Colette - 3 Months

Dear Colette,

Happy 3 months!

You are a determined 3 month old. You are always on the move. You are so wiggly that you tend to wiggle enough to get you a little bit away from where I put you down. You seem to have taken a break for rolling over. Now you just get frustrated. You love attention. You want to see someone and have them pay attention to you. You love to stiffen your legs and stand. If we grab your hands, you get so excited because you think we are going to pull you up to your feet. You love bath time and are always kicking your feet off the side of the tub. We have to watch you like a hawk because of how wiggly and determined you are. You get this very determined face and seem to be trying to achieve something.

 You love to eat, but you are also a distracted eater. You like to look around at everything and get made if the bottle comes out of your mouth. Then you decide you need to keep your hands on it to prevent it from going anywhere while still moving your head in every direction. You love to watch Johnathan and love it when he decides to play with you. He likes to play pick a boo with you, give you hugs, and hold your hand.

 You do a pretty good job at sleeping. You go down to bed around 7:30/8 and get up at 4 in the morning to eat. Then you usually will sleep until 7:30/8 a.m. This does not always happen so perfectly though. You sometimes are giving us a hard time from 2-4 until you get that bottle. We are moving you into Johnathan’s room tonight, so hopefully the transition goes smoothly—mostly for Johnathan.

 Your active, determined personality is coming through. Daddy and I wonder what kind of toddler you are going to be. Johnathan was a pretty calm baby and is a wild toddler. Maybe you will be more a calm toddler, since you are a very active baby. Who knows? I will admit I am not a fan of babies until they are about 3 or 4 months old. Everyone always says they miss those newborn days. I sure won’t. I didn’t with Johnathan, and I won’t with you. It is now that the personality and schedules start really setting in and that is what I love.

We are sure glad you are in our family Colette. We look forward to seeing you continue to grow and learn.

Love,

Mommy

A Letter to Johnathan

Dear Johnathan,

I need you to hold on for as long as you can. I know lots of parents say their children need to slow down, but the thought of you becoming a big brother is making the growing up part seem faster. You have made my all time favorite month even more exciting. You associated your costume with people giving you things and insisted on wearing it. You don't seem to mind or remember when I take the treats away and put them in the pantry. Since trick or treating the weekend before Halloween and on Halloween, you still haven't had a piece of all your hard gathering work. You insisted you put the candy in your bucket. We don't really give you treats and if we do, it is very little. Yet, the treats you will pick out of the bowls were always the ones I would not allow you to have anyways, such as gobstoppers, warheads, and suckers. We think you went for those because you thought it was a ball or something. Your excitement for pumpkins, spiders, ghost, and just saying the word Halloween makes me want to keep out all my Halloween stuff year round. It has been a very fun, last month with you being the only child.

Now you can get excited about Turkeys. We know you love saying 'gobble, gobble.'

I know you will be a great big brother. You get more and more excited about the baby the more we talk about it actually being here. You often point to the drawers on the dresser and tell us which ones are the baby's drawers. You get excited when you point to the baby's crib in your room, and we say the baby is going to sleep there. You often want your baby doll around, and I bet we will see more of it after the baby is born. Keep your love and excitement for all things going throughout your entire life. We need more people like you in the world. I feel so blessed that Heavenly Father has trusted us with such a happy, loving, caring little boy. Your little sister will look up to you and love you just as much as you will love her.

Now the waterworks are starting to build up in my eyes. No matter what you will always be my little boy. It is so fun to start hearing you actually communicate with us and using words. Some of our favorites are cramper (cracker), unkin (pumpkin), alligator eats clothes (we have an alligator laundry basket). You are always wanting us to read books to you. It also helps remind me to stop what I am doing and take some time with you. You love to be in the kitchen and make food with us. You slide a chair up to the counter most of the time I am in there. You love to do your puzzles and are very good at identifying numbers and animals. You are getting better at your colors. You love cars, trucks, bikes, and anything with wheels. And of course, you love Mickey Mouse and his gang. I am sure there are more things I could write about you right now, but my mind is drawing a blank.

