Chubbalubbs

True blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and limbs for days just a few things to describe my two month chunk. Jesse weighed in at a whopping 14lbs 15 oz and 23.9 inches which means he's almost 3lbs heavier than his brother was at this point!

Other stats:
*While we finally achieved success in taking a binki (praise the Lord!) we are now working on his hatred for the bottle. This kid knows what he likes and doesn't but just you wait Jesse, mommy will win this battle too.
*Sleep is becoming consistent (can I say praise the Lord again?!) down at 7:30 wakes between 2-3a.m. then back down till 6 when he's ready to snuggle with me in bed.
*His car seat is still a point of contention especially if he's wanting to go to sleep.
*Jesse has very expressive eyes. They light up when he smiles and break your heart when he cries.
*He LOVES to stand. The running joke in the family right now is that Jesse puts more weight on his legs (and has since a few weeks old) than his 9 month old cousin Naomi. I'm curious to see if he'll be an early mover...although if he keeps packing on the pounds he won't be going anywhere fast.

Magical Sunshine

Last week we reached a new milestone in Owen's life - no more diapers! I realize that a fairly fresh age of 2 is a bit young for a little boy to be potty training; however, thanks to all the time spent with his older cousin Jude, whom he idolizes, Owen had been showing a lot of interest in going "on the potty like a big boy." I've heard that one should maximize on this interest or run the risk of waiting too long and end up with an apathetic child so after a few days of practice I decided to give it a whirl. My hope was that potty training would stick, that I'd gauged Owen correctly and he would have a successful experience, but I was also prepared that he might still be too young.  Either way we were both motivated so what could it hurt to try?

The first few days were pretty much a success with a few accidents here or there. But then something magical happened - the sun came out. What in the world does sunshine have to do with potty training you might ask? For this little boy it was the key to bladder control. Wrestling with how to stay close to the toilet while still wanting Owen to enjoy being outside I came up with this lovely sunny afternoon activity which involved a rubber maid tub with 4 inches of water and all the measuring cups and bowls a little boy could ask for. After splashing and jumping about he suddenly became very fixated on pouring water first between his variety of cups and then directly into his mouth. The result, a very full bladder, many many opportunities to practice going on the toilet, and Owen getting the hang of no more diapers!

 

To the beach!

Up until Jesse turned 6 weeks old the very thought of being in a car for 4-5 hours with him was enough to make me break in to a sweat. Let's just say the car seat is not his favorite place. But, then he turned 6 weeks old and something in their relationship changed and with shaky confidence and the reward of seeing Chelsea, Casey and I packed up the two youngest babies and headed off for a short weekend in Seaside, Oregon.

The trip down was pretty much uneventful; however, we may have gotten distracted by the opportunity for uninterrupted conversation and missed our exit or perhaps we intentionally planned on taking the long route through Portland, I'll let you decide. Either way the kids did awesome and we arrived excited for the quality time with Chelsea and Nathan ahead.

Saturday morning we woke to gray skies and drizzle. Undeterred by the unsightly weather we took full advantage of the day and wandered the streets of Seaside, poking our heads in random shops, buying souvenirs for kids left at home, and day dreaming with Chelsea and Nathan of the plans before them. After our morning stroll it was back to the Pogue Palace for nap time and cookie baking. Who doesn't like a rainy afternoon accompanied by a freshly baked cookie, cup of tea and good conversation?

In the late afternoon, the sunshine graced us with it's presence and we headed up the road to Canon Beach. The weather ended up being perfect for introducing two little people to the wonders of the beach thanks to the lack of wind. By the looks of it, you would never have known that this was Naomi's first time to the beach. She immediately shoveled handfuls of sand into her mouth like she was being reunited with an old friend. After several minutes of giggling at her glee and sandy drool we decided, for her sake, it was best to pick her up since she showed no signs of slowing down in her sandy snack. Jesse, however, was a bit unimpressed by the beach and was much more content to experience it from the safety of his nursing cover...nothing like nursing on the beach. We ended the evening with a lovely (albeit interrupted by fussy Jesse) dinner of fish and chips at a local restaurant.

All in all it was a lovely weekend and I look forward to more road trips down to visit Chelsea and Nathan!

 

 

 

Mother's Day Project

Mother's Day this year was enjoyed with the King family. We ate a delicious BBQ lunch on an incredibly gorgeous day and later that evening Jesse was dedicated at church. I love baby dedications because there is something so powerful about the spoken word. I pray that Jesse grows to be a man of great character who loves Jesus and those around him deeply.

