Ten Months

Daniel Thomas is ten months old (plus a few weeks by the time I'm actually writing this). His precious little face is a light in our home. We love this baby boy and are so thankful the Lord chose to give him to our family.

Daniel is learning so many new things. He can now say "Choo-Choo" "Ma-ma" "Bye Bye" and "Ball". It is the sweetest thing ever to see him waving and saying, "by-by-by-by-by" And of course, we're constantly trying to get him to say Choo-Choo, which he pronounces "Too-Too" Unfortunately for us he does not preform on command.

On July 25th, just a few days after turning ten months old, Daniel started pulling up! John Hudson went in to see him after a nap and came running out saying, "Da-Da stand up!!." We all ran in to find this:

He is pulling up on everything now. And please note the precious pointer finger. He still points at everything--all the time. He especially loves to touch someone else's pointer finger and then pretend to blow up.  Thank you, Daddy and JH for teaching him that fun trick!

For about a week now, Daniel has been sleeping an 8 hour stretch at night. Its been pretty consistent and I am just praising the Lord! Sleep is such a sweet gift--one that I took for granted during my pre-mommy days. So, for the last week Daniel has been sleeping from 9pm-5am and then after nursing, sleeping until around 8.  Our daily schedule has been going something like this:

8:30- Daniel wake up for the day
9:00- John Hudson wake up
9:15- Eat breakfast (Jh loves oatmeal and a banana, and Daniel eats a mashed banana with coconut oil and kefir...which he actually loves!)
10-12- Daniel takes morning nap
10-10:30- Mommy and JH do Blanket Time where JH plays quietly on the floor and Mommy reads her Bible and journals. I'm so thankful for this time!
10:-30-12- Playtime and morning chores for Mommy and JH
12:15- Lunch
1- After lunch tidying and preparing for naps
2-5- JH naps
2:30-4:30- Daniel naps
5- Prepare Dinner
6-7- Eat and clean kitchen
7-8- Evening walk or play outside (since its too hot during the day)
8- Bath time
8:30- Family Bible time
9-Boys to bed!
10- Mommy and Daddy's goal to be in bed reading (rarely happens...)
11- Good night world!

I'm enjoying this routine, but also know that with little ones it is subject to change daily. All we have is today, and for today, this routine is working well.

Daniel is also eating a lot better! Like mentioned above, Daniel eats half a banana with coconut oil and kefir each morning. Sometimes he has lunch (other than breast milk) and sometimes not. Today he had a little chicken broth and some sweet potato with coconut oil.  He also likes butternut squash, summer squash and zucchini. He does not like pureed chicken, avocado, chicken liver...or really anything else other than what I mentioned above.  I'm glad he likes broth because I know he's getting good nutrients from that, and I try to smother his food in coconut oil to get those good fats in. He certainly doesn't seem malnourished!

Daniel Thomas loves to play! He spends a lot of time daily just crawling around and playing with toys. He entertains himself very well to be such a little guy.  Right now he loves balls and chases them all over the house. He always crawls right to the bin of balls in John Hudson's room and dumps them all over the floor. He can throw and catch really well! Clapping. He's also clapping all the time! He picks up on excitement in voices and then claps accordingly.  Daniel is also enjoying the tupperware cabinet, which I've just allowed him to discover. It makes a huge mess, but is great entertainment while supper is being prepared!

Daniel got another hair cut this month (August 8). It is a little shorter than I maybe hoped for...but its the best I could do with a squirming little one at bedtime. He's a handsome fellow!

In July, we were able to visit with my family at our annual reunion on the Tallapoosa river.  It was a wonderful time of relaxation and fun. The boys did amazingly well considering that it was over ninety degrees with no respite from the heat and they didn't get to take naps for three days in a row. Both of them thoroughly enjoyed the dirt and getting to play with their cousins. It will only get better as they get older and can know what to look forward to!

We praise the Lord for giving us another month with Daniel. He is a joy and a blessing in more ways than we can count!

Eight and Nine Months

I'm trying not to be too hard on myself for forgetting to write Daniel's eight month blog. The days fly by too fast and this sleep deprived mama just can't keep up sometimes. So, here's to trying to remember all the highlights of the last two months!

Obviously not in the mood for pictures. This is the best one we got! 

