Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Our Favorite Books

Hello all!

There are SO many books out there, and sometimes it is overwhelming on what books I should buy/borrow for my child. I have a 2 year old girl and 4 year old boy, and these are our current favorites:

Library favorites:
Polar Bear's Underwear
Stuck
This Book Just Ate My Dog
The Bad Seed
Rhyming Dust Bunnies
Not Your Typical Dragon
The Day the Crayons Quit
The Watermelon Seed
Duck, Duck, Moose
Shh! We have a Plan
A Perfectly Messed Up Story
The Dragon who swallowed a knight
Elephant and Piggie - Can I play too?

Books I've purchased:
The Book with No Pictures
Mix It Up
Truck Full of Ducks
Little Blue Truck
Opposites by Sandra Boyton
Where the Wild Things Are
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
Any Pete the Cat first reader books.


I'm a HUGE usborne book fan. If you are interested in purchasing, please message me and I will contact you with a rep. You may be able to find used copies on Amazon.

Top 7 Usborne Nonfiction:

7 - Illustrated Elementary Science Dictionary
(Definitely geared for a school aged child, but my son loves for me to read science facts and he loves to look at the illustrations.)
6 - What Makes It Rain
5 - Lift the Flap Colors   (I love the different aspects of colors it covers.)
4 - Lift the Flap Numbers   (Great progression of number concepts.)
3 - Very First Book of Things to Spot  (The questions  you can ask your child are endless!)
2 - Look Inside: Your Body   (SO informative and the flaps are amazing!)
1 - You Choose   (a book that never gets old and you can learn about your child's favorites)

(Runner up: If you have a car lover - Look Inside Cars. Unfortunately it is out of print, but I found a copy on Amazon.)
You seriously can't go wrong with any of the Lift the Flap or Look Inside books.

Top 7 Usborne Fiction:
7 - There's a Mouse about the House
6 - Cordelia
5 - Johnathon James and the What If Monster
4 - I'm a Dirty Dinosaur
3 - Pandamonia
2 - Busy Trucks on the Go
1 - Dan the Taxi Man

We are also fans of the first reader type chapter books Hey Jack and Billie B.

Top 5 Ages 0-2 Usborne Books:
5 - Panda in the Park
4 - My First 100 words  (set of 9 books)
3 - Little Red Penguin Shapes
2 - Baby's Very First Colors Playbook
1 - Baby's Very First Animal Playbook

I love reading books to my kids. What are your favorites? Let me know so I can check them out. (Pun intended) 😉

Monday, March 19, 2018

My normal day

1/17

A normal day for me is to woke up to a hungry 9 month old. I nurse and play her in a playpen so that I can get ready for my work day. Some mornings she screams and cries for me all the while I run around try to fix my hair, makeup, and get dressed. These mornings I feel torn and guilty because I can't hold my baby and give her the comfort she needs. Other mornings, she plays in her playpen happy and content, flashing her nearly toothless smile - especially when I share my breakfast with her. Every now and then, brother makes his way to my bedroom, and he is immediately drawn to his sister. They laugh and play and in that moment, I don't want to leave. I want to stay witnessing the happiness of my children forever. Unfortunately, time is ticking and morning traffic is growing, so I know I need to get moving if I expect to make it on time to my morning class. After fixing lunches, bottles, and pumping parts, kisses, hugs, and my toddler walking me out the door saying, "Don't be late, mom," I hit the road for a dreaded 40 min commute of bumper to bumper traffic and my mind focusing on the tasks of the day. On good commute mornings, I have a conversation with God.

After teaching three courses, responding to emails, seeing students during my office time, I begin my trek back home to pick up my kids from day care. It's on this drive that I feel so eager to see my babies again. I wonder what they did all day...did they nap? What/who did they play with? Did Logan play nice? Did he use the potty? What did they learn? Did Natalie take her first steps yet? I hope they had fun. Did they cry? As I'm greeted at the door, I walk in, and I hear voices saying, "That's Logan's mom!" I can't help but feel proud, and think to myself, "Yes, I sure am." Logan at this point runs to me and tackles me with a big hug. I force myself to dismiss negative thoughts of: Did he miss me that much? Should I keep him at day care? Should I keep him at this day care? I go to Natalie's room, and she is usually in an exersaucer. She immediately cracks a smile and begins bouncing for momma. Again, I force myself to dismiss the negative thoughts...was she given enough attention today? I lift my girl up and fight her to be placed in the car seat. She succumbs, and I place her in the car. I walk back and get Logan, and place him in his car seat as well. The ride home is filled with toddler songs on the radio, spit flying from both children, Natalie giggles, Logan shouting out the different vehicles he sees.

We arrive home where I place all bags outside the door and begin to unstrap my kids from their car seats. I unlock the door and let Logan in as I carry inside 3 bags, the mail, and Natalie. I place everything down and turn our alarm off. I now begin to unpack our bags and get the kids snacks, diapers changed, and potty time. At this moment, I begin the battle of wanting to "check out." I've had a long day and the kids are fed and clean, so why can't I just relax and loose myself in the internet and social media? As I win and sometimes loose this battle, Natalie is moving around and eating things that weren't meant to be eaten. Logan is very active and not letting Natalie touch any toys.






I'm a working mom and some days it's feels surreal.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Year 2

Special moments in the year of 2015 (when I remember to document here :))

February:
*Mardi Gras - took you to the Lockport day parade and the Thibodaux night parade. You received a ton of toys/stuffed animals, and seemed to enjoy the parades.

March:
*"Toys" you play with: toilet wand,  plunger, pulling kleenex out the box, rice cooker.
*Trip to the zoo. Your favorite was the mouse exhibit. I suppose because they were the most active. :) Afterwards we went to the Rum House for lunch and you loved their food.
*When Dad calls to say he is on his way home, I hand you the phone and you hold it up to your ear and have a conversation with him all the way home. SO CUTE!
*You love to swing and play outside. You've tried dirt, tree bark, and a rock...

April:
*Dad comes home, and you run to him and meet him at the door. He scoops you up and brings you to our bedroom so he can change out of his work clothes. I stay in the living room listening to your giggles. Dad throws you on our bed and tickles you and knocks you down. You love this time with Daddy, and I believe daddy enjoys it as well.
*Sliced your thumb pretty good on a can that was in the recycling bin. (which has been moved)

May:
*Visited Nonnie and Poppa. You had a blast playing at the playground - doing your own thing and of course, swinging. We went swimming and you enjoyed the water and playing with Poppa and Daddy. Daddy and I went out a couple of times for a movie and double date with Scott and Gracie.
*Went camping with Grammy and Poppee and you loved it - you loved the outdoors and being able to explore. We took you to the splash pad and you were fearless putting your head in the water. You had a blast! A band played on Saturday night and you entertained the crowd with your robot like dance moves and trying to still everyone's drinks.
*Started to imitate Travis and I to pray before we eat - so precious. I also love your calm quite spirit as we pray before bedtime with you.
*Eight teeth have started to make it's way on out - molars, canines, and incisors.

June:
*Summer time fun with mom - library story time trips, reading books, play dates with the Berteau's, watching Secret Agent Oso, Sesame Street, and Baby's first channel, singing songs, jumping, playing in the pool, and singing songs. 
*You like to help momma do house work: pick up dishes, put laundry in the washer, sweep, and watch me clean toilets.
*You are determined to learn how to do buckles and learned how to do them by yourself this month.
*You like to try to plug in things (ya for plug outlets). You know how to plug in the battery charger into the laptop.
*You discovered the toilet holds water. You like to throw things into the toilet and play in the water, which has led us to get a toilet lock.
*During a thunderstorm one day, I said whoa after loud thunder, and you walked around the house the rest of the storm saying whoa after every thunder.
*Celebrated Daddy's birthday with an epic weekend. Friday we spent the entire day at the zoo. We started out at the Cool Zoo area and did a few rounds on the lazy river. When you started to doze off, we gave you a snack and road the train ride. We then explored a bit of the zoo and you fell asleep in your stroller. Daddy and I watched the giraffes for a while so you could sleep. Once you woke up, we took you on your first carrousel ride - you picked the big elephant to ride.We then decided to go back to the cool zoo for some more water fun. We had fun just sitting by a small fountain of water, and you loved on daddy as we watched the huge alligator dump water on top of the kids every couple of minutes. You would clap and watch with wonder. Once we had enough of the water, we changed our clothes and took one last ride on the train before heading back home. We had pizza at Rotolo's where Daddy was surprised by Scott and Gracie visiting us. Saturday, Mommy and Daddy spent the day in the French Quarter. Sunday, we hung out at the house and took you to the Children's Museum for the first time. You ran from one thing to the next - I think you were a bit overstimulated.
*You are now starting to slowly repeat words. You know the animal sounds for a: duck, tiger, lion, goat, dog, cat. (It's so cute because you whisper roar for a lion and tiger)

July:
*We took away your nunu, and you have done great without it!
*I randomly decided to play hide and go seek with you one day. Basically it's me hiding in every room of the house and you finding me. You squeal and laugh and get excited when you find me. I hide in the same spots - but your favorite spots for me to hide are on the sides of the guest bed and my bed. I love waiting and listening to your little feet pitter patter on the floor. I love watching your little legs try to run so fast to catch me. I tell you to close your eyes for I can hide, so you cover your eyes (sometimes still peeking) but continue walking. Unfortunately you have run into a wall or too. We finally let Dad in on our game, and sometimes he or I take you to hide and while the other finds us. You are so excited, you have trouble staying put. It's lots of fun, and you love to be chased!
*We went to District Donuts and you helped yourself to Daddy's breakfast sandwich and donut. I'm glad I didn't have to share mine. =P
*You LOVE Elmo. I love to hear you say his name. We watch Sesame Street at 4 pm and certain songs/videos on Youtube.

