As I write this, I’m sitting at Panera immediately after Asher’s 9 Month well check. I’m trying to catch a few moments to myself and process after a few hard days emotionally. The latest wave to crash against me? Hearing the pediatrician mention the words “failure to thrive” in reference to Asher. I mean…have you seen this kid?

Is this the face of a child that is failing to thrive?

Sure, he may be on the small end, but what those growth charts don’t tell you is that he’s been crawling and climbing for 3 months. He’s chasing an active big brother and would much rather play than snuggle up for an extended nursing session…unless it is nighttime and there’s nothing better to do. Those growth charts don’t tell you that he’s clapping, waving, and giving kisses. They don’t tell you that he’s been saying “Mama” and “Bubba” for 3 months. They don’t tell you that he’s recently picked up the words “Bye-Bye” and “Go-Go”. They aren’t able to tell you about the depths of his belly laughs and the shrieks of joy when he’s in the bathtub splashing.

Failure to thrive? Not the face I’m looking into.

Now, don’t misunderstand me…

I am concerned that he doesn’t have the rolls where he should. I am concerned that he’d rather play with his food than stick it in his mouth. I am concerned that he doesn’t have cheeks to pinch. I do recognize that his low weight could be an indicator to something medically wrong, but failure to thrive? Really?

I’m just not sure.

You see, I’ve seen the children that truly aren’t thriving. I’ve seen the empty eyes, the frailness, and the missed milestones. I’ve seen the orphan child that bangs her head against the crib rails or rocks back and forth to self-soothe when there isn’t someone to snuggle when she wakes up in the middle of the night.

Matter of fact,  I have a child that might be rocking in a crib halfway around the world this very second.

No. I just can’t accept the term “Failure to Thrive” in reference to Asher.

Low on growth charts? Yes.

Failure to thrive? No.

Not when there are 163 million orphans needing a forever family.

Failure to Thrive? is a post from: Happy Brown House

Happy Friday!

I love slow, quiet mornings that involve my coffee and a cinnamon roll. They are my favorite. Using my Dean & Deluca coffee mug makes me think of the trip I took during college to visit my sister in NYC. I bought it the morning I stood outside The Today Show.

We’ve been practicing reading and writing three-letter words with Jonah. He’s working so hard! He wrote BED all by himself without my help. (I said the word first, and then he wrote the sounds that he heard.) He was so proud he wanted me to take a picture to show Daddy after work.

Asher found the easel paper and started unrolling it toilet paper style. He then proceeded to eat the chalk that I had “hidden” from him. He is already so mischievous. He just looks at me and cackles when he knows he’s into something.

Then he climbed in the fireplace…

Every single time I put ferns on my front porch I end up in a fight with the birds about where they should and should not build their nest. This year, the bird won. I’m so intrigued with the difference in the eggs. One is speckled and the other is not. The speckled egg is also larger. The problem with bird nests in my ferns is that I don’t want my fern to die, so I water it. I am hoping the momma bird doesn’t abandon them due to my watering habit because then I’ll have to Google things.

Linking up with Jeannett at Life Rearranged

InstaFriday is a post from: Happy Brown House

“Asher, you’re my best friend.”

It’s happening. Slowly, but surely these boys are becoming brothers.

Melts. my. heart.

Jonah says… is a post from: Happy Brown House

After this week’s post about Special Time & Living Fully, I made sure I really lived! I soaked up time with my boys this week.

We headed to the Library for Story Time and heard stories about butterflies. Jonah made a butterfly puppet. (Sidenote: Do you go to your local library for story time? Ours is FANTASTIC! Seriously. It is the highlight of Tuesday mornings.) The timing of the butterfly theme was perfect considering we got our shipment of caterpillars this week from Insect Lore to observe the butterfly life cycle. I couldn’t have planned that one better if I’d tried!

We headed to the park for climbing, swinging, and a big dose of natural Vitamin D. We stuck Asher in the swing for the first time. I think he’s a fan, don’t you?

Big brother got to push little brother. This made my heart swell so much it burst into a million pieces right there on the playground. I am still in awe with His ways with me.

Jonah got his haircut. It should be noted that if Ms. Emily ever leaves Great Clips, Jonah will be one devastated boy. She’s the only one he will let touch his head. Serious tears if Ms. Emily isn’t there…we know her schedule now. As we waited for Jonah’s turn in the chair, he talked it up with an older gentleman. This boy could talk to a wall for an hour and you’ve already seen evidence of his imagination in this video…let’s just say that the man probably regretted saying hello. Jonah would not let him go about his business and just kept talking to him. I, on the other hand, was dying with muffled laughter at the randomness that is Jonah. It was hilarious. I may or may not have left the man to his own defenses because I wanted to see just how long Jonah would force him to talk. I think the man got a kick out of him, so he wasn’t bothered, but people, it was all I could do to keep from crying as I laughed.

