Tuesday, November 30, 2010

11 months old

Judah is officially a walker! He started a few weeks ago, but he sure did learn fast. He is now trying to run (it doesn't always end well). He is such a loving little guy, and is constantley hugging and kissing me, and he will give hugs to pretty much anyone. He said "Kitty" when he saw Max one morning, and when he heard him Meow. That only lasted a few days and I haven't heard it since, but it was super cute!

He is still not a great sleeper...well I should rephrase that. He is a great sleeper, when hes in bed with us, but not in his crib. We truly do enjoy sleeping with him, but I do wish he would sleep a bit longer in his crib in the beginning of the night, so I can get a few things done. (he used to sleep 4 or 5 hours, now its more like 1 or 2)

He turns 1 in exactly 20 days, I just cannot believe it! I still have alot to do for his party, but honestly I work best under pressure, so I guess you could call me a procastinator. Lance also graduates the weekend of his party, its going to be a busy, joy filled weekend!

We are talking about trying for the next little one in the next couple of months. I am making an appt. with my midwife for a preconceptional appt, because I have a few questions and want to be on the same page. I am excited to experience the joy of pregnancy again, and have another little person join our family!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

8, 9 and 10 months!

Okay so I have been slacking a bit....oops! Judah how grown so much since the last post. He is "talking" all the time. He is so close to walking, I cannot believe it! Where did my "tiny" baby go?!

His first birthday is approaching very quickly, and we decided on a Cowboy/Wild West theme. At his last appt. he was 21 lbs 4oz, and 28 1/2 inches. (This was at 9 months) He didn't grow as much as they would like to see and dropped into the 40th percentile, but I know hes just fine! He just slowed down a bit, which is fine with us.

He is such a character, and is very funny. He plays very well by himself and with other kids. (Except he likes to pull on hair a little bit). He loves to read, and loves his bath time. He still spends 75% of the night in our bed, and we love it. Cuddling with him all night is so awesome, and I could not imagine it any other way!!

He is starting to eat much better and will try pretty much anything. We tried eggs this morning which he clearly did not enjoy by the look on his face. He loves grilled cheese and sweet potatoes though. He still loves the Earth's Best Spinach and Potatoes, so we are going to buy some in bulk for him.

We have been talking when we would like to try for another little one, because we want our kids close together. There are some obstacles, but we are just going to trust in God to put the peices together.

Well until next time!

Monday, August 2, 2010

7 months

Judah has been doing so many new things this month! He can sit up unassisted, he has been crawling backwards (its so funny!), and can go from laying to sitting all by himself. He also knows how to eat finger foods without my help. Its amazing how fast they learn and grow.

He has given us 7 months of complete joy, and its been so incredibly wonderful to watch him develop into an amazing little person right before our eyes! He is such a strong willed, loving, funny little boy. His smile melts my heart!

He has a bit of "stranger anxiety" but warms up fairly quickly to new people and situations, which is good. We haven't got him on much of a schedule, but that will happen over time. He eats breakfast and dinner well now, so we are trying to incorporate lunch. He is also very distracted during the day and has not been nursing as much, but makes up for it at night. I am hoping this will be over soon because I miss my sleep! He still ends up in bed with us half way thru the night and even though I miss my space sometimes, I love waking up to his beautiful smiling face.

I have been planning his 1st Birthday party and I'm hoping to make it special and unique, without being too complicated. I just want it to be a celebration of his life and the joy he has brought to everyone in it. We are thinking Dec 18th for the big day :)

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy 6 month birthday my sweet baby

6 months ago our little boy was born, our lives forever changed. I am so in awe of him, just as I was the day he was born. I cannot even explain the constant joy he brings us. I cannot get over how blessed we are to have such a happy, loving, funny (he already has his Daddy's sense of humor) son.


His birth was not what I had hoped for. I had a hard time accepting the reality of my c-section and the fact I did not get to hold my son until he was 5 hours old. I don't like to admit this, but I had a hard time bonding with him. I loved him, but didn't feel that overwhelming feeling of protection that I now have for him.


