Nixon 10 months

Nix!

You sure are changing and growing fast every day.  You are perfecting your bear crawl and getting really good at walking around the furniture. I think you'll be walking before we know it!

You still adore your brother, whatever he's doing you are right behind him.  You get so excited to see him in the morning.  And if he's laying on the floor you will crawl over to give him "pats".  He interprets your love pats as hitting and that results in a big ordeal...but none the less I see the love you have for your big brother and I think it's sweet!

You still feel the need to also be my sidekick and have major stranger anxiety, even with family members that you see often.  I'm hoping SOON you grow out of this.  You are such a sweet and funny baby but it seems I'm the only one that gets to see that side of you.

You still aren't sleeping through the night and that is a little hard on me, not gonna lie.  You are really good at going down for bed, maybe one of the easiest babies I've ever put to bed, but you still wake up every 3-4 hrs at night. You aren't the best eater, so maybe you do still need the calories at night.  You are a pretty picky eater and if I serve you something you don't like (which is most of the time) you are quick to make a huge mess by throwing everything off of your tray.

But you are still the sweetest little baby.  Full of hugs, pats and kisses.  I'm cherishing these sweet moments of yours, I know one day you'll make me drop you off 5 blocks away from the mall so you won't have to be seen with me.

Love ya, Nixy.
mom

brothers.

I quickly tried to capture this moment.  I thought I was too late but looking through my phone I saw that I captured enough of it to still make me smile. 

It was a Saturday at Costco. People everywhere nudging their way to a free bite of sausage on a pretzel stick.  Kash was yanking on my necklace complaining that he was thirsty. Nixon had fallen asleep in the car and wasn't super excited to be awake. It was hot and I was unfortunately crabby.

Pushing my giant cart through the crowded isles I looked down and witnessed one of my favorite moments as a mother so far. Nixon reached up and put his tiny little hand on Kash's back and leaned his head on his brother's shoulder.  Usually Kash would scream that Nixon was touching him but on this day he embraced him back. I stopped pushing and darn near cried.  I couldn't stop hugging and kissing them both and getting in on the love-fest.  Once I finally resumed my shopping I realized a guy in front of me had been watching the whole thing, I was somewhat embarrassed about my over-gushing-mom-moment. But we exchanged smiles and I could tell he had had his share of  "dad moments" as well.

Being an only child I had big dreams of one day having multiple kids and they would be the best of friends, period.  It never once crossed my mind that this best friendship wouldn't happen immediately. In my dream world 3 year olds aren't jealous, they love babies, always want to share and play with their siblings. It's been a tad bit hard for me to watch Kash not immediately have all of these desires for his brother.

When Nix was born Kash wanted nothing to do with him. Nixon started to sit up and Kash would sometimes talk to him but was mostly annoyed with him still. Then Nixon started to crawl and Kash saw this as an opportunity to boss Nixon around as much as possible, "no, no Mix!!!", "Get out of my room Mix!!", "MOMMM Mixon has my toy!!!"

This isn't to say Kash doesn't love Nixon, he does.  When he's not around he always asks where he is.  If he gets hurt he makes sure he's ok and he's very protective of him when it comes to other people holding or "hurting" his brother.  He just doesn't want to kiss him, talk to him or play with him like I dreamed.  So when I looked down at my cart and saw these brothers sharing an embrace my heart melted.  It was the boost in motherhood that I needed, hope that one day these two WOULD be best friends.

I've really grown to love my boys for their differences.  I always dreamed of a life with little girls and pigtails running around my house.  Now I have two boys who hug it out in Costco and I wouldn't want it any other way.

It's the little things in life.

Nixon 9 months

Full disclosure: this picture was taken pretty late.  Nix was still 9 months when I took it, but barely!  And the blanket is turned the other way and the sun was going down making the lighting not so great...yada yada yada.  We try around here...

Hi little Nixy Bear! (I know, I know, one day you will ask me to stop calling you that but since you can't talk I'll continue to give you cute little nicknames.)

