Reid is really developing his personality! He is definitely recognizing people and voices and is doing a really great job at tracking people and objects too. It is becoming easier to console him when he’s hungry (or upset) by picking him up and talking to him. He typically calms down unless he is super hungry. He is a good morning napper as he often falls back asleep easily after his first and usually second morning feeding. He’s even begun to rub his eyes a bit when he’s getting tired. I typically wrap him in his swaddle, give him his pacifier, and lay him down in his cosleeper in our room. I turn on the heartbeat noise maker and he drifts off to sleep on his own! He’s pretty simple that way! He also loves to be held and will sleep as long as you hold him :O). His neck is growing stronger and stronger and he gets “tackle time” practice with Griffin usually every day. He’s really able to arch his neck and shoulders into the air and high above his bottom. I thought he would have turned over by now (back to front) as he has a strong shove off and arch in his back, especially when he’s mad! I think it will be soon, He is also regularly putting both of his legs in the air and both of his arms forward and in the air. It’s a joy to watch him concentrate by making this cute face and straightening and tightening his upper lip. His smile lights up a room and he’s happiest just after he’s eaten or when he’s taking care of business ;). 

I’m enjoying my last few weeks at home. Griffin, Reid and I adventure out on bike rides/walks and various places together. I have mixed emotions about going back to work. I’ve really, really, enjoyed being home with Reid and Griffin over the last 13 weeks. I love to be able to spend time with them during the day and not just in the evenings. And I’m thankful for my workplace that has allowed me to be away on maternity leave for such a long period of time. I do enjoy my job though I’ve certainly enjoyed a change in my daily schedule that I’ve only had one other time (when I had Griffin) over the last 19 years being at Millcreek. And being home over the summer is a great time of year!

Thursday morning we went on a long walk/bike ride and then rushed home to shower and get ready for our adventure. Kevin and I were planning to surprise Griffin with a daytime trip to Pins Mechanical only to find out they don’t open until 4 pm! I had told him we were going to COSI, but really we were going to surprise him at PINS. Ugh! So instead we ate lunch at Si Senor and then Griffin, Reid, and I actually DID go to COSI. We also ventured to the library this week where (gasp) I even checked out a book for myself! Griffin was getting so frustrated with me trying to find something I could start reading while he wanted to play in the kids area. Several times he handed me books off the shelf and said things like “here, Mom, this is the one. Read this one. This is good.”.  I’ve never been good at reading as I fall asleep as soon as I start not to mention my wondering mind. But it’s a small goal of mine so I wondered around not being familiar with any authors and in the end took a book off the end that was a “librarians pick”. So far I like it! And as for Griffin, he loves reading or being read to and he really has fun choosing new books. He loves being read to at the library to see if he wants to check the book out. This particular morning Finn wanted the same thing for breakfast that Grandpa Beilstein had made him for lunch earlier in the week: scrambled egg and salami slices. And thanks, Mom and Dad, for coming down to watch Reid and Griffin so I could head in to work for a few hours for a meeting. Somehow I didn’t snap a single photo! I’ve not always made time for tummy time each day but I’ve begun to get more regular use out of the jungle mat with Reid. It’s cute to watch him reach for the animals and listen to the sounds and watch the lights. And then there’s Brutus always wanting to be around the activity.  I actually took Brutus to the vet on Thursday as he’d been doing some licking. I figured while he was there I would also ask them to cut his toenails (that’s a real win right there!). I’m really glad I took him there as my initial reason for visiting the vet was to refill Lily’s medicine. He weighs 105# and I was surprised to learn that she thinks he should lose about 10 pounds! What?! He’s only 11 months old! But it seems we’ve been feeding him too much (perhaps 6 cups some days, but he’s often not interested in eating all of it). He should have 3-4 cups a day so we’re going to shave his portions back to 4 cups total each day. She also looked in his eyes, ears, looked at his feet, teeth, etc., and she showed me some redness and scabs in his right ear. He doesn’t have an infection per the ear cytology so she gave me a topical ointment to put on it to clear it up. She thinks he may have some allergies (perhaps food or environmental) so I’m going to start being more observant as to what and when he licks and itches.  Looking back I realize he’s always been more of an itcher but I never once considered allergies! He did great at the office and only barked a couple of times. Even those barks were soft barks not his deep loud barks. He is just a ginormous baby though as I had to walk with him to the table for him to be examined. Otherwise as they were leading him to be examined he was yanking backwards trying to slip his collar!  On Friday morning I met up with Laura down at Columbus Commons. It was a beautiful warm and breezy day full of fun inflatables, building blocks, and art activities. Oh, and it’s free! I left Reid home with Debbie and Griffin and I had a morning date. It was fun! The letter of the week this week, “O”, is for Octopus, I love how much Griffin loves Reid. He regularly asks to hold him and snuggles with him. He talks to him and is such a great helper. Whenever he hears him crying he rushes to his crib to give him his pacifier. He often says things like “I just can’t believe I have a brother”, “he’s just so cute”, “awe, look at his cute face”. It brings my heart joy.  And guilt for being overly stringent sometimes about germs or just correcting him rather than just letting him express his love for his brother Reid. So, each day I try to do better than the last and strike a better balance. I love when Griffin is able to calm Reid down and make him smile. It’s the cutest. On Friday night we went out for our first Japanese Steakhouse experience with Griffin. He thought it was super cool to see the chef do the tricks with his utensils, including cracking the egg on his spatula and trying to toss broccoli into his and Kevin’s mouths! Oh, and he absolutely loved the soup (just not the mushrooms, lol).  On Saturday we took meals to Missy and Brett as she is recovering from surgery. We then made a pit stop at Grandma and Grandpa Armstrong’s house. It was a fun afternoon.  And on Sunday after church we celebrated with the Bethune’s and friends for Rowan’s 6th birthday! It was a sunny afternoon and a fun group of kiddos. I can’t believe he is already 6! He was just 3 months old when Kevin and I began dating!