

I don't even know where to begin. There's so many words that I could say to you as I reflect on your first year of life and ponder all that you are and all that I hope for you. I don't have the raw writing gift that my siblings do to be able to eloquently sum up all the things in a polished little note. And honestly, that feels appropriate. The beauty that you are and the sacredness that this year has been can't fit here. 

You are an immeasurable gift to our family. The little girl we never knew we needed. I was fully prepared and excited to move forward in life with all boys- it felt right and good for our family. But you. You came, and now I can't fathom this family without a little sister. You evoke tenderness from all of us, and we can't help but oh and ah over you. Your daddy and I feel so blessed that we get to have you as our daughter. 

You won't ever be able to fully understand the circumstances in which you came to be, but let me tell you, Boo, we walked through some valleys and darkness and heartache and sorrows that at times felt so overwhelming and consuming. Though we longed to be full of hope week after week after week of you in my belly, our hearts were weary and hesitant. Over and over we asked God for faith in every area we lacked and begged God that His will for us was your LIFE bringing Him glory. We limped towards your arrival last year.

But oh my goodness. Elliana. You were and are so much more than we ever asked for. 

You have filled our lives and our home with such laughter and such delight. There has been no such thing as a small milestone over here. The first smile, the first time you rolled, the first time you babbled, the first time you picked your head up- all of it was met with celebration and thrill. You were the star of the show this year, baby girl. We never tired of you, even for a moment. 

You took the longest to sleep through the night, and I remember telling your dad, "I don't even care." And I meant it. Having your little self settle into its most peaceful state while in my arms, I craved it. 

You, my only daughter, are the most beautiful and precious girl I've ever laid eyes on. I look into your dark brown eyes, trace your soft but full cheeks and marvel at your beauty. I consider it such an honor that you will call me Momma. Elliana, you are a joy I didn't deserve but will for all of my days be so grateful that God entrusted you into our care. 

I love you, Elliana Joy. 

Love,

Momma

Elliana Joy- 12 Months

 My thought has been...if you don't do the 12 months post, then it's like it didn't happen. 

But it DID happen. Elliana turned 1 whole year on August 5th. And what a year it was! The night before both of my other babies turned 1, I held them and cried a little bit. Not this time. I did hold her, and I held her for a while. But there nothing but deep gratitude for her first year. 

Notice the blurry image. I took probably 10 pictures, and she was entirely still for zero of them. This girl is squirmy and busy and has no chill about laying on the floor to take pictures with Minnie. She's right at 20 pounds, and I don't remember how many inches. But her percentage has come down on height and gone up for weight. She's completely "average" by the statistics, and 100% perfect in our eyes. 

My snuggle bug loves to lay her head on soft things. I know I just said she's busy, and she is. But she'll lay her head on soft blankets here and there. Homegirl is still taking 2 naps a day, but I know that will change before I know it. She sleeps close to 12 hours at night, but sometimes she wakes up early to chat and then goes back to sleep. She likes to sleep on her tummy with her arms tucked under her, and her booty slightly in the air. She's the cutest. 

Feeding her still stresses me out. I can realize a little before lunch or dinner that I haven't planned out what she'll eat, and it shoots a little bit of anxiety through me. She likes to eat pasta, bananas, blueberries, avocado, broccoli, pancakes, muffins, ground beef, and then a lot of things are hit or miss. One day she love veggie chili, and then the next time I make it she turns her head. Literally. She just looks away. I was feeling like I at least had a firm grasp on her allergies, and then she started reacting to things that were leaving me clueless. She keeps me on my toes. 

Elliana LOVES to be outside. She'll grunt and move her body towards the door until you take her there. And then she'll cry if you say she can't go outside. She likes to swing and be on the trampoline with the boys. She enjoys looking at birds and LOVES dogs. I think because the boys are outside so much, she just wants to be where they are and not miss out on any fun. 

The boys have not wavered in their affection towards their sister. They continue to adore her and think she's the best baby in the whole wide world. And she loves them, too. She is often blocked from their play space to protect her, but she always is scheming to get where they are. They play sweet and tender, but they also are rough. They drag her by the feet on the trampoline. They head butt her, pretending to be animals. They set up cushions on the floor to push her over. These are the big brothers I want for her. It has filled me beyond measure to watch the boys want to be around her and to see her eyes light up when they walk into a room. When it was Elliana's birthday, and I got Nolan from the bus stop. He hadn't seen in her yet, and he asked excitedly, "Does she look bigger today now that she's one?" It made me smile. 

