Luke's 2 Months Old

Yesterday Luke hit two months old. I seriously cannot believe how fast it's gone. There's this amazing thing that happens when you have kids- time seems to miraculously speed up. Unfortunately, now I don't want it to. You know how, as a kid, it seems like you're always looking forward to the next birthday or the next grade, or once you're a teen you look forward to getting to date and driving and then leaving home? It seems like we spend all our youth wishing it would go faster and all adulthood wishing we could go back. But I digress...

Luke is doing really well! He's a super champion sleeper, usually waking up only once each night. He's also a good eater, and really starting to chunk out. He's also discovered cooing and smiling in the past few weeks. I love this stage! On the downside, he's also been crying more, and it's been harder to get him down for naps. But if Max taught me anything, it was that everything is a stage and by next week we'll be on to something new.

I'm taking him to the doctor tomorrow, so I'll get height and weight then. Suffice it to say for now, we're so happy to have him as a part of our family! He's a sweet little boy, and a very good baby.

Day at the Dentist

I wish I had pictures from today! But, I didn't think it would be very appropriate to bring a camera to the dentist. However, Max went for his 3rd ever dentist appointment today, but it was the first time he let them actually do something. He looked so cute laying in the big dentist chair with a pair of bright orange, star-shaped sunglasses. He also had to sit through my appointment, and he chatted up the hygienist the entire time. Lucky for us, she was a very good sport! He's such a sweet, social little guy. He certainly gets that from his daddy; I would have been way to shy to tell my life story to a complete stranger at age 3. I love that we can take him places now, have him sit, and he can carry on an adult conversation. He's certainly his own little person now, full of tales about baseball and tractors. We're so lucky to have such a lovable little man.

My Birthday!

It has come again! My birthday is here, and this year I'm officially closer to 30 than I am to 20. Yikes! Lucky for me, my boys made sure I had a great weekend, not just one day. Friday night I had a girl's night here at the house. The two big boys were supposed to go camping, but they got a flat tire and ended up camping in the backyard. Well, they made it until eleven when Darreck brought Max in because there was no way he was going to sleep. The girls were great, and it was so nice to talk to adults for awhile.

Yesterday we went around furniture stores, went on a walk, went out to dinner at Taco Del Sol (fish tacos, yum!), and then out to frozen yogurt. Basically everything I love to do on a Saturday. It was awesome, and I'm so lucky the boys obliged my every whim.

Today, my actual birthday, we went to church this morning, for a walk this afternoon, and over to my parents' this evening. Mom made me shrimp alfredo with breadsticks and a chocolate cake. I got a journal and movie from my boys and my parents bought me some really fun cooking and baking supplies. Grandma got me towels and Kayla got me a figurine of a mother with two boys. All very, very, very thoughtful!

This has been a great, very rewarding year, and I'm looking forward to the year in front of me. I'm so lucky I got to have such a great birthday weekend!

The Binky Fairy

I've been trying to post this for days now, but it seems that my memory card had a temporary freak-out. Anyways, we finally got Max to relinquish his binkies!!! It only took us three years :( We told him that the Binky Fairy would let him pay for one new toy with his old binkies. He's been really  into buying stuff lately, so it was just the incentive he needed. After thinking about it for days, he decided he wanted a remote controlled truck, and off we went to Walmart. After the store, he took his binkies to the post office and mailed them to the Binky Fairy for payment (thanks mom for accepting gross, old binkies!). He got really into it, and it really did turn out to be a lot of fun. He's played with his truck pretty much non-stop for the last 3 days now, and we haven't had any crying fits at nap or bedtime. Yay, success!

Living at the Clinic

Lately I feel like I've been living at the clinic- no really, it's gotten so bad that the receptionist knows me by name. First it was just a checkup, then the circumcision, then a going in to talk about reflux, and I was back today for a follow up on the reflux. Luke has been doing much better since he started his medicine, but he needed a little dosage adjustment today. I wouldn't mind going in for just him but next week I see my doctor, the next week we all see the dentist, the week after that we have our annual health screening, then the week after that Luke has his 2 month well check. It's never ending.

On the upside, I'm profoundly grateful for our insurance. Not that Luke was cheap, by any means, but it could have been a lot worse. I'm grateful that we can go see the doctor when we need to without worrying about how to pay for it. I know that's a comfort that lots of parents don't have, and that, to me, seems entirely wrong. I love all three of my boys, and I'm mostly grateful that they are healthy and usually happy.