Listen to Our Hearts

My mom recently bought Max a doctor kit
which he refers to as his "doctor toolbox" - ha!

Our adorable doctor-in-residence ;)

This kiddo LOVES to pull out the stethoscope
and order you to lay down so he can listen to your heart.
Sometimes he'll even let us take a listen.
It's so fun to watch Max pretending...
only it won't just be pretending for long.

You may remember this post about Max's heart murmur,
which we've been going to check periodically
ever since it was detected at his four month well check.
We had one such appointment back in July.

As we sat in the exam room, still zombie-like from our late nights with Miles,
trying to corral our energetic toddler and quiet our fussy newborn,
the doctor told us that Max would need to have surgery
to remove the growing membrane by the end of the year.
This year.

Even in my sleep-deprived stupor, I could feel my jaw hit the floor.

I mean, I knew this would eventually happen.
But we thought we had a couple more years 

before surgery would be necessary, not a couple of months.

Clay had tried to prepare me for this possibility,
but really, how do you prepare yourself for the idea
of your child being cut open and part of his heart removed?

I gasp every time Max trips and falls; how am I to make it through this?


I remember the doctor asking if we had any questions

and just sitting there with a blank look on my face,

definitely not reflecting the multitude of questions swirling in my mind.

There were (and still are) almost too many 

to even know where to start in the asking.
Even after our meeting with the surgeon last week,
I am still not sure I can wrap my brain around
what is going to happen in less than three weeks.

But God has really been speaking to me through our preacher,
and the sermon several weeks ago was on this passage from Romans:

We do not know what we ought to pray for, 
but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 
And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, 
because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people 
in accordance with the will of God.

It is so comforting to know that even though I can't express
all the thoughts and feelings I have right now,
my God knows.
He is listening to my heart
and how it aches for the heart of my child.

If You Give a Max a Cookie

If you go to Mini's house,

she will have all sorts of fun things for you to do.

 She'll probably have some cookies that need baking. :)

If you wash your hands and roll up your sleeves,

Mini will probably let you help.

After she opens the box,

she'll probably let you help place the cookie dough on the baking sheet.

  Once Mini places the cookies in the oven to bake,

she'll most likely pick you up so you can watch them cook -

even if you're not wearing pants. ;)

When the cookies are done,

Mini will probably let you have one

(after a sensible dinner, of course!).

Thanks, Mini, for indulging this little helper

in your kitchen this weekend!

Three Months

Three months with our sweet Miles!

My, how time has flown. :)

LOVE this little chunk!

This little dude weighs about 18 pounds,
as best we can tell from our bathroom scale method.
He is serious about this growing business!

Miles nurses 6-7 times a day.
A recent growth spurt set us back a bit on the sleeping progress,
though he did have a couple of random nights this past month
where he slept for 7 1/2 hours! We'll eventually get there. :)
We've also dropped the swaddle for nighttime sleep

as he just kept busting out - and he doesn't flail like he used to.

He is wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

I've got some super-cute winter stuff I'm just waiting to pull out.
Oh, and those adorable footie pajamas too!
But this Texas weather needs to cool down just a bit more first. :)

Miles has really started drooling this month

and is already starting to gnaw on Mommy's hands.
The teething process has begun!

This little man can get his hands to his mouth pretty reliably

(or the burp cloth/ toy he's holding onto).
I even caught him once getting the WubbaNub back into his mouth!
(Sadly, it hasn't happened since.)

Miles has worked his way up to about 30-45 minutes of tummy time
during his waketimes throughout the day.
He is really kicking his legs and pushing up,
and has even started scooting himself around.
And he'll still roll every now and then.

Lots of cooing and gurgling (?) going on, which is so so sweet.
I even got a few giggles out of him the other night after bath. :)

Miles still enjoys snuggling up in the Baby K'tan,
and I treasure those times I get to "wear" him
(like Tuesday morning Bible class).
Fortunately he will still sleep some in a carrier!

