Our New Normal

Our little peanut is growing leaps and bounds!  At birth, Joelle weighed 5 lb 15 oz; at two days old, she weighed 5 lb 6 oz; at four days old, she weighed 5 lb 9 oz; and at 11 days old, she weighed 6 lbs!  Praise God, she is growing, and at rapid speed!  Most babies lose weight in the first 48 hrs of life, but it is expected that they gain back the weight to reach their birth weight between the first and second weeks of life.  We are so happy that she has so far reached her weight goals.

Jonas is doing really well with his little sister.  He loves to give her lots of kisses and is starting to understand that he needs to be gentle around her.  He really is a sweet little boy, but like most little boys, he is rough.  Sometimes I have to defend Joelle's little head from his swinging arms.  He doesn't ever mean to be rough, he just doesn't understand yet!

This past Monday, Jonas turned 17 months old!  It is so amazing to watch him change from month to month. Five months ago, he was learning to walk, and now he is learning to talk.  I love to hear his voice babble in incoherent words and small sentences.  Every day he learns new words.  Some of the best moments of my days are trying to teach Jonas new words and new activities.  Last night, we ate enchiladas for dinner, and since 'enchilada' is a rather large, difficult words to say, we taught Jonas the word 'taco'.  During the entire meal, we heard 'datdo' repeated over and over!  Jonas is also learning how to catch a ball.  He loves to play with his big yellow ball and he thinks it is so neat when he catches it!  He especially likes to throw the ball while watching himself in the mirror!

Steve and I have been doing well adjusting to our new normal.  It has been difficult having a newborn - waking up during the night for feedings, but we feel so blessed to have Joelle, as well as Jonas, in our lives.  In the last week and a half, I have been reminded of God's love for us every time I look at my children.  Jonas is young and innocent and he loves Joelle so much.  We didn't have to tell him to love her, but he does, without reserve.  If I would let him, he would give her kisses all day long.  His actions toward Joelle remind me of the unconditional love that we receive from God.  Joelle hasn't done anything to deserve Jonas's kisses, but he gives them to her anyways because he wants to.  What a wonderful reminder of God's love for his children.