August is 4.

Wow. I can hardly believe that my little boy turned four yesterday. Four years ago our lives changed in a way I never knew possible. The past few weeks, I’ve been thinking back to when August was a baby, looking at videos and pictures from when he was Harrison’s age and remembering his newborn days. When he was a baby and toddler, while I enjoyed him, I longed for the day where we could talk, play games, and watch movies together. Those days are here and I can hardly believe it.

This past year has been one full of learning for August. It has become clear to us, that this little guy has a love for collecting information, learning facts and grasping new concepts (he must get it from his dad). He loves having chapter books read to him, and prefers a mystery more than anything else! Part of this learning has come from starting 3’s preschool this fall. Everyday, August asks if it’s a school day or not. He loves school and everything about it. He goes on Tuesday morning and all day Thursday. On Thursday they go on field trips to a local nature center. Learning aside, his favorite parts of preschool are his friends, recess and riding the bus.

I’ve often heard the term “threeanger”. This would be true for August. Wowzers. No one warned me that three would bring stubbornness, arguments, sass, and full on meltdowns. August has perfected the gift to negotiate and defend himself. It’s not uncommon to hear him coming up with a “deal” for how he can get another sweet treat. “I’ll eat three more carrots if you give me a chocolate treat”, hell say. He’s learned how to use our phrases and words against us; “You’re being spicy to me and I don’t like it” or “it hurts my feelings when you talk like that to me” my favorite: “it’s not nice to tell me no”. I keep hoping and praying that someday, he uses his gift to negotiate and argue for good. Because right now, it can be exhausting.

August has fully taken on the role of big brother. He always has an eye for items that Harrison should not have, stops Harrison from crawling up the stairs, tries to protect Harrison from danger or snuggles up with Harrison and says “hey brother, I sure do love you”. My heart explodes when I see a brotherhood forming between these two. Harrison greets August each morning with squeals of delight. Again, I pray, that this never stops.

A big highlight for August this year was having eye muscle surgery. He had both of his eyes operated on at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. With an amazing doctor, who knows August well, he has fully recovered and now has two eyes that are aligned. It does look like he’ll be rocking the Ray Bans once again to work on strengthening both eyes to work equally.

Everyday with August is adventure. He has an exuberant amount of joy and optimism. He loves going to the library, use his imagination, being with people, and of course…watching shows. And how I could forgot about Pokemon? He developed a love for Pokemon when Pokemon Go was big this summer. His ability to memorize names of Pokemon, know their powers and types, never ceases to amaze me. I am still trying to see the silver lining in Pokemon and find how it can be educational…like I said, I’m still trying.  😉 For now–we’ll just him dress up like charzard and battle us with his stuffed master ball.

There is never a dull moment when August is awake. He’s full of stories, questions about the world around him and requests to role play pirates, Pokemon battles or firetrucks. He’s starting to grasp the this world isn’t a perfect place. He’s asking questions that make me stop in tracks and realize that he is watching and listening to everything that happens. Now more than ever, I pray that he learns how to think critically about issues, seek justice, stand against hate and love like Jesus.

August Thacker–you have made parenthood way more enjoyable than I ever thought it would be. You have a wonder for the world. Never stop seeking truth, standing up for what is right and holding true to your convictions. You’ve been given some amazing gifts and I can’t wait to see how the Lord uses them for His good. We love you, August and are so thankful that you are in our lives.

 

Merry Christmas- 2016

In annual Christmas tradition our tree is up, cookies have been made, local light tours have been taken and our Christmas has has been sent. As we wait for these finals days to pass before Christmas Day, we wanted to take the time to wish each of you a wonderful Christmas.

The Bohle Family Christmas letter has taken a new twist this year.

Much love from our home to yours.

Merry Christmas!

Eight years into the Bohle family being in existence and we are still experiencing many firsts.  This year’s Christmas letter is a collection of all life’s firsts in 2016.

