seven months!

SEVEN months?! where the heck has the time gone? 

 

Tuck is about 29 inches tall and almost 20 pounds as of today!

He is so rowdy and crazy and has so much energy. He loves throwing his arms down on whatever is in front of him- highchair, the ground, but especially me. He can throw a serious punch, this kid. He's had a couple of falling-on-his-face from the sitting position, and getting a bump or two even. I feel like this is a precursor to what a future with a little boy will be like. 

He is now sitting like a champ. I still don't trust him 100% yet though because of the reason previously mentioned. ^^  So I still set the Boppy pillow around him to support him sometimes. If he is on his tummy, he will get up into the push-up position. He can tuck his knees under himself as well. He hasn't quite put the two together, but I think he'll figure it out sooner than we think.

He has become a little more picky when it comes to food. He will turn his nose up and actually gag at a lot of stuff. Silly boy. We've given him some actual food, too, and he really loves that. So far he's tried bread, cheerios, puffs, avocado, and oranges.

He is sleeping pretty great, still. Because he's teething, he will get restless at night and sometimes wake up in the night. A lot of the time he can put himself back to sleep, but those 3 am feedings have been more of an occurrence around these parts than I prefer. ;)

He does have one official tooth that's in now. It's super cute and super annoying to him. He is always sticking his tongue on his tooth and feeling it. 

He is all kinds of mischievous and wants to get into everything. Is curious about every little sound and moving thing. He especially loves things that he's not allowed to have. He also loves loves loves to scream bloody murder any chance he gets. It's seriously so loud you wouldn't even believe. Taylor said we should enter him to see if he can break the world record for decibels of a scream. Shew. 

He is taking much better naps! So so happy about this. Since we were gone for a few weeks, (Christmas vacation, visiting Taylor's family's cabin, and house/dog sitting for a relative of Taylor's) we really got thrown off of even trying to nap-train him. But now that we're home, I have become really dedicated to the cause. For my sake and his. And so far it's going great! We have developed a little routine that really helps, I think. We will read a story, snuggle for a minute, and then I put him in his crib with his noise maker on. He is almost always awake when I put him down, and he will sometimes talk himself to sleep- but usually he hasn't been crying. Woo! Happy baby, happy mama. And he also has become a side/tummy sleeper and I think it is the cutest thing ever.

can't believe how fast time is flying! love this little stinker more and more all the time.

the gift.

As I have gotten older, I've come to learn that life is hard. But I have also been blessed to realize that it is absolutely wonderful. In those hard, trying moments you discover how truly blessed you are. Or at least I have.

I have so much to be grateful for, always. But I have been especially blessed this year.

I have so much.
And this year, for Christmas, I wanted nothing more than to be with my sweet, little family.



The story of the Savior's birth is one of my absolute favorite stories of Christ's life. Everyone knows the account of Wise Men's travels to Bethlehem to meet and worship the newborn babe in a manger. I imagine that Mary must have been so scared. And thrilled. I feel like now that I have brought a life into this world, I can better sympathize with some of the emotions she was feeling. Having a baby in and of itself is wonderfully terrifying. But for that baby to be the Son of God and the Savior of the world? What an incredible job Mary and Joseph had to be the ones to bring this child into the world and raise him.

"Mary, did you know?" is one of my favorite Christmas songs. This rendition is stunningly beautiful and will leave you with chills. I have listened to it multiple times every day since I came across it. The words are so powerful.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God.

Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know?
Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know?

The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb.
Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
That sleeping child you're holding is the great I am.

Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know?

When you think about the Gift that the Father gave us- His Son- any other gift that we could give pales in comparison. I know that God loves us with a love that we cannot even fathom. I can't wrap my head around it. When I think about how much I love my sweet baby, I get a small glimpse of what this love is like.

The first gift was not wrapped, 

had no bow, wasn't purchased online or in a store.

The first gift of Christmas was a simple gift.

A sacred gift.

It wasn't gold, or frankincense, or myrrh.

It was a gift of love. 

and life.

and peace.

and hope.

Given by a father to all his children.

"For god so loved the world..."

And so loved you, and you, and you,

and every single one of us-

He gave His Son.

He is the Christ. 

