Luther: 50 and 52 weeks and 13 months old!

Uh oh....Luther's first birthday has come and gone, and I haven't even finished his bi-weekly posts! Once this is posted, I'm going to be going back over the last YEAR and going to TRY to get caught up on my monthly updates. Heaven forbid I let these children down! I have hundreds of pictures that require at least a brief explanation. If that's too much, I just at least want them in chronological order. Moms of three kids....I don't know how you stay on top of your lives! People think we should move into a bigger house and I'm like are you kidding me?! More to clean and keep organized ON TOP of everything else?! No thank you. Very happy here.

At least today.

50 Weeks

52 Weeks

• Well thankfully I wrote on his 50 week picture that he did the stair for the first time. So I guess he did the stair the first time that week!  I do remember him checking it out more and more and finally it just clicked! 

• He rode in a cart up front like a big boy for the first time on February 20th! Took us almost a full year. He seemed to enjoy the new view and mommy and daddy enjoyed more space in the cart!

• Luther is no longer the youngest on either side of the family! New cousin Paige was born on February 29th and Walker was born on March 1st. How fun! He really loves touching Paige's squishy face and poking her in the eye. All out of love. 

• I think it was February where he really started consistently pulling himself up on things. He tries so hard to be in with the big kids! 

• He would prefer to be held for a solid 10 minutes after waking up. Try to put him down or change his diaper too quickly and he'll definitely be protesting.

• His donut/breakfast themed party was so much fun. He wasn't happy when we took his smash doe doe away from him though. He would have been quite content to sit there for another 30 minutes and continue eating, but the rest of us wanted to move on to presents! He got a new phone, a house that talks and plays music, new balls, rattles, a sword, and was showered with lots of love and attention. It's incredible how the year went so quickly yet so slowly all at the same time. When you're in it, the days can seem long, yet you look back and it seems like a blink of an eye. Daddy was just kissing and laughing with him last night and I though about how new and little he was in the hospital. Only last year! And now he's crawling around and offering kisses and having an opinion about this or that. We had so much to learn about our Luther Tom!

• One thing we've always noticed about Luther is that he has more of an opinion about things that the other two did at his age. I don't like to speak negatively over him, but for the purpose of remembering how he was as a baby, we often say he's dramatic and opinionated. He has a high pitched fake (or sometimes not so fake) cry and will scrunch his cute little face up when he gets upset. Take for instance Sunday night (so he's now 13 months old...) we went out for ice cream and his portion was gone. Not pleased about that. Or yesterday when we were playing out front and I had to carry him back inside with me to get something for Conrad. Also not happy about that. Once we had returned to the garage, he was fine but how dare I take him inside when Gwendolyn and Conrad were playing! He's just funny. 

• He also refuses to look at me when I'm trying to take a picture and literally ignores me. I've run out of all tricks to get his attention. And I am a photographer! Grrrr. 

I told Tom that we would have "that child" who would cry at his first birthday picture session if I wasn't the one taking his pictures. He has definitely been going through separation anxiety and clings to you if you try to hand him off to someone, even people he knows. Kinda breaks my heart, but thankfully he doesn't cry long. 

Here's what I wrote for his 13 month post:

"You're 13 months today, Luther Thomas! I still can't get over you standing on your own like a big boy. It's so cute! You now wave hi and bye bye, and sign "milk" and "more." You clearly say dada, uh oh, and na (no). I think I've only heard you say "mama" in the middle of the night. :)

You give kisses and the best baby hugs. You have an opinion about what you'd like to eat or not eat, and you do not like having toys taken away from you (ahem Conrad.) You love balloons, balls, blocks, swords, your music table, and pretty much anything your siblings are playing with. You recently discovered how fun it is to build and knock down towers! (The doctor said stacking blocks is apparently advanced for your age? Not that we care....) :) Your face lights up at the sight of your daddy and brother and sister, and I love how the three of you show each other love. You seriously look at Gwendolyn and Conrad with such adoring eyes. You still have your adorable modified crawl/scoot, cruise very quickly around furniture, have four teeth, are wearing 12-18 month and some 18-24 month clothes, size 4 diapers, taking two solid 1.5-2 hr naps daily and typically sleep from 8:00 pm to 8:00 am, give or take 30 minutes. You nurse four or five times a day, and I so love our snuggle time before I put you down in your crib (your blanket over my shoulder and you laying on me.) It'd be easier to put you down if you weren't so soft and squishy, but really...why would I want to do that. :) 

Watching your personality develop is so fun and fascinating, and we love you so much!! 

12 month stats as of March 25th, 2016

Weight - 25 lbs, 12 oz (94%)

Height - 31.5" (93%)

Head - 18 5/8" (83%)

• One final update before I hit publish...you were happily staying in the living room even though you could do the stair. Then I left for four days to go visit Aunt Becca and upon coming home, you were no longer staying in the living room. Daddy must have been very busy while I was gone (like, duh) and perhaps consistency went out the window. This has greatly complicated mommy's life because let's just be honest....I can't be in even three different places all at once! And I have officially wished for eyes in the back of my head! You go straight for the rack of shoes and have found it to be quite fun to take them off and move them to the stair. And then to the next stair. And then the next. 

So we've been dealing with that change the last 2.5 weeks. While potty training Conrad. 

Lord help me. And He does!

:)

Luther: 42, 44, 46, and 48 weeks

Oh man. Where has time gone?!! I've stayed relatively on track with the picture taking, but totally dropped the ball on keeping up with my posts. We hit Christmas and then I over-scheduled myself in January with photo sessions.

Thankfully I have Instagram and my Google Keep (such a great app!) list to help me remember all this baby boy has been up to. And it's been a lot! This is certainly the stage of change!! In fact, maybe a month ago I had made note on my Keep list that he had started pulling himself up to standing, but "not consistently". Well that certainly changed over the last two weeks! He's been pulling himself up like crazy on anything he can reach making mommy pretty much constantly nervous. It's been so fun! ;)

Let's get right to it! (Before another month goes by...)

40 Weeks

42 43 Weeks

44 Weeks

and 10 months old!

46 Weeks

48 Weeks

and 11 months old!

 "clapping"

 "SO BIG!"