I finally have a glimpse of how much God loves me, and I don't think you can really understand until you have a child and feel that incredible unconditional love.

He's grown so much these past 6 months, I was just going through his clothes to pack them away and I cannot believe he wore some of them!
He has brought so much joy into our family, he is always the center of attention, and I think he likes it that way!




We are so excited he is going to be a cousin this December, his Aunt Katie and Uncle Jeremy are due to have their little one December 30th! We will have a lot of birthdays, because mine is Nov. 21st, Katies is in the beginning of Dec, then Judah, and then the newest addition :)

At his dedication, they had a few people from our church to ask for words from God for Judah. Everything they said was everything I have heard from God for him, so it confirmed God's word to me. He will be a great man of Justice, and worship. He has an amazing sense of humor and is so funny, and he brings great joy to anyone who comes into contact with him. There isn't a day we go out and someone does not comment on how good of a baby he is, and how happy he is. He will "flirt" with anyone, and has an amazing joy in his eyes. I am so thankful I was chosen by God to be his Mom, and I know Lance feels the same way as his Dad.

On the developmental side of things, Judah is getting BIG! He loves apples, bananas and squash, and does not like green beans. He still prefers Mommy's milk over anything else though. He is rolling all over the place and is showing signs of crawling. He can sit unassisted for quite a bit but will fall over eventually. He is learning the signs for "all done", "eat", and "more". We are trying to teach him to say "Dada" and "Mama". He really pays attention when I am teaching him. He LOVES to read. His new Bath chair is a favorite because he can splash in the water. He is recognizing familar people and will sometimes cry around new people. He loves to go places and smiles at anyone who looks at him. He LOVES animals and gets so excited when they come near him. Our cat Max will let him grab his fur and play (smack) with him, and Judah cannot get enough! We want to take him to the zoo soon because I think he will be fascinated. He amazes me every day and I can't wait to see what he does in the next 6 months!
Here are some of his 6 month photos our good friend Kelly took, he is just so beautiful!





































































Monday, May 24, 2010

5 months old

Judah has grown so much this month! He went from 17lbs 4 oz (at 4 months) to somewhere around 19.5 lbs! (and this is just on breastmilk!) He has eaten some solids, but he doesn't eat them every day, and when he does its maybe a tablespoon.

I am 99.9% sure he is teething. He has been fairly cranky, chewing on anything that comes near him, and just not himself :( We have tried lots things to help, but all that really helps is cuddling and lots of attention. My day revolves around keeping him occupied because he does not want to be left alone for very long. He is still a happy little guy, and always making me laugh!

He had alot of firsts, he can sit unassisted for a little bit, he drinks from a sippy cup with ease, he went in the pool, and he rode in his big boy carseat! We bought him the Graco Myride, and I love it! He has so much more room in it and it just looks more comfy.

Another great thing happened this month, I found out Judah is going to have a cousin! My sister in law Katie is due December 30th, so they will be about a year apart. We are so excited to expand our family.

I cant believe my little boy will be half a year old on June 20th. Also coming up this weekend is the first time I will have to leave him for an extended period of time (longer then 4 hours). Its Jess's bachelorette party, which I am excited for, but at the same time I am going to miss him so much! Also her wedding is June 12th and it will be so incredibly hard to be away from him for the whole afternoon/evening. Im sure I will be texting Katie and Jeremy the whole night (his babysitters). Thinking about it makes me sad :( But I know it will be fun, and I am really excited for Jess and Jon, marriage is awesome!

hoping this month slows down a bit...hes growing too fast!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

4 months old

My little guy is officially no longer little! He is 17lbs 4oz (and that was a week ago) and wearing anywhere from 3-6 (getting tight), 6-9 and even some 12 month clothes!

