2 months

Happy 2 months little man! 

Here are some notes to Tucker about his 2nd month. 

With your Mickey that Nana & Big Bubba
brought back from Disney World!

- You weighed 12 pounds, 12 ounces and were 23 inches long at your 2 month check up.  

You and Mommy.

- You wear 3 month clothes and the Carter's / Osh Kosh brand fits you best.


- You wear size one diapers.

With Grandma Mary on our Spring Break lunch date. 

- Your hands have developed a little more and they are the exact same shape as Daddy's.


- Although your reflux is under control pretty well with the Prevacid, AR formula, and wedge in the crib combo, you still seem to get really bad flare ups and we haven't figured out why just yet. 


-You are also very drooly, spit up often, and sound congested thanks to your reflux. :( 


- You got shots at your two month appointment.  You were not a very happy camper and turned so red in the face from screaming that mommy thought you looked like a little cherry tomato. 

Bandaid badges of honor from your shots. 

- You have a crooked head and very poor range of motion on one side. We found out from your Dr. that this is because you have a condition called torticollis.  Basically you were squished up for a long time in the same spot in Mommy's tummy and your neck muscles didn't develop right.  Luckily, we caught it early and should be able to straighten you out, literally, with some constant stretches and positioning changes.  You cried and cried during stretches the first few days but now seem to enjoy them and are improving every day. 

Receiving blanket neck supports in the swing to help your torticollis out. 

- Daddy can always get you down for the night faster and smoother than mommy.  He can usually put you in your crib swaddled and wide awake but yawning, turn on your sleep sheep and aquarium and you will put yourself to sleep.  The first night you cried about 25 minutes, the second 15, then 5 and now you just make some noises and go down without a fight.  (If your reflux is bad though, it takes forever to get you down since you hurt so much and then you usually have to sleep in the bouncer to control it.)

Sleeping in the bouncer on a reflux night.  Once mommy figured out that the slit in the back of your Swaddle Me was to pull the safety strap in through so we could buckle you in, the night got MUCH easier. 

- You sleep 7-9 hours a night unless you have a reflux flare up.  Hallelujah!


- You make quite an ordeal out of stretching when you wake up.  It takes a few minutes to get through your little morning wake up routine and it always cracks me up. My favorite part is when you throw your fist up and shake it as though saying "you mean Mommy, how dare you wake me up!"

- You are beginning to smile in response to something.  Your favorite is to smile at Daddy when he comes home from work. 

- You and your Daddy also like to play a game where you stick your tongues out at each other.  Apparently Mommy has two little boys. ;) 

- You are obsessed with lights.  Fan lights, toys with lights, flashlights, any and all lights amaze you.

- You are also highly entertained by keys. 

- You absloutely love to look at yourself in the mirror.  Apparently the kid staring back at you is pretty funny because you are always laughing at him. ;) 

- You are starting to be very talkative and constantly make noise when you are awake.

- You are extremely alert and are tracking things with your eyes.  You also get frustrated when we move you from something you were fixated on.

- You like to straighten your legs/ practice standing when someone is holding you.

- You are a mover and a shaker and are constantly kicking your legs and moving your arms. 

Sako standing guard during tummy time. ;) 

- Mommy sings you kindergarten sight word songs when she can't remeber the words to nursery rhymes.

- You have a pooping face that makes us giggle.

This doesn't do the hilarity of the face justice.  I need to remember to record it. 

- You also have a distinct pouty face. 

- Your eyes get really big when we put you in your car seat.  

- You love being outside, especially going on walks.

At the park with your cousins. 

- You got to meet your Auntie Erin and Uncle Brad finally!  You will get to go visit them in St. Louis this summer!

- You have been pretty good during Church services. 

- You really are not much of a paci baby, but love sucking on your fists.

- You love napping by laying tummy down on someone's chest. 

- You are starting to enjoy Bathtime.  Mommy uses the cool foam alphabet her class gave you to start teaching you the letters in your name. ;)

And here is a video of you talking for viewer enjoyment. (Grandma, click the little box on the bottom right of the video clip to make it bigger. ;) ) 

All Your Life

"Well I don't want the whole world, 

the sun, the moon, and all their light.  

I just want to be the only girl you love all your life.  

You love all your life.."  ~ The Band Perry 

Us way back in 2002.

I married my high school sweetheart.  Some people may think that is kind of silly because we didn't have serious relationships with different kinds of people prior to "settling down" and how could we possibly know we chose the right one. I however, think it is pretty cool that we both just knew God meant for us to be together and don't feel like we missed out on anything.  Rather, we are blessed with a strong confidence in our relationship and have a high level of respect for one another.  As we grew as individuals and worked towards our own personal goals, we always made sure to keep the other person and our relationship a priority and therefor grew closer together rather than farther apart.  I truly feel like I married my best friend and my soul mate and could not envision myself with anyone else. 


