Blake Louis: 2 Years Old

Well buddy, we now have a two year old living under our roof.  How did that happen?!  It seems like I blinked, and my little baby has turned into a little boy.  What an incredible ride it’s been.  The last two years with you have been the exclamation point on this sweet life that God has given us.  You are pure joy, my love.    

• After not even saying ‘mama’ until right around the time Lainey was born (19 months), your language at age 2 has EXPLODED!  You parrot everything we say, and daddy and I just die laughing with some of the crazy phrases you come up with.  Some of my favorites have been:

o   Looking up at the sky one day, you asked if you could ‘hold the moon’. 

o   We were at Costco one day in late October, and you saw the nativity set up with Christmas decoration, and promptly asked to “see baby God?”  Daddy and I were pretty impressed that you went with baby GOD rather than baby Jesus.  I half expected you to run off in search of the Holy Spirit…!

o   When we were first teaching you to say ‘thank you’, you would get confused when we’d respond with ‘you’re welcome’….so you just started saying  ‘thankyouwelcome’ to everyone.  Covered all your bases with that one ;)

o   One of my all-time favorites is when you run around the house, skipping and happily exclaiming “Blake HAPPY!”

o   Whenever we pull into Grandma and Grandpa’s house, you get excited and tell us how “excited” Grandma and Grandpa will be to “see Blake!” 

o   Instead of yes, you say ‘okay’

o   I love the way you say ‘something’.  It sounds like ‘sumfing’ and whenever you drop something, or something falls, you’ll say “Uh oh!  Sumfing happen!!”

o   When you don’t want something, you stubbornly proclaim “Blake no like that” and then dig in your heels and absolutely refuse to do/try whatever it is you ‘don’t like’.  And it’s usually something like ice cream.  Or macaroni and cheese. 

o   You are still in love with your blue seahorse, and you call it your ‘seahorsey’.  I think this is so sweet!

o    The other day you heard Grandma call Lainey her Lainey-Lou-Lou, and you came home that night and started  trying to call her that.  Except, you can’t quite pronounce all the ‘l’ sounds in a row, so it comes out more like “Lanie-woo-loo” 

o   You are obsessed with Toby, but his name comes out more like “SH-oby”.  I love this!

o   I was telling you about how I am a teacher at school, and you proudly proclaimed, “Blake teacher too!  Blake teacher like mommy!”  Melted my heart.

o   We had a trial run with potty training a few months back (….didn’t stick, still in diapers buddy boy) and the reward we used for getting you to sit on the potty was a popsicle.  But you, my stubborn son, learned early on to weigh your options.  One day I had you sitting on the potty and you didn’t want to be there, so you looked me straight in the eye, gave a quick shrug and said “no potty, no popsicle!” and jumped down and ran away.  Apparently I need a more compelling reward!

o   As Lainey has gotten more independent, and more interested in your toys, you’ve taken it upon yourself to set limits for her.  “No Lainey no!” has become one of our most heard phrases around here.

o   Every night, you go through a laundry list of people you want to thank God for during bedtime prayers.  Usually, this list includes mommy, daddy, Lainey, grandparents, Uncle Tony, Uncle Eric and Aunt Caitlin, some of your friends….and sometimes you’ll throw in Thomas Train or books ;) 

o   If we ask you where Jesus lives, you’ll respond “In Blake heart!”  So precious baby boy.

o   You always tell us that a jail is where “big people go timeout!”  SO funny

o   After play dates, or fun little adventures we take you on, you’ll happily exclaim: “Blake have so much fun!”  You are also very polite, and will often follow it up with, “Thank you mommy and daddy!”

• You LOVE reading the Bible.  We’ve been working through Jesus Calling for Kids each night before bed, and you know SO many Bible stories and have a memory that literally blows my mind.  You know Adam and Eve, the story of Noah’s Ark (you even tell me about the rainbow being God’s promise), Cain and Abel, Abraham (you call him God’s friend), Isaac, Jacob and Esau (you LOVE this page in your Bible), the Tower of Babel, and Moses (you always tell me : ‘Let my people go!’ Moses said that!”

• You LOVE going to Grandma and Grandpa Dal Ponte’s house, and just about everytime we get in the car to go anywhere, you’ll ask “Blake go Grandma’s house??”

