I know I’m one of those people who doesn’t think the first month goes by very quickly with a new baby, but the second month does. I can’t believe our Little B is 2 months old already!
Age: 2 months on 15 July 2018 Weight: about 12.5 lbs (12 lbs 14 oz on 25 July) Height: about 24″ long (24.21″ long on 25 July) Teeth: none Clothing Size: 3-6 months & 6 months
Diaper Size: close to size 2 in disposable and newborn in cloth Milestones: He can roll from tummy to back, his head control has improved a lot, he give big open mouth smiles, and he “talks” to us!
Likes: Nursing, pooping, staring out windows and at high contrast patterns, smiling at his family, standing on our laps, baths
Staring at a pillow very intently
Dislikes: Waking up, having gas, being overtired, not being fed immediately, his car seat
Sleeping: Berend is still sleeping swaddled in a bassinet in our room (or in the living room during the day). He usually takes a couple of good naps (about 2 hours) and several catnaps during the day. At night, bedtime is usually 10pm at the latest and sometimes as early as 8:30. He is still up every 2-3 hours until around 5am. That’s when he starts working on gas/poop and is too restless to sleep. I usually lay him on the bed to bicycle his legs or jiggle him back to sleep in between toots. Once he gets all of that out of his system, he usually goes back to sleep for a couple of hours. In a 24 hour period, he’s averaging about 16 hours of sleep a day.
Eating: Berend seems to be eating well based on weight gain. He normally nurses a very short amount of time (5 minutes or less) during the day. I wish he would nurse for longer since he still is eating every 1.5-2 hours unless he’s napping. At night he tends to nurse for longer because he’s calmer and sleepy. He’s been cluster feeding a bit in the evenings, although not to the extent that Gerrit did!
Mommy Update: I’m doing much better this month! But I can definitely feel this sense of hopelessness when I first wake up in the morning after a rough night. Just goes to show how much sleep deprivation can affect you. Normally I feel like myself again though. I feel much calmer and more patient, which definitely helps me get through my days. Andrew has commented more than once that I seem much happier with Berend at this stage of infancy than I did when Gerrit was this age, so I think I’m bouncing back more quickly emotionally this time. I believe a good part of this comes from knowing how quickly it goes by this time around too.
One thing I feel like I should mention since people probably think it’s a bit taboo to talk about: gender disappointment. I wouldn’t even say disappointment in my case, I guess. I had a gut feeling that Berend was a boy throughout my pregnancy, but a big part of me hoped I was having a girl, knowing this was our last baby. While I’m thrilled to have another little boy, I did go through what I would consider a “mourning” period for the daughter I’ll never have. I had and still have a great relationship with my own mom, and I really wanted to experience that with a daughter of my own. But Andrew pointed out that I could still have a close relationship with my sons as well, and that’s so true. Once I came to terms with that, combined with my depression and anxiety symptoms decreasing, I started feeling more connected to Berend. I’m excited to see what kind of kid Berend becomes and what things we’ll bond over.
This month I also got a little braver. We went out to the 4th of July festival on base as a family, despite me having anxiety about Berend being fussy. I also went out to lunch with a friend with the boys (without Andrew), followed by a trip to Walmart by myself with the boys. Berend did better than I thought he would for all of those outings, minus the car rides. He is not a fan of the car seat!
I lost a few more pounds, so I’m just a little under my pre-pregnancy weight. I’m hoping to stay at this weight until I decide to start working on losing weight again later this year. I definitely haven’t been eating great, resorting to quick meals most of the time. I know I’ll feel better once I start cooking healthier meals again.
Memorable Events: Berend’s 2nd month was pretty low-key. It was very hot, so he and I really didn’t get outside very much. It was way too hot and humid for him to tolerate being in the Moby wrap. He did spend some time out on the blanket a few days though!
Probably not super exciting for Berend, but he started wearing cloth diapers every day this month! I had a hard time getting into it at first, because he was so small, and I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing. But as I started feeling less overwhelmed, I decided to get back into using cloth during the day.
Berend celebrated his first Father’s Day with Andrew! He didn’t give Dada anything this year (besides his presence haha) but Gerrit made him a cute card.