Next to the newborn stage I'm finding this age to be my favorite.  I love how interactive you have become and watching your little personality bloom.  There's no doubt you are an observer, a child who sits back and takes in the world.  But recently you've become a little more curious as you want to see how much toilet paper you can get off the roll or how exactly does your brother turn on his iPod...oh can't figure it out? then in the mouth it goes. My favorite is when we are all sitting in a room playing and you've decided you have had enough and crawl in another room to play by yourself and discover new things on your own.  You still have the sweetest little spirit.  You look at me with your big blue eyes and I can just see the love behind them.  As soon as I walk in the room you can't crawl fast enough into my arms. Morning time is still full of pats and hugs as if you haven't seen me in days.  I love this about you!  I love how sweet and snugly you are.

Your second tooth came in on the bottom this month (very shortly after the first) and it sure makes for a cute smile to have two little chompers poking out.

You are getting really good at pulling yourself up and walking around furniture.  You can climb up the stairs, but haven't mastered the down part yet.  You are getting pretty fast at crawling and I really have to keep an eye on you!

You have started eating a lot more solids and pretty much eat whatever we are eating as well as baby food still.  I think I've even seen you use baby sign language for "more food" this month, but the "more" sign is easily confused with clapping so jury is still out if you are a baby signer yet or just excited to be eating.

You love dancing and music, your brother, bubbles, the bathroom (ugh, so hard to keep you out of there!), the fridge and playing with bowls while I make dinner.

I love you so much Nixon!  I'm so glad you are just the way you are and that Heavenly Father knew better than me and gave me the perfect little boy.  I love you more and more each day, honestly something I didn't know was possible.  I hope you always know how much I love you, even when you are 2 yrs old and we have hard days and I feel like pulling my hair out...I will still love you as much as I do now.

Love,
Mom

Stats:
Height: 28.5" (52%)
Weight: 19 lbs. (50%)
Head: 53%

"sooo big"

Nixon 8 months

Oh little Nix you redeemed yourself this month!  Our happy baby returned and we couldn't be happier.  Last month sucked, this month was a lot better.  The only thing I can think of was that you weren't getting enough food.  I know it sounds like neglect, but it wasn't on purpose!  You see, you aren't the biggest eater.  So when it came time to introduce you to solids you liked them just fine but didn't take a huge interested in them.  But after trying everything to make you happy I had a thought that maybe you weren't getting enough to eat during the day since you still weren't sleeping through the night (which by the way you pretty much are now and it's awesome).  I introduced meats into your diet and made sure you at three solid meals in addition to nursing you every 3 hours and it seemed to do the trick.  Again, I'm not 100% sure that this was the original problem but either way you are happy which means the rest of us are happy.

Along with the return of your happy mood you had a million firsts happen this month.  Biggest one...you are crawling!!!  It has made things a little more crazy around our house but you love that you can get where you want to go. And guess who you end up following around the most, yep, your big brother :)  You also started pulling yourself up on furniture and you can go from laying position to sitting position.  Your first tooth also popped through this month.  Now that you are big enough I put you in the big bath all by yourself.  You were always trying to escape the baby bath so it seemed like the right time to transition you.  You LOVE the freedom and all the splashing the big bath allows. All of this happened in about a weeks time and it was a little too much growing up at once for this emotional mama to handle...

Luckily you still love to snuggle and are the sweetest little baby in the world.  I'm holding on to these sweet moments before they are gone! It used to be hard having you be a complete mama's boy, but the other day I was thinking how one day you will be too cool for me and I'll miss the days of you pulling on my pants to have me pick you, crying the minute anyone else holds you and your whole face lighting up when I enter the room.  So for now, I'm perfectly content with being the one that your world revolves around, I know it will only be for a short time.

I love you so much Nixon!  My heart is completely full when I think about you and my love for you.

Love,
mom

This month proved to be the hardest to capture a picture of you.  You are on the move!!!  Almost every single picture I took this month was blurry. 

nixon 7 months

Niiixxx (in my best mom voice),

If we are being honest here, and I try to most days, you've been kind of hard to handle lately.  This last month was not your best.  Between the teething like symptoms (without a tooth in sight) and cold after cold you've worn me out child.  You are still super attached to me, which don't get me wrong is still sweet at times, but can get old when all you want is for me to hold you...while I do the dishes, cook dinner, work, get ready, etc.  You used to be content to play with your toys in your saucer or on the floor but that seems to be a far off memory now.  I'm hoping this will change and once you get over your current cold you'll be back to your happy self.

