Monkey see, monkey do.

I wondered how long it would take...



2 months and one day.

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tulsa time.

Dear "crazy mom from tulsa",

Even though I've never met you, I already know I love you.

I think we're related somewhere down the line! :)

Thank you!


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86.

pratt likes to measure things.  he gets a ruler and puts it up to something.  and then says, "86!"  it's always 86.  i don't know why.  maybe because 8 plus 6 is 14.  and 4 minus 1 is 3.  which is...my favorite number. his too.  idk.

anyway, today he was measuring how tall i was.  i was "86".

he asked me to measure him.

i said, "you are 36 inches.  or 3 feet tall."

his response, "no mommy. i only have 2 feet.  i'm probably 86."

hilarious.

happy two months, max.

i know that none of you will believe me.  except allison and stacy.  because you've both witnessed it with your own eyes.  but...

it's like that movie changeling over here.

like, someone snuck in one night and took max.  and brought back a child that looks just like him.

but acts nothing like the pre-2 month max.

it's weird.  for the second night in a row, he is sleeping from 845 pm until 6 am.  on.the.dot.

but even better, he's napping during the day.  like four naps.  for at least an hour at a time.

and even better than that, he's happy.  or content.   yes, content.  he's not giggling or anything.  but he's not flipping the bird.  and he's not screaming.  he's just watching.  sitting and watching.  taking it all in.  sometimes he does it cross-eyed, but hey...that's cool.  whatever.  as long as he isn't screaming.

i know that as soon as i post this, he's gonna wake up screaming and never stop.  just to prove me wrong.  but...i'll risk it.

to say thank you to all of you who have read this and been praying for me.  for us.  because i know there are so many of you.  so thank you.  thank you, thank you.  i honestly believe that prayers have been answered.  and that God has given me the strength to keep going.  and He gave me pratt to keep me going when i didn't think i could.  it's been a long 2 months.  but we all have our health.  and we're all gonna make it.  even me. ha.

i was watching my friend stacy in church sunday.  she was looking down at her youngest who has one more year before kindergarden.  i would never be able to put in words what i saw on her face.

i know how much she loves him.  i also know that as she watches him grow up, it's bittersweet.  he taught himself how to ride a bike.  and that makes him so old.

as i sat and watched her, i could see myself in 3 years.  with pratt. watching him.

and i knew exactly how she felt.

thank you again for all the prayers.

my friend allison once said that it takes so many to get a child to his first birthday.  it's not just about the child turning 1.  but about the parents, the grandparents, the friends...everyone who has helped get that child to that milestone.  it was so smart.  and so well said.

i echo her today.  somehow we made it to max's 2 month birthday.  i don't know how i did it.  as allie says, i just got up each day.  and worked through it.  kept looking to the future.  to a time when i wouldn't cry.  and wouldn't hurt.  and wouldn't be so incredibly depressed.  she says it much better than me...here.  let me say that i am in NO WAY comparing my postpartum and max's screamfest 2011 to allie's loss.  or anything else any of you might be going through.

long road to small house...thank you to each of you for reading along with us.  for praying along with us.  for loving us.

and for getting us to this milestone for him.  and for me.

love to all of you.

today.

i forgot how good you feel after a full night's sleep.

me AND max.  whew.  things are looking up 'round here.  

max already looks so different, as mom said today.  he is filling out.  and starting to look so much older than his 2 months.  

both boys are napping.  max has continued to do well.  this will be his 3rd nap of the day.  

we had a good morning.  we found a baby lizard.  and played on the swingset.  and max played with a few of his toys.  and we made pigs in a blanket.  and cucumber sandwiches.  mine and pratt's favorites.  

here are a few pictures.  oh, that last one.  my cousin, frank.  pratt got to see him in new orleans last month.  well, frank has a few tattoos.  and pratt hasn't forgotten about them.  today he asked if he could "draw a picture like franks" on his arm.  i said sure.  frank is pretty great.  if he turns out like him, i'll be thrilled.  

five minutes.

last night when i put pratt to bed he told me that he wanted me to read to him.  it was late.  915.  and i told him that when i came back to check on him in 5 minutes, i'd read to him.

the minute i said it, i thought, he'll be asleep.  


and so i think i even said, "but if you're asleep, we will read in the morning."

he said, "okay mom.  see you in five minutes."

and i walked out.

i got ready for bed.  it was about 5 minutes later.  i walked by his bedroom to go downstairs for water when i saw it.

he was standing on his bed.  in the middle of his bed.  all he had on were underwear.  my dad has him in the habit of only sleeping in underwear.  thanks pop pop :)

anyway, he was standing there.  acting like he was talking to someone.  for all i know, granny was in there.  idk.  but he was being his normal self.  with his arms out, giving orders.

clint and i stood there and watched him.  after he was finished with that, he moved over to the side of his bed where he made faces in his mirror.  and then he ever so quietly and precisely, walked over and got 3 of his books off the shelf.  he walked around his bed, crawled back in with his books and pulled the covers up.

it hit me at that very moment that he was preparing for me to come back in.

i walked in and told him to come on to our bed.  we would read there.  he was so excited.  he showed me his three books and crawled out to get in our bed.

as i watched clint smile at him...and him smile at clint, i realized how fast times passes.

it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating his first birthday.  i can't believe he's almost 3.  3 years old.

i said a silent prayer.  and thanked God for giving me that special moment.  because yesterDAY was no walk in the park with him.

but no matter how bad some days are...there are moments when i realize how i wouldn't trade any of it for the world.  and last night was one of those moments.

groundhog day.

i remember this with pratt.

there were a few nights (before he was 4 months old and cried it out) where he slept through the night.  like 9 to 7.  something like that.  they were flukes.  but i wanted them to be habit.  and consistent.

and so i would do the exact same thing the next day.  literally, to the t.  i'd try to force naps at the same time.  we would do the same activities.  go to the same places.  make the same purchases.  yes.  it was that bad.  i would even put the same clothes on him for bed.  put that johnson's baby lotion (the purple sleep kind) all over him and pray to the Lord that he would sleep that well again.

it never worked.  in fact, he would always wake up like 3 times those nights.

because...well, it was a fluke.

and so i know better this go 'round.  i know that i don't really have to have an exact copy of yesterday.  but i'd like to go ahead and try.  just because.

all this to say that max slept from 840 pm to 6 am this morning.  what what!?

yes.  clint put him to bed...which means...clint will be putting him to bed forever now.  kidding.  kinda.

he napped yesterday around 9 until 1040.  then again at 1 until 330.  then again at 5.  he woke up at 645 refreshed.  and stayed up without fussing until around 830.  he got fussy then and that's when clint fed him and put him to bed.  he ate a whopping 10 ounces.  i'm not joking.  10 whole, entire ounces.

i know that napping during the day contributes to better night sleep.  i know this because of my favorite author ever, dr. weissbluth.

i'm believing more and more that my child probably did have colic.  but more than that...he was overtired.  and that, in itself, can cause major problems.

last night he only fussed 5 minutes before bed and while clint was putting pajamas on him.  that, my friends, is a record.

so hopefully we are on the mend.

thank you for sticking with me through this fog for the past 2 months.  i'm sorry i've been so down.  i know it's not over...but it feels like it's improving.  and that's so good for my heart.

have wonderful tuesdays!