Life lately...

Life lately has been so wonderful and busy, so I thought I would just make this post more of an update like I have done in the past with titles for each part of our busy life! 

Landon

He is definitely the most fun, important, interesting, and time filled part of our lives these days! He is now 5 months old as of April 2 and growing like a weed! At his 4 month appointment on March 20 (so more like 4 1/2 months) he weighed 16.6lbs and was 25 3/4 in long! No wonder my back hurts all the time! ;-) He is full of energy and awake for about 2 hours between his naps. He still takes about 2-3 naps a day and has become an official stomach sleeper. It worried me for awhile because you always hear that you need to put your baby on their back to sleep because of the risk of SIDS. However, his neck is very strong and he pretty much refuses to stay on his back and immediately flips over to his tummy even in his sleep making it impossible to "force" him to stay on his back. He is getting a little more difficult to put to sleep because he doesn't want to miss anything (or so we think haha), but he is staying asleep for longer, so I definitely can't complain when it comes to my free mommy time in the afternoons. He sleeps good at night with the occasional waking up in the night, but quickly goes back to sleep after he eats. He has officially started sleeping in his crib overnight (yet I may have an occasional mommy moment and let him sleep in our room at times! Just makes me sad to not see him sleeping next to me- just more evidence that he is getting too big too fast :-/). He is a mover in his sleep and his crib gives him more room to squirm :-)

We have now started "solid" foods beginning with a tablespoon of rice cereal or oatmeal once a day usually in the afternoon. The first try was what you would expect with the look of "What in the world is this stuff?!" But every time after has seemed to say, "Yay! Give me more! I love this stuff!" We have also tried avacados and sweet potatoes, which he LOVED! He is still taking ranitidine for acid reflux 3 times a day and it seems to help with his symptoms, and will hopefully be something he grows out of soon. Teething has begun and we saw the first white cap on April 17! It is his bottom left canine, which I guess is less common as the first tooth. But we just like to keep things interesting! None of this "rule following" business for our little boy! Haha! The fussiness and irritability that comes with getting teeth is definitely apart of our day, and we have been trying all the remedies in the book. Hylands teething tablets seem to work the best so far. As well as his chewbeads that my sister introduced to me.  

He is now wearing 6 month clothes and they fit him well with a just a little growing room. Won't be long until we move onto the next size. I officially packed up all his 0-3 month clothes with some "mommy sadness" in my heart. My little boy is growing up too fast, and while I want him to grow and thrive I also want to push the pause button for a couple more weeks in each stage. Just let me enjoy it for a little longer and then you can keep growing! Tear!

He has mastered rolling from his back to his tummy to the right and we are working on rolling back to our back and rolling to both sides. We also practice sitting everyday, but he is not quite sitting on his own yet. He loves to laugh and we love making him laugh. However, he often gives himself the hiccups after laughing a lot which eventually frustrate him. So hopefully this will be something he grows out of soon! We just bought him a fisher price jumperoo and he has loved it so far! He is getting better and better at exploring it every day. He loves his toys and grabs everything and immediately brings it to his mouth to inspect. Yay for the disinfecting stage of life!

Landon is so much fun and we have enjoyed every second of the last 5 1/2 months! We often just look at each other with amazement that he is really our little boy and we have this special opportunity to raise him as our child. What an amazing gift! Thank you Lord!

4 months... 

SOOO many good pics in this photo session...how do I only choose a couple?!

Yum!! First time trying "solid food"

4 month doctor appointment! Before shots...I think all three of us cry after shots! :-/

We love walking around outside with Daddy...especially around nap time ;-)

I'm a big boy sitting in my Bumbo!

Cousin time at the lake...many more like this to come! (Landon 4 months, Kensler 3 months)

5 months...

 Happy 5 months!

I used to be so little that mommy had to hold me. Now I am too big! How did this happen so quickly!?

 He will kill me someday for posting this pic, but I just had to! Isn't he the cutest!?

Love my chewbeads! Especially when my gums hurt!

Aunt Aubrey came to visit and helped dad put this together! Lots of fun times ahead! Yes, it may also be a "circle of neglect" as I heard my friend call it, but it's a fun circle of neglect! Haha!

Lake time!! 

I love avacados!

And sweet potatoes! Think I could get used to this whole food thing!

 Finding my toes!

I love my family! Happy Easter! 

One blessed Momma!

I love my handsome boys!

House 

We are now 95% done with our house besides the decorating and finishing touches! We have only mirrors for our master and guest bath and a couple final touches on bathroom cabinets. We are waiting to buy some new bedroom furniture before we officially move into our new master bedroom. Which may take awhile because our ability, time, and desire to shop is limited. And we are NEVER good with decisions! Haha! We are content for now in taking it slow. And in the meantime, we enjoy working on all the small projects around the house. 

We are also done with Landon's nursery and I LOVE it! I will take and post pictures "soon" of the house and his room! 

Hobbies

I have taken up sewing as a new hobby to add onto scrapbooking, so that has kept me pretty busy. Right now I am working on making baby gifts for all my family and friends having babies. Seems to be a lot these days. I also continue to work on Landon's scrapbook, which I have always loved doing. I am also trying to get into cooking more. I have started trying to make a weekly meal plan instead of deciding at 5:00 what to make for dinner. It has been pretty successful so far. I enjoy looking for new recipes and have LOVED my crock pot! Highly suggest crockingirls.com. Clint has been busy planting his garden and new fruit trees. He has such a passion for it and has a definite green thumb when it comes to making things grow. I love seeing him so excited about it and enjoy the benefits of fresh food! He also LOVES to fish and we have enjoyed our weekend trips to the family lake house in Abilene. The fish are plentiful and so is the cooking oil! 