As for my mother's day gift...well...it showed up a few days late and I'm glad it did because I got to watch it come to life. Josh came up with a super cute idea to have the boys help him paint some terracotta flower pots. He researched how to do it, discovered in the process that terracotta pot painting is quite the trend (who knew), bought some lovely exotic geraniums (I'm not gonna lie, normally not a geranium fan but these Martha Washingtons are gorgeous!) and then figured out how to get one little boy and a baby to paint just the pot and not themselves and everything around them. The pots turned out so cute, I can't wait to get some succulents to plant in them as we quickly discovered the geraniums were not too happy with their terracotta homes.

 

 

 

Bubbles

 

 

 I don't know why but I just love this series of shots from a gorgeous evening sometime last week in which Josh blew bubbles with Owen on the back porch. No words are needed, just enjoy them for what they are.

On being a big brother...

 

I grabbed a few moments to document Owen in his new role as big brother.
I love hearing his little voice talk about his brother "Je-jee." He is the first thing he asks about in the morning and the last person he wants to kiss before bed.

Today Owen taught Jesse the proper way to engage in tummy time.

There were lessons on proper technique for lifting one's head and the importance of this in strengthening one's neck and back muscles.

He also taught him that taking a rest is okay but to always try again.

He then moved on to the wonders of other types of floor exercises. "Je-jee, like dis"

And then there was the ever important lesson about various facial features.  Oh how I love these little boys.

Jesse Thomas King

       On April 15, 2012 at 2:26 a.m. this precious little boy was born and our hearts expanded in love once again. As I sit here and write this reflection he sleeps contentedly next to me, his warm little body snuggled up close, his baby scent so delicious, and already it is hard to imagine life with out him.
I am intrigued to see what his little personality will be as the weeks turn in to months and he grows out of his sleepy newborn stupor and into who God has created him to be.
       Already he displays strength, in the way he holds his head up, the clarity of demand heard in his cry, and even demonstrated to me in his birth story. We are learning not to compare him to how Owen was but rather to embrace him for who he is. I would be lying if there haven't been moments of fear on my part that he'll be a "hard" baby, but as I get to know him I am relaxing and learning how to love him for who he is - my sweet gift.
      However, there's more to this story of new life than just my two week reflections on life with Jesse, there's a story of birth that I want to remember before the clarity of memory fades. In general, a child's birth story begins with contractions and usually ends many hours later with a happy but tired mom delighting in the arrival of her newborn child. Jesse's story is a bit longer and one I would qualify as a journey marked by a period of emotional highs and lows as I waded through multiple days of false labor the two weeks prior to my due date.
       My first false labor episode lasted for 6 hours with contractions 5 minutes a part ending in heartbreak at midnight as the contractions faded to nothing, little did I know this would be repeated a few times more. I remember waking up the next morning with a heavy heart, exhausted and disappointed that I wasn't lying in a hospital bed holding my sweet boy. However, once the emotions faded I realized I had a choice about how the final two weeks of my pregnancy could go - I could be frustrated and fight the false labor finding myself in the same depressed state each time or I could embrace each contraction knowing my body was gearing up in a different way than it had with Owen. By the grace of God and a lot of support from some fabulous women around me, I was able to embrace the journey God was taking me on as I waited for Jesse's true arrival.
On April 14th, I felt a change - I can only describe it as my contractions feeling deeper sporadic as they were. I convinced Josh to embrace the sunshine and take Owen and I to the French bakery and for a long walk in Kirkland in hopes that the walk would encourage labor to begin. As the day progressed so did the consistency of my contractions and finally at 6:30 it was safe to say labor had begun. At 10:30p.m. we called the hospital, something in hindsight I wish we had done sooner because I was having a hard time believing that this was it, that I would be holding my little boy in a few hours. Two hours after calling the hospital I knew it was time to head in as labor had kicked in to high gear. Last time on the way to the hospital Josh ran a red light this time I stopped breathing (first time I've ever hyperventilated I think) and my Mom thought she was going to be delivering a baby...I wonder what will happen next time. Two hours after arriving at the hospital, a-not-so little Jesse was born. I remember saying "Oh I'm just so glad you're finally here" over and over, the relief and joy of holding my sweet boy in my arms overshadowing the frustrations of the prior weeks. 
I am so grateful for the journey the Lord took me on through this pregnancy and labor. He has truly given us a gift in Jesse (which is the meaning of his name) and I delight in what awaits us as we raise two boys.