We have movement!

So exciting - Joey is finally scooting.  As of Saturday morning, he was scooting all around.  As of Sunday morning, Elijah already decided that he didn't like him scooting and taking his toys.  We started our first rounds of repeatedly saying "SHARE."  The scene is playing out just as I expected it too!

Other notes - Joey is saying "Mama" and knows what it means.  He is a big piggie!  He eats a ton - dinner, fruit, snacks!

Elijah is always "too busy" to do anything.  I don't think he really knows what he means by that.  We will say "take your milk downstairs."  He will say "I can't, I am too busy."  So, he is using it correctly but I don't think he knows what it means.  He has also started singing along to his shows.  It was so fun to listen to him sing!

We had a busy week with the Children's Museum, Soccer, Swimming, gardening, and a movie with Elijah and Morgan.  I am now getting started on Joey's birthday stuff.  I got a new craft tool for Mother's Day and I have tons of ideas.  I have made his card, sent in his cake toppers to be printed and can't wait to make a banner & cupcake holder for his party.

I will leave you both with some scrapbook pages from this past week.  I was trying to get caught up and I made some great progress.

Photo Book

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Scrapbook Pages & Random thoughts

Hi boys!
Few random things for this week...

Joey - you were sick this week.  On Thursday night, you had a high fever and you were so lethargic.  Your cheeks were flushed and your lips were red.  You looked so cute but you were just laying there with no spunk so we didn't like that!  Once your fever broke, you perked up a bit and I was running my nails on your tummy.  I was saying "Tickletickletickle."  All of a sudden, you were trying to say "Tickletickle."   You did pretty good, too!  You are so loud and boisterous that we are going to be in big trouble when you are actually talking!

Elijah - you are killing me.  Now, you will randomly say "Mommy, I wub you too."  It is one thing to hear it when I say it to you and it is quite another to hear it randomly.  *swoon*  You were so nice to Joey when he was sick.  You were rubbing his head and saying "It's ok, baby."

We did a lot this week.  We started soccer this week and Elijah really enjoyed it.  We went to Heartland Park to see the geese.  On the way there, Elijah was in the car saying "Hold on quack quacks, we are coming."  He loved chasing those geese around and throwing bread to them.  We also went to the Children's Museum.  We wanted to go see the Construction Exhibit.  Both boys really had fun.  Joey was most impressed with looking at himself in the mirrror!

Some scrapbook pages to share with you....

Random thought

Now that I have taken the pressure off myself to do a daily, weekly or monthly post, I have something to write to my boys.  Yep, I am going to address this to both my boys - no longer separated in two blogs.  I have said time and time again that going through our infertility and delivering our babies early helped me to appreciate you boys more.  I don't think I would be the parent I am today if I hadn't gone through that.  I know God needed to teach me to value you.

I was watching an Oprah special and she had a pastor on.  He was talking about how Jesus had 2 loaves of bread and he blessed them.  Then he broke them to become too many to count to feed all the people.  He said "You understand then, that the blessing is in the breaking.  That which refuses to be broken refuses to be blessed.  It is the breaking of life that produces the blessing of life.  Now I know a lot of you in here don't understand that because you yourselves have not been broken.  But, I have noticed in my life that the most blessed people I have ever met in my life have gone through something that broke them."

As he was speaking, I was struck down by its truth.  It reaffirmed that your dad and I had to go through something that broke us (many, many, heartbreaking times it broke us) to be blessed with you two.  It didn't seem like a blessing at the time.  It seemed like a curse.  But, I can honestly say that the blessing it gave me - appreciation for you both - was worth the heartache then.  Even if I had to redo it, I still think I would because that appreciation is so great that it is a gift from God.  There are days when I will get tears in my eyes at my blessings - you, your dad, jobs, a backyard with a swing set and garden starting.  Small things.  Small things that I may have taken for granted if I hadn't experienced the heart-wrenching journey to get here.

Trips are great.  Electronics are fun.  But, nothing - and I mean absolutely nothing - can replace any of these small moments....

Elijah:  "I wub you too mommy."
Joey saying "mamamamamama"
Elijah patting Joey on the tummy saying "It's all right, baby."
Your daddy playing with you two and all three of you giggling.
Joey smiling, batting his eyelashes and tilting his head flirting with me.
Holding you both in my lap and rocking.

