This moment.

Bigfoot: Mama?...

Mama: Yes, sweetheart?

Bigfoot: i luv va.

Yesterday, this precious face told his mama that he loved her. No prompts. No reason. Completely out of the blue, he wanted to tell me he loved me. My heart has been dancing ever since. True story.

Bigfoot turns 2!

My firtborn, you are 2! It's so hard to believe how fast time has flown by. We adore you! We love everything about you! You are so many bits of wonderful and we couldn't be more grateful for your presence in our life.

I'm going to list some things that you are up to these days mixed in with pictures of your birthday fun. It may be a bit of a discombobulated post, but this is just how we are going to do today.

~~~

Pop-eye smiles. Yes, dear. You are still sporting that lovely pop-eye smile and we love it!

You give the absolute best hugs! And kisses!! And nose-kisses!!! You are so affectionate and we are so spoiled by it!

Our little family celebrating 2 years of our precious, adventurous, and loving Bigfoot!

You love your Dada so very much! And he, you! I love seeing you two play together. Makes my heart happy.

And you adore your little brother. You have been the absolute best big brother ever! You give hugs, and kisses, teach him how things work and share your toys with him. You have stopped taking swats at him (very short lived and rare), which is good, but you have always been sweet and thoughtful. Your relationship with him has been such a blessing to me to watch. I can't wait to see how you both continue to grow in your brotherly love.

He was so excited! He loved having his grandparents, aunt, and uncles all to himself for his birthday!

You love running! Jumping! Flying! All things Sports! Being outside, playing, climbing, falling, balancing and all things rambunctiously boy!

You have a thing for sticks. It's what you do. We go outside and you find sticks. You collect them, walk around with them, pile them up, play drums with them, and so much more. Sticks are your favorite toy, hands down!

Mama made an oatmeal stacked cookie cake with frosting. Yum!

You are counting! Up to this point you have counted from 1 up to 11. Way to go little one!

You are also singing! You sing the ABC's, song to Super Why, Hail Mary, Allelluia, and whatever your little musical heart desires.

You are great at identifying letters. You can identify most all of them if shown. You are very intrigued with your letters which is fun.

You are also getting better at signing the alphabet. So far you have O, S, M, A, F, P, Q, L, and C.

My fruit-loving sweetheart ate half of his piece then went on his way never asking for more.

You love story time. Reading has always been fun for you, and it continues to be. Often times I will find you quiet in your room "reading" through a familiar book. It's so sweet.

You have a curious spirit that is adventure seeking. You love trying to climb (now that you are more coordinated) and get into spaces that seem challenging.

But, he definitely had his share of these watermelon cakes I found on Pinterest. This was the sweetest watermelon we have had in a very long time. 

Your laughter is infectious and you share it daily. Of all the many gifts you share with us, this one is a definite favorite of mine.

You are still a wonderful eater. I do credit this to BLW. You eat your veggies and random things we put in front of you during meal time. You are getting better as the days go by with your spoon and fork. You love all fruit. I don't think you've had a fruit you didn't like. All in all, your doing a great job in the nutrition area, love.

Enjoying his watermelon.

You are talking so much! You love carrying on conversations with others, yourself, and family. I love hearing your attempts. As the days pass, more and more words enter your vocabulary. It's so exciting to see you learning everyday.

You handled the transition to big brother swimmingly. I was so very impressed with you. You never seemed jealous, even though Mama was tending to your little brother so much more than you were used to. You were very gracious and still are. You try to help out if you ever hear him crying. I think this just speaks volumes to your beautiful nature.

Little brother had a blast too! Lots of snuggles and arms to be held in over the weekend. Here he is with Nana.

Grandparents are your favorite! You love them so much and they, you! You also adore your Uncles, Aunt, and Rebekah. I love seeing how you love them and how they love you. We are so blessed!

You also love your friends! You ask for your friends often; specifically, Daniel, Gianna and Theresa, Ben, baby Mark, Max, and Jack. It's so sweet. When I tell you we are going to go see friends, you light up!

Uncle Aaron and Rebekah bought a pinata! So much fun. You weren't sure what to think of it, but enjoyed batting at it with the help of your Uncle Godfather.

You are still sporting about an hour and a half to -on good days- three hour naps. Without them you tend to be all over the place. We sing a Hail Mary and I put you in your bed where you drift off.

You love being tickled and are quite the tickle monster yourself. The laughter that comes from tickles are amazing!

Yaya had to reign you in a few times, since you kept trying to run off. You love running. Pretty sure it's one of your favorites.

You say your prayers every night with Dada. It's so sweet. You are very good at saying prayers. You pray for all of our family and whatever your heart desires every night. Your prayers are precious.

You are a great traveler, still! To this day you have never arched your back while we try to put you in your car seat. You always go easily and ready. You don't fuss much, if at all, while traveling. I can see this now, because your brother is the exact opposite. Maybe on our next trip, you should spend some time prepping him on how to travel well. Dada and Mama would much appreciate that.

Uncle Aaron and Rebekah love you tons, sweet boy!

You like playing Mass. You go and grab a cross-like object or book or bible or something and will walk around the house singing Allelluia. You've been doing this for a long while now.

You are wonderful in Mass. You are normally so well behaved. We bring your Church books and you look for Jesus. The only times you act up a little is if you didn't nap/sleep well.

Papa Wooley and Nonna had a great time at your birthday.

You are very coordinated. You can swing a bat like a someone in t-ball, you can kick a soccer ball like you're four, and you have quite the throwing arm!

Up until recently, you have definitely been left-hand dominate - eating, throwing, batting, grabbing, balance, etc. However, I'm not sure if that's starting to change. I've noticed you using your right hand a little more.

Papa Ram loves your kisses!

You like a good challenge. Even when you get a bit frustrated, you like to try. When you accomplish things, your face just lights up with pride. And, when you struggle, you sometimes get angry, sometimes ask for help, and more often then not, encourage yourself by saying Almost.

Lily and you have a blast together. You like petting her, snuggling her, taking "naps" alongside her, chasing her, and making her chase you. It's pretty sweet.

You love bath time! You love water. You love being in the pool and swimming and splashing.

Papa and Aunt Hailey love you and your goofiness.

You have some awesome dance moves! You love dancing!! I'll turn on some music and there is no stopping you. You even seek out music to start dancing when you feel like moving. I love it!

You are tech-savvy just like your Dada. You can work an iPhone like non-other to put on PBS or Diego. You are also great with your Leapfrog and an iPad.

Shows: You fell hard for Curious George and he continues to be a favorite. Soon followed was Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Super Why was next. Then you happened upon Sesame Street and Brother Francis. Your most recent show to enjoy is Diego.

I love this picture! You and Aunt Hailey love each other so much!

You are tall! At your 2-year check up you were in the 95th percentile for height - 37.5 inches and weighed in at 30 lbs. Needless to say, but your feet are still big, my dear Bigfoot. You are your father's son. Being at that appointment made me realize that I will be a shrub among tall trees. Between your height, your brother's, and your Dada's, I will always be looking up.

