Eli's 2 Month Stats & More!

Our sweet little Eli went to his 2 month check-up this past Friday on July, 23rd, his 2 month birthday!!! Man, oh man, is our little guy growing! He is over 21 inches long and he weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds, 4 ounces...compared to his shrimpy little 5+ pounds at birth he is a sumo wrestler! Haha! Of course we are all happy that he is doing so well and gaining like a champ. He is getting such cute baby rolls, and I am just loving the softness of his sweet little legs and arms these days! Here is our precious Eli at 2 months of age!

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I got a lovely gift from my aunt over the weekend, and look who enjoyed opening it and spreading the tissue confetti everywhere!!!

Of course, in this house, when you make a mess, you clean it up...(actually, most of the time, mommy cleans it, but that's beside the point!)...so here is Johnathan making amends for destroying the living room with bright orange tissue streamers. He had just as much fun cleaning up his mess as he did making it!

*Grace*

I {Heart} My Hubby!

I love Aaron...and my love for him grows each day...so today I just want to scream out to the world...


...I {HEART} my Hubby!!!


Happy Saturday!

*Grace*

Pity Party for One

Yesterday was my birthday, and for some reason I was completely emotional for a large part of the day. It didn't have anything to do with the fact that I am now officially in my last year in the 20's, although the idea off being a thirty-something isn't that thrilling. And it did have something to do with just being plain homesick and feeling like my b-day was just an ordinary day. Although, let me say thanks to those of you who dropped me a note or a call, that helped to brighten up my day. Call me sentimental, but I was reminiscing of all the great birthdays I'd had in the past, spent with family and feeling celebrated in a special way.

Growing up I always loved my birthday...loved the way that my folks made me feel like it was my special day starting out with my favorite birthday breakfast...loved the fun birthday dinners with grandparents and family...loved my favorite b-day dessert, angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream...loved just being surrounded by people who love me. And I guess that yesterday I just missed all of that even more, so I was a bit weepy.

Anyways, I just needed a bit of venting here on the good ol' blog. I suppose there's always another year to look forward to...although, next year is my big 3-0, so I can stand to wait awhile until it comes around!

Have a good Friday, y'all!!!

*Grace*

My Handsome Little Dinner Date!

Last night we had the annual orientation dinner for the STARS organization that I help with, and I was in need of a date...and lookie who accompanied me to the dinner...the cutest little date in town...Johnathan!


We had a great time there together, and Monkey behaved wonderfully...it's always nice when your dinner date displays good behavior! Lucky for him his friend Brandon came along too to accompany his mother, Tiffany, who is my STARS partner. We had reserved the upstairs room at a local restaurant, and the boys pretty much had the run of the place. It was fun to watch them interacting and just having a good time. They were both great!

While Johnathan and I had a good time on our date, Aaron was home with Eli, who apparently put up quite a fuss. It seems as though he does not tolerate taking a bottle...and who could blame him...he's used to the real thing! Guess I'm really strapped down now, no more dinner dates for me away from my little ball and chain!

Here we are before heading out:

*Grace*

{Escaped!!!}

Friday afternoon, after a rather trying morning, I escaped the house as soon as Aaron was home with the boys. I did this last Friday too, and it seems that when the week is drawing to a close that mommy goes a bit crazy, and I just have to leave and have a little peace and quiet! Luckily Aaron has been getting home earlier on Friday afternoons this month, so my need-to-escape-right-now-before-I-go-totally-nuts routine has worked out quite well, and I plan on keeping my rendezvous with me, myself and I up for as long as I can!

