A Conversation with Aidan

We are working on potty training with Aidan. He is a champ at #1. Number 2? Well, not so much. Hence, our conversation the other morning:

Me: "Aidan, are you poopy in your pants, or did you just do a toot?"
Aidan: "Nothing."
Me: "Well, it stinks in here, so I know you did something."
Aidan: "It was Daddy."
Me: "So he tooted at work and we can smell it all the way here at home?"
Aidan: "Yes. He pooped his pants."

HA!

More Ethan

Grandma came to visit! Here she is loving on both of my boys. :)

LOVE this little face!!!

Seeing slightly more awake time now:

I know Lisa loves baby chunk, but I actually think the chicken leg stage is quite adorable! I had to capture it since it's something I forget so quickly.

He's howling, but isn't this onesie just perfect for a baby Steele?

Ethan has a blocked tear duct on his left eye (the right side as you are looking at his face). It means he will have a lot of mucous and extra tears until it (hopefully) opens on its own sometime before he turns 1. You can see the little lower eyelid starting to swell in this picture. :(

(And the baby acne - thanks, Mom! (inside joke))

Mike snapped this stealth picture. But it captures some very real moments in our household!

I love that he still curls into fetal position - I will miss that when it goes away.

I can see why second babies don't get as many pictures as first babies - you're just too busy to pull out the camera! But this time around I realize just how quickly each little thing disappears, so I'm really trying to notice and love those moments of the fencer pose, or the frog legs, the little tiny wrists, even the baby acne! I am in awe that the Lord let me help in the creation of this new miracle!

Links to Share

I remembered that newborns are tough, but being in the experience reminds me all over again. I love the little guy, and he's totally worth it, but I have a hard time remembering that at 4 am some nights!

That being said, I've recently come across two links that I thought were worth passing along to fellow parents.

The first link, found here http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/ is about those people that tell you to enjoy every minute of raising your children because they grow up so fast. The author says that while this message is good in theory, she hears it and feels guilty that she is not in a constant state of joy and ecstasy while parenting. I love her conclusion that there are two types of time, and while we can't literally enjoy every minute of parenting (like stepping in a pile of poop in your son's closet, as I did the other day!), we can stop every day and realize the small things about parenting that are miraculous and lovely. I thought it was a very uplifting (and guilt-reducing!) article!

The second link, found here http://studerteam.blogspot.com/2011/11/25-rules-for-mothers-of-sons.html?m=1, gives some guidelines for raising sons. Some are funny, some are sweet, some are practical, all are good reminders to me of why I am so lucky to have the privilege of raising my two beautiful boys.

I am so imperfect as a parent. I have many times that I wish I could ask for a do-over, especially under the influence of sleep deprivation! However, I am so grateful to have a kind and considerate husband, two forgiving boys, and a Heavenly Father who knows my needs even before I can voice them.

And? I'm so grateful to know that Ethan will eventually sleep through the night! I will survive until then, one sleep-deprived night at a time!

Ethan Michael Steele

Sorry I am so slow to post, but we have a new little member of our family!

Ethan Michael Steele was born on Dec. 18, 2011 at 2:26 pm. He weighed 8 pounds 15 ounces and was 21 3/4 inches long. He is cuddly, healthy, and adorable, and all of us are THRILLED to have him join our family!

The Man TV

Mike got a new toy.

When we bought our piano, Mike let me basically make the decision (since he doesn't know about pianos), and all he wanted to do was make sure he liked the way it looked. We had to wait a while and save some money, but the deal was that in return, Mike got to choose our new TV (since I don't know about electronics), and this time I was just the nodder. He wants me to say that it's a 50 inch plasma. I guess that's important.

Mike has been in man heaven.

The TV came, and both of my guys enjoyed setting it up. Mike spent another night assembling the TV stand (since the new TV is so heavy that we couldn't put it on our old stand).

He even trained Aidan to call it "The Man TV."

And now? Behold, the man toy in all its glory!

He Sees You When You're Sleeping...

Aidan was pretty shy with the big guy, but at least he didn't run away screaming! He wouldn't tell Santa, but he will tell me that he wants Santa to bring him some train underwear. This kid is potty training himself!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Recital

I have been teaching piano lessons for the past year and have just loved it. Not only are the kids amazing, but I have also enjoyed getting to know their parents, too. I have small recitals in my students' homes when they finish a book, but I wanted to make sure they also got a chance to do a more formal recital, too. So I got together with my friend Lacey, who also teaches piano, and our students put on a Christmas recital. It was so much fun to see them all dressed up and excited. And all of my students were able to play their songs by memory! I'm so proud of them!