Ready for a lot of random thoughts? I can't believe it's been 2 months.....

• He started officially crawling towards the end of December, so about 9.5 months old. He has continued to crawl with his right knee on the floor using his left leg to scoot himself to where he wants to go just a bit faster. It's pretty darn cute. And he covers a lot of territory!

• Luther's first Christmas was wonderful. We spent most of his Christmas money on a few bigger things for all three kids to share (wooden table and chairs and a Plasmacar), but he didn't seem to mind. He got a new book, some adorable Zutano booties, and a much needed hooded bath towel so he was pretty well set! He traveled well, slept decently, stayed healthy, and loved all the extra hugs and kisses from both sides of the family.

• At just under 10 months, I took him in for his 9 month well check. He was 23 lbs, 9 oz (92%), 30 1/8" long (93%), and has a lovely 18.5" noggin (90%). And no shots! Yay!

He's longer and not has heavy as Conrad was at 9 months. Not that that really matters, but it's fun to see how they're the same or different.

• On January 12th, we made the BIG transition. Conrad moved out of his crib and into a twin sharing a room with Gwendolyn, and Luther moved out of our bedroom and into the crib in the spare bedroom. I was absolutely dreading it. So many changes. People sharing closets/dressers. People swapping rooms. People moving out of beds they've been in for months (Luther) and years (Conrad and Gwendolyn.) 

It was a LOT. But would ya know....it was also GREAT!

I think having Gwendolyn and Conrad share a room for a month prior to moving him out of the crib (we moved his crib into her room) helped quite a bit, and it helped me as well just having them go to bed at the same time and start waking up closer to the same time. It allowed us time to get their new beds set up, move clothes and closets around, and figure out what we wanted to do with bedding too. (After hours of online searching, we decided on super cozy and soft neutral comforters. Not nearly as fun as Superman and princesses, but definitely practical.)

I think my main concerns were them waking each other up, but that hasn't been an issue. They have woke each other up, but it hasn't been a problem getting them back to sleep. I also realized that in a lot of ways, it's nice that they go to bed and wake up at the same time. I had become used to doing a breakfast for Conrad since he was usually up earlier, then a breakfast for Gwendolyn, then a breakfast for Luther...but now they typically come out at the same time or within 30 minutes of each other and it's less time consuming for mommy. 

I just couldn't really picture Conrad staying in a big boy bed, but he's done really well. Some days he needs some reminding to "cozy up" and go nigh nights, but he's done soooo much better than I was anticipating.

And Luther?! Well, he started sleeping THROUGH.THE.NIGHT!

First night in his crib...he cried out a bit around midnight, but I didn't go in and we didn't hear from him again until 9:30 am the next morning. It's a miracle! A gift from God! And it's stayed that way every since! It's just amazing. In fact, he's been sleeping just a bit too good.....just the last couple of weeks, he has had mornings he's slept until 10:00, 11:30, 11:45 or later some days. And even if it's not that late, I'm shocked to hear him before 8:30.

This has changed our lives. I rarely need a nap anymore, and I remember what it feels like to be rested. Honestly, so so so thankful.

So in summary, while it was a big transition with a lot of moving parts, it proved to be healthy and beneficial in a lot of ways.

• He learned "so big!" and how to clap and both are just adorably cute. Now we're working on blowing kisses and waving and signing "more" and "all done" and saying "Mama". ;) I'm fairly certain he also said "uh oh" one day.

• I've actually loved (for many reasons) raising the kids in a small home, one of the reasons being that we spend a large majority of our day in one room with one step so babies are contained. He can roam and aside from table legs and corners on train tables, there isn't a lot in this room that he can hurt himself on. Thankfully no major bumps and bruises as of yet. (Fingers are crossed it stays that way.) We're in major training mode with big brother Conrad though because he just loves to take away whatever Luther can get his hands on. It's proving to be pretty annoying, but I have to remind myself that a lot of what Luther takes and is interested in is Conrad's! So lots of talk about sharing and being tenderhearted recently.

• He smiles instantly when he sees himself in a mirror or in my phone camera.

• We first learned he might not like being told what to do when we had to speak sharply to him after he would repeatedly touch the Christmas tree. He did not like that.

And it has continued now that he's into things even more...touching cords, diapers on the couch, curtains, tv stands, ice melt pellets, etc. etc. He scrunches up his face and fake cries. You can't help but laugh.

• Every time I buy baby food I think "this is the last time I'm buying baby food" but then....I buy more. He enjoys eating solids and does well with them, but I honestly love how clean and easy the containers are. :) If I didn't have baby food as an option to fill him up (and give him things he wouldn't normally eat like zucchini and squash), I fear I would just feed him the same foods over and over, which isn't great. Really the issue is filling that baby UP. If he isn't crazy about our dinner, and is still hungry, at least I can go grab two containers of baby food.

He enjoys: yogurt, apple sauce, eggs, most fruits, string cheese, lunch meat, toast with butter and avocado, toast with peanut butter, mac n cheese, pasta, veggies straws, waffles, oatmeal, and most of the other kid friendly foods. 

I wish he would enjoy cooked veggies. So we need to work on that.

• He's seriously growing like a weed. I feel like I just moved clothes out of his drawers that he had outgrown and now stuff that just fit isn't fitting! I can barely keep up.

• We love to put our hands out to him to see who he chooses. Sometimes when Daddy is holding him, and I'm putting my hands out to try and get him to come to me, he'll literally push my hands away like "stop asking mom." Which of course, Daddy looooves. (I'm sure he doesn't mean it.)

• Like I mentioned, he pulled himself up for the first time over Christmas, but wasn't consistently doing it until just recently (I'd say around 11 months.) Now that he's crawling AND can pull himself up, Luther just looooves being right in there with Sissy and Brother. Tearing pages in their books. Drinking from their water bottles. Playing with them at the train table. Dumping out all the "castle guys." And most recently, wrestling with them if they're brave enough to lay down and take it. 

He has pulled himself up on the kitchen table chairs WHILE standing underneath the table. And earlier this week, I just happened to walk into the living room to find him holding on to a floor lamp. That isn't exactly sturdy. Needless to say, my old way of doing things (leaving him in the middle of the room with a few toys) has gone out the window. Along with a lot of my patience.

