The Things You Say - Jack 20.5-22.5 months

Jack is such a joy! He is just like his mama - he talks constantly! He is a total parrot and says just about anything that comes to his mind. I feel like he is SO ADVANCED in his speech for his age, but maybe I'm just biased. :) Here are some of the things I want to remember him saying at this age (March-May 2013, 20.5-22.5 months).

Food
pasta - "pa-stuff"
grapes - "gapes" ("I need some gapes, I need some gapes, I need some gapes!")
water - "waddie"
milk - "mulk"; animal crackers - "ee-mul cagahs"; "I need some ee-mul cagahs and mulk!!"
"Mommy's cereal" is Crispix - "I want some Mommy's cereal ON A BOWL!"
smoothie - "fuh-dee", "fuh-dee make loud!" (because making smoothies is LOUD)
lemon - "yemin"

Expressions
pacifier - "pah-bye"
blanket - "binket"
remote - "ha-mote"
thunder - "the boom!"
video monitor - "brother's phone"

"sounded wike (like)... an airplane, a puppy, a baby brother"
Hiiiii!!!! Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy!

Yeah! Okay!

sit on your... BAH-MUM!! (bottom)
cat says "me-wow!"
the van - "da ban" - "Hiiii ban!!"
Snooker (our cat) - "sooker" (sounds like sugar) - "sweet to her!" (we tell him to be sweet to her a lot)
"Go ta bed pubby!" (when it's time for Dash to go to bed)

Activities
snuggle Mommy!!
"Mah-mee hoe-jew!!!" - Mommy hold you!
build a "tah-dow" (tower)
take a "sha-dow" (shower)
swinging - "go fangin' "
"Watch a-Mi-Mouse" - USED to say Mi-Mouse for Mickey Mouse, but at 20.5 months started staying "Mick-key Mouse"
read Llama Llama - "yama yama!!"
read Clifford - "key-sup"
sings: Jesus Loves Me, Itsy Bitsy Spider, ABCs, Deep and Wide, Twinkle Twinkle, Old MacDonald

Baby Miller - Three Months

Birth: 6lbs 8oz, 19 3/4 in long

1 Month: 8lbs 10oz, 21 in long

2 Months: 10lbs 12oz, 23 in long

3 Months: 11lbs 10oz, 23.75 in long

Not much has changed since Miller's 2 month update, just getting to know him better every day!

CLOTHES & DIAPERS

• He's in 0-3mo clothes and finally able to wear some of Jack's stuff with short-sleeves! When I've been buying clothes (like a bathing suit) I've gone ahead and gotten 3-6mo. stuff so that it fits longer!
• He's in cloth diapers about 50% of the time! I finally got our new diapers (Alvas) and we're still getting used to them. We still do disposables at nights, though.

EATING

• He's still a great eater, eating about every 3 hours (just one side each time, for about 8-10 minutes). Most days I've got him on a predictable schedule for eating: 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 7pm & 8pm then bed. He sleeps better if he "cluster feeds" before bed.
• He's still getting Axid twice a day for reflux.
• I have been dairy free for about 2 months now, which has almost eliminated his daytime fussiness. I tried to eat some dairy a few weeks ago to see if he could tolerate it, but... notsomuch. So I'm staying off for the foreseeable future. [I'm also off of eggs now too - turns out his poor tummy can't handle them either.]
• His colic is getting better, as is expected for a 3 month old. I think being on the eating schedule has really helped this! 

SLEEPING

• Miller has been doing really great at night! I hesitate to even put this in writing, but he's been sleeping consistently 6-8 hours at the beginning of each night! AMAZING!! (Unfortunately, Big Brother has been waking frequently, so Mama's not getting ALL of that amazing sleep...)
• He still sleeps in the Nap Nanny (swaddled) at night, and either sleeps in the carseat (on the go) or in his crib (at home) for naps. I think keeping him unswaddled during the day and then swaddling him at night, helps him recognize more that it's nighttime. At least, I tell myself that. :)

AND...

• Smiley pants has laughed a few times lately! Of course for Daddy first, but a couple times for Mommy too! Can't wait to capture it on video!! (He's really ticklish, so I bet that's how we'll get him to laugh on video...)
• He's discovered his hands and feet! He gets all cross-eyed and stares and we realize he's staring at his feet. So funny!

Here's a side-by-side of my boys at three months:

Big Brother Jack at 3 months

Brudder Photo Shoot

These sweet precious adorable pictures of my sweet precious adorable boys hardly need words.

