Leo - 14 Months

I recently told someone that Leo is really growing into his toddlerhood.  By this I meant he has been quite a handful recently - he has accidentally flipped himself off the side of the couch, he has stuffed graham crackers in the detergent area of the dishwasher and he is still enthralled with anything and everything he can throw.  It's busy keeping up with the little guy and he's not even walking yet.

Thankfully, Leo does have some fine points, too.  He still gives the best and most heartfelt hugs.  His belly laughs fill up the room with joy.  Even Milo has been won over by Leo's charms (although he will often yell trouble is on the double when Leo is heading his way).  The two boys like to play cars together and Leo makes a vroom vroom noise that Milo is very proud of him for.

We added a fish to our family (Swimmy the Beta) and Leo loves to watch him swim and eat his food.  Each morning he wants to wave to Swimmy and spend some time watching.  Leo is also always excited to see and pet dogs or cats on our walk.  He seems to really like animals.  Although we have offered several stuffed friends, Leo hasn't settled on one lovey (other than a stuffed snake he intermittently steals from Milo and carries around).

For the past few months, we've been going to gymnastics on Friday mornings.  Technically the class is for Milo, but Leo gets to join in too.  He loves it!  He crawls all over the big gym and up and over mats.  He gets me to help him hang onto a bar and then I tell him how strong he is.  He loves the singing and claps along during circle time.  At the end of class he is intently watches the parachute moving up and down.  This week I let him out of the baby carrier for parachute time and he was able to join the other kiddos crawling around on the brightly colored fabric.  He had a huge smile on his face the whole time and Milo watched out to make sure the other kids didn't step him.  It was fun to watch!

I can't believe how quickly Leo is growing up and also how much like a baby he seems.  It is clear Leo would like to be talking - he is constantly babbling and trying to repeat words.  He gets his needs across to us through pointing and grunting, but I know he has so much more to say.  And I can't wait to hear what is going on in that sweet (and stubborn) little head of his.

Leo - 13 Months

This has been a busy month for our little one-year-old.  Leo has morphed from a baby into a sweet and lovable, albeit mischievous toddler.  He can make it all the way up the stairs and thinks it is super funny to do so.  He can purposefully only go down four or five steps at a time though.  So the math doesn't really work out on that one and we watch him carefully.

Other favorite mischievous behaviors:  pressing the menu buttons on the television while Milo is watching it, unplugging the computer and emptying drawers of clothing.   He also loves to throw things (food, sippy cups, books) just to watch them fall.

Leo also now gives high fives!  I love this.  He also has a word/sound associated with each high five: bah!  Speaking of words, Leo has a few he used regularly, but is now trying to repeat many other words.  This morning he said "buh bye dudee" to Chris as he was leaving.  It was super sweet.

Leo is a sweet little guy.  As he is playing throughout the day he will often crawl over and give us a hug.  He is also cuddly   If there is a blanket or pillow on the ground, Leo will crawl over to it and throw himself on down for a quick soft cuddle.  He kicks his feet when he is happy and exciting and this is definitely a kick-worthy occasion 

Leo - 12 Months

Somewhere along the way over the past 12 months, Leo has turned from a sweet sleeping baby into a cuddly energetic toddler.  Nobody is as surprised by this as I am.  I was showing Milo the pictures we took at the hospital last year - of the tiny, red faced, worn out from birth little guy.  Neither of us were quite sure it was actually Leo.


Leo who is now a super fast crawler and a pretty good cruiser.  Leo who now shows his excitement by kicking his little legs.  He is often excited.  Leo loves balloons, dogs, cats, toys, reading books and his people.  Oh how this sweet boy loves his people.  He gives the best hugs complete with resting his little head squarely on the shoulder of the huggee.

We've heard him say a few words here and there - banana, book, mama, dada - but he mainly communicates by pointing, grunting and shrieking.

It's not all fun and hugs around here though, Leo is still not sleeping through the night and his nap schedule is all over the place.  He also shows absolute no interest in weaning.  So there are a few challenges ahead.

Before we tackle those issues, though we had a lovely time celebrating Leo's first birthday.  The day started with a balloon hanging outside his door (this is also the best tradition ever!), which was met with shrieks of delight and lots of playing by both kiddos.  We had oatmeal and bananas for breakfast (favorite foods of Leo) and the played.  That was followed by several hours of trying to nap and finally actually napping.  Later in the day friends came over for playing and cupcakes.  Leo was so happy to see his friends and then also to see Uncle Tony who came over for dinner.  We finished the day with taking pictures, hugs and books.  A perfect way to celebrate our 1 year old! 

Leo's First Birthday in Pictures

Favorite Pictures of 2012

This is our second full year with a DSLR and we are still getting the hang of it.  Still we have learned enough to get some treasured images.  Here are my favorites from the year that was mostly a blur.

Leo - 11 Months

Sweet sweet boy at 11 months.

