[Drew :: 2 months]

2 month stats

weight: 12 lbs 3 oz (40 %tile)
height: 22.75 in (25 %tile)
head: 15.75 in (60 %tile)

At 2 months old, our little man Drew...

• Is starting to sneak us smiles. When he does, he melts hearts. It's hard work being a lady killer.
• Still eats every 2-3 hours during the day, but he does go long stretches at night and for that, momma is grateful. Wakes up once in the middle of the night and then goes right back to sleep.
• Aka. Mr. Big Cheeks. Most common greeting from people is, "Oh wow, look at those cheeks!"
• Has rolls on his legs and a perfectly round tummy that is to die for.
• Loves to be held facing out so that he is sitting upright and can see what's going on.
• Will coo and have a little chat sometimes after he eats. Right after eating is when he is the happiest. Although, who wouldn't be happy about that.
• He has the most beautiful blue eyes. They are still dark, but most definitely blue. Can't wait to see what shade they end up.
• Likes to have his diaper changed. As soon as you set him down on the changing mat, he quiets down and just lays there, content, until you've got a fresh one on.
• Is getting to be really good at controlling his neck and head. Still a bobblehead, but definitely improving.
• Loves to ride in his carseat whether that be in the car or in the BOB. Either way, as long as we're moving, he's usually a happy camper and will often fall asleep.
• Wearing 0-3 month clothes mostly, but also starting to break into the 3-6 month category too!
• Still referred to as "baby brother" by his big brother Ryder. Ryder man loves on him constantly; tries to share his toys with him, gives him "kisses on his hair", and wants to make sure he's always right by us while we're playing. I hope they are going to be such good little friends.

2 littles

Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I"m shocked when I remember, "oh yeah, I've got 2 kids."  The transition has been interesting, to say the least. Sometimes I feel like it takes every minute of every day of my 100% constant attention just to survive. Somebody always needs me, and frequently they both need me.

Then, there will be a day when the stars align and they both end up napping at the same time and I have an hour or so to do something normal. To take a nap. To make something for dinner that is more than just paninis or omelets (our 2 go-to meals). To clean the kitchen or do a load of laundry. To sit down and blog. Then I remember, this is how it used to be. Back when Ryder's 2-3 hour nap time was my free time and I used to be semi-productive during the day. I will get there again, but today is not that day and probably not tomorrow either. Because now I have 2 littles who depend on me for everything and that is just fine. That is where I am right now.

Its been all about redefining what "productive" means. If we can all get ready for the day and do one thing, that's a good day. Anything else on top of that is just frosting.

There have been a few things that have helped me keep my sanity... things I don't know what I would do without.

• Chad is such a good, hands-on daddy. When he comes home from work, he is all about jumping right into the chaos and even sending me out the door for some alone time. That man is a keeper.
• Almost every day, we take the double BOB out on a run/walk. I like to say we're "rocking" it. We hit up the park and/or go around the lake. It's a necessary part of both mine and Ryder's day.
•  Listening to conference talks and/or scriptures on my phone. Love that LDS app. I made a goal to listen to at least 1 talk a day and even when I'm only half listening because I'm trying to avoid some sort of catastrophe or attend to a little's need, I still feel better and at peace afterwards.

One happy surprise has been how much Ryder man loves his "baby brother" (still will not call him Drew). He wants to love and take care of this baby brother the best way his 2-year-old little self can. Often times despite his good intentions, he can love a little too much, but I can't really ever be mad at him. How can you be upset with a 2-year-old who wants to give his brother too big a hug? Or kiss the top of his head ("kiss his hair!") too many times? Or who accidentally rolls over his hand when he insists that baby brother lay next to him in his crib while we're saying prayers? You just can't.

So, I'm figuring it out. It's a change, and as I'm starting to go back to work, there's more to come. But, we're making it and every day, things get a little more routine, a little better. Motherhood is quite the journey.

Malaya turns 8 and gets Baptized!

Our niece Malaya turned 8 a few weeks ago. I still kind of can't believe it. She is starting to be so grown up! We're so proud of this sweet girl and the decision she made to be baptized. She's setting such a good example for all of her sisters. The baptism was on her birthday (May 3) at 11:00, and then afterwards we all headed to the park for a picnic lunch and family celebration. It was a beautiful Saturday and the perfect day to be outside with all of the people that we love. After heading back home for an afternoon nap (for everyone in our family), we went back down to American Fork in the evening for some birthday cake with the birthday girl. It was a fun day to celebrate our very favorite Malaya. Even at 1 month old, Drew was such a good baby and was up for a day full of festivities. Fun was had by all. Happy Birthday Malaya!!

[Drew :: 1 month]

At one month old...

