Friends

I pray everyday that Owen and Emma will not only get along, but will be great friends.

One

Emma and Owen are one!!! 

One...I am having a hard time letting that sink in. Honestly, I don't know where this past year has gone and how my itty bitty preemie babies are now toddlers who walk and talk, eat hummus by the spoonful and black beans by the can, who run to daddy when he comes home from work, and run to me while saying "Mama" over and over again.

This past year has been full of learning about and delighting in each other. I am so grateful for two happy little kiddos who exude joy and are teaching me so much about life and love. I am cherishing each moment, writing down memories and taking pictures...and in it all, my heart feels so ridiculously full. I didn't know that life could ever be so amazing, so fresh, so full of love that points me to God. It is refreshing and tiring and worth every moment.

I am so thankful for Owen and Emma, for their distinct differences in personality, for how both of them contribute to and complete our family in different ways. It has been so fun to see their personalities unravel.

Emma is our little character. She is full of laughter, silliness and games. She loves to smile and is a total charmer. The other day she had some waitresses and guests wrapped around her finger as she smiled, laughed, clapped and squealed for them in the restaurant. She loves to give kisses, read books, try to feed me with her spoon, play peek-a-boo, laugh, take naps with me, snuggle, run around, be chased and tickled, help push the laundry baskets to the drying rack when they are full of clothes (this is her "chore" now), dance to music, play with shoes (thankfully she no longer licks them), sweep with her toy broom, and turn everything into a game. She has a fun personality and sense of humor. She is smart as a whip, can follow some simple directions, do a few baby signs, and point to what she wants. She is a tough cookie, rarely crying if she gets hurt, giving whatever hurt her a scowl as she rubs her aching body part. Emma has the most adorable nose squinch smile that shows off two of her four pearly whites, is passionate about food (she loves peas, hummus, black beans, spaghetti and blueberries the most), and is a total Mama's girl. She is a joy.

Owen is our fairly laid back, somewhat serious little dude. Unlike his extrovert sister, Owen is an introvert and enjoys spending time in his crib alone. Often times after taking a nap, he will play in his crib for a good 20 minutes and just laugh his head off at who knows what. He has an infectious belly laugh, which is most noticed when he is chased, tickled or held upside down. He loves to be tossed, go swimming, take baths, stand at the window, bang or drum on anything, sleep, his owl blanket (Mr. Owl), touch anything that has a light, a cord, or spins. He is particularly fond of remotes, the elevator, the ceiling fans at our condo, and wheels on anything. He loves pasta, peas, yogurt and applesauce. He makes his parents nervous though too because he is excellent at shoveling WAY too much food in his mouth and then moaning at us because he can't swallow it, while simultaneously not allowing us to help him. He is less quick to give a smile but has an easier time adjusting to being around other people. He is as sweet as sweet can be, loving snuggles, sitting in a lap to read or just relax. His big brown eyes melt my heart. He is a joy.

We are so blessed by them and grateful to be their parents.

Picture of the day: September 21

Somebody didn't want to be kissed...

Picture of the day: September 20

My sweet babies. 

Picture of the day: September 11

Emma is really into reading (hooray!!) and kissing everyone and everything these days. I love that she'll crawl into my lap to read, or that when we Skype with people, she kisses the ipad screen. 

Our wonderful helper, Miss Ning plays with and loves on our kids so well. i managed to capture a few sweet pictures of Emma and her reading "Snuggle Bunny" together...

Picture of the day: September 2

Most mornings I get to enjoy a good 30-40 minutes alone with this handsome little guy. He is such a happy boy overall, but mornings are when he is by far the happiest and full of the most giggles. We spend our time taking morning milk, laughing, pointing and staring at the ceiling fan, playing catch with a ball...which means him tossing it and me rolling it back to him, clapping, singing and squealing in delight over everything (him, not me) and sometimes taking pics. 

Picture of the day: August 29

This is Owen's new thing that has developed in the last 2 weeks: feeding himself. He immediately throws his body backwards to lay down/lounge to drink it and he does it whether you are ready to catch him or not. Ha! What a goofer.

Picture of the day: August 28

Emma doesn't drink well from the nuby sippy cup but does fantastic with the straw sippy. Owen is the exact opposite. Funny kidlets with funny differences.

What if we encouraged instead of judged?

I found this post sitting in my drafts from April! Thought I would add to it and finally post!

So today I was asked by another mother if my children were sleeping through the night. I know hers have slept through the night practically since birth so I knew what was coming...the comparisons,the judgement, the "you're a bad mother" looks. I answered truthfully; they still get up. Sometimes it is just at 5 am, sometimes it's at 11, 2 & 5...I never know what it will be. It depends on their needs, how much they ate before bed, if they are having a growth spurt, etc. Anyway, I got the sympathetic yet slightly judgmental pause with an "ooh...they should be sleeping through the night by now" response. And suddenly I found myself swirling in a world of motherhood doubt. Should they be sleeping through the night?! Stupid. I let one measly comment make me second guess the needs of my children. MY CHILDREN. The children that no one else knows better than me except for the one who created them.  So judge away all you want, but I have decided not to really care and not take off hand comments or unwelcome suggestions seriously or personally.

There are so many different parenting methods out there and really, none of them work well unless you know youself and your limits, as well as the needs of your child. I am finding that what works for Owen does not work for Emma; they are individuals with different needs. Clearly, if anything, that demonstrates the necessity to know your child.

So perhaps instead of being quick to judge others for how they decide to parent or how their child behaves, or quick to offer unsolicited "words of wisdom," maybe see what doors open if you just ask how their heart is doing or how you could pray for them. Because really, if that mom had just asked me how things were going, I would have told her they weren't sleeping through the night had I thought it was a problem.

Picture of the day: August 26

One of my friends, in an effort to blog more and give glimpses into her daily life, decided to post almost daily pictures on her blog. She doesn't stress about posting a pic every day, but is at least more intentional about taking pictures. qI liked that idea, so am going to take it and run with it as well. Thanks, Clare!

Mama went to a baby shower and didn't get home until around/after bedtime. Daddy was on double bottle and bedtime duty. Good thing they can hold their own bottles...I remember when they were tiny and if I needed them to drink on their own, I had to prop up their bottle.