rehung

Zach's (formally Reece's) swing was hung (rehung) this weekend. And joy ensued. : )

leak

had a gas leak.
location? a couple of inches from where zach lays his head at night.
no heat for 2 nights, but stayed put.
zach shacked in our room in the pack-n-play and neighbors provided space heaters, which were perfect. one for us; one for reece.

thanks to patient darren, it got fixed.
whew.

a walk to the lake

Went for a walk to the lake as a family today. Timed it perfectly, as it was sunny like this for only a few hours, before the rain and cold came once again.A glorious few hours. A glimpse of spring to come, but not this week.

Still bubbly

Uh, oh. Bubbly on the radio. It will always make me smile and cry and think of you, precious, bubbly, Zach. Sooo thankful for you.

boys

Miles and Reece were wrestling each other to the ground. Love how the boys are such...boys.

Am thankful for them.

swing, swing

Morning at the park. A little chilly so we didn't stay long. Boys running and sliding. Zach's first swing. Greatness.

Tooth

I felt it. It is here. First tooth. Mom knew. Dr, not so sure.
Either way, I'm thankful for it. Progress, we'll call it.

First food

Oh, the memories this brings back.Kept my old high chair all this time, pulling it out tonight for 1 ceremonial first serving of food. I think we'll have to put her to rest after that. Please excuse the aluminum foil, but that metal top is waaay rusty.Does any baby smile after the first bite? Would love to see that.

I am pretty excited about solids because I know he's been watching closely and I just feel like he's going to be a big eater...but maybe not at first. ; )
Says it all.This one above looks like Darren's baby pics to me.Now, THIS is the best picture of how he reacted to the first food. Shuddered...his whole body.Then, Reece got his turn.Just like Reece, he preferred the spoon this first time.
And precious gnawing on it, I might add.Lastly, a sippy cup of water.
Again, preferred to chew on it.

Reece gave him a cheers!
So there you have it...first foods. Rice cereal not much of a hit, but I didn't expect it either. Probably won't do rice cereal much more after this. Let's hit the real stuff, just mushed up. I'll make my own most of the time. Just a few zaps in the blender and it's ready. ; )

6

6 months. So much fun.

You are still such a smiley pants to EVERYONE. And you do smile on command. The childcare ladies at bible study love you and say what a joy you are. Even though bible study hits during your morning nap, you don't like to fall asleep for them. They call me, usually saying you're hungry even though I nursed you right before it started. Oh but you are not hungry...you're sleepy and need a little help getting settled. I try to nurse you to sleep (lazy me), but most of the time that doesn't work anymore. You like me to stand up, bouncing or jiggly a little while I hold you upright facing backward. Then you'll nestle into my shoulder or chest. That's when I'll move you into a cradle position and jiggle a little more until you're out.

You sleep on your back. NO BELLY. You feel strongly about that. If you turn yourself over, you are ticked off. And, the funny part is that even though you first rolled over belly to back, you can't get yourself back over once you're on your belly. Dude, it is easier than the other way. You are a hoot.

You turn on your fish, lights, bubbles, music thingy in your crib now on your own and wake up usually happy and playing. How do you know it is morning versus the middle of the night when you wake up oh so unhappy?

Teeth, oh how we hate those. That first tooth really hurt. You'd squeal at times before it finally surfaced. Those nights were rough too. I wonder if you'll get used to it, or if there are many more painful days and nights to come. Even though the teeth have been rough, you've been such a healthy boy. No infections, no official illnesses, only a little stuffy nose every now and then.

You've had some dry skin rashes. Oh that beautiful, pasty, white skin you have. Sensitive, yes. Precious, yes!

Bald, you are, just like your bro. Your hair is actually growing although no one would know but me. It just draws people right to your beautiful blue eyes and infectious smile.

You are sitting up so much better now, toppling only every now and then. You grab for toys and get them, putting them straight in your mouth.
You like the over-the-door bouncer, but nothing like your brother did at this age. He jumped like crazy in it. Reece likes to swing you in it, which makes you giggle. You also like to teeter around for bits of time as long as you are close to mom in the kitchen. Oh how you love your mommy.

Music moves you. It soothes you. It grooves you.
Me too.

