Caleb at 21 Months

Sweet brother!

Hanging in Noah's Bassinet!

LOVES food!

Reading and peeing...only a man would do that!

Nothing like a little boy and his truck!

Sweet Caleb LOVES the outdoors!

Wearing their favorite PJ's to story time; had to pair it with their Texas boots!

Playing on a wood chip pile at the park!
Sadly this ended with Caleb's head meeting the concrete and the concrete won.

Caleb loves to sit with Noah and share his Mickey!

He thinks he can ride a bike like big brother!

The 20th month of Caleb's life was a month of a lot of developmental change for him!

Caleb's Likes:

**Mickey Mouse, Elmo, likes to pick out shirts for mommy to wear, pop-tarts, muffins, Jesus and Mary (he will point them out at church and the boys have to give both of them kisses before they go to bed; he especially loves Mary), hot dogs (he is a great eater and will almost anything including my salads), juice, fruit snacks, playing games, BUGS (he carries his plastic bugs around the house), the sandbox, being outside, the playground (he climbs on everything and makes the other moms nervous, but I'm used to it), trains, Buzz Lightyear, tools, any and all kind of animals, loves books (he will sit and just flip thru them, often not wanting me to interrupt and read to him), Little People toys, balls and anything that is Jacob's!

**Caleb is a hoarder!!! He carries everything around with him and won't let go of things. Going up and down the stairs can be frustrating for him when he starts to drop any of his toys. It is comical to watch him try to manage 10+ toys in his arms. He has a less aggressive personality than Jacob. If a toy is taken from him, he will fight for it, but never hurts the other child, unless it is Jacob. Often times, he allows the other kid to just take it and he will find a new one.

Physically

**tries to jump like big brother but can't get his feet of the ground, climbs on everything. I call him my little monkey because he is constantly scaling fences and up on things he shouldn't be. He is quite cautious but does fall occasionally. In fact, this week his poor little head has taken quite the beating!

**Caleb will tell me when he needs to poop and wants so badly to sit on the potty. He has tried so many times to go pee, and has only pee'd once on the potty. He is definitely getting interesting and hopefully I can try to train him in a month or two. We'll see how it goes.

Verbally

**His vocabulary has really taken off. I have never counted, but I imagine he is well over 200 words and his receptive language is wonderful! He is putting two words together and is anxious to communicate with me. I understand him most of the time but his words are still very unclear. If a word is 2 syllables, he will take the first syllable and repeat it. Example, when he says water, it is "Wa-wa". Some other words are:

1. Pop-tart "op-par"

2. Bar "a bar"

3. Papa - "Ap-pa"

4. Monkey - "mu-mu"
5. Everything is "mine" or "mama" - his 2 favorite words!

He is big into singing songs right now. His favorites are:

1. 2 Little Blackbirds

2. The Itsy Bitsy Spider

3. If you're happy and you know it

4. Veggie Tales Theme Song (he goes crazy dancing and gets the biggest smile on his face)

5. Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord (he will point when the songs say "I want to see you" and loves to dance to this song)

Everything is Big or Little to Caleb and he wants so badly to be just like Big Brother. But there is another side to Caleb, a much quieter and introverted side to Caleb. He can be quite shy and will turn his head into me and "hide" from anything uncomfortable. He is very agreeable and will tilt his little head and say "Yeah" when answering a question in the sweetest voice. He is quick to give a hug and kiss. He is compassionate towards Jacob when he is hurt and LOVES Noah. He will share his blanket and Mickey with Noah and is quick to give him hugs and kisses. He asks daily to hold Noah in his lap.

Discipline with Caleb has been very different than Jacob. He responds well to time-outs and redirection. The redirection helps him to shift gears and he goes back to being happy and fun-loving. He is quite mischievous and definitely knows right from wrong. He will smile, giggle and purposefully do something that he knows is not allowed. But like all children, he responds best to praise! I am working with him on coming to me when I call his name and he does quite well. Jacob is excellent at it and comes 99% of the time, right away, all the way. Caleb sees the positive attention Jacob gets for it, so he is quickly learning!