That being said you still do have your happy moments.  You love burrowing your face into my chest or the floor and popping up to play peek-a-boo.  You still think Kash is the coolest person alive and he is still the only one that will cause you to randomly burst out loud with laughter.

You are a very snuggly baby which makes up for all the fussiness. Anytime I get you out of your crib you give me a big hug that lasts about a minute and then you are ready to face the day.  And sometimes after rolling around on the floor you make your way over to me and rest your head on my lap, it's very sweet.

You rode an airplane for the first time this last month.  I was a little nervous for this trip of just you and I to Arizona to visit some of my friends since you were pretty crazy the week before we left.  But you did awesome on the plane.  You flirted with all of the old ladies and as soon as we were in the air you fell asleep and slept the whole time.  Phew!

You are almost crawling, did I say that last month ha?  Well you are closer this month! :)  You get up on your knees and rock back and forth but then get frustrated and just roll to where you want to get to.  If you see something you want though, you find a way to wiggle your way across the room to get it.

Your favorite "word/phrase" is goy-goy-goy.  Don't know what it means, but it seems to be your happy phrase.  Any time you are happy or excited you say it.  It's cute.

Even though some days are really hard I wouldn't trade you for anything Nixon!  You still are and will always be my sunshine baby.  All it takes is one innocent look from your big blue eyes and I forget all of your craziness.  I love you so much sweet baby!

Love,
mom

nixon 6 months

Happy half birthday Nixon!

Oh Nix, it's so fun to watch you grow and develop each month. I feel like you understand so much more than last month.  For example when I ask you if you want to eat you start to get excited.  When I ask for a hug, you will lean in and rest your sweet little head on my shoulder (and my heart melts).  You are also starting to mimic certain sounds. Smart little baby.

Here's a video of me trying to get him to hoot like an owl.  I know I'm super annoying and he doesn't actually make the noise till the end where my camera's battery dies and cuts him off.  So basically this video is pointless other than to show you how cute Nixon is. 

Movie 0001 from Erica Turnbow on Vimeo.

You have started to move all over the floor.  You aren't crawling yet, but you are scooting backwards and roll all over.  You are also sitting up by yourself.  You still need to be supervised because you're not completely sturdy on your own. I'm realizing how much our house is not baby proofed, I guess it's time to get on that.

You started rice cereal and orange baby foods this month.  You love both, and I can tell you've put on some weight since starting the solids.  Which is fine because I still don't feel like you eat a ton from me, but you are clearly growing and getting the nutrients you need.

I'd say you are about 50% over your stranger anxiety.  Meaning half the time you are fine if other people hold you and the other half you are still making that ridiculous crying face and producing actual tears.  I have to laugh every time you make your sad face because I never see it unless other people are holding you and it's so dramatic.

You love when dad comes home from work.  You awkwardly stare at him until he talks to you and then you laugh at everything he does and says.  I keep reminding you that you are a momma's boy but I think as soon as you can run and play you will be by dad's side like your brother.  Oh well, at least I get the sweet baby stage. :)

One of my favorite things about you is the way you look at me.  While sitting in my lap you randomly look up at me with your big blue eyes to check in and say hi.  To me your eyes and facial expressions make you seem a lot older than you are, it's as if you totally get what everyone is saying and you can't wait to join in on the convo.

Only 6 more months of baby days.  I'm holding on to every.last.one.

I love you Nixon!
Mom

6 month stats:
height: 27 in. (50-75%)
weight: 17 lbs (50%)
head: 44 in. (50-75%)

nixon's 6 month photoshoot

I've been feeling pretty guilty about the fact that Kash had his picture professionally taken every 3 months for the first year of his life and Nixon has not.  Looking back that was totally not necessary to take pics that frequently.  But I did want to get some shots of Nix for his 6 month birthday to try and even things out. Plus he's so cute right now I'm sure the grandmas want an updated picture :)

Rachel, my sister-in-law and go to photographer, is still pretty pregnant and has her hands full with her two boys so I felt bad asking her to take Nixon's 6 month pictures.  Although looking at these I wish she had.  I'm no photog that's for sure! And it's darn near impossible to try and take pictures of a wiggly baby all on your own.  Plus every time I pull out the camera Nixon is so enamored by all that is going on and his brother running around in the background that it's hard to get a genuine smile. Oh well...