1. Chris’ exclusive authorship of the family Christmas letter. Yes that’s right. Chris here–and I am in charge of the letter this year. Save the laughter for the end. And don’t tell me whether you’re laughing because of the letter’s overwhelming hilarity or its piteous ignorance.
2. August’s Surgery. This was one of the most taxing parts of our year.  Since March 2015 when August was first diagnosed with accommodative esotropia, we knew surgery could be in his future if glasses and patching did not work. August’s surgery was performed by the best Pediatric Opthamologist in this area (and there are not very many either!) at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. This hospital is unreal–the level of care, expertise, and compassion is second to none.  We were blown away! He recovered very quickly. He is glasses free for now, but may need to return to glasses and periodic patching to keep strengthening his eyes.
3. August attends pre-school for the first time! August is in 3’s preschool for ½ day on Tuesdays and the entire day on Thursdays. On Thursdays, they go to an outdoor nature center for exploration.  He loves it and comes home exhausted every day. His favorite part of the day is riding the bus and recess.
4. Chris is a professor! I am now teaching 2 classes per semester in Hope College’s Leadership Minor. I have about 25 students per section, and this has rounded out my work at Hope in a really great way. I love it and the students. Are you feeling discouraged about the world these days?  These students offer much to be hopeful about (no pun intended!).
5. We are attending a new church called Maple Avenue Ministries. It’s nothing big, flashy, or huge.  Just a small, multicultural, reconciliatory church that is focused on serving the city core of Holland. This place has blessed us and we hope to bless others by attending there.
6. Harrison’s first steps. Who am I kidding though? His first steps are one of a million firsts for this little guy. His first wave. His first blowing of kisses. His first initiation of snuggling with mom and dad and brother. His first tantrum. Oh and he can climb down stairs now. Awesome.
7. Another first for Harrison here…but it’s worth pulling out into its own line. His FIRST TIME SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT. Yes, it’s true. After a grueling babydom, we exited the period of our life where we we consistently crabby, angry, exhausted, and lethargic. Praise God.  
8. First flight for both boys. We took the entire family to Colorado Springs to see two dear friends from high school. Not only was the trip absolutely amazing, but the flight went well too! The boys had minimal meltdowns and they enjoyed the experience. As you may know, I have a severe and irrational fear of flying. Strangely, adding two kids to the mix distracted me from thinking about all of the terrible ways we could die while 30,000 feet in the air. They were oddly comforting. An opiate for the soul.
9. Amanda’s work schedule. This is the first year Amanda’s teaching schedule has allowed for every Monday and Tuesday to be spent at home with the boys. This a very welcome change. She is still teaching first grade at Holland Christian and enjoys it very much. She won’t say it, but she causes those kids to love reading and learning. She is quite gifted.
10. Every year during this season we are reminded of that special first Christmas, many years ago. We are reminded of the love of Christ that has been given to us through the birth of our Savior. May you and your family take time to remember that very special, first Christmas.

Much Love,

Chris, Amanda, August and Harrison Bohle

Harrison-12 months

This is a few days (well–a few weeks) late, but as my mother always said, “better late than never.” I can hardly believe that Harrison is a year old. The fall season sends memories flooding back to this time last year. The cool weather, the changing leaves, the anticipation of having a baby, bringing Harrison home and those first weeks at home as a family of four. The season of fall has forever changed for us. And I’m thankful for that.

Harrison has not always been easy for us. His first 7 months of live were pretty hard. Actually, they were really crappy. He hardly slept during the day. He would wake up at least 10 times a night. He had trouble falling asleep without being rocked and rocked and rocked. His head was misshapen. And our social lives were nonexistent. It was hard. We felt helpless. And alone (or at least I felt helpless and alone. Or maybe it was the sleeplessness kicking in).

We tried everything to get him to sleep more. Essential oils. Chiropractor. Elevating his crib. Warm room. Cool room. White noise. No white noise. Tylenol (oh the amounts of Tylenol we gave him thinking he was in pain). Reflux medication. Adding cereal. Giving formula. Changing formula. Buying expensive “magic sleep suits”. Swaddling. Not swaddling. Everything. His favorite place to sleep was in the Rock ‘n Play until he started to push himself out of it. Then he would only sleep in his swing (we should have purchased stock in D batteries), until the night I again found him falling half way out.