We often joke that Jonah’s love language is eating out. One night he suggested we head over to a local frozen custard place. It was the best idea he’s had in a long time. I, of course, encouraged Mr. Happy Brown House to be the “Fun Dad” as he talked about bathtime and bedtime, but really it is because Nana’s Frozen Custard is my love language, too. I’ve trained Jonah well.

I enjoyed this Strawberry Shortcake…it was way bigger than I expected! It’s a good thing I’m still using breastfeeding as my excuse to eat. By the way, I’m never weaning if it means I can continue to eat at Nana’s regularly.

And this boy has learned how to splash during bathtime. We’ve also ditched the baby bathtub because he tries to climb out of it. Jonah thinks taking a bath with Asher is the funniest thing ever. Me? Well, I’m usually soaked. Laughing, but soaked thanks to this cutie…

Linking up with the lovely Jeannett at Life Rearranged. All photos courtesy of my iPhone.

InstaFriday: Truly Living is a post from: Happy Brown House

“College cheese is on sale, Mom.” (AKA: Cottage Cheese)

“Look, Mom, it’s 11:25!” (Lucky guess. He adds “20″ in front of all the numbers on a clock.)

“I’m on safari!”

Gosh, I love this silly boy!

Jonah says… is a post from: Happy Brown House

Asher is 6 months old today. SIX whole months. Um, THAT is half a year. How is that even possible? I mean, on the one hand, it feels like he’s been around much longer than six months when I think about colic and sleepless nights that no amount of coffee can help. But then, on the other hand, I feel like I just blinked and here he is sitting up on his own.

He keeps me on my toes in ways that Jonah never did at this age. Which is probably why I’m having such a hard time squeaking out a blog post. Or cleaning. Or showering.

He’s wiggly–changing his diaper is like wrestling a greased pig at the fair.

And strong-willed–I think it’s safe to say I will be reading Dr. Dobson’s book sooner than later.

He’s “King of the Catnap” and my cuddle-bug.

I wouldn’t trade him for all the world.

He leaves me absolutely speechless some days. Like when I turned around and found him CLIMBING onto the bouncy seat just two days shy of 6 months.

Or when he CRAWLED to get the remote the second he saw Daddy put it on the floor….at one day shy of 6 months.

My life flashed before my eyes and I caught a glimpse of him standing on the roof with a cape one day….and I got a new gray hair just thinking about it.

And should you not believe me, here’s proof I’m going to lose my mind before Asher turns one.

Linking up with…

InstaFriday: Six Months is a post from: Happy Brown House

2 sick boys

104.3 temperature for big brother

101.8 temperature for little brother

3 Trips to the doctor

Double Ear Infections times 2…plus RSV

Breathing Treatments every 4 hours

1 night spent in the recliner for Mommy and 1 night spent in the swing for Asher…0 hours sleep

225 mL of Amoxicillin for 10 days…times 2

1 yeast diaper rash, 2 bowls of baby food thrown up, countless blowout diapers

All of that adds up to…

One Super Exhausted Mommy

How was your week?

I’m linking up with InstaFriday at Life Rearranged. My old dinosaur of a phone died and I got an upgrade, even though I swore I wouldn’t. Turns out, Mr. Happy Brown House gets a discount through his work and it hasn’t impacted our bill much. So, now I’m sending postcards of my day though Instagram. You can follow me on Instagram (@happybrownhouse)

InstaFriday: By the numbers… is a post from: Happy Brown House

We’ve been practicing three letter words (also known as word families) around our house for quite some time now. Honestly, Jonah just kinda started sounding them out one day…by himself. Ok, ok, so I’ve set him up for success with all of the fun things I do with him and I’ve been really strategic about things related to reading instruction. But still, the moment he started reading them on his own, I pulled out my phone and took a video. (Email subscribers, you might have to click through to see the video)

Forgive my video skills. I had Asher on one hip and forgot to turn my phone sideways to make it larger.

I love this kid, y’all. He is all kinds of awesome, but you already knew that if you’ve been around here long. Don’t you remember Leaf Family?

Also, in case you were wondering, the word family sorting activity is from the Circus Preschool Pack over at my friend Jolanthe’s blog, Homeschool Creations. It’s one of Jonah’s favorites to pull out and work on when he has a choice.

A Reader is Born is a post from: Happy Brown House

Asher on a very rough night

You know that feeling when you can’t get a baby to stop crying, no matter what you try…

Yeah, that.

Try feeling it for several months straight. It kinda stinks…in the worst way.

It wreaks havoc on your mommy self-esteem. Rips it to shreds and then stomps on it repeatedly. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, you start questioning your sanity. Wondering, “Am I really losing it or is that the colic, sleep-deprivation, haven’t-had-a-shower-in-two-days thing talking?” It’s a very fine line, my friend.

