Day 18--The Mom Squad

When we moved here almost four and a half years ago I was lonely.  Really really lonely.  Having left a wonderful group of friends, a job I enjoyed and a church we loved I wasn't sure what to do with myself.  I looked forward to staying home with Ben but the adjustment from working mom to stay at home mom was tougher than I thought.  Ben was an incredibly erratic sleeper and I was bored a lot of the day.  My most adult conversations were those I had with Andrew when he was home or my good buddies at the local hardware store who patiently walked me through how to paint our house.

Eventually every room had a fresh coat, including the kitchen cabinets and I ran out of projects to keep me busy.  Ben started getting more interactive and we were totally enamored with his every move but I still felt lonely.  The highlight of most weeks were either dinners with his parents or with two of his high school friends that also lived in the area.  I ran a lot and took a lot of walks but Ben wasn't quite big enough for the playground or storytime so meeting other moms was hard to do.

After about a year though, I needed things to change and God moved a young family into the area with a little boy just a few months younger than Ben.  They attended our church, came to a small group and we arranged a play date. One play date turned into two, then three and four and now three years and two more kids (for both of us) later we are still playing strong.

 It was incredibly helpful that by this time Ben was walking and able to actually do things at the playground so I started staking out the local parks.  Within walking distance of our first house here there are five different playgrounds and with all of those playgrounds come children..and their moms.  As Ben grew up, I did as well.  I became more confident in my own skills as a mom, pregnant with Caleb and ready to make sure my children were well socialized.

Four and half years later I have what Andrew enjoys calling, "The Mom Squad."  Over the last few years I've picked up moms at the playground, a local mom's group, the library,running, and now preschool.  Play dates at each other's houses are the norm.  My first time hosting in our new house brought four moms and about thirteen children.  As laughter ran through my house I felt so blessed by how full my days have become.  During the summer we enjoyed picnics at a local playground where each of my children had four or five different kids to play with. The kids all share snacks and toys as the mom squad and I share frustrations over sleeping, eating or just enjoy one another's company.

Life in Fredonia now is not boring.  I rarely go a day without seeing a familiar face and my children are blessed to have so many other wonderful children to grow up with.  When Hannah was born I received meals every other day for almost six weeks and most of them came from other moms who are busy with their own little ones.  I even received a gift certificate for someone to clean my house!  The village mentality in Fredonia is strong.  I know if I need anything I have a list of people in my phone that will come and help.  I trust the mom squad with my kids and feel so thankful to have each of them in my life.

Day 15--The Mother-in-Law

My in-laws with Hannah hours after she arrived

Every once in a while I will run into someone in Fredonia that doesn't know Andrew's family and I will get asked with a cringing face, "What is it like living so close to your in-laws?" Mother-in-law jokes are popular and I think some people are fascinated when I respond with, "wonderful!"

After the purchase of our new house, I am more thankful than for my mother-in-law.  I am not a gifted home decorator.  I love to cook, bake,and throw parties but hand me a decor magazine or ask me to pick out a paint color and I feel overwhelmed.  I can tell you if I like certain things together but managing to take a random group of materials and make them into a room is a skill I don't possess.  I've done my fair share of looking at Houzz, reading Better Homes and Gardens/Country Lving, etc. but my main mode of decoration is to put some pictures up and call it a day.  Not so for the charming lady who lives up the road and is the mother to my husband.

Walk into her home and you will feel at home.  From carefully hung pictures/baskets/quilts, to beautiful curtains, stitched pillows and refinished furniture, every room looks carefully planned and put together.  I understand that part of it is that she has lived in her house over twenty years and I about six weeks but without some serious help, it might never get there.

Which is where my mother-in-law comes into the picture.  Not only did she and my father-in-law spend a day here unpacking for us right after we moved in but, she is happily helping me decorate.  When trying to pick out a rug for our living room, I asked her to look and obviously bought what she liked.  (It is beautiful and looks wonderful in our living room).  Yesterday she watched Hannah for me while I taught Bodypump and after class she showed me curtains she'd ordered for my dining room, fabric she'd purchased for pillows for our living room and told me she'd ordered the paint for the buffet she found and is redoing for our dining room.  I've had a little input, but since I did stand in TJ Maxx before we moved in trying to decide on a shower curtain for about 20 minutes, I've mostly said, "Whatever you think looks good!"

Beyond her patience with my lack of decorating skills and willingness to help, she is an incredible blessing in both my life and the lives of my children.  She is a doting grandmom who is supportive of our parenting decisions, a constant source of encouragement, a sympathetic ear and someone I deeply admire.  She is a wonderful cook and Andrew had pretty high food expectations when we first got married.  When pregnant with Hannah, she fed me more times than I can count and was willing to help whenever we needed it.  I hope that one day when I fill the mother-in-law role for Ben and Caleb, my daughters' in-law will feel even the tiniest bit of admiration and love that I feel for her.