We were tired. We were exhausted and we are so thankful that we are past that stage. The first 7 months were some of the most challenging days we’ve had in our marriage. Sleep deprivation is no joke.

The saving grace through it all?

A sweet, content, happy, little guy. While he didn’t spend much of his infant days sleeping, he sure did spend them wide awake and content. I’m not sure how we would have made it without this saving grace.

A year later. We’re sleeping all night. Harrison takes naps. And we are so.thankful. Thankful that we’ve been given this amazing little guy to raise. He completes our family in a way I didn’t know possible.

Harrison at 1 year-

Likes: Food. Chasing balls. Chewing on anything squishy. Playing with his brother.  Stealing in delight at the firs sight of us or his brother in the morning. Splashing as hard as he can in the bathtub. Clapping. Sidewalk chalk. Swinging on the swing. Playing peek-a-boo.Exploring in the wood chips, grass, dirt, flower beds, etc. Crawling anywhere his brother goes. Pointing. Being thrown in the air by dad. Our phones (agh!).

Dislikes: Getting teeth. Dogs. Lawn mowers. The garbage truck. Having his toys taken away.

Milestones: Walking! He has been taking steps for awhile now, but he is becoming more and more confident with walking. Crawling is his preferred method of transportation.

We’ve caught Harrison saying “Augu” several times. We’re thinking he’s saying “August”. But he’s pretty stubborn with his talking.

He sure loves to explore and get into everything. For awhile I thought he was going to be less active than August. Boy was I wrong about that. He’s just as active with crawling and exploring, but more content doing it on his own terms. I feel like I chase him around all day cleaning up his messes.

We celebrated Harrison’s birthday this past weekend. He was unsure of the “smash” cake. But loved exploring all the new toys he got. We are loving this fall season with two young boys. Trips to the apple orchard, pumpkin donuts, painting pumpkins, and enjoying the crisp air outside.

Harrison Siders–we love you so much, little brother. You’re experiencing childhood while our nation is facing extreme amounts of hate, adversity, division, and fear. I watch the evening news and my heart aches for our nation. For your generation. Harrison–I pray that you know the profound impact your words will have on people’s lives. Use the gift of speech and communication to spread God’s love,  redemption and justice. I pray that you are a man of integrity. That you treat all people with dignity and respect–especially women. I pray that you learn how to think critically and are able to acknowledge injustice when you see it, while acknowledging your own privilege. Mostly, I pray that you come to know the love of our Savior. And with that love, you are convicted to love others the way God loves you. I hope and pray that you never loose your sweet, clam, content, “go with the flow” spirit. You are a gift to us and I know you’ll be a gift to so many in the days and years to come.

Harrison Siders Bohle. We. love. you.

Harrison: 11 months

Wow.  Our last update before the big 1 year blog.  In some ways it seems like this has gone by so fast.  And in other ways, it seems that Harrison has just always been a part of our family.  It …

Harrison- 9 months

9 months. Wow. Harrison is growing faster than I realize. Since summer has started, I’ve been able to slow down in our daily pace and really enjoy the laid back summer days with the boys. It’s hard to believe that Harrison is almost 1! It seems like just yesterday it was last summer and I was 7 months pregnant! Whew–time needs to slow down.

Firsts: 

This month has been a big month for being mobile! He learned how to pull himself up, move from crawling to sitting back to crawling. When he’s holding onto something, he’s figuring out how to shuffle his way around. He’s eating more and more foods and growing by the day!

 

Likes:

It has been so fun to watch Harrison’s personality develop. Overall, he’s a pretty chill little guy. He’s totally content to sit/stand and play by himself while August plays around him. He is way more content being by himself than August ever was.

He loves sitting in the grass/woodchips/etc. and exploring all the new textures around him. Tickles and peek-a-boo are favorites as well.

