Falling!

Dear Marcus,

You have gone from walking to running to climbing...and falling.  A lot.  I feel like I can't turn my back on you for a second.  You get on the table, you get on the chairs, you stand on the recliners...and you fall.  A lot.  It's that age where I feel like I need to keep a helmet on you at all times.

Even though you are busy and keeping me on my toes, you are so sweet.  Your Dad was gone for eleven days to Eastern Europe and you were such a great kid.  You had your moments, of course, but you just were in a great mood and gave me so many smiles that it helped pass the time.  So many people comment on how you have grown up so fast.  I agree with them!

Part of the reason why you seem so big is you got a haircut!  I have to admit that I hated it at first and teared up, but now that I am used to it, I love it!  You look so handsome and I can really see your smile now. :)

I love you!!

Mom

 

Attitude

Dear Marcus,

In my last post, I talked about how you were walking.  Now you are running!  You love to go fast.  You love to be chased and to chase others.  You are so cute and such a little wild man. :)  You are in the age where I feel like I need to put a helmet on you all day. :)  You are such a mess.  I have found you standing (and sometimes falling off of) some very tall things...tables, chairs, etc.  And it seems like every time I pick you up from child-care at church or the gym, someone says "Well, Marcus had a little fall."  My response is always the same..."Well, he seems fine."  Silly kid!

You are still very sweet, but have started to get an attitude.  Or maybe I should call it, "an opinion"!  You know what you want and you have learned to assert yourself.  You are to the stage where you won't willingly give up a toy.  And you fight and push Jordan away if you have to.  He still wins most of the battles, but you are much more assertive!  And you are much more likely to scream at one of us if we don't meet your expectations.

We went to "Touch-a-Truck" a few weeks ago and it was so fun to see you turn into a little boy.  It's like a light switched and you are not a baby anymore.  You loved seeing the airplanes flying at Ozzie's and you were so excited to get to climb on trucks.  You make the best "proud of myself" face and we saw it all morning.

You are such a blessing to our family.  I cannot imagine what our lives would be like without you.  Certainly duller and much less sweet.  There would be fewer snuggles and fewer smiles.  You are happy and silly and perfect for us!  I love you!!

Love,

Mom

 

My Happy Guy

Dear Marcus,

You have always had a very calm and sweet disposition, but you definitely went through the whiney phase.  I think every kid does when they can't keep up with the people around them.  I couldn't blame you!  Who wants to be left by themselves in a room when everyone else can go everywhere they want. :)

Well, since you started walking, you have not stopped smiling.  You love walking!  Your favorite thing to do is to pick something up (preferably something really heavy!) and carry it to me.  You don't want to give it to me, but you just want to show me that you can carry it.  You have this very cute "proud of myself" look that just makes me smile!  And when I pick you up at the gym, you are usually just walking around smiling.  You are just so happy to be able to keep up with the rest of us!

We went to Granny and Papa Bill's house for Labor Day and you did great!  You had your moments where I was ready to go home (like during the entire OU game!) but you slept great, you played well and you just enjoyed walking around in the great outdoors!  My favorite was when Jordan caught a fish and Pappa put it down right in front of you.  You weren't quite sure about that, but you enjoyed poking at it!

Yesterday, we went to the Cleveland County fair. It was such a blast!  Jordan rode rides and you watched.  I took you on the carousel and you really enjoyed it.  You didn't smile the whole time, but you had a wide-eyed look as you soaked it all in.

I'm so thankful for you!  I'm blessed to be your Mom.

I love you!

Mom

 

The Big One

Dear Marcus,

Happy Birthday!  I cannot believe you are one.  This past year has gone by so fast and I just want to stop time.  But I'm glad that I can't, because I would have stopped it a year ago and missed out on the special little boy that you are.  Every stage of this past year has been wonderful.  You were a pretty easy baby, but even when things haven't been easy (the spit-up days, the "don't-leave-me-alone" days)...well, your sweet spirit just makes everything better.

