Lesson 7

This is going to be one of the rare (so far) lessons that you and your brother will share.

You are getting so big! 5 months old, and already you have 6 teeth. You're rolling all over the floor, babbling, laughing... you're getting so big so fast. It seems faster than it was with your brother. Maybe because I know you're our last child. I took you guys to the planetarium yesterday and you were amazed. I know you didn't understand anything said, but you were mesmerized by the screen. It won't be long and you'll be asking to go. There aren't many things that I think "Man, I can't WAIT until the kids are older." In fact, I can only think of one. Laundry. I hate doing laundry, I would rather clean an entire house than fold laundry. I don't mind washing and drying it, but folding it is torture to me. So, as soon as you're old enough, I'm going to teach you to do your own laundry. Which brings me to lesson7.


Laundry. Here's how you do it. First sort it. Whites, towels/bedding, blue jeans, clothes you don't want to dry (usually nice work clothes or new clothes you don't want to shrink,) and colors. Wash anything you don't want to shrink in cold water. It will also help keep colors from running. If you are washing a new shirt or something that is a bright color, like red, for the first time wash it by itself. Fill the washer with your clothes, you don't want it to be so full it can't spin. Add soap, use the cup and line to measure. Add fabric softner (in our machine now, it goes in the center.) If you have clothes you don't want to shrink, when they are finished washing, hang them up on hangers to dry. Otherwise, put them in the dryer. The longer they sit in the dryer after it's finished, the more wrinkled they will get. Whites are washed in hot water, add a little (1/4 cup) of bleach IF they need it. I find it helpful to alternate loads by how much folding, that way it doesn't seem like I'm folding laundry all day. I'll wash whites, which is typically a LOT of folding, then follow up with towels or jeans since they don't have a lot of folding. After laundry is folded, PUT IT AWAY. In your closet or dresser. Not the floor. After you have washed, dried, folded, and put all your laundry away, run the washer empty on hot. This will help wash out any gunk from dirt or soap. We'll work on ironing another day.

Lesson 6

Boy, you are growing so fast. I swear, even faster that William. By the time you were 3 months, you had 2 teeth. You'll be 5 months old in 4 days, and you have 3 bottom teeth and 4 more top teeth that are going to break through any day. You and your brother are very similar, but you're very different. I think you're going to be the sensitive one. You don't like to be left in a room alone for long. When you go to Nana's house, you refuse to eat, but then scream like you're dying when I get there for a bottle. You're not as out going as your brother so far. You remind me of me. Once you're comfortable, you're happy and a bundle of action, but until then you're cautious and reserved. When I was a Freshman in college, I tried my hand at stand up during open mic night at my dorm. What resulted was something so bad that the next year, a NEW Freshman asked if I was "that girl who bombed." I can honestly say I was glad that none of my friends were able to make it, and I wish I had been drunk... at least then I would have had an excuse. But, I did it. While I'd never do it again, I did at least attempt it once... and never want to speak of it again. Which brings me to lesson 6.

Learn to laugh AT yourself. Someday, you're going to do something so mortifying you'll never want to talk about it again. The only way your going to be able to look yourself in the mirror the next day if you learn to laugh at whatever dumb thing you did. If you learn to laugh at yourself, you'll be able to let others laugh too... just make sure you don't do it on tape. :) No embarrassment is so bad you'll die. Don't let those embarrassments be the reason you don't have fun in life. Everyone has done something they're embarrassed about, so don't let it keep you down.

Lesson 5

You have teeth! 3 months old, and you have 2 teeth, with 3 more coming in. You're still not napping well, but we're making progress. Your face just lights up when someone talks to you. You're favorite thing right now is to be startled, you will laugh and play that game for hours. We just had the 4th of July at Nana's. You were passed around from person to person. You were in heaven. You also slept through the fireworks, which was a surprise since your brother woke up screaming when he was your age. I got hit in the face with a mortar. I wasn't hurt badly, after a bit of ice, you could barely see it. I've loved fireworks for as long as I can remember. Even after a disastrous display when I was about 5 at a stand our church was running. Some of the fireworks went wrong and chased a lot of us around. I remember one car seat having a ball of fire fall inside it, literally seconds after the mother took the baby out. I remember hiding under a table, only to be pulled out before a ball came through. I still love fireworks though, as long as they're done safely, they're the best part of the 4th for me. Which brings me to lesson 5.

Someday, you're going to love something. It could be driving, or playing sports, but you'll find something you really enjoy. You might one day get hurt or someone else will get hurt. Don't let 1 bad experience prevent you from enjoying yourself. Don't just stop doing something you love because of one or two bad experiences. Did I cut short my viewing of fireworks this year? Yes, but I'll be back out to watch them next year!

Lesson 4

You are growing like a weed! Already 3 months old, and you are wearing some 6 month outfits. You have 1 full tooth in, and another on the way. You're going to have your front 2 bottom teeth first. You haven't been too fussy about it, in fact, I didn't realize you were teething until I saw inside of your mouth. Though, it did explain why you've been wanting to chew on a bottle or pacifier when you go to sleep. You've never really wanted a pacifier before. You're also laughing and talking more. You're keeping us entertained with the way you babble at us. Right now, you're laying in the floor under your gym smiling at a toy and talking to it, almost as if it's talking back. There's a new push about teaching your children the same lessons you would if they were of the opposite sex. I think I've done a pretty good job of that, but I thought for a long time about what I would say differently to you if you were a woman. Some of those things really are specific to sex, like how to dry your hair the fastest or how awesome it is to shave your legs and sleep in a freshly made bed. However, I did come up with a couple that I might have seen more as "girl" lessons. Which brings me to lesson 4...