Day 12--COTW

Twelve years ago Andrew's mom, and now my mother-in-law, sent me a letter inviting me to stay with them at Camp of the Woods while they were on vacation with their family.  I accepted her invitation (which prompted Andrew and I to have "the talk") and we had a relaxing week together.  A Brautigam summer family tradition, we all look forward to our week together and hate to have to skip a year.  

In the past twelve years I think Andrew and I have missed three times:  the summer we got married, the summer I was pregnant with Ben and technically the summer we worked at Deerfoot, although we visited a lot while we worked down the road.  We have so many rich memories at Camp of the Woods as a dating couple that found a brown bear on a couple of evening walks, young married couple who relaxed, read books, and exercised a lot, and now a family of five with a minivan full of toys.  

Located in the Adirondacks on beautiful Lake Pleasant, Camp of the Woods is a Christian family resort.  It is truly a vacation.  Meals, lodging, maid service, free mini golf, a huge gym, a beautiful beach, a playground, and numerous other activities it is a place where families can just hang out together and enjoy one another.  We look forward to the trip every single year.  Ben and Caleb both experienced COTW at six months of age, Hannah at six weeks.  As the children get older it is so fun to watch them get excited about heading up together.  Our only job at Camp of the Woods is to relax and recharge.  For a few of us that means a lot of exercise, for others time relaxing on the sand reading and for the littles, embracing every single activity in fifteen minute increments.  I could spend hours writing about the wonders of our vacations there together but I will instead let a few pictures from the last couple years speak.

Yesterday Andrew received an email with our reservation confirmation for our summer vacation at Camp of the Woods and we can't wait to make more memories there together!

Day 11--God's Protection

Yesterday after a fun morning with a dear friend, something happened that was the most personally horrifying experience of my life.  That might sound like an exaggeration, but it isn't.  I won't go into details but the event that occurred could have ended tragically.  Over the past 24 hours I have had quiet moments in which I relive the incident and am immediately stricken with guilt and fear.  An individual from my church sent me an email to remind me that every time I start to relive what happened I need to praise God for what didn't.  Every time my mind wanders to the dark place of the incident I audibly praise God for His protection.  My children probably think I am going nuts, or maybe they don't even notice.

This last day has been hard but, also a good reminder of how my life is not my own.  My children's lives are mine to guide and help grow but are ultimately God's to protect.  Things that are dangerous are always out there but how cool is it that we have a Heavenly Father who is watching out for us and keeping us safe.  Psalm 18:30 says, "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him."  Yesterday God was a shield. A literal shield.  Today I am so thankful for His protection in my life everyday and especially in the situation yesterday.  I know that what happened will be in the forefront of my mind in the coming days and weeks but I also am so thankful to know that there is someone greater than me looking out for my life and the lives of those I hold so close to my heart.

Day 10--The cousins

Disclaimer:  I realize I missed two days, I will catch up on the other side...the littles don't always sleep at the same time which means that blogging is at the bottom of the list.

My first official extended Brautigam family gathering was at the wedding of one of Andrew's cousins--one of his twelve girl cousins.  When we met only one of those cousins was already married.  As you can imagine over the course of the last ten years, we have attended a lot more weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, graduation parties, etc.

Over the weekend I attended the baby shower of one of his cousins who is due this winter.  As I sat next to my mother-in-law, across from Andrew's grandma and received hugs from other cousins and aunts I felt so blessed.  I married into an incredible family.  Andrew's extended family is a part of our lives, have come to birthday parities for the boys and we are fortunate enough to even attend the same church as his aunt and uncle.

My children are growing up with such a wealth of family surrounding them and I feel so thankful that they get to know such an amazing group of people.

Day 7--The Leaf Rakers

When we lived on White Street our neighbors were almost exclusively college students.  Most of the time they were quiet but there were also a fair share of frustrating times.   Parties/getting blocked in our driveway/beer cans in our yard/water balloon fights in the street and just general 18-22 year old behavior was at times a bit much.  Our first year was the worst but our summers were quiet as were any breaks from school.  The second year I made a lot of cookies and paraded my kids up and down the street in the hope of earning good will.  It seemed to do the trick and the students were way more respectful.  I kept the cookie train going each semester, we tried to be courteous and we existed together.  There were still occasional weekends that looked like this:

Moving to our new house meant moving closer to the college, with some college housing nearby but also real neighbors with families.  Today I had my post organized in my head but then I drove home after a baby shower to see neat piles of leaves all raked up lining our sidewalk.  Recent windy weather and huge trees left a few layers of leaves so thick on our yard that the grass was hard to see.

 Not anymore.  A group of college students every year does a community service project and rakes leaves at the houses in streets near the college.  We live on a corner lot which meant that they raked our ENTIRE yard.  Andrew said it took 15 students about an hour to do our house alone.  The yard looks beautiful and we didn't have to rake it.

