Deacon is Eight Months!

My sweet sweet boy.

Weight/Length- I will give my best guess here- 19/20 pounds and 29 inches? I have no idea. We go for the nine month appointment in August.

Eating- Deacon is our sweet foodie. Little boy loves anything he can get his hands on. I would say favorites this month are yogurt drops, apple sauce, chicken nuggets (Chick-fil-a to be exact), sweet potato pieces, banana, blueberries, and the list could really go on. There hasn’t been much he doesn’t- he just prefers finger foods over purees. He will do purees for a hot second and then quickly shut his mouth and wait for the finger foods- preferably what’s on mommy’s plate. What is the weirdest thing he likes? We tried a puree with raspberry, pear, and asparagus made by Beechnut- homeboy loved it. This has been the puree that has kept his attention longest! Sounds like an odd combination to me, but I’ll take it. He has milk around 5 times a day- still all b milk.

Bedtime/Awake- Deacon sleeps 11 hours at night (7:30-6:30). He takes a small hour nap from 9:00-10:00 and then a 3 hour nap from 1:00-4:00. He sleeps with two breathable blankets and has become a belly sleeper.

Diapers- He is in 2’s. Once these are gone, we will break into our 3’s.

Clothes-6-9 and 9 month clothes.

Dislikes- Deacon doesn’t like to be left alone. This boy is used to lots of people and lots of noise. There is no “I’ll sit by myself and play for a while”. He wants to be right in the midst of everything. The mommy separation issues have started- if he hears my voice but can’t see me, the squawk immediately follows. This is normal for his age, so I know it’s just a phase.  Deacon doesn’t like his mouth wiped but will gladly agree to having his nose suctioned (weird, right?).  If he is hungry and food isn’t coming to his mouth fast enough, he will be sure to let you know.

Likes- Deacon loves his brother Noah. The giggles and laughs these two give each other are enough to melt my heart into mush. Noah can instantly calm Deacon if he is upset by singing the ABC’s, and Deacon loves to “play” with Noah in the bathtub or in the playroom. I’m bracing myself for when Deacon starts to crawl; these two will be into everything together. My sweet second child loves to be held, eat, sit up, ride in the stroller, play on his tummy (yes this is new…hence the bracing for the crawl- I think by next month we will be there), chew on anything he can get his grubby hands on, talk, mimic noises, sit outside, swing at the park, swim in the pool, and so much more. We are really starting to learn his personality and it is precious. Deacon Matthew provides so much joy. We laugh at him constantly. Recently we caught him reaching for his swing mobile and pulling it as it tries to rotate, it just makes this clicking noise until he lets it go. This morning, he reached for it with both hands so it wouldn’t go anywhere. He thought he was so clever.   

Hi mama.

Favorite memories of the month- There are too many to count. We had a great visit with my folks a couple weeks ago and both boys loved all the attention.  My favorite memories this month with Deacon are watching all his new milestones. It’s incredible- every day he has some type of new skill.  Matt was gone for 5 days and came back amazed at how much more Deacon was doing. Deacon is mimicking noises and trying to talk. Right now, he goes around saying “mmmm bahhhh” all day long. Noah says it back, and they have this little conversation together-I love it. Deacon will click his mouth and expects you to click yours back. We are starting some sign language with him and he thinks it’s hilarious. Noah likes to help with it too, so we will see how it goes. I figure just a couple basic ones that we did with Noah will help Deacon voice some of his “concerns” (mostly about food). Home boy is an expert food pincher and understands how to turn book pages. He holds his own bottle, feeds himself, and if you try to put it back in once he’s done, he will bat it away.

Deacon is our second child that doesn’t want to get lost in the midst of chaos and has a very strong opinion. Deacon snuggles with the best of them and wants to be with his mommy at all times. He is the perfect addition, and I can’t imagine life without him. Christ has taught me so much through this second child and expanded my love more than I thought possible. There are days where I need grace and pray for patience because of all of the chaos, but I could not be more thankful to be a mommy.

8 months down! Penguin didn't stand a chance this photo shoot.

Noah says- Compliments 101

“Wow daddy, you are super awesome.”

Noah- “Mom, I like your shoes. What are they called?”

Me- “High heels.”

Noah- “Ok. Cute”

Noah- “Mom, you look handsome.”

Me- “Do you mean pretty?”

Noah-“No mom, you look handsome.”

 “Deacon is my brother. He is super cute.”

 “Bruiser is rowdy. I wuv him”

To our neighbor, as we are walking the dog-  “I like your dog neighbor. He is super cute. My dog’s name is Bruiser. Nice to meet you- have a good day”

Me- "You lucky dog!"

Noah- "No, I smell like a wet dog."

This age kills me. Matt and I go to bed quoting him.

Noah's says - Marriage 101

I have pages full of Noah quotes on my iPhone, but these are some of my favorite from the last month. Homeboy loves to talk about marriage, rings, pretty girls, and who he wants to kiss on the "wips". 