Elliana Joy Tomberlin- God's answer to our pleading. I am profoundly grateful for her life and the ways she wrecked us with her little tiny self. 

My Nolan

Dear Nolan,

Happy Birthday, Buddy! You are seven years old. We kept joking that we weren't sure we were going to let you have a birthday this year, that we might just have to wait until next year. To which, of course, you were deeply disturbed by and had zero sense of humor about at all. Turns out, we couldn't stop you from turning seven, so I might as well embrace the change. 

Nolan, one of the greatest joys of this past year has definitely been watching you be a big brother to Elliana. You take such delight in her and care for her so well. I think it's highly unusual for a boy your age to be so aware of a baby sibling. You are protective and nurturing, kind and tender. But you are also big time fun for her. She often rewards you with squeals and giggles for all of your nonsense. She lights up when she sees you, and it's precious to watch your relationship with her grow. I hope you always have a special bond with her. I know you will always be important to her, and I hope she's always important to you. 

You showed us you are quite a good student. You have an inclination for reading and memorizing that will hopefully serve you well in the school years to come. Your mind really does seem like its a steel trap. Playing memory with you is so hard!! It's remarkable how good you are at that game! It's also a little infuriating for your brother. 

Bud, it feels like big changes are coming for you this year. I'm not going to sugar coat it: I'm nervous. When I think about all of the things I'm nervous about, it mostly boils down to the fact that I so badly want to protect you. And I know that I can't always do that. But I'm going to work really hard to keep home a place you want to be. A place you look forward to. You'll be going to school all day now, and it feels like the final chapter of the "little years" has closed. And while I love seeing you grow and change and become a bigger version of you, it also feels overwhelming. The job of shepherding you seems to get harder, not easier. I continue to pray that you see God's grace in all of the gaps, all of my shortcomings. 

You are a cool kid, Nolan. You definitely drive me crazy sometimes. You are stubborn and argumentative, but you also have a firm belief in right and wrong. As you get older, I can see how this could be used in so many redemptive ways. Your drive to get things right will serve you well down the road. In the meantime, we battle it out pretty regularly. I wish I was joking. 

I love you, Nolan. You made me a Momma 7 years ago. You are an easy person to celebrate, and I'm so glad you were born.

I love you. I like you. I enjoy you. And I'm proud of you. 

Happy Birthday, Noles!

Love,
Mommy 

7 Years Old

I'm not sure how it's possible, but that kid turned 7 years old! Seven! He's got 3 teeth missing, and two that are wiggly. CLEARLY he's a big kid. 

This past year Nolan started and completed kindergarten (though the completion part is a technicality thanks to COVID-19). He had an AMAZING kindergarten teacher! All year long I was so thankful he got to be in her class. She adored Nolan, and he really thrived in her class. He learned to read, and he's pretty good at it. He unfortunately had me as his teacher for the final quarter of school, but we made it through. 

Nolan's big brother skills expanded when Elliana came into the world. And honestly, he's just a really, really good brother to her. He's really good at entertaining her when I need him to, and he dotes on her like she's the cutest thing in the world (she is!!). One time we were at a park, and I laid Elliana on a blanket while I started throwing the football to the boys. Elliana couldn't crawl yet, so she was just on the blanket. A little boy was kind of close to her, and Nolan said with a protective tone to his voice, "Watch out for my sister!" When the little boy was out of ear shot, I told Nolan that I really appreciated his proactive efforts to protect his baby sister. 

Nolan is still very interested in nature and animals. He loves looking at books about animals and watching documentaries. He has spent several hours during quarantine looking for lizards in our backyard. He is very much still fascinated by animals. He really is like a sponge, soaking up all the facts and knowledge he can. 

This past year, Nolan developed a love for fishing. He really, really enjoys all things fishing. He likes talking about the bait he needs to use. He likes telling the same fishing stories over and over. He likes catching worms in the backyard to use as live bait. He has no problems being patient when it comes to this one area of life. He does, however, like to demand silence. It drives him CRAZY when Isaac or his cousins are loud while he's trying to fish. This is something Adam certainly hopes they can do together as the years go by. 