One of Harrison’s most favorite activity? Bathtime with his brother. He splashes, splashes, and splashes. His favorite places to crawl are under tables while chasing after balls. Shoes seem to be his favorite toy to chew on as well.

Dislikes:

Harrison has developed and mastered a whine in protest of things he doesn’t like. This typically consists of diaper changes, getting dressed, being put into the carseat, wanting down or when a toy is taken away.

He does not like it when his big brother squeezes him too tightly, or tries to wrestle with him. Imagine that.

Summer Fun:

We’ve been enjoying these slow summer days at home. As a family, we took a long weekend to Chicago to visit friends and my brother and sister-in-law. Another weekend we went tent camping at the Holland State Park with some good friends of ours. Harrison was great during the day. At night? He was horrible. The second night there I ended up driving home at 1:00am with him. It sure was an adventure.

Other summer fun has included: pool days at MVP, stroller rides, trips downtown, watching big brother play at the park and enjoying a relaxed schedule.

Life with Harrison wasn’t easy for the first 6 months. While each day presents it’s own unique challenge, we feel like the days and nights with Harrison have become easy. He’s predictable. He sleeps almost all night (still wakes up once for a bottle), he takes two great naps. He’s content and happy. Thank you Jesus!!

Brotherly Love:

Man–there is something about brothers, isn’t there? August just LOVES Harrison. Here are some quotes from August regarding Harrison:

“Harrison, you are my best buddy ever.”

“I love you so much, Harrison.”

“Can I snuggle with you forever, Harrison?”

“I want to snuggle Harrison forever.”

What a jot it is to watch this brotherhood slowly form. Harrison greets August each morning with a smile and loud squeal. There’s not denying that they love each other.

Harrison- 10 months

We’re in double digits in months. How is it that this little guy is 2 months away from turning 1? He sure has changed our lives and we are so thankful that he has.

Likes: Harrison is one happy little guy. He fills most of his time awake by chasing around a little purple rubbery ball. For some reason, he loves this ball.

He likes watching his brother play and trying to join him in the fun. He loves tickles from mom and dad, swinging on swings and exploring new places. Overall, Harrison is happy as long as he has some toys to play with a food in his tummy.

Right now his biggest “like” is eating. The kid will eat anything and everything we put in front of him: peas, cantaloup, watermelon, hamburger, chicken, avocado, spaghetti, anything. This is new territory for us since from day 1 August has been a picky eater.

Dislikes: There isn’t too much that Harrison doesn’t like. He does not enjoy being put into his hot car seat or being hungry. Other than that–he’s a pretty content little guy.

Firsts: He is standing alone (for about 5-7 seconds), waving, clapping and has even murmured the words “buh-bye”a few times! His squeals are getting louder and he’s forming new sounds each day. His new favorite activity? climbing the stairs and playing in the toilet.

Summer Fun: We’ve been on the move this summer and Harrison has been such a trooper. He spent a week with Chris’ sister’s family while Chris and I took a child-free adventure to Nashville. We then went to Grandma’s house in Greenville and then to the farm on the east side of Michigan.

We’ve been enjoying mornings at home, afternoons at the pools and evenings of eating dinner on the deck. This summer has been good for my soul and I think for August and Harrison’s too. As summer draws to a close, we are cherishing each moment spent together.

Harrison Siders–I pray that your happy, calm, and joyful spirit continues throughout your childhood. I pray that you learn how much God loves you. I pray that you learn how to love God’s people. I pray that you grow to see the wrong in the world and desire to do something about it. I pray that you will use the gifts and talents that God has given you bring His Kingdom here on Earth.

We love you so much, little brother.

8 Months

Chris here.  I’ve decided to write the blog post for this month.  Partially because Amanda is busy finishing up the end of her school year and partially because I like to do these on occasion.

