"a portrait of one, two, or all three of my children - once each week - in 2019"
Jaden: What a big weekend and what a big week. You helped guide your team to a third State Championship game and are about to head to Minneapolis for a another big two-day tournament. You're sore and tired today but also having a blast and making so many memories. Happy for you!
Brandon: You had your own fun at the state tournament, swimming in the hotel pool multiple times with friends, bouncing from one hotel room to another and deepening your bond with the other basketball siblings. I'm grateful for how well you go along for the ride and am excited to spend a lot of time focusing on you during your upcoming birthday weekend!
Kaitlyn: Your first weekend in a hotel room, and you did so well! You slept in the pack and play, went with the flow of all-day basketball games, but still decided that no one else was allowed to hold you but mommy. ;) Our second night in the hotel, you woke up twice in the middle of the night just chatting and squealing because you had discovered how to roll over in your sleep, and you were quite proud of yourself! ;)
He's growing up, folks. ;) Pictures with Mom? So not cool. :)
Though Jaden really, really didn't want to make a big deal out of his 11th birthday this year, we of course couldn't let it go completely un-celebrated. So the night before his actual birthday we gathered our family around our table, grabbed a bunch of pizzas, had a cake done up at HyVee and opened some gifts.
And on his actual birthday the next day? His request for a spaghetti supper, a few gifts he'd been asking for since Christmas, and a really low-key snow day at home from school.
He is so his daddy. He looks thrilled doesn't he? I cannot believe how fast he is growing up. Birthdays aren't his thing anymore. He'd rather be watching basketball. :)
The one person I don't have to beg for him to take a picture with. :)
"a portrait of one - two - or all three of my children, once each week, in 2019"
Jaden: You have such a big couple of weeks ahead. We are headed to the State Tournament this weekend, traveling to Minneapolis for Battle at the Border the following weekend, bonding over a team dinner tomorrow night, and then starting a whole new opportunity come middle of March. I will admit to being a little overwhelmed by all that's ahead but also so very thankful for the opportunities being given to you. And over supper the other night? You said you were starting to like basketball more than football. I think my mouth hit the floor. You always love whatever season you're in, but I was really happy to hear that after a rough mental start to this basketball season, you are thoroughly enjoying all of it right now.
Kaitlyn: Happy girl! You sure are growing. You are sitting on your own for longer periods of time now, with close supervision, and have become quite the LOUD chatter box in the mornings! In fact, with Daddy having to work so many nights right now, he tries to sleep in a bit in the mornings when he can. Your squeals and shrieks make that a little more challenging. ;) Are you ready for your first hotel room this weekend? I'm sure it will be a great night of sleep for all of us... ;)
"a portrait of one - two - or all three of my children, each week, in 2019"
Brandon: You are definitely growing up. You weren't excited to pick out your own Valentines for your classmates this year and only got excited when it was time to pick out a Valentine for Mommy and Kaitlyn. (That was sweet of you). ;) This past week you have started hogging Jaden's gaming headset to talk to your own friends on it, which means you now know one of the gifts you're getting for your birthday in a couple of weeks. ;)
Kaitlyn: You've been making some new talking noises lately and seem to like to chat the most first thing in the morning and right before bed. We've had a better week of sleep again this past week, but your attachment to Mommy is only growing. Now you actually recognize when I leave the room and start to fuss a bit if I stray too far. I love how much you love me - the feeling is very, very mutual!
Just in time for Valentine's Day, I realized that I never finished wrapping up Christmas! Better late than never. ;)
We celebrated with Cody's family on the 30th of December and kept it simple. Cousins and presents and food. Favorite gifts included electric scooters for each of the boys, some Under Armour clothes for Kaitlyn and some Menards spending cash for Cody and me and our upcoming basement remodel!
Hey you gorgeous girl. How are you closer to being a one year old than a newborn now?! I feel this constant tug between not wanting you to grow too fast... but also feeling so excited to watch your personality and uniqueness continue to grow and shine. You could not be any more adorable, and every day I still pinch myself that you're MINE! I must have done something right to deserve you. :)
This past month has brought a few developmental changes. Just this past week you've really started liking your baby food. It was a slow start, but now we're hitting our stride, and I love feeding you each morning and night! Your favorites include the orange veggies, peaches, baby oatmeal with various fruits mixed in, and we just recently started the Gerber puffs and fruit pouches. You loved the oatmeal, raspberry, banana blend you tried the other night, and I've got a strawberry concoction on the menu for tonight. ;) Feeding babies now is so different than it was even when Brandon was little! Eggs and peanut butter were a definite no-go back then, but now they are saying the earlier we introduce those foods to you, the better, to help ward off food allergies. So - in the next month I anticipate you'll be trying lots of fun things. :)
You still don't have any teeth, but there have been times when you acted like you were teething. I think you are in the midst of some big mental and physical growth because you no longer sleep through the night regularly. However, you still go down for bed so easily - just like your brothers always did. If you don't fall asleep with your bottle, we put you in your crib at 8:00 and very rarely hear a peep out of you after that.
You aren't sitting on your own yet, but you could if you really wanted to. You're definitely strong enough, but you are far more interested in bending all the way over to try and pull your feet into your mouth. You love your toes, and we have a hard time keeping socks on you!
You are starting to recognize when it's bath time (every other night) because you get SO excited when we start stripping your clothes off of you after supper. You flail about, get the biggest smiles, and start squealing. You love being in your little tub, nibbling on your Little Mermaid bath toy and letting Mommy or Daddy suds you up.
You're still in size 3 diapers and wear mostly 6-9 month clothes, although a few of your 3-6 month onesies still fit you, and you also have some shirts that are sized 12 months. It just depends on the style of clothing and where the clothes are from.
Your hair is really growing and lies flat now - no longer sticking straight up on the top your head except for one small spot at the very back and top of your head. Some days it looks really dark, sometimes it looks just like Jaden's color, and some days we even see some waves on the sides and in the back like Brandon's used to do. You really are just such a perfect combination of all of us, and it reminds me every single day of God's amazing works.
You really seem to enjoy daycare and all the attention you get while you are there from Kathy and the other little kiddos. And your love for your brothers just grows and grows and grows. I love the way you look at them, and I love how much they love you. They are both getting older and not expressing their love to us as much as they used to, but they don't STOP telling you they love you. You bring out the softest sides of them, and it's precious.
You're spending more time in your bumbo seat lately and want your hands on EVERYTHING. You made it quite challenging for Brandon to complete his Valentine's last night, and you are really showing a lot of interest in Lucy-cat. Especially her tail. ;) You reach for her and watch her and study her, and so far she's being nothing but patient with you.
You handled your six-month shots like a champ and have recently started making this face, pictured below. You love playing with your lips and it's so silly!
We love you to the moon, baby girl. Here are a few images of the past month.
Look at that pretty hair!
And look at all that drool...
And look how you've grown, too!
Videos from the past month. So thankful for phones that take such good videos so easily. :)
