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The Jedidiah-ries (Diaries)- Seventh month

Weight: 17.4 lbs.

Height: 27.5 in. (Although I’m probably measuring wrong… since that’s what the doc measured him at last month)

General Observations:  This little boy is so much fun!  He’s also very smart.  I love watching him observe the world around him!  This month it’s been fun to watch him entertain himself with the simplest things… bubble wrap, paper (he loves paper), plastic bags, the remote, keys, ribbons… He is both fascinated and entertained by them, which makes this momma very happy!

Jedidiah is also fascinated with our cat (much to his dismay).  He loves to chase him around and gets so excited when he sees him!  His little arms go up and down with excitement and you can tell that he wants to pet his kitty SO BAD!  The cat is pretty good with him too, wary (as he should be), but still trusting and sweet with him.  He’ll let Trent or I “help” Jedidiah pet him, even though he occasionally comes away with a handful of fur.  He also likes puppies and wants to pet Nana and Popo’s dogs every time we’re there.

Jedidiah has started following me EVERYWHERE!  Wherever I am, he is there also.  He follows me in his little walker and watches or “helps” me clean, load the dishwasher, cook… you name it.  I have to be careful when I turn around so I don’t trip over the little man!  He’s always at my heels!

Jedidiah has figured out how to help get himself out of his car seat.  As soon as we unbuckle him, he helps pull his arms out and leans forward so that we can lift him out.

He’s also been laughing and giggling more this month.  At first it really took a lot of effort to make him laugh, but now he laughs at everything!

Health:  Poor guy has a gunky eye again.  It’s nothing more than a clogged tear duct and our pediatrician says it’s no big deal, but it looks rough.  Momma had a week or so where I wasn’t feeling very well and I worried that he might get whatever I had, but prayer worked to keep him healthy while I worked through it.

Jedidiah also ended up with two little blisters on his toes.  Trent took him across the street in his walker while he played basketball and the kid literally wore holes in his footy pajamas!  He’s recently learned how to stop, using his little toes as rudders.  Little did we realize while he was out there that he was ripping up his poor little feet!

holes in his toes

Eating: He tried his first foods this month!  We introduced him to watermelon in a little mesh sucker thingie (sorry, I have no idea what the technical term is) and he LOVED it.  You could just hear him sucking away!

He’s also tried avocado, banana, and potato.

Of course we are still primarily nursing.  This kid seems to think he’s a pro or something.  Any time that I don’t use the nursing pillow, he nurses in the craziest positions!  He’ll start in a normal spot and then literally work his way all the way around to the other side.  He also likes to nurse kneeling down nowadays.  It’s funny to watch but a little bit crazy to manage!

Whereas Jedidiah used to rub my arms or my chest while nursing, lately he’s shown much more of an interest in feeling our faces.  He especially likes the feel of daddy’s beard.

Sleeping:  Jedidiah was finally sleeping pretty normally.  He was going for about 7-10 hourssweet sleeping boy without eating and then he would nurse and go back to sleep.  We had a few 11 hour nights right at the beginning but then I got a clogged milk duct because my boobs were getting so engorged going that long without feeding him.  We both found a happy medium between these times and then he would go back to sleep.  He was still sleeping for 11-12 hours a night up until this last week!  I think either his teeth are bothering him, or he’s going through a growth spurt, or he’s just having fitful sleep because of all the milestones he’s hitting and the things he’s learning.  Now he’s back up several times a night!  He had also gotten better about napping… until he started pulling up.  Now I can’t just leave him in the crib… he immediately stands himself up and cries and cries.  I tried going back in there to lay him back down every few minutes, but he wasn’t having it.  Any suggestions mommas?  It’s not like we were getting long naps, but I was thankful for any little break I could get (plus, he’s a much happier baby when he’s not tired, and I’m a much happier momma when I can get things done!).

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Standing up in his crib!

 

blowoutDiapers:  Well, it seems appropriate to mention here that we had our biggest blowout to date at the very beginning of this month.  We were at church and Trent had him in the carrier.  He had just woken up and we were going to head home.  Trent took him out of the carrier and started to hand him to me when I realized that he had poop on the back of his outfit.  So we went in to change him… not realizing how bad it was!  This kid literally had poop all the way up to his neck!  If we would have been at home, we probably would have just cut his onesie off and thrown him straight in the bathtub, but alas, we were in our church bathroom, so we just had to wipe him down with wipes and wash out his clothes as best we could.  It was a memorable moment.  We weren’t even mad, we were impressed!

He’s wearing size 3 diapers now and we’ve noticed that he’s leaking out more at night.  Like nearly every night for about a 5 night stretch, so I’m not sure if the diapers are too big, or if it’s just a different brand that fits him differently, or if I just need to make sure I change him in the middle of the night.