Day 6--10 Years of Marriage

When Andrew and I met at Houghton in the spring of 2002 it wasn't love at first sight.  I was engaged to someone else and it wasn't until nearly a year after that engagement ended that we started dating.  Andrew chased me around for a while, got his family to woo me, made sure I got a job down the road from where he was working and once we started dating I was done.  I knew he was the man I was going to marry. Our dating relationship started awkwardly with me saying, "Andrew I like you," he replying with a very certain "I know," and nearly two years later we both said, "I do."

Our first years of marriage were challenging.  We were married young, he was 21, I was 23 and we decided to grow up together.  We both had a lot of growing up to do.  Neither of us was set in a career choice.  I was finishing a degree I didn't want any longer, he was working a job he didn't like and we were both trying to figure out what was next.  In our early years we spent a lot of time exercising, even more time eating, watched a lot of Sabres games and slowly figured things out.  Eventually he went to law school, I completed a second graduate degree  and we started our family.

Ten years ago, ten years seemed like a long time to be married.  Now I am not sure how it  passed so quickly.  As a couple we've grown so much and learned so much about how to live with another person.  We've been so blessed in our marriage to one another.  We've grown our family and grown up.  I can't imagine being on this adventure with another person.  Andrew is my rock.  He works tirelessly to provide for our family, loves our children deeply, loves me unconditionally, and most importantly puts God first in our family and lives.  I can't wait to see what the next ten years hold.

Day 5: This old house

Four years ago I wrote this post about our first home as a married couple.    Our little white house on White St. was the perfect fit for our small family when we moved to Fredonia with our first blondie, Ben.  We loved the proximity to Andrew's work, library, playgrounds, hardware store and local eateries but in the winter of 2015 after our family of three grew to four and five in the near future we decided to start looking for our forever home.  Our long term plan is to stay in Fredonia.  We have both grown to appreciate our lives here and raising our children with so much family nearby is important to us.

In February of last year with my belly rapidly expanding and feet of snow on the ground we began our search.  We were hopeful that our house would quickly sell and we would find something that suited the needs of our growing family.  Our first trip out with our realtor made us want to stay put.  From a house with a basement out of horror movie to another where the tenant was making sauerkraut in the kitchen to another where the nicest room was the laundry, we felt a little discouraged.  But then we looked at "the one,"  a beautiful white victorian that both of us had admired from afar for years.  Once inside, though it was freezing, we both really liked it.  Hardwood floors, a huge kitchen, two full bathrooms, a basement, attic, etc., it checked most of our boxes.  We were sold.  The only problem was the house was listed as a short sale so we knew it might take a while.  We put our offer in and sat back and waited.  and waited. and waited. and waited.  February turned into March, April quickly passed by, Hannah arrived in May and while on vacation in July we finally heard that our offer was not accepted and they were taking another.  Disappointed, but also a little relieved to finally know something we took a step back from the house search.  With a brand new baby in tow, the thought of moving was overwhelming so we thought we would wait for a while to see if anything else came up that we liked.  We had exhausted the list of houses on our list and were not in a huge hurry to move.

That didn't last long.  The entire time we looked at houses, there was one in particular that I always clicked on when it popped up on zillow.  I admired the pictures but never wanted to look inside because it was out of our price range.  For months it sat on the market and every six or eight weeks the price fell.  While we were waiting on the other house, the price kept falling and falling.  Finally Andrew contacted our realtor and said we wanted to look at it.  I dropped the boys off with a friend at the playground and told her before seeing it there was no way we would buy it--it was too expensive and out of our league.

When we walked into the house I was a little taken aback by its beauty.  It checked all of my boxes:  mudroom, beautiful kitchen, gorgeous woodwork, room for a playroom, fireplace (with woodstove), upstairs laundry room, four bedrooms with nice closest, attic, basement, garage...I was in love.  Beautiful leaded glass windows, pocket doors, pull out shelves in the kitchen with nice appliances, the house was a dream.  It was way nicer than any house I ever imagined owning.  Sensing we liked it, our realtor encouraged us to think about putting in an offer.  A few days later we did and right now I am writing this post from my new living room.  We closed quickly, moved in a lot sooner than we'd planned and unpacked with the help of my wonderful in-laws.

Every morning I wake up excited about our new place.  Whenever I walk or run home I think about the memories we will create here.  The kitchen that I love will cook birthday cakes, create meals for friends and family and host numerous small groups.  Our kids will get off the bus here for their first day of school and will shoot baskets at the hoop over our garage.  This is the home that our kids will come home to when they are off at college.  This is the house that our children will bring their children too.  This, our forever home, is where Andrew and I will grow old and gray.

Thankfulness Day 4--Today

Every November my facebook feed is flooded with thankful posts.  Four years ago I blogged every single day of the month of November with memories, people and things in my life for which I am thankful.  Four years later, I am still thankful for all of those things but, so much has changed I thought it would be fun to revisit the month of thankfulness and hopefully challenge me to continue to blog beyond the month of November.