~~~

Joseph, you are kind and sweet. You are loving. You are so funny and silly. You seek adventure. You love Jesus. You want to know the world. You want to explore. You love your family. You are smart and you are gentle. You pick up on things real quick and you have quite the memory. You are amazing. You are beautiful. You are precious. and...

All tuckered out. It's been awhile since your sweet self has fallen asleep on us.  We took it as a sign that we did a good job for your birthday. We absolutely treasure you!

i love you with all the love that I possibly can. Thank you for a wonderful two years, my little Junebug. I'm so excited to continue to get to know you and the wonderful boy that you are. May God always hold you. May He bless you abundantly with His Joy, Love, and Peaceful Presence. 

ugga mugga, my little love.

Our Little Sweet is 4 Months!

You, my precious son, have been with us for 4 months (and some, by the time I actually post this!). These 4 months have been filled with ups and downs, but always with a smile that is incredibly infectious and beautiful - not to mention, a giggle that makes your heart melt!

I'm going to share some of your moments this past month with oodles of pictures too.

We went out for a Father's day stroll. You love your daddy so much! You reach out to him and look for him the moment you hear his voice. It is so sweet! During the stroll, you mostly slept, but were such a sweet heart while home. Daddy loves you so much. And, I'm pretty sure brother was happy to not have to share his smoothie with you just yet. 

You take a paci! Your big brother never took one, but you my dear, will. Sometimes when you're having hard day or trying to fall asleep, the paci is your friend. Other times, you could care less for the little thing. We're fine with either. And, glad you are happy.

Also, blankies are your favorite! We call you our little Linus. You really are a blankie baby. It's so cute!

Honestly, if it were up to you, your sleep would look like this every time.

You enjoy lots of play-gym time. And are able to roll onto your tummy from your back now. It's just a matter of time before you are rolling around like crazy! So, you've mastered the front-to-back and back-to-front roll. 

You had your 4 month check up and measured in at 26.5 inches and 15.8 lbs. You have managed to catch up to your brother in height (surpass him by just a bit, even)! However, big brother still had three whole pounds over you at this point. It's crazy how much you've stretched out. I'm sure those growing pains are part of the reason we haven't seen much sleep this past month. 

