It’s amazing how quickly having kids completely changes your life. I know you’ve probably heard that a million times, but until you actually welcome a little one into your life, you really don’t understand what I mean just yet. Christmas this year was better than I could have anticipated. There’s just something about actually seeing excitement in your kiddo’s eyes that takes the “giving instead of receiving” to a whole other level. Don’t get me wrong, there were a few times that we couldn’t keep him interested in a gift long enough to even get it open, but there were moments were you could see his excitement. Too cute! We celebrated Christmas with Kevin’s family in the days prior to Christmas when our niece Ryley and soon to be sister in law Linley were in town from AZ. It’s always so good to spend time with them and we miss them like crazy when we have to go months without seeing each other. We went to church Christmas Eve and then started a new tradition (that we totally stole from our wonderful friends—thanks Mike & Rachael!) of grabbing Chinese food on the way home. It was fabulous! I’m so excited to be starting new holiday traditions with our growing family. We let Jaiden open one gift on Christmas Eve, and then we called it a night. Christmas morning was spent at our house with just the three of us, and it was perfect. It was nice to be able to open gifts at our own pace and let Jaiden have enough time to actually enjoy each one without rushing onto the next. We headed over to my parents house in the afternoon to spend time with all of them and see Scott & Cammie. Jaiden took a painfully long time warming up to my brother, but came around eventually. He really struggles around “new” men and/or men that he doesn’t see often, and I mean BIG time. You can see his fear in his face and he usually clings on to the back of my shirt. He’ll eventually warm up to them, but in the beginning they just need to keep their distance. The day after Christmas we went to my Grandma Williams house in IL and had so much fun spending time with family. Jaiden was a little out of sorts there with a cold, lack of sleep, and both his top molars cut through at the same time... but he’s a trooper. He’s now currently cutting the bottom two molars, again at the SAME time, so it’s pretty obvious that he’s uncomfortable, but he’s managing. His poor bottom gums are so swollen and purple right were the teeth are about to cut through at. Not that I remember way back when... but I can’t imagine that cutting all 4 molars within two weeks is fun! This brings his teeth count up to 11!
Other exciting news with him is that he’s starting to say a little bit more each week. He’s completely mastered “more” and says it with the thickest British sounding accent you’ve ever heard. Where it came from, we have NO idea! Of course Kevin absolutely loves it and gets such a kick out of talking to Jaiden with an accent. It’s quite the sight to see. Jaiden also LOVES saying “uh-o” and will do whatever he can in order to say it i.e.: throw food off of the high chair, “accidently” drop a sippy cup, smack the dogs in the face, or as soon as he wakes up in the morning or from a nap he throws his silky blanket out of the crib and starts yelling “Uh-o.... uh-o..... uh-o...” It’s too cute— especially when a mama gets thrown into the mix “uh-o.... uh-o.... uh-o mama...” Oh, the little things! He’s trying so hard to say up when he wants to be picked up, so I’m almost positive that cup, pup, etc. will be coming soon. He says dog and duck, and of course still tries to throw us off with all his made up words. If you ask him what a cow says his face lights up and he yells “moooo” and if you ask what a fish does he’ll smack his lips together. I'll upload a video later! He knows and can point to hair, nose, and tongue and occasionally eyes, although he doesn’t understand that we don’t poke people’s eyes out. That brings me to our newest adventure... trying to teach him to “be gentle/be nice”. With a new little sissy coming in just a few short months we’re trying desperately to get him to somewhat understand how to be gentle, but right now what he does when we say it is almost laughable. It’s the complete opposite, so we’ve definitely got our work cut out for us. His favorite toy at the moment is his Little Tikes basketball hoop. It’s just a couple inches too tall for him to get the ball in the hoop alone, so all day long he goes and grabs his ball, crawls on his knees with both hands in the air carrying the ball, and says “More. More. More. More.” I swear I probably hear MORE at least 40+ times a day... not joking. He’s a little character to say the least! Wow, I guess I should’ve warned everyone about the mommy brag aleart. Ha! Sorry to ramble, it’s just so fun to see him grow, change, and understand new things daily. He's started to take 4 or 5 steps at a time, but still prefers crawling at the moment... although I'm sure he'll be running around within a few weeks. He's getting so close!
Monkey had his 12 month appointment, and I really wish someone would’ve prepped me for what to expect for the shots portion. Little dude had 4 shots, one after another, after another, after another. He was completely over it after the first poke so you can imagine my struggle having to pin him down for the next three. I absolutely hate it... it breaks my heart. But I can report that he’s growing perfectly, he’s healthy, and he’s happy... we couldn’t ask for anything more. He was 22 lbs 5 oz (45th percentile) and 30 inches (58th percentile).
A little pregnancy update and then I’ll wrap things up. I had my 24 week appointment on Monday and everything is right on track. I have been having a few contractions here and there so I’ve been told to really start timing them and get off my feet a.s.a.p. This is a lot easier said than done with a toddler all over the place... but of course, I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ve called to doctor a few times between this appointment and the last for this, and I really need to make sure I’m not overdoing it. Makenna Rae, we are all beyond thrilled to meet you, but NOT YET! You’ve got a lot more growing to do first. I’m pretty certain it’s safe to say that she’s having a 24 hour dance party in my belly. She is on the move constantly and I love being able to see her wiggling around from the outside. Being pregnant never ceases to amaze me. I have the glucose test in a few weeks and then we start the every other week appointments! We can’t believe we’re already to that point. This pregnancy has gone so fast. Kevin and his Dad have been hard at work redoing Makenna’s walk in closet, and let me just say... I’m beyond jealous. They can start in our master closet anytime :) It turned out amazing! I’ve been doing one load of laundry after another today to get everything put away, and Kevin is currently upstairs painting her room as we speak. I can’t wait to get her room finished. I’ll post pictures as soon as it’s done.
belly pic @ 23 weeks
goodbye baby, hello little boy. I'm not sure if it's because another little one is on the way or because he's offically ONE, but oh my word, everytime I look at him I'm still surprised to see such a big boy :)
That's too funny about Jaiden being scared of Scott, especially when I think he looks a lot like Scott. :o) I can't believe he's already got 11 teeth, goodness! Take care with the pregnancy.
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