Happy Father’s Day!
Another first holiday for Berend was 4th of July! We didn’t do anything on the 4th because it was very hot, and we weren’t going to stay out late enough for fireworks anyway. But I still took the opportunity to dress my boys in coordinating outfits!
Gerrit wasn’t ready, but Berend is smiling!Made in the USA!
He also went to his first festival: Liberty Fest, the 4th of July event Little Rock AFB put on the weekend after Independence Day. He slept through the entire thing, but Gerrit had a lot of fun!
And Berend’s July photo of the month:
And a cute brother picture, because Gerrit insisted:
We love seeing Berend being more aware, especially when he gives us those big open-mouth smiles! We can’t wait to see his personality continue to develop next month. We love you, little bear!
Well, since I completely stopped blogging last year, I figured I should catch up a bit! I briefly talked about us moving to Texas in the post about Gerrit turning 2, but we are quickly approaching our 1 year anniversary of moving here! Here’s a recap of our Texas adventure:
Fall 2016
We arrived in Texas right at the end of September, I believe. Andrew was here with us just long enough to help out when the movers brought our stuff, and then he was off to Colorado for some flight training before actual UPT started.
Gerrit’s first priority was obviously exploring the outdoors! The weather was still pretty warm when we arrived, so we were outside all the time (instead of inside unpacking…oops). But I really wanted to meet people as soon as possible, and living on base really helped us do that! We constantly met new people at the playground near our house, and having kids the same age is a good conversation starter. 😉
The day Gerrit turned 2!
Andrew was gone for most of October and the first part of November, so Gerrit and I were on our own unpacking and trying to set up the house. We started going to a playgroup on base every week, which was a great way to get out of the house and meet more people. But honestly, our first couple of months here were VERY low-key since we were trying to focus on getting settled.
Painting his Halloween pumpkin
Winter 2016-2017
Winter in Del Rio is kind of a joke. It was quite warm in December! But we pretended it was winter and listened to Christmas music, decorated my little 4 ft tree from college, and made yummy Christmas cookies.
Andrew started pilot training the week before Christmas, which is why I tackled night weaning before he started. I knew Andrew would need good sleep at night, and I didn’t want to be interrupting his sleep going back and forth all night. And, who am I kidding, I desperately wanted to get more consecutive hours of sleep myself!!
Christmas was a lot of fun this year! Gerrit was definitely into the present-opening, so it was really entertaining to watch him. His big gift this year was a play kitchen (that happened to coordinate perfectly with my kitchen decor haha).
Andrew’s parents arrived on Christmas day to spend the holidays with us! We spent a few days in Del Rio, and we spent the last half of their trip in San Antonio. Gerrit loved having them here, and they got a healthy introduction to “Octonauts” and underwater life. 🙂
In San Antonio, we visited the Alamo, walked the Riverwalk, ate sushi, and visited the zoo! Unfortunately, I think all those photos are on my camera…which I left in the Midwest on one of our trips up there. But we had a great time in San Antonio!
One thing that started in the winter was rocketry. Andrew has enjoyed the hobby for a long time, and he gave Gerrit a simple beginner rocketry kit for Christmas. Obviously, Andrew does most of the work right now, but Gerrit enjoy launching them!
These pictures were taken in January… it was still plenty warm for short sleeves and shorts most days! The best part of winter in Del Rio was being able to be outside almost every day. I can count on one hand the number of times Gerrit put a heavy coat on, and even then it was usually just in the mornings.
We had a few visitors in January as well… our friend Steve from college came to visit for a few days to enjoy the warmer weather, and then my mom came for another round of Christmas gifts and Mimi fun. It was great to have visitors… not many people come to Del Rio for fun. 😉
Spring 2017
Spring started off with Andrew’s first solo flight in the T6! Gerrit and I went down to watch, but we pretty much just saw Andrew come back with his instructor and get tossed in the tank haha!
Shortly after my birthday and our anniversary, Gerrit and I packed up for a trip up to Ohio for my friend’s wedding! I was pretty nervous about our drive, since I was spreading it over 3 days to allow for lots of stops and early evenings. Andrew set us up with some DVDs of “Team Umizoomi,” I put together a Bribe Bag with little toys to keep Gerrit entertained when he got antsy, and we hoped for the best!
