Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Pumpkin Patch
After a year hiatus, Owen cooperates for photos again. The pumpkin patch is such a fun place to take pictures and we got some super cute ones this year. Happy fall!
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Almost 3
There have been lots of changes for Owen in the past few months. He's potty trained, he sleeps in a toddler bed, he started preschool and he's developed an opinion about everything. He went to the beach with Grammy and Grandpapa for two nights, all by himself. Wow. My first born is growing up. It continues to amaze me how quickly they change and how much loving, learning and joy comes with each new chapter of his childhood.
The transition from a crib to a toddler bed has been rough. Big changes are always hard on everyone and I know this, too, is just a phase but I am definitely ready for it to be over. We put Owen to bed at night and it generally takes about two hours before he is actually asleep. He wants water. He wants mommy to tuck him in, actually he wants daddy to tuck him in. He has to pee. Now he has to poop. It's too dark. He's hungry. He wants a glass of milk. Not in that cup! It's exhausting and leaves Ty and I with zero time to wind down ourselves. By the time Owen is finally asleep it's 10 o' clock and we're ready for bed as well. We've tried lots of books and different tactics to teach him to stay in his bed and fall asleep-- nothing has worked as magically as we've hoped for. It is starting to get better but we're not out of the woods yet. The hardest part about it is that him and Wes eventually need to share a room. We are ready to get Weston out of ours. As soon as Owen learns to put himself to sleep we're going to have to change things up again and give him a roommate. Our adorable, tiny house in the city is becoming less appealing all the time.
Owen is such a sweet guy. He always offers his little friends snacks when getting himself one and he's mindful of his brother. I find that American parenting puts a huge emphasis on little kids being smart- the toys are supposed to be educational, with numbers and letters plastered all over them, the "Baby Einstein" brand claims to teach your baby classical music and Spanish before their first birthday. Of course, I want my boys to be smart, but what's most important to me is teaching my them kindness and empathy. I know Owen will be able to learn his letters so I'm not overly focused on wether it happens at 2 1/2 or 4. As an adult I can't think of anybody who never learned to read but know quite a few who never learned how to express themselves well and put others needs above their own. Watching Owen be kind makes my mama heart super proud.
Owen is going to a little Christian preschool Wednesday and Thursday mornings. He is loving it, which is such a relief. We did MOPS last year and they provide Sunday school type child care for the kids while the moms meet. Owen hated it and I always felt horrible leaving him while he sobbed. Thus, I was nervous for preschool. Thankfully, though, it has been a great transition. The school did an open house, which really helped him prepare for the first day. We went to check out his classroom and meet his teachers together and we didn't leave him there by himself. When the first day of school came he knew what to expect and we had talked a lot about how he would stay by himself until mommy comes back. He was a little apprehensive the first few days but there were no tears. Now he runs into the classroom and sends me off with a hug and a smile.
Picking him up is the best thing ever. He's always super excited to see me and comes bounding over for a hug. The first few weeks he said "you came back!" every time I picked him up. We restarted our MOPS group this week and that went off without a hitch as well. Owen is loving his time at school and I am throughly enjoying the break it gives me. Spending the morning with just Wes is fun and easy. We go running and get things checked off the to-do list. Even though it's only a few hours a week having a morning where Owen is doing his own thing feels like a big step. It's a really good reminder that all of my children won't be attached to me 24/7 forever. This baby and toddler phase is all consuming but it is a short blip. I know it won't be long before Owen is in school five days a week. As they say, these are the longest days and the shortest years.
The transition from a crib to a toddler bed has been rough. Big changes are always hard on everyone and I know this, too, is just a phase but I am definitely ready for it to be over. We put Owen to bed at night and it generally takes about two hours before he is actually asleep. He wants water. He wants mommy to tuck him in, actually he wants daddy to tuck him in. He has to pee. Now he has to poop. It's too dark. He's hungry. He wants a glass of milk. Not in that cup! It's exhausting and leaves Ty and I with zero time to wind down ourselves. By the time Owen is finally asleep it's 10 o' clock and we're ready for bed as well. We've tried lots of books and different tactics to teach him to stay in his bed and fall asleep-- nothing has worked as magically as we've hoped for. It is starting to get better but we're not out of the woods yet. The hardest part about it is that him and Wes eventually need to share a room. We are ready to get Weston out of ours. As soon as Owen learns to put himself to sleep we're going to have to change things up again and give him a roommate. Our adorable, tiny house in the city is becoming less appealing all the time.
