4 Months Young...

Today is little Miss Ileigh's 4 month birthday!

Hooray for mommy doing her post on the day-of!

Yesterday was Eli's last day of MDO, so Ileigh and I decided to take a few pictures.

She even gave me a few big smiles, even with her daddy not at home! 

I can't believe how big she is getting! She is starting to look more and more like Eli to me... 

Gosh, she is just so cute! (Sigh!) 

Little Miss had her 4 month check-up two days ago.

She is right at 13lbs and 25 inches.

Her fussy time at night is so much better.

I think she is going through a growth spurt because she is constantly wanting to eat!

She loves to coo and make sure that we know she is in the room!

 

Just so you can see if you think they look alike, here is one of my favorite pictures of Eli at 4 months!

So proud...:)

I am sure this is completely normal, but when I came around the corner a few weeks ago and saw this I ran to get the camera and yell at daddy....

:) I was just floored that Eli did that...I have never seen him do anything like it.

Usually the cars are side-by-side or in a straight line.

And to be color-coded- I am just astounded!

Hooray!

We are pretty much convinced that he isn't color blind like we were thinking.

I am a bit worried that his first color to nail every time is orange though. I hope that doesn't mean that we will have a UT or OSU grad in our future...

I committed...

Or maybe I should be committed. Either way, I finally broke down and bought a sewing machine. After years of getting projects ready and then finding an excuse to use my mom's machine, I cracked into my saved birthday money and bought this little beauty.

I am excited to say the least and I just get excited thinking about everything that I want to make for the kiddos...

So, we still haven't decorated Ileigh's room. Chris' bonus this month is going towards it, so I have been thinking more about what I am going to do...

Wouldn't this be cute if it said "sweet pea"? :)

 I hope Aunt Lynz can recreate something like this for us....:)

I want my sweet little girl to be unafraid to be herself. My heart is heavy with thoughts of what she may have to go through when she gets older, so I want to make sure that she knows early that we are proud of who she is; who God designed her to be. I spent too many years trying to figure out what everyone else wanted from me...I just want her to know that no matter what, her daddy and I love her. I pray that she looks to find contentment in her faith and not from the people around her.

Anyway, I am still on the hunt for fabric and other decor, but I thought these things were very fitting for little Miss Ileigh, who by the way had her 4 month check-up today. The nurse walked in and called her a princess and I almost corrected her...a small victory for a woman who is constantly trying to bite her tongue. I just am not into the whole "princess" idea...it scares me, actually! Ha!

Eli's Conversations...

Eli is just so cool. He is walking around making up songs and letting his imagination run wild. Coolest thing ever.

Eli while driving his tractor, two inches from the wall:
"Um, I want, um, chicken nuggets and um, MILK! Um, that's all. Thanks, bye-bye". Two seconds later:
"I want, um, grilled cheese...and pickles...and um, apricots. That's all. Bye-bye."

Eli while chasing Callie:
Come 'ere Cal. Put you in my trailer...it going to be F-U-N....Ugh, you a big one (while trying to pick her up)"!

Me and Eli:
Eli: I want milk.
Me: We don't have any milk, you drank it all, sweetie.
Eli: YES WE DO HAVE MILK!
Me: Okay, you go look and see if we have milk
(Refrigerator opens...shuts...little feet running back in the living room)
Eli: We have NO MILK!
Me: I know.
Eli: Go to Walmart and get some.
Me: Well, okay, we can go to Walmart and get some in a little bit.
Eli: I can't go get it.
Me: Why not?
Eli: I don't got no monies!
Me: Thanks okay, sweetie, mommy has money and I will share.
Eli: O-KAY!

-Just as I am writing this post!

Eli running inside:
I sprayed mommy, I SPRAYED!
Me: What do you mean, you sprayed?
Eli runs outside and I follow only to discover that he figured out how to turn on the water and use the water sprayer on the hose.

Dang. Better go.

Updated:
*I turned off the water.
Eli: I want to spray!
Me: I'm sorry, Eli. We can't spray anymore.
Eli: Uh, uh, uh, that makes me s-ad...

We have TWO kiddos!

So, I counted it up and we have taken pictures of over 75 families with kiddos. Since last year...Some of those more than once. CRAZY!

You might think with our photography "know-how" (using that term very loosely) we would have all kinds of pictures of our two precious children.

We don't.

We have stopped taking snap shots...it is one of the saddest things ever.

I have no idea how I am going to make Ileigh a one-year book like Eli's...we have no pictures of her!

We had a photo shoot cancel for Saturday morning, so I made Chris promise me that we would take our own kids out for pictures in their Easter outfits. I still want family pictures, but this will do for the moment (hint, hint, HINT) :).

Let me just say that I hate everything about a photo shoot (where me or my kids are the subjects). I hate all the stress of getting ready. The wondering if my kids will be cooperative. The wind/weather. The list goes on and on. Maybe that is why we try so hard to keep our "client's" photo shoots so relaxed. I know it is a stressful process.

It was pretty awful. Eli was tired and cranky. It was cold.

It took us longer to drive downtown than to take pictures. Maybe 5 mins of photo taking and Eli was totally done.

I want to say this to encourage others to get out there and try. If you get a handful of pictures it will be worth your time. I am not going to lie; taking pictures of your own kid is hard. I think it is so much easier to do someone else's kids, but maybe in a few years it will get easier for us!

We loaded the kids back in the car and I was upset- certain we didn't get anything. Much to my surprise, we did get a handful of pictures that I will have printed. Very much to my surprise...

No, Ileigh, no matter how hard you try, your brother is still longer than you.

Ileigh is just lookin' at Eli like "Why must you be so loud?"

I have to say, they are pretty cute...

