I can't believe my tiny infant is now a chubby-cheeked six month old! She is so amazing, so precious. She brings our family such an abundance of joy. Joel has to give her kisses as soon as he wakes and loves to make her laugh. On the 21st, the day she turned six months old, she started saying "Da-Da," so we have one happy Daddy in this house! She has also recently found her feet and has begun to mouth her toys and stuffed animals. My favorite thing about her this month - When she smiles so big that her binky just falls out of her mouth. Amazing. Enjoy these pictures of our precious girl.
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Joel's really into rhyming words... The other day he was going through everyone's name, "Daddy Patty, Mama Llama, Joel Bowl, Zoe Oh-ee, what's Gabe's name?" I said, "He's Gabey Baby, remember?" Then Joel started talking about Gabe. More than he's ever talked about his brother. He told me that he knew he was in Heaven, and that I'd put him there (??), but wanted to know if he'd be back tomorrow. He told me that it made him sad that he wasn't here. I was stunned. I just kept folding laundry, trying to stay quiet, to allow him to say as much or as little as he wanted. It was so incredible to hear.
Then I asked him if he thought we should have another baby. Yes, of course we should. "I need a brother." "And we should name him Sam?" "Yes, Mama." As a parent, you feel priviledged to speak to your children about Jesus, but it's a special kind of honor to talk to them about someone who is actually with Jesus, a sibling they only met for a few moments... two and a half years ago. I am so grateful that he remembers his little brother. I am so thankful that having a brother who has passed away gives my son more perspective about Jesus, Heaven, and eternity. I often thought the hardest thing about having two kids would be how to balance taking care of both of them. Well, Zoe's almost halfway to being one, but we've finally got a great routine down! Honestly, I was very structured with Joel's schedule since birth and Zoe's has pretty much fallen into place. And, we've been in a good groove for awhile now, but after having Daddy home for almost two weeks on Christmas break, I was excited to start some new structure with my day. So, here's what we do all day!
7am - Zoe wakes, gets a bottle, back to bed. 8am - Joel wakes, get him dressed and ready for the day. Hear Zoe talking in her crib, so we head into her room. I have Joel help me with her as much as possible, getting me a diaper, etc. Get Zoe dressed for the day. Head downstairs. 8:30am - Breakfast. Fix Joel's meal, then put Zoe in her highchair and make her oatmeal. This way we're all sitting at the table together and Joel and I can chat about our day. Then, I let Joel free play and put Zoe on the floor with some toys while I clean up. 9:30 - Joel watches Seseme Street via Netflix. We don't have cable, so this makes it easy to just watch one episode and then turn it off. He loves to watch for the letter and number of the day, and the "word on the street." I usually hop online to check email, facebook while they he is entertained. Zoe has gone down for her 1st nap of the day. 10:30 - Joel and I have started to do "schoolwork" together! My mom (a Head Start director) bought us a great Pre-School workbook and we've been doing about five pages a day. Joel loves it!! He's impressing me daily with how much he already knows. Then, Joel has free play again until lunch. I usually clean the house or do laundry between these little breaks. 11:15 - Zoe wakes and gets another bottle 12 noon - Lunchtime. Again, I have Joel sit at the table and I try to use this time to talk with him. More free play until naptime. 1pm - Zoe goes down for nap #2, and Joel soon follows. He went on a short napping strike, so I've been allowing him to sleep in Momma and Daddy's bed! Sounds strange, but it's something new and exciting and he's back to napping! I take this time for myself and try not to clean the house. I just showered and (obviously) am now online, enjoying this break in my day! 4pm (ish) - The kids will wake, Zoe will get a bottle and Joel will get an afternoon snack. Once their bellies are full, Joel may watch a movie or play with puzzles, while Zoe hangs out in the swing or (more likely) on Momma's lap. 4:30/5pm - Prepare dinner so that we can eat by 5:30pm. We love to eat early in this household! Especially now that I'm doing the 21 day fast with my church and am only having liquids from sunrise to sunset!! Zoe usually takes her 3rd nap from 5 to 6pm, then gets her evening meal. 6pm - Family time. Daddy and Joel wrestle, Zoe and I watch and laugh. Good times. 7:30 - Head upstairs to prepare for bed. Nighttime routines are a must in this house, although they don't get baths everynight since they both have eczema. Daddy takes care of Joel - brushing teeth, getting into pj's, reading a bible story, singing songs, and praying in bed. Momma's got it easy! I just lotion up my little girl, put on pj's and swaddle her. Then we cuddle while she enjoys her last bottle of the day. 8pm - Kyle and I have started working out consistently in our basement. This has been a great time to catch up about our days, unless I'm blasting Beyonce in my ears, haha! 9pm - Resting on the couch watching Netflix or reading, then I head up to bed by 10pm. Hope this helps any new mommas out there!! :) Last night, something amazing happened. I saw my child's face. I saw the face of Gabriel, not as the newborn I gave birth to, not the face I saw taking his last breaths, no. It was the face of a two year old little boy, smiling sweetly down to me, seated right next to Jesus.
