Daniel Thomas is Six Months Old!

That's right. Six months, folks. Can someone please tell me where the time has gone?

Although I'm sad to think that my baby is already six months old, I'm happy that time has brought a lot of positive changes to our Daniel boy. He is so much more content with life now. Extreme fussiness is super rare whereas before it was our norm. It just took Daniel a few months to adjust to this OTW thing (outside the womb). But I think he's finally decided that he likes it! I'm so glad, sweet boy.

Daniel is rolling everywhere. Laying a blanket on the floor for playtime is pretty much pointless because he will roll right off. He's always on his back when I get him from his crib now. Sometimes he even falls asleep on his side because he rolls around so much as he's getting to sleep. He's not quite sitting up unassisted, but almost. He loves sitting in his bumbo seat though. Especially if we're outside. He will sit and squeal for a long time outside.

He also loves to fall asleep on the porch swing. And I love it.

Talking. Daniel has always been a talker. I could seriously listen to those sweet baby coos all day long. Every morning when he's finished sleeping for the night, he lays in his bed and talks. Some days he will do it for thirty minutes! Ba-ba-ba-ba Ma-ma-ma-ma. So sweet. A few days ago, he started talking at 5:40 am. Sometimes our days and nights are still mixed up :)

Overall, Daniel is sleeping much much better. Praise the Lord! Typically he goes to bed between 8:30-9 and wakes around 1:30 and 4:30-5 to eat and then between 7-8 for morning. Some nights, though he will do a 6-8 hour stretch at first and then 2-3 hours after that. Either way is great for me. Even waking two times a night, I still feel so rested compared to waking 4-6 times a night. Sleep is a wonderful thing. And it is a gift from the Lord.

Daniel usually takes three naps a day. A morning nap around 9:30 (usually 1 hour after he wakes up from night) that lasts 45 min-1 hour. Afternoon nap between 12:30-1 that lasts about two hours and an evening nap around 5:30-6 that lasts about an hour. His little crib is in our "closet" room. I can either say, "Daniel sleeps in the closet" or "We keep our clothes in Daniel's room." Haha! Either way, its a cozy little set up and I'm grateful that he has his own space for sleeping (its about 3 feet from my bed!).

I am still staying away from gluten and dairy. I did have a bit of raw milk last week and he seemed to tolerate it pretty well. I plan to slowly add dairy products and see what happens. It will be a good day when I can have real cream in my coffee again. But, its been totally worth it in terms of helping Daniel's fussiness (screaming). I'm so glad we were able to figure out what seemed to be hurting him. I also plan to start Daniel on "solid" food this month. I have a crock pot of beef bones cooking as I type this. I will most likely start him on beef broth this week with liver and egg yolk following soon after. Can I get a YUM?

John Hudson and Daniel are becoming good friends. John Hudson wants to know where Daniel is at all times and makes very sure I never forget him in the car (haha!). Daniel thinks John Hudson is the coolest thing since sliced bread (which is a high commodity in this house, see previous post about John Hudson's bread fettish). Daniel lights up when John Hudson enters the room. I'm so thankful God gave them each a brother and friend. He is so kind.

Daniel's smile lights up the room. His giggle fills our home with joy. We are so thankful to have had another month with the sweet, sweet boy. Glory to God!

We have a TWO year old in the house!

Our sweet John Hudson is two years old. He is a delight in our home. This little boy is compassionate, loving, obedient (mostly), and totally hilarious. Who needs television when you live with a two-year-old?

Using his cell phone to take pictures like Mom and Dad

We celebrated John Hudson's birthday with a small family gathering. It was a blessing to have grandparents, great grand parents, and an aunt join us for the joyous celebration. JH was beside himself with excitement. I decorated his highchair before he woke up in the morning and I wish I had his reaction on video. It went something like this: "Gasp!!!! BALLOONS!!!!".  My mom, who John Hudson has named "WaWa," made his grain-free, dairy-free, dye-free birthday cake (which tasted delicious, by the way!) and decorated it with tiny choo choo trains. Way to go, WaWa! It was a huge hit. Blowing out candles was John's favorite part of the day. He blew them out before we even finished singing and then asked to do it again (which we allowed, of course).

So, what is our two-year-old baby boy up to these days? Busy busy busy.  We are thankful that spring has brought warmer weather with it and we are thoroughly enjoying playing outside. John loves playing in the sand box, coloring with chalk on the sidewalk, blowing bubbles, and running around. He delights in picking up sticks and rocks and collecting them in a neat pile on the front porch.

Lunch on the porch. Enjoying a spring day!

John Hudson still enjoys riding the bike with Daddy. For his birthday, we got him his own seat for Daddy's bike. How fun! Unfortunately, we think he must feel less secure in the bike seat than he did attached to Daddy's back in the ergo carrier. John has seemed less excited about bike rides lately. We're hoping he will get used to the seat and soon be begging for rides again.