He is getting really into toys, he loves rings and his moose. he gets upset when he cant coordinate his hands the way he wants them to go...its pretty adorable. He likes to touch my face now too. He grabbed his toes for the first time today, and rolled from his tummy to back last week but will not do it again, (he hates tummy time) Everyone that comes into contact with him tells me how adorable he is (as if I didnt know!) and how perfect his little round head is, lol.

He really likes to sleep on his belly, and with Mom and Dad...two of the things they tell you not to do...but honestly I LOVE co-sleeping, and he can sleep well either way so I am enjoying the time I get to cuddle with him throughout the night. He starts out in his bed and then ends up in our throughout the night...he usually wakes me up by slapping me in the morning. Its almost as if he needs permission to wake up because he will roll around, flail his arms, and cry...all with his eyes closed, until I say "Judah....good morning!" then he will open up his eyes and give me this huge smile...its so cute!

We had some sleeping issues where he was fighting sleep like no other...he would scream and cry when we were trying to get him to sleep, and he was just overtired, and now I just make sure he gets to bed as soon as I see he is getting tired, and he just goes right to sleep, all on his own! I knew there had to be a solution to crying it out...which I cannot ever see myself doing. I know some parents do this as a last resort, but I know I could never do it. I guess my theory is if he is crying, he needs me to comfort him. It can be frustrating and time consuming, but I guess thats just being a parent.

Lance started his book, and I am so proud of him. God has really been working in our lifes and its so neat to see his plan unfold right before our eyes. I married an amazing, talented man, who has done all he can to allow me to be at home with our son, and I couldn't ask for anything more!

We are going to be starting a co-blog....basically it will be based on raising our child(ren) as naturally as possible, saving money, homeschooling, and being a God centered family. I know it may not make much sense the way I described but its all still in the process of being launched...nothing concrete as of yet...but I know it will be great!

I will update when I have Judahs's 4 month appt next week.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Judah's first Easter

We had a great first Easter together, even though we didn't make it to church....I wasn't feeling to hot, and still am not...darn cough wont go away...But besides that we had a relaxing morning, and then spent the day with our families! Here is some pictures of our little guy and his Easter presents (including the chair he is sitting in)


And our eggs....





And Judah being a cute boy sitting in his diapers....he was chewing on the one in his hand




I cant believe our little bug is going to be 4 months old on the 20th...thats 1/3 of the way to a year old...crazy! I am trying to soak in every moment I get with him....he is such a good baby...and yes I say this because he is my son, but from watching lots of other babies...he truly is an awesome baby! He is so happy and smart....we are thinking he is around 16lbs now, we will know for sure at his 4 month checkup.

So far he is still sleeping in our room, we ordered his mattress but are still waiting on it...its taking forever...but to be quite honest...I'm not sure im ready! I love to cuddle him and he likes it too..so we will see how it goes.

Pampered Chef is going good, I have 2 parties scheduled for April so far, pretty excited about that! Other then that I am enjoying being at home with my little guy, he amazes me every day. Lance has been busy with work and school, but by December this year, he will be a graduate with a Bacherlors! Not to mention lingering on a 4.0 GPA. So proud of him :)

Sunday, March 21, 2010

3 months old

3 months since I gave birth to the most amazing little boy. He continues to amaze me every day. All the revelations God gave me while I was pregnant about him are being revealed to me as he grows and his personality is developing.

I knew that he would be very strong willed, and he is very determined to get what he wants...but at the same time, he is fairly patient and always happy. He is so smiley, and just started laughing out loud. He has been sleeping alot better too (9 hours the other night!), but we are trying to wean him out of being swaddled to sleep for long periods of time. He still ends up in our bed every morning...even though he sleeps pretty much the whole night in his, still in our room though. I am not sure when I will be ready to have him sleep in his own room. Lance jokes that we have this beautiful crib that he will never use, but we both really love having him in our room.

Every day is a blessing. I wake up every day to a smiling baby, and get to watch him grow and learn new things every day. I am blessed to be able to stay home with him for the time being, and I know God is going to continue to provide so I can stay home permanantley.