As you get older, you're going to be doing things and going places on your own. Always be mindful of your surroundings. I hope that I get you enrolled into a karate class, I think it would be an excellent way for you to learn how to defend yourself. Your dad thinks I'm paranoid, but there are bad people in the world, and you need to avoid them. Whenever you can, park in a well lit area, always carry your keys with them sticking out between your knuckles. That way, you can have some extra damage if you have to hit an attacker. Always lock your doors and watch around you when you are in a parking lot. Make sure your home is secured, especially at night. Always let someone know when/where you're going on trips. I know I sound like a worrier in this lesson, and as I've said, I am. However, I don't think you can ever go wrong making sure you're able to avoid or protect yourself in dangerous situations.

Lesson 3

My God, you're growing like a weed. Last month, you had your 2 month check up and you were almost 14 pounds. We've finally moved and I think we're settled. Aside from a couple boxes of your clothes, I have everything unpacked. You've been doing a lot of screaming and crying lately. Nothing that is unusual, you've just embraced the "purple crying" stage for all its worth. When you're not screaming, you're adorable though. You're finally starting to coo and almost giggle. I took a video of you listening to your brother tell you a racing story the other day, and you were talking right back to him. The two of you are already pretty buddies. Which brings me to lesson 3...


Your brother is going to be your brother forever. Long after your Dad and I are gone, you'll have each other. Make sure you remember that. Spend time together, make sure you don't let life keep you from staying close, even if you're hundreds of miles apart. If you live close to each other, make sure your kids play together and know their cousins. It will make their family ties a lot stronger and will always ensure they have someone to play with and talk to.

Lesson 2

I know it's been awhile since I wrote last, you'll learn quick that I don't always get things done as fast as I'd like. :) However, in my defense, you've been keeping me hopping. You're getting so big. 2 months old already, and you're wearing 3 month old clothes. You're more maintenance than your brother was. You will only sit on your own for 30 minutes tops until someone needs to interact with you. You're a bit harder to put to sleep, and there are some nights, like last night, where it takes 2 hours to get you back to sleep after a feeding. There are some days where I'm ready to pull my hair out, but I know that it will pass. You'll eventually sleep through the night and I won't have to go on 3 hours of sleep. On those days I try to make sure I spend some time watching you sleep. Which brings me to lesson 2...

One day you might have kids, and I'm going to tell you know, you'll love them. You'll be willing to die for them, but there will be days where you're ready to sell them to the circus. On those days, make a point to watch them. I don't mean, watch them so they don't get into the cat food. I mean pick a time when they don't know you're watching and watch them play or sleep, just enjoy whatever they're doing a the time. You will smile so big and talk to your brother when there's no one else to interact with. I've caught him telling you all about the characters in your mobile one afternoon. I put you in your crib to get dressed, and when I came back around the corner, your brother had crawled into your bed with you and was telling you all about McQueen, and the other 3 cars and how they were racing. It instantly made the stress of getting all of us ready and out the door disappear.

Lesson 1

March 13, 2013. That was going to be your birthday. I was going to go into the hospital, be hooked up to an iv with inducing drugs, have an epidural, and deliver you. You had other plans. March 10, 2013 is when you decided to come into the world. By C-section, luckily, you gave me enough warning for an epidural. We went to the hospital about 5am, within 2 hours all your grandparents, your uncle, and your brother were waiting in the waiting room for you to decide to arrive. After some complications, the doctor decided we couldn't wait on you anymore. At 1:47pm you were brought into the world, whether you were ready or not. We're weren't quite ready. Your bedroom still isn't 100% finished, and I'm just now getting the laundry done that I wanted finished before you got here. None of that is important though, what is important is that when you came, we were all there. Waiting for you, ready to hold you and to love you. Which brings me to lesson 1...


We don't have a large family. Sometimes I wish we did, I have a lot of friends that I consider family, but not as many blood relatives as I'd like. What we lack in numbers, we make up for in love. Cheesy sounding, I know, but it's true. Before you came into the world everyone loved you. Nana was excited to get the crib ready at her house and started plotting her kidnapping of you for a night. Grandma started asking what she could buy you so you could have something nice to come home to. Uncle Danny was buying you football jerseys to last you 18 months. Your dad and I spent time trying to plan what we wanted your room to look like, and whether or not we were moving before or after you arrived. You'll never need to worry about whether or not you're loved, because you are. One day, you'll have a family of your own. We'll love all of them just as much as you do. I try to make sure I tell you, your brother, and your dad that I love you at least once a day. I hope that's something that you'll keep in mind when you have your family. It's important to say it, you want people you love to know that you love them. Even when you're making me crazy, even when you've done something you're in trouble for, even when you've done something I don't agree with, I love you. We all do.