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5 months

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:34:51 -0700

I wouldn’t typically post a 5 month post, but so much has changed with our little guy I felt compelled to post.
Something magical transpired between four and five months. Gone is the little guy with reflux and all day digestive issues. In his place is a much happier, still serious and intense, but healthy little guy who is a star to his siblings.
The transition to four kids sent me into a treading water survival mode, but life has finally settled. Isaac is taking 1 1/2 hour naps, and getting more than 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night (which means I’m getting to sleep at night too!) Plus, seeing Isaac smile, and not seethe in pain is comforting to this mama.
At 5 months, he loves oatmeal, is not a fan of his once a day bottle, wants so badly to crawl but still resembles a swimmer out of water, rolls to get to destinations,and has serious “coos” of conversations with anyone who will look his way.
We survived. The kids seem unfazed. Kindergarten continued. Summer is coming. Isaac is smiling. Reflux is mentioned around here in the past tense. Ahh, for all this and so much more, I am thankful to God.

Photos by our talented friend Bri.

4 Months

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:24:42 -0700

It was a little over a year ago that we found out our family was growing. Yet, it seems like Isaac has always been a part of our family equation.
At four months Isaac:
• Has rolled over a few times, but hasn’t mastered this trick... much to his dismay.
• Coos and talks softly like a dove
• Hates tummy time and will scream almost from the moment I put him down until he either rolls – or I roll him over.
• Loves to suck his three fingers (I did this as a baby too!)
• Still wakes 3-5 times a night
• Needs a lot of attention from mom or dad – eye contact, being held with verbal interaction.
• Loves to watch his siblings
• Is starting to play with toys by grabbing and mouthing them
• Has not fallen into a schedule, or anything that resembles a schedule
We love this little guy with his chubby cheeks and his sweet pensive looks. It’s a good thing he’s cute because he is probably our most challenging baby to date. He’s particular (certain blanket textures, placed only in certain ways on him or he won’t have it). He’s loud (Isaac doesn’t cry, he screams at the top of his lungs). He’s also tenacious. Put this together with this three older siblings, and we’re left exhausted! I joke with Robb that Isaac is a firstborn child born fourth in his family, and he refuses to let us, or himself accept his fate.
His favorite thing in all the world is to be held and talked to, and he would do this for hours.
I’m hopeful that as he grows and his stomach gets better, he’ll mellow out. However, I’m pretty sure his intensity and dramatic flair are just parts of his personality.

4 Years Old

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:09:34 -0700

She has been waiting to be four for the past year. Reminding us almost daily that her birthday was March 3rd, and she would be turning four and could ride in “Aunt Mickey’s car.” (Nikki) When we asked Alexis what she wanted for her birthday, she said she would like chocolate and a movie.
Sweets and movies are Alexis’ favorite things. At Christmas when she opened a gift from Uncle Jeremy and discovered she was getting the movie WALL-E, she screamed in sheer delight and began to jump up and down chanting the movie Title.
Alexis is simply Alexis. You never have to wonder about hidden motives, or try to uncover her real feelings. She feels a freedom to display what she feels or thinks without restraint. Most of the time, she is an easy going girl with few requests and demands. She is our nurturing quiet child. If there is a pet nearby, you can bet she is hovering over it talking softly to it, or trying to give hugs. She is the same with Isaac, often whispering lullabies to him while he plays or stroking his cheek and watching him on his mat.
Alexis can also play rough, and loves to flip off the couch, tackle with her brother and dad, and scream just for the fun of it.
Her favorite movie is Tangled, her favorite princess to meet is Snow White, her favorite food is my Grandma’s mashed potatoes (Which she requested from my Grandma when asked about birthday gifts), and her favorite toy is her Kid’s I-pad given to her by Nan and Pop for Christmas.
She loves to climb playground equipment and has proved me wrong several times when I told her she was too young to master a particular climb or toy.
We took her to Disneyland for her birthday and she couldn’t have been more thrilled. She gave the biggest hugs to the characters and soaked up every experience and moment.

We sure love our Lexi Lu!

One Month

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:29:21 -0700

Alexis and Jonathan were easy babies. There are lots of positive attributes to describe Natalie as a baby, but “easy” isn’t one of them. Right before Isaac was born, I told Robb I had a feeling he would be like his oldest sister.
Isaac had the entire delivery room cracking up when he was born with his unbelievably loud screaming. The doctor declared him the loudest baby she had ever delivered.
He wailed like that for an hour. Then he became calm, and he was your textbook perfect baby - cried only when wet or hungry, and slept the rest of the time. I thought I had misjudged him.
Then we came home.
That first night he screamed non-stop. He screamed so loud, and so hard, and so long that he lost his voice. That raspy cry was harder to hear than the ear piercing scream.
Thankfully, he doesn’t scream nonstop these days. But...
He wants to be held. Especially at night. He’ll scream until I pick him up, then he passes out only to wake screaming when I try to put him down in his bassinet. Each week he becomes a little more demanding (or is the lack of sleep that makes it seem harder?).
He’s not colicky. I’d describe him as particular. And he’s loud if his needs aren’t met. That’s a big difference in my book. I couldn’t stop Natalie’s screaming, but as long as Isaac is being held, he’s mellow.
We haven’t slept much around here. In a six hour period at night, it’s very common for me to be up with him 8-10 times: rocking him, replacing a paci, changing a diaper, or feeding him. I think exhausted is an understatement for how I feel.
He reached his one month milestone on the 15th. I heard him coo for the first time yesterday, and Robb swears he smiles at him (but this has not been confirmed :).
I took him to the doctor today to see if he had reflux. While I’m sad to hear he is indeed suffering, I was glad to get some medicine that will hopefully help him feel better. He weighed in at 10 pounds so I know he’s getting enough food!
Most people say he looks like Jonathan, but I think he looks more like Natalie as a baby.
Natalie:

Jonathan
Isaac:

Isaac is super serious during his wake times. He usually sports a frown for most of the day. But when he’s sleeping, he smiles non-stop and laughs quite a bit. I guess he’ll be like his mama - reserved :).

Soccer

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:01:52 -0700

We gave Natalie the choice of soccer or ballet for the Fall. Robb was hopeful she would choose soccer and sweetened the deal by telling her if she played, he would coach. Natalie has never shown interest in sports or displayed any natural athleticism (this is the child I took to the eye doctor because she ran into walls, tables, and many other stationary objects only to be told she saw perfect but was clumsy), so we weren’t sure if she would enjoy playing. The first few games were comical with all of the players on her team. Our first game the only goal scored for us was by the opposing team. But Robb was a patient and faithful coach, and he took the Tigers, a group of five five year olds, and transformed them into a team that could defend the goal, and a team that could score.
The first few games Natalie chased the crowd more than the ball, and while she enjoyed playing, she wasn’t competitive and she wasn’t interested in playing hard. By the end of the season, she had turned into one of the most competitive team members. At the last game, she scored 3 of the team’s 4 goals. We were all amazed at her transformation. She is more than excited to play next year, and Robb is ready to jump in and take the team to the next level.