Ugh.

Have I said before how I don't like change?

Well, it's true. Just takes me a little while to adjust and then we'll be good to go. Until, of course, he starts doing stairs. And walking. 

Anyone laughing at me now? It's ok, because I'm laughing at myself. There's nothing BUT change in the first years of a babies life!

• He never struggled with getting himself back down after discovering how to stand. He quickly mastered those deep knee bends!

• He would really prefer not to be put down immediately after waking up. He needs some snuggles. And if you put him down AND leave the room, you're in for some loud shrieking.

Ok, I could write and write about this life-changing baby, but I need to hit "publish" before someone needs me and this sits in a draft forever. I'll be back soon with more deep thoughts because he is 50 weeks in only a couple of days! 

Luther: 38 weeks and 40 weeks

Luther Tom....you are now 9 months old!! There are so many changes going on around here that it's a bit overwhelming for mommy. However, we have also been enjoying more relaxed days spent cozy at home, which has been a nice change of pace from our busy always on the go summer and fall. I think I finally appreciate (or am getting there) the peace and calm that comes with staying in. And staying in jams until 9:30. (Or later.) It only took me 4.5 years and three kids!

38 weeks

• I almost wish your 38 week pictures could have been secretly videotaped because it was the worst "session" ever! You would not sit still! 

"Gwendolyn move the sign down!"

"Conrad get out of my way!"

"Twinkle twinkle LITTLE STAR!"

"Gwendolyn LOWER!"

"LUTHER! A ba ba ba. LUTHER!"

"Conrad please MOVE!"

"What does a puppy say, Luther?!"

(Insert mommy barking loudly while shaking a toy while pushing Conrad out of the line of my camera while holding my phone while making sure Luther doesn't fall off the chair.)

"Luther!! Look what is on mommy's head! LUTHEEEER!"

So.stressful.

But worth it, ya know? ;) We will not give up! 

40 weeks

(Love the pointed toes and your face in the above pic.)

These are in no particular order.....

• I forgot to mention in my previous update that you had pushed yourself up to sitting for the first time! It was while we were in Florida and in the middle of the night, which definitely caught me off guard but made me giggle. (Literally...I crawled back into bed and told daddy right away. "He was sitting up!") 

I walked in to see your glow in the dark (best invention ever) paci was in the mouth of a baby clearly not laying down! You didn't do it consistently until just the last week or so, but it's so cute when you do. 

• For whatever reason, you've been sleeping so well the last two weeks! Basically ever since we returned from Florida. Except for one night when Conrad woke you up, you've slept until 4:30 or later (quite a few times 6:00 or 6:30) and then gone back to bed until 7:30 or 8:00 or even 8:30. I think it's official! I told daddy that we don't need to move you out of our room anymore! ;)

He vetoed that idea though. I admit it'll be nice to not have to be quiet getting ready in the morning. Or at night. And I get my dresser back. And I won't have to fold laundry in the dark at nap time. 

• I was bound and determined to prevent you from crawling until after Christmas, but there's no holding back a baby intent on figuring things out. So as of this past weekend, you're officially in the very early adorably wobbly - not making it very far - occasionally accidentally lunging forward hitting your head on the floor stage. It is a big milestone, so please do not doubt that I'm not proud of you. It just changes everything! Steps make me the most nervous, so once again I'm thankful for our tiny little house with just one main room to contain you in. The baby gate is standing by and ready!

• I feel another tooth! And it's on the top! I was almost certain you were going to have three across the bottom before you got in your top two. 

• We're gearing up for your first Christmas! You're not getting much. I hope that is ok. There's nothing you really need on a regular basis other than a constant supply of diapers and baby food. We are certainly blessed. Plus, it is the time with family that really matters most. With two aunts expecting babies on both sides, you won't be the youngest in the family much longer!

• You weren't a huge fan of Santa. Lucky you, you met him twice in one week! The second time went better. And you were an absolute champ waiting in your stroller for 45 minutes (during what was supposed to be nap time) for our horse drawn carriage ride. I had high hopes of that becoming a family tradition, but I don't think it will make the cut. It's all for the kids!

Here was my post on Instagram commemorating your 9 month "birthday" last week.

Luther...you're nine months old today! You have randomly been sleeping through the night (until 5:30 or later) for the past week. I believe that might just be the longest stretch of consistency since June?? Either way, it's been great, so thank you. It kind of makes me want to keep you in our room even longer, but arrangements have already been made and you'll soon be in your own room in your own crib. I suppose it's time, but I'll miss you. You legitimately hug/snug us and have even leaned in for a kiss a few times. You have the sweetest voice and I could listen to you "talk" all day. You're commonly mistaken for a girl, but we don't take it personally. Everyone comments on your eyes. You figured out how to push yourself up to sitting, but you don't do it very often. You'd rather just lay on your back or scoot yourself backward on your tummy/bottom or roll around on your play mat. We have introduced more big kid foods and rarely do you pass things up. Which may explain why all your pants are too short...you're growing like a weed! You would be happy to be held all day. You love a new toy to chew on and pass from hand to hand. It is not uncommon for the entire family to be found doting on you. All at the same time. (I swear it's the reason I struggle to get much done...you are too distracting!) You're easy to take places as long as we have puffs. You blow raspberries when you're upset. You instantly roll to your side when I put you in your bed. Give you milk, paci, satin blankie, and a sound machine and you are out. You've figured out how to get up on all fours and even rock a bit, but are unsure where to go from there. (At least until next week...) You swing your legs and flail your hands when you're excited. You would prefer not to be left in a room all by yourself. You are charming. And take an interest in people. (More specifically their earrings or glasses.) You looove your daddy. And we all love you beyond words. // Luther Tom....you are your own little adorable baby self, similar and different in so many ways to your big bro and sis. I love being with you every day to witness your every move. Thankful for everything about YOU!! Xoxo

Luther: 32, 34, and 36 weeks old

Luther Tom! You're 8 months old! Mommy can hardly believe it maybe because it feels like we should still have a newborn in the house. You're now closer to being ONE than you are to being a newborn. Which means I can't keep using you as an excuse as to why I haven't picked my meal planning regimen back up! ;)

32 weeks

34 weeks

36 weeks

I can't remember what happened during which week, so these are in the best 

• Well in the last six weeks, you've popped another tooth through (34 weeks I think) so you now have two on the bottom. I can't imagine much that is cuter than a baby with two bottom teeth. Well, MAYBE a baby with two bottom AND two top teeth. It gets me every time.