He is Christmas.

He is the gift.

This Christmas season- 

discover the gift. 

Embrace the gift.

I hope you and yours can remember the real reason we celebrate this blessed holiday. Merry Christmas!

SIX MONTHS!

Tucker boy is 6 WHOLE MONTHS!

weight: 18.5 pounds: about 70th percentile

height: 28 inches long: 95th percentile

Holy cow, I have a six month old?!

They don’t lie when they say time flies.

At 6 months Tucker:

-lovesssss to scream. He just really likes to hear his voice. Whether it be babbling or screaming (the louder the better) he has just become really vocal!

-can roll from both sides. He doesn’t do it all the time though, just when he feels like it. (per usual)

-is so interested in everything. Doesn’t matter what the thing is- if you have it, he wants it.

-is starting to mimic sounds. I had been blowing raspberries at him and he picked it up quite well! Now he wants to do it all the time. Which means a lot more slobber J He also sounds like he is trying to say things. He will concentrate really hard and I swear sometimes it sounds like he is saying “hi” or “yeah”.

-finally likes being thrown in the air.

-is SUPER ticklish still.

-is getting tons of new, light hair! It's growing very fast. 

-loves to splash in the bath.

-still a terrible crib napper.

-sleeps really well at night.

-hardly ever sits still. He is so wild and busy!

-has yet to try a baby food he hasn’t liked!

-is recently obsessed with his feet/toes.  He will pull off his socks, too. I found him the other day with his sock in his mouth.

-is the happiest boy when he wakes up in the morning. He will just play and talk to himself until I go in and get him out of his crib.

-eats 6 or 7 ounces every four hours and 8 ounces before bed.

-loves to be in the stroller and go for walks.

-is almost sitting up by himself. He still needs some support.

-is getting stronger. I have recently started teaching him how to do the push-up position by lifting his tummy and putting him on his hands. He will lift his legs to be almost on his knees on his own! and he can hold the push up position for a few seconds.

We are traveling to North Carolina in a couple days and it will be his first big trip/plane ride and first Christmas! I am so excited for him to meet my siblings and his cousins! Since we are traveling, we didn’t want to have to bring all of our presents because it just isn’t practical, so we had “Christmas morning” today! We let him open some presents and I think he had a lot of fun! It was probably more fun for us ;) Next year will be so fun when he will be able to participate more.

Happy Half-Birthday, sweet boy! We love you!

reflections.

Being a momma is the hardest job I have ever had. people ask all the time how it is going and what being a new parent is like, and I always respond with the fact that it's so great- but exhausting. There’s nothing that can prepare you for the impact that being a parent takes on your physical body. And with that being said, there is also nothing that can prepare you for the impact of being a mother will have on your heart and whole entire soul- the kind of love you will experience. I can’t believe how much I can love such a tiny person.

I recently read an article about the “heaviness” of this kind of love. Like in the article, this love that I felt and feel is such a foreign and different kind of love. This small person that is here by the grace of God and the miracle that is pregnancy (I mean, how insanely crazy and cool is it that you can grow a person inside you?) will totally and completely change your life in every way possible.

Sometimes the love will hurt. It will hurt because maybe your small, sweet baby is crying or in pain or living in the NICU and you won’t know what to do to make it better. You will endlessly worry if they are healthy, happy, alive and breathing in their crib. This love will scare you. Because you are going to have to raise your sweet little child in a world that is increasingly dark and hurting. And one day, your small baby is going to grow up and you are going to wish that you snuggled them more or kissed their soft cheeks while they still let you. This love will surprise you. You will do things and say things that will make you look like a crazy person- all to get your sweet baby to stop crying or to laugh. This love will change you. You will turn into someone who is now eternally attached to another someone. This small, sweet baby is a part of you. Is here because of you. This love will never subside or go away. Like your small, sweet baby- it will only grow.