Life with Caleb has been so much fun! He wants so badly to be just like Jacob and yet is his own person. He is a charmer and will get by in life with his sweet smile and blonde hair. He loves his daddy, but still needs his mommy! He has been a joy to watch grow and develop and just like the other two boys, he has a special place in my heart. I am proud of Caleb and the little man he is becoming!!!!

Jacob at 40 Months

Doing play-dough with Caleb.
They were having so much fun together they wanted me to leave!

Jacob and Noah

The boys discovering some flowers!

Making Muffins! Jacob loves to cook!

Jacob loves to climb trees..he was in Heaven!

Jacob just turned 40 months and is on his way to 3 1/2! I think the best way to describe Jacob is to say that he has a "Big Personality". He is rarely shy and quick to let everyone know what he is thinking and feeling. He is deeply compassionate and cares for others. One of my goals has always been to raise my boys to be kind, compassionate and empathetic. Granted, he is only 3 years old so his deeply rooted selfishness still dominates his behaviors, but he has a very sensitive side that emerges occasionally. He especially shows concern for mommy and Noah. Sympathy for Caleb is hit or miss.

The other day we were talking about Mother Teresa and I was telling Jacob about her and the kindness she showed to those who had nothing. I started to tell him that there were many kids out there without toys, blankets, even clothes. I asked him if he would be willing to give up one of his blankets for one of these children. At first he was against the idea and I quickly realized that he thought I was asking him to give up his ni-ney(his blanket that he is extremely attached to). Once I clarified, he was anxious to find a blanket. I told him that I would give away some of my clothes, so he thought that he and Caleb should as well. He then asked me about giving the kids some food. But the next question really hit home when he asked, "Mommy, how about you give away your computer?" He was looking at my laptop sitting on the dining room table. We have a desktop as well in our bedroom. I said, "Well, mommy needs the laptop" to which he replied "Why do you need it mommy?". Point taken. I had no answer for him, because truth be known, I didn't need the computer, it is purely a want. That childlike approach to life is something we adults could learn from!

I know that Jacob misses Texas by the little things that he says. He doesn't talk about it often, but I sense there is a part of Connecticut that he doesn't like. Perhaps some of that has rubbed off from me. Today I was telling him that we were almost home when he got really upset at me. He said back "We are not at home Mommy, we are at Connecticut." I asked him where home was and he said "Texas". I probed a little further and asked "What is it about Texas that you miss?" He said "I miss my room, the kitchen and my friends, Luke." When I asked him what about the kitchen he missed he said "I miss the cabinets where the food was and the big thing that I used to sit on when we made cookies". He meant the island. He doesn't talk about it much and every week gets better. I'm just thankful that he can express his emotions and I can reassure him that it is okay to feel those things!

So here are some things that Jacob is accomplishing:

- Asks at least 300 questions a day, most of which I don't have good answers to! ;-)
- some letter recognition and knows numbers 1-10
- he loves to jump! He will climb up to the fourth stair and then jump down to the landing. He will jump on anything, so we spend a lot of time at the park so he can get that energy out!
- LOVES Noah. He is so sweet to him and will go pay attention to him if I'm in the middle of something and Noah needs a little attention. He will say to him "You are my sweetest boy Noah". He gets a real high voice when he talks to him and very sing songy...it is funny how they imitate us!
- Starting to do more collaborative play. He still does a lot of parallel play, but he loves to get Caleb to play with him. They go on adventures together and Caleb just loves the positive attention from Jacob. The other day they were going to Church and mommy wasn't allowed into their room/church! He will try to play some with kids at the playground, but it depends on his mood.
- loves to read, imaginative play, play-dough, trains, Buzz Lightyear, puzzles (he can do 25-30 piece ones by himself), Diego, Backyardigans, Wonder Pets, Curious George, Veggie Tales, Elmo, his airport, Imaginext toys, and the sandbox!
- Able to dress/undress himself.
- loves to help with chores: making his bed, loading and unloading the dishwasher, brings his plate and cup to the sink after he is done with a meal, tries to sweep, follows me with a rag wiping up when I'm cleaning the bathroom, etc.
- Shows self initiative in cleaning up. He will offer to go clean up a mess he made without me asking!
- loves to help in any way; I have learned to turn everything into a game to make things more fun and to get him involved!
- Jacob loves being outside and playing at the park, riding his bike, scooter or Coupe Car, playing soccer and baseball!

