Life with a 6 month old and 2.5 year old

The main purpose of this blog is to share my photography work, but also to stay connected with family and friends who do not live near or get to see us often. I am learning that there's a fine line between sharing and over sharing in the digital age. You can read more about my thoughts on this here in my previous blog post. I will continue these little personal recaps, but know if I am being vague it's probably for a reason :)

With that being said, our youngest, Jordy, has been such an amazing addition to our family! He is 6 months old and growing quickly. He measures up a little smaller than Braylon when you compare their "stats" for height and weight month by month, but not by much. Jordy's personality seems pretty similar to Braylon's at this age, pretty laid back and smiley. He is in that golden stage that all parents cherish where he is sleeping through the night and not yet crawling. So that has been HUGE. He has a cute little giggle and loves to babble. He also said his first word last week....DADA and has been yelling it every since :) Here are his photos for months 1-6, you can see his little personality is starting to come through!

Braylon is an all star big brother. The only time, honestly, the ONLY time he has showed ill-will toward the baby is when we tried to give them a bath together for the first time and Braylon said, "NO, this is MY water." We got over that by letting him help give Jordy baths in the sink for another week or so and then he was happy to share the bath tub the next time we tried. I know one day they will only argue and hit each other, so for now I am soaking this in as long as I can. I am definitely loving the bond they are building at this young age. Braylon likes to hold Jordy, help give him his bottle, and bring toys for him to play with. When Jordy cries Braylon pats his head like a dog and says, "it's okay Jordy." Adorable.

The boys (still feels surreal to say that) are starting to "play" and interact with each other more. They even seem to have little conversations which is so comical. Jordy giggles which makes Braylon crack up which makes Jordy babble which makes Braylon "interpret" what he's saying which leads to more laughter and giggles. It's such a funny cycle when they go back and forth like this! They also try to play "catch" which essentially means Braylon brings Jordy a ball, Jordy drops it, then Braylon retrieves it and gives it back and this repeats over and over. Makes me smile every time!

Jordy is still breastfed and has started solids. He doesn't have any teeth yet but is drooling and teething like crazy. So far he has some eczema but not nearly as bad as Braylon's was at this age. Because Braylon has such severe food allergies, we were advised by his allergist to have Jordy skin tested for allergies before introducing any more "risky" foods like nuts, dairy, eggs etc. Unfortunately Jordy is also allergic to a fair share of foods, but hopefully knowing this ahead of time will help us avoid any reactions. We will see how it goes. Braylon has been pretty stable with his allergies, we just have to watch him soooo closely at gatherings with other people because we've unfortunately had to witness some allergic reactions in these settings. Toddlers put anything in their mouths and accidents happen fast. So it has been a challenge for us to hover so closely, but the alternative is definitely not worth it. Until he is old enough to fully understand his allergies, this is what just has to be done. And although Braylon's allergies are life threatening, I try to keep it in perspective that it is "just" allergies, it could be a whole lot worse.

We spent a lot of time outside this summer playing at the playground and in the yard. Typical summer activities like the water table, splash pad, bubbles, and chalk were major staples. Braylon still loves to ride his balance bike and has finally learned to ride his scooter (instead of just pulling it while walking beside it LOL). We have read a lot of books, sang a lot of songs, and danced to a lot of music. Below you will see some everyday life moments with some tantrums sprinkled in there too because that's just the phase of life we are in :)

I'm thankful for these two boys who have blessed my life beyond measure. There isn't a day that goes by when I don't laugh at some of their antics. There are also days where I am frustrated and exhausted when the tantrums and food throwing seem nonstop. But that's just life, it's all a phase and it can sometimes get messy. Not everyday is perfect, but I try my best to set us up for success. I've learned a lot of managing a toddler and a baby is staying one step ahead--one step ahead of an overtired baby, one step ahead of a potty accident, one step ahead of everyone being hangry--myself included :)

I am really proud of the mom I have become. I'm definitely not perfect, but I'm confident that there is no better mom for MY kids than me. They challenge me everyday, they keep me grounded, and they keep me striving to be a better person. I'm loving this stage of life, I'm soaking in every day as much as I can and also looking forward to watching them change and grow. I'm told it goes by FAST so I'm trying to stay present in the everyday moments.

Thanks for reading :)

-Kristen