• You've taken over mommy and daddy's bedroom. We've been sleeping here there and everywhere, often times leaving with you with the entire room to yourself. This will soon change however because a deposit has been made on bunk beds for the big kids, which means you're moving out to what will finally be an empty room. Sorry. I'll miss you, but I'm so ready to sleep in my own bed and not tip toe around in the dark anymore. I don't even remember what rested feels like. Yep, just yawned.

• You made back to back road trips down to Grandma and Grandpa's house, and traveled SO well. We didn't have to stop either time, which makes me so happy! Especially since I was by myself for one of the trips.

• One of the reasons we went back to CC was for Aunt Glady's funeral. It was a beautiful celebration of her life, and despite the circumstances, I had fun showing you off to a ton of family you'd never met. You were quite popular and received a warm and loving extended family welcome.

• I've seen you try to pull your knees up a few times. This is not allowed! No growing up! The pack n play was lowered four weeks ago, which mommy's back is not liking.

• The three of you went as Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus for Halloween this year. Your costumes were quite the hit, and you graciously let me eat all of your candy.

• One of my favorite times with you is in the morning. Typically you've nursed at some point in the middle of the night or early morning so you're laying the middle of our bed. You almost always wake up happy and smile a big smile as soon as we make eye contact. I keep secret toys stashed away in my pillowcase so I can hand them to you and buy myself some more resting time. You look at your fingers and play happily while kicking me, pulling my hair, touching my face, talking and talking and sometimes you even fall back asleep. I'm so grateful for your laid back personality!

• We have balloons in the house right now, and I'm fairly convinced we need balloons in the house at all times because you're obsessed with them. There have been two times in your life you've cried when something has been taken away from you. Actually three. 

1.) Your mommy

2.) Your first ever food...a banana

and

3.) These balloons

You could play and play and play. It's actually quite fascinating to watch because you put one hand over the other knowing you can pull them down to your level by doing so. A genius I tell ya!

• Gwendolyn now says you have "fur" on her favorite squishy spot (the back of your head.)

• You've been a very, very busy art student at "school." You've brought home the cutest little crafts including some master paintings using fruit, your foot, and today a turkey made out of your adorable little squishy hand prints. No wonder your clothes are always stained. Wish I could be a fly on the wall to see you finger painting.

• Guess what?! We leave for Disney World in a few days! I am on the edge of my seat to see your reaction and watch the three of you in the most magical place on earth. Please please please fly and sleep well while we're there. 

I love you Luther Tom!
----------------------------
UPDATE: We're home and I am finally posting this. You didn't mind the flying one bit and were a complete charmer with everyone around us. Short naps both ways, puffs, teething toys, and snuggles were all you needed. Absolutely NBD. Sleeping was awesome and horrible all at once. You were by yourself in our walk-in closet, which was perfect. The first two nights there you slept until 5:00 and then 6:30. The rest of the nights were rough, one in particular was exhausting. Because you were overall just plain tired from travel and time change, you ended up going to bed earlier, which meant you were up for the day at 6:30 a few mornings, which is totally unlike you. BUT we survived! And you got to meet Cinderella and Rapunzel and Aurora...you're a lucky baby!

Luther: 30 weeks and 6 months

Luther Thomas....you're almost 7 months old! (Tomorrow.) I constantly have thoughts I wish I could get "down on paper" and somehow the days and weeks are going by so quickly that it's just not happening before you suddenly hit another milestone and my old thoughts and emotions are...well...old. Just when I think it's not possible to love you any deeper or higher or wider, you go and pop a bottom tooth or start wearing a new season of clothes or give me 4+ hours of sleep or start sitting up or whatever and then I do. My heart feels like it could burst sometimes and you barely have to do anything to make me want to explode.

Your amazing smile can set this mommy off, and don't even get me started about when we lock eyes...you look up at me and just stare and you have this twinkle in your eye and, as you know, there's been plenty of moments where you illicit tears in mommy just by looking at me with those big brown peepers.

I tell you I love you about 273 times a day, and my hope is that even though the words mean nothing to you at this point, they'll penetrate your heart and you will always know that you were adored. Spoiled rotten. Kissed and hugged and held and tickled and smelled and kissed some more and absolutely adored.

And every time I say it and we talk about how much we love you and how fun you are, really what I'm saying is thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord for giving us this baby to cherish and raise and disciple and be a part of this family. My bursting heart is filled with such love and gratitude all mixed into one.

So now that that is clear, I wanted to tell you some things about the last 6 months that I don't want to ever forget....and I gotta hurry because you're only 6 months old for another couple of hours!

30 weeks

• People ask how it's going and I typically answer that three kids is a lot of work. I knew it would be, but I wasn't so much prepared for how tiring it'd be. Physically tiring. Like, I want a nap every afternoon tired. Tom suggests a diet change to help me with my emotional state (I can't possibly be the only one who cries at the drop of a hat...) as well as my energy level. I just can't fathom giving up my sweet treats. I know these days won't last forever, so at this point, I'll keep my naps and my chocolate. But I would say that it's been great and while mommy is tired, I have only slowed down a tad. There are things that don't get done like before (sorry blog...) and meals have been less than desirable, but we're going and doing just about as much as before.

• I kind of thought you'd be off sitting in the corner constantly being lugged here and there, always sleeping short little naps in the car seat, barely getting any attention and not because we didn't love you or want you but that's just always what I envisioned a third or fourth child doing because that's what I had heard from other moms. I have been absolutely floored by the amount of time I have with you every day. It's a lot. And I am so grateful for it! Conrad and Gwendolyn play together and guess what mommy often sneaks in.....Luther Thomas snuggles!! It's so wonderful! You love being in the carrier and that's made all the difference. I didn't really wear the other two a ton, but you love being in there and I just love having you close.