 Many things have changed since the last blog post. Not only is Daniel boy going from laying down to sitting up all by himself, he's also crawling everywhere! Starting just this past week, he can officially leave the room whenever he pleases! He is quite pleased with himself and is pretty happy most of the time just crawling around and getting into things he shouldn't. We're having to train him not to touch wires, outlets, and big brother's potty. Fun days ahead :)

Sleep is a struggle. We have hard nights and harder nights with a good night thrown in the mix every now and then. Daniel still wakes up every 2-3 hours, leaving this Mama very exhausted. He goes to sleep very easily at the beginning of the night. We just lay him down awake and he falls right to sleep. But during the night he just seems restless and wakes often. After nursing, he goes right back to sleep though. He's usually awake for the day between 6:45-7:45 am.  I'm still not sure what to do about this except cry out to Jesus for strength and pray he sleeps better soon. Thankfully, he naps really well during the day. This week he even took a four hour nap one day (which is longer than he sleeps at night, go figure!).

Daniel is still not into food. At all. He might take one or two bites of something, but after gagging and sputtering a few times, he knocks the spoon out of my hand. Little goober! He will drink chicken broth from a bottle occasionally, but other than that he is strictly a mommy-milk baby! I keep offering food, and he keeps declining. Thankfully, I know he's getting the nutrients he needs by nursing. He seems happy and healthy so we'll just keep on keepin' on for now! I do wonder if this is one reason he doesn't sleep well at night though. Maybe because he doesn't eat solids, he really is hungry at night? Who knows!

John Hudson and Daniel love taking baths together! They've been taking baths together for awhile now, but when Daniel started sitting up, I wasn't sure how safe it would be. Thankfully, I remembered something I'd seen on pinterest a while back...

A laundry basket! Brilliant! Both boys love it and I feel much better about letting them take baths together!

Daniel has really mellowed since he was a newborn. Other than the occasional fussy spell, he's a pretty happy baby! He smiles constantly and loves to babble. Ma-ma-ma-ma and Ba-ba-ba-ba are his favorites. Another new thing is pointing. He points at everything and says "ooooh." Its just so sweet! He was loving to sit in boxes and play, but now that he can crawl, that is so last week.

Daniel still adores John Hudson, and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual. John Hudson loves to "wrestle" with baby brother...and we have to remind him quite often to "be gentle"...although Daniel doesn't seem to mind the roughness one bit! One of my favorite parts of having two boys so close together is seeing their friendship form. They love each other so much. John Hudson will often say, "Mama, Da-Da play? Da-Da play?" Meaning, "Please put Daniel on the floor so we can play together!" God knew they needed each other!

Oh, and Daniel has a lot of teeth now! Four on the bottom and almost four on top. The top ones are barely through, but there nonetheless! No wonder the kid doesn't sleep! Lots of teefies coming in! We've begun brushing his teeth each night and he loves it.

Daniel got his first haircut a few weeks ago. Initially, we just cut the really long strand that stuck out on the side of his head. But then we decided to go ahead and trim the top too since it was hanging in his eyes. It was a small trim and he looks very handsome with his new 'do!

In June, we had the privilege of dedicating Daniel Thomas to the Lord during a sweet ceremony at our church. It was a special time of publicly offering our boy to the Lord and vowing to raise him in the fear and admonition of Yahweh.

Daniel, we pray that you will grow into a mighty warrior for Yahweh. May He strengthen you for every task He calls you to. May you believe that He is faithful and all-powerful and may His spirit dwell in you richly. We love you, sweet boy!

Mr. Hudson

I just wanted to write a quick post to document all of the adorable things our Hudson boy is doing these days. He is an absolute joy to be around--filled with compassion, joy, and happy songs.

John Hudson loves to sing. He hums constantly--playing with his train, eating dinner, reading books, you name it. He has recently starting singing songs that he's heard all his life. Its so rewarding to see that he's actually been listening! Hah! Currently his favorite songs are Jesus Loves Me, Praise Ye the Lord, Jesus Christ is the Same, and Good, Good Father. It brings such joy to our hearts to hear his pure little voice belting praises to our Father. I know it delights our Father's heart as well.

About two months ago, our neighbor came pounding on our door around 9:30 am. We were (embarrassingly) still in our pajamas. Her request? To come outside and see the firetruck that was out checking the hydrants! We scurried outside. The firefighters were so kind! They let John Hudson sit in the truck, try on their helmets, and even blow the siren. At the time, JH seemed very shy and unsure. But its been two months and he's still talking about it..so I'd say he secretly loved it.