I started my Pampered Chef business and so far we (my mom is helping) are doing great! I am excited about this opportunity and look foward to learning and growing more confident with it. If anyone wants to get free products and have a fun day/night with family and friends, let me know! :)

So thats my little update for this month!

Monday, March 1, 2010

C-section

For a while I was really upset about having to have a C-section. If you know me, you know I am all about natural birth and truly wanted that unique experience. But as time went on I came to realize I am blessed to have had a C-section. It brought my baby here safely, and it saved our lifes. Without that C-section, and that scar, there would be no Judah, and no Tina. I read this on someone elses page, its beautiful and is exactly how I feel about my birth experience.

"C-section scars are very unique. They are the only type of scar that is instantly recognizable. They are the only scar thats creation saves two lifes instead of one. And they are a physical sign of a Mother's willingness to do anything for her children - even go under the knife.

A cesearean scar is a reminder that all the planning in the world cant make things go the way you want them to. For those who avoided stretch marks it can be a physical reminder of how your body sheltered and grew a baby for all those months. And its a souviner of one of the happiest days of a mother's life."




I can honestly say that even though I have some strech marks (Judah marks I call them) and a scar, I love my new body, because it is a reminder of the miracle that happened. God allowed my body to safely carry and nourish a sweet baby boy. With the next one I will attempt a VBAC, but if I had to have another C-section it would not be the worse thing ever, because in the end, you still get this amazing little gift, a child.

Thank you Jesus for my son and his safe arrival. Without the help of modern medicine we would not be here, so we also thank you for the Dr's and their wisdom to know how to perform a c-section. We also thank you for our wonderful midwifes and their judgement. It has been an amazing experience, and we can't wait to do it again!

Judah's 2 month pictures

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Saturday, February 20, 2010

2 months old

Our little bug is getting so big, he is 14lbs 1.5oz! We had his 2 month checkup and he is PERFECT! We are not vaccinating and it is so refreshing to have a doctor who will support our decision. Breastfeeding is a great immunization program :) He is doing really well with nursing, but we still have our moments. Thrush is gone, praise the Lord! We prayed for the healing and he brought it! Sometimes being a new mom can be a bit lonely because you seem to have no time for yourself or a social life for that matter. If it were not for my mom, I am not sure where I would be mentally. I know God planned to have her be out of work for this time in my life. She has helped me so much, and continues to help whenever I need her. I am so blessed and grateful to have a wonderful Mom who loves me and supports me. THANKS MOM! :)



Our new place is getting there, I am always doing laundry, cleaning or cooking, so it seems I don't have much time to organize anything, or go thru stuff. We have alot to do with taxes, medical bills, social security numbers (still waiting on Judah's...pain in the butt). I am a little nervous about finances, but I give that all to God. I know he created a mother to be with her children and I trust him with our finances so I will be able to do that. I am still looking to babysit here and there for extra money, but I do not want/will not get a job that requires me to be away from him all day.



I saw my midwife yesterday for my annual, and I have to go to an OB for a consult. She found a small spot on my cervix that she thinks may be a polyp or a cyst, but shes not too concerned. She noticed it when I was about 36 weeks pregnant too. Just pray its nothing, and there will be no issues with it. Going to see her made me very nostalgic and almost feel depressed. Maybe its part of the post partum depression. I think I just loved being pregnant so much it kind of made me a little jealous of the other pregnant women, silly right? My pregnancy was great and I truly enjoyed it. We are in the talks of when another little Pearce might be coming, but we are definitely waiting a while. We need time to adjust and my body needs time to heal. So don't expect it anytime soon!