Leo or Beco, as Milo is now calling him, is charging straight ahead toward being 1 next month.  He is also frequently trying to charge headfirst down the basement stairs where we are constantly dragging him away from the tumble of doom.  He thinks this is quite funny.  He also thinks peek a boo is super duper funny.  If you happen to start a game of peek with him you had better set aside some time because it can go on for a bit.  His laughs and giggles and huge grins are the best part of the game - he really thinks we don't where he is for a bit.

In addition to his antics, Leo has also been a bit of a handful.  He does not appreciate being put down and will wail whenever that happens. His favorite place to be is holding onto Mommy's hair with his head wedged between my jaw and shoulder.  Daddy's arms are his next favorite place.  And after that it is back to either crying or pointing in awe at the Christmas lights.  I suspect this is either a normal developmental phase or a few other teeth are joining the six he already has.  So we are trying our best to grin and bare this time and as an added bonus we are getting an ongoing arm workout as we hold our almost 23 pound boy.

Leo enjoys to and can roll his tongue in crazy ways.

The day before Leo turned 11 months he was baptized at our church.  It was a lovely day - Leo mostly slept through Mass before the baptism and then was quite interested when the priest anointed him with oil.  He was less thrilled with the water being poured over his head and then he totally over the whole thing by the time pictures came around.  He did perk up quite a bit for the party afterwards as he entertained us all by enthusiastically eating his mac and cheese and celebration cake.  Overall it was a memorable day of love, family, friends and reaffirming our faith.

Boddler

The other day on Instagram, I coined the phrase boddler to describe Leo.  No longer a baby, but not quite a toddler either.  Since then I can't stop thinking of this in between phase he is in and we're all trying to figure out.  I don't remember Milo being stuck in between quite as much as Leo is.  Maybe it's because Leo is reaching for the next big thing he sees his brother modeling while Milo was content to just be a baby for quite some time.  Leo is constantly crawling toward danger and loudly voices his opinion on being stopped from climbing into the oven or dishwasher.  And yet, he also still needs and wants his mommy to be there for him with a hug.  He's a study in contrasts this little boddler of mine.

Leo - Three Months

We have officially bypassed the "fourth trimester" and Leo is now 13 weeks old! He is no longer a newborn and is how an actual smiling, giggly, lovable baby boy. Just this week, he has been rocking tummy time and does a great job at holding his head up. And just yesterday he rolled over from front to back for the first time! We were so proud.

He's still a cuddle bug and clearly lets us know when he wants to be held. When we are out and about, he is usually held tight against me in the Moby wrap. He loves it! When he sees me tieing the wrap, he gets a huge smile on his face. For the most part, he's a content and happy baby. He's at his most fussy when he is super tired and just wants helped to sleep already.

Leo loves his big brother and I often notice him watching Milo as Milo goes about his day. Leo is also a big fan of me - I have the Mommy milk after all. He also smiles a lot at Chris and particularly likes to talk to him during dinner (if Leo isn't napping, we put him in his high chair at the table so he can be part of family dinners).

During diaper changes and first thing in the morning, Leo is constantly babbling. I forgot how much I love those baby noises. And the smiles, oh the smiles, this little Leo boy has are just amazing.

Leo - Two Months

Our sweet little Leo is growing right up! This past month has flown in a flurry of unseasonably warm days. We have gone to playgrounds and played in the backyard. Leo is typically in the Moby Wrap or in the ring sling. I am trying to keep him out of the baby carrier as much as possible because one side of his head is getting rather flat. Our pediatrician is doing osteo treatments on it and we're already seeing some improvement.

In other Leo news, he has started sleeping through most nights! Such a gift for this tired Mama. He typically wakes somewhere between 5 and 6 a.m. to nurse and then goes back to sleep for another hour or so. Throughout the day, he is mostly still sleeping, but does have some awake periods where he smiles, coos and looks around. We say he has a froggy smile. He often says something that sounds like AGA and we all like to repeat it back to him. He's not really grasping for objects yet, but he does enjoy looking at toys with a lot of contrast. Most mornings, he and Milo take turns activating the lights and music on his bouncer. I love watching them play this game together.

Leo still seems itty bitty to me, but at his last appointment he weighed around 12.5 pounds. He is mostly in size 3 months clothes. It has been fun dressing him in my favorite outfits that Milo once wore.

We're still in survival mode as we get used to life with two kiddos, but Leo has been a joy. He's a super easy baby to love and be around. Unless he is very tired or very hungry, we don't usually hear him make too much of a fuss. He likes to look around and take in everything. And in the moments I steal with just him, I like to take him in and revel in his sweet babyness.

Leo - One Month

It so doesn't seem like Leo has been here for a month already! This might be because he still sleeps a lot during the day and while I don't actually forget he's there, the attention tends to go to his louder, older brother rather than to the sweet sleeping baby. Although he still sleeps for much of the day, we do have short periods of awake time each day. He looks around and takes everything in - especially lights, shadows and ceiling fans. Also, the other day he smiled at me for the first time! Intentional first smiles are one of those super special baby things that I love and his were so fun to witness - all coy and lovey.