Speaking of soothes, you love your paci. And, not sure if it is teeth, but you put it in and wear it backwards. often.You are precious...a precious child of God.

Still bubbly. Still crazy about you, Zach-a-roo.
Take your time, sweet baby. Take your time.

6 mo appointment

Weight: 16lbs 3oz. - 25%
Height: 26 1/2 - 50%

It's funny to me that he's not 50% on weight. I mean, he has so much more chunk on his thighs than Reece every did. Nurse said time of day and possibly that big dirty diaper right before may have contributed. On the height, a different nurse took his measurement and wasn't nearly was stretchy as Ms. Karen. She's awesome. I feel certain he's at least 1/2 inch longer. Don't really care though because either way, we agree he's doing great.

A good grind

Tried a new story time place today at It's a Grind coffee house. Tiffany rocked it with her dreadlocks and her Native American flute. It was cool, quaint, and fun. And the coffee shop is a grind to find, but one fine bean.

Grayson, Kiley, Cole, Danijela, and Kiley all joined us for story time and then we hung out afterward with our lunches. Another cool point, it is right at the dart station. So, next time, we'll ride the train. Should be fun.

After story time, we headed to Launa's Little Library for the first time.
Oh my, I'm in love with that place. Reece picked out 2 books and checked out. It was precious. We also got 2 books for Zach (one of which was a dinosaur book).

Oh we WILL be back.(taken with my phone)This afternoon, Zach was fussy and I was tired. I wrote on facebook: "This child will never fall asleep on his own and never sleep through the night. I'm starving to eat those words. 6 months tomorrow. Exhausted, and still grateful."

But, isn't God so good? A short time later I wrote, "I am NOT saying that both boys have napped nicely and still are (after one fuss and nursing by you know who). And I am also NOT saying that I got to finish my bible study lesson and work on the birth story (don't even get me started on that)."

And then after naps, (taken with my phone)Reece reading Zach the book he got him at Launa's today. These are the moments. ♥

Oh dear, ears?

We finally got heat back on the house Sunday after being displaced for a couple of days. Zach did not sleep well in the pack and play, and neither of us slept well at Lisa's. Even though the sleep was rough, I wouldn't take back those 2 nights of sleeping in the bed with my two boys. I surely couldn't do it every night.

Thanks to Lisa and Olivia for sharing your, home, bed, food, and life with us for 3 days. ♥

---
Zach has been so fussy, crazy fussy sometimes, that I had to confirm he didn't have an ear infection. Although his 6 month was just a couple of days away, I took him in this afternoon to confirm. I needed to know if he was hurting...because we both were.At dr. getting ears checked. You wouldn't guess he was up at least 4 times last night and fussy.

Waiting for dr to come in...

I bet he doesn't get greeted with these sounds too often. I know I'm a terrible videographer.

Both ears were perfect. So, no ear infection for Zach. Momma says it's teeth. I'm not much of a medication gal, but going to be pretty timely with this tylenol right now.

And, I'm not completely convinced that it wouldn't be easier and a ton less painful if we just gave him pureed food to gum all his life. ; )

living it out

Little did we know on Thursday night, we'd be without power until Sunday afternoon. We always talk about being family, but this weekend, we got the chance to put our money where our mouth is. Reece, Zach, and I stayed Friday and Saturday night with Lisa and Olivia. D slept in our house with Lucy (poor thing was scared in the dark, dark house) in a hat and under some major blankets. We thought he was pretty tough.Thanks to Lisa, we have this quite attractive photo of me. I leave the lights off a lot at home during the day, letting the natural light float in as much as possible and I guess am not used to certain kinds of lights. The lack of sleep, allergies, and lights in my eyes were just too much, so I wore a cap to cover them. Mostly, I just made Lisa laugh.

Lisa gave Reece and Olivia a bath together in her wonderful vintage bathtub. I sneaked in and took a couple of them. Lisa snapped a couple too.(another example of me snapping before I adjusted my camera settings...
boo, the first is always a good one)awww, Lisa took this oneThe beginning...Olivia pouring water on Reece...Reece retaliates.And, then Olivia really pours it on!Oh how I love these two!

Thank you, Olivia, for giving up your bed for us. And thank you both for sharing your home with us. Family, we lived it out this weekend, and it was pretty good stuff. Love you both.