Becoming Toddlerwise

I don't know if anyone has read "On Becoming Babywise" by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, but I really think that their philosophy on helping babies sleep through the night really works. Kambria just turned 2 months old on Monday, and last night and the night before she slept 7 hours. That is not to say that it will continue that way, but at least I know she can sleep that long without eating. It can be super hard to let your baby cry, but it is so worth it when they learn how to put themselves to sleep and stay asleep.

So because I love that book, I decided to see if these authors had any other books because I have really been struggling with Delson and his temper tantrums lately. He has been very difficult. So I ordered their book, "On Becoming Todlerwise" and I am only 23 pages in and think they describe my life to a tee. This paragraph is absolutely perfect:

"During the one-year time span between 12 and 24 months, the walking, talking, exploring toddler multiplies the demands of mother's time, energy and patience more than any other period of his life.[...]Ah yes, the mobile toddler. There is no question that a toddler's mom is a tired mom, and for good reason. The emotional and physical energy needed to supervise an energy-packed tot can take down the most physically fit mom. If your toddler happens to be a boy, add fifty percent more energy. Never so beautiful does this child look to his weary mom as he does when he closes his eyes in sleep (p22-23)."

Delson totally wears me out. He has so much energy and he is constantly getting into things he shouldn't be. It's terrible and I LOVE it when he is sleeping and when he doesn't sleep, I nearly cry because I know he needs it and he is just being stubborn. I am so glad that this stage should only last for a year. And by the time he is done with it, Kambria will just be starting. What have I done to myself?

Kambria's Blessing Weekend

This past weekend, my parents along with my sister, Stephanie and her new husband Trent came to stay with us because we blessed Kambria. It was so wonderful to have my family here. Stephanie is a fabulous photographer and she took some adorable cherub pictures of Kambria in a new outfit she received. They are so cute! The blessing was lovely and Alex did a very nice job. Daneen picked out Kambria's blessing dress and it was gorgeous. We had a wonderful weekend!

Kambria continues to be a perfect baby. She hardly ever cries and she is so content. Her smiles melt our hearts. Once my family left, I finally moved her into her own room, which is really nice. Alex and I have both been sleeping better. I am trying to be tough and let Kambria cry herself to sleep so that she learns to self-soothe, but it is difficult since she hardly ever cries. I feel terrible about it, but I know if i keep it up, it will only be a matter of days before she can fall asleep faster and without much crying. I can't believe she is almost 2 months old. I thought time flew by with one child, but now time flies by even faster with two. I'm scared to have more children because I just know they will be all grown up at the blink of my eye. But I really love being a mom!

Blessing shoes.

Kambria in her blessing dress.

Our family.

Stephanie and Trent.

The Christensen Family: Grandma and Grandpa are holding the grandchildren of course.

Grandma Karen and Grandpa Walt.

Great Grandma and Grandpa with their first great-granddaughter, even though they have 8 great-grandchildren.

Aunt Stephanie's beautiful photography.

Grandpa Walt and sleeping baby girl.

Momma and her baby girl.

Delson, a 15 Month Old Boy

Delson is getting so big and old. But he sure can be fun. He can be a stinker too and awfully whiny, but we are working on that. He loves to be outside and we can't wait to have our backyard landscaping finished because then he can spend all day outside if he wants. We hope to have our yard finished by the end of April. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Delson had his 15 month doctor check up and he weighed in at 26 lbs 10 oz (75th %-ile) and 33.5" (97th %-ile). So he is still measuring as a big boy. We love it and we love him. He is really funny. He loves to laugh and when we start laughing, he laughs too even if he doesn't know what we are laughing at. Also, whenever he gets mad because he doesn't get something that he wants, he runs to the wall and bangs his head against it once or twice. Sometimes he drops to the floor and bangs his head on the floor if there isn't a wall around. He's crazy. He gets easily frustrated because he can't communicate very well with us, but he is getting better everyday. I can't wait for him to start saying more words. He knows a lot of animal sounds though. He has now learned the horse and the sheep. Since I last wrote, he has also learned to smile when we say "Smile." It is so funny because he always gives a very cheesy smile. He is also very good at giving hugs and kisses. He even kisses Kambria on the head, and can be very sweet if he wants to be. We love him so much.

Here are some pictures of Delson:

Being naughty sitting in the baby swing. He climbed into it himself, of course, and he loves to swing it hard with his body.

Very messy eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He is giving one of his cheesy smiles.

I put this box from one of his toys on his head, and he loved walking around wearing it.

Another cheesy smile.

Mauling MooMoo. Moo just lays there and takes it. He's a stupid cat.

Update on the Children

It is so strange to think that Alex and I actually have more than one child now, so I can say that we have children. Crazy! I love it though. I love having both a boy and a girl. They are wonderful! Delson has been picking up animal sounds like crazy lately. He knows the dog, the cat, the cow, the monkey, the lion, the elephant, and the pig. It's so cute. He has also been picking up sign language really quickly. I only showed him how to do "thank you" twice on two different days, and now anytime I tell him to say thank you, he does it. He also learned how to sign "more" almost instantly. It is so nice to be able to communicate with him more. It is very helpful. I only know it is going to get better and better. I am so proud of him.

Today Kambria had her one month checkup. She has grown a lot in a month, and I'm sad about it, but I'm glad to know that she is eating well. Here are her stats: 21" long (50th %-ile) and 10 lbs 12 oz (90th %-ile). The nurse and doctor both could hardly believe that Kambria gained 3 lbs 10 oz in one month. The doctor said that was double what the average baby would gain in a month. Apparently I must produce cream instead of milk and Kambria really likes it. Kambria was only in the 25th %-ile for weight when she was born, but now she is well over that and you can definitely see it in her cheeks and double chin. I just hope that she will start to sleep longer at night now because she can definitely afford it.

And here are the pictures...

Sleeping beauty.

Delson chilling with Dad on the couch.

Delson likes to crawl into his exersaucer on his own now and he usually can't get one leg in. He is a funny kid.

Sitting in the baby's car seat.

Smilely girl with a double chin.

Momma and Kambria after church.

Sleepy girl.

All dressed up in pink.

Another cute church dress.

Snuggling with Dad.

Momma and her babies.