So I'll let them speak for themselves.

Brudders

"You may just want to get used to this, Brudder."

Being a Mom - the Hard Stuff

I've got to preface this all by saying I have good kids. Truly.

Sweet, funny Jack who makes me laugh within 5 minutes of him being awake - EVERY day. Precious, happy Miller whose mile-wide-smile makes my whole body feel all warm and tingly.

Really good kids. At any given time, if you ask me how things are going, I will most definitely, with all sincerity tell you that things are wonderful - because they are! I am living the dream!! Married to the man God created for me, and staying home with two precious boys who make me never doubt that THIS is what I've always wanted to do "when I grow up".

BUT...

It's hard.
It's really hard, some days.

It's hard when Miller keeps crying, and keeps crying, and keeeeps crying, and I don't know what to do to make it better. Luckily we have figured out that he has reflux and a milk intolerance (both can be treated) which were causing a lot of his fussiness, but then he is also colicky, which is basically like "Hey, your kid will cry a lot, and there's nothing you can really do about it."

It's hard when Jack tries to throw himself out of my arms when I'm not doing what he wants to do. The tantrums have begun, people. His new phrases are "Noooo..." "I don't want to do that," "I don't have to do that," "I don't like to do that," "I don't need to do that." I feel like I'm constantly weighing - "Is this really worth disciplining him for?" or "If I don't nip this now, he'll never learn." I mean, you think you know how you'll handle things, but until you go through it, you don't really know.


It's hard to keep up with the house. I can tell myself it's not a big deal to let it go, but it weighs me down sooooo much when it looks like a bomb went off in our kitchen. And our living room. And... our whole house.

It's hard to say no to the playdates, and Bible studies, and groups, and all the activities. I say yes to a LOT of them because I thrive on social interaction, but then the running around wears me down. The hassle of hauling two kids around (even in my awesome mini-van), is sometimes more than I can bear. Grocery shopping? Kill me. And if I do manage to get through Walmart with both boys and a cart full of groceries, then I have to get both boys and all the groceries out of the car and into the house. Kill me again.


It's hard to connect with my husband and give him my best after I've poured myself out all day, and I know that he has most likely had a stressful day at work too. We just want to zone out in front of the TV when the boys (finally) go to bed, and most nights we do.

There's a lot of hard stuff going on around here. But let's be honest - it all pales in comparison. No one is sick. My husband has a job. We have a beautiful home and 2 cars and an AMAZING support system of family and friends. We are ALIVE and filled with the love of Jesus.

Yes, it is hard and it will continue to be hard. But I know we are "in the good 'ol days". Right here. Right now.

My Third "Fix" - Stitch Fix Review

UPDATE: I kept the gray dress! I loved the comfy fit and that the sleeves were actually long enough to cover my freakishly long arms. But I'm sad to say I didn't get the first top. I really really should have. I didn't think it looked that great (I felt like it should have had a collar!), but then looking back at the pictures, it was really cute. So yeah, I will always look at my pictures and ask for y'alls advice before making my decision!! :)

I got my third "Fix" from Stitch Fix!! Y'all... this is so much fun! The thrill of getting the package, opening it, and seeing what someone else has picked for you? So awesome!!

{1st Fix}

{2nd Fix}

{2nd Fix - Update}

So, full disclosure - I told you that I ended up getting the cute car print shirt from my last fix? Well, I was super bummed because I found a hole in it (well, several in the seams, actually). I let Stitch Fix know, and they responded quickly, letting me know that they didn't have another one of the same shirt, but that they would refund my purchase PLUS my styling fee. I hated to send the shirt back because it was so cute, but I was very happy with how they handled it.  :)

So it was time to schedule another Fix!! I'll show you what all I got and then let you figure out what I kept! 

Before we begin, I gotta apologize for my Biggest Loser obsession in the background... I have been rewatching almost all the seasons on Hulu. It's just such a good show! 

Also, please ignore my horrible smile in like 3 of these... 

I try to just do ONE shot per outfit, but yeesh. I shoulda looked at these first. Haha!

Papermoon Dellora Button-Up Zig-Zag Blouse

Ellison Brooke Dot Print Sleeveless Tie Top

Daniel Rainn Jasmen Ikat Embroidered Sheer Tank

THML Meesha Striped Drawstring Dress

Oxmo Ryder Jersey Longsleeve Dress

What do you think I kept??

Ready to join in on the dress-up fun? Schedule your first Fix today!!

Smiley Miller Man

Things are looking up around here!! 

Oh my word - I love this baby.