Adorable Alex: More Baby Firsts

Some "baby's first" are lots of fun...and some not so much...

Baby Alex has had a few more "firsts" happen in the past few weeks.  On Monday, January 20th, Alex had his first hair cut!

Snip snip...baby's 1st hair cut!

I know a lot of people always comment on how much hair my kids have.  Some babies don't have any hair by the time they are 5 months old, much less their first hair cut.  

But my kids have lots of hair at birth and it just keeps getting longer and thicker.  So they need haircuts early in life.

Snip snip...baby's first hair cut!

It is pretty rare that I let Alex get treated like a "second child" (I know, I know...he IS the second child and whether I like it or not, he ends up getting treated like the second child all the time.  But I like to pretend that I treat everything with him just as special and precious as if it was the first time it happened, because it's the first time it has happened TO HIM). 

(Spoken like a true second child, right?!  OK, people, I've got some issues...) 

(I digress.)  

Alex was totally a second child when it came to his first hair cut.  I didn't bring the camera.  I didn't bring a bag to save his hair.  Hell, I didn't even make sure Daddy was there to watch the momentous occasion.  

Oh well.  I-phone pics, hair in a cup, and an update to Daddy after it happened...none of that changes the fact that Alex looks so precious after his first hair cut!

But that cute little boy was also about to go through another first...his first ear infection. =(

He's so cuddly, but he just wants to be held ALL THE TIME

We also took him to the doctor that day to find out that the source of his fever was an ear infection.  Jillian had lots of ear infections, too, but I will say that Bubs may not be as tough as his sister (at least not when he's sick).  He is a little fussy, very clingy, and very sleepy when he is sick.

At the doctor again.  He weighs 17 lbs., 10 oz. now.

Fast forward to this week, and Bubs is still not better.  Poor baby!  So we took him to the doctor again and now he has a double ear infection and a stronger antibiotic.  $90 later, let's hope he finally gets back to being a happy, healthy baby boy because we have a big weekend in store...

Adorable Alex: Baby's First Food

Yesterday, we fed Alex his first "solid" food!  He had his first tastes of baby cereal and I think he liked it!  

I started feeding him baby cereal 2 weeks earlier than we fed Jillian baby cereal, mainly because he is showing all the signs of readiness.  He is sitting up on his own pretty well, and he always grabs for my food when I'm eating dinner.  

So on Saturday night, we broke out the plastic spoons and baby cereal, and I was sure that Daddy could be home for the occasion.  Big sister Jilly was eager to help.  She helped me mix the cereal with breast milk.  And then she insisted on having her cereal for dinner, too.  

During the first few bites, Alex would open his mouth, but he seemed surprised that there was actually food on the spoon.  He would happily baby kick after ever bite (see the video below, there's nothing I love more than cute baby kicks!)

My first bite of food!

Is there food on that spoon?!

There were a few bites where I think he wasn't really sure of what to make of it all.

Hmmm, I don't know about this, Mommy...

Sometimes he would actually swallow the food, other times he would push the spoon and food out of his mouth with his tongue.  This may be a sign that he wasn't quite ready, but in due time, I'm sure he'll get the hang of it.  

But for now, Alex ended up with more on his cute face and on his bib than in his belly!  And he would smile and laugh as we would cheer "Yay Bubs" after the last few bites.  He is so adorable!!!

Adorable Alex, this is another important "first" for you and we can't wait to see what your next "first" will be!

Her Toy Story

This is only a small portion of the toys...I had already organized all the stuff in her room!

I know what this may look like to you...it's just a pile of toys...

But it's not "just a pile" to me.

Over the holiday break, I knew that we were in need of some major cleaning/organizing.  So I set out to organize closets and clean up the clutter.  That included organizing Jillian's toys so I could throw some out.  Little did I know that these simple tasks would tug at my heart strings so much.

One of my favorite movies of all time is the movie  "Stepmom."  And one of my favorite lines in the movie happens when Julia Roberts (the stepmom) goes to dinner with Susan Sarandon (the mom).  Julia tells Susan:

"You know every story, every wound, every memory.  Their whole lives' happiness is wrapped up in you...every single second."

Trust me, I have had a few "mom" moments in my time with Jillian and Alex where I realize that enormous responsibility that I have in being their mom.  But I was so struck, as I was going through all her little trinkets and deciding which toys to keep.

I remembered the story of every toy.  I remembered who gave it to her, or when she got it, or when she played with it.  I remembered the big toys that lit up her world on Christmas morning.  Or the little toy that she carried around in her pocket for 2 weeks straight.  And I couldn't get rid of a single one because at some point or another, they meant something to her.

Now, maybe I've been watching too much Toy Story 3 with Jilly and Bubs, but I can't help but think of how quickly time will pass.  I know I only have nearly 3 years of stuff for her, and nearly 6 months of stuff for him.  And I know I have a lifetime's worth left to go. But I bawled like a baby reflecting on how "(I) knew every story, every wound, every memory.  (My kids') whole lives' happiness is wrapped up in 

(ME)."

So, I kept it.  All of it.  Every toy.  Every story.  Every memory.  And I'll keep it all safely tucked away in my heart.

Silly Jilly: Crossing the Red Sea

Jillian is saying lots of silly things these days and as much as I tell myself I will remember it all, I won't.  So I am going to really try to capture some of the funniest/most creative/most significant things on the blog so I don't forget them...

The other day, Jillian and I were taking a bath together.  As she was playing in the corner playing:

Jillian: They are climbing up the wall.
Mommy: Who is "they?"
Jillian: God's people.
Mommy:  Oh, God's people are climbing up the wall.  Are they about to cross the Red Sea?
Jillian: Yes, God's people are crossing the Red Sea to get over there, see?  They are going to the mall.

And there you have it, folks...we thought God's people were crossing the Red Sea to escape the Egyptians, but no.  According to Silly Jilly,  it turns out they were intent on a much higher purpose...they were just trying to go shopping!

Reading the story of God's people crossing the Red Sea, clearly on their way to the mall =)

Happy 5 Months, Alex!

Oh boy! Oh boy! Guess who's 5 months old today!!!

Alex is...can you believe it?!  It has been a big month for this cutie boy!

First, Alex started school on December 9.  It was a little bit of a rough transition, for Alex and Mommy both!  He was having trouble sleeping and eating at school, and just as he was getting the hang of it, it was time for the holiday break.  I'm sure it will take a little getting used to again tomorrow as we go back to school/work, but it sure was nice to be home again with this sweet boy for the past 2 weeks!

In other big news, Bubs is starting to sit up on his own!  He can't sit for very long, but we work on it everyday so that he can get stronger.

He also started rolling over on his own.  On December 14, I set him down on the bed and when I turned back around, he had rolled over from his back to his tummy!  We were so proud of him and so was big sister Jilly!

And this boy is getting good at his hand/eye coordination.  He is batting at hanging toys and he is really great at taking his binky in and out of his mouth.  Hopefully that hand/eye coordination = good athletic ability!  

And it was also Alex's first Christmas during this past month.  It was such a joy to spend this Christmas with our son, in addition to our daughter.  I often thought about how lucky I was to be holding my sweet boy, and how lucky we are that God gave us His only son.  It made the holidays a little extra special!

After last month's sleeping woes, we decided to move Bubby back into our room and have him sleep in the pack-n-play for a little while longer.  We aren't quite back to sleeping through the night, but I am only up with him once, usually between 2-4 AM.  He goes to sleep around 8 PM and is up by about 6 AM everyday.  And as soon as he wakes up, he is happy and talkative!

We love you sweet boy!  We cannot wait to see what the next month has in store for the Acosta 4!