Amberly Willow

My last post was all about my sweet boy Liam (Lee-num), and this post will be about my lovely daughter, Amberly. Previously, I talked a little about how quickly time passes when you become a mom. If I felt time passed quickly when I had Liam, it's nothing compared to how time has been FLYING by with Amberly. I seriously can't wrap my mind around where the last (almost) 4 months have gone. I think this time is different because I have two kids now-one very busy toddler and a lovable but needy (at times) baby. Amberly has been such a blessing to our little family, bringing us smiles every day and I'm enjoying every bit of being a girl mom. I was so used to all things boy (especially having grown up with four brothers and marrying into a family with 3 more brothers!) but I'm definitely learning to embrace my girly side. My mom and I have always been close, which I'm forever grateful for. I'm hoping Amberly and I can always share a close bond as well, and do all the fun things I did/do with my own mom.

Anyway, let me get on to all things Amberly. So, I should first start off and explain how we came up with her name, as we get asked this fairly frequently. JD has always liked the name Amberly (it closely resembles one of his fav bands, Anberlin, and he wrote a short story once with one of the main character's' names being Amberly). I always liked the name Willow, and Amberly grew on me when we discussed names for Liam, even before we knew he would be a boy. So, we had her name picked out even before her brother's (his took awhile to agree on haha). We decided to omit the second middle name for her, however. Her brother takes the cake for longest name, but only by a few letters (Liam Malcolm Orion Doupe).

Amberly will be FOUR months old in about a week. She has already grown out of her 0-3 month clothes and can even fit into some 6 month clothes (she's in the upper percentile for weight and length, apparently) and those lovable, chunky thighs of hers can be difficult to clothe at times. :) She is beginning to teeth (her bottom two teeth will be the first ones making their debut). Even though it bothers her some days, she is still overall a very mellow, happy baby. She is holding her head up really well (she has been since about a month old actually) and I think she'll be sitting up on her own before too long! I'm hoping she'll hold off on the crawling for awhile though...

She loves to give big gummy smiles, babble (and screech-her newest discovery) to anyone who will listen. She loves attention, watching her big brother, having mom carry her in the Ergo on walks (she falls asleep within 5 mins usually). She adores bath time, mommy singing to her, listening to daddy read during baths,  kicking her legs with extra vigor when she's excited about something, and grinning at herself in the mirror. She is currently trying to learn how to turn over from back to tummy (she's got the side-to-side rolling down like a champ!). She also loves to purse her little lips and make tiny raspberry sounds, but doesn't know what to think when we blow big raspberries on her belly. She loves her rattles, teething toys,and basically anything she can grasp onto with her sweet, chubby little hands. It's been so fun to watch her discover the world around her and become more interactive, and also remember similarities/observe difference between her and Liam at each stage (not that I remember everything-because, mom brain). :)

My favorite thing lately, was when JD was able to bring out the CUTEST belly laughs from Amberly, by lightly dropping a stuffed bear on her. We made sure Liam wasn't around, so as not to get any ideas! I have been trying for weeks to find Amberly's funny bone, and would get a few little giggles here and there (I did find a few extra ticklish spots!) but nothing like the gold her daddy brought out. Baby's laughter truly is one of God's greatest gifts to us all, isn't it?

Here's the video, if you would like a smile or giggle today:

 As for sleeping, Amberly is a pretty good sleeper overall. She usually wakes no more than 1-3 times a night to nurse and then falls right back asleep. She takes about a 40 min-1 hour nap in the mornings and on good days, a 3-4 hour afternoon nap! I know this longer nap period won't last forever, so I'm enjoying it while it's here. :) She is also great at falling asleep with any kind of motion-in the car, while being carried, in the stroller.

We love our girl so very much, and can't wait to see what the next months hold!

Lee-num

  It's both amazing and heart-breaking how quickly time passes when you become a mom. Sometimes, individual days can seem to drag on and on; but weeks, months and years pass at a frightening rate. I am trying my best to soak in each moment, each new developmental stage, each laugh, each snuggle, each arm roll, each new tooth, each new word. Watching a tiny human grow and discover the world and become their own person, but at the same time love you unconditionally/need you, is a wonderful journey that I feel so blessed to experience. I want to try my best to document my two babies, at the stages they are at now, so I at least have this to look back on. I will share Liam as best I can in this post, and Amberly will follow soon!

Liam:

My sweet, smart, cuddly, active, strong-willed, silly, loving boy is going to be two in a little over a month. That is just mind-blowing to me. Having Amberly around has brought back memories of my newborn days with Liam, when it was just he and I at home while daddy sometimes worked long hours. We were the best of friends. Since sister arrived, it's been more of a challenge to find time with just Liam, as baby requires a lot of my attention. He really loves when I'm able to sit down and read a few books with him (and he is very clear that he must sit ON my lap, not beside me, which I don't mind one bit). I cherish the moments that he wants to be with his mama, as 80% (or more) of the time he much prefers to run around and do his own thing. His independence is a fun thing to observe (and hear, as he just loves to sit in his crib, the car, etc and have long monologues with himself). 

His first words were "da-da", "ball", "woof" (if you count that one), and later "mama", "no", "yes", "baby", "please" (he says "tease" in the cutest little voice), "more" (which is sometimes "boar") and one of JD's favorites, "dice". His favorite words/phrases these days have been "Where go?" (when looking for something or someone), "Love too" when we tell him we love him (this one always melts us),  "hi HI", "BYE", "cool, cool" (for pool), "apple juice","animal", "E-I-E-I-O", "I don't know", "hmmm", "ucky", "TADA!", "BIG BOY!", "choo choo", "tractor", "vroom", "two babies" (he points at baby Amberly and the baby doll she sometimes holds). My favorite, other than "Love too", is how he pronounces his name- "Lee-num". He's also started mimicking us more and it has made us realize how big a responsibility it is to set a good example for our children-in speech, actions, how we treat others, etc. 

Lee-num's fav menu choices lately include: Most fruits (but especially strawberries, peaches and frozen blueberries), broccoli (weird, I know), beans, chilli, almost any type of bread, mac 'n' cheese, chicken nuggets, french fries, PB&J, yogurt, fruit snacks, seaweed (another funny one) and anything sweet (which we try to limit). Oh yes, and juice of course. There's quite a long list of foods this kid doesn't like, but mainly it's meats (which is odd to me, as JD and I both love meats).

This boy loves: dirt, rocks, trucks/cars ("vrooms"), animals (especially "woofs"), going to Avila Barn to feed the animals, being outdoors, giving his baby sister hugs, snuggling with mama and daddy when he's tired, tucking in his stuffed animals before naps/bedtime, playing with "choo choos" at his bumpa and grandma's house, swimming with Roxy ("Ocky"), collecting rocks/sticks/leaves on walks and making piles of things, coloring/scribbling, stickers, looking at pictures of people he knows, calling daddy on lunch breaks, reading books, bath time, showers with mommy in the mornings, brushing his teeth, being a helper (sweeping, vacuuming, giving mommy drinks of water, putting laundry in the dryer and pressing the buttons, water the garden/get wet with the hose, etc), going to the park, watching the trash man, flushing the toilet (but is yet to be potty trained), going to church and playing with friends/toys, playing with his cousin Waylon "We-We", hanging with his pal Joyanna (he's yet to say her name lol), and holding her hand, singing "E-I-E-I-O" with mommy.

We love you so much, Lee-num, and can't wait to watch you continue to grow, learn, and love the world and others around you.