Nolan is seven years old and starting first grade at our local elementary school next week. It doesn't seem possible that this kid is old enough to ride a bus. It feels like this is a big transition year for us as a family, and in so many ways, I don't feel ready. I'm sometimes thankful this pandemic hit when it did because I got to keep my kids home when they were little. Yes, there were PLENTY of times I had to resist the urge to run away, but there were also PLENTY of times that I was very aware that I was given the gift of time. I don't feel cut out to be this kid's teacher at all, so though sending him off to school makes me nervous, I do deep down hope that he's able to keep going to school this fall. Most days I doubt my ability to be a good enough mom for him, but I'm glad we had extra time before he starts what I keep calling "real school." 

Alright, Nolan. 7 years old. Let's do this!

11 Months

Just 6 days late this time. I approve of both the tardiness and the improvement from last month. 

I do feel like this little bean is no longer a tiny peanut. She seemed so petite to me for so long, but really, this girl has some squish on her. I'm sure when I go to the pediatrician next month for her 1 year old (what?) well check, they will tell me she's in the 25th percentile for weight. But whatever. She sure does feel squishy, and I love it. 

Oh my gosh, she is irresistible right now. While showing no signs of walking, she sure does love to stand up all the time. Oddly enough, I have yet to find her standing in her crib, but surely it's coming soon. She does still sleep in a sleep sack, so that might make it to tricky to stand up, but the boys sure did figure it out. I can only assume she will, too. She's also figured out clapping (that was a couple of months ago but worth nothing), saying "buh bye" when it's time to sleep, signing "all done" and "more," and giving kisses. Now, she is quite stingy with the kisses, so you feel really special when she leans in. 

Elliana got to go to the beach for the first time with my side of the family. A full week of a full house and constant people to interact with- she was a fan! She did great by the water, really enjoyed sitting where the water comes up. It was still quite chilly, so we didn't take her out in it. But we were pleased with how content she was to be in the sand. Of course, she ate it some, and turns out, she did NOT like that. 

These two. Elliana doesn't know it, but she basically can do no wrong in her Daddy's eyes right now. Adam often calls her "my princess," and he's super protective of her. Which, he should be, but I'm also all for babies figuring some things out the hard way. Adam always does Elliana's bath if he's home, and he genuinely loves the time with just her. He is an excellent dad to her, and I'm so thankful she has him. 

I just can't put words to what a joy bringer this baby girl is. She is for sure the family favorite (our Tomberlin 5 family, that is). The boys still take such delight in her, and she in them. She is a gift! She still loves dogs, walks outside, watching the boys do pretty much anything, MY HAIR, her pacis, being in the midst of the activity, and being tickled and played rough with. She does not like her eczema that I've never mentioned but is so annoying, bottles (all the eye rolling), not being allowed to go where she wants to go, and honestly, that's pretty much it. She's a dream! 

Oh man, this picture gets me in the feels. Her little hand on my leg, looking up at me as we swing on the porch swing at the lake. Done. Melted. Putty. There are so many things to be said about this girl and the unbelievable gift and blessing she is to me. I can't believe I get to be her mom. I still can't believe sometimes how much she loves me and wants to be with me (I know I experienced this with my boys, but I sure did forget the love of a baby for their Mama). I often wonder if I'm enjoying her more than I did her brothers, but when I go back and read things I wrote about them at this age, I hear the love oozing and dripping with each word then, too. What feels different this time around is how much closer I'm leaning in to the moments. How undeserving I am of this gift of joy and grace, and I cherish her. At night when I'm rocking her before bed, sometimes she will fall asleep with her head on my shoulder, and there are nights I allow myself the luxury of just holding her as long as I want. The weight of her tiny frame relaxed into mine, the rhythmic breathing, the little but firm grip she has on my hair, all of it feels like a gift. Her flapping arms in the morning when I come to get her for the day. The way her face lights up just when I enter the room. Her hurried crawl to get to me. I am so deeply grateful for her life. It's almost been a full year of Elliana Joy. What a healing force she's been in my life! 

10 months SO LATE

I was doing fairly well with these until this one. I'm so late. She's going to be 11 months next Sunday. It will be hard for me to remember what was going on between 9 and 10 months, but I am going to try. My little squishy is still the yummiest, sweetest, most delightful baby. Aboslutely no bias whatsoever. 