As you can see I didn't go all out on props or a fancy location.  Remember how I'm trying to simplify my life???  But I do think I captured some simple and sweet moments in his 6 month old life.

*Grandma's let me know what ones you want and I'll print them off for you.

N is for Nixon

he reminds me a lot of Kash in this picture

Every morning when I go to get Nix out of his crib he's playing with his toes

it should be noted that Nixon's feet are the tiniest feet in the world, and these mocs are a little big for him :) 

nixon 5 months

Nixon turned 5 months on February 7th

Hi Nix!

You have really grown and advanced in the last month.  You rolled after about a week after your 4 month birthday. It was awesome because Kash, Dad and I were all there to witness it and started cheering for you as if you made the game winning shot. When you first started rolling over you would scream and look around like "who did this to me". Now you are getting better at not getting so upset and have started to search for toys to grab while on your tummy.  All of this tummy time as made you really strong and I'm amazed at how long you can push yourself up. You can also scoot yourself all the way around on the floor and somehow wiggle your way a few feet from where I laid you down. Still no rolling from stomach to back, but I'm sure that's right around the corner.

You are like a baby goat and will chew on anything you can get your hands on--burb cloths, blankets, toys, a paper I'm holding in my hand, my hair, etc.  I really have to keep an eye on you, you're a sneaky one!  I saw you actually get mad for the first time this month.  You had somehow got your hands on my wallet and when you started to put it in your mouth I took it away and you made the maddest face and screamed at me.  I know one day your fits will be very annoying/frustrating, but right now the miniature versions of them are quite cute. You are getting really good at finding your pacifier and putting it in your mouth all by yourself.  But if you can't find your pacifier occasionally you are still sucking your thumb.  Verdict is still out if you will be an official thumb sucker or not, but if I have anything to do with it you won't be!

Your sleeping pattern is getting a lot better. You will take a short nap around 9-10am and then by some miracle you take a bigger nap around 1pm (same as Kash) and then another short nap around 5pm.  Nights are getting better as you are sleeping around 6 hrs. before wanting to eat.  But you have a pretty nasty cold right now which has you coughing throughout the night and to your tired parents it feels like you aren't sleeping at all.  I think it's a cold on top of teething, but no sign of a tooth yet.

You are still my little sidekick and still don't like other people to hold you.  And with this sickness it feels like I'm holding you 24/7.  But I can tell you don't feel well so I welcome the extra snuggles.  While you do have a preference to me you have started to get excited when dad comes home from work.  You don't take your eyes off of him and smile at him throughout dinner.

Everywhere we go strangers say, "Oh look at his big blue eyes!"  So I have to add this picture to show how handsome your eyes really are. 

looks like you are taking a selfie

I had to add this one as well because it's hilariously pathetic

You are still obsessed with Kash and no one can make him laugh the way you do! I will try and do the same thing Kash is doing and you give me a courtesy smile and when Kash does it you give him a big belly laugh.  I know you are so anxious to run around and be his little shadow. In the last month Kash has really enjoyed playing with you too.  He's always asking to hold you, he comforts you when you are sad and has started to play with you on his own.  I love that you guys are brothers!

Sorry for the low quality phone video, Kash's Christmas pajamas that are too small for him and his worn out socks...but this video is too awesome not to share.  Blaine was watching the boys while I was at a church meeting.  He went into the other room and when he came back Kash and Nixon were playing ball.  This video makes me so happy. 

You bring me peace and happiness.  I naturally get you and know your needs before you even need to vocalize them. I keep holding on to these baby months because they are about to be gone forever. One day I will wonder how I should best care for you and how to be the best mom to you.  But right now, you make me a confident momma.  I love you so much Nix, more than I ever knew I could!

Love, 

Mom

Nixon 4 months

(Nixon turned 4 months old on Jan. 7th)

Nixon,

You are still our happy, smiley baby...as long as I'm holding you!  You lure people in with your smile and bright eyes, this makes them want to hold you. Once you are in their arms your face turns bright red, you get the biggest frowny face in the world and start to cry. After awhile I take you back and you immediately start to smile and laugh.  Little stinker.  You were cured of this stranger/non-mom anxiety for about five days while Grandma Shelley was here for Kash's birthday.  But as soon as she left you went back to your old momma boy ways.  I'm hoping this is just a phase...

