Deacon meets Natalie...

My mom & dad (aka Grammy & Grandpa) were able to come for Natalie's birth and take care of Deacon for us while we were in the hospital.  Since Natalie was born in the morning, they were able to bring Deacon to the hospital later that same day to meet his little sister.

He did so well with her and with me, too.  :)  He was pretty curious about the expanding cuffs around my legs (to prevent blood clots until I could get up myself) but otherwise he just wanted to see Natalie, hold Natalie, kiss Natalie.  He was really gentle with her and it was clear that he was glad she was finally out of mommy's tummy.  :)

Happy BIRTH day, Natalie!

Our precious baby girl has arrived!  And we are all so in love with her already.  She was really tiny but she definitely made her presence known from the start (read: fantastic lungs!).  From the moment I heard that mighty cry that was distinctly different from her big brother's first cry, I knew that she already had such a special place in my heart.

She arrived in the same way her big brother did (c-section), and yet there were many things that were different about that day, her birth-day, from the setting in the OR to my time in the recovery room.  Everything went wonderfully and we are so happy to have our Natalie Grace with us...

a new bike!

Deacon's actual birthday fell on a Saturday this year and since we had his birthday party the week before, we were able to spend his special day together as a family.  It was so much fun!

The day was absolutely beautiful, with crisp fall temps in the morning and sunshine-y skies.  We started out with a "birthday biscuit" -- Daddy brought home breakfast for us!

Then we had a "birthday bath" -- okay, maybe it was just a regular bath.  But it was on his birthday so...

Then we gave Deacon his birthday present from us -- a balance bike!  It's a bike with no pedals, and the intention is to teach them to learn balance before having to deal with pedals.  He got a tricycle for Christmas from my grandparents, and he likes it, but he still hasn't gotten the concept of pushing one foot and then the other to make it go.  He'll get it, I know, but in the meantime, we thought the balance bike would be something he would enjoy.

Score one for Mommy & Daddy -- we were right!

train up a child... // Jeremiah 29:11

His first bible verse.  So proud.

Spring Fling 2013

 

Deacon went to his 3rd Spring Fling today.  Our church hosts this event every year and it's always a lot of fun for kids and adults alike.  The event caters to kids, but I think their parents enjoy seeing how happy they get just as much.  I know I do.

 

At this stage, I'm always curious to see how Deacon is going to react to something he's done before -- like going to the beach for the first time since last year, or an annual event like this that he was an entire year younger for last year.

 

Last year, he was in the "up to a year old" egg hunt so he was "big man on campus", you might say.  He was almost a year and a half old last year.  This year, he was in the 2-3 year old egg hunt so Jeff had to coach him a little bit...

 

"Buddy, you're gonna have to step up your game a little bit for this one...a lot of these kids are older/bigger than you so you're gonna have to bring it."

 

It was quite eye-opening for us as parents, too.  Considering the egg "hunt" is just a big open field with hundreds of eggs dumped on it, we had to really rush around to help Deacon get the 7 or 8  eggs he ended up with.  He still gets distracted easily so we had to keep after him to "keep looking for eggs".  But he did great, picking up the eggs he found and putting them in his basket (vs. licking them and putting them back on the ground, or worse, in other kids' baskets, like last year :).  It was a lot of fun to watch him.

 

[um, apparently he gave some kids the stink-eye...]

 

 

We also took a hayride.  Deacon loved this last year, and this year was no different.  We were able to be first in line for the next tractor (they had several running) so we got the benches right at the front of the trailer so Deacon was able to watch the tractor as it pulled us.  That happened last year, too, so I was thankful for that opportunity again.  Deacon really enjoyed it.

 

 

And then we took a pony ride.  I really didn't think this was happening this year because when we saw the horses + pony, I asked Deacon a couple of times, as he watched them, if he wanted to ride and he would always say "no" with his eyes as big as saucers.

 

Well, then we were talking to some friends and they asked him about the pony and he said he DID want to ride.  Right.  I'm thinking we're going to get back over there and he'll change his mind, but nope.  He got on, with Daddy close by and Mommy capturing the moment.  There were no smiles, and he balked a couple of times, but he stuck with it (the ride was only about a min long).  I was proud of him for trying it.