• You weigh 31 pounds and 34 inches long.  Wearing a size 5 diaper, although we’d really like to get you potty trained sometime soon!

• We celebrated your second birthday at our house with a construction-themed birthday party!  You LOVED it and did so well with all your guests

•  You are obsessed with trains.  You LOVE Thomas the Train and can name all of the engines on the show…no matter how obscure.  Your favorite toys are definitely your trains.  You love the little wooden ones that go on your train track, because you can attach them together (via the magnets on each end) and drive them around the floor. 

• We moved you into a toddler bed at 26 months (tonight actually!)  You were SO excited about your new bed….until I turned off the lights and said goodnight.  Then you pretty much thought it was the end of the world ;)

•  You are my little dancer boy!  You will shake that booty all the way to the ground.  I think you must get those crazy moves from your daddy J  You can also do the robot (I taught you!), raise the roof, and (you try) to do the sprinkler.  I LOVE your joy, and how carefree you are as you dance around the house. 

•  You are the most well behaved little boy.  Everywhere we go, people always comment on what an amazing little person you are.  You sit quietly at restaurants and I can literally take you anywhere.  You listen so well and understand when I tell you something isn’t safe.  I never have to tell you twice.  I am SO proud of my little man!

• You are the silliest, and I love watching your little sense of humor develop.  You LOVE it when we laugh at you, and you have the most ridiculous fake laugh that just kills me.  And if WE do something that you think is silly, you’ll erupt into a fit of giggles and proclaim “silly mommy/daddy!” 

•  When I ask you to smile for a picture, you scrunch up your nose, squeeze your eyes shut and tilt your chin upward.  You look absolutely goofy, but I never want to forget.

•   We took you the dentist for the first time at 18 months, and last month we took you to the doctor to get your flu shot!  This isn’t technically your first flu shot, but your first as a toddler….and I’m cataloguing it because you did AMAZING!  You thought it was awesome.  You didn’t make a peep when the nurse gave you the shot, and when it was over….you wanted to do it again!  You were so excited to see the bandaid on your thigh and told everyone about the “fu shot” you got at the doctor.  My brave boy!

• We learned you are allergic to cashews.  Oy.  We went to dinner for Great Grandpa’s birthday and I fed you HALF of one cashew.  You immediately started scratching at your tongue and telling me it was “spicy”.  By the time we got you home, you were covered in hives and were all congested and wheezy.  We called the doctor and the nurse advised us to take you to the ER!  They fixed you right up, but you now have an epi pen and a special allergy bracelet….no nuts!

• You are  a PICKY eater.  You refuse to try anything.  We’ve had some epic food battles with you, but you sure do come by that stubborn streak and picky food habits honestly…..

• You are just the best big brother ever.  You LOVE to give Lainey toys to play with, and when I put Lainey on her tummy and she tries to crawl you’ll get down on all fours and try to show her how!  The most precious moments in the world are when you play peek-a-boo with Lainey in the car.  The two of you giggled and laughing at each other in the backseat absolutely melts my heart.  I hope you always stay close.  The relationship you have with your sister will be one of the most important in your life.

• You can count to 10 on demand, and lately have gone all the way to 20 a handful of times!  You know what a letter is, and you know that “B is for Blake!”….but you think every letter is a B.  You also love to sing the ABCs, but skip a bunch ;)

• You love to color and draw, and your easel is one of your very favorite toys in your room!  If I let you paint all day everyday, you certainly would.

• You are very much into pretend play, and I LOVE this stage with you.  You make pretend phone calls, cook pretend food, and play in your playhouse in our backyard all the time.  You’ll make up stories with your trains and drive them all over the house. 

Oh buddy, there’s just so much wonderful with you that I can’t even think of it all to write down.  You fill our lives with such joy.  Daddy and I love you more than I could ever hope to put into words, and this stage with you has been so very very fun.  I love watching you learn new things, I love watching your joy as you encounter new experiences, and I love being able to tell you I love you and hear that sweet little voice say “love you too”.  You have brought an incredible sense of meaning into our lives, and each day with you is one that I treasure.  I hope that you always feel that. 

We love you so much Blake Louis.  Here’s to another incredible year with you in our lives….