This month you have started to grab things.  I can see your thought process as you focus really hard on an object and try to make your hand do what you want it to.

You are also on the verge of rolling over.  You will arch your back in search of your brother or a toy and almost roll over from your back to your stomach.  Speaking of Kash you are still enamored by your big brother.  Anytime he's in the room you watch his every move and even randomly laugh at his crazy antics.  I know you guys were friends before you came to this Earth, I can see it in your eyes the way you watch and love him so much already.

You still aren't sleeping through the night.  You are eating every 3 hours and we haven't started you on any cereal or solids this month. You still spit up a lot but probably not as much as the previous months, I guess you could say it's getting better but it still feels like I'm getting slimmed a lot throughout the day.

You really are a happy, easy baby Nix (as long as I'm the one taking care of you).  I feel blessed each day that I get to stay at home and take care of you, play with you, rock you to sleep and have you by my side.  You've really become my little friend that goes and does everything with me, and most days, I wouldn't have it any other way.  You bring a light and happiness to our house!

We love you Nixon!
Mom & Dad

Always chewing on your hands.

4 month stats:
Weight: 15.63 lbs (50th percentile)
Height: 25.75 in. (75th percentile)

Nixon 3 months

Oh little Nix...

I feel like you have changed so much in the last month.  I think you definitely hit a growth spurt as your clothes get a little tighter and your legs are starting to hang out of your bouncer.  I tried my hardest to stop it but you are officially out of the snuggly newborn stage.  That's ok though with every new stage comes new things I learn to love about you.  Like how you finally have a laugh to go with that cute smile of yours.  Kash and I are often finding new ways to get you to laugh at us...fun for everyone!

Unfortunately I have nothing good to report on your nightly sleeping habits.  Our house seems to be plagued with one cold after another and I'm guessing the coughing and breathing problems is why you still feel the need to eat every 3-4 hours at night.  After you got over croup you would do a few nights here and there with 5-6 hour stretches, but we haven't gotten that kinda sleep in what seems like an eternity now. Hopefully this will get better soon...

You've finally let us hear a real cry!  Seriously since you were born you haven't really cried, maybe a little fuss here or there but really you never cried.  I don't know how we got so luck to have two happy babies!  I think now you realize crying is a faster way to get your needs met. :)  But really it's not that often that you cry and if you do it's usually because you want to be rocked to sleep at the end of the day, can't blame you-I cry when I need dad to rock me to sleep too.

You are a drool machine.  I'm hoping this doesn't mean that a tooth is about to pop up anytime soon.  Kash got his first tooth at four months.  That's just too early Nix...babies should not get teeth that early!  Please hold off on this milestone!  And I don't know if it is because you might be teething but you love to chew on your hands only adding to the drool factory.  Sometimes I think you prefer your hands to a pacifier but I'm pushing the pacifier because I think it will be easier to take that thing away from you in a year than cut off your thumbs.

You are so full of life little Nix.  You LOVE to be around people and for people to hold and talk to you.  The other day someone from church said, "Every time I look someone else is holding Nixon!"  You definitely have your own little fan club on Sundays, full of people who think your are the best baby in the world...and really I can't argue with them!

But one of your favorite people (behind me of course) is Kash. You light up whenever your brother is around and love to see him act silly and dance around.  It's as if you wish you were right there by his side dancing and being silly...you watch his every move!  I love it.  Kash loves you too. He will randomly come up and give you kisses and he actually asks to hold you now.  Opposed to previously when I would make him hold you and he would say, "I'm done." and just let you roll off his lap and not look back.  He's also very protective of you and always makes sure you are ok when other people hold you.  You have the best big brother in the world and I can't wait for the day when you can run along side of him.

We love you so much Nixon.  You bring so much happiness into our home with your constant smile and happy spirit. We are so lucky to have you in our family!

Love,
Mom & Dad

I swear you have better smiles than this.  But whenever I do your monthly pictures you are so enamored with the set up that it's hard to get a genuine smile out of you. 

Nixon 2 months

(Nixon turned 2 months on November 7th and his pictures and stats were recorded around that time. One day I will post these in the same month that I'm posting about...)