August:
* You are starting to speak a lot more. I love listening to you attempt to say banana. It's more like Blalalala - with a lot of tongue sticking out. I love listening to you say turtle - it's just so cute! You recognize many pictures in your books.
*You can do your shapes and numbers puzzle completely by yourself.
*We went on vacation to Gulf Shores with Nonnie and Poppa. You loved the kiddie pool area - especially walking in the "deep" end of 1 1/2 feet. You definitely jumped a few times causing you to go under - in which you loved. The lazy river consisted of you going from one adult's arms to the next, and causing many people to strike up a conversation with us.
*We think you are teething again - in which you only have the second set of molars left.
*You started day care again. I'm having a hard time this go round with you starting back. I think because you are becoming more into your own personality and opinions. It's been hard for me, but I know you will adopt soon. You didn't nap at all on Monday. You napped only for 20-30 min for the rest of the week - transitioning to napping on a mat has been rough on you, and I don't blame you. This has caused early bedtimes - 7:30 pm.

September:
*We found out we were expecting Baby #2.
*Trip to the zoo with Grammy and Poppee - you insisted on walking the entire time. You fell as we were walking out and scrapped up your elbow pretty bad - I think it might scar.
*You love to help out with house work. You run to help unload the dishwasher - by handing us all the clean dishes. You help momma load up the washer with clothes and like to turn the dial and push the start button. *You love to stand up on your stool and help daddy "cook." He does a really good job including you in the process.

October:
*You know your numbers 1 -10. You recognize many letters of the alphabet. You know most of your colors.
*You are so independent. I love that you still are willing to help pick up toys, put dishes in the sink, or put trash in the garbage can.
*We took you Treat or Treating this year. Our family all wore skeleton shirts - yours had candy, mommy had a baby, and daddy had pizza and beer in our bellies. This was our facebook announcement. You walked the entire neighborhood (we went with Robbie, Hope, Emma, Adam, Jessica, and Molly). You enjoyed being able to grab your own candy from the bowl - when allowed - and boy did you grab some candy! Nothing scared you and you enjoyed sucking on a lolilpop towards the end of the night.

November:
*When asked if you want a brother or sister, you always say sister.
*We took you to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. This was first time meeting all of your second cousins and great aunts and uncles and great grandmother. You had a blast playing with your second cousins in the back of a pick up truck, riding in wagons, playing in leaves, and playing with hot wheels. We took you to the the runestone, feed deer, and see a choo choo train. You traveled really well for our 8 hour trip. On the way there you slept most of the time since we left at 3 am. You enjoyed lots of scrambled eggs at Cracker Barrel and played with the peg game. On the way home, you enjoyed reading books, playing with cars, and looking at flash cards. You stole my ice cream cone from Chick-fi-la on the ride home.
*You can say almost the entire alphabet without assistance. You can count to 12 by yourself, and you know all of your colors, and many shapes.

December:
*We found out that you are getting a baby sister!
*We put out the Christmas tree this year, and let you help decorate. You tried to eat the fake candy cane, but learned quickly to not mess with the tree. You also loved putting ornaments up high with daddy's assistance.
*Slow danced to a Christmas song with momma in the kitchen.
*Riding around neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights - "no pwetty" for those not decorated with lights.
*We took you to Christmas in the Oaks, and you weren't into it - you were afraid.
*We started a new tradition of taking a picture of you and daddy laying under the Christmas tree.
*We went with Hope and Robbie and their two girls to see the lights at Lafrienre Park. We all piled into their vehicle and had a great time! You LOVED running around in the gazebo with flashing lights and Christmas music playing. You were so sweaty from laughing, jumping, and running. We then let you ride the carousal and you waving and yelled, "Hey Momma!" every time you passed me by.
*You had a great time celebrating Christmas at Nonnie and Poppa's house (got to ride a train with Daddy), then Grammy and Poppee's house. You got lots of cars for Christmas - your obsession.
*For New Year's Eve, you slept through all the fire works popping right outside your window - thank you! *Maybe all my prep work helped you not be afraid - when we heard a firework, I told you it was okay and it was just a firework. So every time you heard one, you would say, "Momma, firework."

*Favorite books: Usbonrne books: Opposites, Colors, All Better - you love to move the bandaids and it's so cute how you say "All better." Freight Train.
*Favorite toy: hot wheels or any kind/type of car.
 *Favorite phrases: "Sit, momma, sit" - complete with a hand motion. "What happened?" "What you doin'." "It's otay, momma" - when I'm crying or sad. "Momma, momma, momma...car." - Riding in the car, he keeps saying momma until I respond. "Yep."

Peace, Love, Goodbye 2015,
-Miche

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Parenting in '14 - a look back

Joy, rocking, peace, nursery rhymes, scared, screams, diaper blowouts, confidence, tears, bruises, Pete the cat, snuggle puppy, sitting up, crawling, standing, walking, proud, food, cherrios, pumping, laughing, tickles, "I'm gonna get ya," play dates, block towers, teething, signs - dance like a monkey?, prayer, day care, family time, giggles, bed time stories, somewhere over the rainbow, love, love, love.

Today is officially the last day of the year, and I have been doing a lot of reflecting this month on my role as a parent. My life changed dramatically, as I welcomed a baby boy, and here are my top lessons that I've learned in the past 10 months.

1. The change is deep.

 I knew my budget would change - hello diapers! I knew my sleep habits would change - hello coffee! I knew that spontaneity would now be a rare thing - hello nap time! But I didn't realize how unselfish I was going to become towards my child.

When it comes to meal time, I feed him before I feed myself. If baby wants more food, I take it from my plate. When we go to a restaurant, many times, I don't really order what I want because I know it would be best to order something else, so that I can also feed my baby. I rarely make purchases for myself because I would rather spend my money on my child.

When visiting the in-laws, you let your baby sleep with you because you know this is the only way everyone will get sleep. However, you didn't think that he would sleep horizontally leaving you to the edge of the bed causing you back pain for the next 12 hours.

I think differently. My thoughts are now focused on meeting the needs of my baby. I tend to forget things more often now, because I am putting his needs before my own. For example, we were all packed up, car started, seconds before leaving for MS, and as I am doing a quick diaper change, I realize that I forgot to pack pants for myself.

It's quite funny, because I can recall hearing people say everything I have listed, but I didn't understand the dept of that change until I experienced it. The list will continue on, and I'm ok with that because it's all done in love. 

2. You grow with your child.

When your baby is a newborn, you are a mom. Period. I had a very hard time accepting this. I am an independent woman with a career and hobbies, and it all had to be put on hold. However, as my baby is growing, I have been able to jump back into my career and slowly pick up my hobbies again. Let me emphasize the slowly. Really slow.

I know life will continually change as my child grows. Right now, we still can't go to the movie theater unless we get a babysitter. One day, Logan can join us. We can go to restaurants and enjoy a meal - as long as our little guy has food and food while waiting for food. :)


3. Trust your instincts.

No one knows your child like you do. Advice is nice, but go with your gut.

Cheers to 2015, as the journey of parenting continues.
-Miche

(incomplete, but posted anyway bc it's four months into the year ;)

Mommy Rant

To the mom who thinks she's not good enough or wants the grass that's greener on the other side:
*cough cough* me.

Stop.

Stop reading the blogs and the opinions of others. Hide them from your newsfeed. You can tell from the title if you will be encouraged or not. All these words are tearing you down inside, and making you feel like the worst mother in the world.

Stop comparing your world and life to someone else whose world is displayed perfectly on social media. I'm guilty. Why the facade? Because I don't want my "friends" to know I don't have it together 24/7...So why do I assume my friends do as well? If they do, bravo! I'm happy for you. Seriously. Life is hard and can suck sometimes, and when I have it all together, I hope others are happy for me as well.

I'm tired of all the put downs - even the ones that are unintentional. I don't want to read a blog about how you don't have it all together, and you can't make those cute bento box lunches. Do you realize the hurt you can cause to that mother who does make those cute bento box lunches and enjoys making them? I understand you are trying to be "real," but I don't feel the need to include this info in your blog. Even if it's not intended, you are possibly tearing down another mother.

There are ways of being real without including such info. For example: Yesterday I was tired. Very tired. I had a long week with a child running high fever which caused him to miss day care and me to miss work, which caused me to stay up very late catching up on my work. The house got somewhat picked up and chores got somewhat done this week. However, my family has clean clothes on their back, and belly's were full. Necessities were met, and we even had some fun moments walking around our neighborhood chatting with neighbors and swinging in the backyard. Bravo for making it another week! Could I have done better this week? Of course, but I won't tear down those that might of handled this week better than I did.

I don't feel like mom's praise one another for the jobs they are doing. A mother who enjoys making cute bento box lunches for their child should be celebrated! That's awesome that you can do that! It may not be my niche, but I'm not going to complain about it - because really, I'm jealous of your skill.

A mom makes bento lunches.
A mom makes a pb&j and sends encouraging notes for lunch.
A mom packs a lunchable and a cupcake. (because your child's favorite snack is cupcakes)
A mom sends their child with nothing but lunch money.

Bravo!
Bravo to you all for feeding your child for the day. All these actions are viewed the same in my eyes, because they were done in love. Love. You fed your child because you love them. We all express love to our children, in different ways.

Why do we judge each other so much? . . . Is it to make ourselves feel better on the job we are doing?
Why do we compare each other's actions? . . .Is it to put ourselves above others?
Why do we compare our lives? . . . Is it to justify the choices we made for ourselves?

To the stay at home mom,
To the working mom,
To the mom who got a babysitter for a couple of hours so that she could drink a cup of her favorite coffee in peace,
To the mom who has it all together,
To the mom who makes it day by day,
To the mom who loves her child with all her heart,
Bravo!
Bravo.

Peace, Love, Choosing to praise mom's,

-Miche

Friday, February 20, 2015

Happy Birthday Logan

Happy Birthday Logan! My lil monster, I can't believe you are one!

I don't think I can fully put into words what this year has been like. Despite some rough days from time to time, I've never had so much love and joy in my heart. A child definitely teaches you a special kind of love. It's innocent and pure because you don't realize when I've messed up...

