Our Baby is No Longer a Baby

After a much longer than anticipated hiatus from blogging, I am hoping to give some updates on our growing family. Although I missed doing Matthias' monthly updates like I did for our older boys, I still wrote down all of his milestones and am able to look back on each month. There is a level of mommy guilt that everything is not completely equitable between the twins and the baby in that regard but intellectually I know there were many extenuating circumstances that prevented me from doing so. We really reveled in Matthias' babyhood after surviving the intensity of having twins the first go round.

Our Matthias Theodore turned one year old last month. It was a surreal feeling for his birthday to come around. On one hand it felt as though he was still that chubby newborn with a head of dark hair and on the other it felt like a lifetime had passed.  This year has presented some heavy trials for us and we are thankful that Matthias has been a big bright spot. 

We call this little boy Baby Beef because he takes a lot after his papa. His mannerisms and facial expressions just scream Eric. At his one year appointment, this kid was in the 76th percentile for weight and height so the moniker just makes sense. He took his first steps at eleven months and really got the hang of it around his birthday. He had several words that were distinguishable including mama, papa, do-do (or dog), yes, no and diaper. He gets very animated when eating food and likes to make a 'mmmhh' sound when it is something that is his favorite. He also says 'ah' when he opens his mouth to let you know he is ready for more. He does the 'ah' sound even when he is independently feeding himself. His favorites are cheese, yogurt, crackers, snap pea crisps and fruit.  He is a good eater overall and it is not too hard to coax him to eat veggies. He also like green smoothies.

Matthias and Marcus- cousins and little buddies

We got our back yard landscaped this past summer and it has been a blessing to have a nice space for the kids to play.

Matthias has a hearty giggle and loves to be involved in whatever his older brothers are doing. Thus far he seems to be very extroverted like his older brothers as well. He is a content little guy and many people comment on how mellow he is. I like to joke that he is very easy going until he is not. It does not come out too often but this kid can have a temper and his inner sin nature can definitely rear its ugly head. He has actually pushed my face and said "Nooo, nooo, mama" when he gets frustrated from being pulled away from something off limits. He is also pretty funny when he gets caught doing something naughty. He will crawl, or now as is the case, walk away as fast as he can. He gives you this look as if to say "You did not see that." I forgot how hilarious and exhausting the naughtiness of a young toddler can be.

Right at twelve months he had three teeth, just a snaggle tooth on top and two bottom teeth. He wears size four diapers and 12-18 month clothing. He does not sleep through the night...yet.  He can generally do 7-8 hours before he wakes up but that still means his mom's sleep gets seriously interrupted.  We have tried more strict forms of sleep training and it just doesn't work on him. He is his own little person and I know that it will happen eventually. I have noticed that every time he cuts a tooth that we are hitting sleep regression (no big surprise there). He is an affectionate little guy and frequently lays his head on people's shoulders which is his version of a hug.

We had a little party at our house for his first birthday and enjoyed the perfect weather by playing outside. We are so thankful for this little boy and his sweet, funny and mischievous personality. Matthias has been the perfect complement to his older brothers and they clearly adore him. We have been blessed with three sons--what an incredible gift! Thank you, Lord, for our our wee Matthias.

Fifteen Months!

Well, the boys turned fifteen months old this past weekend and we finally have some toddling toddlers in our house.  It finally clicked for Winston in the last week and he is walking longer and longer distances.  He can now walk down the hall way or across the room if he is on a roll.  Winston can turn and also do circles so he is pretty impressed with his mobility these days.  Abraham can take 3-4 steps before he falls.  Both boys can now stand up without pulling up on anything without any problem.  They can both stand and squat to pick something up and then stand again.  Abraham has once again shrunk back from trying to walk and is focusing on cruising furniture and crawling.  I know it is going to click for him as well and then I will be going crazy trying to chase after the two of them. 
 

  Abraham (left) and Winston-I have to work harder for these smiles in their pics these days.