• If people are around you for an extended period of time, they'll often ask if you're always so content. At least for now, you're happy to sit on my lap and put toys in your mouth or be on the hip of (preferably) someone you know. It can be pushing five hours between your nap and bedtime and you're just happy to be along for the ride. Although, having said that, you definitely have your moments of fussiness but even then you really just want someone to hold you. (Playing alone on your play mat gets old.) OR the spoon isn't returning to your mouth quickly enough. You don't typically like to wait to be served.

• You have this adorable personality that is a mix of both Gwendolyn and Conrad. You're actually a pretty quiet baby normally...even when you sleep you're quiet (and always have been.) You occasionally practice your high pitched squeals/yelling and have a super dramatic cry if you're really upset, but if you're fed and happy you are generally quiet. (Which is nice for church.) Unlike your sister, you smile at the drop of a hat. And it is such a fantastic smile. I want to ingrain it in my memory for.ever. The eyebrows rise and then fall, the cheeks plump up, the twinkle goes off in your eye. It's the absolute best. You don't have a belly laugh like your big bro, but your little giggle is so sweet. It really is so exciting to watch your personality form.

• We fell into a schedule/routine so easily. It barely took any time for the four of us to figure out our days at home, and by the grace of God, I was able to get the three of you down for afternoon naps all at the same time fairly early on. That was a total God thing. Even now, I love our afternoon routine. We finish up lunch and all go up and read books on Gwendolyn's bed. You lay down and I sit on the corner and hold it up for everyone to see. There have been days you've fallen asleep right then and there, but most of the time we read, I go put Conrad down while Sissy sings to you and entertains you, and then I return to take you into our room to nurse while Sissy has quiet time in her room.

• Sometimes I laugh because you'd think your daddy and I were first time parents. You'd think we would know what we were doing by now, but you kind of forget everything. We went on several dates with you (when you were younger) leaving G and C with J and T and it would take both of us to get settled into our booth with the diaper bag and car seat and stroller and everything needed to take along when you have a new baby. We'd be handing you over the table so the other person could eat and both standing up with you at different times if you decided to be picky and not want to sit down. Ohhh it was quite funny. We had some very interesting "dates" this past summer. I used to love a good dinner date with your dad, but nowadays I'd rather have his full attention and conquer the grocery store in record time or run a bunch of errands together. Times have certainly changed!

We did have a fabulous anniversary date this past week though...dinner and dessert with coffee and everything. So we still got it.

• You have been our worst and best sleeper for various reasons. You rarely nurse to sleep and instead like your paci and your blanket and mommy's shoulder after eating. Like clockwork, you burp and lay your head down and fall asleep, sometimes pushing off of me to get comfy laying down in my arms. If I'm busy and need to lay you down (God forbid right?!) then you easily lay down, often roll onto your side, and fall asleep. Sometimes you cry, but it's not usually for long.

You were sleeping like a dream until June (first slept through the night at 7 weeks!) and since you had an ear infection, it's been pretty rough. You've given me a nice long stretch about once every two weeks or so, if that. Other nights it's been two, three, four times a night plus some patting and putting your paci back in. Not.easy. When you do sleep, it's wonderful and I love having you in our room. It's true that you've been a bit spoiled sleeping with us in our bed more often than not. Now that you take up more room, that's become harder so Daddy has been sleeping in the basement a lot lately. We sound like a hot mess over here, but I know we'll get through this phase. Eventually. (The last two nights I've been sleeping in the same room and you've made it until 5:00. Woohoo!)

• You're not a fan of loud noises or too much commotion. I do not blame you.

• You have become quite the mama's boy. You turn to try and find me, following me if I walk away. You have even cried a few times handing you off to strangers, which breaks my heart. Thankfully you don't cry long. Like I tell Gwendolyn and Conrad, mommy always comes back!

• It never fails...your brother and sister make you so happy. Watching the three of you together about puts me over the edge. Conrad needs to be watched, but Gwendolyn helps mommy out so much and loves on you with such a willing heart. She'll drop everything she's doing to be with you, and gets so excited to see you every morning.

• You have so many nick names! Luther Tom, Luther Thomas, Hobie Jobie, Lussa, Lussa Tom, Lute. I occasionally call you "brother" but then Brother gets a bit confused. Baby Brother just hasn't stuck to help clarify.

• You finally had a tooth pop through last week!! Bottom right. And it is so cute!

This barely scratches the surface of all that has transpired since March 10th, but hopefully it provides sufficient detail for me to recall this crazy, amazing, tiring, incredible, busy time in our lives when I am old and gray. I want to be able to remember and share with you all that joy that we had in this house because you entered our family. I dream about the little boy you'll eventually become, and I pray the Lord gives us many, many long years together.

I know you know, but I love you Luther Thomas. And I pray God continues to help us parent with wisdom and grace so that we can in turn raise you three to fear and love the Lord. There would be no greater joy than the assurance of spending eternity together.

I will always be your biggest fan, and I will always be praying for you.

Love,
Mommy

Luther: 28 weeks old

Our Luther Thomas is now six and a half months old and doing so well. He continues to be such a shining ray of joy in this house! It's so interesting how life felt so full before he was here, yet now that he's here I can't imagine what we ever did without him!

28 weeks 

• Our excited boy certainly doesn't want to hold still for pictures. Yet I guess at the same time, if he's on the ground he typically stays in one place or rolls just one direction. So "squirmy" is probably relative. Thankfully (except for when he wants his toes) diaper changes are still pretty easy.

• He's growing like a weed, which isn't surprising now that he is eating at least two meals of baby food a day and typically two Step 2 containers at each meal. He's easily filling out 6-9 month clothes as well as a lot of his 6-12 month stuff, and we have officially moved up to size 4 diapers. I made the switch from his summer to winter stuff and it's so fun to put things on him that were favorites of Conrad's. Of course, I've picked up a few new things along the way because how can you not?! ;)

• He's probably eating more solids because he's too distracted to nurse! I'd say he's probably cut back on nursing, which is bittersweet for me. I hope I can nurse him for as long as I did the other two (17 and 18 months), but he's really probably only nursing four times a day (if that) plus whatever in the middle of the night. I suppose that's normal.