Funny thing though, as much as I have enjoyed having a bit of time to myself, it doesn't feel as relaxing as I thought it would be. Maybe because I am usually out running errands that are easier done alone...and buying T.P., diapers and shampoo isn't exactly a blast. Or maybe because I have a very short window of time before I have to be home to nurse Eli again and thus have to rush, rush, rush through whatever it is that I'm doing. Whatever the reason, I am always glad to get back home, relaxed or not, and have found that I miss my little guys and my big guy too. Although, I must say that when I've been out and have seen other kiddos throwing a fit, and have looked into the harried expression on their mothers faces, I have been a bit thankful to be party of one walking through the store...because I know what it's like to try to shop with a screaming child, and somehow the fact that I'm not the only one that faces that scenario makes me feel a bit better! ;)

Anyways, well today is Monday, so I have several days left before I can go a bit batty, so let's hope that I make it! Haha! Seriously though, things are going great here in the "hive." Johnathan just adores his little brother, and hasn't really expressed any jealousy issues which I am very thankful for. He just wants to hold him and kiss him all the time, and tells him how much he loves him multiple times daily which is so precious. I let Johnathan help me with Eli as much as I can, and his favorite thing to do is to pat his back after he nurses to try to get him to burp! Johnathan has also been a trooper during our "quarantine" period. We've managed to stay busy at home, and Johnathan and I have become really good buddies. I have really tried to give him extra one-on-one time and loads of extra love to assure him that mommy has enough love to give to him and to Eli. This has translated into him wanting to do everything with me, so aside from my Friday afternoon escapes, all of my outings away from the house have included him. It's fun though, and I enjoy his company and the companionship that it provides. There truly is nothing like the love of a son.

Eli is doing well too...the nighttime is getting easier and he is isn't keeping me up as much as he was before...he even went about 4 hours the other night in between nursing! Truly a miracle! He is awake a lot more during the day now, and loves looking around and especially loves faces...he makes very good eye contact, and I just love looking into his big pretty eyes! He enjoys being in his baby swing, somewhat likes tummy-time and of course most of all likes being held! I "wear" him a lot by putting him in my Baby Bjorn carrier...which, by the way will be getting replaced soon by this totally awesome BabyHawk baby carrier that I ordered...and it's fun to be able to have him right there with me as I go about doing stuff here in the house. Plus, I can play with Johnathan and still have Eli with us, all while having my hands free which has been invaluable!

That's all for now, folks. I'm off to work on the new learning/play area that I've been working on in Johnathan's room. I ordered some cute vintage ABC cards from Etsy that I have displayed on the "learning wall", and I'm working on a counting board, and also a felt board for him to play with the colored felt shapes that I have started making. Once all is done I am going to begin our homeschooling early, with a time each day to focus on learning in a fun way. I am very excited about this since Johnathan has really been a little sponge lately, picking up so much learning all on his own. I can't wait to see what he does when I try even more diligently to teach him!

Adios, amigos!

La Madre Loca,
*Grace*

Puttin' on the Lbs!!!

Well, mister Eli is starting to put on the lbs, that's for sure! He's getting some nice little baby chubbiness, and I just love the little rolls that are starting to form! Funny how rolls are so cute on babies but less than desirable on us bigger people! Here is our little guy in all his chunky, chubby baby glory!

Getting some nice soft round cheeks!

He is finally taking his Nuk paci...and he likes it a lot now during the day!

He is already fitting into 0-3 month size clothes...they are a bit big on him, but he's filling them out pretty good!

Sweet face!

He was so snuggly sleeping there on my pillow!

Okay, Mom, these next pics are for you...

...look at that arm chubbiness!

Fat belly! And look...he has an outie!

Chubby-bubby!

Rockin' the double chin!

His little legs are filling out too!

Here he is in his bed...notice how he fills it up much more than just a few week ago...

...this was about a month ago...he's growing so fast!!!

"Talking"...he makes the most sounds of any baby I've ever heard!

AND...for a bit of deja vu...here is Johnathan at about the same age that Eli is now...

...and here's Eli in a similar pose...look familiar?!!

I LOVE my BOYS!!!

*Grace*

Just Me and Andy G.

