nathan and audrey

My kids have both recently undergone growth spurts.

I’m almost 29 weeks pregnant, and Lito should be about 2.5 pounds. Dude.

Banzo just grew significantly and is actually fitting into clothes that are his “suggested” size. He’ll be two soon, but at least he was in his 18-24 month pants for part of that time period. His feet also grew, which was kind of weird to see them jut out there and demand new shoes, but there you have it. I found a couple of pairs on clearance, so I picked up not only the size he’s in now, but the next size up too so I don’t get caught off-guard by future growth spurts.

Banzo’s personality has also grown as he’s becoming more independent and developing his own opinion. This has produced more conflict for us, but most of the time, I find him adorable enough to not get upset by his random screaming or the sudden insistence that he has to do things his way right this very minute. Also, I find that not letting him bother me (read=ignoring him) often deflates his meltdowns, and he recovers quickly. He’s still not talking much, but in the last week or so he’s picked up a ton of sign language, so communicating is at least growing easier.

We are still cloth diapering, and we’re planning to cloth diaper #2 as well. I’ve organized the boys’ room, unloaded all of the little baby clothes, and am coming to terms with carrying around a diaper bag again. I’m also trying to get all of “my” stuff done before the baby’s due date, knowing that when he arrives, I’ll have to be a little more selfless and once again answer to the demands of a small helpless human being. At least this time I expect the first six months of his life to involve practically no time for me. I’ve taken up quilting in the last few months, and I really enjoy sewing, so I’m hoping there will still be occasional times for fabric projects.

But growth spurts mean hunger, and my big one needs a snack, cutting this update to a quick halt.

My son is learning life skills with a gusto that ceases to amaze me.

At nearly thirteen months, he can:

• Cram up to eight cheerios in his mouth. (Without choking!)
• Remove his own pants.
• “Hide” from Mom by holding a blanket in front of his face.
• Pretend to offer Mom or Dad food, almost deposit it in our mouths, then yank it away at the last minute with this adorable grin on his face that prevents repercussions.
• Redecorate an entire room by yanking everything off of tables, shelves, and chairs to make a more eclectic and “lived-in” sort of feel. He’s genius, really.
• Open cabinets and drawers and pull out their contents to add to his design scheme. His granola bar work is relatively unheard of–a new design strategy sure to catch on, probably first in Europe, then the States.
• Use his uncanny “sense” to zero in on everything that Mom doesn’t want him to touch.
• Work on Mom’s patience levels by massacring her books.

And:

• Smile so dashing and sweet that I am glad every day that I have such an amazing son.

Our son is getting big. At nearly a year, he is pulling himself up, standing, and taking steps with the aid of furniture or mom and dad. He is starting to look like a boy–no longer a baby–and I would be lying if I said that I don’t get mushy and sad at the thought of him getting older.

But he’s not completely grown up–not yet. I used to sing to him a lot when he was much smaller, but that practice has dwindled. Today he was fussy at naptime, and it seemed like a good idea, so I sang my version of a lullaby to him.

Je t’aime.
Je t’adore, mon petit fils.

Tu t’appelles Noah,
mais je t’appelle Banzo.
Tu es mon petit prince.
Tu tiens mon amour.

When I started singing this morning, he lay his head on my chest and fell asleep. Good thing for me, my son still needs me.

I wanted a prince theme for the Bean’s room. His mobile has a crown, there are crowns on the walls, and I framed Psalm 21:1-7 in an awesome gold frame I picked up at a thrift store for cheap.
I wasn’t too set on any colors in particular until I went with friends to pick out crib bedding fabric. I was sold on a turquoise and chocolate brown Alexander Henry print that we paired with chocolate brown and white polka-dotted fabric. Mint green also made its way into the mix, as well as a few accents of gold, because what kind of a prince room would it be without some metallics?

There is plenty of work still to be done, but here are a few pictures. Since we’re renting, I don’t have much control over the walls, but the gray is a nice shade. The space is a good size with plenty of room for the Bean and his furniture.

The wonderful name banner was made by my friend Annalea.

My younger sister painted a set of three canvases for the Bean’s room. I loved the bright colors, but when I tried hanging them in various places in the nursery, the muted light and surrounding hangings didn’t seem to fit. The gray also didn’t go well, which surprised me. I thought it would look nice. I decided to hang them outside of the door where several windows and a path of natural light would show them off.

Here’s a closer shot. She’s only used three colors: turquoise, yellow, and white (on white) but I love them.

There are two large windows that offer some natural light. The circular object hanging in front of the windows is the Bean’s mobile, which we still need to hang. (That’s a Nathan project.) Also, this chair is my favorite piece of furniture that I’ve ever owned. It’s covered in brown chenille, and it’s oh-so-comfy. I’m planning to sew a pillow with some of the leftover fabric from my crib bedding.

We are slowly working on his book collection. If he doesn’t like books, I’m going to be very very sad.

Here’s where you have to use some imagination! Instead of the bassinet, imagine the Bean’s awesome crib! (Picture to follow immediately.) Also, I need to paint those wooden hoops and wicker basket chocolate brown.

This is the Bean’s crib, and I love the fact that his papa and aunt and uncles slept there too. Right now, the crib is stationed in our room. When the Bean starts sleeping (consistently) for longer stretches of time, we’ll talk about moving him into his own room. But we’re in no hurry. In fact, I think we’ll be sad when he makes the move!

Yes, I’m in love with my crib bedding. I mean, the Bean’s crib bedding.

I’d love to pick up a large area rug for the floor, and I’m going to need to figure out some toy storage solution for when he gets bigger. There’s painting, sewing, and re-arranging to do, but I’m fairly happy with the results so far.

We have started solids. It was a part of our well-intentioned plan for our son to sleep for longer intervals at night. (That seems to be a point he’s not willing to wiggle. Every three hours, it is!)

He is not a huge fan of rice cereal. I can’t say I blame him. I enjoy fine foods, and I like to think he’s taking after me in that regard.

With time, he is getting better at mastering the art of the spoon, and we’ll be introducing oat cereal soon. We’ll see if he likes that any better.

In other news, our site is back from its long hiatus! (Moving and server issues are never enjoyable.) I’m posting some older events, but ones I find kind of important to the Bean’s development. Sick though I may be, (and I am, oh, I am), I am hoping to get a few more posts up this week showing off his new room, some house photos, and other moments of Garbanzo awesome. Brace yourself!

I did not get much sleep last night. I tried! Garbanzo went down at 8:41, and I thought, Brilliant! I’ll go to sleep extra early since I’m exhausted! Except, the Bean decided to fidget and grunt and move and whimper–all in his sleep. I finally got to sleep around 10:30.

You might be thinking, hey! That’s still a lot of sleep! Except the Bean started to fidget and grunt and move and whimper around 4. This was after we got up at 2:30 for a midnight snack. So he got plenty of sleep. Me? Notsomuch.

But then he looks at me like that, and I can’t be upset.

Thirty-one days later, our magnificent son has gained three pounds and three inches.

I think he’s pretty much the best son a person could ask for.

Our Baby Garbanzo has arrived.

He came on April 6 at 2:55pm, and already I feel as though he’s been with me forever and I cannot live without him. Baby Boy is sweet, cuddly, and (so far) cries only when he’s having his diaper changed. I love being a momma!