Your big puppy dog eyes looking up at me...that little hand reaching out to give me a high five...your smile...how I can do almost anything to make you giggle...your laugh...walking running into my arms when you see me at the door at day care...saying "Mama"....resting in my arms...playing "chase"...tackling daddy...laying back on me while we read a book...Pete the cat...sharing snacks...Eskimo kisses..."Somewhere Over the Rainbow"...dancing in the kitchen...block towers...letting me kiss those chubby cheeks...picnics at City Park...swinging...snuggling...listening to you babble...following me where ever I go...watching your eyes, filled with wonder, when I blew bubbles (in the house) for the first time...attempting to take those cute sticker pictures every month and failing because you are always on the move...watching you explore, learn, and grow...these are just a few of my favorite memories...

If I had to describe your personality, I'd say that you are very observant, a people person, independent, explorer, lovable, intelligent, goofy, playful, outspoken, hard headed, confident, and a foodie!

I can't help but wonder what kind of adult you will be one day, and what career path you will choose. Since you love to watch daddy cook and you love food, my bets are that if I asked you what you wanted to be when you grow up, you'd easily say a chef. Grammy and Poppee gave you a small kitchen set for your birthday, and you've played with it and your pots and pans everyday since your bday.  I do know that God's got big plans for you. I just pray that He helps me let you go to do those big plans.

On Sunday, Feb. 15 at 1 pm, your family and a few friends came to celebrate you! We had a small monster bash at our home on a cool overcast day. Guest hung outside on our porch and new swing set. After eating lunch, we attempting to open presents. Momma wound up opening most of them since you were preoccupied with your friends playing with your toys - you wanted to play as well. You are very blessed my son. After presents, we all gathered around your highchair and sang you happy birthday. Once Momma and Daddy blew out your candle, we let you enjoy your very own monster cupcake. After a short hesitation, you dove right in and devoured/inhaled your cupcake. I'm never seen a 1 year eat an entire cupcake before. Needless to say, after cleaning up, you were in a bit of a sugar coma. You grabbed a blankie and walked up Poppee who was rocking in the lazy boy. He lifted you up, and you were content for some time. Once all our guests left, you took a nice nap. After your nap, you had a great time playing with your new toys - kitchen set, tool bench, farm house, and fisher price chair to name a few.

I'm looking forward in this upcoming year in watching you continue to learn and grow.

To making more memories,
-Momma

Month 12

Happy 12 months my growing boy!

Caught a virus - stayed home from day care for almost a week. You ran a high fever. We did a lot of snuggling, book reading, mickey mouse watching, apple sauce, and other pouch type eatings.

You can now squat from a standing position to pick up a toy.

You can stand up without assistance. It's becoming more and more frequent, but you still use anything you can to assist you to a stand.

You can suck through a straw.

You dance to music quite often. You love to find the book "Wheels on the Bus," and instantly start dancing the second you hand it to me. You bend your knees and sway from side to side as I sing portions of the song - you flip through the book quite fast and I try to keep up in song.

You say "Uh oh" all the time. You also are trying really hard to repeat the word duck.

love books again - your favorite are the small board books. You are letting us read to you a variety of books, but farm or animal books are your current fav.

For the superbowl we went to a small party with friends. There were a 14 month and 12 month old girls and you didn't want to play with them a whole lot. They tried to steal your sippy cup and in return you stole all their cheerios.

You can put the circle block in the correct hole of your shape sorter. I'm amazed by this because I tried to teach you how to place the correct blocks in their holes, and you didn't want anything to do with it. Weeks later, you accomplish the circle all by yourself. You also think all the blocks can fit in the circle hole. Still a work in progress. ;)

Busted lip #2 happened this month. I was talking on the phone with a friend and you slipped on a book and fell. It didn't seem like a bad fall. I picked you up and when you turned around, your face was full of blood - thanks to you putting your hand in your mouth and then all over your face. Looks like you busted it in the inside of your upper lip - we think the same spot as the first time.

You eat really well - basically anything we put in front of you. You know where your snacks are and you like to point and grunt at them when you are hungry. You recognize bananas really well. So good that you think you get to eat one the second you see one. The only food I think you don't like is green beans, and you are not too crazy about noodles. Favorites: bananas, yogurt, hummus, any meat, pancakes, peas, any kind of fresh fruit, cheerios, corn, carrots, rice, apple sauce.

You wave bye bye all the time now when we are leaving or if someone is leaving you. It's really cute.

People still stop us in any public place just to comment how cute you are. Those eyes....grab everyone's attention. Oh do you melt hearts when you give a little smile after getting some attention. I think you are starting to know you are a cutie.

I think you think the garbage can is a toy box. You've thrown away a few things (I think we found everything before it really got thrown). You've also taken trash out - especially banana peels. Our temporary fix is placing a heavy cookbook on top of the garbage can so you can't lift up the lid.

You had  your first experience at Chuck E Cheese for a birthday party. I'd love to know what your mind was processing. There were many kids running around and an occasional dancing mouse. We let you ride a few rides and you seemed to enjoy them. I was just thrilled that you didn't throw a tantrum once the ride was over (you proved my expectations to be wrong - thank you!)

Speaking of tantrums, so you like to throw these little tantrums for lots of funny reasons - I finished reading a book, you ate all your food, I put you down from holding you, etc. We are still trying to figure out how to handle this since some of the tantrums are true - you are hungry, and some, you probably just need a nap. :)

We took you to your first Mardi Gras parade in Thibodaux. It was a night parade, and you were very observant. You didn't cry or seemed scared from any of the lights, sirens, or costumes. My uncle and aunt rode in the parade and they gave you a few stuffed animals - a monkey (that you didn't let go), football, and some light up toys. You know how to push the button and turn the light on to your wand.

You gained two more teeth, totally in eight.

Speaking of buttons, you LOVE pushing buttons. Any and all buttons - especially our dvr box buttons...

You see a red couch pillow on the floor, you practically run to it and face plant on it. You giggle and snuggle on the pillow for a few seconds before getting up to play again. One night you did a lot of pillow flopping. We all had lots of giggles. You caught the giggles so bad, you caught the hiccups, and if I just looked at you, you cracked up laughing. Love nights like these.

Many nights, when daddy takes you to take a bath, I sit in the living room and just listen. I listen to the chatter and laughing. It's beautiful. Last night, you were speaking "dada" and of course, Dada was in heaven and kept making you repeat it. I could picture the smiles both of you had, just from listening.


For future reference:

Sleeping: Your nap has been all over the place. Normally, you take 2 naps, totally in 2-3 hours. But you've had a few days where you only had 1 nap, lasting 40 min. Bed time begins around 8 pm. You sleep through the night, waking up around 6/6:30 am.

Eating: Breastfed every morning and night. Sippy cups of water through the day (cup at Day Care). You are loving vegetables and meat. You also enjoy fruit - you chowed down on an orange one day. You LOVE food. I feel like I feed you all. day. long. but you are always on the move. I think one of your favorite meals this month was hamburger steak, peas, and mashed potatoes. You almost took down a 4 oz patty by yourself. You love roasted broccoli and cauliflower. You know what yogurt containers look like and where we keep them - you can eat one by yourself. Cheerios is my go to snack - in which you eat by the handfuls.

Weight
Birth: 7 lbs. 11 oz
1 month: 9 lbs. 12 oz
2 month: 10 lbs. 13 oz
3 month: 12 lbs. 10 oz
4 month: 14 lbs. 9 oz
6 month: 17 lbs. 14 oz
9 month: 18 lbs. 2 oz
12 month: 19 lbs. 3 oz

Height
Birth: 20.25"
1 month: 22.25"
2 month: 23"
3 month: 24.25"
4 month: 25"
6 month: 25.75"
9 month: 26.5 "
12 month: 28"



Thank you, God, for choosing me to be this little fella's momma.

Love you, Logan.

Peace, Love, and a year has already gone bye...
-Miche

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Month 11

A month of observing. I really enjoyed watching you play and observing your actions of what makes you happy and what makes you frustrated. You have mini temper-tantrums when Momma takes something away or randomly when eating - not sure why this one is occurring. You love to observe people - especially children. Looking back, I think this is why you didn't sleep much in day care - because you were observing the older babies and learning from them. I also think this is why you are accomplishing many milestones ahead of the norm. You watch and learn and are so determined to do it. I love to watch your face light up with pride that you accomplished it.

12/16 - took a few steps from daddy to mommy. You were very angry and tired and was ready for your bath routine. You took these steps a couple of times. Yay that we were able to witness this and capture it on video.

You can place a spoon of food in your mouth by yourself. Usually the last bites, I will scoop up food and place the spoon in front of you. You do really well, and rarely get the baby food all over yourself.

We went as a family see the lights at City Park. I'm not sure why we pushed the stroller because you much rather be held. You stuck your hand out and babbled an eh at the frog and jellyfish.We managed to get a couple of selfies in front of the dripping tree and red poinsettias. But my favorite part of the night was listening / watching the cajun night before Christmas.

We went with the Lee family (Robbie, Hope, and Emma) see Christmas lights at Lafreniere Park. We all bundled up in Travis's truck and rode through the park. I'm not sure how much you were able to see in your car seat, but we did take you out for the walking portion. The flashing lights caught your attention, but you enjoyed people watching - especially the kids running around. Afterwards, we went to Zoe's for some greek food where you devoured chicken, rice, veggies, and hummus. It was a great night together. Looking forward to maybe turning this into a tradition with the Lee's (since we went together pregnant last year). :)

Momma turned 31. So to celebrate, I had two dates with daddy. Saturday, we went to the movies and you stayed with Mimi and Paran. They took my comment of not eating in front of you too lightly. Ha! So you had pizza crust for the first time. :) Sunday, Grammy watched you so that we could go to the Saints' game. Travis and I had a great time being able to do a couple things we don't get a chance to do anymore.

Christmas Eve - we went to church and kept you in the service almost the whole time. A flip book and watching the people behind us kept you occupied during the message. You were getting a little too talkative so I took you to the family room. I don't think you were too happy about that because you kept pointing at the door. We were only in there for about 5 minutes. That night we read the Bethlehem story that Grammy bought from Bethlehem.