If I could have written a letter to myself about this time of my life (or the times that I will repeat this experience), or a letter to really any mother, these are a few things I’d want to remember:

Almost nothing ever goes the way you plan it. That doesn’t mean that because they aren’t in your plan that they will be bad. God will watch over you and make sure this baby gets here and is healthy because of your faith and trust in His plan for you. Your baby might be overdue and you might have an extremely long labor- or all in all, things might not go in accordance with your “birth plan”. You will still be alright. You might have your baby early and are going to be absolutely heartbroken when you can’t take your baby home- but realize the underlying blessing that this is. Your baby will grow to be healthy and will thrive because of the short time they will spend away from you. You are going to feel so overwhelmed with advice and information. Take it with a grain of salt- but remember there is always good advice to be taken. You might have day dreamed and envisioned the intense, close bond you will have through feeding your baby. When your baby isn’t able to make these day dreams come true, you will feel defeated and possibly like a bad mother. Others might make you feel that way, too. Just remember that people on the outside don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. Your baby will thrive because he is getting fed. Whether you give him formula or sit for countless hours hooked up to a pump so that you can still feed him from your body- it is all the same. Your baby will not go hungry. You will feel so, so tired. You will turn into this person who has bags under their eyes, is wearing dirty clothes, hasn’t showered in days and can’t remember the last real meal they’ve eaten. Remember- it will get better and your baby will learn to sleep. You will learn the swing of things and will be able to prioritize and manage your time better. Always be kind to your husband. You will feel stretched thin and may not always speak kindly- always apologize and seek forgiveness. You will spend an entire day at home and feel like you have done nothing- which may very well be the case. You are raising a child. Don’t beat yourself up. Let people babysit. Nurture your relationship with your spouse because it is the most important relationship. Uplift other mothers around you. Help those in need and you will find that you’ll get much needed help in return. Trust in the Lord. He has led you to this beautiful change in your life and He will not desert you when you need it most. And remember to cherish the little moments. Snuggle your baby to sleep if you want to. They’ll have plenty of time to sleep on their own. Take these moments to memorize their long, thick eyelashes and the way they purse their lips when their dreaming. Remember the softness of their cheeks and how they put their arms behind their head when they sleep. One day you will probably forget and these moments will just be a memory of a memory. Most of all- remember that you are doing such an important work. And you are doing a good job.

I feel like I don't express enough how incredibly blessed and happy I feel to have sweet Tucker in my life. yes, being a mother means that sometimes I forget if I had breakfast or not or that maybe a ponytail and sweatpants are all I will wear for a few days, but it also means getting to soothe my crying baby to sleep or watching him learn and make progress every day. Those are moments that light my heart on fire. I thought when I fell in love with Taylor and we got married that there was no way there could be more room in my heart for anymore love than I felt at that time. And I thought that I couldn't possibly love Tay anymore than I did in those times. But bringing a life into this world together taught me that there is always room for more love. And that seeing my forever companion love this tiny human with everything in him would make me fall in love all over again. 

This is such a new and exciting journey and I am so glad to have my boys with me by my side. 

five months!

Tucker is five months (and a few days)!

He was just recently sick with the croup so we had to visit the doctor. He was 16 pounds 10 ounces then, so he is probably close to 17 pounds now. And still tall! Probably 27 or 28 inches I bet. 

He is doing better now- after getting both his momma and dad sick, little stinker. 

At FIVE months, Tucker:

is eating "solids". Taylor always thinks this is so funny. When I told him Tucker could start solid foods and proceeded to get out the mashed up fruits and veggies, we both had a little laugh. But Tuck totally has loved everything! I plan on making my own food, but until I know what he likes, I wasn't about to go and make a bunch of stuff he wouldn't eat. So far he loves: carrots, squash, peas, sweet potato, banana, apple, pear, peaches + banana, and carrots + squash. His favorite by far was pears! I love feeding him and watching him trying to grab my hand to shove the spoon in quicker.

has lost the majority of his hair. This makes me so sad. Haha. He is rocking a little baby mullet and this funny little wispy unicorn hair thing. But you can already see the new hair growing in. It's looking pretty light, too! Maybe he'll be a blondie? Can't wait to see!

is rolling over! He has been able to roll from front to back for a couple months but has just recently go the hang of back to front. He doesn't do it all the time and will get frustrated and give up a lot, but he has done it the most when I am out of the room!

is wearing 9 month clothes! Or even bigger sometimes. He can still fit in his 6 month clothes but 9 month almost fits him better. Ah crazy. I think it is mostly because he is tall. 

