Visiting the Gibson's

I heard once that in adulthood, if you have a good friend, or best friend for longer than 5 years, they will remain your best friend all through life. I am a very blessed woman because I don't just have one of those. God has blessed me with 3 friends who I keep in touch with, talk with frequently and get to visit with every few months. These are women who, no matter where I live, or what's going on in our lives, I know I can always count on them and they will always be my best friends. 

One of those lady's is Jess. We met almost 11 years ago in freshmen orientation. I'm pretty sure God had her there just for me. We were both in the nursing learning community, and became best friends through living in the same dorm and taking several classes together. Then she decided she didn't want to be a nurse and completely changed majors. But our friendship was already there, and God allowed us to stick together even after that. 11 years later, we're both married and have kids and live in different states but she is still one of my most favorite people and one of my very best friends. 

Visiting her was such a nice little get away. Usually Curtis does not do well travelling, so going anywhere is very stressful and without Isaac, I actually don't enjoy it at all. But Curtis did well, he ate, he slept, and he loved on Jess' little one, Will, which was unexpected and very appreciated because I was afraid he'd bully him like he tends to do. We got to catch up on life and watch our littles become friends. I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon and morning, than with my best friend and her kid sharing a cup of coffee and chasing the littles around.

We also had a nice little treat of all 3 kids being asleep by around 7 and we got to enjoy dinner and conversation kid free. I never get to do things with other adults kid free, so that was much needed and a wonderful break.

I hate that we live so far away, but 3 hours really isn't bad, so I am thankful for getting to see each other every few months when she is out of school.

Here's a few pictures from our time.

Having fun playing on Aunt Jess' bed, jumping and crawling/falling off

Becoming friends

Such a brave and fearless little boy

A little bit of wrestling

Some mirror fun

Judah left Will a spoon on the floor

Getting in to some mischief together

He loves that monkey

Aunt Jess has such a good kid house

Judah is 10 months

Our Little Bug is 10 months old. It doesn't seem possible that in just 2 months we'll be celebrating his 1 year birthday. He just seems to be growing so fast. He is walking along on the furniture and pushing chairs and bigger toys to help him walk across the floor. He eats most things I put in front of him, although I've learned he does not like to eat when he first wakes up. He's gonna be one of those people, I think, who don't eat breakfast, or at least not right when he gets up. That's sometime I will have to get used to because it's pretty much the first thing I do every day and Curtis eats first thing in the morning. He's still nursing, although I've weaned one feeding in the morning and almost have weaned one of his afternoon feedings. I'm pushing him 3-4 hours in between feedings, with giving him solids and water, in the hopes that he will be ready in May for me to go back to work.

Him and Curtis are quickly becoming good little friends. He follows Curtis every where. I have some fun pictures of their "brother mischief" they are learning to get in to together. Luckily, it's nothing too bad yet, but I know it's coming once he starts walking. But it's so obvious how much Judah already loves and looks up to Curtis, and most of the time, Curtis is really sweet with him. They do like to wrestle though. It's a fine line of letting them be boys and begin to learn to wrestle and saving Judah from bonking his head too hard or being crushed by Curtis. But it's fun to watch them. 

He seems to be getting more and more independent each day, which is what I'm working towards. I am finally being able to keep up with dishes during the day and make meals in short bursts while Judah entertains himself with a book, or some cars and kitchen stuff.

He's definitely not sleeping through the night yet and seems to have gone through a sleep regression lately, which I know is developmentally appropriate, but it's rough. Since he's not nursing as much during the day, and so busy burning calories during the day, he wakes up wanting to nurse and is usually up 2-3 times every night. I'm looking forward to this stage being over with. I've never been one of those mama's who loves getting up and nursing their little during the night or who will miss those quiet, sweet times. Yes, it is sweet when he falls asleep nursing or falls asleep on my shoulder, but I like sleep, and really need it to function and be a good mom, so I really can't wait till the time when I can get a full nights sleep.

This month we'll continue working on weaning, with the goal of completely taking away 3 feedings. I'm also gonna be working on him taking at least one nap with me putting him down awake. That will not be easy, so we'll see how it goes :)

Here's a few pictures from the past month. 

This was right before Judah started screaming. He was not very happy with these pictures.