Owen is such a sweet guy. He always offers his little friends snacks when getting himself one and he's mindful of his brother. I find that American parenting puts a huge emphasis on little kids being smart- the toys are supposed to be educational, with numbers and letters plastered all over them, the "Baby Einstein" brand claims to teach your baby classical music and Spanish before their first birthday. Of course, I want my boys to be smart, but what's most important to me is teaching my them kindness and empathy. I know Owen will be able to learn his letters so I'm not overly focused on wether it happens at 2 1/2 or 4. As an adult I can't think of anybody who never learned to read but know quite a few who never learned how to express themselves well and put others needs above their own. Watching Owen be kind makes my mama heart super proud.
Owen is going to a little Christian preschool Wednesday and Thursday mornings. He is loving it, which is such a relief. We did MOPS last year and they provide Sunday school type child care for the kids while the moms meet. Owen hated it and I always felt horrible leaving him while he sobbed. Thus, I was nervous for preschool. Thankfully, though, it has been a great transition. The school did an open house, which really helped him prepare for the first day. We went to check out his classroom and meet his teachers together and we didn't leave him there by himself. When the first day of school came he knew what to expect and we had talked a lot about how he would stay by himself until mommy comes back. He was a little apprehensive the first few days but there were no tears. Now he runs into the classroom and sends me off with a hug and a smile.
Picking him up is the best thing ever. He's always super excited to see me and comes bounding over for a hug. The first few weeks he said "you came back!" every time I picked him up. We restarted our MOPS group this week and that went off without a hitch as well. Owen is loving his time at school and I am throughly enjoying the break it gives me. Spending the morning with just Wes is fun and easy. We go running and get things checked off the to-do list. Even though it's only a few hours a week having a morning where Owen is doing his own thing feels like a big step. It's a really good reminder that all of my children won't be attached to me 24/7 forever. This baby and toddler phase is all consuming but it is a short blip. I know it won't be long before Owen is in school five days a week. As they say, these are the longest days and the shortest years.
Weston's Baptism
Weston's baptism was lovely. It's rare and wonderful to have all the people that mean the most to us in the same place at the same time. We felt incredibly blessed to be surrounded by family and dear friends.
Following the tradition of his dad and his brother, we had Weston baptized at Peninsula Lutheran Church in Gig Harbor. In his sermon, Pastor Jim spoke about the gift of God's love and how there is nothing we need to do to earn it. All we have to do is receive. He spoke of infant baptism and how it symbolizes this perfectly. Weston isn't old enough to understand it yet but God has a plan for him, will always be there for him and loves him unconditionally. Through his baptism he is sealed with the cross of Christ forever.
I pray that Ty and I are able to nurture Weston's tender spirit and bring him up understanding the beauty that comes from the Christian life. I pray that he finds the hope and peace of Jesus that surpasses all understanding. I pray that he learns to follow his heart and discern that still small voice. I pray that he always feels known, safe and loved.
Thank you, God, for the incredible gift of this child.
Following the tradition of his dad and his brother, we had Weston baptized at Peninsula Lutheran Church in Gig Harbor. In his sermon, Pastor Jim spoke about the gift of God's love and how there is nothing we need to do to earn it. All we have to do is receive. He spoke of infant baptism and how it symbolizes this perfectly. Weston isn't old enough to understand it yet but God has a plan for him, will always be there for him and loves him unconditionally. Through his baptism he is sealed with the cross of Christ forever.
I pray that Ty and I are able to nurture Weston's tender spirit and bring him up understanding the beauty that comes from the Christian life. I pray that he finds the hope and peace of Jesus that surpasses all understanding. I pray that he learns to follow his heart and discern that still small voice. I pray that he always feels known, safe and loved.
Thank you, God, for the incredible gift of this child.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
9 and 10 Months
Oh, Wessy Wes. My chubby, 9 month old bundle of joy. It is so much fun watching him grow. Everyone in public comments on how fat big he is and he just grins in response. He sits up independently and is just starting to crawl. Little Wes loves singing songs and is pretty easy to make laugh. He is developing some serious sass and gets angry if you take something away from him or he doesn't get his way. I think he's learning that you've got to stick up for yourself when you're the little brother. This baby also loves to read, which is SO nice. Owen was never that interested (until at least 18 months) and I always felt like it was my fault for not reading to him enough.