We took a trip to San Antonio to go see Papa, Yaya, and Hailey for your brother's birthday weekend. We had all the grandparents, uncles, and aunts there for a wonderful 2 year birthday party on Saturday. The picture below is the part of the drive that you did absolutely wonderful! You slept, and then played with your big brother. The later part was an entirely different story, unfortunately. Poor baby, you cried on and off for a good 2.5 hours, with stops. To say you aren't a fan of being in the car seat is an understatement. Wish we could help you like it better, but just know we put you in there because we love you and are looking out for your safety!

You had a great time with Papa, Yaya, and Hailey. Lots of smiles and laughter. Apparently you are a big fan of bottles too, but not as much as the faces of your precious family - you absolutely light up with sweet smiles when any grandparents or uncle/aunt are present. 

You absolutely adore your big brother. Lots of the pictures to come are of the two of you. Know that he loves you just as much!

You let us rock you to sleep now. It's so sweet. But, you also love being bounced and walked around just as much or more. It's always nice to be able to sit and rock you, if even for a little while.

Eli, you definitely prefer the Moby Wrap to our Maya Wrap, so we have been sporting that at every Mass and any time Mama has to carry you for an extended time. If you're comfy, I'm comfy! Your older brother spent a good deal of time in our Maya Wrap. I take this as another way that you are letting us know how wonderfully unique you are. Seeing all these differences between you two has been such fun! 

While at your brother's party, you were being passed around to all the family. You did great! You fell asleep with your Nonna, played with your Nana, hung out with all the Papas, and smiled with your Uncle Mychael, Uncle Aaron, and Rebekah. You had your fair share of fun that day too. 

As much as you share your beautiful smile, dimples, and laughter with us, you also are a fan of sharing some crazy crying bouts. Dear one, you can be quite the fussy baby. I often feel you are telling me that it's your way or the highway. I admit, I have trouble with this sometimes, but know that I am trying my best to meet your needs and love you.

Speaking of having a voice, you are quite the squealer! We call you Pteri, as in pterodactyl. You like to squeak and squeal and just discover all the fun things you can do with your vocal cords. You hum to sleep while I sing to you and you randomly grunt just because.

You've found your feet. Honestly, I think you found them in your 3rd months, but I can't remember just now. You like picking them up, grabbing them, trying to put them in your mouth, and looking at them. You also enjoy when we play with your toesies and pull of your socks. Makes you smile every time.

Your Nonna came to spend some time with us back home. She loved getting to hold you and get to know you and your wonderful personality better. You were such a sweetheart while she was here. You even decided you would sleep for 7.5 hour stretches all three nights that she was here!

Here you are with your brother. He's teaching you about the various patterns, while you listen attentively. You hang on his every word and always are looking for him while you all are in the same room. It is the sweetest thing and I look forward to see how your friendship grows.

Little man, you don't like clothes. You are happiest when you are wearing nothing or when I am taking off your onesies. I think every since started intentionally smiling you have smiled each time I have undressed you for your baths and cried more often than not when I try to dress you for bedtime. Sweetheart, unfortunately, clothes are something you'll have to learn to live with. 

For the most part, our nursing troubles have passed. Our struggles started from day one when I got thrush (OUCH!), followed by me having an oversupply that kicked in around month 2 (which was about a few weeks after my thrush had resolved and after our family recovered from a terrible stomach virus). Once we had the oversupply, it was quite the struggle for the next month and a half. I think now we are finally in a good place. You tend to only nurse for 3-6 minutes at a time and aren't much of a comfort nurser. Not sure if this will ever change, but for now, we are just going with it. I'm thankful that we seem to have gotten past the worst of it all. Obviously, we are doing something right because you are growing like a weed. I have stopped with milk and cheese for now too, and it seems to have helped. During the day, you are sweet and silly sometimes and you do very well during the middle of the night feedings. Our most trying times are that witching hour every evening, but we may have just figured out a way to sooth you a little better with your blankie! Will update in the next month.

You are a champ at tummy time! You don't fuss to get picked up and can stay there for quite a while before turning to your back or finding something to play with. You also have started to enjoy your jumper time.

You aren't a fan of being outside as much as your brother was but perhaps that will change once the weather cools down a bit, or at least I hope so, because your brother and I do enjoy being outdoors! Especially when that beautiful Fall weather rolls in.

Sweet boy, these 4 months have been such a gift and privilege! You have blessed us with your beautiful presence. You are a joy and have added so much goodness to our little family. We love you and are looking forward to the months to come! 

Your brother's 2-year birthday update is soon to follow! Mama is playing major catch up in the blogging world!

Just like Daddy