Love,

Mommy

Lainey Rose: Five Months

Lainey Rose, you are now five months olds!  The next time I write, you’ll be halfway to your first birthday.  That is really unfathomable to me.  Every day with you is such a gift.  I just can’t wait for the next one!

Here’s what you’ve been up to this month:

• You started tripod sitting up about a week and a half before your five month mark!  You’re getting better at it every day, and can sit unassisted for long period of time now!  You usually lose your balance when you get really excited and start kicking your legs, OR when you see something you want and fold in on yourself while trying to get it in your mouth ;)

• Speaking of your mouth….we’ve officially reached the stage where EVERYTHING goes there!  You have noticed my necklaces, earrings, scarves….really anything that dangles or looks shiny.   You’ve also decided that you’d like to nibble on anything we have, especially if it’s something we’ve putting in OUR mouths!  Can’t blame a girl for wanting a snack :)

• You SQUEAL!  You have the most precious baby squeal, and you will just talk and talk to anyone who will listen.  I cannot even tell you how much I love this!   Pretty much anytime we go anywhere in the car, you’ll use the travel time to tell me all about everything in your little world.  I wish I could record it while driving….these are memories with you I will cherish always!  I never want to forget the sound of your sweet little voice.

• You roll pretty regularly from your tummy to your back now, and all of a sudden decided you like tummy time!  You’ll do baby push ups and reeeeach and stretch for toys that are just out of your reach.  It amazes me to watch you.  I can’t even begin to think of you as being old enough to crawl…but then I watch how you stretch and kick and wiggle trying to get something you want, and I realize that it will be soon.  I’m just not sure how we got five months into your little life already. 

•  The big news  of the month was FOOD!  We started you on baby food as an effort to try and control your reflux.  The jury is still out on whether or not that worked, but the jury is NOT out as to whether or not you like food.  Girlfriend, you.like.food.  I often cannot get that spoon in your mouth fast enough for your liking.  You get so excited when you see it coming—open mouth, hands waving all around, shaking your face back and forth while you reach excitedly for the spoon in an effort to speed along the process.  Makes me laugh every single time!  Your favorites so far are definitely apples, bananas, and squash.  You’ve also had sweet potatoes, pears (this was the first food we tried with you!), peas, green beans, and carrots.  I think I’ll going to try avocados with you next month (this was your brother’s FAVORITE food for a very long time!)

• You are wearing size 2 diapers if we put you in disposables, we unbuttoned your cloths to the highest rise, and mostly 6 and 6-9 month clothes.  I can still fit you in a lot of 3-6 month things as well, which is nice because you have the cutest summer clothes and I am determined to get as much wear as possible out of them before I have to put them away! 

• The last time you were at the doctor’s office (we had to take you back for a reoccurance of thrush that turned out to be nothing….thank heavens!) you weighed 15.5 pounds!!!  We were so excited!  Gone are the days of poor weight gain for our little nugget!

•  In terms of how much you eat, right now you’re getting 5 bottles of 6 ounces of breast milk a day.  You also eat 2 ounces of baby food twice a day (lunch and dinner).  Little lovebug, drinking bottles is not your favorite.  We often struggle to convince you to drink your milk, but we are getting it done!  You usually stop after 3 ounces and then want to be done.  This is why breastfeeding you was so hard—you always wanted to stop after an ounce or two and I wouldn’t know!  I really am convinced this had a lot to do with your poor weight gain at first.  Since I’ve been pumping for you and we put you on bottles…we’ve seen steady weight gain! 

• We’ve finally been able to get some pretty great giggles out of you!!  You are ticklish on your side and under your armpit…I can usually get a giggle that way.  You also love when daddy and I make faces at you while you’re lying on your back, or when I give you kisses on your cheeks.  Sometimes I just make funny faces at you and silly noises and you’ll reward me with the sweetest little giggle.  I may look ridiculous, but that little sound is music to my ears!  Worth it.

• I know I say it every single month, but baby girl, you are so happy.  Truly.  I’ve never met a baby as genuinely joyful as you are.  You hardly ever cry.  You smile at everyone.  And your smile lights up a room.  I’m so so honored to be your mommy.  Seeing you full of such joy brings me more joy than I can ever say.  I just love you.

