Hug, Hug, Kiss, Kiss

I tell you what- Luke has his moments, but his grins sure are sweet!! I laid him down on R's bed while I changed her diaper and she was jazzed to "get next to baby Luke!!" She squeezed herself as close as possible and hugged him and kissed him! She now says "Hug, Hug, Kiss, Kiss" a la Nacho Libre. Luke mostly loved the attention... :) In other news, I actually got to rock him to sleep yesterday afternoon (R was down for her nap)- I was mesmerized by Luke's sleepy smiles and then awed by his giggle- I kid you not, he laughed in his sleep! Our kids are definitely advanced!





My 2 most favorite boys!




This was at our church's congregational meeting. After dinner, we sing a few praise songs...I realized that Rebekah had never been a part of corporate worship...she intently looked around at all the adults standing up and singing...Bekah softly started singing "lullabye...lullabye... lullabye..." She seemed surprised that the song did not change to Jack Johnson's lullabye song...go figure. This was right after she was singing- the camera missed the actual singing...when did she grow up to be big and so darn cute????

On a side note- we had the pleasure of our dear friend, Matt Morton, visiting us for a few days on his sabbatical. We went to the Amana Colonies and the Chocolate Haus- Josh bought Rebekah some gummy bears- so sweet! Anyway, Rebekah was very excited about the "yummy bears!"

Little Smiley...

Just thought y'all would like to see little Luke smiling...Josh gets the best pics! Actually, here's the deal- I feed Luke at 10 pm, 2 am, and 5am...after 5, I get to put in ear plugs and Josh handles things until 7ish or whenever Luke decides he's ravenous again! This means that Josh gets up with Rebekah and pacifies Luke as long as possible. Josh says that Luke is very social- doesn't need to eat, but wants to be a part of things- he says that he gets all kinds of smiles like these in the morning! :) Yes, he's grinning at himself in the mirror...











Rebekah likes to wash her hands- i.e. splash a lot!! Thought these were cute!

Rebekah's newest phrases:

Bekah be right back! I told you we'd get home! I told you I'd be back! Grandi gonna get you in the car! (excited about flying home with Mom and getting picked up by my dad) Bekah's in the phone! (she loves that her pic is on my phone!) Who's that?/What's that? Mommy feed the baby! Read it one more time! (she can finish most of her books from memory)

We did have our first notice of Samson's absence- she asked if he was downstairs...it made me cry a little...

She also noticed that Josh got his hair cut- she rubbed his head and said "Daddy's hair cut"...speaking of, we love some of her sweet little habits- she rubs my earrings and Josh's beard stubble when she's tired...

Bekah's imagination has been developing, too- while I was washing dishes, she pretended to wash out bottles at her own sink. She also clanged some measuring cups and spoons around in Luke's room while I was nursing him and told me, "Bekah's making dinner!"

Grocery Shopping

I was curious how grocery shopping with 2 would look like...not so bad! Josh has been with me almost every time and since we've been blessed with so many good meals, I have only been buying sides and food for Rebekah, so it hasn't taken too long. Josh found this great cart and Rebekah was all for it! I think it's her new favorite adventure!





Luke is doing great- he has his ups and downs for sure and we are trying to figure them all out! He was 6 weeks yesterday- a long and short passage of time. We took him to the dr. b/c he has been struggling with gas and we wanted to make sure all was well. Indeed it is- just newborn fussiness probably due to an immature digestive system. They weighed him- 11lbs, 5 oz, so he is obviously eating well! He seems big and small all at the same time! Luke blesses me with big smiles- he grins with his whole face- these are the things that make my day! Plus, every time I pull out the camera, Rebekah yells, "Smile, Baby Luke!"



I think Luke resembles my brother here...especially the mouth.


Rebekah is still hilarious- she is definitely a chatterbox- she even calls herself "broken record" . If you're ever curious what we talk about, just listen- she repeats EVERYTHING!!!! -and in context! She is amazing. Her new thing is asking questions...example- we're grocery shopping and we pass a stranger- R: "Who's that?" Me: "I don't know, honey, she's a stranger. I don't know all people." We pass the same lady and she says: "I don't know, honey...hi, people!!!" This happens everywhere. She also loves to ask, "What's that?" to learn new words. Interestingly, "that" has taken on a whole new meaning. When R doesn't know what something is, but is interested in it, she will say, "Rebekah hold the that?" So, we talk about "the that" a lot. She also sings a lot to herself- I walked in the living room and heard her singing the wheels on the bus go round and round, while also turning circles and dancing to her own tune. Another funny one- Rebekah puts herself down for naps (i.e. she covers herself up with a blankie on the floor) and tells herself, "No talking, no playing, no crying...Daddy will see you in morning..." I guess I say the same thing a lot! ;) We pray at naptime and bedtime- she gets to say who she wants to pray for...we have had to clarify that we pray for people, not inanimate objects. So, now R says:"Who else we pray for?" she then answers her own question: "Pray Grace! David!" etc...She then solemnly looks at me and says "Not gonna pray decorations! Not gonna pray Mommy's nose! Not gonna pray zebra! Not gonna pray hole! Not gonna pray wall! Pray for people!" (Those are all things she has repeatedly asked to pray for...the hole is a nail hole in the wall...go figure!)