Lately I have been on an Andy Griffith Show kick. I have always loved the show...and not until recently did I realize just how many episodes there were. We had a few DVDs with about 20 or so episodes on them, and I thought that was a lot...I didn't realize that the show aired for 8 seasons! So, being that I love me some Andy G., I went on Barnes&Noble.com and bought up a few seasons...okay, actually I bought 6 of them, and will be purchasing the remaining two pretty soon. Thank goodness I had several gift cards to B&N to use up!

Being that I am up sometimes for hours at a time at night while Eli is being cranky, I have had ample time to watch my new DVDs...I have been going season by season, and so far I'm up to the last disc of season 3...I skipped the episodes I've already seen...and I am just loving the good clean entertainment of Mayberry. I love all the characters, and especially enjoy the relationship between Sheriff Taylor and Deputy Fife...they are hilarious together! Anyways, just thought I'd let you all know how much I am loving Andy Griffith these days. It sure is a nice way to pass the time when I'm sittin' around trying to pacify my sweet lil' baby.

In post-baby-weight-loss newsy type stuff, I packed up my maternity clothes yesterday!!! I did a thorough cleaning out of my closet during naptime. I was debating whether or not to nap myself, but since that is the only time that I have all to myself...provided the boys fall asleep at the same time...I decided to sacrifice my nap for the cleanliness and orderliness of my closet...it was a fair trade! I was happy to pack up all of my big ol' preggie clothes, and I enjoyed getting out my cute smaller clothes...even though, at the moment they don't quite fit like they're supposed to...and some don't fit at all, yet! I have about 15-20 pounds still to go to achieve my weight-loss goal, but compared to the 53 lbs that I gained with Eli (gained the same exact with Monkey) 15 or 20 pounds sounds like a relatively small number. I am already losing much faster than I did with Johnathan, so I'm happy about that! Hopefully in no time at all I'll be back in my pre-preggo clothes, and I am planning on a shopping trip when I've lost all my baby weight...I am normally not a huge clothes shopper, but I am really looking forward to going to celebrate my baby weight-loss success!

Happy Weekending, y'all!

*Grace*

{Oblivious}

Well folks, it was a long night here at the Aldape household last night...and that isn't a rare occurrence these days. Seems like every other night is a rough one, for one reason or another, and usually the reason is little mister Eli, sometimes Johnathan, sometimes both! Poor little Eli has tummy issues it seems, and he prefers to wiggle all his little toots out, grunting and crying, at night. Some nights he'll sleep like an angel, getting up only to eat and then going back down to sleep...but that isn't often, unfortunately. And Johnathan, well who knows why he gets up in the middle of the night, probably from hearing Eli cry! Duh! The other night I woke up to Johnathan sitting right in between me and Aaron in our bed...neither of us heard him or felt him get up there! Sorta freaked me out a bit!

Anyways, I was just thinking today about how oblivious children are to how their little antics affect their parents. Like last night, Eli decided to wake up at 3 a.m. and didn't want to go down again until the sun had already started to rise this morning! After getting up enough muster to eek out a poop, he was content to let me feed him and hold him...but forget putting him in his bed, he wasn't having any of that! And I thought to myself...he has no clue how tired I am, and how should he know, he's a baby, oblivious to everything except for his own needs..and that's how it's supposed to be.

After a rough few hours I had just started to doze off after Eli finally went to sleep, and then Johnathan, our early bird, woke up and came into our room to get me up. Luckily he let me lay in bed for a little while before urging me to get up because he was "hungy"...and it was another case of oblivion. Mama was tired and needed rest, but he needed to be fed and have his needs met more...and that's what being a mother is all about, I guess. Putting aside your own needs to serve the needs of your children. It's a honor, to be sure, to be the mother of my sweet boys...but let me say, it ain't easy!

I was reading another mom's blog earlier this week, and she shared this poem which she had found on a site that gives encouragement to moms. It is a great reminder that what I do is for Jesus, and that "doing unto the least of these" is the same as doing it for HIM.

*Grace*

He's a Ladies Man!

