Cayden at 2 Months

Our little boy is growing!  The last 4 weeks have been a blast.  We've seen lots of smiles, hear happy coos, and have gotten 4 hours of sleep. in a row. a-mazing.

Cayden is a great eater. We've had no issues with  nursing and he takes the bottle really well. I'm stockpiling the freezer as well, which feels good. Our little muncher only spent a week or 2 in his 0-3 month clothes.  I swear he gained 3 lbs in the span of 7 days.  He is still squeezing into 3 month sized clothing, but I don't imagine they will fit well for long.

Holding sister's hand

Not only is our little man growing like a weed on the outside, we can see his brain developing each and every day.  He loves watching his sister, laying on his play mat, and being carried facing out so that he can take it all in. He seems to be batting his arms at things and his grip is at least twice as strong as mine. No joke.

Though Cade isn't sleeping through the night, he goes to bed really well.  He eats a ton in the evening but once that little tummy if full to the brim, a food coma settles in.  A certain glaze takes over his little blue eyes and I know it is time. We swaddle him up and lay him in the crib. A couple of coos later and he is out for the count.  On a good night, he will sleep from 10 to 2, then wake up for a snack and go back down for a few more hours.

To keep it real, it isn't all smiles and coos.  Our poor guy has some tummy issues, keeping him uncomfortable in the evenings.  You can expect some inconsolable wailing anytime between 6 and 10.  Sometimes it comes and goes for 4 hours, sometimes it is a brief episode.  I've tried changing my diet to no avail, so we are just doing our best to keep him comfortable and hoping that it soon passes.

He is smiling at his sister. Does it get sweeter than this?

We love seeing him grow and change, but it is a little bittersweet.  He will never go back. He will never go back to that sweet 7lb baby.  I already miss it. But at the same time I can't wait to see him roll over, crawl, and pick on his sister.

That is all we have for now, but we will be back soon with another update!

And for every one decent picture, there are 10 like the one above. Mommy's little helper.

To Grasp Eternity

This past week I started back up at work. The adjustment has put me into a sentimental state. I find myself watching pictures of my dear family shuffle across my computer desktop and my heart feels full.  But at the same time, things begin to feel a bit overwhelming.

As I adjust to balancing work life and home life, I'm not worried about meeting the physical needs of my home or children, but this job as a parent goes so much deeper than that. I find myself reading a quick devotion on my phone while feeding Cayden and I am in awe in my responsibilities.  I've been entrusted with the eternity of my little loves.  Eternity. 

Now don't get me wrong, I know that I accomplish nothing for the Kingdom apart from the work of Jesus. I am completely incapable of giving my children the gift of eternal life. But. I'm at the frontlines.  I am fighting for their salvation by teaching them, setting an example for them, and bringing the joy of Christ into our home always. 

As an imperfect being I don't have it all figured out. In fact, I know I'm falling short in many areas as a mother and a Christian. But with God's grace, a footprint is still being left.  And each morning I intend to let it all sink in again.  Each day I can start by remembering my complete dependence on my Savior. And each day this body will breathe prayers for these little souls entrusted to me.

Photo Credits to Gina at http://ginazeidler.com/

Cayden at 1 month (3 weeks ago)

I love being a mother of two, though it seems that the hours in my days have decreased significantly.  Hence updating you on Cayden three weeks late.  The good news is that we've spent the last few weeks doing lots of cuddling, so the time has not been wasted!

At 4 weeks, our little man was just starting to wear 0-3 month clothes. He has had no troubles with eating and gaining weight, which makes his mom very happy.  There weren't a ton of milestones to make note of (besides record-setting burp noises set by a child whose been outside the womb for 21 days) but each day brings a little more alertness to Cade's eyes and a little more roll to his legs.

I just want to pinch those little legs!

Isn't he the cutest little thing?

I could look at this face all day.

 Since the beginning of time, my friend Laura and I dreamed about "someday" when we grow up and have kiddos.  The day has come. Here is Cayden's buddy Eli - isn't he adorable?  A few other dear friends have had boys this spring and summer, so fun!

More pictures to come in the next couple of days. A dear friend captured our little family on the back deck a while back and I can't wait to share them!