Elwin is 10 months old today! Since he is our second, it seems that I don't have as much time to write just about him (or even take pictures with just him in them)! SO, here he is:

At 10 months, Elwin is crawling, pulling himself up, cruising along furniture, and standing without holding onto anything!

He waves and says 'hi'.  Elwin also says , mom, dad, Bob (from a book), book, duck, quack, baaa (sheep noise), ba (bottle), up, girl, and gog (dog).  I think he says a few other things too, like 'siah', but he hasn't said them enough in context that I can say for sure.

He has a sensitive little heart, and cries easily when his feelings get hurt; however, he can be quite tough when he falls and bumps himself (which he does very regularly). 

Elwin loves to eat just about everything. His favorite breakfast is toast and peanut butter and jam. He also loves any meat, potatoes, peas, strawberries, watermelon, pizza, spaghetti, peanut butter sandwiches, and many fruits. Really, anything Josiah is having, he wants to try. He is only taking 2-3 bottles a day now...it won't be long before he is done with them altogether!

Sleeping, however, is another story. He does sleep through the night most of the time, but it is not always easy to get him to sleep these days. He is sharing a room with Josiah, so that does not help anything. Often we try to get him to sleep in our room in the playpen and then carry him to the crib after he is asleep. If they are in the bedroom at the same time, they shriek and laugh and jump up and down on their beds...and it doesn't stop. One night, they went for an hour-and-a-half before I pulled Elwin out. I was hoping they might get used to it, but it isn't looking that way!

Elwin loves to play with toys, especially Josiah's toys! He responds to music by dancing and clapping his hands. Sometimes, he requests songs by clapping or doing the actions, or singing 'ba,ba'.

He also loves reading books, and squeals with pleasure when he sees that it is time to read.

Being in his diaper brings him great joy. If it were his choice, he would never wear anything else.

This little boy is such a joy. He is snugly and affectionate, giving very wet kisses to those he is comfortable with. He laughs easily (except when we are out of the house, and everyone says how serious he is!).  He is slow to warm up, but melts your heart when he does. Can't believe he is almost one!!

I haven't been here much lately. We've been on the go, and spending lots of time outside!

 

This week...

...I have been feeling very unproductive, and haven't planned anything great or fun or creative for the kids.

...Elwin is teething, and difficult to put down for naps, and not sleeping well.

...Josiah will not stay in his room for quiet time, so we feel frustrated by his door opening every couple of minutes, and no consequences seem to be effective.

...I am missing the double stroller for our long walks. One of the tires blew, and the other is no good. Still not sure if we should spend the money to get them replaced or buy a new one. I have been browsing for used ones, and haven't found anything that's suitable.

...we visited with my father who is in from out of town.

...we are house hunting, and aiming to make some decisions by the summer.

...I officially started selling Silpada jewelry and am looking forward to hosting my first party. Lots to do to get ready!

...I had a very uplifting conversation with a beautiful person I know.

...I have been feeling a bit isolated and realized that we don't have a lot of regular activities in our week anymore. I need to do something about this soon!

...we are considering preschool options for Josiah, or something!

...we enjoyed a birthday party for two little friends.

...Chris is finally started to feel a bit better after having a lung infection for several weeks.

...I am feeling overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done. I wish there were two of me right now!

Catch Up

I guess it seems that I have been too busy to blog much lately, but I wanted to share a few new pictures.

We all had the stomach flu...for days. It was so terrible!:

The boys enjoying some down time:

Taking advantage of the last of our snow, which has been gone for a while now:

'Sharing' snow:

Birthdays:

Playing Daddy's new guitar:

Visiting:

Standing everywhere:

Painting with food dye:

Making a marble run:

Celebrating St Patrick's Day:

Going for walks and hanging out at the park:

And, 'swing-face':

Lately, I have been...

...making liquid laundry soap. I have made my own powdered detergent for over two years, but I think the liquid does a better job (and I also think it seems cheaper).