• Even if he's nursing less, that baby looooves his family and to be held. I can hardly put him down anymore without instant crying and he has even started turning to try and reach for me if I'm sitting nearby. (So precious.) He'd rather be up watching the world from mommy's hip. I switched out some of his baby toys, but he's clearly over his play mat and probably needs something new and more interesting. I need daddy to get the jungle gym jumperoo down from the garage rafters.

• Luther legitimately snuggles. Head on shoulder, hands holding tight to your arms. I definitely tend to linger after he's nursed at night and he's laying on my shoulder. It's one of those feelings I wish would last forever.

• We went to see Mimi and Papa last weekend and he (and the bigs) did incredibly well. Yay! We made it over 4 hours without stopping the first part of the trip and Luther didn't cry at all. Helped to have daddy sitting beside him ready with singing and toys.

• We started Parent's Day Out on September 15th. Since Miss Kathy doesn't have room for Luther, we had to find a new solution so I could continue my photography business on the side of craziness. It's through a local church and I had heard wonderful things about it. The first day was tough, the second day was a bit easier, and today was by far the best. (And daddy's even traveling for work!) Luther was dropped off tired but happy this morning so hopefully they're able to get him down for a nice nap. I know that can be difficult when you're not the mommy who knows all the right tricks. I hope the kids enjoy their time there this year and stay healthy! 

• I had no positive update on sleep until just the last two nights. I decided to sleep with Gwendolyn since Tom is traveling thinking that it'd be interesting to just see if there's a difference when I'm not sleeping in the same room as Luther. Well, would you believe that there is!? Our pediatrician had told me we should try and get him out of our room, but if he was going to wake up 3/4 times a night, I'd stubbornly rather I just have to walk a few steps instead of across the hall to another room. PLUS, I'm not ready to kick Conrad out of his crib. PLUS, I'm not ready to put the kids in the same room. So several things were holding me back. 

However, I think she was definitely on to something. 

Sunday (9/28) night he made it until 4:30 am (8 hours...he hadn't made it that long in months!) And then last night he made it until 6:30 am and probably could have gone longer, but I was so full so I nursed him thinking I could get him back to sleep, which didn't really work unfortunately. I knew I'd be able to still hear him in our room if he cried, but it'd be muffled so if I needed to let him cry a bit to see if he'd fall back asleep on his own, I could do that. (Being in the same room as a crying baby is just heart wrenching.) But I never heard him last night, which means he slept from 8:00 pm to 6:30 am and like I said, maybe could have gone even longer. I'm so encouraged! Sleep feels so good and it's been way too long since I've had a good night's rest.

Those doctor's know their stuff! ;)

So there's the latest on our Luther Tom. We can't get enough of him, and are just so thankful for the way having him in our family is a blessing to each one of us.

Luther: 20 & 22 weeks old...and 24 weeks old...and 26 weeks old

It's been a month and a half since my last post, and boy let me tell you....a month in the life of a baby is a looooong time. I'm in a daze over here though friends. Sleep is deprived. Energy is low. Emotions are running wild. Thank goodness for a caring husband, mostly obedient kids, and a really cute FIVE (now almost six) month old!

We're taking one day at a time these days and soaking up the last of summer as best we can. I'm excited for fall activities to get underway, but at the same time have just really enjoyed all of the play and park dates we've been able to have, after dinner popsicles, bike riding in the driveway, and in general more relaxed and flexible schedule. It's been a really fun summer! I can hardly believe it's already September. That means mommy is turning 33 years old. This can't be possible!

20 weeks

(That blur is Big Brother waving a bug net.)

• Luther rolled from back to tummy on July 22nd! He'd done it once or twice before, but it wasn't official until I caught it on camera and saw it for my own eyes. 

• Sleeping hasn't been great since June, but since he had started rolling and didn't seem to appreciate being swaddled so much anymore, I asked around and was able to borrow a Baby Merlin Magic Sleepsuit. The first time napping in it was nothing short of a miracle. He slept for 3 hours and I didn't have to run up and down the stairs putting his paci back in. He just slept. (Such a concept.) So you can imagine that I was pretty pumped for bedtime that night hoping it'd be the magic solution to our sleeping issues. It didn't make him sleep through the night, but it's continued to be fantastic for naps. (Now at 25 weeks when I'm getting around to finally writing this post, we've pretty much phased it out. It was short lived for about 1.5 months, but definitely helpful!)

• Luther had his first vacation at the lake! We traveled up north and spent a week with the Sinclair's at Hidden Haven. Great cousin time, fabulous (albeit a bit hot) Minnesota summer weather, smores, open window sleeping, unsuccessful fishing, tubing, drinks on the beach, medallion hunting, gravel road walking, food eating, and game playing. A vacation with kids isn't always the most relaxing, but we scored big time and got to share with Grandma and Grandpa who are the world's best helpers, book readers, baby holders, and diaper changers. They were so helpful and gave both Tom and I time to enjoy ourselves while we were there. Luther slept like poo (he had one 6 hour night), but was an otherwise angel baby the entire time!

• I've never seen a baby more ready to start eating solids. We hadn't intended on introducing solids at 4.5 months old, but he'd follow food to your mouth so intently and was so interested. Then while we were at the cabin, I let him try some banana and he did so well....barely even spitting it out and eating like a pro with barely any experience. He's been sitting up to the table with the family ever since! And boy, can that little thing eat! I just moved on to step 2 foods and he's easily eating two of those containers at a meal. So far, he's tolerating everything very well and not being super picky. I hope to make some of his baby food this time, but of course he's showing preference to store bought. I've made sweet potato and plum puree, and have organic carrots, peas, and green beans to puree when I get an extra day in the week. :)

I really, really want a good eater! But store bought baby food is so convenient and the ingredients are not bad at all. So torn.

22 weeks

• Now he rolls from tummy to back as well! He'll occasionally stay in the same place you leave him on the play mat, but sometimes I'll find him off the carpet. There was a time his head was under the ottoman. Poor baby.

• He continues to like the Mamaroo, and is pretty much easily entertained with his own hands/fingers ("woah, what are these things?!"), most baby toys, and his siblings running around the living room.

