5 Months Old

Another month has passed, Naomi, and you are 5 months old today! You are growing and changing and here's what you've been up to the past month:

Today-- 4/11/18

- You celebrated your first Easter! It was the snowiest Easter I ever remember! Even though it was snowy, we had a lot of fun searching for eggs and our baskets as the snow came down. You also got to see Mimi's new chicks!

- You are laughing out loud now! Your smile gets so big and then it just bubbles over. You think it's funny when I bounce beside you on the bed, sometimes you laugh when Levi scares you (although I'm not a fan of this method), and your tickle spot is right under your chin. It's so fun to make you laugh!

- I still love the way you hold your hands together and play with them. You've begun to stare at your arm and sometimes when you catch a sight of your brightly colored socks. Bows are starting to fit on your head, plus you received some new clip-ins for Easter!

- We took you in for an extra weight check and you've jumped up to almost 12 lbs. hooray!! You are breastfeeding and drinking formula. We have tried a couple foods -- mashed potatoes and bananas, but you're not very interested yet, so we'll keep waiting until you're ready.

- You discovered your tongue on Easter and started blowing raspberries. It was sooo cute! 

- You are such a beauty! You have begun sleeping in your pack-n-play so well! I have to go in often to make sure you're still breathing :) You're starting to take more regular, consistent naps and it has been wonderful! Your morning nap, around 10 am, is usually the best one! You are currently sleeping and have been up there for 2 hrs. so I'm getting a few extra things done this morning :) 

One of your siblings took this picture. They all really love you! 

Naomi Irene, what a wonderful baby you are! Time is just flying by, so I am trying to treasure these little moments since I know how fast they truly go now. You are laid back and enjoy watching the bustle of activity of your older siblings from your bouncy seat. You are reaching up for the toys on the tummy mat and when we put you on your tummy your legs are in constant motion. You are getting stronger every day and sit in the Bumbo occasionally. We added toys to your car seat and you enjoy staring at them during trips in the van. You are one of our only children that seems to enjoy your stuffed animals. Miss Piggy (in the picture above) is one of your favorites, and you are starting to enjoy the bunnies you received for Easter. I try to give you one whenever I lay you down somewhere and you reach for it right away with your mouth open, ready to play. It helps keep you entertained a few extra minutes before you need our attention. Naomi, you are so loved and I look forward to seeing what the next month holds! Love, Mommy

Walk for Arthritis

Hi Family,

We decided to start Zeke in TaeKwonDo lessons. In just 2 sessions, I'm already very excited for him and what he will be learning. The couple that owns the studio, TJ and Tiffany, are a young couple who have a heart to serve their community and have a sister school down in Haiti to empower the children living there. I have really enjoyed getting to know them, as I have been taking jiu jitsu with them as well. If you'd like to learn more about them and what they do, you can visit their website here: https://www.kickma.com/ 

Zeke has signed up for his first walk for a cause! During each testing session (10 weeks) he needs to complete one service project in order to earn his next rank. For this testing session, we chose to join his TaeKwonDo team and complete the Walk to Cure Arthritis on Saturday, May 5th. I am excited to complete the walk with him! If you would like to support his walk and help his team reach their goal of $5000, would you please consider giving a donation? We chose to each raise $10, so any small amount or contribution will absolutely help us reach our goal! Here is his fundraising page: https://events.arthritis.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=14967

If you don't feel like contributing monetarily, that is absolutely ok! Another way you could support him is by sending cards to us and I will save them to read to him on the day of the walk on the 5th. Since this is his first one, I know he might struggle or feel like he can't finish, so any cards that encourage him or tell him what a great job he has done will really inspire him.

He lost his first tooth on Sunday, April 8!

I am super excited to get Zeke involved in this community with other believers who serve and do activities like this together. I think it will be a great investment of time and money and I can't wait to see how he will grow and flourish in a supportive and safe group! I will try my best to give you an update on how he is doing and when he completes ranks and such!