Having the boys taking steps and learning to walk is in itself a huge change but they are also gaining a lot of new words.  It thrills my heart when they say something clearly enough that I understand.  Communication, blessed communication.  It is hard when little ones cannot convey their needs and wants, so I am grateful that the boys are beginning to communicate with us.  Abraham is very verbal and started repeating words back to us last week (not perfectly though, mind you). Winston started in on the fun as well when he saw how excited we would get about Abraham saying words.  Abraham and Winston can now both say juice, poop (poo-poo), hat (at-huh), diaper (diap-uh), Bible (Bi-bo), cheese (chiz) and avocado (havaka). Abraham can also say, teeth, bubbles and book.  Abraham and Winston will repeat the word thirsty (fursty). They can both say apple and doggie very clearly.  They do not say my name, mama, very often but they are saying papa all the time now.  Abraham is very effusive and and commanding when he uses his words.  He repeats them again and again in order to make them sound correct.  Winston is more quiet in his tone and will say things under his breath.  Abraham will be saying something and I realize Winston is saying the same word just as clearly but not as loud.  It's as though Winston's words are for himself.  He has a very strong, independent streak so I think it is showing us he is his own man.  Abraham feeds off the praise and excitedly shows off his learning. I am obviously thrilled that our twin boys are already so verbal since both boys and twins tend to behind on their speech.  It is honestly hard keeping track of their words at this stage.  I am trying to write down words as they repeat them and when they start using them on their own spontaneously but it changes by the day.

I had my first sort of conversation with Abraham.  It went something like this:

Me: If you go poop in the toilet, you will get a cookie.

Abraham: Poo-poo tookie?!?

Me: Yes, if you go poop in the toilet you will get a cookie.

(After he accomplished the task)

Abraham: Tookie! tookie!

And trust me, if I do not get that cookie to him quickly enough, he will definitely express how he feels about it. 

Mr. Personality, my Abraham

He loves to find objects to slide across the floor so that he can speed crawl.

Abraham has become more extroverted as of late and has a smile for whoever smiles at him.  He is a talker and a wiggle worm.  He loves looking at books and turning their pages.  He has this look on his face most times that seems to say he is wanting to have fun and is excited.  It is sweet seeing his infectious joy.  He obviously loves his cookies and is very impressed with special treats.  Eric says that he thinks Abraham is more like him. 

This morning Winston was super cranky.  I asked him if he was thirsty and wanted a drink.  Once I brought him his cup, he said 'fursty.'  I could see him light up with the realization that 'fursty' meant he would get a drink.  Hopefully this will mean less tantrums and more talking.  My kids never really caught on to baby sign language.  I tried to be consistent enough that they would catch on but they just don't seem to like to do it. I constantly tell myself that each child is different and there is not a one size fits all approach. 

Winston-this kid is intense and serious and so is his smile.

Watch out world, he is on the move!

Winston is analytical and serious.  He can be goofy and playful when he is feeling comfortable with his environment.  For a while he was our extrovert but he has returned to more of how he was when he was born and quietly listens to everything around him.  He likes to growl because we laugh when he does it.  He is our snuggle bug.  Winston likes to quietly sing to himself.  Eric says that Winston is more like me. 

They are going to have a lot of pictures of them in the bath tub when they grow up.

We are dealing with a lot of the normal toddler stuff like tantrums and not sharing.  It is exhausting trying to referee them and try to help them understand empathy.  It is hard because Winston has started to get very aggressive with Abraham (formerly vice versa) and will slap him in frustration or throw objects.  Sigh.  The boys are also cutting teeth like crazy.  Winston is now at eleven teeth and Abraham has ten.  They have several very close to coming in.  I am telling myself we are just getting this stage out of the way and will hopefully have it wrapped up before they turn two.

Raising children has its highs and lows but it is the most wonderful job I could imagine having.  We are immensely blessed. 

Cascade Lake

We had a busy weekend with a graduation and birthday party.  The boys had so much fun yesterday afternoon that they completely skipped their afternoon nap.  Fortunately there were no melt downs but I am not thinking I want to over extend them like that too frequently.

Today was much less frenetic and we got to enjoy the great outdoors.  It was windy yesterday but today was nice and warm.  After church we headed up to Cascade Lake which is right near Lake Tahoe.  Our friends' landlords have a small cabin on the lake and we were invited to spend the afternoon there. Eric's parents' also came and we had a nice family day.  Since there is only access to the lake through the landowners, it was quiet and peaceful.  It was absolutely beautiful and serene.  I am amazed at how we can drive such short distances and feel so far from the rest of civilization and in the middle of raw nature.  The boys LOVE being outside and were all about playing in the dirt.  Abraham and Winston are becoming such big boys learning to walk and exploring everything around them.  Our little guys actually turned fifteen months old today so I will be doing their monthly post this week. 