Christmas Morning -  we ate breakfast in the living room. Pancakes for you. Cinnamon rolls for Daddy and I. After your belly was happy, we then opened presents. You immediately went to your sock monkey stocking and got excited. You helped a little bit unwrapping each present. You enjoyed each present you received - fisher price talking dog, a set of balls, a ramp that balls fall down, fisher price cars with ramps (construction site), and dinosaur portable nightlight. We let you play a little bit with each one before moving on to the next. In the mist of all the presents, you walked. WALKED from momma to daddy. It was so balanced and a good 5-6 steps. What a surprise for us both. Recalling Travis's face was nothing but surprise, proud, and love. I hope mine showed the same. We did a little face time with Poppa and Nonnie and headed to the bayou for Christmas with the Thibodaux's.

It was a good relaxing few days at my parents house. They all got to witness you walk. :) You loved playing with and watching cousin Nikki. Uncle Ja had a good time holding you and being a human carasel. lol Grammy loved on you lots and swung you. Poppee turned you upside down. Every moment, you smiled and laughed. Presents are nice, but these are the moments that I treasure. Watching my family interact with you. So much love and joy shown on their faces. Paran was silly with you - always! and many times you give him this "you are crazy" look. Ha! I love it. Mimi was sick, so there wasn't much interaction with her this holiday. Despite the horrible side effects of teething this holiday - fever, drooling, pain, chewing - you were a happy baby that played a lot.

New Year's Eve our good friends Jacob and Neili came to visit from Boston. I think you remembered them (since they spent a good amount of time with you before they moved away). You weren't shy, and smiled and laughed with them right away. You went to bed at your regular time, 8:30 pm. We placed you in the pack in play in our bedroom because of the fireworks that would be popping right outside your window. You slept the entire night! We couldn't believe you slept through tons of fireworks since there were about 15 min straight of fireworks at midnight.

This month was the first time we saw blood...we were all playing in your room one night and daddy was chasing you with a toy car. You laughed and smiled and ran face planted into my legs for "protection."  After the last chase, I notice red around your mouth, and panicked a little inside. I stayed completely calm outside though - amazingly. I grabbed you and you immediately started crying as more blood rushed around your gums. Daddy grabbed a wet cloth, and from what we could tell, you busted or bit? your top lip inside - around those sharp front teeth. You cried for about 5-10 min and cuddled with dad on the chair while watching Mickey Mouse. You were yourself in no time, and we were thankful that's all it was.

You love to dig in cabinets now. We let you dig in one set and you seem to be content with that. I even added some toy pots and pans for you, so now you leave the contents of the cabinet alone - for the most part.

You love to play with the magnets on the fridge. Grammy gave you a nativity set that you play with often. Quote of the month, "Logan, did you just throw away baby Jesus?"  You will play with the trash can sometimes - which I'm not a fan of - and I even found your teddy bear in it one day....

You love putting toys in and out of something. Bath time - in and out of a cup. Play time - in and out of your toy box, bucket, or kleenex box.

I'm amazed that you can completely put all 5 rings on your ring stacker with no help.

You can also place balls in the hole/ramp of your red car.

One morning you woke up very early screaming. I'm assuming you had a nightmare? I took you back to our bed and all you wanted to do was lay on top of me. It didn't matter if you were horizontal or vertical but you had to be on top of me. It was the only way you would go back to sleep.

You are officially walking! You can walk the length of the living room. You walk by putting your hands up and taking little steps with an occasional side step.  Sometimes, the further you walk, the quicker you become. Momentum catches up with you and you drop to your knees. You still prefer assistance while you walk.

You had hand, foot, mouth disease this month. :( I'm glad you didn't have it too bad. You started out with 2 sores - I thought were mosquito bites. Only 3 turned into blisters and you didn't really have too many sores. Your big toe was bad - swollen and red. Nothing stopped you though. Your sores are healing more and more every day. I'm just sad that there's nothing I can do for them.

Favorites: Pete the Cat - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Notekins, stuffed animals, balls

;]lp/;.

 For future reference:

Sleeping: You nap usually twice a day totaling in 2-3 hours. Usually at 11ish and 4 ish. Bedtime routine around 8 and you wake up between 7 and 8 am. You are sleeping SO well. You grab your blankie and maybe a stuffed animal, put your aquarium to the tune you want, find a comfy spot, and you are out.

Eating: Morning feeding at 7 am, pancake or muffin around 9ish at Day Care, lunch around 11 at Day Care, bottle around 1 pm (after your nap), snack with mom at home, dinner - whatever we are eating. Breastfed right before bed time.

Weight
Birth: 7 lbs. 11 oz
1 month: 9 lbs. 12 oz
2 month: 10 lbs. 13 oz
3 month: 12 lbs. 10 oz
4 month: 14 lbs. 9 oz
6 month: 17 lbs. 14 oz
9 month: 18 lbs. 2 oz
11 month 19 lbs 13 oz

Thank you, God, for choosing me to be this little fella's momma.

Love you, Logan.

Peace, Love, and my lil Lo is walkin,
-Miche

Monday, December 15, 2014

Month 10

The month of details and attentiveness.  You pay attention to the world around you and are continually soaking it in. You have this look that you get where nothing would make you change your expression until you are done observing. You are all about the details as well. You notice the smallest things, and I love watching your little finger reach out for it. Your grabbing skills with your pointer finger and thumb are definitely mastered.

Right after your 9 month checkup, we began sleep training. The pediatrician suggested that you were waking up so often because you were falling asleep in our arms and panicking because you were no longer in our arms. We began immediately. That night, we switched our bed time routine by feeding you then bathing you. After bath time, we said goodnight, placed you in your crib, and left the room. The first night you cried whined for almost 30 min. Night two, you whined for about 15 min, and night three you whined for 5 min. Now, you usually don't whine at all. You may play with your music aquarium and crawl around until you find that perfect comfy spot. The best thing of all, is that you sleep through the entire night. 9 pm - 7 am. I am sad that I don't get to rock you anymore, but we get in our share of snuggling when we settle down some nights by watching a little bit of baby first tv. 

Your first Thanksgiving was spent at Chris and Melissa's. You ate smoked turkey, spiral ham, sweet potatoes, and broccoli casserole. You definitely ate until your hearts content, and entertained Melissa's family by crawling around, reacting to the dogs, and babbling.

You love stuffed animals right now. Boomer and Gumbo are your favorites. You give them loves, talk to them, and get so excited when you see them in your red car (where mom loves to "hide" them). You grab gumbo by an ear and crawl or walk with a walking toy.

You also love blankets. You normally sleep cuddling it. The blankets we are currently using are your monster blanket and the fleece ones my Aunt Donna made.

You wave bye bye pretty regularly now. Sometimes you wave bye bye while playing with toys, but you almost always wave bye bye when I leave for work or when we leave somewhere.

You can make the sign for milk. Although, sometimes I can't tell if you are just waving bye bye. They are pretty similar.

We took you to the aquarium this month and your favorite was the jellyfish. You kept reaching out for the glass and squealing. I think the penguins swimming in the water was your second favorite. For lunch we ate at Cafe Masperos, where you ate a good amount of my red beans. I'm so happy you love red beans like I do. You had a mini melt down at one point because we weren't feeding you fast enough. Next, we took a stroll around Jackson Square where I stopped and fed you and you quickly fell asleep in the stroller. As Travis and I continued walking in the French Market, you stopped traffic with your cuteness. Many people pointed and commented how cute you were. I definitely agreed, especially since you were sporting your Osh Gosh overalls - one of my favorite outfits on you.

You can stand by yourself for 30 sec or more. This usually occurs when you are focused on something and don't realize you are holding on to something. You are strong enough and have the balance to stand by yourself more often, but you like the security of holding on to objects. I've watched you think real hard about taking a step without holding on to an object, but you wind up falling to your knees and crawling.

Our new way of practicing walking is hanging onto mom's pants and walking with me. A few times, I put your feet on top of my feet and we walked together. You will also walk holding one of our hands, but it's not your preferred method of walking.

You are in a convertible car seat (Racaro brand) in my car - still rear facing. I'm so glad I don't have to hull around your car seat back from day care everyday.

We brought you to your first parade - Christmas in Lockport. You got quite a few stuffed animals and toys. Lots of candy and mardi gras beads. You were taking in all the flashing lights. I'd love to know what you were thinking. You weren't afraid, and a few times cracked a smile and clapped. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after all, you are a Mardi Gras baby.

You shake your head yes and no often. I truly think you understand the questions we ask you and respond accordingly. Many times, it's quite funny after some of the questions you ask, but I seriously think you understand. Take today for instance. I asked you if you were hungry, wanted a nap, or wanted to play and you responded accordingly with a head shake. It definitely helps me out figuring out what you want.

We celebrated Christmas with the McClain family. You did very well not messing with the Christmas tree or presents. You touched the tree a couple of times and pulled off a bow on a present. (I was very proud of how well you listened to me.) I think you had a growth spert during the weekend because I felt like all you did was eat. You ate lots of food: chicken, carrots, pancakes, blueberry pancakes, wild rice chicken soup, 5 chick-fil-la nuggest for lunch (oh my!), cherrios, ham, potatoes, squash...seriously...lots of food.
     Friday we brought you to Noonie's preschool where you sat in her lap as she finished the Bible story. She then paraded you through out the school and all the teachers thought you were adorable.
     Saturday we had dinner with some family friends. You entertained everyone as you ripped up some newspaper and proceeded to place the paper in the compartment of your car. You would put the paper in and out, and it was really neat to see your little hands work. Travis and I also snuck out the house for a couple hours and did some shopping.
     Sunday we celebrated Christmas. I fed you pancake bites most of the morning as you crawled around messing with bows and paper. I would start to rip a present open, and you would tear a piece off. You would sit up with your piece of paper and were content. I would grab your attention again by showing you your new toy. I think your favorite was the Pete the Cat stuffed animal. A close second would be your tonka truck - which you proceeded to push around the living room. Other presents: v-tech push and pull car, trucks, books, monster tooth-fairy pillow, OU jersey onesie, Pete the Cat onesie, toy cell phone, and a dinosaur suitcase. We had a great weekend. You loved on Noonie and Poppa a lot and even "helped" them with the cooking.