We’ve been doing much better with the cloth diapers lately.  The ones from China seem to fit him better now that he’s a little older and they have such cute designs on them!

Clothes:  This is the first month in a long time that we haven’t felt like we needed a bib at EVERY moment.  The past couple of months have seemed like a monsoon was coming out of his mouth ALL THE TIME.  We couldn’t do anything or go anywhere without a bib.  And, quite frankly, we were going through a lot of bibs each day.  After about an hour his bib would already be drenched through (and sometimes his outfit underneath too).  Somehow this month the drooling has seemed to slow down a bit.  Not that he’s stopped drooling, but it’s tamed itself down for now.

Dressing (and changing) this boy has gotten much more difficult!  He is SUCH a wiggle worm!  We’ve gotten pretty good at dressing him while he’s in a crawling position or in any other contorted way he ends up, but it’s certainly not easy!

He’s also started trying to look over the edge of the changing table (or any dangerous edge, it would seem).  I’m not sure if he’s a daredevil or if his depth perception is starting to develop, but we have to watch him like a hawk (we always do anyways)!

Social:

kidsRight on his 6 month birthday we attended a crawfish broil that some of our neighbors were having.  They had invited us earlier in the week but when it came to be Sunday, the weather was not very cooperative.  We were pretty sure it would be cancelled.  We drove around to check and just happened to see that they had rented out the hall just down the road.  So we ended up eatin’ good that day!  We carried Jedidiah’s little walker down with us and let him scoot around on the hard floor chasing some of the other kiddos that were there.  That was probably our favorite part of the whole shindig- watching him interact with the other children.  He laughed and laughed at them and the kids kept doing silly things to make him laugh.  It was so much fun to watch!

We had a family lunch at The Egg & I right before Jedidiah’s 6 month check-up.  Thankfully daddy was able to take a half-day and come to our appointment with us.  While we were there, Jedidiah was drinking from our water glass.  He really wants to be able to drink like we do.  Now we can hardly drink anything without him wanting to take a sip!

the egg and I

“Aunt Dot” came by for a visit one Friday afternoon.  She came bearing gifts for our little guy.  She’d just spent some time in Florida visiting Universal Studios and had bought Jedi a little souvenir- E.T.!  She said she thought of him because of his big blue eyes.  It was very sweet.  She also brought us a cute little summer outfit that says “Rad like Dad.”  He will look very cute in it!

dot

My best friend, Traci, had a birthday party for two of her kids born just a few days (and years) apart.  It was a color party… you know, like a color run.  Unfortunately, Trent and I were late so we missed most of the color fun, but we still didn’t leave unscathed!  Dylan managed to douse us with what little color was left… so here we are… first white, then very pink!

We took a little trip to Georgetown to celebrate our friend’s mom’s birthday with a luau.  On our way we stopped off in San Marcos to meet up with one of the girls in our old youth group.  She’s now a junior in college!  Man how time passes!  We enjoyed our chat and she enjoyed hanging out with the little man.

Julia

After a nice time talking with her, we went on to meet up with Heather and Zach, our friends from China who just happen to live less than 2 hours away from us!  We had a great time at the luau celebrating Heather’s mom Shelly and then spent the night with them there.  There were some storms that night and we weren’t comfortable driving back.  Anyways, it really was a blessing because we were able to attend Zach’s church the next morning. He pastors a small church plant called the Church at Round Rock.  It was a pleasure to hear him preach again (we’d heard him several times while we were in China) and we were able to have some time together to catch up after service.  We really treasure these friends of ours and were thankful to have been able to go!

On our way back from Austin we stopped at BUC-EES.  For as many times as I’ve driven that stretch of I35, I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never stopped there.  Neither had Trent.  We enjoyed looking at all the stuff they had, but between the gazillion people  that were there and it getting close to feeding time for Jedidiah, we didn’t stay very long. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our stop there and I’m sure we’ll get the chance to visit again.

I helped my girlfriend Abby run a nature camp for a few mornings for some of our friends’ kids.  We enjoyed the nature trails and learned about lots of cool things.  We looked at different bugs and insects, searched for evidence of animals that might have been there and talked about the flood waters that had deposited a large amount of trash in the park.  Oh yeah, and we learned The Scat Rap… a rap about animal poo.  The kids loved that one!  Jedidiah loved being outside (even though momma got eaten alive by mosquitos) and he even has little fat roll tan lines now!  BAHAHAHA!  They’re so cute!