On Thursday February 23, 2012, we celebrated 10 years together as a couple.  My in-laws offered to babysit and we went out to dinner at the Vineyard.  I was given a gift certificate to this place at the end of last school year from the lovely and generous family of one of my students, but hadn't used it yet since I was pregnant at the time and wanted to wait until I could enjoy a glass of wine.  I mean, who goes to a place called "The Vineyard" and doesn't drink wine?   It was beautiful and delicious and we enjoyed some much needed post baby quality time together. 

Us ten years later in 2012.

We got to eat in the cellar.

No grapes right now, but still pretty. 

The driveway/ parking lot was made of gravel tumbled wine bottle bits. 

Wine bottle waterfall.

Change of focus

"So do not fear for I am with you; 

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  

I will strengthen you and help you; 

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." 

~ Isaiah 41:10

Last week was rough.  Very rough.  Going back to work was hard enough in itself, but it also happened to be the same week that Tucker's acid reflux issues only seemed to get worse.  Things are certainly better than they were at the start of last week, but Brett and I are both feeling like just when we start getting one symptom/ area figured out and under control, another one intensifies and we are constantly taking one step forward and 3 steps back. We have a long way to go, but are thankful that we are fighting a battle that actually has a solution, even though we aren't sure what it is just yet.  Things could be so much worse...


When I start to get angry about something and head down that "poor me" direction of thought, God has a way of putting things into perspective for me once again.  Today's reminder was delivered early this morning during Tuck's feeding.  (I generally don't turn the T.V. on at night so that he learns good sleep habits/ avoids stimulation, ect. , but when I could barely keep my eyes open and was nodding off, the need for something to wake me won out.)  I haven't watched the news in a few days and was brought to tears by the pictures of the damage caused by all of the tornados ripping through America right now.  Here I am being bitter about not getting enough sleep or about having a baby who seems to cry constantly and these people have lost literally everything.  How dare I feel upset about my trivial situation when there are parents out there dealing with having the home they envisioned raising their newborn in being reduced to splinters or being faced with the new reality of being a single parent because the twister took their husband as well.  I can't even imagine dealing with that kind of pain, or the kind of strength and faith needed to put one foot in front of the other for those families. 
  

See the devastation for yourself by checking out this link 

ABC News photo coverage of the tornado damage

So today, I ask you to join me in prayer for those who need it most.  Those you know and those you don't.  When you take a second to stop praying for yourself and start praying for someone else, you may just realize how blessed you truly are.  

Tucker's Baptism

On Sunday Tucker was baptized at St. Louis Catholic Church in Castroville, Texas.  It is the church Brett's entire family is very involved in.  We got married there as did almost all of his relatives on both sides.  It is also the same church where Brett, his father, and his grandfather were baptized.  That's four generations of Haby boys which is pretty neat!

Our little family.  (My grandma Pomerening handmade that prayer shawl for him.  She lives in Virginia, and couldn't make it in so having him wrapped in her love and blessings for the ceremony meant a lot to me since she is a big part of the reason I have such a strong relationship with the Lord. ) 

Sweet boy before the baptism. 

Tucker and his Godparents; Auntie Erin and Uncle Brandon. 

Tucker and my parents.

Tucker and Brett's parents. 

Brett's entire side of the family in attendance.

My entire side of the family in attendance.  Can you tell Tucker was getting pretty fussy by this point?  Great Grandma Arnold is trying her hardest to get him to smile. ;) 

After mass and the ceremony, the immediate family headed back to the Haby's house for lunch and visiting.  We are so blessed to have such a loving and supportive family that went above and beyond to make this day special for us.  Both sides prepared a plethora of delicious food and my in-laws also opened up their home for the event and we all know how much work goes into getting a house ready to entertain 20 guests.  (All four grandparents have also already babysat so that Brett and I can have 2 nice date days/ nights.  Posts on those two events to come as soon as I have a little more spare time.)  

All three of us love you guys so very much and are so thankful for you and all that you do for us!

4 generations of Haby men!

Tucker and his Godmother.  She lives in St. Louis and we really miss her.  But, we are all going to visit this summer!

Blessing for little man. 

Playing with mommy later.  Silly boy already wants to try and stand. ;)  (Don't mind half naked Uncle Brandon in the background trying to finish a project for class due 3 hours later… It is a common occurrence. )

Tucker wore the same outfit that his Daddy and uncles all wore when they were baptized at St. Louis, which we think was pretty special.  They were about the same age when they wore it, but we could not fit Tucker's long feet in the little shoes.  I had tried them on three days before and they had fit, so he is growing fast!

Brett after his baptism in July of 1985.

Tucker after his baptism in February of 2012.

Me at my baptism in July of 1993.  That is the grandma who made his blanket. 

 Before I had a baby, I would have designed way cute invitations, baked and iced crossed sugar cookies and done a whole bunch of Pinterest ideas for the celebration.  Now however, I am lucky that I got all three of us dressed and to church on time with no major diaper explosions, spit up episodes, or missing make-up.  Definitely went to the doctors office last week with half of my make-up applied and didn't realize it until I got home.  Apparently I got distracted by the baby mid-make-up application… 

Anyways, I am still adjusting to not always having it together as much as my type A personality would like and have come to realize that life will always throw curve balls your way, especially right when you have just gotten everything just right.  Most of the time you can't do a thing about many of the situations and I am finally figuring out that the best thing to do is simply change your perspective. Now that I am back at work and we are still struggling to figure out the best combo to keep T man happy and healthy, we are often going day by day and have really had to approach things differently.  However, we are cherishing every minute and making them really count! :) 

One Month!