You are the  perfect bend of sweet and wild.  You are patient and kind and gentle.  And yet, you are the first one to start a wrestling match or climb up on the couch and fall on your head.  (Thankfully, you've learned not to fall on your head, so that makes life easier!)  You are smart and silly and love to be with people.

You are not as much of a snuggler as Jordan is in the morning, but you make up for it throughout the day.  If someone is holding you, within a few minutes you will just lay your head on their shoulder.  Even if it is the briefest moment, that little gesture just makes my heart want to explode.  And you are sweet to just about everyone who will hold you.  You love people.

Your two favorite people: Your Dad and your brother.  Both of those guys just make your day.  When Dad comes home, he can't walk  by you without picking you up or you will follow him crying.  You will stay in his arms all day if he would let you.  You can't get enough of him.  And Jordan makes you giggle and laugh and all you want to do all day is follow him around and play with him.  He doesn't always enjoy that part of being a brother, but he loves you.  Your Dad and I get so much joy from seeing you two love each other.  A couple of days ago, while we were on a walk, Jordan reached over and held your hand.  It is such a wonderful thing to see you two grow closer.

You are a precious gift from God and I hope you always realize that.  You are miraculous, not just in how you came into this world, but the way you've made it a better place, even in just one year!  You are loved by so many and most importantly, you are loved by Him.  He created you just the way you are...and I am so thankful to have you as my son.  I wish I could find better words to let you know just how loved you are!

I love you, buddy.  Welcome to year #2!

Mom

 

You love your birthday presents!!

 

Walker

Dear Marcus,

You had been taking a few steps here and there, but it's like a switch has flipped and all of the sudden you are walking more than crawling.  It's funny, though.  First thing in the morning you crawl. It's as if you've forgotten that you can walk.  But pretty soon, there are you are making your way across the room.  It is so cute to watch you.  Every time you do something new, you are so proud of your self!  You're always looking to see who is watching so you can giggle at them.

You've also started squealing when you see someone you know.  On Sunday night, you saw Grammy through the window of the nursery and just started going crazy.  She was so excited to know how much you love her!  And then you were heart-broken when you still had to stay in the nursery.  Although, that didn't last long because you love Miss Beth and Miss Hope and had their full attention when I checked on you a few minutes later.

Your poor big brother...one of the consequences of you walking is that you can keep up with him easier and the poor guy doesn't get a lot of free time when you're up.  You can climb up on the couch with him or stand next to him while he watches tv.  As a big sister, I understand the patience it requires to put up with the little siblings when they get in your business.  So, I sympathize with Jordan.

The other day, you two were in the back of the van just giggling at each other.  I love to see you guys love on each other.  The older you get, the more Jordan enjoys having you around and of course, you adore him!  I can't wait to watch you grow closer to one another.

Your birthday is next week!  It's hard to believe that it's here.  I'm so sad to see you grow up, but excited to celebrate YOU because you are such a special little guy.

I love you,

Mom

 

Taking Steps

Dear Marcus,

I love how babies have an innate sense of pride in accomplishments.  No, you're not winning Olympic medals (yet!) or receive honors for your intellect (yet!), but you are standing on your own and taking steps.  You get this look on your face that is priceless and you always stare at the people around you, like you are saying "Hey, did you see that?  I'm kind of awesome!"

So, yes, you are taking 5-6 steps now.  You toddled from Grandma Nietzie to me yesterday at church to show off for everyone.  I love how at the end of your journey, you throw yourself into the arms of the person you are arriving at.  It's almost like your victory hug!

Speaking of hugs, you are not the morning cuddler that your brother is, but you do enjoy a good hug.  On Wednesday, you saw me at church for the first time all afternoon and just sat in my lap with your head on my should for a long time.  Boy, it makes me feel loved!

You are a sweet little guy and I cannot believe we are getting close to your birthday!  I sent out the invitation to your pool party yesterday and already have so many guests coming just to celebrate YOU!  You are worth the celebration, too!

