Jonah Bear update...6 months!

Well our little Jonah Bear is grooooowwwing...

At his 6 month check up he weighed in at a whopping 19 lbs 8 oz and 28 3/4 inches long. I can't believe how chubby he is!

He enjoyed tearing up the paper. Ha!

 

He loves to eat. I'm still nursing full time but I have recently introduced baby food. So far, he's tried green beans, carrots and sweet potatoes... He isn't quite loving it yet. I guess in time he will.

He's not really a fan of cereal either. He's just like Noah was as a baby. He just wants to nurse all the time. We are gonna keep introducing veggies to him and hopefully he'll enjoy them a little more soon. It's fun watching him try new things. :)

Jonah's sleep schedule has been tricky recently. The last two nights he's slept 10 hours again. Yes! But earlier in the week he was getting up once or twice in the night. I really can't complain though, I'm enjoying this all again so much.

He's finally sleeping in his crib because he outgrew his bassinet. He's a bit of a light sleeper and Rick and I felt that we were keeping him up in our room, so now he's across the hall. I'm actually really proud of myself for moving him into his nursery. I didn't think I would ever be able to feel comfortable enough for him to go in there. I check on him throughout the night and of course I have a monitor on him all he time. It helps my heart to feel at ease. I like to hear his little noises and see his movements throughout the night.

Talking to his friends =)

He loves his owl/birdie mobile... <3

Jonah LOVES his room. We play in there a lot. I rock him and feed him there. It's a calming soothing room that we both really enjoy spending time in. I'm thankful we were able to create such a happy place in a room that made me so sad for so long. It's been a blessing.

Maddie Bird <3

Playing with his birdie family =)

My sister is an angel <3

We love this onesie!

Jonah is wearing 9 months clothes now! He's rolling and sitting and trying to get on his knees. He grabs anything and everything within his reach and then of course, he puts it to his mouth. He wants to eat everything!! He seems to be teething but none have popped through yet.. I'm gonna keep watching..

Jonah has been spending his summer LOVING on his brothers!!! We have been going swimming and to Kings Island amusement park. We go on walks and play outside. Jonah absolutely lights up when Noah and Elijah come around. He LOVES his big brothers so very much!

Thanks Kellie Staats for this cute idea for father's day...=)

I have lots of stories to share about this week, including a really hard day on father's day. Rick and I were challenged again with a huge trial in our lives. I don't have the energy to share that now, but I will soon. We are thankful to put last week behind us and move forward. We are continuing to trust God and praise Him through both the hard and good days.

So for today, where are we???

We are loving more than anything having Jonah in our family. I don't think I can imagine what life without him would be like. We are just so thankful to be watching him grow and learn and become the precious little boy that he is. I don't know what the future holds for our family, but I think it's safe to say, that we are so happy and in love right now. We are enjoying watching these three fabulous little boys grow up. It's just so fulfilling. Maddie Grace is never far from our thoughts, and we know we will be seeing her again. But for now, we just thank the Lord for the precious children we have here that we are raising up for Him, always believing and looking for the good things in life. And Jonah is most definitely one of the best things that could have happened to our family!

Here was a snapshot of my boys and I on Mother's Day...  I need to get an updated family photo taken soon!

I'll be writing again soon and sharing Jonah's 6 month photo shoot... Until then.

Much Love,

Natalie

A Celebration of Hope

Last week marked a very special day for our family and for Jonah Asher!

He is now 6 months old!!!

Part of me can't believe he's been with us for half a year already, while the other part of me feels like he's been here all along. It truly is amazing how quickly time passes.

As his "half birthday" approached, I just found myself thanking God...

For Jonah.

For our family.

And for hope.

He always has and will continue to be a symbol of hope in our lives.

When I wake to his smiling face every morning, I'm reminded. I give a sigh of relief and thank the Lord for another day with him.

I'm sure over time, the fear will subside, but I'm still so thankful and hopeful I will get to watch him grow up.

When he was born, God brought our hope to sight and renewed it completely.

Everyday, as we watch him grow and learn, we continue to pray that he will stay with this family for the rest of our lives.

He is holding true his name and I'm so happy that he fits it. Jonah = Dove. Asher = happy and blessed. We surely feel happy and blessed by our sweet little birdie boy.


He has brought complete happiness back to our family. Who knew someone so small could make an impact so big? Yet another way he takes after his big sister. =)

He truly is amazing.

The day he was born, my life changed forever. I will never forget this moment...

Sometimes I find myself holding him and still crying. I'm just so thankful that God gave us this sweet, precious bundle of hope.

He will always remind us to never give up and to trust that God knows best... always.

When I think of Maddie not being here and I am missing her so much, I just thank God that she made a way for her precious brother to be with us. Watching him grow is so fulfilling. He will always remind me of his sister in so many ways, but for that I am thankful.

The last six months have truly been amazing and I just can't wait for the next six and the years to follow.

We love our Jonah Bear more than words can express. He is a wonderful addition to our family. Not a day goes by that one of my boys don't say how happy they are that he's here, or how happy they are to have a little brother.

Jonah will truly never know what he did for our family. There was just no greater gift that God could have given us than him. And so with that being said... Enjoy some pictures of our little "half" birthday celebration.

Featuring... Our sweet Rainbow of Hope.

He truly has helped carry us through the greatest storm of our lives. Thank you to all of you for walking through it with us as well.

Enjoy!!!

Rainbow cupcakes the boys made for Jonah Asher...

They enjoyed the candy too. :)

My boysie's... not sure what Eli was doing with his shorts. lol.

Our sweet Rainbow...

Hmmmm...

Oooooh, what's this?

He wasn't sure...

Until he got the whole plate...

I think he liked it!

Don't worry, he only got to feel the cake.. He'll have to wait till a year for a taste...

The aftermath... Lol

Thanks for taking a peak into our sweet boy's half birthday! I will be sure to update some recent pictures and what he's been up too soon. Also, I have some sweet "Maddie Grace" moments I want to share. In the mean time, I hope all of you have a happy and blessed week!

Much Love,

Natalie