{Sigh}

It’s been a tough time at our house on the baby front. Sweet little brother, Asher, had colic. I think it’s gone, but I don’t want to jinx it. Colic is rough stuff. Currently, we’re dealing with an extreme aversion to sleep it seems. He fights it like I’ve never seen before. Then, out of the blue, he decides he really IS tired and screams at the top of his lungs because he’s over-tired. Really, over-tired might be an understatement…he’s downright exhausted by the end of the day because big brother, Jonah, can’t seem to leave him alone.

Jonah: “Mommy, Asher woke up.”

Mommy: “Yes, Jonah, babies wake up when you shake the bouncy seat and yell at them.”

I digress.

One would think that he’d be sleeping long periods of time at night since he’s overtired…one would be wrong. Dead wrong. I can’t seem to find the magic equation that results in sleep for him. I think he’s most comfortable on his tummy, but that is a recent hypothesis we’re still testing.

I used to be such a confident mom, but then Asher arrived and threw my parenting “theories” out the window…followed quickly by our household schedule and routine. It’s left me feeling like we’re in a tailspin and I just wish the captain of the plane would grab hold of the controls and land us already….Only we’re not on a plane, and I’m the adult that is fresh out of ideas on how to steady the horizon.

And so for now, I just keep putting one foot in front of the other, knowing that THIS IS A SEASON. A sleepless season. A season for staying in spit-up covered pajamas. A walk-the-floors-and-bounce-a-fussy-baby season. A season for being selfless for the one that is literally helpless without me. Then one day, I’ll wake up surprised and refreshed from a night of uninterrupted sleep. And it will feel oh so good!

In the meantime, I’ll embrace the moments that keep me going…

•  Asher giggling in his sleep…when he finally sleeps
• Jonah telling “brother secrets” to Asher during floor time
  

  Brother Secrets

• Early morning “Daddy & Asher” time, so Mommy can get a little extra sleep before the next feeding
• Phone calls from friends
• Milestones met (even if they haven’t been blogged about yet!)
• Scripture reading during nursing sessions…we’re both getting “fed”
• Milk-drunk smiles
• A hand that finds its way to the small of my back while I’m up nursing in the middle of the night
• and so many more…

One day, not too far down the road I’ve been told, I’ll turn to my husband and say “You remember how it felt when they needed us?” Yeah, that…

Yeah, that… is a post from: Happy Brown House

{This blog post has been in the works for a month~AN ENTIRE MONTH! Needless to say, it takes me longer to do EVERYTHING with two children, including blogging. Have you missed me? I sure have missed you, sweet readers! Oh, the stories I have of a colicky baby and our transition to two kids. So, while you’re recovering from Christmas shopping, allow me to reminisce about Halloween…}

Halloween. It brings up the “Super-Mommy” Complex in me. You know, the one where I refuse to just buy a costume because they are “poorly made and fall apart.”  So instead, I drag two children to Walmart in the rain after dinner to get the ONE missing supply in order to stay up late and whip out a homemade costume. Because in my mind, homemade costumes are way better. I know, it’s an illness I can’t  seem to find the cure for. It’s hereditary. {Hi Mom!}

And maybe, this costume complex just continues because they end up being so darn cute. Case in point: The cutest Peter Pan you ever did see…

See what I mean? This is really the first year that Jonah had a request. I’m so glad he came up with this one.

Here’s how I made it:

For the shirt, I just grabbed a green long-sleeved shirt that was too big. Cut the bottom and some of the sleeves to look tattered. Cut a “V” in the neck. (I actually messed up here and made it too large, so we put another shirt underneath.) We placed a belt around his waist.

For the pants, I grabbed an old green t-shirt from my closet and traced a pair of his pajama pants that were on the small side to make them look like Peter Pan tights. I used the bottom hem of the shirt to my advantage, so all I had to sew was the inseam and a waistband.

For the hat, I used some felt from my stash and got creative. I didn’t have a pattern and had never made a hat before. I was totally winging it. (I was inspired by Ashley at Make It and Love It, but wound up with a slightly different hat.) I ended up making two triangular-ish shapes (with the point rounded off and closer to the back). Then, I realized it wouldn’t quite be big enough for his head. So, I added a strip in between the triangle pieces. I pinched it together in the front and trimmed the excess. I added a cuff at the bottom and a red feather on the side.

I also made a dagger out of felt that we attached to his belt. This was, by far, his favorite part. Case in point…

Peter Pan had a pretty cute L’il Pumpkin, too, if I do say so myself. I mean, I am slightly biased.

Just slightly

The Cutest Peter Pan You Ever Did See… is a post from: Happy Brown House