• You are still our amazing little sleeper!  You take a 2 hour nap in the morning from 9-11,and then an afternoon nap from 1-3.  We start bedtime routine at 7, and you are usually down by 7:30 without a peep until we get you up around 6:30 the next morning.   We just took away your swaddle this week, and you’ve done amazing!   Everyone is always blown away when I talk about what a great sleeper you are—and you have always put yourself to sleep!  We just lay you down and you do your thing. 

• You still love your brother.  You love watching whatever he’s doing, and will often turn your head towards him in the car and just stare at him the whole time we’re driving.  He loves the attention ;)

• You had your first time in the church nursery this month (okay, technically it was just AFTER you turned 5 months old…but I’m sure I’ll forget by the time I write your six month post so I better include it now!)  You did great!  You are just so easy going.  I’ve loved keeping you with me in the service, but you are so vocal now and those happy little squeals were just a little much during the sermon ;)

• Your favorite toys this month are your JUMPEROO (goodness you love to jump!) and anything that can be stuffed into your mouth (burp cloths, towels, Toby’s tail…..)

•  I can’t believe I almost forgot to mention….YOUR FIRST TOOTH!  It came in this month J  You have one sweet little tooth on the bottom—middle left.  I think your middle right may also be coming in (judging by the gnawing and the drool) but nothing has poked through yet.  You were  a champ while teething!  I didn’t even know until you chomped down on my finger one day and I felt the little ridge of the tooth poking through.  Not going to lie, I was sad when your brother’s first tooth came in and I was sad when yours did.  It’s the end of an era.  That sweet gummy baby smile will soon be no more.  I will miss it!

 

Lainey, I’m just loving all of your moments.   While that’s been true from the beginning, this month I’ve really focused on savoring them.  Life is so fleeting.  Moments can be stolen from us in the blink of an eye, and my love, I just don’t want to let a single one go by without being fully present in it.  You are far too precious of a gift.  

Earlier this month, a sweet friend of mine died.  She was much too young, and her absence left a huge hole in the heart’s of all those who knew her.  Losing Shannon made me think about you, and this life, and each day that I get to spend with you and your brother.  I can’t imagine not having you here with me.  I can’t imagine a world without you or your brother in it. I take for granted the days we spend together, and I assume that I’m always going to be here—that you’re going to grow up, and I’m going to watch every season of your life unfold.  But, sweetheart, the reality is we don’t have that guarantee.  I’ll admit I panicked a little and my heart caught in my throat as I thought about the possibility of not being here to experience each of your days.   But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the best gift I can give you as your mom is not me.  It’s not.     

The best gift that I can give to you is Jesus in me.

Baby girl, I want to show you Jesus by the way your daddy and I live our lives.  I want you to see Him in me, because I want you to grow up and fall in love with the Creator of the Universe.  My presence in your life is just not enough.  Its meaningless if it’s not about Him. 

I don’t know how many tomorrows we’ll have—I pray there are many, many, many—but no matter what, know that the most important relationship you’ll ever have is one that will never, ever leave you.  It’s Jesus, Lainey.  It’s Him.  It will always be Him.

I love you baby girl.  Always and forever.

Your Mama 

Sweet Shannon,

I’ve started and stopped this letter at least a dozen times today.   I just can’t seem to get it right.  For someone who prides herself in being a ‘words girl’…..there just aren’t any.  Not for this.  Breast cancer shouldn’t claim the life of such a beautiful, vibrant, 27-year old.  The only word I have is speechless.  

I’ve spent the day remembering you.   Thinking back through all the seasons of our friendship, and reliving all the moments we shared together as friends.  I let my mind linger on the sound of your voice, your laugh, and your passion for life.  

I still can’t believe I’m writing this. I can’t believe you’re gone.

For the past 16 months, I watched you fight.  I watched you go through horrific chemotherapy treatments that left you sick and your body weak.  I watched you lose your hair.  I watched you go through things that the rest of us cannot even fathom having to endure, and my friend, I was truly inspired by your courage.  You fought.  You faced cancer with a dignity and a strength that far surpassed your years.    You never let cancer define you.  You never once complained.  Courage.  For me, that word will always be synonymous with Shannon Brahmer.