The life of the second child is vastly different than the firstborn. Leo has been carted around to playgrounds, numerous trips to the library and to various recreation classes. Sometimes I wear him in the sling or Moby wrap and sometimes he hangs out in his stroller. He prefers to be worn. If in the car seat carrier, we must keep moving or he can begin to get a little fussy. As busy as he is though, Leo also gets the benefit of having a more experienced set of parents. We are much more confident in our baby handling and care. Plus, Leo gets Milo! The other day when we dipped Leo in Milo's tub and called it a bath (see second born and not getting elaborate baths in the kitchen sink), Leo was crying and without our asking, Milo reached over and held his hand.

When I think of Leo, the word sweet comes to mind. He is just a sweet a little bundle of baby. I steal moments of cuddle time with him first thing in the morning and before bed. Sometimes I let Milo watch one more episode of Thomas than is probably wise so that I can spend more cuddle time on the couch with Leo. In these cuddly moments, I get a deep sense of Leo's sweet personality and wise ways. Maybe that's why it seems like he has been here for longer than a month, in some ways I think I have known him all my life.

A few random things about Leo:

• He has the sweetest little lips. They are often pursed in a little kissy pout that is hard to resist.
• At this point, he wakes about 2 or 3 times per night to eat. He is still sleeping in a pack and play in our room.
• At his two-week check up he had gained 13 ounces for the previous week. The doctor took this to mean breastfeeding is going well. Actually, though I think he has some latch issues which we are working to correct.
• He has outgrown some of his newborn clothes and is mostly wearing 3 month outfits.
• His right is the side he prefers to look to, but he can be coerced to look the other direction.

Leo is Here!

Our new little guy is one week old today! He is currently sleeping in the bouncer (that big brother Milo so loved as an infant) in the middle of the kitchen floor while I sit typing this at the kitchen table. Chris is upstairs putting Milo down for a nap. Tomorrow Chris goes back to work and I need to learn to handle life with two little boys. So before we ratchet up the crazy times, I wanted to take a moment to sit down and record Leo's birth story.

Last Monday was the holiday after New Year's Day. Chris was home and we met some friends at a bounce place. After a few false starts there, Milo had a great time and was worn out when we got home. We all had a nice nap and I was feeling mostly fine. Later that night we went to the grocery store for dinner and to do a big stock up trip. I was starting to feel a little crampy with all the walking around the store, but otherwise fine. After heading to bed, I woke up with slight contractions around midnight. I was able to stay in bed for most of these, but around 2 a.m. I headed downstairs and popped on Facebook since I couldn't sleep anyway. I noticed my brother was on messenger, so I sent him a message saying to keep his phone on that night because my contractions were getting stronger. After that, I woke Chris up to tell him I thought I was in labor.

We stayed upstairs for a few hours before moving down to the living room and eventually calling the doula around 4 a.m. She came over and helped me through the contractions I was having. She also suggested some positioning moves (lunges mostly) to help the baby move from resting on my right side (which if he would have stayed there would have meant a posterior baby). After working through these exercises, we noticed the baby had moved which was a relief. Around 6 a.m. I decided to head to the hospital. I didn't want to be home when Milo woke up and I was certain I was in active labor and wanted to get the show on the road.

Upon arriving at the hospital, I was admitted and found to be at 5 or 6 centimeters dilated. After the paperwork and getting the IV in place (ouch), I moved to the tub and labored there for about an hour. The water at first really helped the pain of the contractions, but then it stopped having such an effect. After deciding to get out of the tub and finding I was 7 centimeters dilated, I opted for an epidural. I was in pain and tired and just wanted to rest.

After the epidural I fell asleep for an hour or so. Thankfully, my body kept contracting and the baby was happy. A resident came in a broke my water, after which I quickly progressed to the complete 10 centimeters. At this point, I was wondering if the epidural could be turned down a bit. It seems my body responds a bit too well to this medication because I couldn't feel a thing. The answer was no, it couldn't really be turned down.

I started pushing around 3:30. My doctor came in and said the baby's head was coming out crooked and it would be tough to deliver him. He suggested using the vacuum. I opted to keep pushing for a bit, but ultimately agreed to the intervention. With that help, Leo was delivered at 4:28 p.m. He came out screaming and squirmy. I was able to immediately hold him for quite a long time.

Overall, this birth experience was 100% better than Milo's. I felt more in control, more respected and more at ease the entire time. Are there things I would go back and change if I could? Sure, but since the outcome was so positive, I am just thrilled with how it all went. The recovery, both emotionally and physically, has been so much easier this time around.

Why the differences? Being a second time Mom probably had a lot to do with it. This wasn't all brand new to me. My birth team definitely had something to do with. Choosing a Dr who was supportive of VBAC was key. Changing hospital environments also seemed to have an impact. Hiring a doula to be a supportive influence was also a dramatic change for the better. And finally, I think having a stronger yoga practice helped me be more aware of my body and my ground.

Little Leo is a joy. Well, I think he is a joy. At this point he mostly sleeps. And eats. Milo, as expected, is a loving and sweet big brother. We are all enjoying bonding and getting to know our little lion.