Every day when Daddy gets home from work, John Hudson asks to play in his car. He loves to bounce back and forth between the front and back seat, pretend to drive, and listen to music. It has become a sweet routine that both Michael and John look forward to each day. Last night, they had car time in pjs because it was a late work night for Michael. JH didn't mind :)

Another fun thing John Hudson is enjoying is mowing the grass. Omi gave him a lawn mower for his birthday and it has been a huge hit. He pushes that thing around (outdoors and indoors) constantly.. This past weekend, he was delighted to help Daddy mow the grass. He followed Michael around the yard for a long time. He was covered in sweat, pollen, and dirt...and he couldn't have been happier.

Coloring. John loves to color. First, he pours all of his crayons on the floor or couch or wherever he's working. Then he lays on his elbows on the floor and colors away. Its very sweet to watch and is a great form of quiet entertainment. A few weeks ago, he saw my notebook where I had written a to-do list for his birthday party. When he saw his name written he said, "Mama! JOHN!!" I was pretty proud that he recognized his name :)

John also loves playing with the blocks Oma and Opa got him for Christmas. He can entertain himself for quite a while with these blocks. Thankfully, he's finally learned how to build things and not just knock them down. And look! I went into his room the other day and found this perfectly sorted pile on the floor.

One strange thing that JH has become attached to lately is his pretend sandwich. It consists of two pieces of bread, a piece of cheese, a piece of salami (which JH calls "oatmeal"), and a cookie on top. And it has to be in that order. The other day, Michael handed the sandwich to John with the cookie in the middle and he quickly let us know that was not acceptable. John Hudson loves this sandwich. He sleeps with it every single night. He carries it around all day long and knows where it is at all times. Naps are not possible without it. It goes in the car, in the sandbox, in the stroller, on the changing table...it is his constant sidekick. We joke and say that John is so attached to the pretend bread because I won't let him have real bread. This could very well be true! Hah!

You can spot his beloved sandwich in the cup holder of his car seat

Can't go to church without pretend bread, ya know.

Holding bread :)

Snuggles with WaWa (bread in right hand).

Every day, John Hudson is saying new words. He recently began calling Michael "Daddy" instead of "Da-Da." He is starting to put two to three word sentences together such as, "Oh no! Choo choo broke!" or "Daddy apple eat." or "More chicken please!" It is so fun to see his little mind working so hard to figure everything out. He definitely has his own way of communicating and seems to do quite well getting his point across.

Little Hudson boy is one of my best buds. We have so much fun together. I am so thankful to spend my days with him. I pray that our Lord will continue to shape this special little boy after His heart. I pray that he will grow into a strong and gentle man of God.

Happy Birthday John Hudson! We love you so much!

Five Months with our Daniel Boy

Daniel Thomas Schulte is five months old. He is a chunk of joy and giggles. God knew we needed Daniel in our home. He is such a treasure and a delight. Even on the long days of fussiness and sleeplessness, one look at those big blue eyes and that precious mohawk and I'm reminded what a gift I've been given.

Not much has changed since Daniel's four month update. He's still not really into rolling over, but does seem to enjoy lying on his back and looking at toys more.  He's finally discovered his hands and is fascinated by them! I often find him just sucking his pacy and staring at his sweet little hands. What a wonder it must be when the world is so new, fresh, and unknown. He is getting really good at grabbing toys and immediately sticking them in his mouth and can even gnaw on things for a little while without dropping them. Pacy is still Daniel's best friend. Seriously, I'm not sure how we would survive without that thing. He sucks constantly! 

Daniel is a big boy. He's wearing 6-9 month clothes, but mostly 9 month. He wears some outfits that John Hudson was wearing at 8 and 9 months...at five months. I can't wait for summer so I can see his sweet leg rolls every day! Daniel is still wearing size two diapers, although when this box is finished we will need to move to size three. During the day, both boys wear cloth diapers which helps the budget tremendously!

We're still nursing about every two hours, but probably not because he's actually hungry. My theory is: If I'm there and he's there and he'd like to nurse, then why not? Its relaxing for both of us and mutually enjoyable.

D is enjoying his play bouncer! Jumping is so fun!

Sleeping has still been a struggle, although there have been momentary times of improvement. Like last week, he slept a 7 hour stretch two nights in a row, which was amazing. But after that he was back to his usual 4-5 wakes a night. I'm seeing a pattern though. Just when I am so weary and depleted and feel like I absolutely cannot do another night of no sleep, the Lord gives us a good night. He is so kind like that. Its still a struggle to trust Him when I feel so exhausted, but day by day (and night by night) he is teaching me.

I remember your words in the night, O LORD, and keep your law (Psalm 119:55)

I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise. (Psalm 119:147-148)

Naps have been much better, though. Daniel has been taking a few (up to three!) 1-2 hour naps a day. Some days are not so good (15 min naps), but some days are great. For naps, I just lay him in his bed with his pacy and he usually falls asleep! Sometimes I have to put the pacy in a few times, but it usually works. This is a blessing because rocking him to sleep in a peaceful environment just doesn't happen with a two year old in the home! 

Daniel, we love you sweet boy! Every day, we are so thankful God chose to put you in our lives. We pray that as you grow and learn, you will understand the great, great love that Jesus has for you. We love you, but He always loves you more!