Things went really smoothly, for the most part. I originally planned stops for every 2-3 hours, but that proved to be a little too often! Gerrit definitely wanted to spend a good amount of time at the parks we found, so I started aiming for the halfway point in our day for one long stop (hopefully followed by a nap!).
There were Air Force bases near the areas I wanted to stop both nights, which was very convenient for us. Not only did it give me a sense of security, but it also was quite a bit cheaper for us. Traveling through unfamiliar cities alone with a toddler gave me a little anxiety, and having that sense of familiarity with each base put my mind at ease.
Despite doing very well in the car, Gerrit was thrilled to get to Dave & Emily’s house in Ohio on our last travel day! We were both sick of being cooped up in the car, and he was excited to see “his friends.” Yes, my friends are now his friends too, I guess, haha! My mom and sister came to the wedding as well, not only for the wedding ceremony, but also to help me out with Gerrit since I was in the wedding party! I’m SO thankful to have had their help, because it allowed me to really have a fun time celebrating Dave & Emily on their special day.
After our brief visit in Ohio, we headed north to Michigan. My grandpa had recently been diagnosed with leukemia, and I wanted to take advantage of being in the area to see my grandparents and spend some time with them. We happened to visit the first week that my grandpa started receiving treatment, and I’m so thankful to have been with him when he was still feeling like himself. It ended up being the last time I saw him alive, and it meant to much to have those games of 7 Up, his time watching Gerrit play with his collection of semi trucks, and those hugs as we said goodbye.
Gerrit was not very excited to be in the car heading back to Texas after our quick trip to the Midwest, but he’s a trooper, and we made it back home just in time for Easter. We missed the base Easter activities, but I had set up Gerrit’s Easter basket before we left, and I had some little treats ready for him for a backyard Easter egg hunt. He had so much fun!
I think spring was around the time that Gerrit started showing interest in dinosaurs. He had watched “Dino Trux” for awhile, but really started enjoying “Dinosaur Train.” I had no idea how much I didn’t know about dinosaurs until he started watching that show. Since then he’s also fallen in love with “Dino Dan” & “Dino Dana” on Amazon Prime. I love it too, because, seriously, I learn a lot! 🙂
Anyway, there was a dinosaur exhibit that came to Del Rio in May, and we took Gerrit to see if he’d enjoy it. It may have been a bit early for that, because now, 4 months later, I think he would enjoy it a lot more. It was still something fun & different to do!
We spent an afternoon out at Lake Amistad at the end of spring, hoping to avoid the worst of the summer heat, but the day we went was still pretty warm! We took Gerrit out on a canoe for awhile, and I think he enjoyed it, but it was really warm. Later we met with some friends to go swimming off of their pontoon boat.
Summer 2017
We started off our summer in Texas by buying a screened in gazebo and some patio furniture. It seemed like a pretty good use of our tax return! We enjoyed it a few times in early summer, but, to be honest, it was just too hot to sit out there much in the dead of summer. Del Rio doesn’t get a lot of humidity, but it’s still like walking into an oven when you go outside. The heat is pretty intense, and a hot breeze doesn’t do much to relieve that.
Despite the heat, I tried to get Gerrit outside at least once a day, usually in the late afternoon to get the mail. We visited the pool on base a few times, and we set up our pool for awhile, but Gerrit’s favorite thing was playing in his sprinkler and just getting free reign with the hose!
We explored the area a bit more in June as well! Andrew and I went on a day date to the Val Verde Winery here in Del Rio to do a wine tasting. It was great to enjoy some yummy wine and adult conversation for an afternoon.
Gerrit and I joined some friends on a little mini road trip up to Sonora Caverns one weekday as well!
I was hoping Gerrit would walk most of it (without touching everything he wasn’t supposed to touch), but I ended up carrying him for the last half and came out a sweaty mess. It was a workout for me for sure! It was a really cool place to explore though, and I’m glad we made the drive up there!