I love you,

Mom

 

Almost On the Run

Dear Marcus,

Just in the last few days, you have started "almost" walking.  You are so much more comfortable standing and getting up and down into that position and now you have started taking one or two steps before you sit down or fall into someone's arms.  It is so cute!  And you always smile, no matter what.  It's kind of hard sometimes because I try to tell Jordan to leave you alone, but you are constantly wanting to be right there with him.  And even if you take a shot to the face or hit your head, you always smile.  It's hard to make him stay away when you just want to be with him!

You are such a sweet guy and are such a blessing to our family.  I was worried about loving you as much as I do Jordan, but it is possible to love two little people so much and so equally.  You are perfect for our family and we are so thankful for you!

I love you!

Mom

 

Three Months Changes Everything!

Dear Marcus,

It has been a crazy three months and you have grown so much!  You are getting to be a big boy and you are such a sweetheart.  You are much more shy than Jordan was but once you warm up to somebody, you can't stop smiling at them.  You prefer to be with me or Dad, but you don't mind flirting and smiling at everyone else!  And you do fine if we do leave you with somebody you trust.

You are starting to learn how to walk.  You can stand up on your own and can scoot around the wall or the couch.  You just need to put all of the skills together and you will be running around here in no time! 

One of the hardest things for me right now is to watch your interactions with Jordan.  The problem is you love him too much!  You can be a little bit "up in his business" but he's a little rough with you any time you are near here.  I feel sorry for you, except for you keep going at him.  You love him so much that you can't stay away even if he's hit you or kicked you.  It's hard for me because in order to get anything done, I have to keep you separated!  But no matter how much I try, you guys always start playing together and then I have to watch him to make sure he doesn't hurt you.  You are getting so big, though.  It won't be long and you'll be able to take him!

In April, you got an eye infection and it was terrible.  It was so awful to see, even though you didn't act like it bothered you.  Your brother was sicker than you, but your eye was bad enough that you had to see the doctor too.  The day she prescribed antibiotics, she warned us that if they didn't work, we would have to put you in the hospital to make sure it didn't get into your brain.  It was a scary time for us, but thankfully you got better and in a couple of weeks, both of you were back to normal.  It makes me so sad when you are sick!

You haven't really said a whole lot yet.  You say "Mamama" a lot but there's only been a couple of times you looked at me when you said it.  Pretty soon, you will be saying all kinds of things!

Hopefully, I can do better at writing you!  You are growing so fast that it's hard to keep up. :)

I love you, buddy!

Mom

 

Catching Up

Dear Marcus,

It has been a long time since I wrote.  Sometimes life seems like it is spinning out of control, but I know that God has it all in control and focusing on Him helps me to feel peaceful!  But seriously, life is so busy right now!  Every day is full of something.  And some days are full of way too many things.  All are good things...there just seems to be too many of them!  All of that to say, it's been a while...

You are so big!  You are growth spurting because all of the sudden, you don't fit in clothes and you are moving around so much.  You love your new ability to "army crawl" but still aren't a full-on crawler.  But I honestly think you will walk pretty soon.  You are trying to pull up and when I stand you up, you try to take steps.  I'm ok with it!  Crawling is kind of hard on me because you're always finding things on the floor.  Plus, if you start walking, I don't have to carry you anymore!

You are the sweetest baby.  You love to be with people and you are a flirt!  You smile all of the time, especially at people.  Once you catch their attention you giggle and if they pick you up, you give them all kinds of "baby hugs".  It's so fun to walk others enjoy you and even your big brother is enjoying you!

Before now, Jordan just kind of ignored you.  He would always give you kisses and occasionally would worry about where you were if he couldn't see you.  But, now he is either loving or frustrated with you.  You frustrate him because all of the sudden you can get to his toys.  This complicates thing for you!  But he loves you so much.  He always wants to "pet Marcus" and he is so ready for us to give him the ok to wrestle.

Little man, you are a sweet blessing from God.  Life is crazy with you two but it's a good crazy!

I love you!

Mom

 

Six Months and Counting!