Favorite moments: watching you sit on Noonie's lap as she finished the Bible story to a 3 year old class, watching you and Poppa dance in the kitchen, seeing your face light up when I pulled out Pete the Cat, and snuggling hogging my side of the air mattress at night (once you woke up and you realized we were in the room with you, there was no going back to sleep in your pack n play).

You are such a happy baby. As I think back on this past month, I see your smile - showing those ever growing chompers and the cutest little dimple. I hear your laugh - the hearty kind and the squeals. I love the excitement you have seeing me walk through the door at day care or hearing daddy when he comes home. You drop everything you are doing and crawl as fast as you can towards us smiling all along the way. I love how you crawl up to me and pull yourself up using my pants and hold on and look up at me with those huge eyes. Oh what a blessing you are. I am so thankful. You melt my heart.

For future reference:

Sleeping: You nap twice a day totaling in 2-3 hours. Times: 10ish am and 4ish pm. Bedtime routine is dinner, a little family play time, breast fed, bath, bed. This occurs at any time between 8 and 9 pm. You sleep through the entire night, waking up around 7 am. You may briefly wake up - but you resettle shortly all by yourself.

Eating: Morning feeding at 7 am, 1 jar of food at day care - sometimes given veggies and/or snacks, 1 bottle 5 oz at day care, eat a snack with me at home, eat whatever we are eating for dinner, breastfed before your bedtime routine. You still eat anything - except apples (sometimes) and scrambled eggs.

Thank you, God, for choosing me to be this little fella's momma.

Love you, Logan.

Peace, Love, and a hungry growing boy,
-Miche

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Month 9

The month of being on the move and into EVERYTHING! Haha. You are such a sweet, fun baby. Daddy and I love when you are in your goofy mood. You smile a lot and it's easy to get you to giggle. Oh how I love that I can get you to laugh by doing almost nothing. It's so much fun and you warm my heart when I hear that sweet laugh and see that precious smile.

You've adapted so well at day care. You have a pretty good routine going. Most days you are drinking your bottles at the same time, and taking about an hour nap. You are so happy now when you see me. You usually don't whine anymore. I love walking in and seeing you play on the floor - and sometimes with an older baby, Emily. I see and feel the love your babysitters have for you, and this brings a lot of comfort to me knowing that you are being taken care of well. For Halloween, you were given a light up skeleton rubber ducky, a mini pumpkin, and a jar of food (bc you can't have candy yet). So sweet of them.

Our routine after day care is come home, unpack all of mom's bags - day care, lunch, school bag, and pumping bag, have a snack together (greek yogurt and humus are some of your favs), and play until daddy comes home. Most of the time, you nap for a bit after I feed you, right before daddy comes home. One day I chased you while you crawled away squealing and laughing. Oh it was so much fun. Love that laugh so much. Many times I let you play by yourself and watch from a far, and you glance up at me every now and then to make sure I'm still there and you give me the sweetest smile.

You recognize Travis's ring tone, when he calls to say he is on his way home. You smile big and sometimes talk to daddy. I love to see you crawl up to Travis when he comes home (if you are awake). You get so excited because Daddy is home. It's a sweet moment, watching Travis lift you up and give you kisses. I know you missed him because you go with Travis in the bedroom as he changes out of work clothes. I listen to the squeals from the living room. :)

We brought you to Oktoberfest for the first second time (once in my belly). You hung out in your stroller and had some German potato salad. The weather was so  nice. We enjoyed the afternoon hanging out with Travis's sister Kaitlin and her boyfriend Justin.  The next day, we all had a picnic at City Park under the oak trees. You loved playing on the blanket, playing with your toys, and crawling all over mom and dad. We walked around in the sculpture garden while you chilled out in your stroller.

You are learning how to clap your hands. It's the cutest thing ever! I think you are conditioned now that when you hear patty cake sung, you immediately have to stop what you are doing and clap. You clap sometimes when music is played. You also enjoy clapping while eating. One particular time really stands out - I gave you your first Chick-fil-la nugget. After each piece you were fed you squealed and clapped. Oh my...what have I done... ;)

You love your little board books. I guess because you can hold the entire book in your hand. They are everywhere in the house and in all of our diaper bags. Grammy handed down to us a bunch more, and you just love to have them in your hands.

You are so much fun. I love watching you play with your toys as you move about from one toy to the next. Sometimes I wonder what you are thinking. Some of your favs: crawling into the red car and playing with the balls, playing with your blocks, pushing your walking toys, pulling up your abc mat, playing with anything that spins, riding on your green car as mom or dad pushes you, pulling everything off of any shelf, and digging into your toy boxes and pulling everything out.

This month, we attended a special service at church and dedicated you to the Lord in front of others. Present: Grammy (Popee was on call), Noonie, Poppa, Auntie Kait, Paran, and Mimi. You were the happiest baby. You squealed a lot and couldn't make up your mind of wanting either mommy or daddy. The best part of the service is when your family surrounded you and lifted you, mommy, and daddy in prayer.  You were so happy and excited seeing all your family around you. What a special time. Can't forget, Grammy made you a special white outfit for the service. She used light blue buttons and light blue thread for the details. You were so handsome.

You went to your second funeral. My Mawmaw Duke passed away at 91. I have so many great memories of her and playing with many of my cousins at her house. You had a great connection with her the two times you were with her. Both times you cooed and held conversations with her. The second time, you kept hugging her arm. So sweet. Many of the Ledet family got to finally meet you. They all adored you.

For Halloween you were dressed up as a dragon (but looked a lot like a dinosaur). You didn't mind the costume except for the hood - which was the dragon face. We went over to Robbie and Hope's house - which is THE neighborhood to Trick-or-Treat in, in Harahan. Seriously. I've never seen this many people Trick-or-Treating in one place in my life. I honestly think every kid in Harahan was there. The neighborhood was great though since many of the houses were decorated and people were waiting outside for the kids. We probably went to about 15 houses and then headed back to the house. You did well. I'm not sure you understood what was going on - you had your expressionless face on - aka taking it in. Plus you spent a chunk of the time diving into your pumpkin to grab the toothpaste so you could chew on the box. You and Emma played in your costumes inside together for a while before we finally took you home to sleep.

We took you to the Zoo this month for the first time. We went along with Robbie, Hope, and Emma. It's was Hope's company picnic, and they were nice enough to invite us along. Unfortunately, a cool front came through the night before making the morning pretty chilly. Many of the animals were sleeping (probably hibernating bc of the weather? ;)) Note to self: kids can't see the animals in the stroller at the zoo because of all the fencing. You seemed to enjoy yourself. I think you were a little more interested in people watching than animal watching. You had a great time playing standing in a dino chair on top of a giant spring in a playground area. It was a quick visit, where we only stayed for a couple of hours. I was satisfied because you were ready for a nap at this point, and I got my roman candy. :)

This month, my milk production decreased - I think because I am only able to pump once at work and you are eating food more. Funny thing is that this is the exact time we had to up an ounce in your bottles (5 oz now). We have very gracious friends who is giving us some of their frozen milk since they have such a huge overstock supply. They wanted to give it to someone to use before it expired. Oh God you are so good - what perfect timing. This is a HUGE weight off of my shoulders. I wanted to keep you completely off of formula if I could, and I'm so happy that I am able to supplement with breast milk! We have awesome friends.  (my milk is definitely decreases bc I started my period this month)

Car seat troubles - you fight many times to get into your car seat now. Bending back, flinging your head back, gripping the seat, twisting, turning, hot lava to the max, screaming, crying. But, you are totally fine once buckled in. It's very trying leaving day care....I hope this phase passes fast.

You walk while pushing your toys like a pro now. You crawl up to it, stand up with no problem, and push/walk away. I thought you would have trouble on the laminate wood floor making the toy go to fast, but you have adopted quickly.

One day this week as I was leaving out the door for work, you reached out your arm, gave a big smile, and attempted to wave bye-bye. Yep..I was a puddle...


For future reference:

Sleeping: You nap usually twice a day totaling in 1-2 hours. Bedtime routine is family play time, bath time, fed, bed. You either wake up once a night (around 3 am) or every 3 hours.

Eating: Morning feeding at 7 am, 2 5 oz bottles at day care, snack at home with mom - yogurt, hummus, fruit, puffs, afternoon feeding, supper consist of whatever we are eating and/or a jar of food, feeding before bedtime and any other time you wake during the night.

Weight
Birth: 7 lbs. 11 oz
1 month: 9 lbs. 12 oz
2 month: 10 lbs. 13 oz
3 month: 12 lbs. 10 oz
4 month: 14 lbs. 9 oz
6 month: 17 lbs. 14 oz
9 month: 18 lbs. 2 oz

Height
Birth: 20.25"
1 month: 22.25"
2 month: 23"
3 month: 24.25"
4 month: 25"
6 month: 25.75"
9 month: 26.5 "


Thank you, God, for choosing me to be this little fella's momma.

Love you, Logan.

Peace, Love, and a Mom who loves family time,
-Miche

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Month 8

You are so fun! I love the stages you are in right now. You are observing, discovering, exploring, and loving more and more. I can't help but stop and stare in wonder, that God entrusted such a sweet, beautiful, life with me.

I've begun to "discipline" you. The discipline is because you stand up and play with the tv stands second self items (aka not your toys) dvr box, blue ray player, xbox, and wii. I blame the lights that show on these items. I tell you repeatedly that it's not your toys, to play on the first self, and move you to the ground. That's about as far as it goes. Some days I feel like a broken record...some days you smirk as I discipline you...some days you cry, after the 10th time of moving your hand away...some days you listen, and leave the self alone.

Lots of family time. :) Travis and I spend time with you in the evenings before we begin your bedtime routine. We all play on the floor with your toys. You crawl and climb all over. I love when we roll the ball back and forth. We read you Pete the Cat books - your fav. I'm excited that Nonie recently gave us a new one. You have destroyed loved on your Pete the Cat books dearly.