Feeding this little one is probably the biggest stressor about her. She reacts to things that I can't always figure out and feeding her often takes so much thought and effort. There is very little convenient food that she can have, but as she gets teeth, that will hopefully change. But she does love avocado, bananas, blueberries, grapes, and beans. I'm wanting to transition her completely to table food, but her diet is limited combined with how frustrating it is to have her break out in hives for eating something that l can't pinpoint. 

This little girl still loves and favors her Mama. Adam will often say, "You know there's two of us that love you!" I don't feel the least bit bad about the favoritism. I feel like I've earned it. 

For Mother's Day, Adam gifted me a photo shoot with one of his coworkers who has a videography business on the side. The above picture is from that shoot. (Photo credit: Katelyn Pike) Things this little beauty loves: going on walks outside, baths, dogs (especially Jax), her brothers' shenanigans, honking her Daddy's nose, and being near her Mama. 

This girl- she's getting so big, and I love every bit of her. I'm so thankful she's in our family. The boys still regularly exclaim, "She's SO CUTE!" or, "I just love her so much!" or, "I want to squeeze her!" Our Elliana Joy Joy as we often call her truly is a joy to this family. Right now, I'm loving everything about this stage, and some nights I get a twinge of disappointment that the day is over and Elliana will be a little older. I have not grieved her growth at all this past year. I've been thankful for her life and her health and just her being here with us. But there's a little bit of sadness creeping in lately. Mostly because I know the thief that time is, and I can feel time moving too quickly. 

Oh, Elliana. I'll always love you, baby girl. 

9 Months and Counting

My squishy girl is 9 months. Unlike the month between 7 and 8 that seemed to last just shy of a year, this past month seems to have gone at normal speed. Also- I was late writing her 8 month post (late again), and I think that's also messing with my time comprehension. 

 I alluded to this in her last post, but she's officially crawling. She figured it out on Easter, and it was a very intentional, labored effort. About a week later, she had it down just fine. She spends a lot of time in the family room, blocked in, and she's usually pretty content exploring that area. She does like to escape when she can, and she quickly heads for the office or the toy room to see what she's missing out on. 

Elliana has become quite the tricky baby to feed. Just as we were hitting our strides with the baby food, she started discovering she likes to feed herself. I really want to take advantage of this desire of hers and switch her to table food. But all of her allergies have really made this process challenging. Also- she still has no teeth. I make her pancakes and muffins that I keep in the freezer. Other foods she has liked in bite size portions are kidney beans, watermelon, pasta, peas, cooked carrots and zucchini, bell pepper, and toast. Which, that may sound like a lot, but on any given day, she could reject any and all of those. 

Elliana got to go to the lake for the weekend. This was our first time being around people, really. My parents were there, and she actually did so well with them. She was a little slower to warm up to my dad, but she's always been very nervous about men other than her Daddy. She loved their dog, Jax. It was a great weekend, too quick, and it gave us hope that maybe she will adjust to being around family members quicker than we thought.

At her 9 month check-up, she was 28 inches long and just about 18 pounds. Long and lean. She's around the 75 percentile for height, and she's somewhere in the 40s for weight. She's still nursing 4 times a day, and I'm so ready to be done. 3 more months. We're going to make it!

This girl- she's such a delight. Every morning I start my quiet time with listing a few things I'm grateful for, and just about every morning I want to write Elliana. I love having her in our family, and I love how much the boys adore her. It's hard to imagine these days without her precious little self. In such a bizarre world we're living in right now, and Elliana makes ours so much brighter. 

To My 5 Year Boy

Oh Isaac,

I have caught myself several times just staring at you over the last several days. It seems obvious to me that you are changing, but I keep watching with great intention to see if I can catch the changes happening. You are really leaving behind those toddler days and ways, and now you are a big five year old. You hung on to your sweetness and toddler-ness in (mostly) good ways, and I see the bigger boy you are becoming. 

Isaac, you are a joy. You are full of laughter and silliness. You adore your baby sister, and you idolize your older brother. You have a tenderness that extends to those beyond your inner circle, whom you are fiercely loyal to. I hope I never forget (totally will) when you cried at a documentary showing a baby elephant's mom dying, leaving the baby elephant to go on in life without its Mama. It was too sad for you to watch. You came to sit with me and asked, "Is this real?" I often have to remind myself that you might possibly feel more strongly than the other boy we are parenting. 