I have been feeling very overwhelmed lately. Zoe is back to being very fussy and rarely content. Joel is struggling daily to master potty training, which as any parent can tell you, is very draining. Kyle has been amazing and so helpful and we even spent all day yesterday accomplishing everything I could think of that may ease my anxiety. Still, after groceries were purchased, the pictures were sorted, the house was cleaned and organized, I still felt literally paralyzed in my anxiety. I went to bed early. I heard Zoe crying sometime in the night and after I went in to check on her, my anxiety was at an all time high. I woke Kyle up, asking him to pray over me. He prayed that Satan wouldn't have a foothold in my life and that Jesus' presence would be a source of calm and comfort. He prayed that angels would be watching over us, our children, our home. He prayed that an angel would guard our room and sit out on our bedroom balcony. And as he spoke these words, I began weeping. I tried to find comfort in what he was saying, what he was asking. And as I imagined angels guarding my home, I thought of my very own angel. And then I saw his face. You know how people say they know a thought is from God, when it jumps in their head faster than their own mind could think of it? Well, seeing his face was kind of like that. I saw it so clearly, and it was so HIM, that I knew I didn't dream it up, that it was actually him. I hope that makes sense. So what did he look like? Oh my goodness. He was the perfect mix of both Joel and Zoe. Joel's hair is white blond, while Zoe's came out dark brown, and Gabriel was right in between. It made me think about how often people question how dark Zoe's hair is in comparison to Joel's and that if Gabey was still here, he would literally be the missing link between them. His face was precious and dear and chubby. And his smile was loving, with sweet big eyes. The best way to describe it would be to show you pictures of my kids and tell you that he was a mixture of these: Well, these kids just keep getting bigger and smarter. Enjoy these pics!! It's official. Joel is now completing 300 piece puzzles. He had been doing 150 piece puzzles for awhile now and Kyle really wanted to know if he could do more, but it wasn't until Joel mastered potty training that we gave him the opportunity to complete GIANT puzzles. The 300 piece puzzles are very easy for him, they just take him longer to do. So amazing. He and Daddy have been working on a 500 piece together in the evenings. Little Miss tried rice cereal for the first time. She's been eating her fists, and has fallen in love with three fingers in particular. So, one night right after her bottle I thought, she's either teething already or still hungry. Decided to give it a try! She actually did amazingly well!! But as soon as she was done it all came back up! Guess she wasn't hungry!! I think we'll wait a few more weeks before we try again. And one final advancement - the house is decorated for Christmas!! It was so fun to decorate this year because Joel was very excited and actually helped Kyle and I put the ornaments on the tree. I've had the Christmas music blasting for days now; it puts me in such a great mood! Wishing you and yours a very blessed holiday season! Love, Meg
So, what's new with everyone? Here's an update on the Dingle household! Kyle and I have been together nine years in January. He continues to be the most amazing husband on this planet. He is encouraging, hilarous, and handsome as ever. He is still teaching fifth grade, and is loving it. At the end of every school year, his favorite student is always the one who gave him the most trouble. He has such a heart for the hurting. I love him dearly, and fall even more in love with him the longer I know him. I'm so fortunate to have him in my life, my daily constant reminder of what unconditional love looks like.
Joel will be three and half next month. He continues to be an easy, happy, loving little boy. He's still larger than most kids his age, wearing size 5 clothing, hovering about a head above everyone else. He has completely mastered peeing on the potty, but has yet to do #2. Some days it feels like I'll be packing diapers for him when he leaves for college, but I know he'll do it when he wants to. He is a very smart little guy, completing puzzles way advanced for his age. His 150+ puzzles are now so easy for him, that he completes them upside-down. He loves to talk about the alphabet, sound out words, and spell his name. He has the dearest face and the kindest temperment. Yes, he has his moments, but overall he's an eager to please kinda guy. He's, not surprisingly, an amazing big brother, constantly asking to give his sister kisses. Gabriel would be two now, running around and getting into things. Sometimes I look around while Joel is playing joyfully on his own, and Zoe lays on her mat smiling at her toys, and I imagine another little boy opening cabinets and climbing the tv stand and then I think about how lovely it is that I can go upstairs and shower with the easy two kids I have now!! Zoe is the absolute most precious baby in the world. I'm sure all Mommas think this, but I just can't get over that God gave me the prettiest little girl ever created! She's almost four months old (OMG) and has become a very happy, cuddly little one. She sleeps very well, just like her older brother, going to bed at 7/8pm and not waking up until 7/8am. She takes three naps for me during the day, and stays pretty happy after eating 5oz. Like most girls, she loves to "talk" and has started to belly laugh. She has rolled over from her belly to her back two times, and now rolls to her side when you lay her on her back. She's completely used to falling asleep while I literally kiss all over her face and cheeks. I want her to be able to fall asleep on her own, but find myself rocking her and cuddling her way more than I did Joel. I guess the third time around, you realize just how quickly they aren't babies anymore. I'm obsessed with smelling her and dream about how I can bottle her scent. My favorite is the smell of her hands, after being balled up. Crazy, I know. Love her so very much and can already see the difference in the love a momma has for her little girl. I'm doing pretty well these days. My head knows how truly blessed I am, but sometimes my heart still aches. Contentment is something I continue to strive for, but I feel it more and more often. I'm still pretty OCD when it comes to everything being in its place, and I've been lucky enough to be given a toddler who agrees with this philosophy. I have the best friends in the world, who lift me up in prayer and make me laugh so hard I cry. This is a video of little Zoe at seven weeks, when she was first starting to smile and coo. My favorite part of the video is probably hearing Joel in the background, literally repeating everything I say. So precious. Enjoy! Isn't she just the dearest, most beautiful baby you've EVER seen??
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Meghan
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April 2012
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