Direct from his mouth, I give you Noah's view of marriage.........

“I wish I could get married.”

“I put these bracelets on mom, I’m married”

Noah- “Are you married mom?”

Me- “Yes, to Daddy”

Noah- “Am I married to you mom?”

Me- “No”

Noah- “Oh ya, I’m married to myself.”

"I kiss Elsa (from Frozen) on the "wips". She's so beautiful."

"Haidyn (his little friend) is a princess. She gets married mom."

Deacon is Seven Months!

Weight/Length- Deacon is around 18 pounds (45% weight) and  28 inches (25% for height).

Eating- Deacon eats every 3-4 hours during the day. He is still on mommy’s milk and takes around 5-7 ounces 5 times a day.

Welcome to the world of solids Deacon Matthew. This month he has tried about everything- eggs, peanut butter, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, mum mums, potatoes, cheese, banana, carrot, Jason Deli’s muffins, peas, an occasional lick of ice cream, macaroni and cheese, bread, rice, beans, and the list goes on. My policy has been much more lenient with Deacon. If he wants a bite, I will let him go for it. Deacon hasn’t ever been that crazy about purees, but if he can gnaw on it- he’s your man.

Bedtime/Awake- After some sleep training, homeboy no longer sleeps swaddled and sleeps 11 hours a night. He is down around 7:30 and up around 6:30. He naps three times a day. We see two morning cat naps and a long afternoon nap that lasts around 3 hours.

Diapers- He is in 2’s.

Clothes- 6, 6-9, and 9 month clothes.

Dislikes- Deacon is still not crazy about tummy time. He would much rather sit, stand, bounce, or be held. He has quite the opinion about who holds him these days. If I am in the room, he will fuss until he’s in my arms. I don’t really mind unless he is in my arms and still fussing or should I saw squawking. Deacon’s “go-to” communication is squawking. If he doesn’t get it his way, he squawks.

Likes- Homeboy is still our easy going second child (despite the squawks). Deacon loves to cuddle and be held. He can hold his own bottle (when he wants to) and has started to feed himself quite efficiently.  Our man loves food. Matt has commented many times that there isn’t anything he won’t eat. While at Jason’s Deli the other night, we could not shovel the food fast enough into his mouth. If we took a small break, he brought out the squawk. I will say- family dinners have become much more fun because we can all eat together.  Deacon loves to go in the stroller, swing at the park, read books while in mommy’s lap, play with Noah, horse around with Daddy and snuggle his blanket as he soothes himself to sleep. Deacon loves teething rings, toys with texture and anything that brother is playing with. (Share is a word we use quite often. Bath time is brother time, and they both love it. I usually end up soaked and having to referee the splashing, but I love all the laughter and fun that they have together.

Favorite memories of the month- Clem family party of five- (no, I’m not pregnant again)-we added a dog to our family! I know- we are crazy. I don’t even have time to blog anymore. What were we thinking? Well, I’ll be honest- if it were any other dog, I would say we were crazy, but Bruiser is amazing and the perfect addition to the chaos. We purchased a German shepherd from a local breeder and could not be happier. We now go on family walks every night and find ourselves outside a lot more. With Matt’s horrible hours, I have loved having a companion at night to keep me safe. Bruiser goes with us to the park and has been potty trained from about day 2 of being home. He is so gentle with Deacon and Noah’s best bud. He is the perfect family dog.  

Peace, love, and Bruiser Bear,

Natalie

Life is so busy for us, so I apologize that this blog has been neglected. At this point, I sacrifice time with my family to log on. I hope as things slow down, I’ll have time to catch up with this more- but until then, it will most likely only be a couple times a month (if I’m lucky).

Deacon is Six Months!

Weight/Length- We go for his 6^th month appointment next week. I will update this later.

Eating- Deacon eats every 3 hours during the day. He is still on mommy’s milk- thankfully my supply is still going strong. It tanked right about now with Noah. We have introduced some solids, but it messes with his digestive system. We have cut back on the rice cereal and are sticking with fruits. He loves apples and pears. He usually has solids every other day or so. It’s hard to find time to sit down and do it with him- poor second child.

Bedtime/Awake- He can go 8-11 hour spans at night. We are working on consistency. I started to see a pattern of long nights, but then he got a cold. Boo. I’m not worried. As long as he can go 7-5 or 9-6 I’m OK with it. I just need to make it a goal to go down earlier which hasn’t been happening lately.

Diapers- He is in 2’s.

Clothes- Deacon is in 3-6, 6, and 6-9 month clothes.

Dislikes- Deacon does not like the sun or should I say the sun does not like him? He burns really easily-he has his daddy’s skin. He loves to be outside, but we have to keep him soaked in sunscreen which I hate to do at this early age. Our best bet right now is to keep him covered in his stroller, which he doesn’t seem to mind most days.  