• Luther's first night in a "bed" was August 19th. We had tried every.single combination of swaddle, rock n play, blankets on our floor, sleeper, miracle suit, our bed, on back, on tummy, half swaddle, etc that we could possibly think of with no luck. So we finally decided to set up the pack n play in our room. I had prayed for a 4 - maybe 5 - hour stretch, and the Lord heard my cries for mercy. Luther ended up sleeping from 9:45 to 5:00! It was such an answer to prayer. I had to put his paci in several times and he moved around quite a bit so I woke up several times, but I was able to "sleep" for 5 hours. God answers prayers!

The only thing we haven't tried is letting him cry it out. It's a tough thing to do no matter where your little one is sleeping, but when they're in your room, I'd say it's close to impossible. My mama heart just can't take it. We're not ready to move Conrad out of his crib and into a big boy bed (and into Gwendolyn's room), which means we just need to get through this more difficult stage. I know we'll survive.

•  I had a newborn session so Luther had his first (and possibly only) day at Miss Kathy's house! He took great bottles, decent naps, had a blow out, ate pears for lunch, showed  all of his friends his rolling tricks, and was apparently generous with the smiles. Miss Kathy has been such an important part of our family the last four years, and we're going to miss her tremendously (can barely even talk about it) when we move to a Parent's Day Out program in a few weeks. I'm thinking I'll somehow figure out ways for the older two kids to go to her house every couple of months or so just so it doesn't ever *really* end. (But seriously.)

• He loves playing with all sorts of toys and stays entertained while on his playmat for quite awhile. He isn't too picky - whatever fits in his mouth will work just fine - but he does seem a bit partial to Sophie the giraffe and Moosey the Moose.


24 weeks

• Someone started sitting up! He doesn't always last super long before toppling over, but he's gotten so much better (stronger?) in the last week or so. What is it about a baby sitting up that makes me want 10 more kids?! It's seriously the absolute cutest.

• I thought FOR SURE we were popping a tooth through. He had a really rough night one night recently (worse than our normal rough nights) and middle of the day random round rosy cheeks. And then. Nothing. I feel nothing. Gwendolyn and Conrad both popped their first teeth through at 5.5 months so I was convinced we'd follow in the same pattern. Guess we'll keep watching and waiting!

• He sits on my hip now. Squish!

• He took his first ride in the big boy stroller sitting next to Brother. I believe at one point Conrad was getting upset with him for reaching over and trying to snag his's toys, but otherwise Luther thoroughly enjoyed the new view.

• Everyone comments on and loves his perfectly round bald head. It's hard to see, but there's just a liiiittle bit of fuzz making it the most delectably soft baby head around.

• When laying on his back, he moves his arms and legs like crazy and gets so excited. Daddy and I love copying him and playing the "who am I?" game.

• Luther is not a fan of loud noises. Sirens at parades. Crying babies. Etc.

• We had quite the scare two weekends ago. I was at the computer and Tom was in the kitchen. Luther was strapped into his booster seat and all of a sudden there's a crash and I turn around and Conrad had somehow knocked Luther and his chair over on its side. I suspect he was standing on the rungs of the chair trying to kiss Luther's head and it toppled because of his weight, but we'll never really know. He cried, but by the grace of God, he was completely fine. I was so overcome with thankfulness for his protection, that naturally I cried as well. PTL!

26 weeks

This post is taking me FOREVER to write! I can't believe how behind I am. (But then again, I can.) Luther is SIX MONTHS OLD TODAY! It's hard to believe he's been in this house for half of a year already. We love him more and more every single day. Not even lying. If he slept through the night, he'd officially be thee perfect baby. :) He's so happy and content and smiles at the drop of a hat. My heart just absolutely positively overflows with love for him.

 
 

• As you can see, I had to enlist the help of Sissy otherwise we'd get nowhere taking pictures with a sign.

• Definitely officially sitting up unassisted! It's amazing what a difference a couple of days can make. He topples over every once in awhile, but he's pretty solid for the most part.

• Sleeping is hit or miss. Mostly miss. Last night was the first night I was so out of it that I couldn't even track it on my phone. My body was so tired, I didn't want to move to push a button every single time I nursed him. I'm thinking it was at least 38 times. Ok, maybe more like four. But four is a lot. You know things aren't going to go well when the first time he's up is around midnight. That makes for one long night. In fact, it's been so bad, that daddy had been sleeping in the basement just so we both weren't exhausted.

It seems like he's only making it to the 2 o'clock hour and then he's wanting to nurse every 1.5 or 2 hours after that. One night recently, he was so tired that he only nursed on one side so I wasn't surprised when he was up at 10:40 pm wanting to eat again. That night he made it then until 4:25 am giving mommy a little longer stretch of sleep. But like I said, more often than not, it's been between 2:00 and 3:00ish. And then because I'm so tired I'm taking naps, which means I'm not sleepy for bed until 11:30ish or later some nights. It's a vicious cycle.

I'm sure it'd help if he wasn't in our room, but moving him into the crib in the nursery (where Conrad sleeps) isn't an option as of right now. Naps, on the other hand, continue to go super well. He is in a fleece sleep sack now. I can lay him down awake, put his paci in, hand him his blankie, and he puts himself to sleep and sleeps for hours.

Wish I understood it! :)

• Speaking of naps, we're down to two naps a day. If he randomly snoozes in the evening, it's only for a short time.

• The summer clothes have been packed up and we're on to mostly 6-9 month stuff. Size 4 diapers are being delivered tomorrow. (Daddy found quite the deal!)

• We had his 6 month appointment this morning. I think it was one of our smoothest appointments ever. Gwendolyn and Conrad each took a toy and were both happy and easy the entire time. Which was very helpful since it was an hour and a half. That's a long time in a small room. Four shots was rough on Luther and on a tired mommy. I think I had more tears than he did, but it was a laugh cry. You know...when you're laughing because you're crying and then it makes you cry more. His poor little face though. Ugh. Just tugs on my heart.

Stats:
Weight: 19 lbs, 7 oz - 84%
Height: 29" - 99%
Head: 18" - 97%

Once the crying was done and we had a happy baby and pulled together mommy again, we celebrated by going through McDonald's to get Happy Meals. Because why not.