Let me start by making a note about feminism.  In short, I think moms get treated unfairly in our society far too often.  A few weeks ago, I was a part of a conversation where working mothers were passed over for work opportunities because it was assumed they would be too busy and wouldn’t want that additional professional involvement.  I spoke up to the group and stated that we should NEVER make this assumption about a working mother, and instead, we should allow her to decide if she’d like to take up that new role.  I’d also add that very few people would EVER make that assumption about me as a young dad.  As a young father, I’m seeing more and more the privileges that come along with being male and the obstacles women face everyday in the work force.

That being said, I have been so proud of the way Amanda has balanced her professional and personal life.  Amanda has done a slam-dunk job at teaching excellently while also contributing professionally beyond her classroom.  I’m proud of her and glad that she has the opportunity to be an amazing teacher, amazing graduate student (yes, she is enrolled in classes and has been for the past 2 years!), AND an amazing mom.

Alright, onto the kid stuff.

This is a new era for us.

Things have changed.

For the better.

I’ll explain soon.

Likes:

• Crawling! Harrison started scooting all over the place about 3 weeks ago, and while he is not on his knees yet, his army scoot is quite productive and cute.  We had about 1 week of the “sitting but not mobile” phase.  It was nice while it lasted.
• His brother.  Harrison squeals in the morning at first sight of August.  It’s quite amazing.  I’m excited to see the bond between them continue to develop.
• Harrison loves bath time.  He never cries, loves hanging with his bro during it, and splashing around.
• I think Harrison has developed a healthy sleep association.  He has this little green frog that he has become quite smitten with.  He sleeps with it every day, and it definitely brings him peace.  I’m still perplexed about the physiology behind these attachment objects, and I am amazed how these little humans operate at such a complex level.
• Eye contact and social interaction.  Still.  He is a pretty calm baby, but simultaneously social.  It’s a funny combination.  He is not nearly has hyperactive as August was as a baby.  He also isn’t quite as high strung.

Dislikes

• Various solid foods.  He hates homemade green beans and peaches.  He has also been a little more skittish eating his bottles.  The latter is because he is distracted by social situations and his environment.
• Stationary devices.  Harrison loves to move, and as soon as we put him in his ExerSaucer or his high chair he whines.  He just wants to wiggle!
• He is showing the initial signs of developing separation anxiety.  Every once in a while when we try to give him to someone else, he will push away and throw himself into our arms.
• There are no signs of cruising or walking yet.  And I’m cool with that.

Firsts

• Sleep.  Consistent sleep.  We are FINALLY out of the miserable phase that occupied our minds during his first seven months.  Sure, those seven months weren’t all bad.  But we were constantly exhausted, anxious, and consumed by thoughts about sleep. It consumed us.  Harrison is now sleeping through the night with just one bottle feeding at around 3 am.  AND he sleeps every morning and afternoon for at least 70 minutes.  Sometimes it’s up to 3 hours!  This is the moment we’ve been waiting for.
• Crawling!  See above.
• Pulling himself up.  Kinda.  With some extra leverage, Harrison has been pulling himself up on August’s train table.  In a few short weeks, we are going to need to lower his crib because I’m certain he will be standing on his own soon.
• Harrison got his first teeth this month!  We were convinced he started teething at 2.5 months.  Well, we were wrong until now.  His two bottom teeth are halfway in, and it’s awesome.

And finally, August has fallen in love with the Snapchat FaceSwap feature.  Enjoy.

 

harrison- 7 months

A few days late, but here we go…

Didn’t I JUST write the 6 month post? When I sit down and think about the past month, I realize that it has gone fast. When we are in the thick of the day-to-day, it seems like forever.

Likes:
Harrison has always been a pretty happy little dude. This month he has seemed to become even more content. He is one of the smiliest babies ever. You just make eye contact with him and he can’t help BUT smile.

It has been so fun to see what makes him laugh. He will laugh loud belly laughs at the most unexpected things–August swinging on the swings, people jumping up and down, August scooting down the stairs, etc. Tickles on the tummy and armpits are always a surefire way to get a good laugh out of him too.

He likes his baby food! Sweet potatoes, carrots, oatmeal, apples and pears seem to be his favorite. He’d prefer not to eat peas, green beans and squash.

