Paxton's 4 Month Check Up

We had Paxton's 4 month well check today (which of course means we also had vaccines..yuck)
He is doing really well and everything is looking great!
He is a BIG boy...which should not surprise any of us..I mean seriously, do any of you remember Maddox at this age..hahah!!
He are his 4 month stats:
16 pounds 4 ounces (80th percentile...a huge leap from the 17th percentile when he was born)
24 inches long (50th percentile)
17cm head circumference (92nd percentile.....the nurse actually came back in to remeasure his head because she thought she got it wrong....hahah...nope, our children just have a TON of brains)

Paxton wheezes when he sits up or stands....I just assumed it was how he breathed when he was working hard..it sounds like a very out of shape old man trying to run a mile or two....Dr. Rogers heard him wheezing and she said it does not sound at all like asthma (thank goodness since asthma is pretty big in Brad's family)
However, the wheezing is because of his acid reflux...it is damaging his vocal cords because he is not getting all of it out...poor little guy. The doctor doubled his medicine and we will keep an eye on it!!

Oh sweet little Paxton, he is such a doll and such a champ. When it was time for those shots he grinned at the nurse, the first shot went in, he tensed up and looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes as though to say "what the heck is going on and why are YOU letting it happen" but he did not cry until the second shot. As soon as I picked him up he took a deep breath and that was the end of it. He has not been fussy or irritable or anything...yet....what a champ!!!

Once again we are so thankful for 2 healthy little boys!!
Oh and by the way, Maddox did much better today when I dropped him off at "School". I am anxious to pick him up and hear all about his day!!

First Day of Parents Day Out

Well, the day finally arrived. The day Maddox had been anxiously anticipating for a while now. The day I was excited/nervous/anxious about. The day Maddox would start a Parents Day Out Program, which we just refer to as "school".
We took Maddox up to his "school" (a local church that isn't too far from our house) a couple months ago so I could visit with the director and see if I felt like this would be a good environment for our 2 year old little boy to venture away from Mommy for a few days during the week, meet new friends, socialize, and learn to take directions from someone other than me. He was all smiles and talked about his "school" spontaneously throughout the day for weeks. We drive by the church where he will attend PDO several times during our week and he always looks out the window and excitedly proclaims "There's Maddox's school!!!" He was very proud of his backpack with his name on it, his new lunch box with dinosaurs and his name monogramed on it, and he loved his new little nap mat (in fact he requested to sleep on this nap mat on top of his bed for a solid week).
Brad and I were excited as the day approached for him to start his new adventure; however, the day before "school" started Maddox decided this was no longer such a great idea and he was not excited at the thought of school. Tuesday morning, the big day, Maddox woke up a little cranky. GREAT. He did not want to put on his underwear, socks or wear any pants. AWESOME. He did not want to try to go potty in the big boy potty. FANTASTIC. And to top it off, just as we were getting ready to walk out of the house, he ran into his room to put Raffi on his bed and he tripped and face planted into his bed post....there are teeth marks on the bedpost where he hit his mouth. POOR GUY! So we wiped the tears, left Daddy at home to play with Paxton. Maddox and Mommy were on there way to "school" Prooving to be the big boy that he is, he did NOT want me to  hold his hand as we walked to his class room. He wanted to carry his backpack and lunch box all by himself and he strutted his little 2 year old body into his classroom. While proving to be such a big boy in so many ways, that quickly changed as he immediately clung himself to me as we walked into his room. That little hand of his grabed my hand so quickly and would not let go. Oh my goodness, that was the hardest morning for me as a mommy. He cried and cried as it was time for me to leave. I finally got out to my car then lost it. I called Brad and just started sobbing. I just wanted to go back in there and grab him and take him back home with me.
I returned home, fed Paxton, and loaded us up to drive by the school to see if they were outside playing where I could see him (but he of course could not see me). It was perfect timing because he and his teacher were walking back to the play ground as I drove up (he had to go potty...big boy, remebering to tell his teacher when he needed to go potty). He seemed to be having a good time and my heart was more at peace.
When I went to pick him up, he ran to hug me then went right to his little cubby and got his backpack and lunch box and climbed himself right up in the the stroller. To say that he was ready to go was definatley an understatement...but he did have a smile on his face and he said that he had fun!! His teacher said he did great, that he didn't cry for long after I left and he was a fantastic listener. He told the teacher every time he needed to go potty, ate a pretty good lunch, did not nap (but he laid quietly on his nap mat). She said that he is a lot of fun and he is such a good listener. Way to go Maddox!!!
We went and had some popcorn and an Icee and talked about what a big boy he was and how proud of him we are. We told him how brave he was and that he did a great job trying something new.
Sheesh, tomorrow is our second day and I am praying for a better day. My mom had a wonderful idea to send him with a picture of me so when he gets scared that he "can't see my mommy" then he can look at that picture. I pray that this will be a wonderful experience for him, that he can make friends, have fun, create new crafts and enjoy the time as a big boy. I pray for a better day tomorrow!!