My little Broncos fans

Some brother mischief, they like bothering Baxter together while Baxter is in his crate.

Trying to figure out how to drink/eat a smoothie, which is Curtis' new favorite snack

One of Curtis' favorite places, climbing into the window sill

Judah actually has a lot of fun with this. I was pretty strict at first to make Curtis stop, but when I saw that usually Judah laughs and smiles, I figured I would let them play.

One of Judah's favorite past times, such a guilty look

My life, with the dog in the center

My matchy boys (and husband)

Possibly one of my favorite pictures ever

Judah is 9 Months

Today my Little Man is 9 months old. Every time I turn around it seems like time just speeds up and changes everything. Part of me wants to slow it down, but part of me loves these new stages of independence he is gaining. He crawls like a champ, pulls up on everything and walks some on the furniture. He loves his big brother so much and just wants so badly to play with him. He follows Curtis around a lot, even sometimes, in his own infant way, tries to comfort Curtis when he's sad. Curtis does not always want to play with him and in typical older brother fashion, kind of terrorizes him, laying down on him, pulling him down to keep him from following, and putting all of the toys in the pack n play to keep Judah from playing with them. We're working on the mutual love thing. But it's wonderful to see that they are beginning to work on a friendship. Judah still doesn't sleep through the night, but has given me a few nights of waking only once, which is a much welcomed break from 2 or 3 times. He has 6 teeth now which makes nursing interesting to say the least. He loves food and his puffs. He eats most things I put in front of him, which is a relief. He's learning to occupy himself some, not needing me to play with him or not needing me to hold him all the time. These are the stages of independence I am loving. After seemingly, having a baby on my hip for over 2 years, it's nice to have a little break and I love watching him explore his world and learn and discover new things. He loves being outside and today, really enjoyed playing in the dirt. He does eat just about anything he sees on the ground or floor which has been bad a few times, causing some gagging and throwing up, but I've learned to fish things out of his mouth and hands if I catch it in time.

We're another month closer to 1 year and it doesn't even seem possible that I'm going to have 2 toddlers soon. I follow a blogger who calls her toddler sons The Vandals because they terrorize her house. I kind of think that once Judah can walk and the boys can really start to be friends, that will be there nickname as well, because, independently, they get in to everything. I can only imagine what the next year will bring when they can pal around and get in to even more. But I can't wait to see!

I did Curtis' 9 month pictures in his Papa Creeds hat and daddy's tie. Now it's Judah's turn. The 2 boys look nothing a like, but I do love the pictures. One thing they had in common, they both hated wearing the hat!

This is Curtis' just to compare

Another Year, Another Million Babies Dead: Roe v Wade's Anniversary

Tomorrow is the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. Since the infamous verdict in 1973, there have been over 54 million abortions performed legally in the United States. 54 million government approved murders. 54 million babies dead. Roughly 27 million girls legally killed, 27 million boys legally killed. Please, let that sink in. 54 million children have been killed while we sit around and allow it to happen. This is a tragedy. 

For most of the American people, January 22nd means absolutely nothing. It's just another day. For some, it's a day to celebrate, but for those of us who fight for life, it's a day to mourn. Tomorrow, I will mourn for every one of those lives. I mourn for the mother's who so regret their decision to murder their babies. I mourn for the mother's who live with addictions and depression and are haunted by the memories of the choice they made. I mourn for the mothers who were forced in to that decision, whether by a husband, their own mother or father, or their own tragic circumstances where they didn't see any way out. I mourn for the father's who didn't have a choice in the matter because they were told it wasn't their life, wasn't their uterus, wasn't their choice to make. I mourn for those father's who's hearts break on the anniversary of their baby's death because they so wanted that child. I mourn the grandparents who begged their daughter's to not abort their grandchild but they chose to anyway. I mourn for the empty arms and empty cribs. 54 million.

Those of us in the church, we are not innocent. Do we open our doors to the young, single pregnant woman who comes in, looking for love, looking for acceptance, looking for help? Or do we judge her for what she chose to do. Do we judge women who, in the past chose abortion, but now are silent and hurting, dying inside because they don't know who to turn to with the pain of what they chose? 