Hi Nix,

Two months has gone by so quickly.  I keep trying to hold on to your newborness but it's quickly slipping away from me. You are still our happy little smiler though so I suppose if you hold on to that quality it's okay to continue to grow! :)

On of my favorite things about you is your expressive face!  You light up when anyone looks your way and get a big smile when people talk to you.  You've also transitioned your grunts into sweet little coos that melt my heart.

Your sleeping habits took a little turn for the worse.  You were sleeping great up until you and your brother got croup and your coughing wakes you up in the middle of the night.  I'm hoping once the cough is gone you will be back to sleeping 8 hours at a time.

You still spit up a lot.  I wish this wasn't the case as spit up is pretty sick, but I know this too shall pass. I'm still just grateful it doesn't seem to bother you much.  While you like to eat every 2.5-3 hours you don't seem to eat very much, which is something new for me-your brother used to eat a lot more at this age.  But you are growing so you must be getting what you need.

You are still my little sunshine baby.  You bring me so much happiness on the longest of days.  One little look into your sweet eyes and seeing your bright smile is seriously one of my favorite things in the entire world.  We love you so much Nix!!!

Love,
Mom & Dad

2 month stats:
12.37 lbs. (50th percentile)
23.5 in. (75th percentile)

And for a good laugh reminder of how big Kash was check out his stats here.

a name & a blessing//no.2

Nixon Layne Turnbow blessed on October 28, 2012.

Nixon Layne...where did we get that name????  Well it didn't come easy that's for sure.  Because for the first 20 weeks of my pregnancy I was so sure I was having a girl I honestly didn't put much thought into boy names.  But once we found out we were having a boy I was determined to pick out a name asap.  I like deciding on a name as soon as we both can because I hate referring to my baby bump as "baby" or "it".  I had read the name Nixon on a list of baby names and my friend Juli had also suggested it.  And Blaine and I actually agreed we both liked it, wow never thought that would happen.  So there it was our second boy would be named Nixon.  We predicted older generations would hate the name due to the political association that goes with the it, and we were right.  But per usual we didn't care and still decided to go with the name.  Now all we needed was a middle name.  I like middle names to have meaning, but all of the family names weren't flowing with Nixon and we were stumped up until the last few weeks.  Finally I threw out the idea of Layne--a combination of Wayne (Blaine's dad) and Blaine.  And after some convincing (I don't know why there was any discussion really...I thought we agreed he could name one of our kids Kash and I would name everything else in our lives) Blaine was on board with Layne.  And that's how we came up with Nixon Layne.

Nixon's blessing was perfect.  Blaine did a great job and so did Nix.  He didn't even make a peep when his dad raised him to the sky after the blessing like his name was Simba.

One of my favorite things in the world are baby blessings.  I don't even have to know the baby and I will be moved to tears and overwhelmed by the spirit that is in the room.  So you can imaging how I feel about my own children getting blessed.  It's like a dream come true for me to see my husband stand in front of the congregation as a worthy priesthood holder and bless one of our sweet babies, it was such a special day.  I also love that it's just as important to all of our family and they travel and rearrange their schedules to come and celebrate the newest member of the family.

so blessed to have our entire family attend his blessing! 

family of four

the spread...this wouldn't have happened without my mom!  I'm so grateful for all she did!!!

It was a great day and we are so lucky to have little Nix in our lives!!!

I tried to snap some shots after the party but really this baby was too tired to be bothered.

He wore Kash's blessing outfit but these booties were my favorite new edition to the ensemble. 

beautiful blanket made by Grandma Turnbow

smiley

Before Nixon was born I had a major fear that my second baby would be a handful...you know the kind that stay up all night crying, that you have to hold 24/7 to make them happy, the kind you can never comfort and that he would probably have something like acid refulx to add to all of the chaos I was sure would exist with my second baby.

Well thank the Heavens above I received the happiest baby I've ever met!!!  I thought Kash was a happy baby but Nixon...I think he takes the cake.  He's had a happy disposition ever since he came to us.  He's content to sit and watch his brother run around, he lets me clean out his nose with the scary blue bulb without making a peep and he has the brightest, happiest smile in the world.  He started smiling so young too, I couldn't believe it.  Here he is at 3 weeks old smiling.  It doesn't fully capture his smiling capabilities (and they've since grown 4 weeks later) but whenever I would pull out the camera I could only get tiny smiles. 

