six months

So I am going to post a bajillion pictures again, but I can't apologize for it because seriously, the kid couldn't get any cuter. I am in love with baby boy number two. Wow. I can't believe how different the little guys have been. Kaden and Beckham have very similar easy going temperaments, but other than that, they are night and day. I used to be so worried about having another baby. I was scared that I wouldn't love another one like I love Kaden. I was worried that if I did love another as much, my love for Kaden might wither a bit. I was afraid that Kaden wouldn't get enough love or attention, or the new baby wouldn't get enough. Everyone kept telling me that my heart would just grow to love them both and I couldn't understand. I understand now.

This little boy melts my heart. He is slower with his motor skills, but it makes him seem little to me. He is barely rolling over and when I hold him, he doesn't want to support his own weight. He just tells me that is my job. He loves the jumper though and just bounces and bounces until he is tuckered out. He is content almost always, but I can see he has a temper. When Beckham is mad, he is mad! He chatters and giggles and smiles nonstop. He thinks Kaden is hilarious and watches him all day. I think my favorite thing about him is that he is a snuggle bug. He rests his head on me when I hold him. He melts into me and will be content to be a little blob. Kaden always had to wiggle, move, face out, hold himself up, etc. and I always wished he would just settle down and cuddle every once in a while. Because Beckham is so cuddly, I hold him every night after Kaden is in bed. Matt and I always go to bed and read or watch a show, and Beckham has been cuddled since the day he came home. Now, he is spoiled rotten and lets me know that my job is to hold him until he falls asleep. I am perfectly ok with this.

Beckham is attached to me. Sometimes he fusses when others hold him and the minute I pick him up all is okay in the world. Sometimes it is inconvenient, but it's nice to feel so loved and needed. His eyes follow me wherever I go and when I turn to look at him his face lights up, he kicks his legs, waves his arms, and grins from ear to ear.

Little mister is 17lbs even (50th percentile). He seems huge, but I think it's just because his noggin is big. He's got a lotta weight in those yummy, irresistible cheeks of his! Happy 1/2 birthday sweet baby.

monkey business

Sometimes I feel like I live in a zoo. Kaden is a good boy, but he is so full of energy I can't seem to keep up. He climbs on everything, jumps from things (dangerous things like gliders, his big car, tall things that should not be jumped off of), runs around like he has a caffeine and sugar drip i.v. and has a voice much too big for his little body. He is so much fun but so exhausting sometimes. I try to channel his energy into good things. We've been going to the gym every day and they have an "active kid care" where he gets to run amok for over an hour. Some days, we go to tumbling tots, where we run, jump, sing, and play some more. Today, we went on a 3 mile walk after our gym adventure, and he walked/ran/jumped over half of it. He loves to run. He turns around every 5 seconds to say, "momma, I so fast!" He is.

We fought over his nap again today. It's been happening more and more lately and I am terrified. I often count the minutes until nap time. When he does nap, he sleeps for over an hour, but when he doesn't he is a little pill. He was a pill today. Having meltdowns over the silliest things, whining, whining, whining. I have no patience for whining. We had to get creative today to make it until bedtime. Or I should say, I had to be creative, so that I could make it until bedtime. We'll start fresh tomorrow.

We did take some silly pictures. I had just finished running and had the remnants of yesterday's makeup on. I have spit up on my shoulder and drool on my arm. I'm a pretty sorry sight. That's just how days like today look sometimes.

puppy love

My friend Lacy's dog just had puppies. She only had 2, and one didn't make it, so this little fella is spoiled, getting all the milk he wants, and is just the cutest little roley-poley. Kaden loved him so much and was so soft and gentle. His name is Sully. My favorite thing about him are his little teeny-tinys ears. He is so chubby and just drags himself along the floor; too cute. Beckham and the puppy were two peas in a pod. Just a couple of little fatties.

every story whispers his name

I had heard several recommendations for the Jesus Storybook Bible, and now I am here to say that it is wonderful. It is so darling. The illustrations are beautiful, the stories simple, and the edition we got came with audio cds and the narrator is awesome. He is so entertaining and fun. We've been reading and listening almost every night and Kaden is so entranced (actually, we all are). He asks to read it multiple times a day. His favorite is Noah's Arc. He loves the big boat, the exotic animals (he now knows the anteater, newt, toucan, baboon, cheetah...) and feels sad for Noah when the people were mean to him. It's just the cutest thing.

little loves

Valentine's day has always been special for me. My dad is always gone singing valentines all day, so my mom makes it special. It's always been such a fun family day. It's a day to celebrate love in all of its forms. The boys looked so cute today so I tried to snap a few pictures. It didn't work out too well as Kaden now refuses to look at the camera for more than half a second, and Beckham kept looking at me as if to say, "mommy, what are you doing? please save me, NOW." Kaden is overly affectionate to say the least.