We are suspicious his teeth are going to be cutting through soon because we have seen so much drool lately. His hands and feet are also ALWAYS in his mouth. *Deacon found his feet this month and it's the cutest thing ever. He tries to fit his Flintstone block feet in his mouth and barely gets a toe in there before gagging himself.

Likes- Deacon loves to be held and see the world. He is usually quite content to just sit in our laps and watch everything happen around him. I have found that the more stimulation during the day for him, the better. He still loves teething rings and baths. He loves to “talk” and interact with Matt, brother, and me. He thinks Noah is the funniest thing ever. They can get each other belly laughing. It is the sweetest thing ever. He loves to sit and is slowly accepting tummy time. The bouncer is his daily exercise. I’m excited for the crawling stage!

Favorite memories of the month- Deacon was six months on Friday- we got to celebrate with Mimi and Pops. This was the grandparent’s second visit to Dallas. Deacon could not get enough of all the attention. He would sit in his Pops lap for hours.

He’s such a lover- we cannot get enough of those thunder thighs. He melts my heart all day long. Our little man loves to snuggle his head in the crook of our necks and rest his head against our chest. His “kisses” are precious even though I’m pretty sure he’s trying to gum our faces to relieve his teething pains. Deacon Matthew, thank you for letting your dad and I watch our love expand as we get to love on both you and your brother. You have brought so much joy to our family of four.

Can y'all see these baby blues? I think homeboy inherited his Pops eyes. They are absolutely stunning.

Deacon is Five Months!

Weight/Length- Deacon Matthew is 26 inches and 16.5 pounds

Eating- Deacon eats every three to four hours during the day around 4-7 ounces each time. He is really starting to chug the milk-the thunder thighs are reflective of his ability to eat. He is still on mommy’s milk and has had a couple spoon fulls of baby food. I’ll be honest- he really isn’t all that interested. We have tried rice cereal and sweet potatoes. It could be that he doesn’t like those two things or that he is OK with just doing b-milk right now. I’m not worried.

Bedtime/Awake- Our once great sleeper is still not a great sleeper. His naps are predictable. He naps twice in the morning for around an hour and takes one big nap from 2-5. As for sleep, he goes down at 7:30 but wakes up at least once to eat at night. I have also had a couple go down at 7, eats at 1, and wide awake at 5 am. Those mornings- I’m pumping the coffee in the blood stream likes it’s my job.

Diapers- He is in 2’s.

Clothes- Deacon is in 3 months, 3-6 months, and 6 months.

Dislikes- He doesn’t like to be kept up past bed time- who can blame him? We find that he is definitely the kid that hits the point of no return, and its best if he’s down for good around 7:30-8. He doesn’t love his pacifier like Noah did. He will use it to fall asleep, but it’s never in his mouth during the day as he hangs out. He would much rather chew on his hands, my fingers, chew toys (which Noah never took interest in), or Noah’s fingers (not my favorite-big brother loves to put stuff in little brother’s mouth). We are working on that one, but it’s sweet to see how much Noah loves when Deacon touches him. Noah is always trying to hold his hand or have Deacon lay by him.  

Stranger anxiety- I have seen it a couple times with him. I thought he was too young for it , and it was a fluke the first time, but no. He is very particular about who holds him and is in his face. Maybe a sensitive spirit? I think it’s just a phase.

Likes- Deacon loves Matt. Oh my goodness- it is so precious. I love what Deacon has brought to our family. He is the perfect addition. Deacon loves to be held or just sit in our laps. He is a cuddle bug, and we just eat it up. He is a great restaurant baby because he will just sit and look around.

His favorite toy is Sofie the girafee (I know- ridiculously expensive item, and I’m so glad we are getting our money’s worth- Noah could have cared less about it). Our jumping bean loves to bounce, sit in his Bumbo, and be outside. He is now a hip baby which is so fun! We are seeing him be able to sit up on his own more and more. He likes to stand on his two legs and “be big”. Bath time has become a brother activity and they both love it. They will kick and splash together. It is great stimulation and the cutest thing to watch.

Favorite memories of the month- This month as been a whirlwind with my tax season. I am sitting here trying to think of favorite memories, but every day is my favorite. I love going home to two sweet boys.

OK enough mush- one of my favorite things Deacon does is pant and kick his legs as he is getting ready to eat. He sees the bottle and goes NUTS. He gets so excited for food (just like his mama)- it cracks us up! He also recognizes me, Matt, and Noah. He has some MOC (missing out complex) and doesn’t like to be left alone. I have found he would much rather cruise around on my hip as I get things done than lay on his play mat by himself *unless Noah is there- then he’s fine.

We have such an exciting month looking ahead. Easter is right around the corner, two of my very best friends are due with babies four days apart, and Matt’s parents are coming to visit in May. BLESSED!

The February & March Life in Photos

This is about as much as I get in pictures lately...

Sweet buddy

My muscle men

These sweet smiles

And goofy faces

Homeboy loves to hold hands while he drinks

Buzz Cut about to meet his maker

Mission Accomplished