is a sqealing little squealer! He loves to scream at us and make little faces and have us mimic the noise back to him. I feel like he is going to be one of those kids that just keeps talking and talking...I can't wait :)

will sit up with a little support. I think within the next month or two he will hopefully master sitting by himself. 

loves, loves bath time. We have just recently started bathing him every night instead of every other night. He figured out that he can splash and play and so he loves to have longer baths to play a little bit. 

has discovered himself in a mirror. Before bath time, we strip him down and let him look at himself in the mirror. It is THE cutest thing. he raises his arms up and squeals when he sees himself. So cute.

still loves being naked! :)

eats around 6 or more ounces every 3-5 hours. He is a big eater and loves his bottle.

sleeps through the night like a champ. He will go down a little bit before we go to sleep and then wake up when we do or a little after. 

still is not a very good napper. Working on it. He does NOT like napping in his crib. He will sleep in my arms or in the car but for some reason during the day he does not like his crib. 

is getting better at grabbing things and playing with toys. He will stand in our lap and grab our faces or clothes. 

has become a tough nut to crack! He used to laugh a pretty much anything, but now he is more selective with his laughs. If you tickle his ribs or inner thighs, that will get him every time. And he loves patty cake. But he is very generous with his smiles. He is a total flirt. 

might be teething. He gnaws on anything he can get in his mouth. And has recently been more ornery and waking up in the night. Hopefully it isn't too much worse than it has been. No sign of teeth yet though.

Also- I entered Tuck in the Gerber Baby photo search! I know it's totally long shot, but I do think he is the cutest baby in the whole world and think it would be the coolest thing in the whole entire world if he won. So if you have a spare second, just click here  and vote or the link is on my facebook as well! And vote every day! Takes only a couple seconds, and you'd really be doing us a huge favor. 

This week is Thanksgiving- another first for Tucker! We are so excited to go down to Glenwood to celebrate with Taylor's family and then to Delta to see all of his dad's side of the family as well. 

And one month from today we are leaving for North Carolina to spend Christmas with my siblings! Tucker will get to meet his cousins and his other Aunts and Uncles! It will be Tuck's first plane ride and it will be the farthest East that Taylor has ever been (in the US). We are SO excited!

And about two months from now, Taylor's sister Jess gets home from her LDS mission in Spokane, WA! We are SO excited! I can't wait for her to meet Tuck! 

SO many exciting things coming up!

Until next month!

The best has yet to come.

four months!

Tucker is four months old today!

I can hardly believe it. My little boy is getting so big! Today we had his four month check up so he could get his second round of vaccinations. He cried right after his shots (something that always kills me. i hate how sad he looks initially) but then went right back to his happy little self after a little cat nap. His stats today were:

height: 26.25 inches = 92.64 percentile 

weight: 15.9 pounds = 55.82 percentile

head: 17 inches = 91.56 percentile 

Tall and a big ole head! Just how we like it :)

I feel like he weighs way more than that. Or maybe my "mom muscles" just think that. Let's just say I'm getting (or feel like I'm getting) stronger every day.

Tucker these days:

He is very vocal. He will "talk" back to us if we talk to him. He just all around coos and yells more. Mainly yells. I think he likes hearing himself. 

He loves being talked to. Mainly he just wants to be acknowledged and isn't very happy if you have to direct your attention elsewhere. 

He is super observant. His head is constantly moving from side to side to check things out. If he hears a noise or a voice he will look over his shoulder to see where it came from. Or on our walks, where he would normally just fall asleep in the stroller, he now just sits there and stares at everything we pass by with his "ooh" face on. As we speak he is sitting in my lap watching the screen as I type.

He totally knows his name! We will say his name to him and he will move his attention to try and find us.

He is now smiling ALL the time. He is very flirtatious and most people can get him to smile.

He loves being called "big boy" or especially, "silly boy". We say to him all the time: "You're a silly boy" in a really slow voice and he will laugh and smile every time. 

He loves having his diaper changed. Well, just really loves having it taken off so he can be naked. 

Started rice cereal! Still a little unsure about, but we think he likes it!

He found his hands and will try and such on the entire thing. Or just lick each finger one by one.