Yep, no doubt about it - I was broken for years and now, I am the most blessed.

Slacker mom...

Joey,
I am going to tell you that I am a horrible mom.  I just can't keep up with your blog.  I take photos, I do pages for you, I make notes for you.  I just can't keep posting here daily, weekly, monthly.  In some ways, it is second child syndrome but I don't feel like you are lacking for attention  :)

I don't know what the future will hold so I will leave you with these photos from this past weekend.  It was your last "First" holiday.  We had an AWESOME Easter.  You were so darn cute as a bunny and I love our family photo.  See, this is the thing, my little Joe-Joe, we are too busy living life to type about it  :)

Love you to pieces and farewell for now.  I hope to come back and post now and then.

Some photos

Hey Joey!
You have changed a lot this past month.  I am not sure how to describe it but I have noticed a shift in you this past week.  You are more alert and more interactive.  You are talking up a storm!  You play a lot more on your own and for longer periods of time.  You also play with your brother more.

You were sick a lot this past month.  I hate it when you are sick.  You had fevers and it was your first real illness since the hospital.  Even today, you are home from daycare because you & Elijah both had a fever.

Not a lot to tell you buddy but I have quite a few photos for you.

You & your brother being silly.  Love it!

You are now a big boy in the tub.  No more laying there.  You like to sit up and play.  It is so weird to see you upright and such a big boy.

More bath pictures.

You when you were sick - you slept a ton.  Gramma Debbie came over and you guys napped together.  She said that when you would wake up, you would hit her in the face  :)

Your first haircut!  Your top needed some cleaning up since I butchered it a few months ago.  You did good but you got a bit fussy at the end!

Professional photos for Valentine's Day & your 8 month birthday.  I had to get photos of you in the tux shirt like I had Elijah.  Just turned out, they were also on your 8 month birthday.  You were pretty fussy - you have been having some tummy issues.  In spite of that, these turned out pretty good.  No huge Joey smile but not all hysterics either.

Your watermelon fun a few months ago  :)

Valentines Day - we had a great day.  Lots of good food and you even got to eat a chocolate covered strawberry through your mesh food thing.  You liked your glasses from Gramma Debbie.

My favorite part?  You are starting to say "mammamamama".  In the video, it is a mix between "Mamabababa".  But, I will take it  :)

Hi Joejoe!

Normally, I always update your blogs on the same day.  But, I got Elijah's done, uploaded your photos then I got distracted!  But, that means you get more current information, right?  :)

So, what have we been up to?  Well, you have been sick for several weeks with congestion.  Then, you got thrush.  We thought we escaped that but it still appeared.  We are having a heck of a time getting rid of it.  Lots of boiling going on in here  :)

Some photos of your purple mouth

On the 8th, we took you over with Cory & Lauren to visit while we took Elijah and Jake to see Elmo.  They said you were a good boy - you slept the whole time!

You hit 7 months since I posted last.  I can't believe you are already 7 months!  You are getting so big and making so much noise!  You want to talk so bad!  You are also starting that habit of grabbing for glasses.  And, you are good at getting them really quick!!

You were sick on 1/19 and you had to come home.  You were getting sick on all of your antibiotics.  Once you got home, you were fine.  I think that I made the mistake of giving your antibiotics on an empty belly.  But, you were happy when you got home and we got a good video of you.

We went to the pool and you got your first dunk!  You did great floating around.  You loved the shallow parts so you could "walk" on your own.

Yesterday, we did some paints in the bath tub.  You didn't realize what was going on but you smiled for me with your paints on your face!

That is really about it buddy.  Sorry I don't have much more to tell you.  You are growing like a weed and you are a lot of fun.  I will leave you with more scrapbook pages.  I have been working hard on getting us caught up.

Christmas photos of your hats from Brandon.

Old photos from your first road trip to Missouri with Daddy's family in August.

Christmas with your Mickelson cousins.

Photos from your second road trip - to Minnesota.  I am sorry for your hair looking so silly!  Now that it was cut and is growing back in, it is brown versus that black.

Playing with your brother and the Nativity Scene.

Christmas Eve with your silly brother!

You transitioned to the big boy car seat.  You were getting too big for your infant seat.  You seem to really like the new seat.

Your first haircut.

Really old one - your M&M's from the hospital.

Love these photos of you on the swing.  So cute!

You with Santa at the Zoo.