John Hudson loves his Blankie. He affectionately calls it "Binka" and she is a girl. John Hudson is her Daddy. Binka loves to play and JH will often set her on the floor with some toys for playtime. She also loves to jump in Daniel's bouncer. Sometimes Binka cries and her daddy asks me to hold her. Binka also gets boo boos from time to time and needs special kisses. One day, John Hudson called me from the living room to tell me that Binka was hungry and wanted mommy milk. I came in to find this:

John Hudson was giving Binka mommy milk with my nursing pillow. We've since had conversations about how only mommies can give mommy milk, and daddies have to give bottles (haha!). Oh, and Binka also takes naps. JH will put her in his crib, turn on the fan, and close the doors. The whole family has to be quiet while Binka sleeps.

We were blessed to go to the beach in June. John Hudson loved the beach this year! His favorite part was having endless room to run, I think. He also enjoyed building sandcastles, jumping the waves, and meeting new friends. We had a blast.

John Hudson LOVES trucks, trains, and anything else that moves. He can entertain himself for a long time playing with his cars and trains. He loves to stack things on top of his trucks and see how far he can move the truck while balancing the various objects on top. This can also be a source of great frustration when the objects fall. Since Daniel is crawling now, he likes to grab John Hudson's trains and trucks, which is also a source of frustration. We're trying to teach John to be patient with baby brother, and trying to teach Daniel not to destroy John's hard work. Mr. Hudson loves to line up his cars and trucks and trains while he plays.

Since summer has hit, we've been enjoying the kiddie pool. John Hudson loves to get a running start and cannon ball into the water. He splashes and splashes and squeals with delight. I love how easily little ones can be entertained. Speaking of summer, we are thoroughly enjoying having Daddy home with us. John Hudson is delighted when he wakes up in the morning and Daddy is here. They have been able to get some good playing time in these past several weeks. What a blessing!

Socially, John Hudson has become much more self aware. Meaning--he is shy in public! Before, he would warm up to most people instantly, but now it takes much longer and he often hides behind our legs and whispers, "Mama, hold you!" when we're around people. I'm sure this is only a stage and once he does warm up, he's not a bit shy. His two best friends are Stephen and Joseph, both of whom we get to see often. Its sweet to watch these sweet boys grow up together.

Unfortunately, we found out a few weeks ago that our sweet boy has a hernia that needs to be repaired. He is scheduled to have surgery on July 21st, which makes for an anxious Mommy and Daddy. The hernia isn't dangerous most of time time, as long as it is able to be pushed back in. However, we did end up in the ER one night because JH was writhing in pain and the hernia would not budge. It was scary, but the Lord was ever gracious. After only two hours, some pain medication and a skilled doctor, we were able to go home. Being at the children's hospital reminded us just how thankful we are to have healthy children. It's a blessing that can be taken away at any moment and something we do not want to take for granted.

Mr. Hudson is talking a lot. Some of his most-used phrases are, "What doing, Mama?" "What happened?" "Shirt go?" (Where did your shirt go?) "Law home" (Lawrence (our neighbor) is home) "Da-Da wake!" (Daniel is awake!) "Boo Boo all better!" "Tilerd" (I'm tired) "LES!!" (Yes)" When asked what his name is, JH says, "John Hudson Schulte!" and when asked where he lives, JH says, "Stone Mountain, Georgia" One day a few weeks ago, we walked into the house and John exclaimed, "Mmmmm, smells good!!"

Oh, and John Hudson loves to stuff things in his pockets. And by things, I mean a lot of things. Sometimes his pants fall down when he's running because of the weight. When we go to friends' homes we have to watch him closely because he will stuff their toys in his pocket and bring it home on accident! We've had to return a few toys to the church nursery because of this as well. The other night, I emptied John Hudson's pockets at bedtime and found all of the treasures below (minus the wedding rings). He also stuffs crayons, small trains, quarters, and pens.

We are busy, indeed. But we wouldn't trade one single second. We love you, John Hudson!

Seven Months

Daniel Thomas is seven months old. He has the best comb over I've ever seen. He loves to be held on Mama's hip. He still thinks his big brother is the funniest person on the planet. He buries his face in your neck when he first wakes up or when he's tired. He likes to eat bone broth. That is all he likes to eat. He brings much joy wherever he goes.