When teaching English I gave the journal prompt at least once a school year to describe your perfect day.  Students would often include things they ate, people they hung out with and activities they would do.  As a mom of three littles "perfect" days might not look like one would expect but today for me is one.  The last three days were rough.  Daylight savings time, Halloween and general excitement led to blond boys who woke early, didn't nap and a princess who didn't sleep very well.  I felt like a zombie.  A very tired, very frustrated, very frazzled zombie.  The situation deteriorated to the level that on Monday night as I was trying to clean the crayon off the floor, finish our small group dessert, make dinner and keep all three kids alive, I had to send a text of desperation to Andrew to walk fast on his way home.  I was spent.  My patience was totally gone.  I honestly was wondering how many more no nap, up early days I would be able to handle.

But, yesterday things started to turn around as all three kids got the sleep they needed.  Today they woke up just as I was leaving to run and when I returned we settled into our morning routine.  We enjoyed a big breakfast, the boys were quiet as I put their sister down for her nap and once we were all ready we headed outside.  Our new house is about 400 yards from the playground and on this perfect morning we embraced our location and headed down the sidewalk with our load of trucks.

Ben pulled and Caleb pushed our red wagon stacked with six or seven trucks, balls, a blanket and snacks.  Their blond heads bobbed along as they worked together to reach our destination while I walked along with Hannah smiling in her carrier.  T-shirts for all of us, not a hat, glove or coat in sight and even shorts on Caleb's skinny little legs.  Once we arrived, the friends started coming on foot and in vans.  Our wagon quickly emptied as all the boys used the wood chips as their construction site.  Dump trucks zoomed down slides, laughter filtered through the air from the swings, the babies cooed on blankets and snacks were shared.  Everyone embraced the sunshine that I am sure we will soon exchange for snow but for today, things were perfect.

Days like today make my heart feel so full it could burst.  I am so thankful for the sunshine that is showcasing the fall colors, the playground outside my door and the warmth that is such a gift in November.

Loving Life at One Year

On Monday January 6th, we sang "Happy Birthday" to our effervescent little guy.  The year has flown by as we've adjusted from a family of three to a family of four and we've watched Caleb grow into a little toddler while Ben grew into his role as a big brother.

Stats: (His official one year appointment is on the 28th, but he was sick in December so this what we have:)
Height:  29.5 inches
Weight: 20 pounds
Teeth:  3 on his first birthday but three more are peeking through.
Hair:  a very blond baby mullet
Clothing:  All 12 month
Shoes:  0-6 month, size 2 (TINY feet)

Eating:  Despite his light weight, he is a huge eater.  He can out eat his big brother (and sometimes his mom).  He enjoys every food we place in front of him (except for lemons) and eats with enthusiasm.  He is very very neat when he eats and rarely needs a bib.  On his first birthday, his first bit of cake and ice cream were nibbled very delicately.  He loves to try to use his utensils and wants whatever is on our plates.  He drinks from anything he finds and thinks we are horrible people for denying him coffee.  He continues to nurse 4-5 times a day/night.  I plan on nursing him for a couple of more months.

Sleeping:  Over the last month he transitioned to one nap a day at 12:15 and sleeps for 2-2 1/2 hours.  He is in bed by 6:30 and up the next morning around 7:00.  Between the nighttime hours he is really inconsistent. He goes to sleep on his own, is happy when he wakes up and while I am ready to sleep through the night again, Andrew will not be called into duty for a little while longer.

Communication:  Caleb wants to talk and enjoys babbling.  He emphatically points to what he wants.  His words thus far are: "ba" (ball), "be" (Ben), "du" (dog), mama, dada, "bo" (book), "no" (nose and no), "mi" (milk).  He loves to nod and shake his head.

Skills:  Caleb started walking on December 11th.  He took a few steps in our living room for Andrew, while I was not around.  He continued walking in short spurts.  Over Christmas he was sick and his walking took a backseat but now he is toddling around with more confidence than skill.  He is even starting to bend his knees.

While playing, he likes to use his shape sorter, rolls cars across the ground, put things in and out of containers and mimic whatever Ben is doing.  He tries hard to stack blocks, but enjoys knocking things over even more.  He can wave "hi" and "bye" and is learning where his body parts are.  He would way rather imitate the words for different body parts however, than point to them.

Likes:  He likes to go on walks, pet his dogs, and bring books to us (though he doesn't always sit to listen).  He loves cars, trying to eat crayons and dumping out cups of water.  He is big enough to hang out in the learning tower with Ben, which makes baking a new adventure for all of us.  He loves people and will go to anyone who is willing to hold him.  He loves to play peek-a-boo and to be chased up the stairs.