We finally had the chance to celebrate my father-in-law’s birthday with a trip out to Top Golf.  Now, not being a big fan of golf myself (I find it excruciatingly boring), I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much, but the facilities were great, the food was delicious, the weather was nice, and the golf was actually… fun!  It was a really nice time to spend with family and we all enjoyed ourselves very much.

top golf

We spent several afternoons visiting his daddy at work- playing with his kids and helping him pack up his classroom.  It was a lot of work, but we’re all  so excited that school is out and that daddy will be home for the summer!!!

Likes:  Simple things: paper, napkins, straws, bubble wrap, ribbons, magnets…  This is also the first month he’s shown any interest in toy cars/trains- he sits or lays on his side and rolls them back and forth.  He’s developed an affection for the game “Peek-a-boo” and loves it when older kids play with him.  My friend Abby’s kids came over to play and she caught this adorable photo of her boys playing with Jedidiah.

peek a boo

Jedidiah also likes musical instruments.  Nana bought him a xylophone which he quickly figured out.  He’s also enjoyed strumming the guitar (or banging on it) and playing our piano.  He also likes listening to different music and sometimes even sings along.

This little boy still enjoys his books and loves banging on them and flipping through them, looking at the different pictures.

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Jedidiah is a big fan of nature.  He loves to be outside, playing with leaves, sitting in the rocks, anything.  Every time we go out walking in the stroller, he takes a piece from our bushes along and often holds it the entire time we’re out.  We usually bring a back-up one just in case he drops his first one.  I love that he loves to be outside so much!

Dislikes: Laying still for any amount of time!

Memorable moments and firsts:

He’s gone mobile!!!

  • Jedidiah figured out how to go from a lying down position to sitting and back to crawling.
  • Speaking of crawling, one afternoon Trent and I were hanging out with him in his room and Trent had just polished off a bag of chips.  Jedidiah started playing with it and soon realized that if he put both hands on the bag, he could use it to scoot himself forward.  So he would go to a crawling position, then scoot the bag forward until he was on his belly, then he would get back into crawling position and scoot forward again.  He did it for a good couple of minutes.  We were so impressed with his resourcefulness!  He’s such a smart boy!!!
  • He’s took his first few crawling steps and now he crawls like a pro!  It’s so cool to watch him crawl to Trent or I.  I love that he wants to be with us and now he can get there on his own!
  • He’s started pulling up on everything lately!!!  He particularly likes using the coffee table and banging on it as loudly as he can.  He even walks along it, but it doesn’t stop there… he’ll use just about anything, including the rocking chair, as you can see below.  He hasn’t quite figured out that pulling up on things that move isn’t the best idea…

We introduced a sippy cup since he’s shown such an interest in drinking out of our glasses.  He really liked it, but hadn’t quite gotten the hang of it.  He could get the water in, but he didn’t know to swallow it, so it just kind of ran out of his mouth and dripped down his chin.  Now, though, he has figured it out, and besides the occasional drips, he drinks like a pro.

We finally got to use our pool!  After a learning experience with a failed inflatable pool, we had gotten a hard plastic one.  And the day after we got it, it basically rained for the next few weeks in a row.  So our first time using it was actually on Memorial Day.  He and I got in the pool and he splashed around and played with his toys.  He also liked leaning over the side so that he could play with the grass.  We had a lot of fun with this little pool and I anticipate much more fun as the summer progresses!

Jedi started clapping and waving his arms up and down with excitement.  He hasn’t quite figured out how to clap with his palms open, but he has the concept down!

He’s “graduated” to riding in his stroller facing forward now.  We’ve ditched his car seat and just started strapping him in instead.  He loves to face forward because he can see so much better!  One night we were out and about on a walk and we ran across some bikers coming out of a nearby restaurant.  Jedidiah showed quite an interest in their motorcycles, and randomly one guy whipped out a toy motorcycle from his bike’s storage and gifted him his first toy motorcycle (well, it’s actually his second, but it’s the thought that counts!).  It won’t be able to come out of the box for a while (because of small parts), but it was a really sweet gesture and Jedidiah loved playing with it regardless.

Jedidiah went down his first slides this month, both with mommy or daddy of course.  He went down a slide with daddy at his work during recess and mommy took him on a (small) waterslide at Six Flags Fiesta Texas.  He also had his first swing experiences.  He seemed to like it and even pumped his little feet to get himself going!  I love his smile in this pic!

swing

What about mom?  Well, I’ve started a new business venture from home, working as a beach bodyhealth and fitness coach for Beach Body.  I’ve really enjoyed it so far- I love their vision and heart for changing lives for the better.  It’s all about relationships, support and accountability!  I’ve already loved the community that I’m in!  However, that being said, I sure feel much busier trying to juggle this new stuff with a now-mobile baby and trying to keep up with the house… AND Jedidiah deciding not to take naps in his crib.  I definitely find that I don’t get as much done during the day as I would like to, and I’ve been more tired because of him waking up more often during the night.  On a positive note, starting this new job has forced me to be more intentional about where I spend my time and prioritize my life better.  I feel like I’m making healthier choices for myself and honestly, working out every day does help me to feel energized and good about life!  But I sure am ready for Trent to be home during the days!!!