JH holding Daniel's hand on a walk

Another month gone by. I know I will never remember the day to day details of Daniel's life years from now. That's why I keep this blog. And I'm content that this blog only contains details about my children's lives. Maybe one day I will have time to pour my heart out again. Maybe soon I can write about things other than babies. Maybe writing will become therapeutic for me again. But today is not that day. Seasons come and go.  And this season is pretty much filled to the brim with babies.  And I'm content with that :)

Daniel is pretty much sitting up on his own now. I usually place the boppy pillow around him just in case he tumbles (which he does quite often), but he can usually sit there for at least a few minutes at a time. He is rolling rolling rolling everywhere! We are having to be really careful about John Hudson leaving small toys on the floor because now Daniel can roll right over to them and put them directly in his mouth. This scares me to death.

Daniel has started eating food! We started him with beef bone broth, which he seems to like pretty well. He's also had egg yolk, avocado, beef and chicken liver, and banana. All of which (except banana) make him gag and sputter as if something is terribly awful. So, we're sticking to the broth for now and trying other things every few days or so. I made a lot of broth a few weeks ago and froze it into ice cube trays. Viola! Dinner.  Mommy milk is still his favorite food and he drinks a lot of it.

First reaction to bone broth

Sleep has been steady over the last month. Praise the Lord! He goes to bed around 8pm, wakes at 12:30ish, wakes at 6ish and is up for the day at 7:30ish. I am learning that Daniel needs to go to bed early. He could probably even go to bed earlier than 8, but that's just hard to do with our schedule and evening walks and outings. It seems like our nights are better when he goes to bed earlier. Naps have gotten more consistent as well. He usually takes a morning nap around 9:30 (1-2 hours), afternoon nap around 1 (1-2 hours), and evening nap around 5 (1ish hour).

Daniel definitely recognizes people he loves. He saw John Hudson on facetime last week (JH was visiting my parents) and immediately started squealing and smiling. He also gets excited when Michael comes home from work or when he sees me if I've been away. Those home comings are the best!

Daniel loves to babble. Ba-ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma-ma. He also started mimicking sounds he hears. One day, I noticed that every time I would clear my throat or cough, he would copy me. At first, I thought it was just coincidence, but soon realized that it was purposeful. I was able to get it on video! Hilarious!

Teeth! This month has presented itself with two new pearly whites for our Daniel boy. They're about halfway through now and have seemed to cause a little fussiness, but nothing too bad.

* JH is actually smiling in this pic...

God has reminded me a few times this month of the "scare" we had towards the end of my pregnancy with Daniel. One day around 6pm, I noticed I had not felt him move in quite a while. I couldn't tell if I actually hadn't felt him move or if I just couldn't remember when. We were out on a walk at the time so I immediately came home and drank a sugary drink and laid on the couch. Still nothing. I jiggled and jostled my belly. Nothing. I texted my midwife and she called immediately. Now I was beginning to get concerned. She gave me some tips of things to do. Nothing. Concern turned to panic. Trying to stay calm, but not doing a very good job, I agreed to have Debbie come over and check his heartbeat (one of the many perks of home births and midwifes...). Those were the longest 30 minutes of my life as we waited for her arrival. We were praying and begging God to have mercy on our sweet boy, but also realizing that this could be the story God was writing for us. We could be the ones to lose a child before he ever took a breath on earth. Our hearts were already breaking as we anticipated the worst, but desperately hoped for the best.

Debbie arrived. I met her with swollen eyes and shaky hands. We made awkward small talk as we walked to our bedroom. The silence was piercing. Except for the sound of my pounding heart, that is. I had no idea what I would hear when she put that doppler to my belly. Would I hear the precious, most lovely sound of a beating heart, or would I hear nothing. Deathly silence.

We all burst into tears when we heard that swish swish swish come through that doppler speaker. My body went limp as utter relief soared through my veins. God had been gracious. He had spared our precious son. We felt as if Daniel had been raised from the dead. Because in our hearts that's what we were preparing ourselves for--a tiny casket and a funeral. Oh praise the One who gives life!

It is good for me to reflect on this story--to remember that God has been so gracious in giving us Daniel Thomas. He is a gift and God has plans for him to fulfill. Yahweh did not have to bless us with this sweet little boy. He could have taken Daniel--and even then He would have still been good. Yet He chose to entrust Daniel into our care. We pray to be faithful stewards of this most precious gift.