I love just watching you play with your toys. You love your red car. You walk around it, press the buttons, get inside with Boomer, open and close the door. It's probably your favorite toy this month. You also love your rings. You have been crawling around with at least one ring in your mouth. If you don't have a ring in your mouth, then you have a block. It's funny watching you crawl around with a block in your hand. You mastered to even do it with one in each hand. You also love opening and closing the hippo's mouth to this round table stand up toy. You squeezed your finger really bad one day in it and you gave a painful cry I had never heard before.

Your incisor tooth popped out - before your front teeth. Both front teeth have made their grand arrival. We are waiting on your other incisor (popped out today). You've had a mix of signs to these teeth coming in. Any sign that I think you might be getting sick, you actually aren't. It's all been signs of teething. Four new teeth in one month...oh my...

You love to push your walker, whether by crawling or standing and walking. When you are actually in your walker, you don't walk in it. Silly boy. :)

You crawl all over the house with ease. You love to sneak into the guest bath room, pull up on the shelf, and try to pull down towels. We have purchased a baby gate, to at least keep you in the living room, when we need you to.

The first cool front finally came through, and we had the most beautiful fall weather. We took you to City Park and walked around with you in the stroller for a while. Then we went to my favorite spot at City Park under the giant oak trees. Daddy and I had pbj sandwiches, while you munched on puffs. We let you crawl around on the blanket, and you discovered grass where you proceeded to rip it and attempt to eat it. You really enjoyed being outside and playing. You were so stinkin cute in your overalls. The first signs you gave of nap time, we headed home so you can nap. Oh how I love moments like today....clear blue skies, gentle breeze (with no humidity), laying under the oak trees.

We brought you to Shoguns to eat hibachi. When the chef started banging his utensils, your attention was completely on him. You were awed. Your eyes got big when he made a big fire. But your focus totally turned when food started to get dished. Your focus was completely on eating - and you let us know every second you didn't have food. :)  You ate noodles from clear soup, carrots and fried eggs from the fried rice, zucchini, and chicken. I know your belly was full.

Day care has been going great. You've adopted well.  You take naps - either 1 big one or a few short ones. You drink 2 bottles, we recently upped to 5 oz. You almost always start a panic cry when you see me to pick you up. You usually fuss when I am putting you in your car seat, but not completely when I pick the car seat up. You look out the window the whole ride home. When we get home, I let you crawl around and play with your toys. You usually follow me as I try to unpack my things from the day. I eat a snack and you have to have one as well. I guess all that begging worked. :) Sometimes I give you some of my snack - humus, greek yogurt, bananas, etc. But if I eat something I don't want you to have, you eat puffs or yogurt melts. It's become routine now. After lots of play time aka exploring the house you are fed and usually take a nap around 4:30/5.

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Bath time - I let Daddy give you a bath every night. It's good bonding for y'all and frankly, I enjoy a few minutes to myself. I do sometimes join in for the bath fun or just sit back and watch. You aren't bothered by water being dumped on your head anymore. You like to splash and usually have a toy in your hand or in your mouth. I think your favorite part right now is when the bath is over and the water is starting to be let out, daddy lets you crawl to the drain and play.

We taught you how to high five. In which, you usually crack a smile, sometimes you get excited, and place your hand up against mine. Sometimes you will slap my hand a few times. It's a work in progress, but it's pretty cute right now. ;)

Football season is in full swing, and I can honestly say I haven't watched an entire game yet, and I'm completely ok with it. I much rather spend my time with you. I think it's funny now, how stressed out I would get over a football game before you were born. Is it entertaining? Absolutely! But nothing to fret over. The game will continue on, I will always be a fan, but the moments of you growing are flying before my eyes.

Today, you had daddy's gumbo for the first time and loved it. It was a proud moment for this cajun momma.

Thank you, God, for choosing me to be this little fella's momma.

Love you, Logan.

Peace, Love, and an 8 month old with 6 chompers!
-Miche

Monday, September 15, 2014

Month 7

Oh what a fun month it has been! Happy 7 months my sweet boy!

The past month, you began Day Care. As I like to call it, you rebelled your first week...
Monday, you did a lot of screaming.
Tuesday, you had 4 poops - which is so unlike you.
Wednesday, you didn't sleep but a total of 30 min (you normally nap 1-2 hours).
Thursday, you only drank one bottle (out of a possible 3).
Friday, you ate and slept well. There is hope!

You are a very curious baby, so I think you are having trouble focusing on eating or letting yourself relax to sleep. Once you get used to the place and the other 4 babies, I think you will fall into your own routine.
Update: you are doing much better in day care, but you still cry the second you see me to pick you up. I guess that's your way of being "happy" to see me.

Favorite toy at day care is a xylophone. You liked it so much, I noticed that they have placed it in your crib.
Update: it's no longer in your crib since you use it as a stepping stool to stand up higher...same reason why the mirror got taken away as well.

You are SO active! You are constantly crawling, climbing, twisting, turning, discovering, sitting on your knees, and trying to pull up and stand. We aren't reading much because of this, but I love to read you the Snuggle Puppy Book. 
Update:  you pull up to a stand easily now. You let us read to you more often. You mainly want to be read the following 3 books: Pete the Cat: Rocking in my School Shoes, Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes, The Sleepy Little Alphabet. You sometimes even cry for these books.

8/25 - I would put my hands out, you would place them into mine from a sitting position and stand up.

I'm not taking nearly as many pics anymore. I'm trying to spend and cherish the time I have with you, especially since I started work. Many nights, Travis and I get down on the mat and play with you by building block towers for you to knock down, roll a ball back and forth, or read books together as a family. Daddy likes to let you climb all over him. :)

I've had thoughts of giving up breastfeeding because it has been rough keeping up with the pumping and multiple nightly feedings, but I love this time together now even more so than ever. Especially in the morning before I leave for work. Most mornings, I give you a day care pep talk. :)
Update: I've taken away one of my pumping sessions during the day and it has helped a lot.

When Daddy comes home and starts to cook dinner, you love watching him. We usually place you in your highchair in the kitchen with some puffs to snack on and a bowl and spoon to play with.

We always eat dinner together as a family (unless you are napping). This is my favorite part of the day. I look forward to it every afternoon. Daddy prays over our food and thanks God for our blessings. You are given food of some sort - steamed and cut into pieces and sometimes water in a sippy cup - but you just bite on the spout or straw. You feed yourself really well. You manage to get most of it in your mouth (I'd say 3/4 of your serving). A couple of your favorite foods are bananas, apples, pulled pork, and corn on the cob (without the corn on it). You basically will eat anything I give you.

We took a trip to MS over the Labor Day holiday so that your McClain family could spend some time with you. We took you to the playground for the first time. You liked all the equipment that made music, slide - not a big fan, swung with mom, loved sitting on top of a bouncy animal, while walking around in Papa's arms and in the stroller you watched the kids playing. I can't wait for the weather to cool down some to take you to the parks in Nola.

A few nights this month, after we fed you at night and put you down in your bed, you decided to continue talking and making funny sounds at night. Travis and I just laugh as you "talk" yourself back to sleep. You mostly like to sleep with your butt in the air and your head against the side of the bed.

Speaking of night time, we still wake up at least once a night (usually around 2:30-3 am). Every now and then we have 2 wake up or no wake ups at all until 5:30 am. You are so used to our morning routine now, that you wake up at the same times on the weekend - no more sleeping in for us. We usually hang out in bed together watching cartoons as a family before starting the day.

You are all about pulling up and sometimes walking, very slowly, along furniture. Most of the time when you pull yourself up, you squeal and smile, with the proudest look on your face. I pray you keep this confidence and proudness when you accomplish something. It's motivation that can't be taught.

You have changed so much this month. Notice the beginning of the month and my updates for the end of the month. I am so proud of all the accomplishments and milestones you have made. I love seeing you explore the world more and more.

You are taking baths in the big tub now.

It's so easy for me to make you laugh. When I get you going, I can just look at you or flick my hair and you crack up. But you only do this with me.

Daddy made fun of momma's baby signs by "dancing like a monkey."

People love you. I think it's because you give good eye contact and smile. It's hard to resist those big puppy eyes. It's amazing the attention we get when we go grocery shopping because of you. So many people stop to tell you hello and mention how cute you are. Travis and I ate lunch at Sam's one day before shopping, and probably 90% of the people walking to leave the store either smiled at you, make a comment of how cute you are, or actually stopped to talk to you as you sat in the cart munching on a mum cracker. It makes me so curious of what God has in store for you.

Lastly, this has been a month of trying to balance out work, being a mom, and  maintaining the house.  The house is definitely suffering out of the three, but I'm somehow managing to make it work. I know for sure, I could not be a working mom, if it wasn't for all my husbands help. He is amazing, and I'm so thankful for all the times he has picked up my slack. He does a lot, and I know he does it because he loves us dearly. I am a very lucky woman.

I'm excited about MOPS starting up again! Hoping to make deeper connections with relationships formed from last year.

Thank you, God, for choosing me to be this little fella's momma.

Love you, Logan.

Peace, Love, and look out world, Logan's on the move!
-Miche

Monday, August 18, 2014

And so it begins...

The past six months have been amazing. I have been able to watch my little man grow, explore, and discover the world around us. 

I've lived life as a stay at home mom, a part-time working mom, and a mom trying to work from home. All of these having their own challenges and joys in the journey.

Today, I've begun my journey as a full time working mom aka my child began day care for the first time.

I'm fortunate in that my husband gets the opportunity to drop him off in the mornings so that I don't have to leave a possible crying baby. To my surprise, my husband got a little teary eyed as he placed our son in his new crib whom immediately started to whimper. I'm sure that my little one probably looked at my husband with those huge eyes...how could you not want to hold him? I don't know if he cried once my husband left, or what ensued after, but I do know how I feel now, and that's what I want to document. I want to document my thoughts and feelings for this exact moment of real life. None of the fake fluffy stuff.

My husband and I both knew that our baby was going to daycare. After many discussions, we felt it's what is best for our family. We knew this before we even got pregnant. Our mind was set and already in that accepting process. This type of thinking definitely helped with the start of my full time working mom status. However, that mindset was not my expectations of how today would go...