You were there to watch my family grow from two to four, and you were always there to check in on or celebrate with me as life unfolded through each season.   I’ll never forget how you were texting to check in on me as we went through our second IVF—you checking on me when you’d just found out that you had cancer and your own family would have to be put on hold.   You’ll never know what that meant to me.   I was in awe of you then, and as I watched you battle each day with such determination and resolve….I was even more in awe.  Incredible doesn’t even begin to define you.  I will never forget the lessons in friendship that I found in watching you live your life.  You have always been selfless.  You have always poured love into everyone around you.  The loss of your gentle, sweet spirit has left a hole that simply cannot be filled. 

It has been my great honor and privilege to call myself your friend.  My heart is bigger and more full because you touched it, and for as long as I live, there will be a Shannon-sized hole where I will forever carry your memory. 

I love you, sweet friend.  Thank you for the beautiful ways you impacted my life.  Thank you for being an example of strength, and dignity, and love. 

I’ll never, ever forget.

Lainey Rose: Four Months

Well Miss. Lainey Rose, you are now FOUR months old!  How did this happen?!  I blinked and now here we are.  What an incredible four months with you in the world, baby girl.  Here’s what you’ve been up to this month:

• You now weigh 14 pounds and are 25.5 inches long.  You’re in the 50^th percentile for weight, 90^th for height, and 10^th for height/weight combined.  You are still our long and lean baby girl

• You still wear mainly 6 month clothing, although you can wear 3 month pants and shirts too.   3 month onesies are too short on you because you’re so long!  There are a few 9 month outfits I’ve put you in recently and they seem to fit pretty well too.

• You take two good naps a day—I think we’ve finally hit our groove!  You now nap from 9:30-11:30 and then again from 1-3 in the afternoon.  You are just the best little sleeper baby girl!

• You and Blake are now taking baths together, which you both love!  Blake will pour water over your tummy while daddy washes your hair, and you’ll smile and coo at him the whole time. 

• Our bedtime routine is usually a bottle at 7, bath, and then bed.  Daddy and I think you’re ready to start adding in a storytime before bed, so that will probably be something we start this month!  You sleep until between 6-6:30 in the morning—rockstar sleeper!!

• This month we brought out the jumperoo, and you LOVE it!  You jump pretty well in it, which I don’t remember Blake doing until he was quite a bit older!  I got an adorable video of you jumping the other day.  You thought you were SUCH big stuff.

• Still smiling all.the.time.  Baby girl, that smile of yours lights up a room.  And your dimple!  Goodness.  I don’t know where you got it, but it just kills me. 

• I’ve gotten a few belly laughs out of you this month, but nothing consistent.   You’ll giggle at me when I kiss your toes or play ‘this little piggy’ with you, which I think is pretty adorable, and I am so looking forward to being able to hear that sweet little laugh more often!  Daddy is also very anxious, because he hasn’t been able to get a giggle out of you yet

• About a week ago, you started grabbing at toys!  Right now, you really love your little bear blanket that goes in your carseat with you.  I love looking back in the rear view mirror to see you literally stuffing your face with that teddy bear.  Your little eyes are just so focused and so concentrated on getting  your hands to work for you.  Love watching you learn!!

• You rolled once from back to tummy this month, which was exciting!  You’ll often roll yourself onto your side. 

• You are so well behaved no matter where we go.  It is so easy to take you places!  I just love looking down at you in the cart and seeing those bright eyes staring back at me.  As soon as you catch my eye, you’ll smile big and wide and that little dimple pops out on your right cheek. Love you so much princess!

It seems like four months have passed in the blink of an eye.  I read back through your previous monthly posts, and its shocking to me how quickly you’ve grown and changed.  I spend every single day with you, but it isn’t until I take the time to reflect on all the days past that I realize how much of your little life has already gone by.  Oh baby girl, do you have any idea how much you are loved?  This summer with you has been the best of my life.  I cannot tell you how much joy it brings me to spend my days loving on my sweet baby girl and her big brother.  You two are my heart and soul.   God has blessed our family with riches far greater than anything that could be measured by the standards of this world.  Our greatest value is found in one another.  As hard as is it for my mama heart to realize how quickly your infancy is passing, I’m also so excited to experience the fullness and richness of each season with you.   Never forget Lainey.  Never forget that you have been loved every moment of every day. 

All my love, sweet girl

Your Mama