Buddy, you can be a wrecking ball of affection, literally knocking us over with your hugs and love tackles. I have to ready myself when you come running towards me, so I can withstand your impact. I love that about you. You love hard. Literally. We still have to keep such a close eye on you with Elliana because we know that your strong love for her often leads to you squeezing her while uttering, "I just love her so much!" 

Four year old you would still choose to slip your hand in mine when we walked or hiked or just crossed the street. I don't know if five year old you will still do that. You exclaim several times a day, "Mommy, I love you!" And I try to pay attention, when I can, because I'm pretty sure teenage boys don't do this. As I said, I can already see that you are changing right in front of me. You are growing, moving towards wild boyhood. I'm confident I will love the boy you morph into, but Isaac, I have loved every bit of who you are as my little guy. My kitchen companion. My sidekick. My hair holding, thumb sucking, little boy. 

I love you, Isaac Dean. I love you, I like you, I enjoy you, and I'm proud of you.

Happy Birthday, big 5 year old! 
You are a gift!

Love,
Mommy

5 Years of Isaac Dean

I cannot believe Isaac is five years old. To me, kids cross into a new world at five. They are of course still kids, but they are into childhood. The chubby cheeks are thinning or thinned. Their bodies are lean (though Isaac is as solid as they come). Their pronunciation is mostly right of every day words. Five year olds seem to have fully left behind their toddler days. 

Isaac is so quick to try new things. He is adventurous and brave, often saying yes before his brother will. Isaac learned to swim last spring/summer. Which was greatly appreciated in my final weeks of pregnancy and in the first month after Elliana was born. 

Isaac became a big brother! He's so protective of his little sister, and it's absolutely precious. These two were home together two days of the school week (up until the pandemic hit), and Isaac had genuine interest in being with her on those days. He often needs reassurance that Elliana does love him, laugh at him, etc when Nolan is playing with her. It can make me sad when I see these little insecurities surface in him, but we keep reiterating that she absolutely does love him, think he's funny, and enjoy him.

Isaac got to go to Disney again. My mother-in-law says that four is the magic age for kids to go to Disney. Even though it would mean going when Elliana was so little, we did it anyway. This kid. He did every ride he was tall enough for. He insisted he wanted to do Splash Mountain, even when his brother was chickening out. And he loved it. After the big drop at the end he said, "I wish it was faster!" Oh man! A little thrill seeker!! 

Isaac started school this year. He was in a young 4s class, which put him as the oldest kid by far. The school really wanted him to do pre-k, but I just wanted his first year to be fun. His teachers ADORED him. This was what I wanted more than anything. Learning letters and numbers was going to be a bonus. Isaac went three days a week, his class was a 4 day program, but I wanted him home an extra day. His teachers sang his praises all.year.long. They loved him so much. They organized a birthday parade for him, and I'm convinced its because they wanted to be able to see him. 

Isaac still is my little sidekick in the kitchen. He loves to bake with me, and this year I started noticing he was really learning. He's cracking eggs so well. He understands that dry ingredients and wet ingredients get measured separately. He knows we usually chill our cookie dough before baking it. I love doing this with him. It 100% slows me down and can sometimes try my patience, but I love that as soon as he hears me get my mixer out, he drags a chair to the island to get started (and then I send him to wash his hands).

Isaac can still be an emotional little guy. It can be hard to discern if he's just a sensitive dude or if he has some not so hidden motives of getting Nolan in trouble. This is certainly an area we're working on. Isaac is still taking a nap everyday unless there's a reason not to. Of our three kids, he's our champion sleeper. We rarely hear from the kid once we say goodnight. He is, however, still sucking his thumb at night. 

Isaac is an easy kid to enjoy. He's still silly and cuddly and absolutely a mama's boy. He's got a tender heart, and he hangs on Nolan's every word. He's quite the little athlete, and we are so bummed his soccer season ended so abruptly because of COVID-19. 

Five years of Isaac Dean Tomberlin! I'm so glad God placed him in our family. 

Eight Months!

Man, oh man. It's hard to do this post without at least acknowledging that we are living in bizarre times. A global pandemic. There are tragic, monumental losses all over the world, and yet, in our little corner here, we've got our own little Miss Sunshine lighting up our days. Elliana is a joy- 8 months!