Happy 4 Months Paxton James

Paxton, our sweet, growing, smilie Paxton....you are now 4 months old and we are beyond shocked at how quickly the time is going.
What are you up to these days?

You are eating 6.5oz every 3-4 hours during the day and you go at least 8 hours during the night.
You get sweeter and sweeter every day
You talk, smile and coo constantly. You sit and "talk" to daddy while we eat dinner every night
You have the sweetest little laugh and have spontaniously started laughing twice while sitting in GiGi's lap...it was a deep belly laugh at absolutely nothing.
You still love to be swaddled
You are sleeping much better in your bed at night
You still nap in your swing during the day
You are wearing size 2 diapers and size 6 month clothes.
You are very content most of the day and just watch the world around you
You are starting to realize that your big brother is pretty funny
You eyes are still the "Kalivoda Blue" and they are beautiful. Just like your brother, I am able to see into the depths of your soul by just looking into your eyes!!

Peaceful Paxton

Paxton....his name means "Peaceful" and it fits him perfectly. He is sweet, gentle, peaceful and patient. The best way we know how to describe him is "chill". For the most part he is pretty content sitting where ever we put him, laying on his play mat or swinging peacefully.

When we sit and eat dinner, he hangs out in his little bouncy seat by the table. He is perfectly content for the most part until he feels like we aren't paying enough attention to him...he will babble a little to get our attention and as soon as we look at him he give us the biggest grin which completely takes over his entire 3 month old little body!!! It is hilarious and I love it.

It is fun to watch him in the stroller when we go to the store. When I am looking around at the various items in the store as soon as I look down at him he lights up and smiles that big Paxton grin and I can't help but giggle.
He loves to be held tightly when he is tired. He is most certainly the cuddlier I prayed for....the MOBY wrap that my dear friend Anna got for me when I was pregnant with Maddox, works wonderfully to allow me to have my hands free a bit and still enjoy the snuggle time with my littlest man!!

Oh sweet Paxton...you most certainly are peaceful and a perfect fit to our little family!!

A little video of the sweetest little giggle!!!

It's Potty Time

It's Party Potty Time

Little Potty for Maddox to take care of business....check.

30 pairs of the cuttest little boy underwear I could find....check.

Freshly read copy of "The 3 day Potty Training Challenge".....check.

A huge bag of M&M's for rewards for taking care of business in the potty....check.

Lemonaid, apple juice, water, and any other liquid I can get Maddox to drink....check.

As many prayers for patience that I can utter....check.

Okay, lets get it started....Potty Training Maddox in 3 days!!!

Sounds a little crazy if you ask me, but we went all out and dove right in. No more diapers. Big boy undies. And the phrase "Maddox, please tell Mommy when you need to go potty", "keep your underwear dry please" and "Who has dry undies....Maddox does.....whooo" repeated at least 1000 times throughout the day. The result half way through day 2.....NOT A SINGLE ACCIDENT...and the Madd-man telling me when he needs to go potty!! He is loving picking out his underwear...we have Cars, Nemo, Toy Story, Thomas the Train, Yo Gabba Gabba, and even some boxer briefs. (Now, I am kind of holding my breath, because this has been entirely too easy...but I will rejoice in how awesome Mr. Maddox has taken to keeping his big boy underwear dry).

Way to go Maddox. Thank you for being such a big boy...we are so so so so so proud of you!!

I want to....

…remember the sleepless nights.

…smile even when I’m tired.

…rejoice in the chaos.

