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!!