Dear Marcus,

I am watching you sit and play with toys right now and cannot believe how big you have gotten!  You can sit on your own and are starting to roll and pull yourself towards toys that you want.  You don't know what to do when I put you on your hands and knees, but I'm sure you'll figure it out!  You love to stand with someone holding you up and it's hilarious because every time I try to set you on your bottom, you straighten your legs because you want to stand and you refuse to sit.  I have to force you to fold so you can sit down.

This past week was hard but so much fun.  We drove down to Texas for Aunt Katie's wedding.  You and Jordan and I stayed in her one-bedroom apartment and it rained all week.  It was a crazy time, but you were such a joy.  And Grammy and Pappa got to come see us too so they loved getting to know you.  They will be back in four months for a six month furlough and we will get to see a lot of them.

You have also learned the joy of spitting, so that's all you do is jabber and spit.  It's cute, but we've decided that Jordan is our mover and you are our talker.  You talk all day.  Sometimes it sounds like you are upset, but you are just expressing yourself!  Six months is my favorite age and you are living up to it.  You are so cute and bring us such joy!!

You love your Dad and your Pappa...but like Jordan, you pretty much prefer to be around guys.  Something about their voices or their beards or something!  You love Uncle Adam and when he holds you, you just grin at him.  You get so excited when anyone is holding you, but you really loved to hang out with him!

Now that the wedding over, we are enjoying a low-key week back in our routine of going to the gym and grocery shopping.  We haven't been to church in a couple of weeks, so I'm sure everyone will think you look as big as I do.

I love you buddy!!

Mom

 

Nearly Mobile!

Dear Marcus,

I don't think you could get any cuter than you are!  Seriously, those big blue eyes just melt me, especially coming from underneath those super-long eyelashes.  You are sweet and also have a sense of humor...you just love to smile at me.  I will look at you and you just grin.  I love it!

You're transitioning from stationary baby to active baby.  You can't quite do what your mind wants you to do...which is mostly keep up with your brother, or me if he isn't available.  When you get left alone in a room, you start to complain a little.  Especially these days...between colds, allergies, and teeth...you just never feel very good!

We've stopped doing solid foods with you for a little while.  You were throwing up quite a bit and were starting to get cranky, but the day I stopped, you got much better.  You still spit up some but it's not too bad.  We're going to the doctor for your six month (!!!) check-up next week so I'll ask him then.  You don't seem to miss it too much.

Not much else to update on today.  Just wanted to tell you that I love you!

Love,

Mom

 

Solid

Dear Marcus,

You, sir, are officially an eater!  If we didn't know how passionately you felt about food when you were just taking bottles, all of the sudden you get downright angry when we take away your solid foods.  Right now you are eating carrots like they are going out of style and the only problem is, we have no idea when you are full or if you are still hungry.  You never, ever want to stop eating, even if means throwing it up later!  Silly boy.  The result is that you are so big!  You are heavy, but more than anything, you have the longest legs! 

You love to stand up.  When I hold your hands and help you stand, the look on your face is priceless.  You are so proud of yourself.  You still can't sit on your own.  You just kind of roll to one side or the other.  But just in the past couple of days, you've kind of figured out that you can move around.  You don't always roll or spin in the direction you wanted (which is usually towards your brother) but you're starting to figure it out.  You are kind of getting into the crawling position.  It's exciting to watch you grow up!

It's been a hard week around here.  On Sunday you were banned from the nursery because of green snot (yes, that's a rule!).  Thankfully, you never had a fever but you've been coughing and a little fussy.  On top of that, Jordan had strep throat which meant lost of fever fighting with him.  He always gets super high fevers and it is so stressful.  Two days ago was the worst.  It was so high that I spent all day giving him medicine and baths to keep it down.  You weren't quite sure why you weren't getting any attention, but you didn't like it!  You are much happier when you are part of what's going on and now that Jordan is mobile again, you are so happy. :)

You are such a sweet little guy and we are so thankful for you.  You've started to have your fussy moments in the afternoon, but you still are such a good baby.  You are generally content...it's just those silly teeth that are starting to push through your gums.  I can imagine that feels pretty terrible!

Spring will be here soon and we will be able to get out and start having some fun.  I can't wait to see you grow up and enjoy all of the things Jordan does!