- loves to sing and do action songs. His favorite songs are: The B-I-B-L-E, 2 Little Blackbirds, Open the eyes of my heart Lord, Rise and Shine and many more church songs.
-favorite color is red
- favorite number is 3
- favorite animal is elephant (also likes turtles, bunnies, shamu, penguins)

- completely potty trained. He has been day trained since February 6th, staying dry thru naps by April and by July was completely night trained. Jacob is the kind of kid that once he puts his mind to it, he can accomplish anything!

- His manners have improved considerably in the last 6 months. He is quick to say thank you, your welcome, I'm sorry, and Will you forgive me. He has always been great about saying these things when prompted, but the change in the last 6 months has come in that his manners come from the heart. The other day he had thrown sand out of the sandbox and I reminded him that we don't throw sand and that if he did it again he would not be allowed to play in the sand. 2 minutes later he came up to me and apologized. To see Jacob apologize from the heart rather than from prompting was joyful! That is the kind of heart training I have been working so hard at and still have a long ways to go. But those little acts of kindness that come from his heart are encouragement for me to persevere.

Jacob is growing up so fast and each day brings new adventures and new ideas from him. I savor each (okay, most) moments! We will be doing homeschooled preschool starting next month, so I'm excited to start that up. He asks almost every day if we can do school!

Fragility of Life

This past week was a big reminder to me of the fragility of life. On Tuesday, I was driving with the boys in the van and was nearly in an accident that I fear would have changed our lives forever. I was turning left and the light turned green; it was my turn. I was the first car to pull out into the intersection and thankfully pulled out fast enough because a car came barreling thru a very red light and nearly missed us. There was no one behind us and thankfully so because they would have been hit for sure. Had he hit us, he would have t-boned the car on my side where Noah is directly behind me and Jacob is in the far back row. He was traveling at least 40 mph and didn't even hit the brakes. He had no idea how close he came to injuring/killing us. I was stunned at first and by the time I reached the next light, I was shaking and could hardly drive. Thankfully, I was at my destination. I parked the car, teared up and began to pray, thanking God for sparing our lives! I hugged my boys endlessly the rest of the day.

It is hard to know how our lives would have changed if God had not spared us. It was good reminder to me of the responsibility I have every time I get behind the wheel with those 3 boys in the van. On Friday, this was driven home when a doctor who was a year behind Brian in medical school was killed in a car accident in Omaha. He was driving his 2 boys to school and was hit head on by a drunk driver. The boys were not killed, but the father was killed instantly. He was a Radiology Resident and was going to do a fellowship down in Texas next year. He and his wife had just had a baby boy a few months ago. The similarities to our life was erie and hit a little too close to home.

I just finished my x-ray CE's for my license last week. I had 24 CE's to complete to keep my license current. Brian was giving me a hard time for doing it all and wondering why I was keeping my license when I have no intention of ever doing x-rays again. That doctor's death was a reminder as to why I won't ever let my license expire. I will always keep my license for 2 reasons. One, I worked too hard for that license/degree to throw it away and two, because if Brian was ever killed or severely injured, I would need that license to get a job again. You never what the future holds and I need some security in knowing that I could raise these boys on my own. Brian's life insurance would only get us so far!

So, today I am thankful for my life, Brian's life and my boys' lives! We never know when our time on earth is up, but we must live each day as if it were our last! Jacob asked me last week if we were going to meet Jesus, God and Mary soon? It is the childlike approach that we should all emulate. When he asked that, my human heart said "Oh not anytime soon I hope because I'm not ready" and yet we should live each day preparing and being ready for the end! No doubt that life in Heaven will be far better than life here on Earth, but I'm not ready for my time with my boys to be up. I can only hope that God has plans for long lives for all of us here on Earth doing His work!

