Almost a year

Time is passing so quickly and it sometimes makes me wonder how I will feel when I look back and realize that I went weeks without taking pictures, or jotting down the events of Ferdi's first year. Right now every day just seems so full of the good, challenging, and in-between that sitting down to write about it just seems like such a waste of precious moments which can be spent with my husband, or with myself delving into a good book, or scanning the internet for ideas for our new abode.

Life is really full and I am so appreciative that I have such a wonderful family. My mom is always there full of support for me and all that I am doing no matter how far away she is. And soon she is coming again for one of her visits which totally excites the children and I, and of course makes me wish that we had her closer all of the time, but also makes me thankful that we are able to enjoy weeks of her company every year.

Ferdi is in some ways so different from Theo, he still isn't crawling just pulling himself forward using his arms while one of his legs stays perpetually bent. He also pulls himself up solely using his arm strength and hasn't really figured out how to get back down, he isn't cruising the furniture yet and just wobbles to and fro as if he hasn't yet understood that his feet and legs have a purpose :)

He is still so good natured and so easily entertained when he has access to his brother's toys, and can pull pots out of his toy kitchen and throw them on the floor, or "play" with the cars at the toy garage. He has his two bottom center teeth and his two top center teeth are coming in now. He doesn't seem to like getting new teeth very much and is definitely more fussy and has more trouble sleeping than normal.

He absolutely loves being around his brother and his face literally lights up when he comes into the room. He also bursts into tears when Theo goes to daycare in the morning. For the most part they already play really well together although sometimes Ferdi just ruins whatever Teddy is working on which can be frustrating for both of them.

They are sharing a room now and for the most part it is going really well. I seem to remember 12-18 months being sort of a pain with Theo's sleep with early wake ups due to teething and random annoyances and Ferdi seems to be going through that now, which means that he wakes up Theo up early as well. It isn't ideal but I think it is a phase that will be over quick. They don't seem to wake each other up in the middle of the night no matter how loud they can be which is good, and I think in the end it will be such a fun nice situation for them for the next few years.

I'm really happy right now even though I think I had sort of thought I would be a little less tired and a bit more on top of things by this point. I think a lot comes down to Ferdi being at that weird age where he can't walk, talk, or really do all that much but he is aware of all that he could be doing and he really wants to. I imagine it will all smooth itself out in the coming half a year and hopefully by Christmas I will really feel like having two is a breeze :D 

9 Months

Ferdinand is so lovely.  We were out on Saturday and the whole day he seemed a bit off, was just fussing a bit and didn't seem content. The hubby and I could not figure out what was wrong, and kept looking to see if the first tooth had magically popped through. It hadn't. Then that night he had a fever and it all made sense. That is the type of baby Ferdinand is- he has a day where he is a little fussy and we wonder what is wrong with him. He is just so relaxed and calm that the time flies by and I realize I have taken only 4 pictures of him in the whole month and written nothing down which has happened. But I am enjoying the here and now and while I might not have perfect records in 20 years I will be able to look back and remember that I was very happy with my lovely little boy. Here is what he is up to...

-We weaned. Only on 2-3 bottles now and the rest is table food. He didn't seem to mind at all and was happy to switch over to bottles full time.

-He's sleeping through from 6:30/7 to 6:30. Same bedtime routine as Teddy minus the book. I'm planning on putting them in the same room in the coming months.

-No teeth yet.

-No pulling up, no trying to stand, no trying to crawl on all fours. Perfectly content to just army crawl everywhere.

-Sits but is wobbly and can't pull himself up to sitting.

-Really loves spending time with his brother.

-Takes 2 naps and never falls asleep in the stroller.

-Loves to take baths and splash in the water.

Army Crawling

A week before Ferdi turns 9 months and we have army crawling!!! Plus I could have sworn there was one "mama" called out although it was never repeated and was more like a whine/yelp so probably not.

P.S. Three year olds can be really, really, really terrible people....and then 5 minutes later the cutest little things you ever did see. It's a good thing most parents seem to keep this special phase a secret to themselves as it is a real joy to experience it first hand without any warning of its coming.

Forgot the most important part

A picture of the two cuties...

8 Months!!!

Wow! Just wow! Time is just flying by and things are going so well with two of the cutest kids on the planet. Teddy is three now and just so much fun to be around. But three is definitely a whole new ball game, our cute little boy who never had a real problem with listening before is now really starting to test boundaries and make us really work at the whole parenting thing! Thankfully I am halfway prepared and have been rereading Positive Discipline for the Pre-school years and the hubby and I are even doing an online parenting class from the author of the Positive Discipline books which really helps us feel like we at least have a plan and some support. Now to just start actually implementing what we learn!