Highlights from the month:  We celebrated Christmas with Andrew's family.  Caleb was sick for most of the week but it mostly meant he wanted a lot of extra snuggles and sleep.  He wasn't sure how he felt about being Cousin Lauren's baby doll but he enjoyed the Christmas tree and constant stream of music in our house.

His bubbly personality is contagious and we are having so much watching the relationship between our two boys grow.

Eleven.

Decorating our Christmas tree was so much easier this year without a Caleb sized bump in the way.  Now instead of knocking off ornaments with my belly, my little guy is on the move and doing his best to take them off on his own.

At eleven months old Caleb is truly one of the happiest babies I have ever met.  He smiles at everything and everyone.  He experiences very little separation anxiety and he rarely protests when he is passed around.  His personality is one that overflows with joy and each moment with him is full of smiles.

Some stats:
Height:  Right around 30 inches
Weight: around 20 pounds
Clothing:  all 12 months
Shoes:  0-6 months (another small footed guy)
Teeth:  still only two on the bottom
Hair:  not nearly as bald as his big brother was but it is still pretty thin and pretty blond

Sleeping:  Caleb is slowly transitioning from two naps to one.  If he naps in the morning it is from 10-11.  He still likes his morning nap but if we are out doing anything in the morning he skips it completely.  In the afternoon he sleeps from 1:00-4:00 (most days).  At night, he is down by 7:30 and up once, maybe twice.  He has started sleeping for 7-8-9 hour stretches which is amazing.  He likes to nurse before he goes to sleep but it is often followed by daddy snuggles to get him settled for the evening,  On nights Andrew is gone in the evening Caleb is awake a lot more because he wants his daddy.

Communication:  "dadada," "mama," and "buh" for Andrew, myself and Ben.  He also identifies balls with the "b" sound.  He babbles a lot and laughs even more.  He thinks that baths with his big brother are pretty much the best thing in the world.

Likes:  Everything Ben is doing so trucks, balls, books, trains, etc.  He loves to bang away on our piano.  he loves going for walks and runs in the stroller.  He loves when Ben climbs into his crib to hang out and bounce him up and down.  He is fascinated by the toilet--which is totally disgusting.  He loves our dogs and enjoys trying to climb on top of both of them.  The dog water is a huge draw and we keep having to move it higher and higher the taller he gets.  He enjoys emptying cupboards and banging away on pots and pans. He loves to bounce his butt up and down when he hears music.

Skills:  He pulls up on everything and runs around our house while pushing walkers.  He has stood on his own for a second or two and is thinking about walking but has yet to commit.  He sometimes walks on his knees instead of crawling.  He likes to stack things and has started sorting shapes.  He likes to try to color when Ben is coloring.  According to Andrew, his skills are cooing and being hilarious. He can zoom up our stairs and rolls a ball across the floor.  He also figured out how to climb in and out of the little rocking chair we had on the day before Thanksgiving.

Eating:  He continues to nurse 5 or so times a day and eats three big meals and a snack.  He eats whatever we put in front of him and whatever he sees on our plates that he wants.  He loves to steal sippy cups that his big brother leaves all over the house.

Highlights from the month:  Caleb met my side of the family when they came up for Thanksgiving.  His status as happiest baby in the world was confirmed by my sister-in-law who is a nurse practioner in a NICU.  He loved all of the attention (and food).  This month he saw his first snow and enjoys watching it out the window.  He tolerated getting our Christmas tree even though it was freezing and snowing.

Day 7: Body Pump

In February of 2012 I headed to Buffalo for two days of intense bodypump training.  I was way out of my league and way out of shape.  I came home so sore I couldn't sit on a couch without hurting.  A couple of months later, I started teaching at Darwin's Health Club, a local gym.  I taught until I was 37 weeks pregnant with Caleb and started back six weeks after he was born.  As a stay-at-home mom, getting out of the house a couple of times a week to lift weights is a welcome change.  I love learning new choreography, lifting weights and hanging out with members of the community that I would never have met.

Ben and Caleb Part 2

Today Caleb is ten months old.  It is so hard to believe that in just two very very short months he will be a year.  While I remember life before Caleb, it is hard to imagine our family without him.

Stats:  (on October 24th)
Weight:  19 pounds 8 ounces (25%)
Height:  29 1/2 inches (80%)
Head Circumference:  18.5 inches (97%--shocking, I know)
Teeth:  still just 2
Clothing size:  12 months
Shoe size: 2-3
Personality: larger than life!

Eating:
Caleb still nurses 5-6 times a day but he LOVES, LOVES, LOVES solid food.  He would rather eat solids than nurse so I think he may wean earlier than Ben.  He wants to eat whatever we are eating or cooking.  He devours his breakfast lunch and dinner every day.  He loves bread, pasta and meat.  He likes vegetables over fruit.  He enjoys water from a sippy cup (or whatever he can find in Ben's sippy cups that seem to be scattered all over our house).