Daddy time:  This photo is my absolute favorite one of Trent and Jedi from this month.  I’m not sure what it is about it, but every time I look at it, my heart just melts!!!

sleeping

Trent loves taking Jedidiah out and showing him new things.  One of the things they did this month was play basketball together.  Jedidiah loved watching him bounce the ball and shoot it in the air.  He also loved the free reign and being able to walk wherever he wanted.  It is always so cute to watch the two of them together!

Thanks so much for reading!  Until next month…

 
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Posted by on June 20, 2016 in Uncategorized

 

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My first Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day can be a day of joy or of sadness.  Many have lost mothers or have lost babies that would have made them mothers.  Some desperately want to be a mother but can’t.  Others have been blessed to be new mothers or even grandmothers.  On this day I get to celebrate being a new mother.

Motherhood has been my greatest blessing in life.  These past 6 months with Jedidiah have completely changed everything, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!  There’s no greater calling or job in the universe than that of being a mother.  This calling, however, comes with a great responsibility!  The weight of raising a child, loving them, and taking care of all their physical, spiritual, emotional and psychological needs can be overwhelming.  It’s no wonder we take a special day each year to recognize them for all that they do!

This mother’s day I was blessed in many ways.  Trent gave me my gift(s) a day early.  We went up to visit him for lunch on Friday.  He and his kids were making Mother’s Day flower pots.  He knew that I would love to have one as well, so while we were there, we did a little fingerprint art with Jedidiah.  The pots were little so they weren’t big enough for his entire hand or foot (although we did try).  On a side note, I don’t know how anyone does these on their own!  It is seriously next to impossible to do by yourself.  We even had several failed attempts together!  But I love the way it turned out and I love that we made it together.  It says 1st Mothers Day and has his name and the date on the back.  Now I just have to find some cute flowers to put in there!

flower pot

On Saturday, Trent gave me his gift.  He knows that I prefer experiences or gifts that are heartfelt and homemade over “stuff” any day. I love photos (perhaps obsessively), so he got me a beautiful flower pot and put one of my favorite photos of my two favorite people inside.  I absolutely adore it!  (Plus it’s orange, my favorite color).  We’ll add some writing and the date to this one too eventually.

mother's day flower and frame

But more than this, I love that he tells me all the time that I’m a good mother.  He affirms me often and makes me feel appreciated.  He encourages me when I’m frustrated or feeling like I don’t know what I’m doing.  He also tries to give me some time alone so that I can have an occasional break from housekeeping and mothering duties.  He tells me “Thank you.”  I appreciate all these things much more than gifts, but I still love that he went out of his way to make me feel special on my first mother’s day.

Trent and I decided to have baby Jedidiah dedicated at church that Sunday in front of our family and friends.  This was an extra special moment for me as his mommy and I’m thankful we got to do it on Mother’s Day!  You can watch the dedication or read about it here.  I’m also so thankful that our family was able to be there to celebrate with us.  After service we headed over to the photo booth that the church had set up for us.  Check out these wonderful shots.  🙂

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After church we headed to the Olive Garden for lunch together as a family.  This was a big deal since we haven’t been out to eat as a family since before our babies were born (my sister-in-law had her baby 3 weeks after Jedidiah was born).  That’s HALF A YEAR!  It was exciting to go out again.  However… the excitement dwindled a bit as we waited nearly 2 hours to get a table.  Dinner was wonderful though and we enjoyed our time together as a family.

olive garden

After dinner, we headed back to Trent’s parents’ house.  We gave her our gift (a photo book) and she gave us ours.  She made me and my sister-in-law beautiful gifts using lots of little details to bless us on this Mother’s Day.  She chose to use 1 Samuel 1:27 for mine: “For this child I have prayed and the Lord has granted me the desires of my heart.”  That is certainly true and we praise and thank God every day for our biggest (little) blessing.  She decorated it with a cross, representing our faith, and then a Chinese fan and a ying-yang, representing our time in China (After all, Jedidiah was “made in China”).  On the other side, she put in a picture of Jedidiah right after he was born and put his name and birthday.  Like I said before, I love homemade gifts and especially photographs, so I love this one!  She even found a cute little card with a Chinese momma and baby.  It is so cute!

mom's gift

I was also blessed by many sweet messages and cards, flowers and gifts.  I want to thank all of you for making my first mother’s day so very special!