It is so exciting to see you grow up, but I also want to hold on to the little 2 year old you are.

We love you very much!

Love, Mom

Happy 2nd Birthday!!!

Dear Johnathan,

Wow! You are two years old. You are the best two year old if I may say so. Your love and joy for life is contagious.

To the FIRST. . .

*Note--I am not pregnant/expecting. I just had this on my mind today while on a morning walk. 

 

"It is more fun to talk to someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like 'what about lunch?'" 
                                    -Winnie the Pooh 

Dearest Johnathan, 

You are the first and only. But, one day that second may not be so. I am actually scared stiff of the idea of having a second child. I feel like I can only handle you. There is just not enough time in the day. However, if another one or two or so come along. . . you are my first. You are the first one to be held in my arms. You are the first to call me mom. I sure hope you are the first to tell me you love me. You are the first to drive me crazy. You are the first to tear the house apart. You are the first to stick you fingers in your mouth and curl up to read a book on my lap. You are the first to get excited that daddy is home. You are the first to fun up behind me and grab my legs. You are the first to throw a fit because apparently I either don't give you food or I don't give you food fast enough. You are the first to run outside and discover the world around you. I am sure I can go on with many first, but we still have plenty of time to make more first each day. 

I can't imagine having another and not giving you my undivided attention. What I love about  you is your contagious grin. You have a love for people and the world around you that I hope will never go away. I too learned at a young age to accept everyone around me. I learned that everyone is special and a child of God. I learned to love and not judge and to trust. Not necessarily in people, but in God who knows all. This gift I have learned has taken me through many hardships and trials, and wonderful memories throughout my life. When I got called to serve my mission in Germany, I felt a love for those people before I even stepped in their country. Not only did I come to love them more, I also fell in love with the Middle Easterners, Asians, Africans, Latinos and all the people from around the world. I taught the the gospel that I so loved and saw many miracles all because I loved and trusted. 

Johnathan I can see those qualities in you now. The way you have no fear of anybody around you. The way you show kindness and love toward others. It is crazy to think that you are my first toddler, then my first pre-teen, then teen, then missionary. I can tell at this age that you will make a wonderful missionary, husband, and father. Your love for Jesus already shows in how excited you get when you see his picture. But for now, let's take this one step at a time and have many more first. When the time does come, you will be the best big brother and friend. 

For now, let's focus on 'what's for lunch?' 

Love, Mommy 

A True Toddler

Can it really be? Is it really so? Can Johnathan really be 18 month already?

It is indeed true. And he is a toddler for sure. He is such a joy to have in our family. He still has that soft crazy hair. People still have to touch his head or make a comment about his hair no matter where we go. Johnathan does not mind one bit. He is still our very social, people loving little boy. I sure hope he always stays that way. His smile lights up the room.

He is such an active little guy. I am lucky if I get a picture that his not just blurry. He is always on the go. He also knows that when I yell his name, he immediately steps away from what ever thing he is not suppose to be doing. He still sticks his two little fingers in his mouth when he is tired or goes to sleep. He has an obsession with socks and shoes. He loves balls, babies, treats, and baths. I was saying something about a treat one day and did not realize he knew what that word even means until he took off running to the kitchen. We also were working on saying baby Jesus. He got baby down for sure. He loves to hold the baby Jesus from the toy nativity set. He even says baby with a southern accent. It is so funny.

The words he says (or attempts to say) are ball, baby, bath, more (word and sign), please (only sign), thank you (only sign), daddy, mom (only when mad), hat (really he just touches he head), car, shoes, socks, Grandma & Grandpa (says ma, pa). I can't think of any others at the moment, but he does understand a lot more then he can speak. Which is true with any language learning. I know I was that way when learning German.

He takes one nap a day and sleeps from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. He loves to read books. He will bring us a book and have us read it all the time. That is the only time we really can get him to hold still. He is just like his mommy and has too much of a love for anything bread.

We sure love our kid. I am sure there is more about him, but I can't think of it right now.

Glad to have him in our family. I am learning to not let a moment just pass us by. To stop and slow down, to enjoy and take it in.