I love how you can see his eyes light up first (please ignore my baby voice, the low lighting and the shower in the background. I think I took this around 5:30am one morning)...

smiles from Erica Turnbow on Vimeo.

Here's another one of him 3 weeks old smiling it up.  He gets so excited he goes cross eyed! ha
DSC 1316 from Erica Turnbow on Vimeo.

Despite his smile that melts my heart every day isn't sunshine and rainbows.  He's still a newborn that needs a lot of attention.  And some days I try and remember what it's like to cook dinner with two hands or even blog with two hands :)  But let me tell you his willingness to smile at you just for looking at him makes it all worth it.  We love our little smiley baby! 

Nixon 1 month

Hi Little Nix!

Welcome to our family and to the tradition of monthly letters from your favorite mom!  As with your brother the first month of your life flew by.  I've been trying to hold on to every little minute of your "newborness" but this last week I've seen you grow and develop and realize I only have a short amount of time left with the newborn version of you.

These days you are holding your head up more, great at tracting objects with your eyes and even turning your head to follow them, sleeping more and more through the night (often 5-6 hours at a time) and awake more through the day.  You are such a happy content little baby.  You will fall asleep anywhere, let your brother smother you hug you when ever he feels the need, sleep through his loud two year old ways and are so easy to comfort if you do get a little fussy.  You love mornings and show us by flashing a big cheesy grin, dimples included.  You've been smiling for a couple of weeks now.  It seems a little early, but how rewarding as your mom to see your sweet smile so soon!!!  Love it.

You do have a few health "concerns".  I don't really know what to call them as I don't think they are a big deal but I think they are worth documenting.  After the first week you started to spit up a lot.  Not just the normal baby spit up, at times it would be pretty forceful and seemed to be every last ounce of milk that you had just drank.  The doctor thinks you might have a mild case of acid reflux.  We have you on over the counter meds and I'm watching what I eat to help you with this.  But even this issue doesn't stop you from being a happy boy, it just makes you a little mad at times and then you are quick to calm down.  You also have a little newborn irregular breathing condition.  You simply forget to breathe at times and then start gasping for air.  You did this in the hospital many times and it freaked the crap out of me!  But many different nurses and pediatricians say that this is common in newborns and you will grow out of it.  Let's hope so because it obviously scares me when you aren't breathing!

You often get compared to your big brother, but I love that you have your own uniqueness about you.  I love your blue eyes and dark hair, your happy disposition (Kash was happy too but you seem to be a little more content), your awesome sideburns--couldn't forget those babies, your cute little dimple that everyone saw weeks before I discovered it, and your GRUNTS!  I thought newborns were supposed to make cute little cooing noise but all you are producing are the sounds of a grumpy old man/baby horse.  We also hear a lot how you are your dad's twin, but I'm happy to report that I do see a little of me in you, I'll have to dig up some old baby photos for proof!

We are so happy you are a part of our family!  We are all adjusting to having a little baby in our family-- sleepless nights, feedings, splitting our time between two kids--but your dad and I wouldn't have it any other way. I often imagined how you would fit into our family, what our daily routine with you would be like, and how we would love another child...but in four short weeks I can hardly remember life before you and can't imagine life without you!  I love that you are apart of our family and thank Heavenly Father every day for your health and your sweet spirit in our home.

Love you Nixon!
Mom & Dad

Nixon's 1st bath

I don't think I've ever wanted to give a child a bath more than I did Nixon!  Turns out sometimes newborn's belly buttons can get pretty stanky right before they fall off, as was the case with Nix's.  Whewww I seriously could hardly stand to hold him without wrapping him a few times in a blanket to cover the stench of that thing!  I even had the doc take a look at it and she had to put some silver stuff on it because it was oozing. haha  How's that for some awesome newborn details you probably didn't want to read.

Anyway, on to the cute stuff...

Nixon was pretty content during his first bath, so much so that he started to dose off.  Crazy baby.  Kash loved helping with the bath, and I have a cute video of him helping but I realized we didn't cover up Nixon's boy parts so I decided to keep that in the family archives.

Yay for belly buttons falling off, smelling like newborns should smell like and first baths.