Landon is just upset because we didn't let him hold the fish! It weighed nearly as much as him, so clearly we were being good parents in not allowing it. ;-)

Blair

Blair has given us so many opportunities to be ministered to and to minister to others. We were recently interviewed for a short informational film for Holden Uganda. We shared our story and how Blair's well came to be through this awesome ministry. We will be excited to share it when it is put together! It is such a blessing to be apart of it! On the same day some fellow hope moms set up a bake sale to raise money to make hope boxes for other hurting moms and raised enough to make 29 boxes! Thank you Jesus! Just another opportunity to reach out to others. I am beyond blessed with the many situations the Lord has laid in my lap because of Blair to help others. Unfortunately there seem to be more and more moms brought to my attention that have lost their babies and I am honored to bring honor to Blair by helping them. And just an fyi...I am here to help in anyway that I can if you or a loved one ever has to endure the loss of a child. With the Lord's strength, and not my own, I would love to reach out and direct families to the ministries and people that helped and continue to help me through my journey of healing. I also realized I never shared anything about Blair's first birthday...hope to do that in a later post. A lot has been going on during and since then, so you will just have to excuse my random late postings from time to time...

Well now that the day is almost over haha....spent 2 naps on this post! wheww! Now thats dedication! More to post later!

Behind in the blog world...

Well, there I go again! Letting a lot of time go by without a blog post! I have decided it is just something I am going to have to live with. Haha! I have been so busy taking care of my sweet boy and things around the house that unfortunately this becomes the last thing on the list of things to do. And that is OK!! Luckily I have not stopped taking pictures, however, and working on Landon's scrapbook. So good mommy points there I guess ;-)

As I reflect on what to write in this post, my mind goes to both of my sweet babies. Not just the one I have in my arms, but also my little one in heaven. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her. Most of the time it brings a smile to my face knowing she is in a place of complete happiness- not a place of painful gas, spitting up, or tiredness that Landon is in sometimes. She does not know what it is like to cry, to be in pain, or be sad. And that is just surreal to think about. Because as humans on this earth we feel all kinds of emotions with pain and sadness very much apart of our life. 

(I wrote this blog when Landon was 3 1/2 months old- mid February...that just shows you I had good intentions, but just didn't finish it so I am not going to try and change this, but I will just make a new updated post soon because he has changed SO MUCH!)

Landon is now 3 1/2 months old, and I am grateful that he only knows pain when his stomach is giving him fits, which I have narrowed down to my intake of dairy products- ever since I stopped drinking my daily glass of milk and eating cheese like it's another food group ha!- he seems to have less painful cries. He is also one who NEEDS his sleep! If he doesn't get his naps for the day he is one cranky boy...takes after his mom and dad there! Other then that he is absolutely the happiest baby ever! He loves to smile and kick his feet and is "talking" so much! He makes all kinds of noises and seems like he tries to mimic us and the sounds we make to him. He has discovered his hands now and pulls them into his mouth often. He hasn't grabbed hard toys yet, but loves to pull blankets and his burp cloths to his face. He is sleeping at least a 6 hour stretch most nights now and goes back to sleep until around 8 or 9 am, which is wonderful for his momma who loves to sleep! His nap length varies from day to day, but he takes at least 3 a day in his bed if we are home. He is eating around 5-6 times a day and strictly breastfeeding, which has been a sweet time for me to be with him. Just amazing to think that my body is providing him what he needs to survive-(Thank you Lord for the blessing of being able to breastfeed!) He is wearing 3 month clothes and they fit him really well. He has been able to wear each outfit at least 2 or more times, so it is nice to get some use of his clothes since he didn't last real long in newborns. It won't be too long until we move into 3-6 month clothes and he is already wearing 3-6 month pjs. He LOVES bath time and now takes one with his momma-much easier that way! We have also figured out that Landon is very hot natured! If he is upset, we usually just stand with him next to a fan and he immediately calms down. And sometimes all you have to do is pull his socks off or roll down the window and he is a happy camper again! Oh my! What will the summer be like when it will be hard to cool him off quickly!?! Haha! Landon is truly the joy of our lives and we have LOVED every minute the Lord has blessed us to have with him! 

Going back to my first thought, I know it is inevitable that Landon will experience sadness in this life, and I wish I could keep it from happening. But I know it is what makes us human, and it's those moments of sadness that we realize just how much we need a Savior. It makes us long for heaven even more where there is no sadness. As I look at my little boy and experience every milestone with him, it brings my thoughts to Blair and just how much I did miss out of with her. I never got to see her smile, hear her coos, change her diaper, pick out her clothes, swaddle her to sleep, kiss her little tummy, or see her excited to see me each time I opened the door after she slept. Oh how I miss her and wanted to experience those sweet moments with her. But it makes me that much more grateful that I have these moments with Landon. Every child is a blessing! And every time I look at Landon it makes my heart so full it could burst! To think, that is the kind of love that Jesus has when he looks at me, his child!? And when he looks at Blair face to face everyday! WOW! Amazing huh!? 

I wonder how Landon will feel when we tell him he has a sister in heaven, when he is really old enough to understand. Will he be sad? Will he want to go meet her? Will he long for heaven like we do? So many questions and things that I wonder. All I can think of is how I long to tell him about her and how we will get to see her someday. I look forward to telling him about Jesus and all he has done for us and that He is the only way to heaven. And how much he was a gift from Jesus to our family. He has restored joy, peace, and hope in our lives and I am so grateful for him!! 

Here are some random pics from 3 months (ish)