He attempts grabbing things. Still can't quite hold on to most things though. Lately it's grabbing his shirt and trying to eat it. Or his binky and ripping it out. He will also grab his blankets and pull them  over his face but can't figure out how to get it off.

He loves his play mat and will thrash and squeal on it. 

He's super ticklish on his neck, back, ribs, feet and thighs.

He;s holding his head up super well. Loves to be standing or sitting up in front of you or where he can see things happening.

He is wearing almost exclusively 6 month clothes. We put him in a 9 month outfit the other day and it fit! Ah!

He is sleeping so well at night, He will usually go to bed when we do and then won't wake up till around 6 or 7...and sometimes even later!

Naps on the other hand...are real struggle. Advice is welcome, please!

We love our little guy! Stop growing so fast!

the best has yet to come.

Three months!

As of yesterday, 

Tucker boy is three months old now!

Every day he is learning new things and we are learning more, too!

Tuck is getting so big! We haven't had an appointment since his two month and won't have one till his four month when he has to get shots again, He was around 12 pounds and 23 inches then. We are pretty sure he weighs a little more than 14 pounds but we have no idea how long he is- that's a little harder to find out. :)

Tuck loves:

-Having his diaper changed. Funny, right? but something about it calms him down. 

-Being naked :)
-Warm baths
-His swing
-Car rides
-Stroller rides
-Really any movement. And music!
-His alligator, Foof.

He has learned:
-Smiling!! This one absolutely melts my heart. Since last month he will respond to our silly, high-pitched crazy voices and funny faces and reward us with the hugestttt smile. He's gonna be a real heartbreaker, that's for sure.
-Giggling. Same thing- cutest ever and I about die every time.
-How to entertain himself more. Sometimes during the day I will put him in his swing or on his playmat so I can get a few things done, and I can hear him squealing and giggling and babbling away from the other room. Usually, he is looking at pretty much nothing- but he's pretty darn happy most of the time, so I'll take it. :)
-Where his hands are. He has started shoving almost his entire fist in his mouth to suck on it. It is pretty darn cute and funny. He will ball up his little fist and sometimes start it up by his forehead and work it down his face until he finds his mouth. Too cute.
-Fake crying. This one is pretty entertaining. He will do these "wahhhh" sounds and make a sad face, then look around to see if I am looking or worried. Haha. Clever little dude.
-Holding his head up when in the sitting position. He had gotten kinda lazy (up until the last few days) at holding his head up at tummy time. But he lovessss sitting like a "big boy" facing wherever the "action" is. He holds his head up great like this! He also loves "standing". He will jump up and down like crazy when we hold him in the standing position.
-Kick and kick like crazy. He recently got a play mat and has figured out how to kick every single toy and bar that makes up the playmat. Or just lying on his back, he will kick and flail his arms around like crazy. Wish I had that kind of energy!


He is now:
-Eating around 4-5 ounces every feeding and more at night.
-Waking up once a night. Hopefully sometime in the next couple months he'll decide he wants to sleep through the night. :) He will go down around 10-11 and wake up to eat anywhere around 1-3. Then he will usually wake up again around 6-7 and eat and then I'll put him back down and he will sometimes sleep till 9:45! We are still working on the afternoon nap in his crib, but he for sure gets tired around 2 or 3 ish and could take like a two hour nap. Today, for example, he slept later in the morning and then didn't go down for an afternoon nap, after much crying and waiting, I just got him out and put him in his swing. He entertained himself for a while and finally fell asleep probably a half hour ago. He is still sleeping away looking as sweet as ever. :)
-Grown out of his 0-3 month clothes! I packed some stuff away the other day and got super sad! I can't believe how quickly my baby is growing! He is wearing 3-6 month clothes, but is probably on the larger end of that. Gotta prepare myself for the colder months to come and find him some warm clothes!


We are loving our sweet boy and have so much fun every day learning from him. He is teaching us how to be better and we are learning more and more how to open our hearts and grow from this love. I feel so lucky to be able to be with him every day. Even on days when I am exhausted and feel like I can't do anything right, I look at his sweet, smiling little face and I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.




We love you, sweet boy!

the best is yet to come.