These were at the play area at the mall with either Josh or her friend Josie...




This was at Chipotle...she enjoyed cutting her beans in half...very fun and serious business...

A Sad Farewell

It was our first year of marriage- I begged and begged for a dog! Josh was sure it was a gateway drug to having a baby...however, after getting Samson, our beloved boxer, in 2002, we still managed to wait until 2006 to have our first child. Now, I will say that having Sam as a 5-week-old puppy was akin to having my first child- he whined all the time and I couldn't go anywhere w/o him- drove me nuts to be honest! Josh took him out in the middle of the night and I remember thinking I may not be so good at this whole being a mom thing...ha ha. Anyway, Sam was our firstborn- we took him to the dog park, walked him, rough-housed with him, snuggled with him, etc...until we had Rebekah. You may recall that infants are exhausting...I had no extra energy for Sam and sadly, he relegated himself to his new position as backburner dog. We still walked him and loved him, even took occasional trips to the dog park, but it was not the same and we all knew it. Then, Rebekah got bigger and they became best pals and Sam had a new station in life- entertaining our real firstborn! Sam probably felt valued again...enter our second-born...never mind walking him- we barely get outside with the 2 of them, much less a hyper dog, pulling my arm off as I try to pick up his nasty poop!! Anyway, the poor dog has been neglected to say the least. Now, add to the mix our impending move overseas...taking Sam is not an option, especially to a rented flat. So, we are faced with the dilemma of what to do with sweet Sammy. Yea for Josh's sister, Rachel!!! She and her family (husband Pat and kids Quale and Emilia) are delighted to be the new owners of Samson! We thought we had more time with Sam, but with them living in DC and the temperature heating up, we had to fly him this week!!! So, I took Sam (and our 2 kids) to the vet (aka "puppy doctor") to get a clean bill of health and Josh set up all the other details- the flight, the exact right kennel (crazy restrictions), etc. and we drove to Chicago yesterday as a family to drop him off at the airport...very sad indeed.

So, yes, we packed up and all 4 of us went to the airport and then stayed the night in 1 room! Yikes! Both kids did great in the car- truly! We were in the car from 10:30am-4:17pm and Rebekah fell asleep at 4:15pm...seriously! Luke slept virtually the whole time. We didn't have a sad farewell b/c we missed the first flight out and the processing took so long that by the time it was over, Sam was kenneled and it was done. Rebekah knows he went to be with Auntie Rachel, but we're not sure what she really thinks.

Now, for the hotel room- my personal nightmare! 1 bed, 2 pack 'n plays, and 4 people...wow. We ended up sleeping Rebekah behind a barricade of chairs in a p 'n p- no problem! She didn't nap and due to dinner traffic (we were in traffic for an hour just to get to Wriggleyville where we drove past the stadium and ate dinner quickly), she went down later, too, so she was out immediately. Unfortunately we were in the same room that needed to be dark- at least for the falling asleep part- and Luke decided to flip out...so we exited and nursed him, then all turned in. He slept in the other p 'n p right next to me- I tried to catch every noise so as to avoid waking up R...that meant lots of wake-ups and extra feeds. At some point, Josh had the genius idea of setting up a make-shift bed in the bathtub for Luke- made his noises a little muter for R, but very much still audible for us. Let's see- I fed him at 9pm, 12 am, 3:20am, and at 5am I knew he wasn't hungry, but we didn't have the luxury of hoping he'd go back to sleep, so I finally pulled him in bed next to me to stay on paci-patrol...it was fun to snuggle but we both woke up hot and sweaty* at 7:20...now as for R, she only woke up once and just for a minute- I patted her tummy and she went back to sleep until 7, too! Sadly, Josh got the stomach yuckies R had last week (I had it a bit last week, too) during the night...rough night (at least Josh had bathroom company)! So, we packed it up and came home earlier than we would have otherwise. Both kids did great on the way home, too- I am super-impressed with R's road trip prowess...with nothing to do but play with shoes and talk to Mommy and Daddy, she kept herself happy both ways with hardly any fussing! Luke looked around and slept as long as his paci was in and that was wonderful, too!



As for Sam, I forgot to mention that his later flight was delayed 2 hours, so he didn't get in until late, poor Rachel and Pat! However, looking at a texted pic of Sam chewing a rawhide bone, Sam is having a ball and adjusting just fine!

This was his last bath (seriously, maybe his 5th bath since we've lived here- ouch!) Rebes was thrilled to help out...

This lovely maroon contraption was a gift from a sweet friend- thanks Meagan! It's called a Hooter Hider...I imagine you get the idea...R apparently does. She often thinks I'm hiding the baby, which is a favorite game of hers- she can hardly wait to tell you where she has hidden some priceless treasure! Anyway, once again, my personal belongings are no longer mine alone.