The other day we visited our sweet cousins, Arden & Meredith, on an unheard of outing...yes, we actually got out of the house! Amazing! ;) This was Eli's first time out besides the doctor's office, and it sure was nice to have a change of scenery! Of course we made the necessary precautions before taking him...I am sure that everyone around us is tired of giving us their entire medical history before we let them see Eli! Haha! ;)

Anyways, while we were upstairs in Arden's room, we took these sweet photos of Eli! He's already a ladies man, just look at him, he fits right in with the dolls! He actually looked pretty realistic as a baby doll though...and no offense to the American Girl & handmade dolls, but I think that he's cuter! ;)

Here's our sweet little heart-breaker!

Aaron had to put his chain on him...just like he did here with Johnathan!

*Grace*

Our Low-Key {4th of July}

Our 4th of July was pretty low-key...Aaron worked for "fun" (i.e. moonlighting) for a few hours in the morning/early afternoon, and when he got back we just hung around the house. Our agenda was simple...play all day, eat chili dogs for dinner followed by blueberry pie. No frills, no fuss, but a happy way to spend Independence Day when you're stuck at home.

Johnathan loves to help me out doing whatever it is that I happen to be working on, and yesterday it was the pie! He helped from start to finish, and even though it took about twice as long to complete and left the kitchen looking like a small disaster zone, it was still 100% worth it to spend some quality time with him, teaching him how to cook...practicing on counting, learning what different ingredients were, etc. It was prime teaching time, and I took full advantage of it! He even surprised me by counting "5, 6" after I had stopped at the "1, 2, 3, 4" cups of blueberries that we needed! What a smart boy!

Here are a few pics of our simple yet sweet day!





*Grace*

Horrible Mommy Moment

I had one of those moments today that made me want to kick myself...

...I had just laid down on the couch, hoping to catch a few winks while the boys were taking their afternoon naps. Johnathan had gone down about an hour or so prior, and Eli had just fallen asleep...it was the perfect set-up for me to get some shut-eye. Right as I started to doze off Johnathan comes walking out of his room, sorta sleepy-like, so I got up with the intention of trying to get him to go back to sleep. I rushed him to his room before he could fully wake up...not thinking to ask him if there was any specific reason why he had gotten out of bed. As I told him that mommy still needed her nap time, and that he needed to go back to his bed, he started to throw a fit...actually, it was more like a major tantrum...boy, was he going at it! I told him that he had to stay in his room until he could calm down, and I went back out to the living room to try to rest...yeah, well that didn't work since Johnathan was throwing the grand-daddy of all tantrums. So, instead I started on some laundry and waited for Johnathan to calm down so that I could go into his room to talk to him.

Well, he finally settled down after throwing an all-out fit for about 30 minutes, and I started to walk back to his room. As I walked into his room my mommy-sniffer picked up on what smelled like a dirty diaper...that's when I had the horrible feeling that he may have woken up and gotten out of bed to tell me that he had to go poop...we've been working on potty training and have had 2 pooping in the potty successes so far! I picked Johnathan up and he was still sniffling and wanted me to hold him tight...he is still a snuggler, which I love! I turned on the light, and asked him if he had gone poop in his diaper...I didn't need his confirmation, my nose could tell me that he had! As I laid him down to change him, I looked into his sweet little face and asked him if he had gotten out of bed to tell me he needed to poop...and this is what kills me...he looked up at me, chin still quivering and eyes still dripping those huge crocodile tears and said yes. Aah, kick me, please! For some reason he almost always poops around nap time/bedtime, and I don't know why I didn't think to ask him when he got out of bed...I guess the promise of me getting a nap was too alluring!

Anyways, after tears welled up in my own eyes, I gave him lots of hugs, told him that I was sorry that I had hadn't asked him about needing to use the restroom and then had forced him to stay in his room totally frustrated that I wouldn't pay attention to him when he was trying to tell me that he needed to potty. Like the sweet boy that he is, he forgave me instantly, and we walked out into the living room to continue our day...me with eyes heavy, yet heart happy that Johnathan's little world was once again in order.

*Grace*