Dislikes:
Harrison DOES NOT like it when people laugh. We’ve had friends over and whenever people laughed, he burst into tears of pure fear. It is the saddest yet funniest thing. 

Firsts:
Sitting on his own. This is something that August never did–just sit and play contently. By 7 months August was crawling ALL over the place and wouldn’t sit still. It’s so nice that Harrison will just sit and play quietly.

This is a big one–first night and nap NOT in the swing! The swing is officially put into storage. One night I went in his room when he was crying, only to find him flopped over the side of the swing. Since then–he’s been in his crib. Woo Hoo! We’re making progress!

We had a one week stretch where he was taking awesome naps, sleeping all night long and it. was. awesome. Did you notice how I said “one week”. 😉

When the weather gave us a taste of summer, we took full advantage of it and went to the beach. Baby’s first beach day:

The Helmet!
I have a confession to make. I used to judge parents when their babies had helmets, “you didn’t give your baby enough tummy time. or. You’ve kept the baby in the car seat/stroller too long.” Well friends–I’m eating my own words. Harrison has a helmet.

We did everything possible to keep him off his tummy when he was awake. He still managed to rock a pretty funky shaped head. To protect him from any embarrassment in the future, we decided to  ensure he’d have a normally shaped round head by getting him a helmet.

I was pretty hesitant about how it would go at first, but thankfully it has been an extremely smooth transition. Now we’re hoping that he only has to wear it for a few months.

He’s rocking it pretty well:

The brother love continues:

Harrison–you are so deeply loved!

harrison–6 months

There is a common slogan I hear in regards to parenthood: The days are long but the years (months–in Harrison’s case) are short. It’s hard for me to believe that we’ve reached the 6 month mark. If I write this blog with complete honesty, these have not been easy months for us. Harrison has rocked our world in ways we didn’t know possible.

Harrison has turned August’s world upside down… in the best way possible. August has fallen head over heels in love with his little brother. The other day he snuggled up to Harrison, sighed a deep sigh and said, “Harrison, you’re my best buddy.” Every night, without fail, August will come from taking his bath, into Harrison’s room and jump up in my lap as I am feeding Harrison. He will sit and snuggle with him as long as possible. August squeals with delight at the sight of his brother. He shouts with joy when Harrison has a new development. To say August loves Harrison, is an understatement. My heart is full. Their hearts are full. I love watching their brotherhood develop.

Harrison has been a bit of a pistol when it comes to sleeping. We’ve tried almost everything. Our list consists of: Rock ‘n Play, Merlin’s Magic Sleep Suit, swaddle, swaddle with arms out, swaddle with one arm out, incline the crib, gently rock the crib, gas drops, teething necklace, changing white noise sound, patting his belly to sleep, cry it out, rocking to sleep, chiropractor, ibuprofen, changing formula, and his utmost favorite–his swing. The nights are getting better but nap times remain a struggle.

The stories I hear about me as a baby are VERY similar to the stories we are telling of Harrison. If he remains par for the course, I think we better brace ourselves for his toddlerhood/childhood. Rumor has it, I wasn’t an easy child! 😉

The saving grace with Harrison? His sweet, happy, joyful demeanor when he is awake. The boy doesn’t know how NOT to smile. His bright eyes just exclude love and joy. His favorite way to laugh is by tickles on his belly. His biggest form of entertainment is his brother. He loves being with people and watching what is going on around him.

Firsts:
Harrison has mastered rolling. He’ll start on one side of the living room and end up on the complete opposite side. He’s lifting himself up on straight arms and trying to bring his knees forward. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s crawling within the next month or so.

He’s become quite the little baby food eater in the past weeks. He’ll down jar after jar of baby food and oatmeal cereal. I can’t imagine what it will be like to feed two teenage boys someday!

He also celebrated his first Easter. We went to Owosso for the day and celebrated with my (Amanda’s) side of the family.

Personality:
I mentioned earlier how stinkin’ happy the boy is. He is just so full of joy that it’s hard to remain too upset with him when he doesn’t sleep.