Ok, I'm going to hit "publish" because another 2 months go by!! Eeeeek!

Luther: 16 & 18 weeks old

Look who went and turned FOUR MONTHS OLD last week?! I have unfinished posts sitting in my drafts entitled "One month" and "To my three old." Clearly the months are going by far too quickly for me to keep up with because both were started and never finished. (This pains me.) I swear he went from newborn to baby overnight just recently. I feel the weight of him changing in my arms (his legs now have to be propped up by a pillow when I'm nursing him in our bed to level things a bit) and his little face filling out more every day.

I go in such waves of emotions... (are we surprised?) 

Am I noticing the small things? (yes) 

Am I present enough? (sometimes) 

Am I going to remember everything? (no) 

What can I be doing differently, better, more efficiently? (a lot) 

What does God want me to learn in this season of life? (to seek Him, learn from His word, and walk in His ways.)

Most recently, I've just been feeling very emotional that I am not yet the mom I want to be, even after three kids and four years. (I also know we'll never fully arrive and we're constantly in a state of sanctification.) Sometimes I feel like time is running out, but I know that's just the enemy telling me I'm not good enough and that God won't fill in where I fall short. I look at these kids and just don't want to fail them. I see what precious gifts they are and how fleeting time is and I do not want to miss any opportunities. I know all they need is love. And thankfully I have a lot of that to give.

Ok, I'm getting distracted.

Luther is actually now 18 weeks old so let's talk about all he's been up to!

16 weeks

18 weeks

• I had switched to taking his bi-weekly pictures on my phone to simplify the process a bit, but I'm not sure I'll be able to keep doing that with how active the little baby boy is. I wasn't happy with how blurry they turned out so I got out the good camera again for 16 weeks. This adds four additional steps to this documentation process. I'm not sure it's worth it because I already struggle getting to the computer, but then again....what if some day he is sad that all of his bi-weekly pictures are blurry?! ;)

** update: 18 week pics were back to phone. You can tell the difference, but if I took those on my camera, this wouldn't ever get posted!

Maybe I just never kept the "bad" ones, but I went back through Conrad's bi-weekly pictures and he didn't start moving all over the place until muuuuch older. He was sitting with his hands in his lap for the majority of them.

See?

I hope this isn't a glimpse of what is to come. :)

• He's gotta be close to rolling over. Grandma says I have to put him down for him to learn these things. (And for the record...I do put him down, Mom. :) In fact, he was in the Mamaroo for an hour the other night! I made dinner AND the four of us all ate at the same time!)

• Luther's legs are getting pretty strong. I was changing his diaper on the ottoman the other day like I always do, and he suddenly pushed off my knees and just about went off the other side head first. Thankfully mommies react quickly when their babies almost fall head first off ottomans and I grabbed his thighs. Phew! Accident avoided. 

• Unfortunately he's started spitting up. Some times it's worse than others (he didn't spit up at all yesterday?), but you better have a burp rag near by to clean it up. I was thinking maybe it was because he's been sucking on his fingers and drooling more and daddy thinks it's because he's swallowing more air because he uses his paci so much more often now. Perhaps it's a combination of everything. I wish I knew because I'd try to fix it. It's definitely making for more laundry. I suppose I shouldn't complain since I only do one load a week, if that.

• Have I mentioned how much I love his toes? Especially from the underneath. They're the cutest little things. And I love how he still curls them up. They look like little round squishy buttons. 

• I broke out the amber and hazlewood necklaces. Who knows if they actually work, but my other two wore them and teething was a piece of cake, so if it has anything to do with those necklaces, then I'm a believer!

• If he could get his entire fist in his mouth, he would. Even his pediatrician commented on that. 

• He always giggles when I kiss him in his neck or under his chin. Or when daddy makes funny faces at him. 

• Luther will hang out for a full hour in his car seat during swimming lessons. And this morning, the little trooper was in his car seat from 9:20 until 12:20 straight while we took Sissy to camp, played at the park, got groceries at Target, ran the groceries home, and went back to pick Sissy up. He barely made a peep! 

I wish he'd travel that well! (It is the same car seat, Luther Thomas....)

• I have a love hate relationship with this pacifier business. Love it because it soothes him and often gains us time if he's unhappy in the car seat or in bed. But the darn thing falls out so easily, which frustrates us both. I think I ran upstairs three times last night to put it back in before he finally passed out for bed. Same thing happens at nap time. He'll basically be sleeping but fussing. Once it's back in, he turns his head to the side and all is well. One thing I love about it though is when he smiles at me from behind it. That is pretty darn cute.

• He's regressed in sleeping ever since he had that ear infection last month. We've just never quite gotten back into our 6-8 hour stretches on a consistent basis. Last night he did go 6 hours, 45 minutes but two nights before that he was up at 12:30 and then nursed several more times before mommy had no choice but to get the day started. Those make for tough mornings where I reeeeally have to dig deep for patience and grace. I succeed more on days I'm able to spend even a few minutes in my bible or with a good devotional. He's still being swaddled, but I think one of my problems is that I don't re-swaddle him after he wakes up. My back was bothering me so much from the up and down and lifting of 16+ lbs, so I've just been leaning over and bringing him into bed to nurse laying down. I think this has definitely helped, but then I don't re-swaddle him so he probably is startling himself awake again.

Last "night" I did re-swaddle him, but kept him beside me (it was 5:20 am) and he slept until 8:30! 

Having said all of the above, it's just about time to probably break the swaddle habit. Ha. 

• No rolling over yet, but soooo close.

• Moved up to size 3 diapers. How can we be half way through the sizes of diapers already?!

• Our 3-6 month clothes fit but he's filling them out big time. Mommy doesn't have 6-9 month summer boy clothes, so he needs to put growing on a halt for two months. 

• We had his 4 month well check on Monday. He's longer and 2 lbs lighter than his big bro was at 4 months. I know I shouldn't compare them so much, but it's just fascinating to me!

Weight: 16 lbs, 11 oz - 85%

Height: 28" - 99%

Head - 17.25" - 96%

He had three shots and one oral vaccine. He was so mad afterwards, he wouldn't even nurse and just wanted to be held. What a trooper. 

------------------------

We love our Luther Tom Tom!!

:)