This past month Miles took his first bottle from Daddy.
He has had several since and is (so far) taking them well.
Hopefully that won't change!

Miles went to the church nursery for the first time this past month as well.
He has done really well staying with me through Bible class and worship,
but I know it will be helpful for him to get used to other caregivers besides Mama. :)

Max is getting much better at being gentle with Miles,
though we still have an accidental poke every now and then.
(Let's be honest - there are some intentional ones too.)
Miles even tolerates Max trying to "help" by putting the pacifier
in his mouth (when he's not going to sleep)
or giving him a hat to wear (which means he can't see anything)
or piling toys on top of him so he can "play" too.
It is so sweet to see those boys together. :)

I've decided my nickname for him is Smiles
because his face is often lit up in a big ole grin. :)
I love his easygoing personality and generally cheerful disposition.
Our family is blessed by this little ray of sunshine!

Sir Sings-A-Lot

Max is at a really fun age right now.

One of my favorite new developments is his love of singing.

When he hears a song, he'll often run off to find his guitar and jam along.

So cute!

I am totally surprised (and maybe I shouldn't be)

that he knows almost all the words to quite a few songs.

Granted, you have to listen very carefully

and have a degree in Max-speak (which it just so happens I do), 

but it is hard not to smile when you hear this kiddo

singing at the top of his lungs. :)

Here are just a few from his repertoire:

You are very special

Skinamarinky Dinky Dink

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

I love to hear his sweet little voice singing these songs,

even if it's totally unrecognizable to anyone but me and his daddy. :)

Lately

Lately I've been absent from the blogosphere,
but caring for two littles is something that sounds easy to do

but is actually akin to rocket science.
When I have a few minutes to myself,
the last thing I want to do is sit down at the computer. (Gasp!)
 But I do want to remember this chapter in life,
so here is a bit of what we've been up to lately...

One Saturday we decided to take a family trip to the Fort Worth Zoo.

 

Although it was still hotter than we would have liked,

we had a great time observing all the animals - and making some new friends. :)

Max is a walking medicine cabinet these days,

what with all the bandaids and different lotions I apply to him almost daily.

On one such day, he was bending over to (I assume)

get a toy out of a bin in his room and bonked his head on one of the shelves.
It left a nasty little gash that bled for quite a while.

But this little dude was so happy to sport his Cars bandaid

that his tears faded quickly and he was running off in no time!

When we had a few days of good rain several weeks ago,

we decided it was a great time to break in the Thomas rain boots. (Thanks, Mini and Zu!)

Max had a blast splashing in the puddles - with Mom and Dad's approval -

and getting completely soaked. 

If only it rained more often in Texas!

Little man's first day of Thursday school was last month.
(He attended in the spring, so this wasn't his first day ever - but I still teared up.)

This guy was so calm about it all, and walked into his classroom like he owned the place. Ha!

 Max's new favorite pasttime is holding Miles.

For as awkward as it is for Miles, he tolerates it well. :)

I do love to see these sweet boys together!

We met Clay for lunch one day at a local sushi place.
Max loved coloring on the back of the order slip
but he wasn't quite as thrilled about the actual sushi roll.

We ordered him chicken fried rice, but Daddy's sushi roll 

just looked so interesting that he grabbed a piece

and dunked it in the soy-wasabi mixture before we could stop him!

I wish I had gotten a picture of the face he made. :)

I am so glad the weather has cooled off a little so we can enjoy

morning jaunts around the neighborhood - and finally put our double stroller to good use!

On the days that it is cold enough to bundle up Miles,

Max has to make sure he also gets a blanket and a hat...

even if it means he's sweating by the time we reach the end of the driveway. :)

 Some area garden stores had a free pumpkin day last Saturday,

so we took advantage of the cooler weather and made a family outing of it.

Max had a blast - potting his own flower (in a pink flowerpot),

decorating his own pumpkin, and eating popcorn!