 

 
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Posted by on May 17, 2016 in Uncategorized

 

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The Jedidiah-ries (Diaries)- month 4

Officially more than one full month late…

This month was full of smiles (tongue out, as you can see by the pictures above), LAUGHTER, and family fun!  4 months old and Jedidiah’s already done so much and blessed so many.  I am so thankful for him and how he’s changed my life!  Here’s the recap of his fourth month.

Weight: 15.5 lbs.

Height: 25 1/2 inches

General Observations:  Jedidiah loved his little playmat for the first part of this month.  It was the first time he really cared about it and he would lay there (sometimes) for like half an hour at a time!  It was AMAZING!  I finally felt like I could get a thing or two accomplished around the house.  He particularly liked a little doggie that his Nana gave him, I think he really enjoyed looking at it because it has a face.  He would stare at it and play with it constantly.

doggie

However, this was short-lived as he REALLY began rolling over more often.  Now if I lay him on the mat, he flips himself over within a matter of seconds.  He doesn’t mind being on his belly, but he gets frustrated because he’s really trying to crawl.  He can get his little legs up under him and can push up on his arms, but he doesn’t lift his head… he’s just not sure what to do.  Occasionally he’ll roll himself back over on his back, but he seems to really want to be on his belly for the most part.

In place of the play mat, he decided the walker was more his style.  This allows him to move around while he’s playing.  He loves looking at the little birdie and pushing all the buttons.  It keeps him busy for a while at least.

walker faces

Jedidiah has discovered his feet this month and I love watching him lay on his back and grab them.  He loves to play with them (but doesn’t put them in his mouth).

feet

He started giving kisses by opening up his mouth really wide- it’s super cute.

He sits up using his Boppy pillow for support.  He really likes to be upright and watch what’s going on around him.

sitting

But the best part of this month was that he laughed for the first time!  Oh, my word!  There’s no sweeter sound than his little giggle!  It is SO great!!!

Health:  We went for his four month check-up and our doctor said that he’s doing great!  He’s happy and healthy and doing everything he should be able to do!

Eating:  This boy LOVES to eat (and his chunky little thighs are starting to show it)!  He’s starting to stretch out further between feedings during the day but still wakes up several times a night to nurse.  There have been a few times that he’s only been up once around 3-4 and then again around 7 or 8.  It’s been pretty great!

Sleeping:  Unfortunately, Jedidiah has decided that he no longer wants anything to do with a pacifier, which has made napping a chore again.  Really, he doesn’t nap unless he falls asleep in the car or while nursing.  Neither of those times do anything for me… as I can’t accomplish anything at all during those two times.  But he still sleeps pretty well at night.  He’s been getting up earlier (but not as early as he was at the end of last month) but in general, still sleeps well.

Diapers:  We’ve gotten lazy with the cloth diapers, although we still use them around the house.  It just feels like we’re not home that often during the week (we’ve gotten pretty busy) so it’s pretty easy to justify using a disposable diaper.  I’m hoping we get better about this because I really do like using the cloth diapers!

Clothes:  This boy just keeps growing!  He still fits into some 3 month clothes but is wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes at this point!

Social:  My, oh, my, this section will be long!  We do so much!  Of course Jedidiah is still a greeter at our church, he and I have joined a mommy group, we still do “Baby and me” time at the Public Library, we go to the YMCA several times a week, tutor, and this month, we had visitors!  That’s right, all of my siblings came down to Texas (from Minnesota) to visit!  I’ll write more about that in a separate post, but Jedidiah got to meet his cousin Evie for the first time and hang out with his aunties and uncles.

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The Minnesota crew

 

This month our family date was a day at the rodeo.  Nana bought Jedi all sorts of adorable Western wear and so of course we went a little picture crazy, but how could we not?  There was so much cuteness!!!

rodea

My favorite by far!

We visited daddy at work for lunch.  🙂

Every year Trent and I participate in the MS Walk on team I Heart Hallie (for my girlfriend Hallie, who has MS).  This year was so much more fun because it was our first year walking with our bubba!  Thankfully, it was a beautiful day and we were able to see and catch up with lots of friends!

Our friends, the Negrons, had us over for dinner one night.  We ate some delicious food and had fun with Jedidiah.  It was a lovely evening!

negrons

Trent and I brought Jedidiah to Landa park for an enjoyable afternoon together as a family.  We walked around with the stroller and dipped his little toesies in the water.  It was such a beautiful day to be outside and we really enjoyed this special time together as a family!

Landa park

Likes:  His doggie toy, rolling over, playing with his feet, his bucket of toys at nana’s house, being outside on the yard swing or going on walks with mommy and daddy.

swing

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Playing in Nana’s box of toys

Dislikes: Being on his tummy (he likes to roll over, but doesn’t like BEING rolled over)

Memorable moments and firsts:

He slept in his crib for the first time, for a nap at least!  We’re going to try to transition to the crib in the next month or two so we’re trying to get him used to being in it.

nap in crib

He rolled over from front to back.  Up to this point he’d only ever rolled from his back to front.  He’s also rolled all the way from one side to the other… tummy to back to tummy rolling the other way.