…hold him as much as I can.

…be thankful for diaper duty.

…focus on what really matters.

…press him close.

…joyfully endure showerless days.

…breathe deeply.

…love fearlessly.

…revel in his innocence.

…be proud of the dark circles under my eyes.

…feel his heart beat against my chest.

…not be ashamed of my stretch marks.

…be bathed in peace.

…accept my body for the beautiful giver of life that it is.

…leave no cheek unkissed.

…have no regrets, for I know all too well that this time with him is fleeting. He will be grown and gone before I can blink my eyes. And I want to make every moment count, now while I still can.

(thank you McMama for beautifully expressing what I feel as a mommy to two beautiful boys)

Bed Time Stories

Bed Time Stories.

Oh sweet Maddox...this child never ceases to amaze us! He is so smart and has quiet the memory on him. He loves his little Bible and the other night he started quoting his favorite story while I was reading it to him...turns out, he had the entire thing memorized and as you will see in the video below it is not a short story!! (you will also observe the attention span of a 2 year old..hahah)

Hope you enjoy a little bed time story...Maddox style!

Bye Bye Paci and Oh Boy We Love Soy

Bye bye. Farewell. Adios. See ya later alligator. We have said our final good byes to Maddox's germ infested, speech inhibiting, faithful companion and sleep helper Pacifier. While mommy and daddy were very happy to finally have this "friend" out of our 2 year old's bed...that said two year old was not nearly as excited to see his buddy leave!  This has been one heck of a week as the strong will in our super smart and cleaver two year old made itself very well known, but I am happy to say that Maddox has adjusted well and is very proud of the fact that he no longer sleeps with his pacifier! We are so proud of him and are grateful to have this very difficult task behind us! Way to go Maddox!!

Oh boy, we sure love Soy!!! We have switched Paxton to Soy formula and he seems to like it. While this little guy is rarely upset, he started to spit up about an hour after he had eaten and the pediatrician thought he might not be fully digesting his formula (although that is hard to see when you look at the size of our little guy...he is definitely not hurting for some calories..ha) so she suggested the switch. While this has helped with the spit up, it has also helped him to be more content in the car (well, at least I am assuming it was the formula switch) He used to cry any time we were in the car and I simply assumed he was hot, lonely or just did not like the car seat, but now he is much more content back there; thus making our car rides much more enjoyable.

 

Sweet Laughter

Here is how we tell time in the Voda house!! HAHA

It's All Greek to Me

When I was in the fourth grade, I learned the Greek Alphabet. I have never forgotten it and I often sing it to Maddox. When he was younger, he laughed and laughed when I sang it to him and now he often asks me to sing it rather than the English alphabet. A few months ago, I walked into Maddox's room and he was playing with his tools, quietly singing the Greek alphabet...he knew it all!! Once again, this child never ceases to amaze me!!

Here is a quick video the Madd-man saying the English Alphabet (it still cracks me up that he thinks it ends with the letter 'V') and singing the Greek Alphabet (sorry, my voice is so loud, but he his hard to understand and even harder to understand when speaking Greek...hahah)

Thank You Thank You

Thank you Jesus for the sweet sound of Maddox laughing while he runs and plays outside.
Thank you for the smile that consumes Paxton's entire body and brightens my entire day.
Thank you for the click clack sound of the swing in the living room that provides Paxton with the rest that he needs and the quiet that this Mommy needs.
Thank you for blessing our lives with Maddox, our more difficult baby, so we know how blessed we truly are to have an infant that is relaxed tummy-issue-free!!
Thank you for Maddox's big brown expressive eyes that allow me a glimpse to his soul.
Thank you for Paxton's adorable blue eyes that allow me to see a part of Bradley all day long.
Thank you for the opportunity to watch Maddox use his imagination more and more creatively every day.
Thank you for bath time and the splish splash and laughter that fills our house every night.
Thank you for bedtime and the quiet that spreads throughout the house after 8pm.
Thank you for swaddle blankets and how cute Paxton looks when he is all wrapped up and ready for a nap.
Thank you for the active two year old who rides his pretend motorcycle all throughout the house with sound effects and all.
Thank you for healthy babies!
Thank you for the crazy times and the ability to cherish the "normal" moments in our day.