I also think we produce boys who don’t know how to sit still. August wriggled his way through babyhood and hasn’t stopped moving. Harrison is following in his footsteps. He will not stop moving!

Adventures:
This month I was in a wedding for a dear friend in Lake Geneva, WI. We made it a family affair and my brother and sister-in-law came with us for the weekend. During our night in the hotel Harrison REFUSED to sleep. We ended up putting him in the car seat, placing the car seat in the middle of our bed, Chris rocked the car seat while Harrison held my hands. The next night, we went out and bought a swing for him to sleep in. We returned it two days later. Someday we’ll laugh about this right? It sure wasn’t funny in the midst of it.

All in all–we love this little boy. Our days aren’t always easy with him. We struggle with how isolated we’ve become during the winter months. Through it all, my prayer remains the same for this sweet little boy. That he learns how to love God, knows how deep His love is for him, and then in return loves God’s people deeply. I pray he is a justice seeker whom strives to bring a little piece of Heaven here on Earth.

Harrison Siders–we love you.

harrison-5 months

Harrison is 5 month old. Almost half a year. I remember during his newborn days, thinking that March seemed so far off. And here we are in March. Time is going fast and he is changing so quickly.

Firsts: He is officially rolling from back to front and front to back. He’s scooting himself around on his blanket and kicking his legs with vigor. He’s lifting his arms up straight while on his tummy. I’ve got this feeling that we might have another mover on our hands.

He’s laughing and squealing more and more. Toys are becoming more interesting, yet people remain his favorite.

Harrison celebrated his first Valentine’s Day with a whole lot of love! 🙂

Likes: He has become very content this month (while awake that is). He LOVES being held and watching with whatever is going on around him. His biggest form of entertainment is watching his big brother play!

Playing with big bro’s train table

When Harrison was a newborn, I thought he would be more introverted and less active than August. I am thinking I was totally wrong about that. He is such an active little guy–always moving and wiggling. And social–oh my lands– is the kid is so social and aware of when people are around and paying attention to him.

Dislikes: We’ve tried first bites of oatmeal cereal only for him to spit it out (we really should try again). He’s starting to protest his carseat and being left alone.

We took him to the doctor this month, convinced that something was wrong with him. Only for the doc to say that he had a slight eye infection and other than that–nothing was wrong! 

Other Developments: At his four month check-up, I asked about the shape of his head because I was noticing a pretty significant flat spot developing. There is a decent chance that he will have to get a helmet to help round out his head. We’ve spent a good deal of time this month making sure that he’s not on his back while awake. We’ll find out this week whether or not he needs a helmet (let’s hope NOT because I’ve heard that can wreck havoc on sleep and well–I’m not sure how much worse it can get).

A major celebration is that we got him out of his Rock ‘n Play and sleeping in his crib (for the most part). Our next goal? To get rid of the swing! The swing seems to be our 4 am lifesaver! 🙂

Sleep: Sleep has been horrible. We’ve tried so many different things this month–ibuprofen, acid reflux medicine, essential oils, changing formula, infant chiropractor. None of them have been the magic bullet. He’s up A LOT throughout the night and will not/cannot fall asleep on his own. Without fail, he wakes up about 40-50 minutes after putting him down. It seems like he always wakes up after his first sleep cycle and cannot put himself back to sleep.

On a good night, between Chris and I, we are up 3-4 times. On a bad night, between the two of us, we are up 10-15 times. We. are. exhausted. I thought  by now, we would be out of the woods and I feel like it’s only gotten worse.

Needless to say–life with Harrison has not been an easy adjustment for us. We’ve been more homebound than we’d like. We spend so much time and energy getting him to sleep. Beyond our frustrations, we are so deeply in love with this dimply, bright eyed little boy. His happy, cheerful personality,  brings us such a great joy and completeness to our family.

Harrison–we love you deeply. We pray that your love for people drives others closer to Jesus. May your dimply smile bring joy to the lonely and your bright eyes carry the love of our Savior. We love you, Harry-booboo! 😉