 

 

This is our very sad attempt at a brother pic.

And yes, this was the best one. Sheesh. Better luck next time!

One Friday night a few weeks ago, Clay went with some friends to a Rangers game

so I decided to do something a little special with Max.

I pulled out the Whirly-Pop to make some popcorn (his new favorite snack)

and we sat down to watch Finding Nemo, his first full-length movie!

I had hoped he would fall asleep by the end of the movie...but nope. This kiddo was riveted! 

I look forward to more movie nights with this little guy. :)

Life in the Rich household right now is not super-exciting.

We are enjoying this simpler time in our lives

where we often stay at home and just enjoy each other's company...

Which is not a bad gig, if you ask me. :)

I am so blessed to spend my days with these three handsome boys!

Scarf Swap!

I look forward to Meredith's Annual Scarf Swap every year.

It signals that the sweltering Texas summer
is just about over and scarf weather is upon us!
Plus, I get to make a new friend. :)

 This year I was paired with Laura,
and it was fun to chat with her via email about the things we share -
notably, that yoga pants are our uniform most days. Ha!

There were so many scarves that I thought Laura might enjoy,
but ultimately selected this beauty from LOFT:

(Thank goodness for online shopping!)


I was SO EXCITED to receive my package in the mail last week.

It contained not one but TWO scarves plus a couple of other little goodies!
Laura really outdid herself. :)

This was such a treat for this exhausted mama!

I cannot wait to showcase these beauties - once the weather gets a little cooler.

Thanks so much, Laura!

Two Months

This past month has just flown by!

I cannot believe Miles is already two months old.

 

We went for his well check today,
where Miles weighed in at 15 pounds, 5.5 ounces (96th percentile)
and measured 24 inches long (87th percentile).
This little champ did great getting his shots too. :)

We are still in size 2 diapers, but I have a feeling it might not be for long.
Many of the 3-month clothes are snug, so I'm hoping the weather cools off soon
because the majority of his 3-6 month stuff is long sleeved!

Miles nurses 7 times a day, waking up once at night to eat.
Unfortunately he hasn't stretched out his night sleep any more;
he'll give me anywhere between 3.5-5 hours. (Come on, kiddo!)
We still swaddle him at night, though he's about to outgrow our Miracle Blanket!
I think I'm going to try not swaddling him at night to see how he does.

I think Miles isn't sure how he feels about the WubbaNub -
sometimes he'll take it, other times he spits it out with a face of disgust.
For a while he was getting his hand to his mouth
to try to suck on his fingers, but I haven't seen him doing that recently.

He is a super-fast nurser, which had me worried,
but he's happy between feedings so I'm okay. :)
And he spits up quite a bit - but again, he's happy so I'm happy!

We are getting all kinds of adorable smiles from this guy and I love it!
It just melts my heart every time I see that toothless grin of his.
He makes lots of cooing noises that are equally as adorable.

 Miles can roll tummy-to-back both ways (left and right),
though he's still perfecting it and doesn't do it during every tummy time
He enjoys (or maybe tolerates) laying on his activity mat
and has given the dangling farm animals a swat or two.
We get some pretty big grins when Mommy sings,
and Miles loves to be held upright so he can push off with his legs.

He loves to look around, especially at the framed pictures we have around the house.
The ceiling fan is also of particular interest. :)

This past month, Miles took his first road trip to Abilene for Labor Day.
He slept almost the entire ride both ways!
(Thank goodness Max was sleeping too, otherwise it could've been a different story.)

He also had his first trip to the Fort Worth Zoo
to see his (almost) birthday buddy, baby elephant Belle.

 

 For the most part, Miles is a laid back baby.
I really appreciate his flexibility, especially since he gets toted around
a whole lot more than Max ever did.
We have thoroughly enjoyed watching his sweet little personality
unfold this month. What a joy you are, Miles Christopher!