This little one figured out how to sit up all by herself. She'd roll and scootch her way around and then push herself up to sitting. Neither of the boys learned this skill before learning to crawl. All throughout the month I kept saying, "She could crawl any day now," but she actually didn't get the hang of it until after she turned 8 months (spoiler, I know!). 

The rhythm of our mornings is that I get Ellie up first and feed her. I then come downstairs with her and pump while she sits in a baby seat to let her milk settle. By the time I'm done, the boys are downstairs. Once I change her diaper and put her on the floor, I pretty much just walk away to get breakfast going for the boys. It was quite comical to see just where Elliana would end up in the few minutes of getting breakfast ready. It became our favorite game. Where's Elliana? (yes, I know, with a crawler we really can't turn our back on her anymore).

Though it seems like MONTHS ago, it was in this month of her life that I found out she is in fact allergic to peanuts, milk, eggs, and celery apparently (found that one out by giving it to her, not from an actual allergy test). It was quite the disappointment for me. I let a few quiet tears spill over in the car after we got her lab results. Baking is so life giving to me, and to think of all the things she can't eat because of her milk and egg allergy was just so sad. The allergist says she WILL grow out of the milk and egg allergy, we just can't know when. I'm very thankful for that! She'll get tested again next spring. It's also a little unnerving to think she could go into anaphylactic shock from eating goldfish- the most common church snack known in the US. But, you know, because of the pandemic, little lady isn't going to church nursery any time soon. 

Because of said pandemic, this little sister is getting all sorts of attention from her brothers. There has been no lack of bonding over here. Nolan and Isaac LOVE her so much (so much more than each other it seems), and they fight over who gets to make her laugh and smile at any given moment. 

Baby girl is nursing 4 times a day, eating solids 3 times, naps 2-3 times, and does splits at least 50 times a day. I currently love the schedule we are on right now, though I could do without the nursing, but I CAN finish the year strong!! 

Someone may or may not be (but definitely is) completely wrapped around this little girl's finger. I see all sorts of warning signs that this girl could be a princess, and I will have her father to thank for that!! 

Elliana Joy Tomberlin- we could not love you more! But then a new day comes, and we actually do!! 

SEVEN months

Elliana girl is 7 months! It was a big month for my little nugget. 

We have officially transitioned to a 4 hour schedule. I am so thankful! It's only one less feeding, but it makes such a big difference for me. As someone who doesn't love breastfeeding, I appreciate the extra hour between feedings. She's still taking two good naps and then one catnap before dinner.

This precious girl got to try peanut butter for the first time, and she broke out in hives almost immediately. Insert all of the sad and crying faces. Even with Benadryl, she had hives all day. Thankfully, there was nothing more severe than the hives. We are a peanut butter loving family, so this was a big disappointment. The next week she got the above irritated skin around her mouth after eating yogurt. Sweet baby girl had to go to the allergist AND get blood drawn to test for peanut, eggs, and milk. She's confirmed allergic to peanuts, and we'll find out tomorrow about the eggs and milk. They won't test for tree nuts yet, so for the time being- no nuts or nut butters of any kind.

This little one is showing all signs that crawling is in her near future. She gets up on all fours all the time, and she's moving backward and side to side. I still think it could take her a bit to really get the hang of it, but she's so dang cute when she's trying. Our world will change when she's mobile. Especially when I think about her peanut allergy. 

Elliana has found her toes, and she is so cute about it. She likes chomping on pretty much anything (my hair is still her favorite), and I'm convinced teeth are coming. I swear the first teeth take SO LONG to actually come in. 

Look at that face! She's starting to do all sorts of hilarious and adorable expressions. I love those little cheeks so much, and I can't believe I get to smooch them every day. I really feel like babies' personalities start coming out even more once they are crawling and sitting up on their own. I'm savoring Elliana as she is right now. I'm mindful that change is ahead- teeth and crawling and getting more independent. I have no doubt that I will delight in her as she gets bigger, but I'm also wanting to treasure this stage right now. Because as everyone knows, there's no going back. 

We are all crazy about Elliana, and the love between her and her brothers is growing. She loves watching their absolute crazy antics, and they will stop at nothing to make her smile and laugh. I love their mutual love for each other. She might be the family favorite right now.

What a month for my girl- allergic reaction to peanuts, a visit to the allergist, blood drawn, she's been a champ. 

I'm hoping the 8th month is a little less exciting!