I know I mentioned this earlier, but he laughed for the first time this month.  Now daddy and I are constantly doing ridiculous things to try to make him laugh.

One night, when we were over at Trent’s mom’s house, she was holding him and had taken his socks off.  She was holding them out in front of him and he would reach out and grab a sock and then try to “put it on” his foot.  He did this with both hands and feet until we were all thoroughly impressed.  It was amazing to watch.

Like I mentioned earlier, we joined a mommy play group that meets every Thursday.  Two of the ladies in our play group were ladies I met in our birthing class but hadn’t seen since we were all pregnant.  Meeting up with them was so fun!  I got to meet their sweet baby girls and hear their birth stories and it was wonderful.  We even got all the babes together for a photo on the sofa.  I look forward to spending more time with these ladies and their kiddos in the next weeks and months!

 

What about mom?  I’m much more tired this month but feeling like we’re getting into a groove.  I LOVE being a stay at home mom but definitely feel more busy this month as we’ve begun to add things to our schedule.

Daddy time:  Here are some of my favorite daddy moments from this month!

 

 
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Posted by on April 27, 2016 in Uncategorized

 

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Ushering in the Year of the Monkey

As most of you know, our baby Jedidiah was “made in China” while we were there on a two year stint (teaching at an International school).  We used this tag line in announcing our pregnancy (read about that here: https://logsdonsbigadventures.com/?s=the+next+big+adventure).  Anyways, my husband and I picked up on many Chinese traditions while we were there and we wanted to keep some of them going once we got back to the States.  Celebrating Chinese New Year was one of them.

Our son Jedidiah was born in the year of the sheep/ram, just like his daddy.  According to a website I found, this means that he is:

“…tender, polite, filial, clever, and kind-hearted. They have special sensitivity to art and beauty and a special fondness for quiet living. They are wise, gentle and compassionate and can cope with business cautiously and circumspectly. In their daily life, they try to be economical. They are willing to take good care of others, but they should avoid pessimism and hesitation.”  (http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/sheep.htm)
 

  • Strengths
    gentle, softhearted, considerate, attractive, hardworking, persistent, thrift
  • Weaknesses
    indecisive, timid, vain, pessimistic, moody, weak-willed

Not that I put much stock in what these things say, but if he’s anything like his daddy, I’ll be one happy and proud momma!

Anyways, when he was born we tried to get photos of him with a stuffed goat/sheep/ram we’d been given in China over the previous New Year.  These photos didn’t turn out very well at all (see below).

So, we decided to do a second take over this 2016 Lunar New Year celebration which took place on February 7-8 (the 7th was Chinese New Year’s Eve and the 8th was actually the beginning of the new Year of the Monkey).  We were given several special gifts for baby Jedi before we left and so our little Jedi donned a special Chinese outfit for this photo session. Look at the details of this adorable traditional outfit below.

I absolutely love the photos we got of him.  We’ve always been keen on monkeys and we call Jedidiah our “little monkey” so it only seemed appropriate to bridge the transition from goat to monkey with some adorable shots.  Here they are… prepare yourselves for cuteness!!!

We’ll start with his sign- the sheep/goat/ram.

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Then we decided to do a few with both the sheep AND the monkey…

We had so much fun, I just couldn’t stop!  Our ayi (our housekeeper) while we were in China had gifted us some baby shoes and so I decided to throw those in the mix as well.

And finally, our “Little Monkey” with just the monkey, ushering in this new lunar year.

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There were a few more shots that I just HAVE to share… he looks like a little Samurai warrior in these!  Ready to fight!

There were countless others… I went a little bit crazy with all the photos, but I just LOVED his little outfit and, well, let’s face it, my kid is adorable!!!  Happy Year of the Monkey!

 
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Posted by on March 25, 2016 in Uncategorized

 

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Presenting… Jedidiah!

So, if you’ve been reading my posts, you’ll know that Trent and I traveled to Minnesota over the Christmas holiday.  Minnesota is where I am from and where all of my family still lives (minus a few defectors).  None of my immediate family had met Jedidiah yet.  This would be a special trip indeed!

We arrived in the afternoon and after a nice lunch with my old co-workers in the MSP airport, we headed “home.”  All of my family was waiting for us at my parents’ house, excited to see us (Yeah, right!  They just wanted to meet the baby!).

And here you have it… presenting Jedidiah!

If you already read my post Bubba’s first plane ride, then you’ve already seen these photos of my parents seeing him for the first time, but I’m sharing them again because I love them so much!  They got to meet him in the airport before everyone else did.