Tucker Thomas is one month old! 

Happy little guy!

One month old already!

One day you will fill up that chair son!

Here are a few tidbits I want Tucker to know about this precious time in his life.

- You weigh about 10 1/2  pounds.  

- You have outgrown all of your newborn clothes are are growing like a weed. It seems like you grow a few centimeters every night. 

- You are more and more alert every day and are developing your own little personality bit by bit. 

Beautiful baby boy.

- You are generally a happy baby again.  We went through a bit of a rough patch when transitioning you from breast milk to formula, and your poor little tummy was adjusting while we played detective trying to figure out the best way to keep you happy and healthy. 

- You definitely still cry, especially in the evenings.  You get grumpy and tired after a long day, as do most people.

Your crying face.  We have only seen tears a few times, usually it is just this face and the noise. ;) 

-Mommy loves your precious little feet.  One day she'll think they are smelly and gross, but right now she can't get enough of them. ;)

Sweet baby feet.

- You absolutely hate when we suction your nose to get the boogers out. Too bad you seem to have lots of boogers...

- When you sneeze, you always sneeze twice. 

- You currently enjoy tummy time for about a 10-15 minute stretch and are trying so hard to hold your own head up.  You are a very determined little guy. 

Tummy time!

- When you are eating you tend to place your hands on your belly like you are perfectly content.  Sometimes you interlock your fingers as though you are saying grace for your meal but I haven't caught that on camera just yet. 

- We call you our "hungry, hungry hippo" since you like to eat A LOT and take 4 - 5 ounces at every feeding! 

- You smack your lips after eating as if to say "Thanks! That was delicious!" :) 

Yummy in your tummy!

- When you are on your playmat, you love to kick your arms and flail your legs and make lots of happy baby noises.  

So alert!

- Speaking of noises, you are a VERY noisy little baby, even when you are asleep. 

(Hiccups, burps, farts, grunts, sighs, and a plethora of other sounds are always escaping you.)

- You have a very old man like receding hairline and baby acne.  We still think you are handsome. ;) 

Your balding head and baby acne.  Not too beautiful, but definitely part of your 1st month. 

- You love being read to and mommy swears you are trying to follow along and look at all the pictures.  Hopefully she's right and you were born with her passion for reading. ;)

-You like being outside for walks or trips to the park.

- You enjoy watching the pretend fish in your aquarium toy and the real fish in the tank in the kitchen.  Daddy is building a new stand for the real fish tank so we can let you enjoy them more often. 

Watching the fish!

-You started sleeping in your crib in your room!  We moved you because even though Daddy is deaf in one ear and can block things out, Mommy was waking up at every little noise you made and was getting very little sleep. 

- Once we get you down for the night you have been giving us a good 5-6 hour hunk before you are up for the next feeding.  This new trend started when we moved you to your crib in your own room and we pray it lasts, especially since mommy goes back to work on February 27th. 

- To put you to sleep at night we have to swaddle you, then rock you in the glider and gently jiggle your head at the same time.  You like to be on your side for this at first, and then when you start getting drowsy, we turn you onto your back and then take away the jiggling so it's not such a big change when we put you into the crib.  

- You sleep better when your sound sheep is on the ocean or rain sounds.  Hopefully this means you will enjoy the beach and the lake. ;) 

You already asked the pretty neighbor girl across the street to prom.
You know it is a tad early, but it might take her Daddy a little while to warm up to the idea. ;) 

- Sometimes you fuss for about 3-5 minutes when we put you in the swing or bouncer and then you relax and enjoy the motion. 

- You also tend to fight sleep like this too. Stubborn stinker already… 

Your birth announcements.

We love you so much son!  Every day is an adventure, but we welcome it and enjoy watching you change and grow!

Will you be my Valentine?

Today was Tucker's 1st Valentine's day. :) 

He celebrated in the best way a 26 day old knows how.  Eat, get a diaper change, be entertained by Mommy or Daddy and then take a nap… repeat.


Here are a few pictures documenting the occasion, captions written by T Man himself of course. ;) 

Grandma & Grandpa Haby came to visit on Sunday and brought me a VDay present!

Goodies I got my mommy to show her how much I love her.  I can't believe they sold me wine! ;) 

Hanging out in my crib while Sako makes sure the squirrels don't get me!
Notice my receding hairline/ balding head.  Apparently it's normal just like my baby acne,
and it gives me an idea of what I'll look like when I'm an old man. ;) 

Melting mommy's heart with my handsome face and sweet gurgles.  

Kirby keeping me company while I nap. 

The nice dinner my Mom and Dad enjoyed while I hung out in my swing.  I heard pastor Johnathon talking at church about making your spouse a priority and spending quality time together so I gave them a chance to do that without any fussing. I know, I know, I'm so sweet and thoughtful!  :)