Noah at 2.5 Months

Noah is growing and changing so fast. One of the most notable changes in the last 2 weeks is his giggling. He will giggle at me when I giggle at him. It is the cutest thing in the world! He is very responsive to my voice and touch. Noah gets a little upset when I leave the room and likes to know that I am nearby by seeing me and hearing me. He loves his big brothers and coos at them as well.

Noah is a great sleeper! He is starting to be awake more, especially during the morning and afternoon. He usually takes 2 naps in the morning, 1 very long one in the afternoon (3 + hours) and then one or two in the evening. He goes to bed by 9pm and is up between 6am and 7am. He usually wakes 2-3 times at night. Most often he wakes at 1:30am, 3:45am and 5:30 am.

Noah has never cared to be cradled, except in the first month of life. Once he had a little bit of head control, he preferred to be up on your shoulder looking behind you. He still likes that but has suddenly begun to prefer being faced outwards. He is so curious about the world and just takes it all in. The noise level in our home is almost unbearable at times, but it never seems to bother him!

One of my favorite things about Noah is his patience, maybe because this is something I lack at times. He is the most patient little baby, especially when it comes to eating. When he is hungry, he starts to fuss but never gets to a full scream. When he wakes me in the middle of the night, he coos and smiles at me when I pick him up and he knows he is going to get fed. Once I lay him down and start to undo my top, he is so calm and just smiles at me while I get ready to feed him. It is so sweet and something the other two neither did. Once they decided they were hungry, it was an all out scream fest until the milk was coming! Amazing how different they all are!

Noah is incredibly calm and easy to keep happy! He loves to be held and played with. I will take his legs and move them like he is on a bike and say "Kick, kick, kick" and he thinks this is so funny. Jacob and Caleb will bring him toys and he coos at them and smiles. They of course thinks it is pretty cool that Noah likes them! Noah rarely every screams or gets worked up. The only times he does is when he is past tired and is having a hard time getting to sleep. This has only happened a couple of times and I always feel so bad b/c it is my fault for not getting him to sleep sooner. But once he relaxes, he sinks into a deep sleep and all is well.

Noah definitely prefers me over anyone else. Brian tries so hard to put him to sleep and keep him happy while holding him, but Noah prefers me. The other two boys did this as well and I'm sure its because I'm with him 24/7 and the primary food source.

Breastfeeding has been such a joy the third time around. Noah is a great nurser and was from Day 1. He is a quick feeder, never more than 10 minutes. While breastfeeding can be difficult while chasing the other two, I manage to find time to sit and just give Noah the attention. He has started smiling at me while eating and pulling off just to coo and smile at me. It is so rewarding to have this experience with him and know that not only is he happy, but I am giving him the BEST food possible. It is n0urishing him and helping him to grow strong. I look at him and am amazed that for 9 months, my body nourished him inside of me and now for 2.5 months, he is growing all because of my milk.

Noah continues to be a wonderful addition to our family. He brings a calm to our household and a business all at the same time. He is a reminder to me of our Father's love for us and His promise to bring joy to our lives when we are faithful to him.

Who is who????

I was looking back at pictures of Caleb when he was the same age as Noah. I was amazed at how similar he and Noah resemble each other. When asking Brian who was who, he couldn't tell the two apart. As a mother who spends every waking moment with them, I am able to differentiate them in pictures. Plus, I'm a very visual person so I usually know by the outfit or the circumstance of the picture. I decided to take a picture of Noah wearing the same outfit as Caleb in the same bouncer. Can you tell who is who????



The first picture is Caleb taken on January 8, 2009.
The bottom picture is Noah taken on August 3, 2019.

Brothers??? I think so!!!!

Caleb in his carseat at 2 months!

Noah in his carseat at 2.5 months!

Happy Noah

Caleb at 2 months, 1 week.
January 26, 2009

This is Noah ALL the time....he is truly my happiest baby yet!
August 10, 2010

When you thought I wasn't looking!

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator and I immediately wanted to pain another one!

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take are of each other.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don’t.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up!

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s alright to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, “Thanks for all the things I saw when you thoughts I wasn’t looking.”