• He is a ravenous eater. Eats every 2-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night. He has gone 5 hours between feedings ONE TIME at night. That's it. 
• Squeaks constantly. While awake, while eating, while asleep. He is Mr. Squeaky.
• Has gas like its nobody's business. Seriously, this kid likes to channel his inner 15 year-old-boy. His gas happens all day long and can be very loud. It's actually pretty impressive that such a little human can make that much noise.
• Drew has such a mellow temperament and a sweet disposition.
• Knows his days from his nights (thank goodness!) so that even though he wakes up frequently at night to eat, he always goes back to sleep right after eating. There's no convincing this kid that night time is sleep time. He just knows.
• Sometimes during the day while he's awake, he just wants to be put down to have time to just chill. He will lay on a blanket on the floor and just investigate the room.
• Ryder man calls him his, "baby bruder" and refuses to call him Drew. He loves to hold his hand, help change his diaper, and give him kisses on the head. He always wants his baby bruder to be included with what we're doing and wants momma to hold baby bruder constantly.
• Loves to be held upright and holds his head up to look around. Is the cutest little bobble head you've ever seen.
• His eyes are already looking blueish and he has perfected the "looking into your soul" stare.
• Has old man hair. Receding hairline, very short on top and longer in the back.
• As his cousin Haley put it, "I really like his froggy legs and fuzzy ears."
• Since day 1 has had the most perfect, round head. He now also has the cutest round little cheeks and round belly to match! Has been described as a "chunk".
• Rocking tummy time.

Ryderisms Lately

 Ryderisms 5/15/14

·       Right now he throws everything. Some of his favorite items are balls (acceptable), small toys (sometimes acceptable), and iphones (never acceptable, but thrown on a daily basis… he apparently doesn’t want anybody’s attention to be focused on anything other than him).

·       Wants to be independent and is constantly saying his favorite phrase, “Ryder do it”.

·       When he doesn’t want to do something, his other favorite phrase is, “momma do it.” For example, when asked to put his shoes away in the basket, Ryder responds with, “No... Momma do it. “ Thanks buddy, you’re oh so kind.

·       Won’t call Drew by his name. He insists on calling him “baby brother”. Always. Maybe one of these days he will call him Drew.

·       We had a new pair of shoes for him that are light tan loafers/sneakers from Gap. At first he decided that he did NOT want to wear them, so I told him that they were handsome shoes like “daddy’s shoes” and now he loves them. He calls them his “daddy shoes”.

·       Loves to repeat everything that we say.

·       Hilarious words and their Ryder adaptations…

o   Hairport- Airport

o   Butt- Button

o   Crasy- Crazy

·       Wants to go to bed every night with a toy entourage. It got to the point that we had to start limiting how many toys he took to bed with him. On a normal basis he’s got his pillow & blanket, large stuffed turtle, snuggle blanket, dinosaur, dog, and then anywhere from 2-5 trucks or tractors.

·       Also a part of his bedtime routine right now includes wanting to have his baby brother lay in his crib right next to him. Sometimes he will put his arm around Drew’s head and give him kisses. He loves it. Most times so does Drew, he will lay there quietly with his head on the pillow and stare around with open eyes.

·       He also now tries to put off actually going to bed by asking for kisses from everyone. His baby brother is usually the first request and he usually wants to kiss his head, followed by each cheek. Then he wants a mommy kiss and a daddy kiss.

·       Absolutely loves to help with dishes. When I ask him to do the dishes, he gets his stool out of the pantry and then stands at the kitchen sink “helping” with the dishes. He will take a cup or a spoon and move water around the sink, or grab the scrub brush and “wash” the sink. He will stand there the entire time dishes are being done.

·        His favorite movies of the moment include Ratatouille, How to Train Your Dragon [Dragon show], and Mulan [horsie show].

·       Has decided that he actually does like to eat bananas, oranges, chicken nuggets (dipped in ketchup), and raisins. Yesterday he ate 2 bananas for lunch and 1 banana for dinner.

·       He is the king of “no”. Unfortunately, being 2 has a way of bringing out the opinionated side of him.

·       We also taught him how to say, “what the heck, luke?” When he says it, it comes out as more of a, “what da hecka, luke?” and he puts both of his hands on his forehead in an exasperated way. Classic.

·       Wants to help with baby brother and insists on helping change, “baby biper”. He will go and get out the mat we put on the floor, grab a Drew-sized diaper, get out the bum cream (which he wants to help put on), and the box of wipes. When the diaper is poopy, he will exclaim, “oh! Poopy! That’s gross!” I keep waiting for him to make the connection that his poop is gross too and it must be time to go poops on the big boy potty. No such luck yet.

·       Loves to ride his new stryder bike with his helmet securely fastened on his head. The first couple of times he rode it, he insisted that the right way to ride it was by not sitting on the seat, but standing up with the bar between his legs and holding the handlebars so the front wheel was off the ground. He will now sit on the seat and hold the handlebars like normal. The other way had to have been exhausting!

[Drew :: First Week at Home]

Even with 9 months to prepare, it still seems such a strange thing to go from 3 members of our family to 4 over night. In just a few hours, everything in our life is different, and better. It's been an adjustment, an adventure. Every day something new! The first week at home seemed a little unreal, but Drew was a good baby and made the transition as easy as it could be. He was up every 3 hours to eat, but that was to be expected.

Since the minute we walked through the door with Drew, Ryder has been in love with his new baby brother. He wants momma or dada to be holding brother all the time and loves to take his turn to hold the baby (although that usually only lasts for about 5 seconds). He wants to help burp the baby when he's done eating. Diaper changes are now a group activity; when Drew needs a new diaper (which seems like all the time), he will go and get out the plastic mat, get a Drew-sized diaper, grab the bum cream, and grab the box of wipes. He likes to sit right there next to me and wants to have his own turn to wipe the baby's bum with a wipe. With our new double Bob around, Ryder loves to sit in the stroller next to his "baby bruder" and will often check on him during walks to make sure he's doing okay. I definitely couldn't anticipate how much Ryder was going to embrace the role of, "big brother". Especially when he does such a good job of it!