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Lots of smiles for grammy and grandpa!

Then he met his uncle Derek.  #sessibonation.  Uncle D couldn’t stay long because he had an important dinner to attend in honor of his best friend’s mother who passed away a year ago.  So he got to meet his little nephew and then bounced.

Next was my youngest sister Jackie.  Jedi loved watching her make silly faces at him.

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I love this one!  So sweet.

And then of course, Auntie Jackie showed him off to Uncle Billy!

Then my grandma and grandpa got a turn, since they couldn’t stay long.  These are Jedidiah’s GREAT-grandparents!  I’m so thankful that they have been blessed with health and long-life and that they could meet their great grandson, whose middle name, James, is after my grandpa.

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Look at how adoringly they look at him.  Ah… be still, my heart!

Before they left, we got the Settle men and the Logsdon men together for a generational shot.  I absolutely love and treasure these.  (I don’t know why we didn’t think to do a women’s one, with my grandma, mom, me and him… maybe next time we’re up there, we can do one.)

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After my grandparents left, my sister Christie got a turn.  She is also expecting a baby girl mid-January.  She more graciously shared little Jedi, since we would be staying at her house over the course of our trip.  She knew she’d have many other chances to hold and love on our little Jedidiah.

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I also decided to take some impromptu belly shots for her, since the Christmas tree was so pretty and I absolutely LOVE her bump (and of course, my little niece inside).

My little sister’s boyfriend, Billy, was next.  He had never held a baby before and was quite nervous.  It was actually pretty hilarious to watch him.  He robotically held little Jedidiah for about… 30 seconds, and then said, “Okay, somebody take him!”

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But Trent wasn’t going to let him get out of it so easily, he took him and with a little Jedidiah booty shaking, re-positioned him so that both he and Billy would be more comfortable.

We tried one more position and this one looked good on him.

Aww, they’re going to be great parents someday.

When Billy finally gave him up, he made us all laugh so hard.  Look at his, “Wow, thank God I didn’t break him” face.

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My little sister’s best friend, Kat, stopped by (she’s basically another sister of mine) and also, for the first time EVER, held a baby.  I’m honored that it was my baby she got to hold.  🙂

Last, but certainly not least, Jedidiah’s uncle Ryan got to hold him.  It was good for him to get some practice in before his little girl arrived.

They’re going to be great parents!

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This was a trip unlike any other one we’ve ever taken to Minnesota and it took on a whole different meaning.  It was truly amazing watching all these people that we love so much hold, adore and love on this other little person we love so much.  It gave us such a sense of pride to sit back and observe as our little miracle was passed around and loved so well by so many people.  I’m not going to lie, we may have even been overwhelmed to tears at some moments, and they are moments that we will treasure for years to come.

Leaving was harder than it’s ever been this time around, too.  It is hard living so far away from family and it hurts to know that the next time they see Jedidiah and get to hold him will be at a very different stage in his life.  Until then, I’m so thankful for technology and Skype will have to suffice.  I’m thankful that we had the opportunity to present our little Jedidiah.  It was an awesome and memorable trip!

Here are some other memorable shots that I love from the night.

Thanks for reading!  XOXO

 
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Posted by on January 24, 2016 in Uncategorized

 

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The Jedidiah-ries (diaries)- month 2

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Well, I can hardly believe that my baby boy is already 2 months old! He’s changed so much already since he was born and he amazes me and delights me every day with the new things he’s learning and doing! Here’s how he’s doing.

Weight: 12 lbs. 3 oz. (50th percentile)
Height: 24 inches (85th percentile)
Head circumference: 39 cm. (50th percentile)

General observations: This month Jedi has been smiling so much more!  My heart skips a beat and my world stops every time he flashes his little toothless grin at his momma (or daddy).  Jedidiah started making lots more sounds! He is trying to communicate with us and I love hearing all his different coos- he has become much more vocal. In addition to being more vocal, he has learned the art of bubble making… and drooling. He is our little bubble man and drool monkey! We’re going to have to start putting bibs on him just to save his cute little outfits! He has developed a fascination with lights and fans, he loves to look at them.  🙂  Jedi’s eyes seem to be lightening up a little more, but I still can’t quite tell what color they will be.  For now, they look like they mjght be light like daddy’s!  Jedidiah loves to move, which makes it a bit difficult to get good photos of him.  He is constantly flailing his little arms and legs, and sometimes looks like he’s ready to fight.  One thing that Trent and I find hilarious is that, when he gets tired, he flails with his hands all balled up in fists, and he sometimes punches himself in the face.  He gets this surprised look and then he does it again.  It is so funny to watch!

So many smiles!!!

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Mr. Bubbles!