I’m sad to say that my grandpa passed away at the end of June, so that meant another road trip for Gerrit and me. Several people suggested we just fly, but with how far we live from the airport (2-1/2 hours), the cost of plane tickets and airport parking, and the lack of freedom not having a car would mean, we opted to drive instead. Gerrit impressed me by doing really well again!
Although the reason for our trip to the Midwest was sad, it was really nice to be able to see and spend time with all of our family in one spot. We all happened to be in Michigan for my niece’s 2nd birthday, which was a big deal for me! I haven’t been able to be at any of my nephews’ or niece’s birthdays because of where we live. Seeing all of the cousins playing together is seriously one of my favorite things!
One thing we were sad to miss in Texas was being there when Andrew finished his T6 training and found out he had tracked to T38s! When Andrew and I had discussed the pros and cons to both the T1 lifestyle and T38 one as well as what would be a better fit for Andrew personally, we both were really hoping he would go to T38; we were excited he got what he wanted!
I decided to spend some time over in Wisconsin after our time in Michigan, since we hadn’t been there in nearly a year, and I was hoping to see some old friends! So after about a week in Michigan, we hopped back in the car and headed west. We drove straight to Madison area first, to see one of my best friends from college. It was a quick visit, but I always appreciate face-to-face conversations with friends when I can get them.
Then we drove up to my sister’s house to spend 4th of July with her and her family. I told Gerrit he had to take a nap if he wanted to go to the beach and see fireworks, and I’m glad he decided to cooperate.
He had so much fun in the sand and water at Lake Michigan, and although he said they were too loud, he really seemed to enjoy the fireworks show too!
After a few days with my sister and her family, we headed a little further west to visit my best friend from high school. She lives about a half an hour away from my dad, so we were able to see him and my mom one more time too. It was another quick visit, but I loved having a little time to catch up in person! Leaving from the west side of Wisconsin cut a few hours off of our return trip, which was a big bonus. Plus we drove through very few cities, so traffic was generally pretty good. I was glad to have an uneventful drive home.
Just a week after we got home, we drove to San Antonio with Andrew for his centrifuge training. We were able to enjoy dinner with him and his flight on the Riverwalk, and the next day while he did his training, Gerrit and I went to The DoSeum, a children’s museum.
I think Gerrit’s favorite part was the little town where he got to go grocery shopping, do some digging in the construction site, and take care of some animals at the vet clinic. We spent the majority of our 5 hours there! We got back to the hotel with enough time to relax for awhile before going out for sushi with Andrew and his flight. We were able to visit with a friend of mine from England and her sons the next day after brunch too. Another quick but fun trip!
The rest of the summer we tried to stay cool and not get too bored! There really are not a lot of indoor options for families in Del Rio, but we did go bowling a few times!
I had mentioned to Andrew’s mom that if they wanted to visit us sometime, they could come surprise Andrew for his 30th birthday. Well, they decided to do just that! It was so hard for me to keep that secret! I kept almost slipping up and saying something to Andrew, but luckily I was able to keep my mouth shut. I forced strongly suggested that we go out to dinner the night before Andrew’s birthday at a pizza place in town. He definitely did not want to go after a 12 hour day at work! But he grudgingly agreed. When we walked into the restaurant, his parents were already there at a table! It was such a fun surprise, and I’m glad we pulled it off for him. 🙂
Although their visit was short, we took them to the winery in town, had some yummy meals, and got in some some bowling. 🙂 Andrew was even able to bring them in to do one of the simulators! Gerrit loved having the company, and he was so sad to see them go.
We tried to go watch Andrew come in from his first solo flight in the T38, but… toddler life. I don’t know why I always underestimate how long it will take us to get ourselves ready and out the door. I did get this cute photo of Andrew and Gerrit after his flight though.
We finished up our summer with a mini vacation to Fredericksburg, TX for Labor Day weekend. It was just a few hours away, and I had heard great things about the area.
We visited the pioneer museum and learned about the German immigrants who settled in the area, did some wine tastings at a few different wineries, and enjoyed the garden and playground in the town square. I think we all had a great time there!