 

 

The weather was definitely not what we would prefer (it's actually kind of funny to look at photos of the first Spring Fling, and the second one, and notice how different our clothes were in each one), but it didn't keep folks away and we had a good time watching Deacon experience his 3rd Spring Fling.

 

Kids are never bothered by cold or hot, rainy or snowy weather anyway.  :)

oh my soul.

Y'all, I don't know if there's anything that's made me more proud than hearing my little boy singing praise and worship songs.  It so blesses my heart and fills it up with such love, it very nearly stops me in my tracks when I hear his little voice singing praise.

 

We've heard him singing bits and pieces of different songs here and there, but this one song seems to be his favorite.

 

Or it's just Jeff's favorite and we play it ALL.THE.TIME.

 

That could be it.

 

Anyway, we've tried several times to catch him on video singing with his sweet voice, but everytime we try, when he sees the video camera (or phone recording), he stops.

 

But if you give a child a microphone, things change a little bit.  :)  We ended up having a microphone left in our Sunday School classroom last Sunday, so we put this song on to see if he would sing.  Boy, did he!  Of course, he gets distracted easily (as you'll see), but you'll get the idea, and you tell me if it isn't the cutest thing you've ever seen.  :)

big boy bed!

We have reached the end of an era in this Wenzel household -- the era of my sweet baby boy sleeping in his crib.  We moved Deacon into a big boy bed a week ago and it went soooo much smoother than I thought it would.

 

Jeff decided he wanted to make Deacon a toddler bed so we could use the crib for the next one to come along (ahem, no announcements in that department, just be advised).  Now WHERE that next child might sleep in this house we've yet to figure out but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  :)

 

The bed is beautiful, as is anything my husband puts his time and talents to, with a contrasting base made up of 2 drawers and the railings for the actual bed part.  The base is stained the same color as the dresser in Deacon's room.

 

And Deacon LOVES his bed!  We have found him in his room (when all is too quiet), just laying in his bed.  Because he can.  He can get in and out of it all by himself, and I guess that's the novelty of it at this point.  It is precious.

 

We had the big "unveiling" or intro or whatever you want to call it last Sunday night (Feb 10).  Jeff was already in Deacon's room with the door closed, ready to hit "record" when I opened the door to let Deacon walk in.  And you better believe I had that camera strap around my neck!

 

 

Our boy is definitely a rule-follower (most of the time).  We gave him 2 rules for this bed: no toys in the bed and you wait to get out until Mommy & Daddy come to get you or tell you can get out.  And he has done wonderfully with both of these rules (and can recite them to you, ahem).  The first night I saw his lovey hit the floor when he rolled over with it in the one open space that it could fall out.  Our little rule-follower got up on his knees, looked over the side of the bed at his lovey on the floor, got down and picked it up, glanced toward the door and then climbed back up in bed.

 

:: fist pump :: Good boy!

 

He slept all the way through the night without incident.

 

The 2nd night didn't go quite as smoothly -- he did fall out and got a little freaked out about that.  I heard him cry out about 2am and when I looked at the monitor, he was on the floor.  I sprinted across the house to desperate shouts of "Moooooommy, I fall OUT!  Mooooommy, mooommy, I fall OUT!"  When I got to his room, he was standing there with his lovey in one hand and his blanket in the other, reiterating that he fell OUT.  I told him, "That's okay, buddy, we just get right back in bed if that happens," and I scooped him up and put him back in.

 

That's the only time that's happened to date.  And things have gone as smoothly as they ever could since then.  I am so proud of him for how he's transitioned to his big boy bed.  Truthfully, he was probably ready for this way before mama was.  But then, that's the been the case with most things the last 2 years, since I can't seem to get him to slow down growing up.

special birthday presents...

I know I might be stretching this birthday thing out a little bit but I thought it would be fun to share these videos of Deacon playing with a couple of his bigger birthday presents.  The first is what he got from his Grandpa Duane & Grandma Sherry (Jeff's parents), and the second is what we gave him...

  

  

busy little chatterbox...

Turn up your volume -- you don't wanna miss this!

crawling!