Church, our job is to love these women where they are. Jesus did not tell us to go fix ourselves and then come to Him. He said, "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." We are to introduce this Jesus to the women who come seeking help. They need to know that we don't judge them. They don't have to be perfect or clean, or whole to come to Jesus. They just need to have an open and desperate heart. Judging them, turning them away, trying to cover up or hide their sin, that's not what Jesus did in the Bible and it's not what we should do. 

We are at a crucial time in our nation's history. The veil has been lifted from the abortion industry and people have begun to see the evil that's there. But the change will not happen in the legislature. Let me say that again. It doesn't matter who we vote for president. It doesn't matter who we vote for congress. The change will not come from our legislature. The change has to come form within the church. Christians, we are surrounded by a culture of death. Life is not valued, and the most vulnerable life is too easily discarded. We have to be the ones to stand up for that life. We have to be the ones to show women they are loved. To come along side young couples and help the to know they can have a child and raise a child and their lives will not end. We have to teach these young men and women how to grow up and take responsibility for the choices they made. And we have to value life. No Christian has an excuse. This is the most fundamental thing God has given us is life. Every Christian can do something, whether it's stand outside of a Planned Parenthood and loving on the women who go in, even if they go through with the abortion, or working/volunteering at a CPC in the clinic, stuffing envelopes, walking for life, in the call center, teaching parenting classes, or by adopting/fostering so the women who truly aren't ready to be mother's can still carry to term and give their baby life, donating to a CPC so they can continue to run. There are so many ways to stand up for life. Please, Christian, don't let another 1.2 million babies die without doing something to stop it. Now is the time.

Little Man is 8 Months Old

This is a little late as we have all been sick this week, but my littlest little is 8 months this month. He continues to explore and and is becoming very confident with standing and pushing things to help him walk. He's just like Curtis was at this age, in to everything. I finally had to put my trashcan in the pantry because he keeps trying to eat the trash bag. He is eating more and loves a ton of different foods, which is awesome. I hope he'll be my good eater. I've started to feed him small bits of table food, sweet potatoes and bananas, and he seems to do well with those. Even though I rarely catch it on camera, he is such a happy little guy. He laughs at Curtis and laughs at Baxter. He loves to push little cars and play with things that make music. He is such a joy and I am loving most minutes of it :)

I have begun to work on some weening this month. I'm started to take away one feeding in the morning and give him something to eat instead. With Curtis, I had to ween him much quicker than I really wanted because I was so sick during my pregnancy. He got a crash course with weening. I'm hoping to do it much more gentle with Judah, and am still hoping to nurse through 18 months, but during the day, I'm working on getting him to where he can go without nursing so I can eventually begin work part time. We'll see how it goes.

Both boys have a special bib from the Aunt Jess and both have a month picture in it. This one is Judah's sweet Ninja bib.

Christmas and New Year's with the Norman's

Year 2015 was a wonderful, chaotic, challenging, amazing year. We were blessed with a beautiful 2nd baby boy. I was able to finish my ultrasound training. We have been blessed to watch our fun-loving, wild little man grow into such a sweet personality. We've enjoyed our church and have really found family there. We've been blessed with an awesome babysitter for the boys. We've had friends and family visit and have been blessed to open our home to both. 

It's also been the hardest year thus far in our little life together. Isaac's schedule has it's challenges with some days going by that we barely see each other, but we are learning to work through that and make the most of the little time we have together. Adding a 2nd baby making me a mom of 2 under 2 was one of the most difficult challenges I've ever had to face. Learning to balance both babies, literally and figuratively, figuring out how Judah fit into our lives and God showing me so perfectly that, of course, he just fits right in, in the mess and chaos, but he does fit in. I battled post partum depression for several months after Judah, and God had to show me how to love my sweet baby during those darker times. 

God has shown me this year how much I need Him. Not just on Sundays. Not just when life is good, or not just when life is not good. He's made me desperate for Him. He's shown me that, in my marriage, in motherhood, in my work, I have to be desperate, constantly thirsting for Him, constantly seeking, constantly praying, trying to glean anything I can from any verse I happen to get a chance to read. He's shown me again and again how good and kind and sweet He is and how wonderful His grace His. He shows me new mercies every single morning. I am so thankful for His help to get through each day. So thankful that I don't have to do it alone on the days that I am physically alone, so thankful that Isaac and I don't have to do marriage alone, but that He's there when it's hard. So thankful we don't have to parent alone but God is there guiding us when I want to be lazy and not discipline or when I'd rather let the boys watch TV instead of play. I'm learning that it's all a process and one that I'm just beginning. 