Sleeping:  Most of the time he is up by 7, naps at 9:30 and 1:00 and is in bed by 6:30.  From 6:30 p.m.-7 a.m. it is anyone's guess.  He sleeps really well some nights and not so well others.  He goes to bed easily on his own in his crib.

Communication:  He babbles and laughs all of the time.  Rarely does he cry.  He will cry if he is really tired and his crib isn't nearby.  Other than that, a good way to see him cry is to have someone around him get hurt or feel sad.    For instance, a couple of weeks ago Ben fell over and not only did Ben burst into tears, but Caleb did the same.  Last night we were watching the Jimmy Kimmel Halloween candy clip and the kids were scooting around.  When Caleb heard the sound of the kids on the clip crying, he joined in the tear fest. (We turned the clip right off to keep the distress at a minimum.)

Favorite Things:  He is ball obsessed, which makes Andrew incredibly happy.  He is also Ben obsessed.  Anything and everything Ben is doing, Caleb also wants to be doing.  I feel a little bad for Ben sometimes because as he would say, "Caleb is always in my business!"  He enjoys listening to books but doesn't really sit still for very long.

Skills:  He pulls himself up on everything and is walking holding onto hands or push toys.  He moves along furniture and is getting a little more daring as he tries to let go.  He claps his hands, gives high-fives, and reaches his arms up to show he is "SO BIG!"  He likes to turn pages in books, rolls cars back and forth and chase after balls.  He gives really sweet, really wet open mouthed kisses.

His personality is all sunshine.  I love getting him out of his crib in the morning because I am always met with a huge smile.  He is a little snuggler and I like to think he brings joy to others with his big grin.

Days 5 and 6: Ben and Caleb Part 1

I always knew that I would love my kids, but I didn't really realize how deep that love would be until I held each in my arm.  I could easily post a thing each day about both Ben and Caleb that I am thankful for but will try to reign it in a bit.

We'll start with Ben:
At almost 33 months old (or nearly 3!) he is a joy every single day.  From the moment he explodes into our room asking, "Is it daylight?" to the end of the day when he wants, "Just one more snuggle," my heart feels so full it could burst.  Over this past year we've watched him go from only child to big brother and even though at times he has some not so nice moments, he is developing into a very caring sibling.

Ben is an incredibly thoughtful, smart and kind little guy.  I know, I know, every parent thinks that his/her child is bright and we do as well.  He can sit for hours "reading" to himself.  He knows the street on which he lives and the names of the streets where his buddies live.  He loves when people come over, especially his Heather and Kevin.  He loves to sing songs, he remembers everything we say and do.  He takes care of Caleb by moving the dog water out of Caleb's way, taking crayons out of his hands and feeding him food off of his plate.  (He also does his fair share of taking toys, knocking over and generally trying to teach Caleb that Ben is the boss).

Every single day he learns something new.  It is fun (and a bit tiring at times) to answer the endless series of toddler questions as he discovers the world around him.  The other night he asked Andrew what salvation is, which led to a long conversation.  His imagination is continuing to develop as he builds houses with blocks, fireplaces with cardboard boxes and construction sites with whatever he can scrounge up. He loves to do puzzles and play with playdough.  He is my right hand man in the kitchen and can tell you what each mixer attachment is used for.

He is such a fun little guy to hang out with each and every day.  He has his challenging moments (ask me sometime about what happened before we went to Dayton) but overall we couldn't be happier with how he is growing.

Day 4: Sleep

My babies don't sleep through the night at 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 week or even 20.  I tried everything to get Ben to sleep when he was little:  cry it out, shorter naps, longer naps, earlier bedtime, later bedtime, nursing to sleep, rocking to sleep, wearing in a carrier all day so he didn't need to be snuggled all night, on and on and on...if someone said to me, "Have you tried...?"  I probably had.

Eventually, at around 15 months, Ben started sleeping though the night and didn't look back.  When Caleb was born I was prepared again to not sleep, but even though I was prepared didn't make it any easier.  I dug in my heels in and got ready for the long haul.  For the first few months of his life he did short stretches that eventually became longer stretches.  Right around six months he slept through the night for about a week straight.  Then we went on vacation in August.  He hasn't slept through again.

Typically he wakes up two or three times for about fifteen minutes for a quick snack.  He wakes up, fusses, eats and settles in for another stretch.  During the day he is on a really consistent sleep schedule, he falls asleep on his own and wakes up cheerful.

Last week however, was awful.  Really, really awful.  Throw the baby monitor across the room awful.  He wanted to be up, playing.   I wanted to be in bed snoring.  He was winning and I was very, very, very tired.  After three nights of not sleeping, I thought I was going to fall over from exhaustion (or at the very least punch my husband.)

But then, he slept.  Long, long, long stretches.  Only one wake-up.  ONE.