*I have been obsessing about Luke's ever-worsening acne...it seems to get better (see last post!), then get bad again. I was examining it today and putting 2 and 2 together- heat rash! He does have acne, but a lot of his splotchiness and red bumps are heat rash, probably from my excessive swaddling (i use 2 blankets). So, today at his normal awesome naptime, I dropped the swaddle- no bueno! No nap...so, now I am trying to swaddle him in less clothes and 1 blanket...poor little guy- needs the swaddle to sleep and keep his paci in (no flailing arms), but the swaddle makes him break out in heat rash, which can't be comfortable.

My Darling Boy & Girl

Luke had an exceptional night last night! The past few nights have been getting progressively better sleep-wise. He has always slept at night, sometimes needing me to return for burping or a little more nursing, etc., but he has been good at wanting to sleep at night. However, he was getting up to eat a lot so it seemed, especially last week. Finally, we seem to have turned a corner- last night he slept from 9:30-4am!!!! It felt so good to get that much sleep in a row- plus, I was able to pump afterwards and get a bottles'-worth! You know that's worth gold to me!

So, after all that good sleep and a morning snoozer, Luke awoke very smiley with one little sad face- funny thing is he never cried, even with that lower lip! I am LOVING those killer dimples!







This was priceless- I so wish you could hear Bunny's voice...she sweetly looked at me and asked, "Wunt sum Mommy's drink?" It was caffiene-free Diet Pepsi- hoping she wouldn't like it and she would quit asking me every time I have a "pop" as Midwesterners call it, I said okay. She was shocked...and ecstatic. (see first pic) Then, she tried it...drum roll...her response, "YUUUMMY!!!!!! Wunt sum more Mommy's drink!" What?! Backfire to say the least. So, she got a few more sips and loved it (see second pic)

"Pumping Baby Luke"

Oh, the joys of motherhood! It's hilarious watching Rebekah emulate all that I do! As my dear friend, Mindy, said it's precious and scary to see them copy us so much! Anyway, Rebekah is really into "Mommy pump for Baby Luke!" So, yes, Rebekah pumps her bellybutton at the same time as I pump for Luke.

It has been great that Luke is such an eater- he takes the bottle in less than 10 minutes and takes it from me! We weren't real consistent with bottles with R b/c I hate pumping. So, Rebekah only took a bottle from my parents and since they live 13 hours away it only worked out when we visited. Honestly, nursing is a challenge for me- I know it is what God designed and I think that it is super-cool, but I don't absolutely love it like so many women do, which makes me feel bad. I think I don't love it for mostly selfish reasons- I constantly worry that something I ate is bothering my baby, that I'm not making enough, that I'll get an infection, etc...plus, the pressure of being the go-to 24/7 makes me feel trapped at times- this is the main reason I struggle. Then, I feel guilty b/c so many women are dying to nurse and can't and I can and don't always want to...so, I am working thru this. Josh is a great encourager and helps me with perspective...so all that to say that we are working on my pumping abilities, hoping to be able to store up enough to actually use it and have it be helpful. The crazy thing is that when the baby takes a bottle, you have to pump to make sure your body keeps up with milk production, but if you have time to pump, you have time to nurse, so what's the point? Plus, I am convinced I don't pump as much as I nurse, so it's a little stressful trying to replace milk. So, I am pumping after each nursing to store up extra in case I can't always pump right away. (this is tricky with 2 kids, but obviously R entertains herself) I would like to use some formula at some point if necessary, but with our upcoming changes, spending $ on formula if we don't absolutely have to is silly. So, that's that- more than you needed to know! ;)


Reclaiming the Bumbo...the next one was at Half-Price Books- she was delighted with the store and so many books at her disposal!!!


R wanted to hold big Baby Luke!!

...and she wanted to help Mama with the bottle...


Look at those dimples... :) He really is darling!

A little dreamy-eyed- I am surprised how much he already fills his carrier!



Yesterday I couldn't find Rebekah's Teddy Grahams that she misplaced. I told her I couldn't find them, but I'd look. I did and I found them. Rebekah was thrilled! She exclaimed in her adorable voice, "Teddy Grahams!!!! Mommy find them!" What was so precious was that she sounded proud of me. :) Similarly, Mamama bought a "poppy" for R- it is one of those plastic toys that pops off the table. You have to have just the right finesse to make it actually pop. R has already figured out that I am not so good at it and she'll start to ask me to do it, then say, "Daddy do it." Well, Daddy wasn't around, so she settled for me. She said, "Mommy try poppy." I obliged and lo and behold, it popped to great heights! With joy, surprise, and once again pride, R said, "Mommy did it!" Then, R tried- so cute- she flexed it, set it down, put her face 2 inches from it and coaxed very quietly, "Pop." Sadly, it did not.

We are realizing that R has memorized most of her favorite books- it has been really fun hearing her complete lines and anticipate them. I know I have mentioned this before, but I still am amazed. We also marvel at her ability to speak in sentences and answer most questions. I know I should correct it with a proper "yes" but her "yeaaa!" is so cute. :)