For now enjoy some pictures of the fun.  I will also post some cell phone pics later this week.

The adorable little cabin.  Eric is on the balcony with Abraham.

A sweet little rock pier in front of the cabin.

Winston was having a high old time digging around in the dirt.

 

Mr. Abraham was such a wiggle worm that it was hard to get a decent pic of him.

I thought this was funny because it looked like a cigar.  It was a little pine stick.  Eh, it's good for his immune system, right?

Walking around and digging in the decomposed granite. 

Gender Reveal Party

This past weekend we all met up at a local park for Adam and Ally's gender reveal party for "little G."  I had been rooting for a boy for months because I wanted A&W to have a little boy cousin to run around with.  I started to have a gut feeling that a little girl was on the way however.  The pictures can tell the story better than I can so you will have to scroll down.

Num-num-num

Team Pink!

Team Blue!

The Gender Reveal Cake

Family from both sides ready to find out the exciting news.

Aunt Frances' name was drawn for the honor of cutting the cake.

That is some pink frosting!

 

Little G is a girl!

It was a fabulous spring day albeit a bit windy.  The boys had another fantastic afternoon using their walkers toys all over the park. 

Go, Abraham, go!

Winston is very determined.

Papa made tunnels for them to go through.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

A couple more pics from our Memorial Day picnic:




I make it into a photo once in a while.




The dueling walkers. These boys had so much fun.

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great weekend as a family and enjoyed some fabulous spring weather.  Eric came home from a work trip on Friday night.  We had a little party planned at our house for Saturday evening and had friends and neighbors over.  Sunday was church and I had nursery duty.  I do not normally put the boys in nursery because of the fear of germs.  It was incredibly sweet however to see them play with other little kids their age.  Our church had a lot of little boys born in late 2010 and early 2011 so it was great seeing our boys trying to keep up with the other little guys.  I am seeing that A&W need to learn to share better and not try to take over what other little kids are doing or playing with.  Later on Sunday we went to Eric's parents' house for a barbecue and got to visit as a family. 

On Memorial Day we went to our church's annual picnic which is held in a local park.  The boys were a little nervous about being outside with all the noise and people but soon were loving all the room to explore.  We brought their little walker toys and they got some serious distance on those things that day.  It was the first time my little men got their shoes all dirty and filled with rocks.  Watching our little guys truck around on their walkers and explore in the grass was an amazing moment for me.  Memorial Day weekend is always a nostalgic time for me because it is an anniversary.  Four years ago I packed up all my earthly belongings into a U-Haul and left Southern California for my new home in Nevada.  Eric and I were engaged at the time and I had secured a job and needed to start that next week.  I left a career that I loved and was really good at, my condo, my family, my friends and my church to create a new life with the man I loved.  It was hard and the following months and years have not been without their difficulties.  This past weekend I got to see my sweet boys exploring the world around them and their papa so clearly delighting in them and it was just another affirmation of how blessed I am and God's sovereign plan in my life.  Last Memorial Day was difficult with colic and teething issues and I was disappointed to not spend that time as a family enjoying the holiday.  I was reflecting on how different our lives are since last year.  I was working full time with two tiny babies and wondering if I was ever going to be a SAHM.  God has been so faithful to us and it is amazing to see how far He has brought us. 

I am thankful for the life God has given me here in Nevada.  I am thankful for my marriage and the wonderful husband Eric is to me.  I am thankful for what a loving and tender papa he is to our boys.  I am thankful for my precious Abraham and Winston.  I am thankful that I live in a country with countless freedoms and for the lives that paid the ultimate price so that I could know what liberty is.

Life is good because God is good.  

Abraham with his friend Audrey.

Mr. Winston would keep letting go and practice his standing.

 

Winston can keep standing now with no problem.

Winston was racing despite Abraham getting pushed.

Truckin' along

Abraham and Auntie Alicia