Our boy is crawling!  Yes, it's been a few weeks in the making and some might say he's a little behind the curve, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have not been rushing Deacon into anything related to mobility, knowing that once he got the hang of it, it would be GAME ON.

Thankfully, he's still learning and exploring so he's not "gone in 2 seconds" once he starts, but he gets to where he wants to go in due time and he's just fine with that for now.  He is so cute crawling around here, pulling up on things, looking around from his new 2.5 foot perspective.  :)

I love to watch him.

You might, too:

As you can see, he's still perfecting it, but he's much improved even in the short time between when we took this video a week ago and now.  This video is a good depiction of his love affair with his pacifier, but now he'll crawl to both me and Jeff and to basically anywhere that grabs his attention (i.e., the kitchen, specifically the back door/curtains or the trash can *sigh*, the entertainment center with all the buttons to push *siiigh*, the coffee table where there are so many magazines and a flower vase to get into *siiiiiiigh*).

Our house is SO.NOT.childproof.

But I did put in the outlet covers a couple of weeks ago and I'm just playing the "move it before he can break it or hurt himself with it" game right now.  A cross between putting all MY stuff up/away for him -- something I would like to refrain from in certain capacities -- and having all of MY stuff messed up by my 10.5 month old, also something I'd like to avoid.  :\  I'm hoping to find some middle ground in there.

I hear all you mommies laughing at me.  Go ahead.  You all had to figure out what your happy medium was and so do I.  Here's to finding it before everything is destroyed or my son pokes his eye out!

[btw, he started wearing shoes this week -- SO adorable.Just like his shorts.]   [mobility = fun little forbidden places to find,like Daddy's computer desk]    

21 weeks today...

I'm 21 weeks today.  And here's what babycenter.com has to say about what that means:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now...

As far as the "flutters" go, I have been feeling what I think could be some movements.   Starting last Sunday, I felt a few things that I could only describe as the "flip of a deck of cards".  Just here and there, on both sides of my belly.  Some days I would feel it a lot, and other days I would hardly feel anything.  That trend has continued throughout the week.  I'm not sure if it's him or not, but I'm sure it won't be long before I'm feeling things that can't be mistaken!

I wanted to post this video of what's been happening with our little guy for the last 6 weeks, from week 15-20 -- I love these visuals!

Today is Father's day and I'd like to wish my dads -- mine and Jeff's -- a very happy one!  We were able to go visit with my family this weekend so we got to see my daddy open his Father's day present:

It looks good on him, right?  And the shirt looks good on him, too.  :)  Happy Father's Day to you both, Daddy & Duane!  Love you guys bunches!

**UPDATE**  I found a photo of Jeff's dad in HIS father's day gift and wanted to post it here:

Another proud Grandpa!

Also?  Jeff and I are celebrating 12 years of marriage today.  :)  Love that boy to pieces and am so excited to do this parenting thing with him.  We're gonna be a great team, just as we always have been.  Love you, babe!

15 weeks today...

I'm 15 weeks today.  Moving right along in this pregnancy!

According to babycenter.com, here is what our little one has been busy doing this week:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

In this post, I included a video of the baby's development from weeks 1-9.  Today I want to include a video of the baby's development from weeks 10-14; a visual of what our little one has been up to the last 5 weeks.

Today IS Mother's day and I'd like to wish my 2 moms (mine & Jeff's) a very happy one, along with all my friends who are mommies.  And a heartfelt thank you to those who've wished ME a happy one, though I'm not quite a mom yet.  :)

10 weeks today...

So I'm 10 weeks today.  That doesn't seem real far along, but then again, I'm already 10 weeks into this pregnancy.  The baby has already been growing & developing for over 2 months now.

Speaking of growth & development, since going to the doctor this past Wednesday and gettting an official due date, I'm excited now to check websites like babycenter.com and whattoexpect.com to find out what's going on there in my belly.

Here's what babycenter had to say:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Pretty amazing, huh?  This baby isn't wasting any time getting going on GROWING!

 

I found this video on the same website that chronicles development from week 1 to 9 (how far our baby has come up to now).  I thought it was really neat to watch and wanted to share it here, too...