He has six teeth, four on top and two on bottom. He needs them because he loves to eat. He's still obsessed with nursing but will take any solids he can get his chubby little hands on. He has no interest in being spoon fed, he wants to put things in his mouth himself, so I've started cutting up little pieces of whatever Owen and I are eating and letting him have at it. If Wes is eating something that Owen doesn't have, Owen automatically wants it and gobbles it up, so I've also been taking the opportunity to expand Owen's culinary horizon. Owen wasn't previously a big fan of avocado, now he loves it. Bam. Weston has had all the fruits and veggies, eggs, dairy, peanut and almond butter. Now I just have to remember to give him three meals a day. He is a messy eater, no matter what I serve him it ends up all over his clothes, the floor and the highchair. I feed him, he eats two or three bites, and I clean up for 15 minutes.
After 8 months of being an angel when it came to sleep, the 9 month sleep regression hit and restful nights are no longer a thing in the Rallo household. The previous routine was for him to go to bed around 6 and wake up around 2 to nurse. I would nurse him in bed with me and we would both go to back to sleep. It worked like a dream because I didn't really have to wake up. But now having Wes in bed with me is keeping both of us awake. He tosses and turns and wants to nurse every 30 minutes. The problem is I can't make myself stay awake while I nurse him to put him back in the pack n play. I am strategizing how to teach him to sleep through the night but haven't yet taken the plunge. The kid is in the 87th percentile, I know he won't starve if he goes through the night without milk. He still sleeps in our room because we haven't figured out a way to make him and Owen sharing a room work (and unfortunately I don't anticipate finding one anytime soon).
Wes had two wub-a-nub binkis, an elelphant and a duck. Owen was obsessed with both of them. I lost the elephant and then a few days later Wes and I were running errands and the duck didn't make it home. There was no way we could bring another new binki into the house without fueling Owen's addiction, so that was it for Weston and his binki. It took him roughly two days it get over it. Now he uses his blankie for comfort and I am super glad we won't have endure taking it away from him at three.
Owen is going to preschool so now Thursday mornings are mommy and Weston time. We are both throughly enjoying it. The end of the true baby stage is rapidly approaching already so I am doing my best to savor the time my sweet little man.
He has six teeth, four on top and two on bottom. He needs them because he loves to eat. He's still obsessed with nursing but will take any solids he can get his chubby little hands on. He has no interest in being spoon fed, he wants to put things in his mouth himself, so I've started cutting up little pieces of whatever Owen and I are eating and letting him have at it. If Wes is eating something that Owen doesn't have, Owen automatically wants it and gobbles it up, so I've also been taking the opportunity to expand Owen's culinary horizon. Owen wasn't previously a big fan of avocado, now he loves it. Bam. Weston has had all the fruits and veggies, eggs, dairy, peanut and almond butter. Now I just have to remember to give him three meals a day. He is a messy eater, no matter what I serve him it ends up all over his clothes, the floor and the highchair. I feed him, he eats two or three bites, and I clean up for 15 minutes.
After 8 months of being an angel when it came to sleep, the 9 month sleep regression hit and restful nights are no longer a thing in the Rallo household. The previous routine was for him to go to bed around 6 and wake up around 2 to nurse. I would nurse him in bed with me and we would both go to back to sleep. It worked like a dream because I didn't really have to wake up. But now having Wes in bed with me is keeping both of us awake. He tosses and turns and wants to nurse every 30 minutes. The problem is I can't make myself stay awake while I nurse him to put him back in the pack n play. I am strategizing how to teach him to sleep through the night but haven't yet taken the plunge. The kid is in the 87th percentile, I know he won't starve if he goes through the night without milk. He still sleeps in our room because we haven't figured out a way to make him and Owen sharing a room work (and unfortunately I don't anticipate finding one anytime soon).
Wes had two wub-a-nub binkis, an elelphant and a duck. Owen was obsessed with both of them. I lost the elephant and then a few days later Wes and I were running errands and the duck didn't make it home. There was no way we could bring another new binki into the house without fueling Owen's addiction, so that was it for Weston and his binki. It took him roughly two days it get over it. Now he uses his blankie for comfort and I am super glad we won't have endure taking it away from him at three.
Owen is going to preschool so now Thursday mornings are mommy and Weston time. We are both throughly enjoying it. The end of the true baby stage is rapidly approaching already so I am doing my best to savor the time my sweet little man.
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