A New Skill

Recently we have begun to work with Parker on feeding himself. I have been told by many other mothers that this can take longer with boys to master than with girls. We have been taking it slow and allowing him to explore on his own with a spoon. I usually let him try it out when we are about to have a bath or have no where else to be since it can create quite the mess! He does not really like for us to feed him anymore and wants to do it on his own, so we try and help him by putting the food on the spoon and let him see if he can get it in his mouth. He is starting to get the hang of it but it is still a work in progress.

Gettin' Some Exercise

Jonathan has been developing quite the upper body strength these days. He has learned to pull up on things. He is soooo proud of himself and turns his head to see if anyone is noticing. The only problem comes when he gets tired of standing in the same place but is afraid to let go and fall back down so he can move to something else. Until he figures this out, we have had to come to his rescue several times. He is changing so fast!

He pulls up on your legs

The coffee table

The activity table

And unfortunately is not happy when he loses his balance and falls down.

Mother's Day

This year was my first Mother's Day with Jonathan. It was still a weird feeling to know last year I was technically a mother of two already but had no idea!

There have been times this past year when I wouldn't have chosen to have two babies eight months apart, but when I see this sweet smile, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

We had lunch at mom's house after church along with my sister, her husband, and two kids.

Jonathan LOVES Brooke!



Don't know what we would do without our mom.

So at this point you might be wondering what happened to Parker. Well, Parker was busy pushing around a lawnmower Grandad found from when Collin was a baby. I have never seen Parker get so focused on one toy for so long. We experienced our first full out temper tantrum from him when we put him in his seat to eat lunch. As soon as he finished eating he pushed the lawnmower around for an hour and a half. He literally worked up a sweat. So needless to say trying to get a picture with him was next to impossible!

After mom's we all went home and enjoyed a nice long nap. Later we went to eat and I finally managed to get a picture with my little man.

A Grateful Mother

When Mother's Day comes around, I find myself in a very sentimental and reminiscing mood. There was a time not too long ago when I dreaded Mother's Day. It is a very difficult day for one who longs to be a mother. It feels like everyone else around you has the very thing you want. You find yourself feeling selfish as you know it is not their fault they have children but you just want to know when it is going to be your turn. When is God going to grant that desire? Are you ever going to be able to celebrate Mother's Day as a mother?
Last year Mother's day took on a whole other meaning. It was my first Mother's Day. Suddenly this day became something very special instead of a day of grieving. I found myself feeling so overwhelmed at the privilege of being Parker's mom just like the first moment I held him at the hospital. I was chosen for Parker. It brought on many emotions as I thought about his birth mom, the brave choice she made, and the fact that I was able to become a mother to an amazing son because of her sacrifice. At the same time I also found myself hurting for those around me who were waiting to get pregnant or waiting to be matched with a birth mom.
This year as I celebrated my first Mother's Day with Jonathan, I kept reflecting on the irony of my life over the past couple of years. How is it that in such a short time I went from someone who longed for a child to a mother of two baby boys?
As I think back on the journey God has taken us on, I always can sum up my emotions in one word: grateful. It is more than being grateful for Parker and Jonathan, it is feeling grateful for infertility. If it wasn't for infertility I would never have been placed with Parker or experienced of the process of adoption, something I would not trade for anything. Now I can say I am grateful for emotions, as hard as they were, felt during infertility. Because it is in the moments where raising two babies eight months apart becomes so overwhelming and challenging, I am able to stop and remind myself there are so many women out there who would give anything to have what I have. I know this because I used to be one of those women. So I am grateful that God chose me to take me on the path of infertility as it has given me a totally different perspective, something I thought I would never say. Infertility has made me one grateful Mother.

Centers

Early on when Jonathan was a newborn it was difficult to keep him happy for any period of time. A friend and former kindergarten teacher compared it to centers as we would "rotate" to different "activities" (the bouncy seat, the swing etc.) through out the day in an effort to keep him entertained with out having to hold him 24/7. As Jonathan has gotten older the centers have changed and he is able to stay happy and entertained in each center for longer stretches of time. Here are a few pics of some centers Jonathan enjoys.

The Jumparoo Center

Gross Motor Skills Center- i.e. rolling on the floor under his play mat as he works on his crawling skills

Teething Center which involves emptying out the bucket of toys one by one as he chews on each one until we put them all back in the bucket so he can start again. This has been a favorite but produces lots of drool.

Some new centers we have added recently include: "Pulling Up On the Nearest Object", "Fine Motor Skills" i.e. sitting in his high chair eating puffs so we can eat, & "Parker's Room" which involves playing in his brother's room so I can take a shower and get ready for the day!

Independent Play

Parker phased out of his morning nap for good around 14 months old. Although I enjoyed the fact he slept a longer amount of time in the afternoon, I hated to drop his morning nap because Jonathan took a morning nap as well and it gave me two chances during the day to get a little break as well as accomplish some things. Often times I found myself needing to do some things upstairs but did not like hauling Parker from room to room or up and down the stairs to do this. So I decided to start some independent play time with him. I moved half his toys upstairs to his room (mainly the ones that made the most noise!) and bought a gate to put across his doorway so I could leave his door open, keeping an eye on him but also go back and forth upstairs as needed. I figured we would have to ease him into playing alone in his room by slowly increasing the time he was by himself without one of us in there with him, but he took to this concept like a champ. He seems to enjoy the change of scenery and it allows me to get some things accomplished upstairs if needed while Jonathan takes his morning nap. The other day I decided to take some pictures of him while he was playing to document some of his favorite things to do.

He enjoys climbing the steps of his step stool and setting on the stairs.

He sits on his alphabet train and plays with the blocks that go with it.

He has started to pull some of his drawers out and pushes them back in. He seems to like the sound of them on the rollers. Thankfully he has not taken things out of the drawers and also knows to let go in time so his fingers don't get smashed!

This is my FAVORITE. He loves to sit and look at his books, He will "talk" as he turns the pages as if he is reading aloud. I love this boy so much!