Brothers' Bedroom

Clay and I have made the decision
to be more financially conservative with our housing,
which means that Max and Miles will eventually get to share a room!

I am still not exactly sure how all of the logistics will work out
since they are both so little...

but I know others have done it before, I guess we can too. :)

 I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of this in the future...

It was kind of tricky to figure out exactly how

to arrange the furniture in this new shared bedroom -
especially since there really isn't another place in our house
that makes sense as a play area to keep their toys.

But I think we found a solution that works!

The crib is along one wall next to the closet.
(But for now, Miles is snug as a bug in the pack n' play in our room.
We hope to move him when he starts sleeping through the night consistently.)

Max's big boy bed and its convenient location
next to many distractions (which we didn't realize when we set it up...)

You can see the little reading chair next to the bookshelf
where Max spends quite a lot of time poring over his books.
Then a shelf to hold some of the toys - I try to rotate the toys periodically
but don't have many places to store the ones that aren't in use!

Here's their fun little magnetboard
(more commonly known as a drip tray - thanks, Pinterest!).

I have a couple of other ideas I'd like to incorporate eventually,
but we will see if I can find the time. :)

Growing up, I had the privilege of 

sharing a room with my sister for a few years.

 I distinctly remember when we moved to a new house

and each got our own rooms, what a BIG deal that was.

Although I definitely enjoyed our separate spaces

(and getting to decorate the way I wanted),

I have fond memories of being in such close proximity.

My hope is that our boys will enjoy their shared space too. :)

(And not kill each other in the process!)

Things I'm Good At

I've had my fair share of crazy moments the past few weeks, moments where I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. My friend Sarah has such a great sense of humor, and reading her blog often reminds me that laughing is WAY more fun than crying. (Does laughing through your tears count?)

So when I saw this blog post last week, I thought it might be a good idea to help get me out of my funk. :)

Things I'm not so good at:
Cooking sweet potato fries. I can never get them crispy enough to satisfy my husband. 
Asking for help from others - or accepting it, for that matter.
Thinking on my feet. I need to know things as far in advance as possible so I can formulate a plan.
Entering receipts into Quicken in a timely fashion. (Again, ask the husband.)
Resisting any kind of dessert that is in our house. I seriously think I have a problem, y'all.
Recognizing sarcasm. It's pretty embarrassing when I get mad at my own husband - and he's totally joking.
Gracefully opening our double stroller. It's more like wrestling - and the stroller usually wins.
Buying things online that are the right size. (You'd think I would have learned by now.)

Things I'm good at:
Addressing envelopes. For a while I even thought this was a marketable skill and addressed many of my friends' wedding invitations. For free. (Guess I didn't get the whole "marketable" thing.)
Wrapping presents. Thanks to my professional gift-wrapper mom for teaching me about those folded corners!
Organizing things, preferrably not my own - and so you can never find them again.
Making up the random songs that Max requests. (Good thing he doesn't notice I change the verses of the "blue truck song" every time.)
Overanalyzing any situation. You're trying to tell me there's no hidden meaning in "good morning"?!!!
Spending gift cards and/ or cash gifts almost immediately. Otherwise they'd burn a hole in my pocket.
Substituting ingredients in a recipe the first time I make it. What can I say? I like to live on the edge. :)
Copying other people's awesome blog posts. Thanks for the idea, Sarah!

Now it's your turn to share. :)

This Weekend

This weekend four years ago, 

we spent with friends at the riverhouse in Bandina, Texas.

This weekend three years ago, 

we took in the sights (and cool weather!) of Vienna, Austria.

This weekend two years ago, 

we celebrated my grandmother's 80th birthday in Nashville, Tennessee.

This weekend one year ago, 

we enjoyed a lazy weekend at home.

This weekend, we spent time with family in Abilene, Texas.

(Thanks, Jack and Karen, for a wonderful time!)

Who knows what fun Labor Day 2014 will bring!