Ferdi is so great. Absolutely love watching him grow and just being around him makes you want to smile. He isn't crawling, just pushing himself around in circles, but he is in a great mood while doing so, and I don't mind not having to baby-proof everything yet. He still loves food but wishes he could feed himself so I am trying to let him do that as much as possible. I still nurse him in the morning, after naps, and before bed at 6:30/7:00 and then he sleeps until 5 where I nurse him again and then he goes back to sleep until about 7. We dropped the last night feed right before 9 months with Theo so I would like to do the same with Ferdi in a month. But overall I am super happy with the whole sleep and feeding situation, he is just so uncomplicated.

Ferdi and Teddy are also so sweet and loving with each other, I think it is luck that Teddy just has experienced almost no jealousy but I really appreciate it. He oftentimes just walks over to him and tries to play with him, gives him a toy, etc. I'm looking forward to watching this relationship grow!

My experiences with motherhood this time around have been so much more relaxed and enjoyable. I think partly because I am more relaxed and know what to expect but also because Ferdi just has a personality which makes things easy. He rarely fusses or cries and just observes the world around him, he also has a great little chuckle which we love, and a smile which he makes you work for- although Teddy seems to get a smile the easiest out of him.

He doesn't have any teeth, he has a little hair, and a little chub- just perfect, and similar to Theo except about 5 pounds lighter LOL.

I haven't been writing a lot just because life is busy and enjoyable and I try not to spend much time on the PC. But I do want to have some of these memories written down because I know how quickly we forget the funny little details which make us laugh, scream, or cry now.

Life is good!

Almost 6 months!

I have read before that with kids the days can be long but the years are short and it is so true, and right now even the days are flying by.

I have two wonderful little boys and a great husband that take up most of my time and they are all helping to make this current phase of my life really enjoyable.

Teddy is doing so good. He transitioned to KITA- which is short for "Kindertagesstätte" or Kindergarten but would relate most closely to our American pre-schools or structured daycare. He went from being around only 3-4 other children for 5 hours 3 days a week to going to a big old villa with 3 stories, and what will end up being about 50 children altogether (although they will be separated into groups of 8-12). However this Kita has just opened so when Teddy started in January they were just 8 children which has made the adjustment go even smoother. They do such a fantastic job and we are really happy that we were able to get him in, as finding spots in the city can be quite difficult. One of my favorite parts is that they have a male teacher who is just wonderful. He actually is a qualified sports grade school teacher which fits perfectly with Teddy. All of the teachers are also very young and dynamic and never seem to let all the little ones phase them. Needless to say Teddy seems even more like a "big kid" now, as his vocabulary expands every day, and as the way he interacts with others becomes more and more cooperative.

Ferdi is just the sweetest thing ever. He rarely cries, he loves to just look around, and he just fits so well into the family. Two weeks ago I also started feeding him solids thinking it would take quite awhile for him to get the hang of it and he is already eating 4 meals a day! He eats a milk-rice porridge morning and night, and has a veggie/carb (but no grain) meal for lunch and often times a snack of fruit in the afternoon. The fact that he is eating so well has also allowed me to feel comfortable weaning him for the night so he is now going as long as 11 hours in the night without breastfeeding. He still wakes 1-2 times often in the night but just going in and giving him a pat is enough for him to fall back asleep. I'm hoping to work on the night wakings in the coming weeks and have him truly sleeping through the night very soon. I know from Teddy that a full night's sleep is the most important thing for me to get my energy back and to start truly feeling like myself again, so it is definitely a priority for all of us. Although so far he has made things so easy for us that I can't complain and don't imagine that the day where I get a nice 6 or 7 hour stretch of sleep again will be so far off in the future. He still nurses during the day and I think with the milk meals in the morning and night he should be getting more then enough milk altogether. His face and body have chubbed out considerably so I think it was definitely a good choice for us to make.

The weather is cold, rainy, and gray here so we are all really looking forward to spring. Teddy's birthday is coming up and now that one of his teachers plays a guitar and sings every morning at Kita he wants only a "eetarre"="Gitarre"="guitar".

Me with my boys

Hanging out in Ferdi's bed

Teddy dressed up for Carnival!