...feeling very unmotivated to do my house chores.

...missing my aerobics classes, but making myself start yoga this week.

...wanting to have a date for my heart surgery.

...wondering if Elwin will need heart surgery too, and still waiting to meet with the pediatrician after two cancelled appointments.

...thinking about work options and wondering if I should try something new.

...looking ahead to the kind of job I would like to have after my boys are in school, and wondering if I might need to upgrade in the meantime.

...staying home too much. With two kids, this balance feels like more of a struggle for me than ever before.

...making brownies, and feeling like I may have found my perfect recipe (I will share this soon).

...feeding Elwin whole foods (baby-led weaning). He is enjoying it sometimes, although he frequently scares me with his gagging. So far, his favorites are banana strips, cantaloupe, and strawberries.

...wanting to redecorate something.

...dreading tax-time this year.

...reading a new strategy resource on tantrums, and am about to try something new.

...loving the new park that was built by our house.

...going for more walks with the kids.

...feeling uneasy about a difficult person who I need to deal with on a regular basis.

...getting rid of more baby stuff. The Bumbo was really hard to let go of...not sure why!

...enjoying a new book study on intimacy with God through worship.

...getting out of Facebook in a hurry. Although I do feel like I miss things by not being plugged into this, I know that the people who care still make an effort to contact me in other ways.

...witnessing lots of cute conversations and moments between my boys.

...trying to explain to Josiah that Elwin does not mean to be disrespectful when he hollers through our prayer times.

...appreciating Chris and all he does for our family and with the boys.

Why is it that some days seem so easy, and others are like a sand-storm? Yesterday was fun. I was home with the boys all day, Chris worked late, but it all went fairly smoothly. It's not that everything was perfect, but it was one of those days that felt enjoyable for everyone.

Here are the boys playing shadow games with a little craft we did for Groundhog Day:

Maybe I needed yesterday to get through days like today. I was at a friend's place this morning, and it was disastrous! Josiah fought over every toy, yelled at the kids, was rude and impatient and intolerable. The entire visit was spent putting out fires, and I left wondering why I bothered, or why I ever feel like it is a good idea to try and leave the house with these kids!

I don't really know how to navigate him through all of this. I want him to learn to share and play with others well, but I can only teach and model and discipline and repeat, and hope he eventually gets it. I think I worry that it will take him not having any friends before he understands. I am thankful that kids are forgiving for the most part! I wish I could forgive as easily. Sometimes I struggle with resenting these behaviours too. If it were easier, I would take him out more or make plans with friends more. I am embarrassed, and although I know it's not entirely true, I feel like it reflects my parenting. And those with easier kids and judgemental glances and comments do not make it any easier.

I think being tired does not help anything either. On top of dealing with fatigue due to my heart condition, I have not been sleeping well at all.

This is part of the problem:

I know, how could something so cute be a problem?! Well, he has taken over my room and my bed. He has not been sleeping great in his crib, so we have been bringing him into our room to avoid both boys screaming for half the night in a shared room. He has also been getting up to eat in the middle of the night for a while again. So what sleep I do get these days is shallow and interrupted. Being tired does not make for a good day at home.

I was talking with a friend about the verse, "Be still and know that I am God"- Psalm 46:10- and she reminded me that God said this in the midst of chaos and craziness. I guess He knew the parts of my life that would fall apart before I ever saw them. He knew of the things that would shatter and pull from every side. He knew all the ways I would fail and be failed each day. He knew the hopelessness and drudgery and chaos. He knew of the small blessings and joy, the ones I see so much more clearly when I pause for a minute to feel His peace.

Although I usually love running into people I know when I am shopping, last night I saw an acquaintance I didn't really have the energy to talk to, so I smiled politely, and turned around, pretending to be thoroughly engaged in the books on the shelf behind me. I hope they weren't checking out my reading interests, because as they left, I realized I was frantically browsing through a section called 'steamiest novels ever'...!