Both so happy in this one; I love it.

Last night we had a little family date. We went to our favorite pizza place. It's such a cute little family owned place and the ambiance is so fun. Matt seemed a little down so I asked him what was up. He usually works on Saturdays, but ended up having it off. He was sad because he said he wanted to get me something, but had forgotten he didn't have to work and didn't pick it up. He was so bummed thinking he had bombed Valentine's day. I didn't expect a thing, but he was so sweet about it, that we ran into town so he could pick up the surprise. I waited in the car with sleeping kids and watched him march in. A few minutes later he came out the door, carrying a bouquet of daisies and lilies (my favorite), and had the biggest grin on his face. My camera wouldn't focus until he got all the way to the door, but this was the look he had the whole way from the store to the car. I was so touched by his happiness to get his wife something. Just watching him walk out, swinging his arm and leg out the side like he does, with that big grin brought a few tears to my eyes. I can sometimes get overwhelmed and impatient and occasionally forget how much I really do love him. I really do love him, so, so much.

This picture just tickles me to pieces. Kaden crinkles up his nose when he smells things and I think it's hilarious. He keeps me laughing all day long.

Happy Valentine's day. Maybe the day is overrated like some people seem to think it is, but I think its so great to have an excuse to shower people with fun things, with love, chocolate, flowers, kisses, the whole bit. I am obviously a sentimental, mushy, and sappy girl, so I say celebrate love every day.

clean cut

Little scraggles got a haircut the other night. He was starting to look like a little lost boy- a ragamuffin. His hair just grows kinda funny when it's long and is always sticking out all over the place. He is a short hair sorta boy. Man, he is cute. But who gave him permission to look 2 years older when I cut his hair? Also, there is nothing better than a clean, fresh smelling little boy straight out of the bath-especially when he's wrapped up in a towel.

he liked it

Yesterday this little munchkin had cereal for the first time. He hasn't really seemed hungry or interested in our food, but he's been waking up hungry in the night so hopefully a little more substance at dinner will help him sleep all night. I wasn't able to give Kaden enough by nursing and he was ravenous. He wasn't a day over 4 months when we introduced him to food. He inhaled it. Beckham seemed to really like the stuff and swallowed it like a champ. This might make things easier for people who watch him for me, since he is such a bottle snob.

Oh, and speaking of being sentimental (last post), I am sad about Beckham's hair. He is so cute bald, and it's growing back quickly, but when I look back at pictures from a few months ago I miss that full head of soft, dark hair. It will be back soon; I'm sure. I am in love with those deep blue eyes and hope they stay so dark and beautiful.

I think he liked it.

entirely too sentimental

I am so pathetic. I am the most sentimental person I know with the exception of my mom...maybe. When I was little I would actually stress out about which of my little cute stuffed animals got to be on the bed and which ones went in the closet. I felt so sad for the ones that felt abandoned. At night, when I would turn my bed down, I carefully put each one on the floor sitting upright, making sure they were comfortable and that they felt loved.

When I totalled my first car that I paid for with my own money, I felt horrible. I felt like that car protected me, always got me where I needed to be, carried around all of my stuff, was perfect for me. I felt like I had betrayed it by smashing the front irreparably.

When the turtle shell store, "Reams", was demolished, I felt sadness. It was part of the first date Matt and I went on. Who cares if we committed a felony? (It was totally innocent, I swear.) I felt like a piece of our history was gone. When we had to pack up and leave our first apartment together I was nearly devastated. It was where we started out--where we had some of our very best moments. It felt wrong to just walk out the door never to come back.

I could go on and on about how mushy I am. There are stories and stories of this little problem I have. I just get too attached to things, to places, to people, to everything.

Today I put away all of the newborn and 0-3 month clothes and it actually caused me pain! I ached over every little piece I carefully folded and put away. A few months ago my baby was drowning in them and now they are going into storage, indefinitely. When we found out we were having another boy I was so excited to use the same cute outfits that didn't get enough wear the first time. Today, as I put them away, I just couldn't stop thinking, "what if this is the last time?".