I'm looking forward to this next year. It will come with it's new challenges. Isaac begins school in February. Hopefully I will begin work in April or May, if Judah will let me. We will officially have 2 toddlers in the next few months. And that's just the challenges we know of. I know God will walk with us through those, and probably many more and am looking forward to what He has in store for us.

A little about Christmas:

We went to visit my family. It was a fun trip, but not an easy one. Curtis doesn't do very well out of his environment and routine. Judah doesn't do well at all sleeping in a pack-n-play so it was challenging and exhausting, but so wonderful to see family and friends. Grandma got to come to dinner and it was so good to see her and spend time with her. I love watching Curtis get to know his cousins. He loves Taylor and Reegan so much. And I got a special treat, to have some kid free time with one of my very best friends, Brenna, while the husbands watched the kiddos. That was much needed since I'm pretty sure it hasn't happened for 4 years. We stopped to see Ben and Jess and Will on the way home and it was a much needed break from driving and always does my soul good to see my Jess.

It was a great trip and I'm so thankful we were able to spend Christmas with my family.

We've started letting Curtis cook with us some, in the hopes that maybe he'll start eating a little more

Curtis was pretty entertained my Isaac's Christmas gift

Curtis loves reading

He figured out the present thing

We were so excited when Isaac arrived and I was excited to see Isaac in uniform ;) I never get to see him in this uniform, but it was one of the things that won me over when he showed up at my place for our first date :)

We're raising a truck man

Curtis wound't sit still long enough, but I did get a good one of Judah

Christmas morning breakfast. That boy loves his bacon

I think Judah likes Reegan. She doesn't really enjoy being touched or hugged.

This is what Curtis does with doll houses

A brief cuddle moment for Jonathan and Curtis

Christmas Cheer From the Norman Boys

Christmas is not always an easy time when you have little ones. In fact, when your used to Christmas a certain way, it can be frustrating. Decorating for Christmas looks very different. Anything breakable goes really high and even then your praying your toddler doesn't push a chair over, climb up and try and throw the pretty Christmas plate across the room. Christmas baking is non-existent this year, both because I definitely don't need to eat all the extra Christmas treats when I'm still trying to lose baby weight and baking is not so easy when both the littles are running around and are not old enough to enjoy helping. Traditions like Christmas parties and Christmas Eve services are really not possible when bedtime is between 6 and 7 and keeping them up later would not be a good thing, and babysitters are just too expensive. And pretty much all Christmas shopping happens online because I have no desire to go searching for gifts with the littles in the cart. Although, that one, I don't mind so much because I can avoid all the crowds. 

This Christmas, I am learning that stuff doesn't matter. I haven't really missed all the Christmas treats, and definitely don't miss the extra pounds. Decorating was fun, and Curtis loves the little soft snowmen that I put where he can play with them. And the joy on his face when I tell him we can go touch the lights and the ornament is priceless, he gets so excited. And we get to spend Christmas with family, 2 years in a row. Isaac gets to be home and go with us to visit my family. That part, I am very excited for. I've been trying to teach Curtis how to say "Happy Birthday Jesus!" He's not gotten it quite yet, but I think it's coming. And he is definitely excited about Christmas presents. He likes to look at the gifts under the tree. I'm excited for him to give the ornaments he made. I'm looking forward to teaching him the joy in giving and not just getting presents. So while this year has been different, it's been fun. I am looking forward to how each year will be different as we adjust for growing kids and hopefully one day a growing family. I'm looking forward to when Curtis and Judah do understand that Christmas is about Jesus, not gifts. But this year, I'm just really looking forward to being with all my family for the first time in 5 years. 

I love Christmas tree pictures, both the boys love the tree

A little blurry but I couldn't get Curtis to do it again, so I'll take it

Curtis was dancing in front of the tree while Judah ate the lights

Each of the boys contribution to the tree this year

And a bath picture because it's just too cute. We began unrestraining him last week and he just loves the bath, although he is definitely not stable and has face planted a few times.