Last night he slept again andon this fourth day of November I am so thankful for sleep.  I am thankful for a Monday where I was able to stay awake all day without giving in and taking a nap.  I am thankful for every precious second where I get to snuggle into my pillow and close my eyes.  Tonight he might be up a lot again, who knows?  At least I can continue to take comfort in the fact that Ben is now an awesome sleeper and one day Caleb will be too.

Day 3: My Potty Trained Toddler

I started potty training with Ben at the end of April. I wanted it to happen in three days, but it didn't.  We had some good weeks, some awful days and some in between.  He had accidents all over Fredonia:  at the playground, at grandmom's house and his shining moment at the library during story time all over some cushions.  We started with a potty timer every twenty minutes.  Eventually he got the hang of it and started telling me so of course I got lazy and quit reminding him (and accidents started again).  Now with confidence I can say he is totally potty trained.  Ever since the summer, accidents are few and far between, he lets me know when he has to go and having one child in diapers is a HUGE blessing!

Day 2: Free Saturdays

Starting with the last weekend in September, either all or one of us was gone every weekend.  It was incredibly fun and incredibly exhausting.  We went to Dayton to visit Dan, Hilary and Lauren, I went to Houghton for my TEN year college reunion, Andrew went to Deerfoot for work weekend and we both went to Houghton for a 15.5 mile trail run.  Between weekends away, small group, night court and life in general we were all a little exhausted.

The second day of November however, was a Saturday.  A Saturday with endless possibilities.  The weather was dreary and cold, our schedule was pretty open and I'd planned our favorite dinner.  I started the morning with a short run followed by teaching Body Pump while Andrew hung with the little guys.  For the rest of the day we puttered around the house, cleaning, organizing, cooking and hanging out.  We ended the day with dinner with Andrew's parents at our house and as I spooned creamy risotto into my mouth I felt incredibly thankful for a Saturday to just be in our house as a family.

Day 1: Andrew

With eight years of marriage under our belts, my first thankfulness tribute post is in honor of Andrew.  As a father, he is an allstar, a hero, the tickle king, amazing story teller and gifted guitar player.  I love the way our boys' faces light up when he walks into the room.  I love when Ben tells his daddy to go to work so that he will come home.  I love when Caleb buries his head into Andrew's chest for a snuggle.  I love listening to Ben shout out the window, "I LOVE YOU DADDY!"  I love that last Saturday I offered to take Ben somewhere and Ben told me, "No mommy, it is a daddy day!" 

As a husband, he gives me time and space to exercise, empties the dish drainer, orders pizza when dinner doesn't get made (or is inedible) and even allows me to sleep in when he knows I really need it.  He is my helpmate in every part of our lives.  He works tirelessly so that I can stay home with the little guys.  He gives so much time to church and is truly an example of what it means to be a Christian father and husband.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't feel thankful for the gift I was given in a husband.

 

Nine fast months

This time last October the countdown was on as I entered my third trimester.  Now the countdown is on to Caleb's first birthday which seems way too close.  For the last nine months we have been blessed with an easy going, smiley, cheerful little guy who adds so much more joy to our already blessed days.

Stats:  (We go the doctor next week so these are unofficial)
Weight: 20ish pounds
Height:  29? inches
Head Circumference:  Big
Shoe size:  tiny tiny 2
Clothing: 12 months
Teeth: 2

Eating:  We need to start with eating because it is a high point in Caleb's day.  He loves to eat. Everything.  Eggs, meatballs, squash, avocado, fruit, cheese, crackers, bread, pasta--basically anything that looks like food goes into Caleb's mouth.  He gets excited when he sees his high chair, grabs for everything you are eating, and kicks his legs when he hears the skillet hit the stove in the morning. He is determined to drink out of the sippy cups that Ben leaves scattered around our house.  He still nurses five or six times a day, mostly before naps and bed time because if real food is in sight that is what he wants.  We stuck with "baby led feeding" and it is a hit with our little guy. Andrew often feels like the only time that he sees Caleb awake is when he is in his high chair.

Sleeping:  I continue to take comfort in the fact that once Ben slept through the night he never looked back.  I am hoping that happens eventually with Caleb.  He is doing a lot better at night and is waking up twice most night after going to bed around 6:45.  I am trying to stretch his bedtime a little later in anticipation of daylight savings time.  He naps twice a day, morning and afternoon.  If we are home, his morning nap in his crib lasts for an hour and a half.  When we are touring the town, he naps in his stroller or baby carrier for about 45 minutes.  In the afternoon he sleeps for 2 1/2 hours most days from 1-3:30 or so.

Likes:  He loves to be in Ben's "business."  He follows his big brother around all the time.  He loves all things boy--books, trucks, balls, cars, animals, etc.  At the playground the swing is his second choice (putting wood chips or dirt in his mouth is his first.)  He likes playing with spoons, trying to eat crayons, dumping out the dog water and pulling books off the shelves.  He is into everything in a very pleasant, "I'm a busy baby" way.