Don't you love her little headband? :)

Please take a few helpful hints from us:

1. Keep a reasonable distance between your subject and your fancy, high-dollar camera.

2. Don't use brightly colored food items as bribery to comply with commands.

It makes editing very difficult later.

3. If the big brother isn't interested in the least to hold his baby sister, lay her in his lap the quickly go start dancing to distract him from knowing she is actually there. This gives you a 3 second window.

:) I am one happy momma that I have pictures of my two kiddos together. Probably won't happen for at least another 6 months!

Bedtime conversation...

Because I never want to forget.

Tonight, we read your "cookie book" 3 times and then daddy came and gave you water, hugs and kisses. Then we read "My House" and turned off the light.

You asked to sing "Wheels on the Bus" and then "Itsy Bitsy Spider".

Then you asked to "get in my bed". As soon as I put you in your bed you said, "We forgot to pray!"
I took you back out of your bed and sat you on my lap in the rocker.

Me:        "Dear God, Thank you so much for making Eli. Thank you for giving him to Mommy and Daddy to watch over. Bless him and help him grow big and strong. Keep him healthy. We thank you for all the blessings you have given us. We thank you mostly for your Son, Jesus. For it is your Son's name we pray."
You:       "Amen."

Me:       "I love you, Eli".
You:      "I love you."
Me:       "I love you lots."
You:      "I love you more."

Because I never want to forget the best moment of my day. I love you, my sweet Eli.

Ileigh Grace, 3 Months...

Well, Ileigh turned 3 months 2 weeks and 2 days ago...:)

Once again, I have been doing a horrible job on the photo end of motherhood.

I have given up hope of Chris EVER having a chance to take her picture, so while big brother was at MDO yesterday, we had our own little photo shoot. :)

Halfway through our "shoot" Chris knocked on the front door to surprise me with lunch queso! We had been planning on going out to lunch that day for queso and then Chris found out there was a meeting that he couldn't get out of...he knew I was really excited about the queso, so he brought me some...YAY!

Anyway, Ileigh saw her daddy and gave him some big smiles...what, we already have a daddy's girl on our hands?

This picture makes me think of the Uncle Sam "We want you" poster...oh, yes Ileigh, we want you too!

Little Miss weighed just an ounce under 13lbs when I weighed her on her 3 month birthday.

She loves to study her hands and is totally amazed by them.

Her favorite thing at the moment are the stars above her swing.

She goes ~3 to 3 1/2 hours between feedings and we have settled into a nice napping pattern.

She goes to bed about 8:30, wakes up around 3 to eat and then around 6:30 to eat again and usually goes back to sleep for a bit. She usually takes her first big nap around 10.

She has a huge baled spot, just like her big brother did and a huge, heart-warming smile to match. She saves her biggest smiles for her big brother.

Her fussy time is getting a little better (I stopped eating peanut butter and cut back on the tea).

She is very vocal and loves to talk.

Happy 3 month birthday, Ileigh Grace! We love you so much and can't wait to see what your future holds!

It is easier to love your second…

I made myself sit down and write out a blog tonight. Our schedules are getting a bit on the ridiculous side again…no matter how hard we try to keep our time in check. I am sooo far behind our blog post (including Ileigh’s 3 month blog, Eli, our trip to San Antonio, and even all the way back to St. Patrick’s Day and Spring Break), then I think I have 3 more photo shoots to edit, and three more shoots in the book for this Saturday. I should be working on pictures. I am not.


Anyway.


It is easier to love your second child. Not exactly the typical Post-Mother’s Day blog.


If you know me, you know that I can talk about my little ray of sunshine, Eli ALL DAY LONG. He is such a joy and has shown me depths (and debts) of love that I have never in my life known to exist. My love for Eli has made God’s love for me (and you, and everyone) so much more real; deep and wide.


It didn’t start that way. Sometimes I don’t feel like a good mother. I really didn’t feel like a good mother in the early months of Eli’s birth when I was so tired I couldn’t see straight, over-whelmed, nervous, stressed and tired. I had absolutely no idea what in the world I was doing, or what I had gotten myself into.


Being a mom was is hard. With Eli, I always felt I was being watched, judged even. I was so preoccupied with making sure I was doing everything everyone else thought was right it was difficult to enjoy anything about the newborn stage. If there was a book on it, I had read it. A theory of thought, I had researched it. I remember that my love came out of obligation…I loved him because he was my son. It was much later til that obligatory love turned into what I consider a “mother’s love”. It is almost like you start falling in love and it is the coolest thing ever. For me, it was around the 3-4 month mark. When you are getting into a routine, know what to expect and start receiving huge heart-melting smiles and coos as a repayment for the lack of sleep and hours of crying.


I am always in awe of those mothers whose love just seems for flow from them; proudly announcing that they are in love with their little one before they are born or just moments after birth. I wish I would’ve been more like that. If there are others like me out there, please know, it is easier to love your second.


It is amazing how much more quickly you know what to do. You are a little more grown-up and realize that no one really “knows” what they are doing. As soon as you get one thing figured out it will change; adaptation is the key. No one way is the sure-fire right way 100% of the time and the sooner you let go of your picture perfect ideals, the sooner you will learn the beauty of a dirty, messy reality.


All of those expectations that I put on myself, my husband and on my baby where easily dropped and forgotten with the second bundle. Ha! Who knows, maybe by kiddo 3 or 4 I will be totally in love with them when I see them for the first time!


And, it just keeps getting better. I am so excited for Ileigh to get to the same stage Eli is in now…and then to see what the next stage holds for Eli. Just when it seems like I can’t love him anymore; that my heart is so full it will burst, he steals my heart again. What a joy; what an honor to be able to be a mother.

Thank you, God for my two beautiful children. Thank you for giving me the opprotunity to be a mother. Help me be the mother they need.