Oh yeah, and too any mom's with babies/kids, I recommend the Ergo carrier, it is truly awesome! Most carriers are difficult and hurt your back or shoulders. This one is awesome! Judah loves it too, as hes been sleeping in it for 2 hours now :)

Sunday, January 31, 2010

6 weeks old

Judah is 6 weeks old today! He has been social smiling since 3 weeks, and is a really strong baby. (its all those prayers and extra vitamins I took!) He is such a happy little guy, but is having some tummy issues because of the med's he is on for thrush. Which by the way is so annoying and hard to get rid of. It would be easier if he didn't like his binky so much, but he LOVES it. So we do alot of sanitizing around here to keep them clean and are going to buy him some new ones this week and maybe again the next week. (big pain in the butt) Not to mention the thrush hurts me too and makes nursing a little uncomfortable :(

As of 5 weeks he is 12lbs 12oz, hes my little chunker! I love that hes gaining weight well, I don't have to worry if he misses a feeding! He is in 3 month clothing, and it fits him well. He sleeps a 5 hour stretch and then a 4 hour stretch at night which is awesome to get more then 2 hours of sleep at a time. Then he usually ends up in bed with mom and dad for a little bit (if he goes back to sleep) I can honestly say I feel like I am made to be a mommy. Of course most women are, but I truly feel like being home with Judah is just so important for him and for me. Not to mention its much easier to get stuff done around the place, and have meals planned, and lunches for Lance. I would like to make some income babysitting here and there, but I know home is where I need to be ultimately, and we are willing to make the neccesary adjustments so I can be.

Yes HOME! We finally have our own little place. We know this is where God wants us, we prayed for a home in our price range, with a garage and a basement, and we didn't even have to look for this place, it literally just showed up! God is awesome :) Our landlords are awesome too, so that definitly helps!

As for me, I feel like I am finally healing up, and have been doing little workouts here and there to tone up. I have a mommy and baby workout tape which is so cheesy but its cute. I also have the wiifit plus I am using, and once it warms up we will be going for walks alot.

Time to go for now, Mr. Judah bug is waking up :)

Monday, January 18, 2010

To my precious Josiah

Dear sweet Josiah,

Its been 1 year since your due date, and I've been really thinking about you lately. I wanted to tell you about your brother. His name is Judah, and he was born 11 days before your due date. I look at him and wonder what features he has, that you would have. He is beautiful, so I can imagine you would have been a beautiful baby. He already has such a personality and his smile melts my heart. I wish I could have seen your smile.

You would be 1 year old, and getting into everything. Mommy would be very busy! Even though I didn't get to hold you and kiss your beautiful face, I felt an amazing connection with you. You were our first little one, created with love. You are so special to us and we know we will meet you one day. But until then we have Judah and your future brothers/sisters to hold on tight to, and when we look at them we will remember the sweet little one who was gone too soon.

We recorded your beautiful heartbeat to always remember you.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

1 month old

1 month ago today I was in active labor, in the most pain I have ever been in. But as I look at my sweet baby, I can't even remember the pain. God made us so amazing, that all we remember is the wonderful aspects of labor and delivery.

Judah has changed our life. He amazes me every day. I know every parent says this, but we have been incredibly blessed with a good baby. God gave me a word that he would be strong willed and he is. I have never seen a 1 month old who fights sleep the way he does. He is so alert and smiling more and more each day. He has been "talking" to us too. He loves his "mommy's milk" and also loves his binky. He went from 9lbs 40z at birth, to 11lbs. 8 oz at 3 weeks 5 days.

As much as I miss sleeping more then 2-4 hours at a time, I love getting up with him. Most of the time I feed him laying down and we go right back to sleep. He sleeps with us and in his crib, but seems to need to be swaddled to sleep a long time in his crib. He loves to be close to us, and I love waking up to his sweet face. We have been using cloth diapers and they are great! They make him look like he has a big butt though!

I am trying to enjoy every minute because I know he is growing fast and I love this cuddly stage, and want to take advantage of it. I truly have never felt the amount of love I feel for Judah, and how I want to protect him from everything I can. Its such a strong feeling and brings me to tears.

I miss being pregnant, and can't wait to experience this again, but I want Judah to have the time as our little baby, and get all the love and attention he needs and deserves. Hes such a blessing and we know God has great things in store for our little Judah bug!