Skills:  Caleb is a pro at standing by himself.  He has really good hand to mouth coordination.  His grip is incredibly strong and he is an excellent sitter.  He continues to clap for himself (and his brother)  with great enthusiasm.

I am going to try to update for 10 months on his tenth month birthday so we'll end here for today!

Eight Months

Before eight months turns into nine, it is time to blog! (Attentive readers will notice some Andrew Edits (TM), enjoy!)  

Stats--Weight—around 20 pounds;  Height--? ;Clothing—rapidly growing out of 9 months and transitioning to 12 months;  Teeth—2 on the bottom!  (The first one came in on September 1^st, the second one on September 6^th)

 Skills:  Caleb can pull himself up on objects and demonstrated this ability on September 2^nd, in the bathtub—not the ideal place to test a new skill.  He rocks on all fours but still does not actually crawl.  Attempts at crawling end with Caleb face planting into the floor, a wall, or a piece of furniture.

Applause is saved (mostly) for Ben, especially when Ben sings to him.  He can lift the peek-a-boo flaps on books, roll cars on the floor with their wheels and charm anyone he meets.  He sits well unassisted and can now get to a sitting position by himself.

Communication:  Caleb (like his mommy) babbles like crazy. Unlike either of his parents, however, he is quite shy in public. At home, however, he likes to scream and laugh, and makes “dadada” and ”mamama” sounds. Unfortunately there isn’t really a connection to the actual person. Someday. He hasn’t experienced any separation anxiety which makes it really easy to leave him in the nursery at church.

Eating:  Caleb LOVES to eat solid food.  We (aka Shelley) decided to do “baby-led weaning.” For Caleb, this means that he enthusiastically shoves anything we put in front of him in his mouth. He routinely eats half an avocado at a sitting. Like Ben, he is still nursing enthusiastically, and no less frequently than when he began eating solid food. Maybe "baby led weaning" is a bit of an overstatement.

Like the rest of the Brautigam clan, who are known for their "hanger" (hunger + anger), he wants to eat when we are eating and gets upset if he is left out.  He uses his pincer grasp to pick up bits of food (and everything else).  He is still nursing on demand, which is about every three-four hours.  He is a bit difficult to nurse during the day because he wants to see what is happening around him.  His big brother and dogs are very distracting.  He has had a little bit of water from his sippy cup and loves to play with sippy cups.

Sleeping:  Andrew cheerfully reminded me that Ben slept through the night at 14 moths so I only have six months to go before Caleb does.

(Personally, I think that's encouraging. Just 180 days until you sleep through the night, honey!)

At a year however, Andrew can take over night time duty. (This is news to me. Good thing I have custom earplugs.) At least this time around I know it will happen eventually. Caleb did sleep through the night a handful of times in July and I was really really really excited.

It didn’t last.

On a normal night he wakes up once or twice but we still (too frequently) have nights where he is awake every two-three hours.  He loves to nurse at night and I think it is because it is quiet and distraction free.

He takes two naps: one in the morning around 9:30 for 45 minutes and one in the afternoon from 1:15-3:30.  He is ready to go to bed by 6:30 and is up at 6:30.  We try to push his bedtime a little later so he isn’t up as early but the latest we can really make it is 7:15 or so.  He falls asleep totally by himself in his crib with his pacifier.

Loves:  Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben.  (unfortunately the feeling isn’t always mutual). In a nutshell, Caleb is a typical little brother, following Ben around adoringly and getting insulted for his trouble. This is unsurprising, given what I know of brothers. Hopefully he inherited a temper less severe than his Uncle Dwight's, who reportedly threw a pitchfork at one of his brothers in a fit of anger.

Pitchforks aside, he loves to be wherever his big brother is.  He enjoys his jumper, climbing all over the toys and pushing around balls.  He likes walks in the stroller and baby carrier.  At the park he LOVES the swings and watching the big kids.  He likes to try to put everything he sees in his mouth.  I nursed him on the playground one day last week to find that he nursed with a wood chip stuffed in his cheek.  He loves to listen to music and is incredibly interactive (wiggly) when he is read to.

He thinks our dogs are hilarious.  He likes to take baths with his big brother, especially since Ben thinks it is fun to wash him. Ben, actually, is totally enthusiastic about taking baths with anyone, including Chopper, who he invited into the tub last night. Chopper, regretfully, declined the invitation.

Life Lately:  We went on vacation with the Brautigam family during the first week of August.  Caleb discovered that sand was something else he could stuff into his mouth and he had a generally good time. We have spent a lot of the summer walking around Fredonia and taking playground tours.  We’ve enjoyed visits from Aunt Joanna and lazy days at home enjoying life.  Everyday we feel so blessed by our two adorable little guys.  Ben is growing so big and Caleb is a delight.  Their happy personalities fill our days with laughter and love.