Whew! So that’s a year in Del Rio! We still have at least 4 months (most likely more) here, so I hope we have a few more little Texas adventures before we leave. And I promise to try to post more frequently so I don’t have to write a novel to catch up again. 😉
Age: 9 months on 27 July 2015 Weight: 21.8 lbs Height: 28.3 inches Teeth: 2 Clothing Size: 12 months Diaper Size: size 3 Milestones: army crawling, clapping, pincer grasp, making sounds with his tongue (like the beginning of making the ‘nuh’ sound), sleeping solo all the time, sitting up from laying down, growing more hair (finally!), crawling, looking for attention
Gerrit went from a speedy army crawl to the occasional “real” crawl right before he turned 9 months old. He usually starts crawling the “real” way, then it’s back to the belly because it’s faster right now.
As for the looking for attention? I mean that literally. He will lean over and cock his head to the side to try to get into my line of vision if I’m not paying attention to him! It’s pretty cute, and it always works. 🙂
Sleeping: I’ve really started worrying less about Gerrit’s sleep lately, if you can believe that. I mean, he has good nights, he has great nights, and he has some not-so-great nights. And it is what it is. I still keep track of how much sleep he gets, but I don’t fret so much about his sleep unless he’s getting much less than normal all of a sudden.
This month I started pushing 2 naps instead of 3 each day. That third nap is such a battle most days, and since it takes so long to get him to sleep, it ends up going too late so I have to wake him up. Which I hate doing! That being said, if his first 2 naps are short, I definitely go through the pain of giving him a third nap.
Speaking of naps, I have stopped napping with Gerrit completely now. I was noticing that his first nap was getting increasingly difficult: he would try to roll around or crawl instead of laying and nursing next to me, and he would wake up a bit, see me, and be wide awake, cutting his nap too short. So one frustrated morning, I put him in his crib to nap. And he took a great nap! I was honestly sad to lose that cuddle time with him. I’m realizing that that nap together was more for me than for him at this point in time. Oh, but don’t worry, I still take a nap when he naps in the morning. 😉 I was surprised how much I felt like I still needed it. Sometimes I think I will never catch up on sleep.
A good portion of Gerrit’s 9th month was spent in another Wonder Week: Leap #6 – The World of Categories. I was expecting the worst with this one, because reading other peoples’ accounts of this Wonder Week made it sound awful. Some people even said it was the worst one! But nothing really changed. Gerrit’s sleep was still pretty good. He is so unpredictable with sleep & eating, that things would have to be significantly worse than normal for me to notice a change. Other moms complained that their child would scream when they put them down at night or wake frequently, wanting close contact with Mommy all night. Gerrit just kept nursing to sleep, occasionally falling asleep on his own, and having 2-3 wakings a night. If anything changed, it was that I heard more sounds while he slept: whimpering or the occasional grunt or groan. Once we got to the “stormy week,” I did notice more crying (due to frustration, it seemed), worse sleep (we had some 30 minute “crap naps” and frequent night waking), and general crankiness from Mr. G. We should be coming out of it in the next week or so, so my fingers are crossed for better sleep soon!
Eating: In terms of breastfeeding, Gerrit continues to do fairly well. I still struggle to get him to nurse anytime that he’s wide awake. He takes a full feeding right before naps or bedtime. If I offer the breast when he’s not tired, he will usually nurse for a minute tops, then pull away and want to go play. I’m hoping that if he continues this way, he starts eating more solids to hold him over between feeds!
In terms of solid foods, Gerrit may be eating a bit more FINALLY! He has really come a long way with the pincer grasp, so I’ve started cutting his food into smaller pieces. The smaller pieces are more manageable for him, and I think it’s much easier for him to eat. Don’t get me wrong, most of his food still gets squished and thrown around, but I have seen evidence of more actual consumption! I have started offering more of the foods that I cook instead of just single items (some chili cornbread casserole vs a strip of bell pepper for example). It makes things much easier, since I just save a small amount of our dinner in a container for him to eat the next day. I have started reading more into the BLW cookbook I got for some recipe inspiration too.