My expectations: Wake up to a happy baby, get ready for work and spend time with my sweet baby - maybe get a first day of day care picture?, spend a busy first day of the semester at work, pump and enjoy a lunch, continue with work, pump again, go pick up my baby with no traffic on the road since it will be early afternoon, arrive to an excited baby so happy to see me, arrive at home to enjoy quality time.

What really occurred...

Woke up to a happy baby. Nursed him. Didn't get too much time with him in the morning since I was scrambling to put together last minute things that didn't happen at 11 pm last night. At least he was satisfied with watching me get ready in his pack in play while chewing on his new chew toy for a while. First day of day care picture? Are you kidding me? I still have to brush my teeth...Should I pump real quick or nurse him again? I want to spend time with him before I go - nursing it is!  Lots of kisses later, I was off for my morning commute, and left my husband to finish getting himself and our baby ready.

My work day was very busy. VERY busy. First day of school is always crazy, but my MWF are exceptionally crazy for me. Four classes and one 50 min break. I managed to pump twice at work and swallow a lunch at 10:30 am. First day back, 1 pm, and I'm already anxious about my milk supply since, my pumping led me to a bottle short in restocking. I guess it's extra pumping in the evenings and/or weekends...

I leave work and decide to take the interstate, which would be a quicker route to get to his daycare. Not long after choosing my no turning back path, all I see is red. Red tail lights, glaring back at me. I was great all day - thanks to many text messages and prayers from friends - until this dead stopped traffic began teasing me that I had to wait to get my baby. What if he is ready to feed again? Or he wants me, thank you 6 month attachment developmental stage... wait, I want him! Now. At a last minute, I decide to take an alternate route, which worked surprisingly well, and finally arrive at my destination.

I enter the room, only to discover that my baby was not happy, nor excited. In fact the very opposite, so upset he is trying to catch his breath. I'm not sure why, nor do I blame the staff at the nursery for this, but this was not what I was anticipating. He held me tight, and I knew he missed me. I need to save tears for the car ride...I tried to put him in his car seat, but it only upset him more. I need to save tears for the car ride....I held him a little longer as the worker gathered up his bottles. A little more  crying  screaming later I managed to get my little dude in the car and let the tears out as I headed home.

Was I upset? Yes, because it wasn't what I expected...My husband was supposed to deal with a crying baby, not I!  

Am I ok? Yes. Here are the reasons why:

1) I chose this day care for reasons. When I visited, I felt the most comfortable and confident that these women would do well in taking care of my child while I am away.

2) Big changes take time to adapt. I need time to adapt, so why expect a 6 month baby to not need time as well. They need time to learn his cues and cries, errr screams (it's just a phase, right?), and he needs time to learn their ways.

3) I have good support from an amazing husband, friends, and family that lend an ear or prayer when I need it. I don't want to imagine what kind of mom I would be without my solid support system.

4) Logan's Bible verse we chose to pray over him says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified and don't be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9.  God will be with him and me during and after this season, and this brings me comfort.

5) Choosing not to focus on missing the first time moments, and instead, choosing to celebrate and enjoy the first time moments that happen in front of me.

I'm sitting here typing away as my exhausted baby naps...my view of my living room floor is scattered blocks, chew toys, and his favorite green car. He was finally home crawling and playing in his territory with an every now and then big cheesy grin to appear on his cute little face every time he looked back at me to make sure I was there. I got my happy, excited baby after all, it just didn't occur when I expected it.

Here's to change.
Here's to a house that may stay dirty a little longer.
Here's to trying to figure out where my time needs to be spent (oh boy...).
Here's to a full time working mom trying to embrace a big change for her sweet loving family.
-Miche

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Month 6

Happy Half Birthday my sweet adorable boy!!!

Almost crawling. like crazy close. up on all fours and rocking. up on all fours and knees aren't touching the ground sometimes. You move really well on your belly - make circles. You started to pull yourself forward like an army crawl on 6/27.  You are so strong. You just love being on your belly and doing push up position to superman and vice versa.

You sit up by yourself. I'm still a little cautious around you though since you have tumbled a few times and we don't have carpet. :/

You like to play this game where you take your square plastic block or nunu and you "throw it" and chase after it

Like to lift up pieces of your abc mat and chew on edge. I'm not happy about that. When I fuss you, you smile and even laugh sometimes. Oh discipline may be a trying time...

Month of spitting up, a lot, I think mainly because you are moving around on your belly a lot. We always have a burp cloth nearby.

Travis and I let you turn off the light to your room. Sometimes you can do it by yourself.

You can turn on and off your aquarium crib soother now. Travis and I were playing video games on a very rare occasion during one of your naps one weekend, and we heard the music turn off on the monitor. We looked at it and you had head butted it. A couple minutes later, you turned it back on. It was the funniest thing! Now you can use your hand.

It's become more difficult to give you medicine. Diaper changes are also challenging since you like to twist and move and feel your textured walls.

More aware of the tv, you love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. You smile and wave your arms as soon as the music comes on. When I let you watch tv, you watch for 10 min spans it seems, then you get bored. It's just enough time for me to get something done - like pee, pump, etc.

Favorite toys: car, driving in your red car, Sophie, box of shapes, and anything that spins, lights up, or moves.

How are we dealing with teething: wet cold towels, teething tablets, and Tylenol when you constantly tug your ears. No new teeth though.

   We had our first family vacation to Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Alabama. We stayed at Phoenix on the Bay with our friends Hope, Robbie, and Emma (2 weeks older than you).
   It was your first time being in high chairs at restaurants. You did so well playing with your toy and eating your mum crackers.
   You weren't a huge fan of sleeping in your stroller while mom and dad tried to outlet shop.  You ate carrots for the first time at Lambert's and really enjoyed them.
    We spent a good amount of time in the pool and floating around the lazy river. You loved chewing on your rubber ducky, and watching the people float around us. You got lots of people's attention of how cute you were floating around in momma's lap. Everyone was very respectful and tried not to bump our raft. Daddy did a good job of stirring our floaty.  You loved splashing around in the pool with Daddy. We had a good time throwing a little spiky ball back and forth in the water.
     We brought you down to the bay area by our condo. You immediately dug your toes in the sand and seemed to enjoy the feeling. You were mesmerized by the small waves coming in. We let you sit down where the water meets the sand and you enjoyed it. You started to dig your hands in the wet sand, and unfortunately we had to stop your experience there due to avoiding any sand getting into your mouth. Mom and Dad are so happy that you enjoy the beach! We are planning a trip to come back next year.
     Hope and I got a lot - Are they the same age? Did y'all plan your pregnancy together? So y'all were pregnant at the same time?

We started baby weening. We let you feed yourself, for the most part. Foods you've tried so far: peaches, cob of corn with no corn on it (you love this!), carrots, avocado, sweet potatoes, bananas. All fresh food. We feed you once a day, usually during dinner time as we all eat as a family. One of my favorite parts of the day. Snacks: puffs and mum banana crackers. You seem to like foods much better the second go round. You are constantly watching mommy and daddy anytime we eat or drink. I'm basically feeding you whatever we have at the house and are feeding ourselves. I haven't given you any purred food yet.

You are officially crawling - you pull yourself forward. You are moving all over the place. I love when you see me and crawl towards me with excitement and smiles. It's one of the greatest feelings in the world.

We've had our last play date this week. It's been really hard trying to work on school stuff while taking care of you. You've managed to crumple and rip a few of my papers. This last week before you turn 6 months has been rough. We've spent a couple nights waking up every 2 hours to feed. You are starting to get a little more clingy to be - which I love - but it makes things a lot harder to prepare for the upcoming semester. It's so bittersweet, but I'm trying to prepare myself mentally that you will do so well in day care next week. I know that it will take time for all of us to adjust to mommy now working full time. I'm excited, nervous, stressed, worried, scared, happy, sad. What a ball of emotions I am as I will be entering into the working mom world. But, this week, I've had 3 words of encouragement - Thank you, Lord!

1)  The anticipation is worse than the actual transition, and we will all be fine and make it.

2) Joshua 1:9  The Bible verse that Travis and I prayed for Logan since we found out we were pregnant. A friend painted it on a canvas for me, and I read it to Logan almost every day. He gets so excited and smiles the whole time while I read it. I'm going to be brave and courageous, because I know that God will be with my family and I before, during, and after this time.

3) My pediatrician's wise words, "It's not about the quantity of time, but the quality of time spent together."  My work goal this semester is to leave work at work, so that I can have true quality of time with my family at home.

For future reference:

Sleeping:We are back to a regular schedule. You nap 2 - 3 times a day. Your naps usually range from 45 min - almost 2 hours. Night - usually have 2 wake ups to feed, every now and then 1 wake up. You love and cry for your bath time routine - usually around 8-8:30.

Eating: Currently, during the day you go 2 hr, maybe 2 1/2 hours. Rarely 3. You are eating 4 - 5 oz.

Weight
Birth: 7 lbs. 11 oz
1 month: 9 lbs. 12 oz
2 month: 10 lbs. 13 oz
3 month: 12 lbs. 10 oz
4 month: 14 lbs. 9 oz
6 month: 17 lbs. 14 oz


Height
Birth: 20.25"
1 month: 22.25"
2 month: 23"
3 month: 24.25"
4 month: 25"
6 month: 25.75"


Thank you, God, for choosing me to be this little fella's momma.

Love you, Logan.

Peace, Love, and Goodbye Stay at Home Mom life,
-Miche

Monday, July 14, 2014

Month 5

Five months.

6/22 just past 4 months. Travis discovered your first tooth. It was quite a surprise because you didn't show any symptoms. Although, you did have shots less than a week before your tooth appeared. Looking back, you were starting to bit down on your toys more. A few days later the second appeared bottom tooth appeared.

 6/25 you had bananas for the first time. I was insisting that I was going to wait until late July to introduce food to you, but one morning you were very interested in the banana I was eating. So on a whelm, I gave you some. Your reactions were excited, confused, and I think you liked it.  After the fifth feeding of bananas (not all in a row) you didn't seem interested in eating it at all. We haven't given you any other foods yet, but I plan on giving you some soon.