Health: We just had our two month check-up and Jedidiah is doing great! He is growing appropriately and meets all of his developmental milestones. He even had smiles for our doc. He still holds his head up so well and when our pediatrician lifted him up, he held his head upright, which usually doesn’t happen until about 4 months, he said. I’m so thankful that he is healthy!  He did get some baby acne on his cheeks, unfortunately right before we went to Minnesota to show him off.

Eating: Wow, this boy loves to eat. Thankfully, feedings have slowed down some and we are getting more and more time between feedings- now he’s eating every 2-2 1/2 hours (longer than that at night). This allows me a little more time to get other things done. We are still breastfeeding and pumping a little bit. It has gotten much easier (not easy) and much more enjoyable. Now I treasure the time Jedidiah and I get to spend together breastfeeding. Daddy got to feed Jedi his first bottle early this month, right before we headed to Minnesota to visit my family for Christmas. We wanted to make sure that he would take a bottle when my sister and her boyfriend babysat! He took it like a champ, and daddy really enjoyed feeding him!

He has started spitting up now (he only spit up once during his first month), so we always have to be prepared with a burp cloth.

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Sleeping: His sleep patterns haven’t so much changed. He still sleeps pretty well at night and likes to sleep in in the mornings. Sometimes we get to lay there together until 10:30 or 11:00… it’s amazing! So even when he doesn’t nap during the day, at least I feel rested! He has been taking more naps lately, probably because he had a bit of a growth spurt, but I still don’t think he gets the 16 hours a day he’s supposed to. I still don’t feel like I get much done during the day, but I can tell that he’s happier when he’s well-rested.

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Napping with mommy after a jog outside.

Diapers: This month we started using cloth diapers. We aren’t using them all the time, but we are trying to use them when we’re home at least. I find that I’m not quite proficient enough to use them when we’re out and about, but I’m sure I’ll get better at it. So far I like using them. There is an obvious learning curve, and they can be a bit of work (laundering, drying, and re-stuffing them), but they are so much better for the environment and we save lots of $$$$$. Little Jedidiah’s body is still pretty small, so when he’s in cloth diapers, he looks like he’s got a bubble butt… sing it with me now, “Baby’s got back!”

Clothes: He is just barely squeezing into some of his newborn clothes. He is too long for his sleepers, but some of the other onesies still fit him. On to 3 month clothes! Crazy how fast he is growing!

Social: We got out more this month, as we’ve gotten more and more comfortable with getting everything prepared and getting out the door.

  • We went to several holiday parties- one at DeVoir Fitness, where I do zumba, another with my Bible study gals at our annual white elephant gift exchange.

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My Bible Study gals

  • We visited Trent at school and went to Hope’s wedding shower.
  • We went to Minnesota for Christmas and met lots of family, friends, and church folk!  (a separate blog post shall follow about this trip)
  • We spent New Years Eve (and several other evenings) with Trent’s best friend Casey and his wife Shala
  • We have been active at church as greeters (yes, even Jedi) and have had a lot of fun with this current Star Wars themed sermon series.
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#revyourlife “Forces that Form your Future”

  • I spent a day at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens with my friend Abby and the 6 kids under 6 that she watches (3 are her own).

Likes:  Being outside and going for walks, looking at lights and fans

Memorable moments and firsts:

  • He had his first bottle! Daddy finally got to feed him.
  • This month was the first time mommy and daddy got out and left him with “babysitters” (my sis and her boyfriend). We went and saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
  • He saw and got to play in snow for the first time!
  • He had his first Christmas(es) with both sides of our family.
  • He had his first plane ride (you can read about that in my January post Bubba’s first plane ride)
  • He met his Minnesota family (my side): his grandparents, aunts, uncles, soon-to-be-cousin and great-grandparents.
  • Pictures with Santa- we had our photo taken at Revolution church with Santa, and then both Trent’s dad and my dad dressed up as Santa for some photos with our little guy too. (Trent was also Santa last month for our initial “Christmas” photo shoot)
  • He had his first blowout diaper. It was the first day I tried using cloth diapers, but I didn’t realize that they needed to be much tighter around his legs than they were. We had a leak after that, and then I found the right settings on the elastic and we haven’t had any issues since.
  • He got to meet his cousin, Evelyn Joy, born 1 day before he turned 2 months old (via Skype).

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What about mom?  I am doing good.  I had lost most of the baby weight but then came the holidays… I’m a sucker for Christmas cookies!  Anyways, I think I’ve just about recovered from that, but I’m still not where I’d like to be yet.  I have started running again and I’m up to comfortably running a mile.  I’ve really missed running!  Other than that, I feel good!  I’m loving my new job as a mommy!

 
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Posted by on January 18, 2016 in Uncategorized

 

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