I love you little guy,

Mom

 

Those Darn Teeth!

Dear Marcus,

Well, you usually get most of the attention (at least from others), but this week was your brother's birthday.  He lived it up.  You just enjoyed the show.  Seriously, you are a super laid back baby and you just enjoyed hanging out and watching him have fun.  In the past two weeks there have been two difficult days with you and today was one of them.  It's all about teeth.  On days you are not teething, you are so easy.  On days you are, well, you don't want to be put down and you fuss if you aren't with me.  You also spit up a lot more!!  But, I guess it's understandable to complain about teeth poking through your gums!!

You are such a big baby.  You're about average for weight but since Jordan was so little, I'm not used to lugging around a normal-sized almost-six-month-old.  You are rolling and wiggling a lot more.  We can't leave you on the couch anymore (you fell off) or in the swing (you were on your stomach hanging on for dear life).  So, we're entering a new world when we have to think about where you could end up if we put you somewhere.  You can roll around and are trying to get the idea of crawling.  You're not always motivated though!  Most of the time you're pretty cool just to hang out if you have a toy.

You have the sweetest smile and you love Jordan. You laugh at everything he does...even I it's detrimental to my discipline.  Last night I was bathing you guys and he refused to get out so he got a spanking.  He cried and you laughed and laughed, which made him do something else naughty to get in trouble...and you just laughed and laughed.  It's so cute though!  It's like a little giggle instead of a belly laugh.  You give Jordan the best of your laughs.  I have to really tickle you to get you going.

Little man, you are precious to our family and love having your sweet spirit around!

Love you,

Mom

 

Mom's Surgery is Over!

Dear Marcus,

I had my surgery and it was very successful.  The only problem is that I'm not allowed to pick YOU up.  It's killing me because you will grin at me from across the room and all I want to do is pick you up and snuggle you.  I fed you a couple of bottles but had to give you to your Aunt Abby to burp.  I'm hoping in about 5 days to get to wear I can do things for you again.  But in the end, this surgery will really help me live a life that is less painful.

You are a great baby and so easy to read!  You are starting to get big.  This week, we've put you in a Johnny Jumper and you really enjoy the swinging and mobility that you have.  You like to follow your brother.  You try to face whichever way he is standing.  I have the cutest video of you grinning at him and following him.  But half the time, he has no idea how much you love him.  I bet once you really start laughing at him, he'll spend lots of time entertaining you!

You smile at everyone and everything.  It's hard to hold a conversation when you are smiling at me. :)

You are still trying to figure out how to roll over.  You can do it if you have momentum, but you still haven't quite figured out how to reach your toys.  You are not to far away from rolling around the living room to try to track down your toys.

I can't believe how grown-up you are.  You are such a joy and I love you so much!

Love,

Mom

 

Four Months

Dear Marcus,

I'm sorry, but one of the things that comes with being the second child is I forget to take pictures. You have been four months old for six days and I still haven't gotten your four month picture.  Sorry!  In my defense, I tried on the actual day and the camera was dead. 

It's been a hard week.  I was supposed to have back surgery on the 31st and found out the day before that it was being postponed.  Then, the next day I was putting you in the swing and my back went out.  You greatly benefited from that, though because you got more snuggles than usual.  Since Dad was home, I just sat in the recliner and held you for a few days!

You are finally getting the hang of sleeping in your crib.  It was so funny.  You learned how to roll over in bed.  So, every time I lay you down, you roll onto your tummy.  One night you went from back to tummy and scared yourself.  I kept rocking you back to sleep and then laying you down and you would do it again.  It was funny, but not so much at 4:30 in the morning!!  Finally, you fell asleep on your tummy and for two nights in a row have been able to sleep on your tummy.  You are such a good and easy baby!

I cannot get enough of your big blue eyes.  You love when people smile at you and talk to you.  You will just stare until you get their attention.  And you love everything your big brother does.  You follow him with your eyes everywhere he goes.  I love to see you two growing in your love for each other!

I love you,

Mom