Unfortunately, we are not so lucky with your next set of teeth coming in. We've had a couple of yuck days where you are in pain and irritated. You are really fussy. Fight sleep. Sometimes you don't even want to be on your tummy. Swat your ear. Just out of your character. Baby, I don't blame you. Those teeth are sharp, and I'm just happy you won't remember this experience.

This month, I've had a ton of fun having dance parties with you. I put you in your bouncy chair, blast some music, and dance around. I like to get down at your level, grab your hands, and sway your arms back and forth. You smile so big, and even giggle. I also like to hold you and dance cheek to cheek, swaying to the music.

Everywhere we go, people just think you are the cutest thing. Common phrases we hear at the store: can I buy one just like you, you are so adorable, look how alert you are, look how well you hold your head up, so curious. I have to admit, I couldn't agree more. :)

This month, we've had weekly play dates. I think it's good for you to be around other kids and play with others. It's been neat watching you play with toys different from ours. I've also realized that you are an observer. You watch the other children a lot when we first arrive, then after some time, you do some playing. Plus, I need this day. It's a great day for me to hang out with my friends and not stress about work - school or house. Stay at home mom life can be hard and sometimes lonely. I enjoy a day "off." The day seems to fly by, and we are home an hour or so before daddy arrives. You do really well when we are out of the house, which is why I don't mind it being a weekly thing this summer. Boy, I'm going to miss this once school starts.

You've made use of your bumper crib. You like to play peekaboo in the small space between the top of the bumper and the bottom of the bar of your crib. All I can see is your eyes and nose. You squeal and smile while we play. I've also caught you resting your feet on top of the bumper. You are too funny!

We spent a couple days rocking on the back pourch listening and watching the rain fall and feeling the cool evening summer breeze brought on by the rain. It was a very sweet calming moment.

For the 4th of July bbq at my family's house, you snuggled on my grandma (91) and aunt's mother (86). You slept in my aunt's mother's arms for like an hour. You were so good and sweet that day. My family and extended family gave you lots of loves and attention.

We rearranged our living room for you and gave you a special play area.

I love when we are sitting together with you in my lap that every now and then you twist your head and look up at me with your big eyes to make sure it's me. I kiss your forehead every time.

You are still working on crawling. You move around on your belly really well and turn 360 degrees with ease. You got up on all fours a few times, but never made forward progress. You can move all over the place in your crib or pack in play.

I think you are starting to recognize Travis's ringtone on my phone. I love watching your face when you hear daddy on the phone. Sometimes you talk back, but usually just try to put your hand on the phone and have come very close to hanging up many times.

The biggest thing that I have done as a parent this month is deactivate my facebook and most of my social media connections. This is a big deal for me. There's multiple reasons why I've given it up, for now, but the main reason is for you. Logan, you really are challenging my views and my world, and I'm trying to be a better person because of that. Thank you.

For future reference:

Sleeping: We've regressed. We are no longer on our 3 nap a day at 9, 11:30, 6 (longest after lunch). You also were sleeping the majority of the night 6-8 hours for about a week. Currently, your naps occur, but not necessary at regular times. One day you sleep long at 11 am, the next day your long nap occurs at 1 pm. At night, we are up anywhere between every 2, 3, or 4 hours.

Eating: You were eating every 2 1/2-3 hours. Currently, during the day you go 2 hr, maybe 2 1/2 hours. Rarely 3. You are eating 4 - 5 oz.

aka Teething bites...

Thank you, God, for choosing me to be this little fella's momma.

Love you, Logan.

Peace, Love, and Goodbye Social Media for Momma,
-Miche

Monday, June 16, 2014

Month 4

Another month, another milestone...

You are so much fun! I love interacting with you just to try and get you to smile. You are squealing and grunting and cooing everyday.

This month you napped on my chest a few times. You haven't done that since you were only a couple weeks old. Of course I soaked in every moment of your cute face and how peaceful you were - you have your whole life to sleep in beds, but you are only small enough to sleep on my chest for a short time.

Your new thing is bending your knees and bringing your legs up while on your back. It's a new diaper changing challenge. You do grab your toes every now and then.

   We took you on your first big trip (longer than 1 hour in the car) to see your grandparents in Mississippi for memorial day weekend. You did wonderful on the ride up. You took a bottle right away and slept until we reached the rest stop. We gave you a diaper change, and you got a pin for it being your first time in MS. The lady at the desk just thought you were adorable. I played with you in the car for a bit and you fell back asleep. You got fussy right at the end since you were hungry again.
    Friday night, Travis and I went on our first date since you were born. We went to an outdoor mall, had dinner at P.F. Changs, and frozen custard at Bop's. We had a great time, but you were on our minds, and invaded our conversation often. When we returned, I grabbed you because I missed you so much. You immediately proceeded to spit up on my shoulder, and when I moved you to face me, you projectile vomited on me. Thanks kid for the warm welcome home. Ha!
    Saturday your grandparents threw a lunch party and invited a bunch of their friends to meet you. You did great being held by many people and at one point had everyone's focus as you smiled, cooed, and laughed.
    Sunday, we went to Sunday school at church, and you joined the adult class. All you did was look around at all the new faces. All the new people wore you out, and you slept the whole time while we joined the entire Booker family for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. You woke up right as we were leaving. That evening, we had dinner at Scott and Gracie's house.
   You did well on the ride home and slept the majority of the way. You woke up very hungry, so I had to feed you in a hotel parking lot. It was pretty secluded and we were able to park in some shade. The car was pretty packed, so it was quite difficult feeding you in the backseat - especially for how long you are getting.
   You rolled over from back to stomach for the first time 5/25 at Nonnie and Poppa's house. We all cheered and you got scared and cried. Lately you have been laying on your side, but never tried to roll to your stomach. Sunday night, you were determined and succeeded.

You now like to stand while being held. Your little legs are so strong. We barely hold you and are just helping you keep your balance.

Some of my favorite moments this month has been walking to Winn Dixie by baby wearing you in the K'tan. Every time, you fall asleep so fast. One time you were snoring in the store. Another time your head fell back (mom had to support it) and your mouth was open. One time you were so alert, looking at all the food products, I thought you were going to lean out of the wrap for a moment.

We've had a couple more play dates. I have so much fun watching you interact with other children. I've really enjoyed the change of pace (stay at home mom life can be rough sometimes) and being able to chat with other moms.

You are now interacting more with toys. Your favorite toy is this very colorful crinkly blankie with corners that you can chew on. You can just sit in your bouncy and play with it for like 20 min. It's perfect so that mom can heat up and eat lunch!

We visited dad at work for the first time. I made sure to put you in your special Reinhart orange onsie. All his coworkers enjoyed seeing how alert you were. You even gave a few smiles. I took a few pics of you sitting in Daddy's big chair. You looked SO tiny. Our visit occurred during your normal nap time so you got pretty sleepy towards the end. You were so tired, I couldn't even leave the street and you were out.

This month I feel like we have mastered (or have come close ;)) at taking you out and about. I feel very comfortable with it, especially with daddy.

You've gone to the nursery for the first time this month. You do great and never cry. All the workers say you don't make a sound and just look around. They all love you. We put you in it for every service now.

When you are in a good mood, and I choose to read to you, you get SO excited about reading books sometimes. You squeal, coo, grab at pages (sometimes even close the book), and put your hands on the pages. You're favorites are still "Little Blue Truck," "Hello New Orleans," and our new favorite, "Happy Hippo, Angry Duck."

This month I began summer school. I'm teaching a night class on Monday and Wednesday's from 6 - 9 pm. This is HARD. I didn't know what I was going to get into.... I am beyond exhausted when I come home from work. Here's a typical teaching day: 7 am, I begin taking care of you. During that time, I try to do school work, house work, eat lunch, pump milk for while I'm gone, and get dressed for work. I don't stress if I don't get any type of work done because you are my priority. At around 4:30, Travis comes home early so that I can leave and fight 5 pm traffic to drive to the west bank. I done office work for about 20 min, and head to class. I teach from 6 - 9 and drive home. Arriving at home around 9:30/9:40, I immediately have to feed you. I'm so happy this is only twice a week. As exhausting as I am when I return home, I am so happy to hear the stories of play time you have with Daddy. I know Travis is cherishing these moments where he has you all to himself, and that makes working a little easier.

You've become quite the chatter box lately. It's SO much fun watching you try to talk. You get so excited that you get the hiccups sometimes. Sometimes, I sit you facing me and we chat for about 20 min in the morning. It sounds like you are saying Mom - in which you say it a lot - but I know you don't realize what you are saying. I know you are just learning sounds and how to move your mouth and tongue. But it is pretty cool to hear you say it. :)

We celebrated Father's day by going to the Aquarium and the River walk. You did so well, and I really think you enjoyed looking at all the big and colorful fish.

You love tummy time so much. So much so that now, when we place you on your back to play, you refuse and immediately flip over to your tummy. You basically stay in one spot, play with Sophie, and sometimes make circles - but your tummy stays in the same spot.

All of this growing up is so bittersweet.... I couldn't be prouder of your development, but please slow down....at least just a little? I know you won't stay small for long, but I'm having a hard time with you growing so fast...I think my hormones are talking...This month has been rough dealing with this. Do I really want you to stop growing? Of course not. I am so proud of all the milestones you have already reached. I truly do enjoy being able to witness each and every one. I often think of what you will grow up to be one day. All I want is for you to know and love Jesus, and be happy.

Weight
Birth: 7 lbs. 11 oz
1 month: 9 lbs. 12 oz
2 month: 10 lbs. 13 oz
3 month: 12 lbs. 10 oz
4 month: 14 lbs. 9 oz

Height
Birth: 20.25"
1 month: 22.25"
2 month: 23"
3 month: 24.25
4 month: 25"

Thank you, God, for choosing me to be this little fella's momma.

Love you, Logan.

Peace, Love, and a rolling little boy,
-Miche