Sour kiwi!Eating some meatballs in tomato sauce
Mommy Update: This mommy is doing pretty good! Summer clothes are making me more self-conscious about my tummy area, but I tell myself I will have plenty of time to deal with it after Gerrit stops breastfeeding. Mood-wise, I’m doing really well. I’m usually in good spirits, but that might be because I spend all day being silly with Gerrit!
I seriously love the time I spend with Gerrit now. Yeah, sometimes it’s exhausting, especially when he’s being crabby, but there is nothing better than knowing that I put the smiles on his face.
Best Moments: Definitely watching Gerrit learn and master new things. I love watching him sit and inspect things. He’s so serious about it!
Inspecting his ribbon box
I also love watching him get braver with standing on his own. He can stand by himself for about 5 seconds right now. It really surprised me the first time I saw him do this!
We’ve heard more laughs and giggles out of Gerrit this month too — I LOVE it! Just the cutest sound ever! I think he has figured out that I like it when he giggles… so sometimes I think he forces/fakes it, haha. He’s a smart cookie!
I also love doing sensory and art activities with him. Gerrit likes anything new and different, and I’m pretty sure he thinks “the messier, the better!”
Finger painting with colored rice cereal
Likes & Dislikes: Have I mentioned that Gerrit likes standing and walking? 😛 This is still true!
He has gotten pretty obsessed with walking. Sometimes that is ALL he wants to do. And he isn’t easily distracted from it! He will try to climb me, take my hands, and whine until I help him stand. And then he wants to take off walking, expecting me to help him along, haha.
Gerrit has gotten very quick with his army crawling! He will often go up on all 4s, but he still drops down to his belly to scoot across the floor. Since he’s so fast, I really have to be aware of anything he can get into. He loves going after electrical cords, but this is really only a problem in our bedroom (lamps, phone chargers, his baby monitor, the fan… lots of temptation!). He also likes shoes and sandals and tries to eat them.
So I have gotten much better about putting my sandals in the closet when I’m not wearing them! Who knows what he’s going to ingest after sucking on one of those… gross.
Gerrit’s mobility has gotten him stuck a few times too, haha.
Help, I’m stuck!
Gerrit likes our hair. He’s getting good at giving Andrew scalp massages when Andrew puts him up on his shoulders. With me? Yank, pull, twist… OW! As soon as he gets his hands on my hair, he uses a death grip and goes to town waving his arms around. My hair is almost always way up on top of my head to prevent this, but he never misses a chance to snatch it if he can. I tell him, “No, no, that hurts Mommy’s head,” and he just grins.
Gerrit has always enjoyed us reading to him, but lately he has become really into books. When I open his closet doors (where all his toys are), he crawls straight for the books on the bottom shelf. These are a few of his favorites:
Along with books, Gerrit likes music! His face lights up when he sees the Pandora app opening on my phone, haha. This is one of his favorite songs. I try to be pretty silly and exaggerated when I sing it, which he loves. He also likes “If You’re Happy & You Know It” and anything I add my own dramatic flair to. 😉 Sorry (not sorry), I don’t have any videos of that!
What does Gerrit dislike? Us walking away from him! He will fuss or start calling, “Mamamam!” and army crawl as quickly as he can after us. He also dislikes getting his pajamas on. I’m pretty sure he knows the bedtime routine well enough to know what’s coming after the pajamas go on. Despite that, he really is not difficult to get to sleep at night. Another thing he dislikes is us trying to sit him down when he’s standing, haha. He will lock his legs to try to prevent it! What a stinker…
Memorable Events: Gerrit celebrated his first 4th of July! And we celebrated our first 4th of July in the USA since 2011!
Celebrating at our friends’ house
We also got some family photos done this month! You can check those out in a separate post, but here’s my favorite:
Overall, we had a great month! It was a hot one, so we didn’t spend a lot of time outside, but I do try to get him out every other day or so for some type of activity once the patio is shaded (after 4pm). These months are starting to fly by now that Gerrit is so much more active. Here are a few more from his 9 month photos… he has some funny expressions!
Haha! Sick of photos already?He doesn’t stay sitting for long!Looking proud of himselfGuess he didn’t care for the flashHappy 9 months, Gerrit! We love you!
On An Even Kiel 
